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Chapter 128. < Compatriot. (1) >
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Translator: thursdays Editor: Yahiko PR: LightBrin
-Warrior-nim, are you awake?
Kim ■ blinked.
A wasteland turned into ruins.
Kim ■ stood there blankly, holding a sword.
-This is…?
-You were fighting a difficult battle just a moment ago.
A voice was coming from the sword. The voice of a goddess. It was the cry of the Constellation who had summoned him. Though he could recognize the goddess, Kim ■’s head felt weirdly numb.
How did he end up here?
It was like his memory was tainted with soot. No matter how he tried to dig it out and remember, only black dust stuck to his fingers.
-Warrior-nim, you… You fell into the enemy’s trap.
The goddess was tearful.
-You were caught in an ambush you couldn’t handle, and you would have lost if you continued as you were, so… warrior-nim used the power of the Salvation Sword for the first time.
-Salvation…
-Yes. If you abandon something, you receive a proportionate amount of power. Warrior-nim, you discarded [one syllable of your name].
Only then did Kim ■ realize what the soot was.
-I see. That’s right. That’s what had happened.
He threw away one syllable of his name for good.
What his original name was, he could no longer recall.
No matter what.
In return was the sight before him. With a single swing of his sword, the whole area turned into ruins.
The group who attacked with evil schemes had been vaporized without a trace. Once again, the hero survived insurmountable odds.
-…This is pretty good.
Kim ■ muttered.
-I didn’t like that name anyway. I can’t believe throwing away one syllable gave me this much power.
Kim ■ was a bit surprised that his name was worth so much.
His name, as well as the life he lived before he entered this other world, had no value.
At least, not for him.
-Hwiya.
-Yes, warrior-nim…
-I think I can save this world a bit faster.
He would throw away his worthless time and attain this valuable scenery.
Kim ■ knew what he had to do.
-Before that, let’s make a new name for me.
Lefanta Aegim.
In the ancient language, Lefanta meant ‘man of the wilds.’
Kim ■ had never called himself that, but at some point, people began to revere him with that name.
Kim ■ became a human from the wilderness.
2.
The land through which the wizards traipsed turned into a wasteland.
I became a gust of wind and traversed the ruined landscape.
The silver-haired man looked at me calmly.
Infernal Heavens Demonic Art.
First form.
Sword of Starvation.
The sword bore the motion of a desperately starving child’s hand. Nails that scratched the sky. With the most primal movement and the most primal cry, I cut the head of the Constellation Killer.
“…To greatly heighten my senses, I discard an hour.”
The Constellation Killer gripped his sword. Clash! The blade and sword clashed. The Constellation Killer blocked my attack and met my eyes, expressionless.
Blue eyes.
“An odd technique,” remarked the Constellation Killer.
He was holding his diary in his other hand.
“Does your martial art use aura as internal energy? Genuine martial artists are said to obsess over cultivation of internal energy. Perhaps you learned this swordsmanship not from the Righteous Sect but an evil sect, like the Demonic Sect you spoke of…”
I swung my sword.
Infernal Heavens Demonic Art.
Second form.
Sword of Thirst.
A coarse wind blew through the wasteland. The fetid sand scattered and flew about. Death by dehydration. Though the seas were abundant, a man died of thirst, unable to drink a single sip. To him, the world was a desert. I called forth one man’s desert and lashed out at the Constellation Killer.
“Strengthening defense. In exchange, I discard the taste of water.”
Facing the wind of the desert, the Constellation Killer blinked. Clash! Again, my sword was blocked by his.
“Fighting like this is not good, Death King.”
A voice resembling the desert crackled.
“You are a righteous human being. Your sense of justice is built on a foundation of righteousness, so you…”
“Baraya.”
I recited a prayer.
“Baraya.”
The only prayer I allowed.
The red aura wailed. My blood was crawling. My accumulated memories, the scenes of death I collected, and the things that have happened on my path answered my prayers.
“Agabaraya.”
When one could not drink despite being surrounded by seawater, there was death. When one’s breath was suffocated by seawater, there was death. There were so many ways for a person to die; the alley I caught a glimpse of, the ground that I stepped on, were all places that had witnessed someone’s death.
