Chapter 98: As If Awakening a Destiny

‘How is this possible?!’

Even the decisive strike Bargo had unleashed.

Kariel had responded to it.

In a world where everything seemed to have come to a standstill, as if time itself had stopped.

Only that strike reacted to his movements.

It wasn’t a perfect evasion, but it was certain that he had deflected the blow.

As a result.

As if space had been inflated and then suddenly contracted.

It exploded.

Intense electrical currents burrowed into the earth.

Furthermore, because the aftermath had not been fully dissipated, the black lightning split into thousands of bolts, relentlessly burning and scorching the surrounding area.

However, that was not the intended target.

Normally, all the electrical power derived from that strike should have been discharged and radiated toward a single target.

‘What trick did he use?!’

To have deflected even this.

He simply could not understand it.

Roughly twenty paces away from Kariel.

Bargo appeared, as if thrown, dragging himself across the ground. His entire body was emitting thick smoke, as if he had been scorched by something.

From a distance, the sight of Kariel lying collapsed was clearly visible.

Normally, he should have been reduced to powder, losing all form.

In fact, the ground around Kariel was more than just blackened; the area was boiling and sparking violently.

This proved that the result of his attack was by no means meaningless or powerless.

But what about the target, Kariel?

‘It wouldn’t be strange if he were dead.’

Still, people like that.

Beings who seemed to receive special favors from the gods often managed to survive even while half-dead.

Among those called Heroes and legends, how many had returned from the brink of death?

Looking at it that way, that boy had already ascended to such a position.

If so, whether by cutting his throat, piercing his heart, or blowing him apart.

He would have to witness the breath leaving his body with his own eyes.

He had pierced the boy’s heart once before in the past, and look. Had he not survived perfectly fine?

‘I will not make such a pathetic mistake again…’

Just as he pushed himself up to rush toward Kariel.

He suddenly noticed that his feet would not move.

“…?”

The ground had frozen.

Before he knew it, white breath began to bloom in the air.

Due to the heat radiating from his body, smoke was rising from him like burning firewood.

Yet, for some reason, he felt the cold had intensified.

“Hmph!”

The ice clinging to his feet cracked with a loud snap.

To be precise, it was merely the frozen chunks of ice and frost shattering.

But as he took a few steps forward.

This time, for some reason, an Ice Wall rose before his eyes.

“What is this?”

At this point, it was no longer a coincidence.

Had an interloper appeared?

From where?

It emerged from the Ice Wall.

A human-shaped entity made of ice, possessing a mysterious form that looked exactly like a spirit.

However.

…Right now, it was nothing more than a nuisance.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Bargo thrust his spear forward and stirred.

With that intense impact, the girl who resembled an Ice Spirit.

And even the massive Ice Wall standing behind her.

Like a wall made of freshly fallen snow.

They shattered and scattered futilely.

But.

The scattered fragments.

The shards of ice and fine powder gathered together.

They began to form a new shape.

“Hm?!”

Suddenly.

An icy human figure seized his ankles and legs.

The moment it touched him, his legs froze cold and solid.

The icy form, having regained its shape in the air, threw itself toward Bargo in the likeness of a woman.

However.

Even that was torn to shreds and scattered by invisible slashes and flashes of light.

“Pathetic tricks.”

As Bargo slammed the Jet-Black Spear down.

Red lightning swept through the surroundings, and thick steam billowed up.

However.

Even the steam that soared endlessly into the air froze again, becoming a binding prison in itself.

Just as Bargo was about to act.

Dozens of hands seized his entire body.

“!!”

His body froze over in an instant.

But even that was melted away by the surging currents of electricity.

Bargo, spinning his spear like a windmill to scatter lightning, barely managed to launch himself into the air.

But she was already there.

Instantly formed hail turned into dozens of arrows and poured down upon him.

Bargo deflected them all and soared again, only for something entirely different from what had been far away to suddenly pop out.

Like a Snow Queen, a beautiful statue formed of ice.

Having suddenly appeared in the air, she immediately gripped Bargo’s neck.

Even though he had pushed her away with the shaft of his spear, the fragmented grip stubbornly seized his neck and chest.

“What do you think you’re—!”

His words were cut short.

Regardless of his will, his body plummeted and slammed into the ground.

Bargo was suddenly bound, his limbs frozen in an instant.

The icy form of the woman, pressing down on his body, gazed down at him with cold, frozen eyes.

Soon, the form covered his body entirely.

…Bargo was completely frozen.

His chilled body was frozen solid, exactly in the pose of someone about to explode with rage.

However, this did not mean his end.

This was merely a way to buy time.

Indeed, as proof of this.

Red currents vibrated and exploded several times within the frozen block of ice.

And in an instant, the frozen body was released.

“Cough! Gah!”

However, Bargo’s physical condition was not normal.

