Silence fell for a moment.
Ezekiel couldn’t just blurt out anything. The reason why all the beings around him kept their silence was somewhat different.
“….”
They looked at Ezekiel as if he was something unknown.
He had forgotten.
He hadn’t seen what was activated, nor had he realized the principle behind it. Just for a moment, the Emperor’s fist had brushed against Ezekiel’s ice, and already the situation had escalated to this point.
Ezekiel suddenly looked around.
He was standing at the center of the execution ground.
Everyone was looking at him as if he was something unfamiliar.
“….”
Ezekiel’s breathing grew rougher. An emotion he had never experienced in his life was swelling within him.
Fear.
He had built a resistance to all kinds of torture while being trapped in the Palace of Penance since his childhood. He had been confident he could endure the pain, even if his entire body was pricked with fine needles.
But this was different.
The power that made someone forget another.
He wanted to stop right then and there. Instincts from every corner of his body were constantly whispering in his ears.
Just give in and beg for everything to be over.
Even though he lacked a physical form, the Emperor was truly an entity of a different level. He possessed something that could not be expressed with mere words or phrases.
Was the wall of the empire’s Emperor this high?
“….”
Yet Ezekiel managed to compose himself.
He must not believe anything about the current situation. Even if something were to happen, hadn’t he already resolved to jump in? His goal was to protect the O-hwangnyeo.
Yes, let’s not think about what was happening to him.
He should only think about what he had to do and what he would achieve.
Thud— Thud—
Of course, even while repeating that, his heart kept pounding. He could feel just how much fear he was facing.
“Good job.”
That’s when it happened.
He heard words from the Emperor.
“The fact that you haven’t knelt immediately and that you’re maintaining your sanity… those two things earn you some praise.”
“This is….”
Ezekiel was just curious. He tightened his focus in his mind, reminding himself not to forget anything he knew, and barely managed to ask the Emperor.
“How on earth can you manipulate other people’s memories?”
It was such an act to speak informally to the Emperor, but that was not a concern at this moment. The Emperor didn’t particularly care either.
He merely shrugged.
“All things thrown into the world inevitably experience destruction. Only the timing varies… and memories are no different.”
As the Emperor lightly lifted his hand once more, it sent Ezekiel’s entire body into a near convulsion.
Unknowingly, Ezekiel shaped a sharp icicle and stabbed it hard into his shoulder.
He felt it. Without this level of pain, one couldn’t endure the presence of the Emperor.
The Emperor spoke softly.
“When you think about it, isn’t humanity a truly weak existence? At a superficial level, starting from cells and hair, and on a deeper level, ultimately, even one’s own soul will eventually perish.”
The Emperor nodded slowly.
“I simply bring that date a bit closer. No, saying ‘bring closer’ feels a bit off… This is the first time I’ve explained it to someone, so it seems I’ve made a mistake.”
The Emperor quickly corrected himself.
“What I leave behind is only the ‘state of destruction’ after time has flowed and flowed. I don’t bother with the interim process. It’s an entirely different concept from ‘bringing closer’… Do you understand?”
Ezekiel couldn’t believe it as he listened.
That such a power could exist.
No, even if it did, to wield it freely…
He realized his chances were incredibly low after hearing the explanation, but he still didn’t change his attitude.
This wasn’t mere stubbornness.
This was just what he had to do.
“…Then, if there is something within a human that will never perish?”
The Emperor’s helm turned slowly towards Ezekiel. It felt as if he was smirking at him.
As if he was humorously entertaining the question of an ant.
“Then it would be outside the realm of my powers. However, such a thing does not exist for humans. Death and forgetting… is something all humans inherently possess. There are no exceptions.”
Ezekiel felt a shiver that made his chin tremble.
A being like the Sun God.
It made him think that he could never win.
“At this very moment, countless humans are striving to strengthen their power and enhance their achievements. But is there anyone among them who will ultimately not perish? No. That is why I am the Emperor.”
