EP.99 28-5. Where Life is Certain, There is Love
***
Head wore a satisfied smile as he looked towards the deeply dug thorn trap.
“The Book of Life and Death is absolute. No matter how much of a hero you are, you can’t defy fate.”
The moment he finished speaking.
Tugwagwagwagwag─!! A blade of compressed air flew towards him with a sound.
“This is… Vacuum Slash?!”
A technique of Drake the Dragonslayer, one of the Ten Greats.
He must have created it after seeing Emperor Roque create a sonic boom using only brute force.
It was chilling how a hero who only relied on the power of the Holy Sword was using this.
“Wolf Fang.”
“What…?!”
The wind stirred. Raindrops scattered momentarily in the air. A man wearing a Dark Knight helmet approached him at high speed, swinging his sword.
Clang, the sound of the revolver and steel clashing once echoed. Head barely managed to block the blade with his gun.
A cut remained on his right arm. Blood splattered on the sandy ground with a patter.
“…How? How did you nullify the Book of Life and Death?!”
“I’m just a pure-hearted man.”
“Bullshit…!!”
Once again, the trigger was pulled, aiming for Licht’s face and heart, but the Dark Knight, as if he was his natural enemy, transformed into water droplets, dodging all the bullets.
If he had fought before acquiring Kiyu, the situation would have been completely reversed. Originally, Drake’s swordsmanship required a long preparatory motion.
He thought that he would have only learned Shadow Slash at least. He didn't think that a hero from another world would bother to learn a technique that took years to learn.
‘Should I have directly proctored the grade exam?’ A belated regret washed over him.
He had only trusted in his ability of Omniscience.
But what was this scene before him? Seeing a hero using the Heavenly Demon's technique and various Holy Swords that he had never imagined, the Demon Lord felt a sense of futility.
To counter Licht, who attacked and disappeared from somewhere, Head once again brought the gun to his temple.
“It’s useless no matter how much you dodge!!”
Bang, the gunshot echoed and vibrated the air. At the same time, a huge bullet appeared next to the man wearing the Dark Knight helmet.
A bullet spinning at high speed, trying to attack his flank.
“No matter how unavoidable the attack is….”
Even against the enemy's attack that defied the laws of physics, Licht calmly summoned another sword to deal with it.
“Old Thought, Reminiscence.”
In the rainy battlefield, something jet-black fell again. The sword that had been lodged in Head’s body, shattering his heart and blood vessels to pieces.
The Heart Sword with the ability to change the surrounding terrain. The moment its latch was pulled down all the way.
“…This is too obvious, Head.”
As if the part where Old Thought was lodged was the reference point, the ground flipped at a right angle, creating a wall on the side. An immediate defensive wall.
“You flipped the ground to make a wall?!”
“It’s simple, isn’t it?”
Head couldn't hide his astonishment at the sight. His bullet tried to penetrate the wall, erasing the rock and sand.
Bang. Kwang. The sound of bullets colliding was repeated, and Licht repeated the same motion several times. He used Kiyu to move to different locations, creating variations.
“…He blocked it.”
Head looked at the sky with empty eyes, seeing the huge bullet stopped by the wall and ceasing its rotation. A book that recorded the lives and deaths of people seen through Omniscience.
Head took the Book of Life and Death out of his chest and tossed it to the ground.
“The Book of Life and Death is also invalid. Omniscience, Ignorance are also useless. A hero who even blocks my Holy Sword.”
“Hey, are you even listening to what I’m saying? I’m a Dark Knight….”
“Shall we see if that’s really the case.”
Head took off the monocle he was wearing and inserted the last remaining bullet into the revolver.
Click. The last bullet went in.
“Whether you are a hero or not, I will personally confirm it. Dark Knight Lee Soo-hyun.”
He said, bleeding from his eyes.
***
I thought as I looked at Head Eike's changed appearance.
‘Is this phase 3?’
Originally, he would have chosen suicide with a gun here. There were 7 bullets filled in the chamber I saw at first.
‘Now there are 8 bullets.’
Perhaps it meant the number of regressions. He seemed to be on his 7th regression.
‘…Something’s wrong. It’s too wrong.’