His heart had stopped for a moment, and fine ice shards had entered his body, accumulating significant internal damage.

Furthermore, due to the technique he had used specifically to target Kariel, he had very little magical power and mental power remaining.

Even before that, he had to struggle desperately to push back the kin of the Demonic World Tree.

Damage from the Holy Sword? That wasn’t a major issue.

But he was certainly exhausted.

“…The promise will be kept, right?”

Asking the empty air, Bargo stood up, staggering with a dissatisfied expression.

“…….”

Kariel was still lying there.

Right now, he could easily finish him off.

But if he aimed for him now, there would be no next time.

He had realized it too late while facing the enemy.

The person responsible for this irrational phenomenon.

…Was likely a disaster in their own right.

‘I don’t know why they are here, but.’

As expected, is it related to the sword?

He wasn’t the only one watching this place, swayed by prophecy.

There were likely many.

If so, it wouldn’t be strange for such beings to intervene one by one.

…Though intervening was another matter entirely.

“Ha.”

With a short sigh, Bargo looked around to see if any of his subordinates had been swept up.

Not a single thing remained intact.

The shabby stall buildings, the lines drawn to mark specific spots, and the traces of signposts had all vanished without a trace.

He, too, had visited this place several times while hiding his identity.

Probably.

‘I’ll never have a reason to come back.’

Even the kin of the Demonic World Tree were now colder than corpses, losing their form.

Like the ashes of burnt firewood scattering in the wind.

Similarly, this place would never regain its original appearance.

Eventually, the Sword of Grandeus was drawn.

Its identity was the Holy Sword.

And its owner was a boy he had never heard of.

…But for the most part, it had nothing to do with him.

It might block his path in the future.

But not for now.

“Then I shall withdraw. The next time we meet, it will be different from this time.”

Bargo declared to the void.

He released red lightning and threw himself into the air.

His small frame instantly shot toward the distant horizon.

Looking at it this way, it was clear that he was a superhuman who far exceeded common sense.

“He… he’s gone?”

It happened in an instant.

Before they could even realize it, the moment they thought their master or Leo had been caught in that man’s attack.

Perhaps because they were within the affected range despite being some distance away.

They, too, had fallen under the influence of the offense and lost consciousness for a moment.

Was that why?

As they barely managed to regain their senses, for some reason, the world was frozen white.

That wasn’t all.

Luirin had personally witnessed the man called the Last Legion Commander—who had been using such incredible means—having all those means neutralized.

What on earth happened?

Step, step.

While the confusion was settling.

The sound of leather shoes stepping on the frosted ground disturbed the silence.

“Eh?”

There was a girl walking toward them, leaning on a cane.

A plain but sturdy white dress.

A brown shawl draped from her shoulders to her waist.

And a scarf that looked like it was knitted from wool.

Hair that resembled the color of the sky.

A girl with eyes even whiter than that.

She was slowly walking toward them.

Only.

“…?”

Eh?

Her legs…?

She was using a cane, but her gait was distinctly different from before.

At some point.

With the cane held in her left hand.

She was walking perfectly fine on her own two legs—it was Luiness.

Why is big sister here?

The doubt lasted only a moment.

Luirin, looking around at the party members who were waking up one by one, immediately turned his gaze toward where Kariel was lying.

Only the ground around him was scorched black.

As if the earth itself had died.

“It looks like he got beaten up by something…”

“Leo? Are you okay?”

Luciri and Deike also belatedly composed themselves.

Leo, of course, managed to steady himself eventually.

But as Leo looked around, his eyes were vacant, as if he were dreaming.

“Where is this?”

“Are you still asleep? Where else could it be? I mean…”

Suddenly.

Luciri also looked around, feeling puzzled.

This sight, where white snow—no, frost—had settled.

It evoked a feeling that was somehow familiar yet utterly alien.

“Miss Luiness?”

Before they knew it.

She had reached a few paces in front of them.

The cane held in her left hand was suspended in the air, not touching the ground.

Despite that, the sky-colored girl stood there naturally, without any discomfort.

“Leo Tedeo. Leo of Tedeo Village. Correct?”

“Yes? I mean… I told you… last time, right?”

Leo still looked dazed, as if he hadn’t grasped the situation, but the quick-witted Luciri felt a sense of foreboding and struggled to pull Leo up by the scruff of his neck.

With wide eyes, she kept her gaze fixed, monitoring Luiness’s every move.

“How did the church lady get all the way here?”

“…….”

Deike also asked, puzzled, as he straightened his fallen hat.

But Luiness simply watched Leo in silence.

And then again.

She looked at Luirin, Deike, Luciri, and Leo.

And then again.

She looked at Kariel, who was sprawled over to one side.

Finally, she turned her gaze toward the Holy Sword.

The one held in Leo’s hand.

Brilliant, yet now emitting a soft white glow.

