〈 Episode 60 〉 A Tale from Long Ago (2)
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“The other one is… the disappearance of my existence which embodies that wish.”
No, that can’t happen.
That’s…
“Then you won’t be able to keep your promise either!”
“That is…”
She lowered her head.
“But if my sacrifice can protect the kingdom…”
“No. It has to be my sacrifice.”
“Then does that mean you think your sacrifice can stop that chaos?”
She raised her hand, pointing out beyond the terrace.
In the distance she pointed, chaos was approaching.
In about six months, chaos would completely swallow the kingdom, regardless of the Chaos Beasts.
And blocking it with his swordsmanship… thinking rationally, that was impossible.
“Then can the God of Light stop it?”
She nodded.
‘Damn.’
In fact, leaving the royal palace was just a temporary solution.
In the end, if chaos wasn’t stopped, it would devour the entire world someday.
But if the God of Light could do that…
“Your Majesty, I understand your intentions, but there’s one thing I must ask you to uphold.”
“Hmm?”
“Prayers should start after the child in your womb is born.”
Then her face turned red.
“You knew…”
“Did you think I wouldn’t? You can start praying late if you wish, but until then, I’ll take on all the approaching Chaos Beasts.”
He drew his sword and aimed at the chaos approaching in the distance.
“And if I can cut through the chaos… then I’ll stop praying.”
“Alright. Then in return, you must promise me something.”
She placed her hand on her belly.
“If you fail to strike down the chaos… you’ll fulfill one wish of mine and our child’s.”
“Just one? I could do anything for that kid.”
Of course, he hoped it wouldn’t come to that.
He would definitely succeed in cutting down the chaos.
Watching him, she said, “I’ll trust you, Libero. You’ve always been my hero.”
From that day on, he started cutting down the Chaos Beasts with even more passion.
Who knows? Maybe if he kept this up, he could reach the end of swordsmanship.
Then perhaps he could slash that unpleasant substance.
Three months passed.
The Queen gave birth to a child.
And without even a moment to rest, she headed straight into her prayers.
He didn’t have the luxury to visit her.
He could only hear news about her, as he couldn’t return until he had cut down the chaos.
Before long, the only ones actively battling the Chaos Beasts were him and the Head of the Reedval Family.
With the attacks of the Chaos Beasts becoming fiercer, people were growing weary.
Still, his sword speed increased.
‘From the line to the space.’
He slashed where his sword couldn’t reach.
‘From space to time.’
He cut through things he ordinarily couldn’t cut.
Still…
The chaos remained uncut.
He slashed, and slashed again.
Chaos began accumulating within his body.
Starting from his fingers, distortions began to happen.
No matter what this phenomenon was, it was clear it wasn’t good.
But he couldn’t stop.
Towards the end of swordsmanship.
He continued to slash.
Cutting down the damned Chaos Beasts.
Time was running out. He needed to reach the end of swordsmanship as fast as possible.
It was on the fourth month of cutting down the Chaos Beasts that the voice came.
(Do you wish to reach the end of swordsmanship?)
He didn’t know who it was.
But at that moment, he was desperate.
Desperate enough to borrow the hand of a demon.
‘Of course.’
(Then tell me, what do you need to reach it?)
‘Time.’
(Then I can give you time.)
He should have ignored that offer then.
He shouldn’t have made such a hasty contract.
Because that contract was inherently unfair.
A month later, when he finished his awakening as a Demon King, his consciousness returned.
By then, she had completed her prayers and formed the barrier.
Her existence had already disappeared.
He fell into self-loathing.
He hurt himself over and over.
But perhaps due to the regenerative powers of the Demon King, he couldn’t easily end his life.
Eventually, regret consumed him.
He couldn’t save her.
She believed him to be a hero, but he couldn’t become one.
It was all because he lacked strength.
If only he could have reached the end of swordsmanship…
His body, now just an empty shell, started to move with regret.
Now, he had infinite time.
In that infinite time, he trained his swordsmanship and ultimately reached the truth.
‘The end of swordsmanship never existed.’