Thus, the essence of the world is devilish.
Infernal Heavens Demonic Art.
Third form.
Sword of the Drowned.
“……”
The silver-haired man swung his sword.
“Strengthening blocks. I throw away the scent of the sea.”
“How much longer do you think you can discard things?!”
“As long as I live.”
I clenched my teeth.
‘I get it now.’
As I let loose an undulating barrage, I stared at the Constellation Killer who intercepted each attack one by one. I scowled at the silver-haired man. And from that appearance, I understood.
‘I could have become this man.’
A warrior who perfected the demonic arts to their limit.
A hundred fifty years ago, Bae Hu-ryeong had faced this warrior.
That was why, when he was fighting Master, he had yelled.
『I’m going to teach this kid how to be happy!』
What happened to someone who threw their self away.
Bae Hu-ryeong had fought Master because he knew it—he had seen it in person.
If I didn’t have Bae Hu-ryeong.
If I hadn’t met Raviel.
If I thought something like my memories could be sacrificed so easily.
Then, in the end, I would turn out like the man before me.
“Lefanta Aegim!”
I swung my sword.
Infernal Heavens Demonic Art.
Fourth form.
Sword of Freezing.
The Constellation Killer swung his sword.
“I let go of the cold and warm winds.”
Our swords crossed.
“You speak of righteousness!”
“I do.”
Our eyes met.
“If I am righteous…”
“There’s no need to threaten my life…”
“You…”
“I…”
Our voices clashed.
“Say?!”
“Said.”
Our voices clashed against each other.
I shouted, my voice like a raging wave.
“Then what is your justice?!”
Lefanta Aegim’s voice reverberated like the rain and covered my cry.
“My justice. It is to destroy the Constellations.”
“Why must you?”
Lefanta Aegim had said he couldn’t answer.
But as Bae Hu-ryeong said, Lefanta Aegim was in a situation where he had no choice but to talk. To create time he could discard, he opened his mouth.
“—Constellations are existences that deprive humans of their freedom of choice.”
He spoke of righteousness.
“Good is something based on human freedom. Therefore, the Constellations who violate that freedom are evil.”
He spoke of good and evil.
“You said that you defeated the constellation called [The Evangelist of Everlasting Happiness]. Then, you must know. The humans there were infected by the Constellation without the right to choose, and they were forced into happiness.”
He spoke of rights.
“How about [The Warhorse of the Eternal Plains]? The world becomes a mere battlefield under that Constellation’s hooves. It becomes an arena. Everyday conversations turn into pointed arguments. There is no room for freedom there.”
He spoke of freedom.
I swallowed whole that rain-like voice and yelled.
“Did you say that humans should be free?”
“Yes.”
“If so,” I swung my sword. “What are you?”
“I am—”
“You’re just a machine that moves based on what it says in your diary! Where’s the freedom in that?”
“You have a point.”
The Constellation Killer swung his sword with his right hand, but he did not let go of the diary in his left hand. His indifferent eyes glanced over the diary.
“My reply is this. If I can forsake the freedom of one person, myself, to save the freedom of everyone else, I should. That was my decision, and I had made that decision when my mind was free. Therefore…”
“Don’t make me laugh!”
Infernal Heavens Demonic Art.
Fifth form.
Sword of Poison.
“What’s different between your actions and the actions of the Constellations you just talked about?”
“……”
The Constellation Killer hesitated to reply. But it was brief. The Constellation Killer quickly defended against my blow that contained the poisons of the world.
“I renounce the scent of all flowers.”
“Whether you smell flowers for a week, watch the sunset, drink, eat, feel the wind, or whatever, it’s all useless! You just throw it away, again and again!”
“…The Constellations are a harmful influence on the world. They infect the minds of humans with their images and thoughts. With that infection, humans become one. There is no choice,”
The Constellation Killer recited his diary.
“So, to give humans at least the freedom of choice, the Constellations must…”
“What is…”
Infernal Heavens Demonic Art.
Sixth form.
Sword of Illness.
“Different about…”
Infernal Heavens Demonic Art.
Seventh form.
Sword of Blunt Impact.
“What you do?”