Its essence was so clear that its identity could be guessed just by looking at it.

However, what Luiness wanted to confirm was…

…Its appearance.

Just as it had been when it was embedded in the ground.

Now, like a snake that had shed its skin or a butterfly that had emerged from its cocoon.

It had become completely new.

No.

It must have been like this originally.

“Did you say you wanted to know from that sword where the Demon King you are looking for is, and who they are?”

“…….”

Why bring that up now?

“So, what did the sword say?”

“Well, there wasn’t really time to ask…”

“…….”

As if addressing the sword, she gazed softly at Leo, who was sitting and holding the blade.

Luiness looked up at the sky.

“My name is Mines.”

“Eh?”

“I have a younger brother named Lui. We are blood relatives, but because of our foolish parents, we grew up not knowing we were related.”

Why the sudden confession?

The confusion was brief.

Then, once again, Leo looked around.

At the area that had turned stark white.

The frosted earth instilled a beautiful impression in itself.

…But to Leo, this sight evoked an infinitely cold and cruel feeling.

“Does the sword know the answer?”

You can hear the Voice of the Sword.

When she heard those words.

Luiness—Mines—felt a shock as if her heart had frozen.

Until now, no one had uttered such words.

There was even someone she wished had pulled it out instead.

Venus.

If it were him, he would have willingly accepted the irrationality she imposed.

So, if he had pulled it out instead.

Mines herself would not have hesitated this much.

When she heard that it was Leo, and that he was from Tedeo Village.

The reason her hand had slipped instinctively.

Her thoughts grew deep in many ways.

When she had visited that village, had he already left?

But listening to his words, that wasn’t the case.

He said the weather had been particularly bad that day.

As a Forest Keeper, he was accustomed to spending time inside the forest.

Then, he saw a wounded bear and healed its injuries?

And then… despite being human, he had escorted the bear back to its habitat.

While doing so, he looked after the scattered cubs and ended up falling asleep in a cave.

…Anyone who heard that would have called it nonsense, a bizarre story that wouldn’t even appear in a fairy tale.

They would have scolded him.

But that very day.

The day she had visited Tedeo Village.

And shortly after they had left.

He had returned to the village.

Mines had not been mistaken.

It was simply that.

The target she had to aim for was not inside the village.

Therefore, the contract was not completed.

And it had been deferred until now.

…Even though no one had told her, she realized it instinctively.

Thus, once again.

Destiny had arrived.

For instance, the enemy they wanted to kill.

The being who, harboring fear, wanted to trample the sprout.

…Was the Hero who was to be newly born.

Still, there was confusion.

That small confusion was surely because of that person.

The boy named Riel.

A boy who harbored a dark and ominous prayer.

So fearful and pitiful.

She couldn’t tell.

Just by watching him, it felt as if everything was being pierced through.

She was terribly afraid to face him.

But perhaps, if it were him, he might pull out that sword and end all her agony.

She had harbored such expectations.

…In the end.

Led by his hand, Leo had drawn the sword.

What kind of joke is this?

Is fate this cruel?

Or is it that there is no need to discuss fate here?

“Uh, Pine says she doesn’t know about that?”

Pine? Is that the name of the sword?

The legend of Grandeus. The story. The fairy tale.

Then, was that not the Elbat he was said to have held?

…Actually, it didn’t matter.

She had no interest from the start.

To Mines, that sword was…

“It’s alright. Because I know.”

“What? How? Why now?”

“Leo.”

Prompted by Luciri, Leo finally stood up.

The entire party began to watch her—Mines—with caution.

“Isn’t it about time you noticed?”

“…….”

She was right.

It wasn’t that Leo lacked intuition.

It was just that he didn’t want to admit it.

The woman before him…

“They say that when the Demon King of Wisdom invaded our world, he took all the Legacy of the Great Demon King as spoils of war, except for one, right?”

Some were passed to humans through those who betrayed them and joined the Human Alliance, and all found their owners.

However, some were still of unknown location.

“Unfortunately, it seems I possessed the qualifications to inherit it.”

A biting wind howled, carrying frost.

Like fine jewel powder, sparkling dust-wind spread coldness along with the white frost.

“And in the world, they call us this, don’t they?”

Since they inherited the Legacy of the Great Demon King.

What else would they be if not Demon Kings?

However, since they were not those who inherited the title of Demon King in a normal and complete form.

Let’s call them this.

Lightly, Demon King. Quasi-Demon King. Successor of the Demon King.

To be clearly designated as an Inheritor of the Great Demon King’s Legacy.

“The Demon King you were looking for is probably me.”

I, too, of course, was looking for you.

“I didn’t want us to meet under these circumstances.”

Indeed.

“I am your enemy, Leo.”

And, though I regret to say it.

“Now, according to the contract, I must kill you. Will you be able to accept this?”

“…….”