Episode 407
The reason for the excessive bleeding was not because of the dagger I stabbed into his heart.
There is still not a single drop of blood flowing from the wound caused by the knife.
Judging by the clear, hardened blood stains on his lips and chin, it seems that the decisive reason is that he vomited a large amount of blood, enough to make it seem like he might die.
I left Nevelik’s room feeling uneasy, and then checked the other detention cells just in case.
I guess I should say it was as expected.
I guess you could say it was unexpected.
Everyone, from the woman Rylin, to the old man Kiremal, to the boy Berdan, had lost their lives.
Even these were found dead in a form strikingly similar to Nevelik.
Did he commit suicide at the same time?
As I recalled my conversation with the cult leader, I realized that this possibility could not be ruled out either.
After all, the leader is also a believer, so it wouldn’t be strange if he had a way to take his own life in an emergency.
If not… … .
‘Either he succeeded in transferring his consciousness and escaped.’
If this guess is correct, it means that the Honwonbisu that Leone gave was ineffective.
Even if that’s the case, wouldn’t it be a big risk for the leader to abandon all four members?
‘Or maybe these four weren’t the main body in the first place.’
As my questions continued to pile up, I also reflected on the most ideal probability.
So, there is a possibility that the Black Cult Leader, the greatest enemy of the Empire and the root of all evil, may really be dead.
‘… … .’
In fact, based on the given circumstances, this is the most likely possibility, but the important thing is that there is a lack of evidence.
Besides, my intuition keeps telling me that ‘that can’t be true’, so it’s a headache.
Maybe it’s the clash of emotion and reason that happens sometimes…
The thing is, I didn’t have time to examine these corpses deeply.
Ohohohoho… … .
When I heard an awkward laugh from afar, I took my eyes off the cult leader’s body and got up from my seat.
Disaster is imminent.
* * *
How strong is Verita, the colorless believer?
To be honest, it’s still unknown.
The performance this guy had shown so far, and the strength we witnessed when he confronted the two colorless believers in front of Imir’s remains, were very impressive, but-.
Because somehow, even at that time, it didn’t feel like Verita had put in all his effort.
But now, I was certain that I would witness Verita’s power in some form.
Even though it is imperfect, the opponent is the Demon King, a divine being.
“Remember… … .”
Tangtata, who appeared with a disgusting trim, was at least twice as large as when he was last seen.
Most of her clothes were torn off, unable to perform their intended function, and her skin had an unusual greenish tint to it.
The pupils of his eyes had multiplied into two pairs, and above all, his scalp was stretched out as if someone had pulled on it.
Churp… … .
The scalp, thus stretched, takes the shape of a tongue, though imperfect.
It brings back unpleasant memories for me.
‘Is it gradually regaining its original form?’
It’s like he’s half human, half demon king Tangtata and half Gustav, the guy I knew.
The sight of the appearance changing in real time made me feel like my identity was being eaten up.
“Ah, hello, how are you… … !”
Tangtata was the first to greet me, with thick saliva dripping from his exposed tongue.
ruler.
So, how will nun Verita react when she sees God with her own eyes?
Verita, who had been quietly watching Tangtata, responded in a dry voice.
“hello.”
“… … .”
Immediately after the usual greetings were exchanged… … .
The battle began immediately.
Suddenly, Tangtata opened his mouth wide and let out a strange word with his beak wide open.
“Navaaaaang-.”
Then, a large number of insects poured out from the mouth hole.
I was surprised.
It wasn’t just because of the rather unpleasant scene where bugs poured out of the mouth.
This is because along with the appearance of the flying insect, instruments that had never been felt before also exploded and appeared.
Is that guy’s stomach, or maybe his throat, connected to hell?
Anyway, the swarm of flying insects that appeared were each as large as wasps, and the noise they made from flapping their wings was terrible, like the sound of fingernails scraping metal.
Verita’s response was simple.
He swung the hammer he had been holding in both hands beforehand.
Although he swung his hammer before the flies could even enter his firing range, he probably had no intention of striking a swarm of insects with his hammer in the first place.
Phew-!
The shockwave and strong wind from the hammer nullified the advance of the flies.
Because they were so big, they got tangled up with each other and became a bunch of bugs that fell to the ground or flew off in the wrong direction.
“Ohhohoho!”
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Then Tangtata laughed and rushed towards Verita.
It was a bit funny to see him waving his arms excessively and jumping around like he was stamping his feet… … .
The sight of a monster with such a large body and strange appearance that it made the hallways of the punishment cell feel cramped, closing the distance with each passing moment, was certainly a sight that would stimulate the primal fear of any living being.
