Chapter 518: Rising Light (1) |
How should I[1] describe the fight between the Swordsman of Light and the Corrupted Saint?
- I’ll save you. So… hang in there just a bit longer.
- …
- Just endure it for a bit longer. I’m sure you can do it.
If the members of the future generation asked us about this fight, then we would give them this answer—it was a fight straight out of a legend, and it was also an extremely sad fight between two people.
It was a fight that didn’t make much sense because it was so unreal, but we could understand their feelings. We couldn’t feel their pain, but we understood it.
I was sure that it wouldn’t be enough to describe such a fight, but it was the best way to describe it. I was sure that the people gathered here thought the same. I couldn’t help but stare absentmindedly at the sky and focus on the unfolding story.
“You’re not human…” Kim Hyun-Sung said.
‘No, he’s definitely human. She created him Herself, and he’s as insignificant as us.’
‘No, he’s not a monster. He’s as strong as Her, but he’s definitely not a monster. He’s more human than anyone else. Yeah, I’m sure of it.’
I couldn’t help but mutter Benigoa’s name while watching the scene I couldn’t quite describe. I was just a priest apprentice, so I couldn’t stand on the same battlefield as them, but I was still a priest of the goddess.
Therefore, I had to watch this fight.
I had to memorize every single detail for the future generation.
The large corrupted mana enveloping the Corrupted Saint made the latter swing his arm, and the ruined city was devastated once more. There was a loud explosion as the Swordsman of Light was sent flying, but he stood up once more.
I was sure that even those who weren’t familiar with fighting could see that the Swordsman of Light was at his limit.
We could see that he could no longer move as swiftly as before, and we could see that he would definitely be in mortal danger at this rate.
We were hoping that he would stop fighting.
- This time, no matter what…
He was covered in blood and was limping, but he stood up as if his injuries were nothing. He was coughing up blood, but he lifted his sword once more.
- This time… no matter what…
He looked like a cacophony of emotions that I couldn’t really describe. He looked the saddest out of everyone there, and he looked like he was carrying the most burden out of everyone.
While balancing on his trembling legs, he rushed at the Corrupted Saint once more.
The surroundings became quiet. Those who were praying, those who were crying because they were afraid of the end of the world, and those who were incessantly cursing the demons went quiet.
They stared intently at the magic hologram.
The soldiers were doing the same and stared at the unfolding fight with desperate hearts.
I was sure that everyone felt the same. The Swordsman of Light was swinging his sword, while the Corrupted Saint defended himself using a clump of mana that I couldn’t quite describe.
In every collision, the Swordsman of Light would call out to the Corrupted Saint. The blows they were exchanging were so powerful that they were literally changing the nearby terrain, but the people watching the battle didn’t really notice that.
How could they notice it when they weren’t at the scene?
Time passed, and the closer they were to their absolute limits, the harder I was clenching my fists. I had no idea just how many minutes—no, how many hours had passed, but the fight was still ongoing.
I had long lost count of how many times the Swordsman of Light crashed to the ground and stood up, but he looked like a tattered rag right now. Meanwhile, the otherworldly mana surrounding the Corrupted Saint seemed to be on the verge of extinguishing.
- I can save you.
- Stop it!
- Wait for me…
- Stop talking nonsense! You piece of shit!
- I trust you…
- …
- I trust you just as much as you trust me.
Tears rolled down from the Corrupted Saint’s uncovered eye, and the Swordsman of Light poured mana into the arm that had long gotten limp from the exhaustion.
The hand holding his sword was bleeding, but he continued swinging his sword with the help of his limping arm.
There wasn’t a holy war that was as beautiful as this, and there was no hero who could be as heroic as him.
The Corrupted Saint had cried out and begged to be killed because he didn’t want to live his life after being corrupted, and he was back—he was begging to be killed once more.
And that was when I heard prayers from the people around me…
“Father…!”
“...”
“Father Lee Ki-Young…!”
I wasn’t sure, but…
“I’m sure he’ll be victorious. I’m sure of it.”
I had to be as positive as possible because my job was to reassure the people here.
“The swordsman of light will surely guide him to the light. He’ll guide Father Lee Ki-Young to where he has to go—that’s why he’s still fighting,” I said.
“...”
“Father Lee Ki-Young’s home isn’t a place filled with nightmares, evil, darkness, and suffering. He has always been guiding us. He has always been guiding fools like us to where we had to go, and he has always been making sure that we’re walking on the right path,” I added.
“...”
“I believe that he simply lost his way. He simply lost his way while chasing after an ideal that was beyond him,” I said.
