Chapter 044
There were still a few more questions, but Zima decided not to ask them.
The first answer had already been enough.
He gripped his sword low. Suddenly, something nagged at him. He turned his head and looked at Emma.
He couldn't quite bring himself to say, I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise.
Kiiing!
Zima closed the distance in an instant. The resonance was savage. The sound of metal was like the wind.
From left to right. The one who blocked the horizontally swung sword was Oscar.
"This crazy old geezer's senility's already starting to show."
Clang, clatter.
The two crossed swords in an X, testing their strength.
The crown prince's sword slid in from the side.
Thanks to Oscar covering the right, the left was left open.
Kaang!
The clash of steel resounded again. A swift reverse-grip sword in Zima's left hand blocked the crown prince's blade.
He was taking on two opponents at once, one on each arm.
Even so, Zima wore a relaxed smile.
"How pathetic. Aren't you embarrassed being called the 'Empire's Four Swords'?"
The Empire's Four Swords referred to the four swordsmen who guarded the emperor. They were indispensable figures whenever people discussed the strongest swordsmen in the empire. They had distinguished themselves during the civil war, contributing greatly to the imperial army's victory.
The faces of the crown prince and Oscar slowly twisted.
They too were the Empire's Four Swords.
"Zimaaaa!"
The crown prince no longer held back. With a roar, he lunged forward.
Zima retreated. His movements were smooth. His control of strength and weakness was a cut above theirs.
"Hup!"
Zima drew in a short breath. He knew what would come next.
Kwaaah!
Flames rushed forth with ferocious force. Kishin was guiding the trajectory of the fire with a finger.
Any competent elemental mage at a certain level knew how to combine elements and mana to produce projectiles.
Mana, too, was akin to holy power or aura.
By the emperor's standards, Kishin's mana manipulation surpassed that of any mage from the Magic Tower.
Zima agreed. The density of the flame was on another level.
'He's slashing.'
As the fire surged toward him, Zima gripped both swords firmly.
He couldn't dodge. Emma was behind him.
Chwaaak!
The twin swords cut swift arcs. The flames scattered like shattered waves.
Through the flickering embers, Zima's blazing eyes flashed.
'Truly, the man they called the Sword Demon.'
The emperor watched him from afar.
He knew better than anyone how exceptional Zima was.
During the civil war, it was Zima who first devised the hound tactic of eliminating the enemy's dark mage as soon as battle commenced. The emperor's army, cornered until then, began its counteroffensive from that moment.
'I wanted to keep him close, even if I had to force it.'
He had wanted Zima nearby, not out at the borders as a margrave or serving as a corps commander.
He wanted to see him often.
It was not just a lord-vassal relationship. The emperor had admired and even revered the man.
"Answer my question. When did it start? When did you resolve to do this?"
The emperor asked. Outwardly he seemed impassive. He was used to showing no emotion.
But now, keeping his composure was a struggle.
"I told you already. I hadn't decided until now."
"Seems my answer didn't please you."
"That's right."
"Was it really just because I claimed to be a god?"
"An emperor is just an emperor. Not a god."
"God is nothing more than an illusion that deludes the masses. Did Asriel ever care for this empire in its time of suffering? Turning his back on the desperate prayers of the people, he even went so far as to pronounce our doom. Is it wrong for me to want to save us myself?"
"??."
"I will not turn away from the helpless."
"So did god, in the beginning."
Thud.
Zima casually dropped both swords to the ground. The scorched blades already had chunks missing from them.
He drew new swords and pointed them at the emperor.
"There is no god. That's the answer I should have given."
A vessel to avert catastrophe.
Was the idea of sacrificing a single child's life to save the many truly right?
If that was so, should humans submit to the end as decreed by god?
Time did not wait for him to resolve his agony fully.
"I could be wrong."
The emperor inclined his head at the muted reply.
Meanwhile, the crown prince, Oscar, and Kishin watched Zima's aura rise around him with nervous attention. Each had cold sweat in their hands. He was a foe they had to face with everything they had.
Zima turned away from them and looked out into the distance again.