Head said that I didn't exist in his regressions. Besides, he had regressed so many times, so was it best for our Phine to become the Nameless Saintess?
A question suddenly arose, and blood rushed to my head. The question ‘Why?’ filled my mind.
It was then.
“…It’s finally getting a bit worthwhile now. Yes.”
Head bent his neck back grotesquely and then turned his gaze back to me. He was still bleeding from his eyes.
“Hero of Faith, Lee Soo-hyun.”
“…What?”
“Now I’ve completely activated ‘Omniscience’. That’s why my abilities didn't work on you.”
Heeshik. My whole body shriveled up at the madman's smile. I knew that Head didn't always have Omniscience activated.
I had seen in the setting book that he knew everything through Omniscience, recorded it in some way, and then calculated based on that.
Therefore, I was able to attack him because he couldn’t grasp information that was updated in real time.
‘Could it be….’
The chilling hypothesis that he had turned on complete Omniscience assuming regression was making all the nerves in my body stand on end.
“You’re wearing that ‘Helmet of Ideals’ that can’t be taken off and you’re talking so well, hero.”
Was that the name of the special item the manufacturer gave me? Amazing.
“In the first place, people aren’t determined by the equipment they wear.”
Phine, who was wearing the Masterpiece Armor, and she, who was wearing the pure white Saintess’s robe, were the same person.
“I’m not some grandiose hero like that.”
I just want the happiness of one person. And if I can save others while doing that, that’s all.
I’m just greedy. There were also times when I didn't want to leave behind regrets, wondering what I should have done then, what I should have done then.
I had already bitterly realized this fact at the fire site. People’s lives are limited. So at least you should do what you want to do before you die.
“And one guy is a huge son of a bitch.”
The <Black Heart> developer, is that why he possessed me in this messed up game and called me a hero?
If that’s what a hero is, then I’m just a Dark Knight.
The reason I’m catching the Demon Lord now isn’t because I’m following some noble divine will.
I’ve ignored the warning in the status window and cut him down.
It’s for the happiness of one person, to see the bright smile of a loved one.
If she’s been unhappy for years, isn’t it time for her to be happy?
“At this rate, my head will explode…. Even if it doesn't work this time, I’ll definitely kill you next time.”
He spun the gun around on his finger, and it turned into a red scythe.
The setting that the grim reaper of another world was summoned as a hero was really true. I was dumbfounded by the phase I was seeing for the first time.
“…You can’t do it with such shallow thoughts.”
I prepared White Fang, Shadow Fang.
“There is no next time, Head.”
Awooooo─!!
The howling sound echoed in the rain. A mental image was created behind me.
A white wolf the size of a giant snow mountain appeared.
It was a wolf carved out solely with Phine Gransia in mind. Although its power was less than the ultimate skill, Demon Lord Slayer.
‘It’s less risky than a counterattack that almost certainly results in death if it fails.’
I stepped hard on the ground and took each step forward, feeling the heavy footsteps. An honest charge without any tricks.
The muscles throughout my body twisted and screamed. The accumulated injuries were not insignificant. It was like being hit by a moving car once.
‘If I can’t completely kill this guy right now…!!’
The world would rewind again, and Phine Gransia in this timeline might be happy.
‘Phine will be unhappy in the next round.’
I gritted my teeth and endured the incoming pain. If I missed this guy now, her unhappiness would be confirmed. Even if it was a world that had nothing to do with me,
‘I hate even imagining that.’
Because I love her. Because I adore her in any form.
I held my sword and ran. I moved my legs, which had hardened like stones.
I exhaled the breath that had filled my throat and made the blood raging throughout my body boil.
“White Fang, Shadow Fang…. Surely the white wolf behind you is an illusion.”
The Demon Lord of Omniscience calls me the Hero of Faith.
“The real body is the shadow following behind it, the black wolf.”
But the faith I had was nothing special.
“Therefore, if I just cut down the shadow…!”
“Who says?”
Pure love is invincible. What a common belief.
Wasn’t that a truth that was universal wherever you went? I sneered at Head, who swung his scythe towards my shadow.
“Sorry, but both of them are real. That’s how my love is.”
How dare he call our Phine fake, I was speechless.
