Chapter 591
It Seems to Be Helping Me. (1)
Kwaaang!
‘This place….’
It was different from the last dream. This time, the dream was continuing.
The one who appeared to be Julien and the one called the Adversary had now begun their battle in earnest.
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaaaang!
As soon as the two began fighting, all the armies distanced themselves from them. Even the Riftspawn, which lacked intelligence and acted purely on instinct, spread out and moved away.
This meant that the Adversary could even control the movements of the Riftspawn.
Because of this, the two could unleash their full power upon each other. Meanwhile, the United Human Army continued their battle against the priests and Riftspawn in their own way.
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaang!
“Waaaaah!”
“Drive them back!”
“The Hero fights alongside us!”
People shouted endlessly. Unlike before, their morale was soaring.
The Hero. A legendary figure found only in storybooks.
His presence alone was changing the tide of a battle that had once seemed hopeless.
Kwaaaaang!
The Adversary, clashing swords with the Hero, let out a mocking laugh.
“A hero… What a childish title, yet no other name fits you better.”
“Then wouldn’t it be more fitting to call you the Demon King instead of the Adversary?”
“If that is what the people will it, I shall gladly accept it.”
Kwaaaaang!
With only a brief exchange of words, the two resumed their ferocious battle.
Ghislain watched them closely. The more he observed, the more he was in awe.
‘Incredible.’
He had already felt how powerful the Adversary was in the previous dream. But now, having ascended to a higher level himself, he could see that the Adversary’s true power was beyond imagination.
Saaaah!
It was as if the flow of the world itself had been grotesquely distorted. Such a phenomenon was anything but natural.
“This is the power bestowed upon me by God.”
The Adversary defied the very laws of the world.
He bent reality to his will, ruled over it, and wielded power as if the concept of natural laws simply did not exist.
It was different from magic. The Adversary did not simply manipulate laws he outright denied their existence and created an entirely new order.
As a result, everything around him twisted into unnatural, grotesque forms.
His power, reaching the realm of chaos and the unknowable, was both mystical and terrifying.
Witnessing this, Ghislain’s gaze wavered.
‘This can’t be….’
It was similar to the techniques Julien used. Julien could ignore space with sheer will and enforce impossible laws upon reality.
Though the Adversary was overwhelmingly stronger, the fundamental nature of their power was the same.
Kwaaaaang!
Yet, even against such overwhelming power, the Hero stood firm.
Even as the world twisted, as time and space tangled into chaos, he grasped hold of that distortion and restored order.
The Adversary’s attacks were now confined within the bounds of natural law, forcing them to exist within the equilibrium of nature.
Bwoooooong!
The Hero’s sword struck down toward the Adversary. His attack was entirely different from the chaos the Adversary had summoned.
Paaaaah!
The flow of the world followed the sword. It was utterly natural.
As if the world itself was abiding by the Hero’s will, everything moved in accordance with the path of his blade.
The Hero’s power contained the fundamental harmony of the world.
Thus, his sword maintained its balance, cutting through the waves of chaos as it advanced.
Ghislain shuddered once more as he witnessed the sight.
‘That power….’
It was the very realm he had just stepped into. The Hero was showing him what would happen when that power evolved further.
Kwaaaaaang!
The force that sought to destroy the world clashed against the force that moved with it. The battle was so astounding that it surpassed every experience Ghislain had ever seen or felt.
Ghislain struggled to keep up with their movements, unwilling to miss a single moment.
It no longer mattered whether this was a dream or reality.
‘This is the path I must pursue.’
What mattered was that the two before him were far stronger than he was now. Just witnessing them fight was an incredible lesson.
Kwaaaaaang!
The battle between the two grew fiercer with each passing moment. Those who had been fighting nearby withdrew further and further to avoid being caught in the aftermath of their power.
Kiaaaak!
The Riftspawn that failed to escape in time exploded, their bodies torn apart. Even the priests of the Salvation Church could not withstand the two combatants’ overwhelming power and had to retreat.
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaaaang!
The Hero was one with the providence of the world. Thus, even the spirits aided him.
The wind wrapped around him, lightening his movements, while the earth stood as a great shield, protecting him.
Water mended his wounds, and fire intensified his attacks.
Light illuminated his path, while darkness concealed him from danger.
Beyond that, countless other forces of the world stood by his side. His power was no different from the world itself.
The entire world breathed in unison with the Hero, moving as one to fulfill his will.
Kwaaaaaang!
The Adversary was chaos incarnate. He refused to acknowledge providence and disregarded the order of the world.
Each time his power was unleashed, the world was torn apart, screaming in agony, and its balance collapsed.
Fire froze over, and water blazed as it shriveled into nothingness. The earth rose into the sky, while the wind solidified into stones and plummeted.
His power was the ultimate destruction, defying the very principles of creation.
His mere existence shook the foundation of the world, and wherever he stood, all order and harmony crumbled.
The Adversary was the one who denied the world itself.
Kwaaaaaang!
The battle that shook the heavens and earth showed no sign of ending.
Yet, Ghislain couldn’t take his eyes off it, completely absorbed in the fight.
Kwaaaang!
‘I think I understand.’
The deeper he immersed himself in the battle, the clearer his realization became.
The Hero’s fight was pointing in a single direction showing him how he could further develop his power and how he should wield it.
Kwaaaang!
But that wasn’t all.
Through the battle against the Adversary, he was also learning how to counter the power of chaos.
It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
The dream, brought forth by the Saintess’ necklace, was helping Ghislain grow.
More. He wanted to see more. He needed to know how this battle would end.
But
Creak, creaaak…
Both the Hero and the Adversary began to slow down. No, it wasn’t just them the entire world was slowing down.
And just like before, the world gradually lost its colors, fading into black and white.
