Chapter 391: Awakening (6) |
“......What?”
“Didn’t you hear me? I said I wanted to know why you’re called the ‘Star Eater.’”
Alon shut his mouth for a moment.
He hadn’t expected to hear that title in this situation.
“What does that mean?”
At Alon’s question, which slipped out without him realizing it, Karaan frowned for a brief moment.
“Wᅳell, if you don’t feel like telling me, then forget it. I was just asking out of pure curiosity anyway.”
Karaan stepped back.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to tell him—he truly didn’t know.
“Why did you do something like this?”
“Something like this?”
“Yes.”
Karaan let out a sneer as if he found it quite amusing.
“What exactly do you mean by ‘something like this’? The reason I’m engaging in this war of attrition instead of calling their closest followers here? Or the reason I’m trying to kill that rat bastard? Or maybe—”
Snicker—
“The reason I killed that lump of skin down there?”
Alon looked into Karaan’s eyes.
Eyes slightly eaten away by madness, as if gazing down upon the world itself. He met that strange, unpleasant gaze.
“All of it.”
“All of it? You sure are curious. But it’s not like there’s anything I can’t tell you.”
Karaan continued lightly.
“First, the reason I killed that lump of skin was to offer him as a sacrifice to that being. At the very least, among the ordinary humans around me, he was the most revered existence.”
“......Even though that was your father?”
“Father—”
Karaan muttered the word several times as if savoring it, then nodded.
“That’s true. He was my father. But that isn’t important. He was someone who didn’t even possess the ability to distinguish what truly mattered in the first place.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Exactly what I said. He was someone who couldn’t tell what was important. I simply offered up someone that useless as a sacrifice. This kingdom, too, should be ruled by someone more fitting. For example, that being.”
Karaan grinned, the corners of his mouth twitching upward.
And in that moment, Alon realized something clearly.
‘His words are filled with contradictions.’
At a glance, it sounded like something one might pass over without much thought, but the more he listened, the harder it was to understand.
To begin with, Karaan’s words hardly felt like answers to Alon’s questions.
What he was spewing out was nothing more than directionless, negative rage toward Carmaxes III.
A rage riddled with contradictions.
Yet even so, Alon had little trouble grasping why Karaan had become the way he was.
‘Unlike the original world, it seems the Carmaxes chose Karsem instead of Karaan.’
In Psychedelia, the one who became king was Karaan.
That was only natural.
Karaan wasn’t an outstanding figure, but compared to the reckless Karsem, he was dozens—perhaps even hundreds—of times the better choice.
However, things were different now.
The reformed Karsem had become a far superior existence to Karaan.
Just as Alon was about to sink deeper into thought, he instinctively halted his thinking and looked at Karaan.
“Why are you trying to kill Karsem?”
“There’s no particular reason. He’s just unpleasant to look at. That’s all.”
“I heard you were planning to use him as a sacrifice.”
“So the rat bastard went that far with his mouth.”
Karaan shrugged as if it meant nothing.
“Still, among humans, he’s the kind that’s revered, so I planned to offer him.”
“Even though he’s your blood relative?”
“Don’t make me repeat myself. As I already said, that’s not important. Then, is the last question remaining now?”
“I don’t even need an answer to that. It’s probably because of faith.”
“Hoh?”
A flicker of interest appeared on Karaan’s face.
“Is it not?”
“No, that’s the correct answer. As expected, there’s something about you. There’s a reason you were called some kind of sage-god even before the great ones descended.”
Watching Karaan grin as if amused, Alon remained silent for a moment before opening his mouth.
“It seems you still haven’t gathered enough power to properly wield it. Or to be precise, even if you’ve manifested, you’re not at a level where you can control that power yet.”
In an instant, the laughter vanished from Karaan’s face.
Confirming that reaction, Alon continued speaking.
“That’s why you’re trying to conquer this city through fear, no matter what, to extract faith. Ruling through fear in a short time, rather than gaining faith naturally.”
“Well, am I wrong?”
Karaan let out a hollow laugh.
“I had a rough idea, but you know even more than I expected.”
Karsem muttered quietly.
However, in truth, Alon didn’t know the details of divine-blood to that extent. In other words, what he said to Karsem was nothing more than a bluff.
Karsem, who had handed over information so easily, replied without even realizing he’d been deceived.