“….”
“…Unknown one, this is truly your last chance.”
The Emperor spoke slowly while crossing his arms.
“Just give up the life of the O-hwangnyeo. At least I won’t erase you from anyone’s memory. How many times has it been already? I didn’t even realize I could be so lenient of an Emperor.”
“And if I don’t give up? No.”
Ezekiel said, trembling.
“…If I have something I’m certain will not perish in a human?”
“With that sentence, I completely understand your intentions.”
The Emperor nodded quietly.
“You’re truly foolish. There will be no more opportunities.”
Ezekiel instinctively felt it. The Emperor was approaching.
Ezekiel wrapped three different energies around himself while concentrating. He was trying with all his might to defend.
“Your attempt to overcome the side effects of the Sun Elixir is admirable. You’re getting stronger even at this very moment. But…”
Crack!
Once again.
Ezekiel heard that sound in his head.
It felt as if someone had struck him inside. He had clearly forgotten something, yet he didn’t even know what it was.
…What on earth did I forget?
Just as Ezekiel was thinking that,
Bang!
With the impact, the Emperor’s fist exploded onto Ezekiel’s jaw. The man rolled on the ground several times before crashing down.
The Emperor slowly approached him and asked.
“Hey, do you know who I am?”
“The Emperor of the Empire, Verd….”
“Good. But… what was your goal again?”
“….”
A brief silence flowed.
“…What?”
Ezekiel muttered, dazed.
However, there was no time to ask again.
Crack!
His head felt like it was being smashed again.
He clearly forgot something. Though he didn’t know what.
“Do you know who I am?”
“….”
Even as Ezekiel attempted to respond as quickly as he could, the outcome never changed. The situation remained the same.
Oblivion.
And forgetfulness.
It was something that repeatedly pierced into Ezekiel indiscriminately.
“You said something that you should never say to me.”
Bang!
The Emperor struck Ezekiel in the abdomen and said,
“…You think something exists that will not perish for humans? There is no word I despise more than that. Just by looking at you, it’s clear. Little by little, you’re losing everything without proving anything.”
Gah…!
Ezekiel rolled on the ground once more, eyes wide open.
He felt helpless.
He had never faced such an absurd wall in his life. No matter how tough the situation, there had always been a way out.
But facing the Emperor was different.
As if it were fate. As if it were something that simply couldn’t be resisted.
There was no opportunity to resist.
“….”
Ezekiel tried not to care about the things he had already forgotten. He only quickly gathered what would mean the most to him.
One.
If he could hold on to even that one thing properly. If he could prove that he was right.
Thud— Thud—
While contemplating this, the Emperor was walking indifferently towards Ezekiel. It seemed he was deciding what to erase from his mind next.
“If humans were such strong beings, it would be nice. But they are not. Why else would there be an Emperor…?”
Crack!
Once again, Ezekiel’s head quaked with a loud sound.
It was much larger than before.
“…Weak. Humanity is so weak. They need someone to rule them.”
Ezekiel kept thinking.
For humanity, what could possibly not perish?
For humanity, what could possibly be something that would not perish?
“….”
Finally, Ezekiel made his decision.
Szzzzz
He began to freeze his own body. At a glance, it looked like he was trying to give up everything and commit suicide.
Thud—! Thud—! Thud—!
He created a swirling storm of frost in his hands and kept striking it against his chest where his heart lay. He looked like a madman.
Pooooosh—!
Eventually, his hand pierced completely through his chest. He grasped his heart entirely and began to freeze it.
“Well, this is what you’re going to show, huh?”
The Emperor remarked.
“Your demise, yet again, explains the weakness of humanity. It shows once more that humans are beings that obliterate everything they possess… Farewell.”
Boom—!
As the Emperor swung his fist wide.
No longer, did any opponent exist who could withstand him.
He had vanished.
As if he had never existed.
“….”
At the center of the execution ground, the Emperor quietly sat in a lotus position.
As if to savor this moment.
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