"But there's another who thinks the same as I do. That's why I'm sure."
He had already accounted for the possibility of failure. Even if Ran overcame every barrier, breaking through the barrier array was unlikely. He had underestimated the abilities of Nelga, guardian of the imperial capital's gates.
'It doesn't only matter if we succeed.'
He glanced over at Emma again. The girl had kept her distance, reading the mood. He couldn't help but smile. It eased his mind a little.
"It won't go your way so easily, Zigrenz."
Even if god created the world, maintaining and continuing the order is the task of humankind.
Zima burned with a single conviction.
"They're coming!"
The crown prince shouted. Words he'd once heard from his father flashed through his mind.
Human beings each accumulate 'karma' in their own ways.
Aura, holy power, mana—these, which extend human limits, are all spiritual powers arising from karma.
If humans were vessels and karma water, then what could Zima be?
'If you are a river, then Zima is the sea.'
Kaang!
A tremendous crash resounded. The charging Zima was blocked by the combined efforts of the crown prince and Oscar.
'Just as many rivers make up the sea—if we join forces, we can stop even this!'
The crown prince swiftly dodged to the side.
'Oscar doesn't lose on sheer strength, either.'
He'd watched Zima over his shoulder. Zima was overconfident in his ability. Internally, he likely considered even the Four Swords of the Empire to be beneath him.
'That's what I'll use.'
If Oscar fully committed to defense, he could bind Zima's movement for a moment.
Now was the time.
Pshuk!
A thin blade stabbed several times into Zima's cloak.
He felt the familiar sensation at his fingertips.
'Got him!'
When the blade withdrew, blood came with it. There'd been no time to aim for a vital spot.
"Kishin!"
The crown prince shouted, mind racing for similar events.
Two of the emperor's closest, two of the Four Swords, plus the empire's greatest archmage struggling to bring down a single foe.
Only with Zima was this possible.
Almost as if on cue, bands of fire lashed through the air in different arcs.
Kishin bit his lip.
'Is my flame truly cut just by a mere blade?'
Warriors on the front lines, facing their enemies head-on, had a different resolve from mages in the rear.
Mages pursued efficiency. As one-person armies, they could not afford to risk themselves in combat.
Kishin conserved his strength out of habit. Yet it backfired, injuring his pride. All while the emperor watched nearby.
"I'll burn you to your very bones! Zima!"
The blaze surged until it blocked even the caster's sight.
The flames chased their target, never relenting until the heartbeat stopped.
Kishin allowed himself a lopsided smirk.
It had been a while since he'd felt tension like this. He even had the composure to praise Zima for living up to his reputation.
'?? What...?'
He saw a moving figure within the inferno.
The next instant, it was right before his eyes.
Zima, cloaked in embers, lifted his sword high overhead. White vapor leaked from his pallid eyes, nose, and mouth.
For the first time in his life, Kishin felt fear.
Kwa-ga-ga-gak—!
A grinding metallic shriek filled the air.
Kishin, who had squeezed his eyes shut, slowly opened them.
Zima's downward stroke had stopped halfway, unable to fully break the transparent shield.
It was a spell he had cast long ago, just in case of an ambush. Not having faced any threats since, he had entirely forgotten about its existence.
Kishin collapsed where he stood. His body wouldn't move. The flames he had summoned also vanished in a flash.
"Ooooh!!"
A shout rang out behind Zima, and Kishin groaned involuntarily.
He saw Oscar, his pupils now glowing red. Oscar slashed diagonally down with his sword. Immediately, a sharp point burst through Zima's abdomen. The crown prince, teeth bared, stood at his side.
'Did...did we get him?!'
Foam and blood poured from the monster's mouth.
His mind snapped into focus. Kishin began chanting shakily.
'Lightning Strike!'
A spell destructive enough to not worry about accuracy, perfect at point-blank range.
A flash blazed through the air.
Zima thrashed like a beast caught in a trap.
Suddenly, something ominous flickered through Kishin's mind. He began to lose track—was the light in his eyes his own doing, or Zima's?