“…I throw away all of the dreams I’ve had this week. I throw away the pain of being injured. I throw away the landscapes of the morning, day, evening, and night…”
“You just move according to your diary! Constellations would be better! At least Constellations are conscious of their actions. Your life is dictated by words!”
Infernal Heavens Demonic Art.
Eighth form.
Sword of Incineration.
“Your name is not [The Killer of the Sky’s Constellations]!”
The Constellation Killer.
“You are [The Constellation Who Kills the Sky]!”
The Killer Constellation.
“If killing Constellations is your sole mission and duty—kill yourself first! Sky-killing Constellation!”
Infernal Heavens Demonic Art.
Ninth form.
Sword of Suicide.
My sword pierced the Constellation Killer. But it wasn’t his flesh sliced by my sword tip. It was the diary. The old notebook that the Constellation Killer could not look away from until the end.
My blade cleaved its heart.
“……”
Countless pages flew into the air.
His days scattered like petals.
“…One second, discard,” muttered the Constellation Killer.
He fought a fierce battle against the spiders of the Magic Tower, and he had a consecutive match against me. The memories that he had accumulated during the week were exhausted. Finally, the metaphorical gun had been taken out of the Constellation Killer’s hands.
“One second—discard.”
Despite reaching this end, the Constellation Killer did not let up. He still had something to throw away. No, he had a constant stream of things he could discard.
“One second, discard.”
Moment by moment.
He sacrificed his unstopping present.
While sacrificing his seconds, he swung his sword, called forth aura, and shielded himself.
“One second, discard.”
All right.
“One second, discard.”
That was the way he screamed.
“One second, discard.”
The Infernal Heavens was a sword that responded to all screams.
“One second, discard.”
I came all the way here with the screams of the snowfield, the screams of the heart, the child, and in the end, of course it was his scream, the one that caused the others.
“One second, discard.”
The Constellation Killer muttered and swung his sword. There was no tone in his voice, so it was colorless. His eyes did not carry his feelings, so they were indifferent. The colorless and indifferent man’s silver hair became disheveled as he continued to block my attacks.
“One second…”
Then, my sword cut his shoulder.
“…discard.”
We did not stop.
“One second.”
Without stopping, we swung our swords. Blood spilled from his shoulder. Blood burst from his calves. Each time my sword connected, red spilled onto the gray wasteland.
“Dis…”
I buried my sword into the Constellation Killer’s chest. He was unable to stop my advance. Thud! The Constellation Killer fell backwards. I pinned him down so he couldn’t move an inch, raising my sword high.
“Lefanta Aegim.”
“One second…”
“I will reap your scream.”
And I pierced the Constellation Killer’s heart.
“——.”
Blood gurgled back from his mouth. His esophagus was blocked. He couldn’t speak. The Constellation Killer looked up at me with eyes devoid of emotion. As he looked up, he moved his lips, but his voice was blocked by his blood.
“…dis…”
But that was just how screams were.
“……”
Blood flowed from the chest that once contained the heartbeat to the mouth that once contained his voice. The blood spread to our surroundings more and more in concentric circles. The Constellation Killer’s hair, a silver halfway between white and gray, was soaked in the pool of blood.
“……”
Slowly.
He closed his eyes.
[Your presence has become more pronounced.]
A small voice sounded.
[Death King’s level is growing.]
[Your skill slots are expanding.]
[Now, your Hunter rank is C Class.]
[May luck be with you.]
It didn’t stop there.
[Your presence has become more pronounced.]
[Death King’s level is growing.]
The Tower’s voice resounded.
It was like all my actions so far were coming to fruition at once.
[Your skill slots are expanding.]
[Now, your Hunter rank is B Class.]
[May luck be with you.]
Everywhere, it grew silent.
I quietly pulled the blade from the Constellation Killer’s heart. His corpse looked docile. He lay in the pool of his own blood without expression, like someone who had been destined to die from the beginning.
At that moment…
[‘Lone Seeker of Truth’ is shocked by the death of the Constellation Killer.]
[‘The Eye Living in the Labyrinth’ looks wary of you at this unbelievable event.]
[‘The Warhorse of the Eternal Plains’ expresses amazement at the Constellation Killer’s death.]
The world was astonished.