“But at this point, it’s all meaningless. That being is going to take this city into his hands.”
Karaan grinned widely and stomped his foot.
Uuuuuung~!
Along with that, countless magic circles burst forth.
“What, did you really think I’d just let myself be taken without saying a word?”
When Alon looked down with a hint of surprise, Karsem’s expression grew even more vile.
“This is—”
“A summoning circle. In just a little while, that being’s creations will start bursting forth endlessly throughout this kingdom. Thanks for dragging things out for me like this.”
“......”
“Don’t look at me like that. You didn’t seriously think I’d be stupid enough to just answer your questions obediently, did you?”
Boom~! Kuguuguung~!
Inside the royal castle, which began to rumble as if it might collapse at any moment.
“You’re about to die anyway, so let’s exchange farewells in advance. Farewell.”
A sneering mockery fell from his lips.
Alon asked Karaan.
“After going this far, what do you gain?”
“What do I gain? Isn’t it obvious! I’ll rule this world as that being’s apostle!”
Hearing that answer, overflowing with ecstasy, Alon let out an involuntary dry laugh behind his blank expression. He had roughly understood already, but hearing it aloud made the puzzle pieces in his head snap perfectly into place.
What it was that Karaan was mistaken about.
And so—
“There are two things. I’ll tell you what you don’t know.”
Amid the magic circles that were growing ever brighter, Alon calmly opened his mouth.
“First, the one you’re trying to manifest has already manifested. He merely used your jealousy to build up ‘faith’ a little more comfortably.”
“What?”
“In short, you’ve been deceived.”
“What are you—”
His brows twisted in an instant.
Karaan tried to say something.
But Alon didn’t stop speaking.
“And second.”
—He formed a seal,
“-You’re not the only one buying time.”
From behind Alon, as if she had been waiting, Blackie revealed itself,
Water-Freezing Seal
Sixfold
Six ice seals were formed.
***
“Haah, fuck.”
The third Babayaga of Colony, a man known as the Flame Ghost.
Acaron let out a vicious curse and sighed from the top of the tower overlooking Colony’s royal castle.
‘Isn’t this seriously fucked?’
Acaron looked around the inside of the tower.
A total of eight unconscious soldiers.
He hadn’t killed them, of course, but seeing that they were in a state where they wouldn’t be waking up for at least a full day, Acaron scratched his head.
Naturally, this miserable state of the tower interior wasn’t something he had wanted.
The reason he had done something like this was entirely because of the secret meeting that had taken place at dawn the day before.
The clandestine meeting, secretly convened by Golden Flash Seolrang—known as the strongest among the current Babayaga—had forcibly shoved into Acaron’s head truths he hadn’t wanted to know.
That Carmaxes III had been killed, and that the First Prince, Karaan, had colluded with those monstrous bastards who had been relentlessly attacking Colony.
“Why are you sighing like that? Is everything finished?”
As Acaron sighed, a voice suddenly reached him.
However, as if he had already been aware of the visitor, he turned his body without much reaction and replied.
“It’s all done already, so don’t worry.”
Where Acaron’s gaze landed stood a middle-aged man.
Another Babayaga like himself.
The man known by the epithet ‘Gallows,’ Kazan.
“Then why aren’t you evacuating to the colosseum? Did you forget the plan?”
Kazan’s reproach.
At that, Acaron frowned.
“What do you mean forget? I haven’t forgotten, that’s why I’m here.”
“Hm, that’s true.”
“You, on the other hand—are you completely finished with your task?”
“Yeah. From the First Tower to the Eighth Tower, all the soldiers we knocked out were sent to the colosseum. Golden Flash took charge of the outer walls, so there shouldn’t be any problems there.”
“What about the civilians?”
“Almost all of them gathered at the colosseum.”
At Kazan’s words, Acaron let out a snort that was hard to tell whether it was mockery or praise.
“Well damn, isn’t that impressive? From dawn till afternoon, lining everything up perfectly so reports wouldn’t go to the royal castle while matching the soldiers’ movement routes—clack clack clack. A miracle strategist is born. How the hell did they come up with a plan like that?”
“From what I saw, it wasn’t Golden Flash, but that sub-guild leader… no, the secretary who planned it.”
The reason they—
No, the reason even including them, the A-rank warriors were moving all around Colony.
Was because of that plan.