The crossing swords of the three combatants looked like fluttering wings of many white birds.
"Kaaagh!"
With Oscar's scream, the melee ended.
Zima, now far away and beside the girl once more, came into view.
The crown prince and Oscar clutched wounds and struggled for breath.
Kishin's eyelids trembled. It defied all logic.
"Huff, huff."
Zima wiped under his chin with the back of his hand. He was bleeding heavily. He hadn't sparred with warriors of this caliber in ages. His whole body felt the weight of age. Even he couldn't escape time.
"Mister...?"
Emma hugged Zima's thigh. There was blood there too.
"It's fine, it's fine."
He said so, since all he felt for the girl was guilt.
"Take aim at that wench."
Kishin's eyes narrowed. Dignity meant nothing now. This was not about honor.
'His Majesty's life is at stake.'
He was to become the god of the new era. Kishin had resolved he would be the one to make that happen, no matter what.
Tsutsu-tsut!
Lightning-like crackling white energy flowed to Kishin's fingertips. That power transferred to the crown prince and Oscar.
"Your Highness, please be careful! Oscar, no matter what, protect his highness. He is the son of God."
Both were at their limit. A mere hair's breadth could decide life or death.
"Dog seller! Didn't I say? Someday I'll cut your throat myself!"
Oscar spat at Zima instead of answering. He roughly yanked open his collar—lace-pinned brooch tumbling free.
"Oooooh—!!"
Oscar rushed forward, his body wreathed in red aura. The crown prince followed.
Zima reversed his grip on both swords, crossing his wrists before his chest.
Time seemed to slow. Only his thoughts raced.
Truthfully, he had no confidence he could really bring down even one of the three warriors at the emperor's side.
'If this is truly your will...'
When heroes set out to change the world, they always met hardship and resistance.
Zima accepted it.
The hero was not him, but the emperor.
Oscar and the crown prince both closed in—mere moments from collision.
'Forgive me, I leave the rest to you, Ran.'
Everything happened in an instant, just as in his brief resolve.
His judgement faltered.
Swords wrapped in red and yellow aura now targeted Emma.
His body was faster than his mind could keep up with.
Zima shielded the girl with his own body.
Life and death were decided in a split second.
"Mister!!"
"Say your prayers, you wretched old man!"
As Zima, losing his balance, collapsed, Oscar aimed the tip of his sword.
As his vision blurred, golden light flashed.
Zima squinted into the dazzle. Instead of hitting the floor, he felt his body held gently by someone.
He raised his head in unfamiliar comfort.
"Ran?!"
He wondered if he was seeing things, but he wasn't.
The light continued to swirl in place.
Gradually, its owner came into focus.
The strange, uncanny scene made Oscar and the crown prince hesitate.
'That, that light?!'
For the first time, a change crossed the emperor's usually unreadable face.
His shock was plain.
'The light of Ascension??'
It was not aura or holy power.
Its owner was cloaked in black. Seeing the luminous haloed wings flickering behind his back, the emperor staggered.
Perhaps it was the light of a second coming.
Either way, it shouldn't exist and must not be.
"Wha, what are you? You there."
Oscar asked, still edging backward despite himself.
As the light faded, the figure's true identity was finally revealed.
All three—emperor included—couldn't believe their eyes.
He wore a beak-like mask.
"A person who does not deny gods."
Ran answered.
He continued,
"But one who does not blindly believe that everything about the divine is the truth."
Ran crouched, encircling Zima with one arm, Emma with the other.
He gently laid Zima down and slowly stood up.
"And so I was always tormented and troubled. But—"
Ran slanted his sword. Halo-wings flamed up behind him once more.
'Th-this is...?'
The crown prince felt a tremor rising from beneath his feet. He quickly glanced backward and immediately rushed for the emperor. Instinct took over.
Ran declared:
"As an apostle, I will thoroughly punish heresy that usurps the name of god."
In a flash, Ran dashed forward.
The instant he reached the emperor, he swung his sword.
"Father—!"
The plaintive cry replaced a scream.
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】