But the opponent was Verita.
A guy who has no connection to fear or terror.
This time, Verita swung her hammer at the approaching Tangtata.
“… … ?”
At this moment, I felt a strange sense of discomfort, but I wasn’t sure, so I reserved judgment for the time being.
Phew!
The swinging hammer hit Tangtata’s right side of the face. If it had been normal, it would have been crushed even if he was wearing a helmet… … .
It seemed that the iron hammer was not a very effective weapon to destroy the face of the Demon King Tangtata.
“… … !”
Flour dough.
That word suddenly came to mind.
That is, to beat the flour with a fist or a mallet to knead it.
Such an action may change the shape of the dough, but it cannot be considered a ‘hit’.
That’s what Veritas’ attack was like now.
Although the iron hammer had a vicious thorn embedded in it, Tangtata’s face was only briefly crushed and soon returned to its original state with an unpleasantly slow exclamation.
“Will this… taste good too…?”
A tongue came out of the mouth that was mumbling something difficult to understand, and this time it was wrapping around the hammer.
Verita, startled, reflexively tried to pull the hammer, but it seemed like it was too strong.
Verita quickly changed her judgment, this time raising her left hand into the shape of a blade and drawing it vertically.
All the way… … !
Even though it was a downward slash wrapped in mana, Tangtata’s tongue was not cut off.
Instead, it stretched out like a tough rubber band.
‘rubber…….’
At this moment, I began to suspect that Tangtata’s entire body might be made of a rubber-like material.
Churrup… … .
Anyway, from the moment Verita’s counterattack was nullified, Tangtata’s absorption became even faster.
The palm that swallowed the hammer in an instant did not stop there and swallowed Verita’s right arm as well.
Verita’s judgment was quick this time too.
He cut off his own arm in one stroke with the blade of his hand.
The speed and anticipation were so slow that even blood reacted slowly. Thanks to this, Tangtata swallowed only the lower arm of his right arm.
“ha…….”
Verita let out a breath that sounded like a sigh. The severed arm showed no signs of regenerating.
The cross-section of the wound was dyed black, as if contaminated, perhaps due to some action that was preventing regeneration.
Maybe a musical instrument.
Crack, crack… … .
The weapons of the Inquisitor are basically designed to deal with demons and believers, so they are of exceptional strength.
Even with moderate impact, it doesn’t even get scratched. The strength of the iron hammer is exceptional among weapons.
It had no meaning to Tangtata.
“This, this… has an interesting texture… … !”
The green-tongued Demon King enjoyed chewing the iron mallet in his mouth like it was ice.
At the same time, the distance with Verita is being narrowed once again.
So, what’s the next response?
The moment he was quietly watching Verita, Verita, who had lost her weapon and arm, suddenly slowly closed her eyes.
The moment the faint sign of Tuchaeng disappeared.
“… … !”
I realized the nature of the discomfort and immediately threw myself down the hole and rushed into the battlefield.
“Oh, oh my… … ?”
The moment Tangtata looked at me with a strangely happy face, I threw out my jacket that had sufficient internal strength.
Baekilsik, the second invocation ceremony.
Fire wheel.
The first operation of the first salt water bomb and the Baekilsik with Luzard’s body.
The fire wheel, which would normally have advanced in the shape of a palm, attacked Tangtata in the shape of a dragon’s claw, perhaps because of the lizardman’s body.
Although the shape was unstable, its simple destructive power was higher than that of a normal fire wheel.
Of course, this is not an opponent that can be effectively hit with a restraint device like this.
While the fire wheel was deliberately spread wide and blocked Tangtata’s view, I grabbed the back of Verita’s neck, who was standing there blankly.
“sibling-?!”
Verita opened her eyes wide in surprise at my intrusion, but I ignored her and threw her towards the central hole, and I immediately followed her in her fall.
They fell together like that and stopped falling at an appropriate level.
Kkudangtang!
This time, I threw Verita into the corresponding floor first, and I also landed on the same floor.
In the glimpse of my eyes, I saw the words ‘6th floor’.
I ended up falling further down than I thought… … .
What’s important now isn’t the number of floors.
I looked at Verita, momentarily forgetting about the Tangtata on the 19th floor.
“What are you doing?”
Verita sat up unsteadily and asked with a bewildered look on her face.
“yes?”
“What are you doing?”
“I don’t quite understand what you’re saying-.”
“Why are you fighting so much?”
“… … .”
Verita closed her mouth.
And he looked at me with eyes that didn’t understand.
“Is that why you barged in?”
“Why? Why not?”
“Very, very reckless.”