At dawn yesterday, along with the Second Prince Karsem’s revelations, a scheme put forward by Lime, the secretary of Golden Flash.
To prepare for the battle that would erupt in the city today, they proposed gathering the civilians in the colosseum, where they could be protected more easily.
It was in accordance with that plan that the Babayaga and warriors had been acting from early dawn, timing everything so the soldiers wouldn’t sense anything amiss.
“Man—if it was gonna be like this, we should’ve just all run off together.”
“The moment you open the outer walls, reports would come in no matter what. Structurally speaking, it’s not a rational option.”
“Ha—do you really think that’s what matters right now?”
“Doesn’t seem like you like it.”
“Do you like this, then? Staying here when the royal castle already betrayed us and ran?”
“Then run.”
At Kazan’s calm reply, Acaron shut his mouth.
Ever since the moment he heard that the First Prince had betrayed them, Acaron had wanted to leave Colony.
Unfortunately, the reason he couldn’t was only one thing.
Not two—just one.
Simply.
‘If you run, I’ll kill you.’
Because Golden Flash had smiled and said exactly that to everyone.
And Golden Flash was someone who absolutely kept her word,
And the fact that she was stronger than everyone gathered here combined—
Something Acaron had felt in his bones for a long time, and even more keenly in recent days.
“You think I’m doing this because I don’t want to run? You want to run too.”
“That’s true.”
“Then how about we just run together while we can?”
“That doesn’t appeal to me.”
“Why?”
“Because I wouldn’t be able to die honorably.”
“Since when did you care about bullshit like honor?”
Acaron asked incredulously.
But Kazan shook his head.
“Dying honorably.”
“?”
“Or crawling like a dog, scraping your skull down a ravine, and dying miserably.”
“The former does sound better.”
“Right?”
Letting out a hollow laugh, Acaron sighed again and scratched his head.
“But seriously, is this really okay?”
“What now?”
Kazan frowned as he lifted the unconscious soldiers one by one, but Acaron asked back as if he didn’t care.
“No, I mean it. Even if that what’s-his-name… Alon or whatever came, how’s he supposed to deal with those monster bastards?”
“……Hmm~ I heard he’s stronger than Golden Flash, so maybe he’ll manage somehow?”
“No, think about it. They’re saying the monsters showing up today aren’t just, like, a hundred, right? Even if he’s stronger than Golden Flash, wouldn’t that still be impossible?”
Acaron deeply furrowed his brow.
“In my opinion, no matter how you look at it, this is complete bullshit. No matter how strong he is, or if he’s a god or whatever—if those insane monster freaks come charging in like an army—!?”
—He couldn’t finish his sentence.
Because of the spine-chilling presence that suddenly erupted from the royal castle.
And that wasn’t all.
Kwaaaaaang—!!!!
A massive explosion followed, bursting out from the royal castle.
Startled in that instant, the two of them snapped their gazes toward the castle.
And then—
“Fuck.”
“Insane—”
They each spat out curses.
They couldn’t help it.
Because what began falling from the sky as the royal castle exploded apart was—
“We’re fucked.”
“Haah—”
An absolutely enormous number of anomalous entities.
“Ah, fuck.”
Grotesque monsters that looked like a fusion of spiders and carnivorous beasts.
More than eight legs flailed violently through the air, clattering loudly.
Their spider-like eyes and mouths writhed in a horrifying manner, and the vile poison dripping from each leg painted the skies of Colony.
“……I should’ve just died pathetically.”
“I’m thinking the same.”
Far too many of them.
Acaron, who had been about to take a stance to fight, instead let the strength drain from his body and gave a hollow smile.
Kazan likewise released the soldiers as if giving up and closed his eyes.
At the moment they were preparing for their end—
“Huh?”
“?”
Acaron and Kazan felt something was off.
The anomalous entities should have hit the ground long ago, crashing down and causing chaos.
Yet the surroundings were silent.
An extremely suspicious situation.
Feeling uneasy, Acaron cautiously looked up at the sky, and what he saw was—
A tree.
So massive it covered the vicinity of Colony’s royal castle.
Hundreds—perhaps thousands—of anomalous entities hanging from it like fruit.
As if even the sky itself had been torn apart by black branches and split into thousands of fragments.
A gigantic Black Wood.
“Ah?”
It was spread out above the two Babayaga’s heads like a fortress.