“Will he come back?”
“Yes, he’ll come back. I’m sure of it because…” I trailed off.
“The sun…”
‘Yeah, I’m sure it’s possible because of the rising red sun...’
“Yes. The light will guide him once again,” I replied.
***
“Why are the demons…”
“I’m not sure. I think they want to watch as well because they enjoy testing and ridiculing humans.”
“You mean…”
“They want to watch the fight because they want to show us that they’re stronger than the light we believe in…”
“I don’t like that hobby of theirs...”
I[2] sat on top of the wall and looked out, and I started to feel calm for some reason. The fight that seemed like it was never going to end was in a lull. This battle was obviously beyond us.
If we were to act hastily and try to help, the demons would make a move as well.
Actually, the biggest reason why we weren’t moving was…
‘We can’t move...’
It was simply because we didn’t have the energy to move anymore.
It wasn’t just us.
I could see the Guild Master of the Red Mercenary Guild trying to catch her breath while leaning against the wall. Park Yeon-Joo of the Black Swan Guild was standing next to her, and her condition wasn’t any different from the latter.
She was staring at the ongoing battle while receiving treatment for her severed leg.
The famous members of the Blue Guild were also gathered in one place and were slumped against the wall as if they couldn’t move anymore.
They were definitely a bunch of powerful people, so it wasn’t that hard to deduce the condition of the ordinary soldiers if even the powerful named members of the battlefield were extremely exhausted.
More than half of the troops couldn’t move anymore, and we had to use this lull to reorganize our troops. I was sure that this was the reason why our leaders had told us to stand by.
The demons had already taken half of the wall, so it was a bit ridiculous that we were putting our hopes into the ongoing battle.
‘How amusing.’
The ongoing battle was no different from an arena because we were watching the Swordsman of Light and the Corrupted Saint duke it out from the top of the wall.
‘How are they moving like that?’
My frame was pretty large for an adventurer, so I knew better than anyone that they weren’t in the condition to move properly. I smiled bitterly because I could see that their condition was worse compared to mine.
It seemed that I wasn’t the only one who thought the same because I could hear someone’s voice talking about it from far away.
“Are they really humans like us? This is pretty ridiculous. The two of them single-handedly destroyed the city, and now… they’re fighting each other…”
“Of course, they’re tired. I’m sure that they really want to pass out right now.”
“That’s true, but…”
“If I were in their shoes, I wouldn’t be able to stand properly. I’m in pretty bad condition, even though I used up my mana, so I’m sure that it’ll be the same for you if you were in their shoes.”
“...”
“Just because they’re on another level doesn’t mean that they don’t get tired. They’re just enduring it.”
“...”
“It’s all because they have a reason not to let everything go. I’m sure they have a better reason compared to a dumbass like me who only cares about his own life. I guess it’s the same for Benigoa’s Chosen.”
“...”
“The selfless act of self-sacrifice is difficult. So how about it? Want to make a bet?”
“I was waiting for you to say that, you gambling addict!”
I turned my head and saw familiar faces.
‘You guys are actually alive…?’
I saw the comrades I frequent the pub with. I saw Kennen, a playboy in Lindel, while the other guy was George, a third-rate gambler. I raised my hand to greet them, but it seemed like they didn’t notice me.
“You really want to gamble at a time like this?” Kennen asked.
“It’s exactly because we’re in this situation that we should gamble. It could be the final gamble of my life, but it doesn’t mean that I’m going to bet on the losing side, Kennen. I’m betting on the Swordsman of Light,” George replied.
“Why?” asked Kennen.
“I’m just a third-rate gambler. What kind of reason would I have to bet?” replied George.
“Stop talking nonsense, George. Everyone here knows that you have bad luck,” he said.
“Who knows? Let’s watch. I have a feeling that I’m right this time, and…” he paused.
“What?”
“No matter which side I pick, I’m going to win this game, anyway. Cough,” he answered.
‘Bullshit…’
However, his words made me feel less anxious for some reason.
He was an idiot, but George was capable of making comments like that sometimes. If the situation really did end up the way he had predicted, then I would take him to a pub and buy him as much alcohol as he wanted.
I looked back to the ongoing battle while having ridiculous thoughts because I wanted to know if he would win the bet this time. After all, his luck was notoriously bad, but…
“Haha.”
For some reason, I had a feeling that he would win this time.
“Man, what a great timing. The entire thing feels staged for some reason.”
A blinding red light started to rise, and I couldn’t help but smile upon seeing it.
1. Unknown Priest POV ☜
2. Unknown Person POV ☜