From the moment he realized that, his life became meaningless.
During the endless time honing his swordsmanship, his memories and personality had already eroded. Perhaps that was also the aftermath of becoming a Demon King.
During that time, other Demon Kings continued to be born, and the ones created during the chaotic times were now few and far between, aside from him.
A Demon King meeting was established around the newly born Demon Kings, and regulations began to form among them.
Having lost his sense of purpose, he merely moved according to their orders.
There was even a thought that occurred to him.
Perhaps if he fought against a stronger being, he might find a way to reach the end of swordsmanship.
He still hadn’t let go of reluctance.
He had lived such a meaningless and dualistic life.
Until he met that boy.
“I came to fulfill the promise you made with my ancestor.”
The promise he made with her.
It was something he had long forgotten through the years.
He didn’t know how this boy, his descendant, came to know of it, but he couldn’t ignore it.
And surprisingly, the days he spent with that boy began to change him.
“No, even so, I must prove it. Even if the result of the proof is a lie…”
The boy didn’t give up.
No matter how limited his potential was, he continued to try and try again.
He achieved more than one or two things.
Even when he hit a wall, the boy looked for a new way.
He followed him, calling it ‘real battle,’ and eventually, in the end, disappeared somewhere on his own.
With such clear limitations and a body with limited lifespan, why was he trying so hard?
He couldn’t understand.
Perhaps that was why he was drawn to the boy.
More than anything, the biggest change from spending time with him was that the feelings buried deep in his heart started to resurface.
Of course, not all of his withered memories returned.
So he couldn’t even know why he was acting like that.
His heart continued to drive him.
And it exploded the moment he saw the boy leave and Gineus destroy the regular shop.
He ended up here without knowing even that reason.
He had clearly come to kill Gineus…
‘What am I doing?’
For some reason he was mixing swords with the boy.
Even in this moment, as they exchanged swords, the boy continued to accelerate his sword.
Of course, by his standards, he was still far from it, but the boy was pulling off things that seemed absolutely impossible with his talent.
‘From the line to the space.’
He thought it was understandable up to this point.
Achieving such enlightenment in two months wasn’t impossible.
But when the boy’s speed increased and he caught up to him, his thoughts changed.
‘From space to time?’
This was definitely not something that could be resolved in just a few months.
Perhaps even if he worked for hundreds of years, it wouldn’t be possible…
‘Did he really work for hundreds of years?’
His eyes narrowed.
He then read the karma stacked in the boy’s sword.
The boy’s sword undoubtedly contained the results of hundreds of years of training.
‘How? No, why in the first place did he do that?’
It was at that moment.
The boy’s sword sped up even more.
He couldn’t comprehend it.
‘How on earth?’
At that moment, he felt a hot sensation in his chest.
He still didn’t know what that sensation was.
He only knew that this boy had ignited that flame.
But at this moment, he wanted to entrust his body to that flame.
Then, all of a sudden, his body felt light.
The boy’s sword slowed down, and he easily deflected the thrust.
His head also felt clearer than before.
Now he knew.
What that hot feeling in his chest was.
Why he had been wearing a mask to save people all this time.
It wasn’t just a simple hobby.
‘She believed in me until the end as a hero.’
Of course, he hadn’t been able to become a hero for her.
What he wanted to protect the most, he lost long ago.
But still, there were things left for him to protect.
“You’ve gotten strong, Allen.”
“Of course.”
“But you need to rotate your upper body more so it aligns with the sword. Thrust deeper.”
He smiled contentedly.
“Had you done that, you could have reached the tip of my blade.”
He had forgotten until now.
He had been so immersed in ‘the end of swordsmanship’ that he had forgotten why he wanted to reach ‘the end of swordsmanship’.
‘In the end, the sword is a tool. The end of swordsmanship exists in the owner’s intention.’
But it was already too late for him to realize that.
Now, becoming a hero was impossible.
He sheaved his sword and said, “What are you hesitating for? Stab me.”
He had already come to an irrevocable place.
So now, this was the best choice.
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