Ch 245
The World Tree and the death of its descendants.
Illathein did not even have the leisure to mourn that tragic event.
The embers of the catastrophe, which seemed to have burned everything and died out, flared up again.
Inferno engulfed the city of teal.
Whoosh.
A figure was fleetingly consumed by the Inferno.
She was a woman who was once called a Seer.
“You…━”
Her slender, narrowed eyes widened as if they would tear.
From the pain of burning.
And, from the shock of betrayal.
Before the Seer’s eyes, the deaths of her comrades flashed by like a life flash.
At the end, there was her own image, vowing never to lose her last remaining comrade.
“Why…?”
Her eyes, drying by the second, could not even shed tears.
The Seer, exhaling her last breaths, asked the one who was her last comrade.
“Seer. You have witnessed countless catastrophes, yet you could not foresee your own.”
The Inferno Apostle replied in a dry tone.
“…”
Ah.
The Seer’s words could not continue.
Her body, turned to ash, crumbled.
▶Fate 89: Catastrophe
✦✦✦
A fate shattered like broken glass.
Catastrophe.
Shon and her party did not know much about that ability.
Catastrophe was less a power that Shon perfectly controlled and more a mysterious phenomenon she occasionally experienced.
Even Shon could not observe all catastrophes.
However.
Nevertheless, they held a strong conviction in one aspect.
The catastrophes Shon experienced hinted at or observed events large enough to affect the world.
Based on that rule, Shon’s party wandered the continent, preventing impending catastrophes or resolving those that had already occurred.
But now.
A crack appeared in the rule that served as the code of conduct within Shon’s party.
“Shon. Are you sure? What I just saw was that ‘Catastrophe’?”
Scratch scratch.
A middle-aged man with a short beard scratched his chin.
Sword Master Junggeom.
With a face that seemed still half-asleep from drinking, he looked at the kindly-faced old woman beside him—the High Priest.
“Granny. Can you explain to me in words the ‘Catastrophe’ you just saw?”
“…”
The High Priest seemed equally bewildered, but she quickly regained her composure and began to organize her thoughts.
“A star was born in a city filled with greenery… a very bright star…”
“And?”
“Countless stars headed towards the city where it rose…”
“And?”
“They met their family and enjoyed a reunion. Then they contentedly ended their lives.”
Catastrophe is like indirectly experiencing the perspective of the person who is the main player in that fate.
Vague yet clear, it allowed them to experience the perspective of the ‘star’, the protagonist of the catastrophe.
Thanks to this, they were able to understand that the star was born simply to contact its ‘family’, and contentedly ended its life after completing that.
After hearing the High Priest’s answer, Junggeom looked at Red Sky, the Sealed Hero, and Seer Shon in turn.
They each responded, agreeing with the High Priest’s statement.
“Right. Thanks, everyone. For confirming that I’m not crazy. So, this is it. We’re all crazy, or we all witnessed a wrong catastrophe.”
Everyone’s gaze naturally focused on the Seer.
“…”
Returning to her characteristic narrowed eyes, she looked as if she were closing her eyes and pondering.
After a while, she spoke.
“This is the first time this has happened, so I’m bewildered… but as Mr. Depaul said, something is clearly wrong.”
Shon made a bold decision.
Rather than accepting this as a Catastrophe, I’d rather admit my own shortcomings!
“This isn’t… the Catastrophe I knew. There’s a problem with my ability to observe Catastrophes through some kind of power, or I witnessed something different… something like that, surely.”
Thanks to Shon’s self-sacrifice to clear things up, the atmosphere in the place quickly calmed down.
“Well, that could happen. Don’t be too discouraged. No one here doubts your ability is the real deal.”
Junggeom and Depaul laughed heartily and patted Shon’s forearm.
Shon responded with a light smile, as if she didn’t mind at all.
Yet, on the other hand, she was still pondering the Catastrophe.
‘A city filled with greenery… it’s definitely Illathein. If what we saw wasn’t an illusion… what does it signify?’
That was another conclusion Shon reached.
She thought that the scene she had just witnessed might be in the form of a metaphorical prophecy, unlike the Catastrophes she had seen before.
And that’s because-
A star was born.
Met family.
Star died.
That endless series of events couldn’t possibly happen in reality.
So, as Shon was engrossed in trying to understand the meaning of the enigmatic prophecy.
“Well then. Now that the Catastrophe matter seems to be settled, shall we move on to the next item?”
Archmage Red Sky stroked his mustache and began.
“Next item? What. Did you see another Catastrophe, old man?”
“Nonsense, first thing in the morning. I’m talking about the Dark Sword. Caroer. Before that High Elf brings us together and starts the discussion, shouldn’t we reach our own conclusion?”