“This can’t be. Surely ‘Faith’ has covered ‘Omniscience’…?!”
Head was barely blocking the white wolf's fangs with his scythe.
“Ugh…!”
Because of that, he couldn't block my stab and was pierced through the heart. Die already with that much. It’s about time the Demon Lord retired.
“Is it over?”
I felt relieved as I looked at the Demon Lord in his slumped state. Perhaps the regression had also failed. If I was a Hero of Faith as he said.
“I won’t be able to go back to the past anymore.”
It was enough to use faith to prevent regression. It seemed like I had blocked complete Omniscience just now. No, was it even complete in the first place?
“Keuheuhe… Kehahahahahak!!”
“You’re still alive, Head.”
“Lee Soo-hyun. You are truly the best!!”
He shuddered again, rotating the scythe once. The Holy Sword changed again. It had returned to its original revolver.
“If you risked your life, then I guess I should do that too!!”
“…What?”
Head, bleeding profusely from his heart, raised his hand towards the sky. What on earth was he trying to do….
「Catastrophe.」
As soon as he finished chanting, the surroundings became as dark as night. I looked up, feeling an encroaching sense of unease.
‘This crazy…!!’
Like a meteor.
“Keuheuhak…!! Even your fleeing companions will be caught up in its size!! It’s my ultimate skill!!”
An overwhelming size like a natural disaster. A huge rotating bullet was falling from the sky.
“There’s no chance of misfire using Omniscience, and it will erase everything within its radius. Now, what are you going to do?! ‘Hero of Faith’!!”
Head Eike was speaking while bleeding from his mouth and eyes. Was this really the end?
「Demon Lord Slayer.」
There was no other way. Even if I die using this technique.
‘I have to prevent Phine from becoming the Nameless Saintess or getting hurt.’
I also had no choice but to risk my life to protect her. As soon as I activated Demon Lord Slayer, blood flowed from my eyes and mouth just like Head.
“What are you going to do with such a shoddy imitation that isn’t even a true Dragonslayer!!”
Head spat blood and laughed at me, but regardless, I kicked off the ground hard and jumped high. I activated the 3rd form, Wing Deflection.
‘How much weight is this…?!’
Kugeugeugeuk. The hand holding the sword trembled. First of all, I had to succeed in the counterattack to continue the motion for Demon Lord Slayer.
“You’ve made a foolish choice. Just be crushed to pieces….”
At that moment, I began to see something transparent and sparkling in my surrounding vision.
“Phine Gransia…!! Are you going to interfere until the very end, aaaack!!”
Glass Knight magic. Mirror Mirage.
Transparent clones made of glass were receiving Head’s ultimate skill together.
***
A fleeting moment passed.
Wing Deflection, which reversed the opponent’s power.
Reverse Scale Thrust, which identified and targeted weaknesses.
Vacuum Slash, created after seeing Emperor Roque's sonic boom, focused on cutting power.
Finally, even Shadow Slash.
The ultimate skill that combined all the secret techniques of Drake the Dragonslayer. Demon Lord Slayer was completed.
“I… wasn’t wro…”
The downward sword strike cut someone down. As Demon Lord Slayer hit the Demon Lord of Omniscience, Head Eike collapsed to the ground with a thud.
A crimson arc was drawn towards the academy's sports field, and standing on two legs in the midst of that mess was.
“Wrong, you son of a bitch.”
It was Lee Soo-hyun, the Hero of Faith, only.
“Licht…!! Behind you…!!”
Just as he was intoxicated with the relief of victory. Someone’s urgent voice echoed in the battlefield.
“Behind? I just took care of the back….”
Bang─.
Instantly, another gunshot rang out.
“My… last… attack… Can’t live after taking this too….”
Thud. This time, Head really rolled his eyes and sprawled on the floor. A shot fired with the last of his strength.
“You…. Son of a bitch….”
Lee Soo-hyun, who was hit in the heart, staggered and fell backward. A glass barrier was immediately deployed to try to block the bullet, but it was already too late.
“No. Nooo!!”
The sound of someone running. The sound of rough running was heard.
‘Phine….’
He lost consciousness as he saw the Glass Knight rushing towards him for the last time.