Ghislain felt a deep sense of regret. He wanted to watch the battle a little longer, but it seemed this was as far as he was allowed.
However, within the monochrome world, there was still one being who retained her colors.
‘The Saintess.’
Everything had come to a halt everything except for her.
She had been gazing at the sky with her eyes closed, but now, she slowly turned to look at him.
And then, she asked—
“Did you see?”
Ghislain couldn’t answer. He was unable to move or speak nothing more than a consciousness adrift in this dream.
But as if she already knew, the Saintess smiled and continued.
“Did it help you? I was told it definitely would.”
It had been a tremendous help. He had grasped the key to further growth.
Hearing her words, it was clear that she had shown him this battle on purpose through the dream.
Was this the power of the necklace? Would anyone who possessed it be able to see such dreams?
Or had this been arranged solely for him?
What did she mean by ‘I was told it would help’? Who told her?
Whether she was aware of his questions or not, the Saintess spoke again.
“I don’t know you well. But my mage friend has told me a lot about you.”
‘Me? How?’
“A friend of ours from the future.”
‘What…?’
Just as disbelief filled his mind, the Saintess continued.
“This must be confusing, but don’t doubt us. You have to trust us. There’s not much time left.”
Ghislain felt his consciousness growing hazy. His vision began to blur.
Yet, the Saintess’ voice still echoed softly in his ears.
“Only you can.”
His awareness slowly sank. Just like drifting into sleep, darkness closed in around him.
Before his consciousness completely faded, the Saintess' sorrowful voice reached him.
"You can 'save' us."
* * *
"Hah…"
Upon waking, Ghislain sat there blankly for a long time. He could no longer dismiss the dream as mere nonsense.
He still didn’t know who those warriors were or when that battle had taken place, but the dream had undeniably helped him.
"What is this? Is it training me or something?"
If he went around claiming that a necklace was helping him train, people would surely laugh at him.
But that wasn’t the only strange part.
"They said they heard about me? A friend from the future?"
Technically, it wasn’t incorrect. If the dream was showing him real events from the past, then in a way, he was traveling from the future to witness them.
But how did that so-called mage friend know about him? And why would they tell the Saintess about him? Just who were they?
More than anything, the last words of the Saintess kept bothering him.
"Trust them? There’s not much time left?"
What did that mean? Trust in what? And what exactly was running out of time?
It had been quite a while since he acquired this necklace, yet it was still full of secrets he didn’t understand.
"Hmm, I suppose a relic is still a relic. This thing is amazing."
Then again, the bracelet Gartros had possessed had also emanated divine energy and a will of its own.
The more he thought about it, the more fascinating it became. No wonder it was called a sacred relic and had been passed down as a royal treasure.
Feeling overwhelmed, Ghislain turned inward and asked Dark, who resided within his consciousness.
"What do you think?"
— Ugh… Like I said before, every time I see that dream, I get this weird feeling…
"What kind of weird feeling?"
— I don’t know… It just feels off… Sad… Depressing… And kind of infuriating… Maybe I’ve got some mental issues.
"You’ve always been mentally off. People say you’re completely unhinged."
— That’s not what I mean! I’m telling you, it feels strange! And that was rude! Apologize! Apologize to me now!
Just as Dark was throwing a fit, his voice suddenly turned serious.
— But about that Hero and Adversary…
"What about them?"
— Don’t they kind of remind you of you and Julien? The Hero looked exactly like Julien, and that Adversary guy, covered in black energy, resembled you when you use me.
"Hmm…"
— And on top of that, the Hero used techniques similar to yours, while the Adversary used techniques like Julien's. It’s like their faces and abilities got swapped. Of course, you and Julien are way weaker in comparison.
Ghislain nodded. It was too much of a coincidence. What were the odds?
He formed a hypothesis.
"Maybe it’s just a dream shaped by my own memories."
— You mean it’s following your expectations?
"Yeah. Since Julien and I are the strongest people I know, my mind probably just assigned us those roles."
Hearing Ghislain’s confident remark, Dark spoke in an exasperated voice.
— Wow, you’re so full of yourself. From what I saw, if Jerome used his magic, both of you would get obliterated in a single hit. You didn’t see it properly, did you? It was pure shock and terror. Even Gartros, after turning into a monster, couldn’t do a thing.
"……."
— Have you even fought Parniel or Ereneth properly? Both of them are insanely strong. Oh yeah, before you, even Ereneth beat you down, remember?
"……."
Arguing here would just make him look childish. It was true that when it came to warriors at the level of the Seven Strongest on the Continent, the outcome of a fight could only be determined by actually clashing.
Victory or defeat could change depending on one's condition on a given day.
‘Of course, in my past life, everyone left Julien out of the equation…’
Julien had yet to reach the level he had in Ghislain’s past life. Not enough time had passed. But now… maybe it was worth testing?
As he thought about it, he suddenly felt petty, so he changed the subject.
"Whatever. Anyway, time will reveal more."
The dreams were clearly trying to show him something, piece by piece. Not just techniques, but also who had participated in wars long ago.
— This must be confusing, but don’t doubt us. You have to trust us. There’s not much time left.
Judging from the Saintess' words, it seemed like they needed him. If that was the case, he would surely receive more revelations. He just had to wait.
"Alright, let’s see where this leads."
Ghislain decided to accept the dreams the necklace was showing him as truth.
Thinking of them as mere illusions would make it harder to take things seriously.
If he kept doubting and distancing himself, he might miss crucial information.
After everything he had seen so far, there was no way this was just a meaningless dream.
The moment Ghislain resolved himself—
"Huh?"
Paaaaah!
A brilliant burst of divine energy erupted from the necklace, surging into Ghislain’s body.