Verita’s tone was calm as usual, but for some reason I could sense a slight anger in this guy’s voice.
Before I could respond, Verita continued.
“Brother… … Our plan was clearly that after I was eaten while fighting the Demon King, you would attack me when something unpleasant occurred in my body – wasn’t that the outline?”
“It did.”
“I’m glad I didn’t misunderstand the plan. But if that’s the case, I don’t understand it. Why are you angry, brother?”
I couldn’t help but laugh, but strangely, I didn’t want to hold back.
I asked with a wide-eyed smile.
“I know you’re angry, but I don’t know why?”
“Perhaps my death was a bit premature? I should have inflicted more damage on the Demon King before I was eaten. However, brother, the current Demon King is a dangerous being who could awaken at any time. I have decided that it would be better to delay this any longer-.”
“no.”
Verita closed her mouth.
At that moment, the light on the wall began to flicker as if it was about to go out.
“… I don’t understand. My brother, you smiled before the goblin’s tombstone in the North. You told all the heroes that it was a death more worthy than any other… … But now, you only show anger at my death. Is it because my death is not worthy?”
“Oh. No.”
Then Verita’s face showed a look of shock, and she spoke in a voice that was now slightly trembling.
“That too… I don’t understand. Goblin Ramon only managed to defeat one demon commander and prevent the Demon King from being summoned. But if this plan succeeds, I can destroy the Demon King with my life.”
Verita, desperately trying to calm her passionate attitude, spoke again.
“… The Demon King, or Angsin. It is an achievement to kill the god they follow, not the priest or the leader. And yet, my death has no value-.”
“Hey. Let me ask you one thing. What do you think of yourself?”
“yes?”
“A martyr? Or a decoy? Or just a disposable consumable?”
“… … .”
“I don’t know what it is, but I do know one thing. You have no regrets about your death.”
“that-.”
“I am.”
A low, muffled voice came out of my mouth, as if I was letting go of a hat.
“I tried to respect your choice.”
“… … .”
“I’m sure it was a conclusion you reached after much thought. No matter how much you racked your brain, you realized that sacrificing yourself was the best option, so you had no choice but to choose this method… … That’s why you tried to respect your decision. However, you weren’t prepared for your choice.”
“… … .”
“It’s not like you have no regrets, or that you were satisfied right before you died… or anything like that. When the situation became like this, you acted as if you had been waiting for it. As if you had been waiting for this moment for a very long time.”
The reason I could smile in front of Ramon’s grave was because I respected him and his choices.
How could I not want to live like Ramon?
Ramon’s sacrifice, in closing off winter and opening the way for me while frozen, was certainly heroic.
It is impossible for the person who made the sacrifice to not feel regret.
And to cut off regret, you need determination, and to not hesitate, you need resolve.
Any choice can be a great achievement.
I think that in order to gain the respect of others, such actions must be accompanied by understanding.
I understood the choice Ramon made in Ymir’s stomach.
At that time, I understood that what my senior had done was the best choice, and that there was no other way.
I understood that Ramon had made a difficult decision, that he felt fear and regret right before he died, and that he never changed his choice.
It’s not Veritas.
I can’t understand this guy.
“Why should I respect someone who values his own life so little? If you don’t value yourself, do you expect others to value your death?”
“… … .”
“If you want respect from me, don’t make your devotion worthless.”
“It’s worthless.”
Verita, who had been speechless, opened her mouth.
“Brother, what do you know about me and my current situation that makes you say that?”
The voice that comes out is sharp like a blade.
“If I value myself, will anything change? Can such thoughts change reality? You said earlier. I fought carelessly… … . No. I gave it my all. And yet I lost in just two rounds.”
And then he spits out cynical remarks.
“Nothing changes with just wishes.
Verita, who always agreed with what I said.
The guy who showed me incomprehensible kindness from the first time I met him… … .
For the first time, he glared at me, spat out sharp words, and revealed his enemy.
And as I looked at that sight, I realized that for the first time, I had a real conversation with Verita.
I asserted.
“No. It will change.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because a desperate wish leads to a change in mindset, and a change in mindset leads to the next level of power.”
“… What do you mean by the next step?”
“It’s only natural that we should try everything we can, even if it means dying. Let’s fight with the determination to die from now on.”
Verita looked at me with a blank expression as if she had lost her mind.
“You’re going to give it your all with me here today. You’re going to do it dirty, you’re going to do it deadly, you’re going to do it ugly, you’re going to do it cowardly, but you’re going to do everything you can, and if you still can’t take that green piglet down… … .”
I said with a grin.
“Then, just die.”