“Even if we do reach a conclusion among ourselves—”
Junggeom chuckled and raised both hands.
“In the first place, we don’t have much authority, do we? What was that guy’s name again? Li━ Lisir?”
The High Priest beside him widened her eyes and looked at Junggeom.
“You remember the name right away. Did the sun rise in the west today?”
Junggeom shrugged and continued.
“Lisir. He was the one who found the Dark Sword, and he was the one who neutralized it. So, how to dispose of the Dark Sword depends entirely on his opinion, doesn’t it? It’s not something we should meddle in.”
Red Sky, who had started the conversation, now had a displeased expression.
“Last night. It seems a bit different from what we talked about, doesn’t it?”
The previous day.
They had each had an interview with Lisir, and they had gathered again to discuss.
On the topic of ‘Should we entrust the Dark Sword to Lisir?’
“Didn’t we agree that ‘the Dark Sword should be handled by us—’?”
The Archmage insisted in a forceful tone.
In response, the Sword Master and the High Priest reacted as if they were in a difficult situation.
“No. Even if we did reach an agreement—”
It’s true that the three of them agreed on some points.
They all judged Lisir to be ‘a man with sufficient power and responsibility’.
However, after that, their opinions began to clash.
-Since he is a man with sufficient power and responsibility, wouldn’t it be alright to entrust him with the Dark Sword?
That was the opinion of the Sword Master and the High Priest.
On the other hand, the Archmage’s opinion was-
“Do you really have to see that young man go wrong because of the Dark Sword!?”
Like that.
The Archmage strongly insisted that they should manage the Dark Swords themselves, saying, “I can’t bear to watch such a fine young man go wrong!”
“I’ve told you many times! The Dark Sword’s corruption may already be underway, and we need to take action as soon as possible!”
“It doesn’t seem like the Dark Sword’s corruption is underway, does it? At least not to my eyes.”
The High Priest replied with eyes filled with kind yet strong power.
She felt divinity in the man.
That divinity only emitted a faint glow, like unprocessed ore—
Nevertheless, she could tell how genuine his divinity was.
The High Priest could assert.
That such a person, even if he became the owner of the Dark Sword, would not use its power for evil!
“Oh really? Then how do you explain this? That young man wields magic, swordsmanship, and even divine power!”
“…”
“…”
The Sword Master and the High Priest’s expressions contorted.
As the Archmage said, the man’s strange abilities were difficult for the two of them to accept.
To wield magic and swordsmanship with one’s own body.
And skillfully at that!
Even with the vast knowledge of the Sword Master and the High Priest combined, it was a phenomenon that could not be explained.
On the other hand, the Archmage offered his own answer.
That the man was unknowingly being controlled by the Dark Sword.
That the use of those various powers was possible thanks to the power of the Dark Sword.
“How frustrating! You must have seen the same thing as I did!”
The basis was the previous rampage of the Dark Sword.
Swordsmanship. Magic. Black Magic. And even sorcery!
The whirlpool of power created by the mixture of all of them.
The sight of it being contained in the sword seemed to preach the true meaning of the name Dark Sword.
“I declare, the power of the Dark Sword remains within Lisir! He is captivated by that power!!!”
It was an unfamiliar side of Red Sky to them.
He showed his characteristic fiery temper of a Red Mage without reservation, pushing his claim.
“Sodin…! Calm down—”
Shon, who had been observing while organizing her thoughts, reacted in surprise.
Red Sky Sodin.
This was the first time he had shown his characteristic fiery temper to his comrades, not his enemies.
“I’m not calm! My comrades are caught up in optimistic thinking, trying to ruin a man’s life!”
Shon’s party wondered for a moment if they were wrong.
Red Sky’s appearance was so unfamiliar that he began to look like a different person.
And—
It could be called a very accurate judgment.
Red Sky Sodin.
Right now, cracks were appearing in his mask as he felt a sense of crisis.
✦✦✦
Once hailed as the pinnacle of Fire Magic as the master of the Red Tower.
He no longer pursued pure fire.
Inferno.
Red Sky willingly offered himself to that impure and powerful flame, becoming its Apostle.
Inferno Apostle Sodin.
He was working with Shon’s party with a certain purpose.
Naturally, that purpose was not to correct all the catastrophes with Shon.
Everything was for the Inferno.
No.
For his own power!
His current actions were also based on that thinking.
‘Dark Sword… I must obtain it somehow…!’
Actually.
Obtaining the Dark Sword was not Sodin’s original purpose.
Nevertheless, the reason he prioritized the Dark Sword above all else now was simple.
‘Night of the Sword… could its fragments possess such tremendous power…’
The unfathomable power of the Dark Sword, witnessed with his own eyes!
Sodin thought.
‘With that power, surely…!’
Therefore, he tried to persuade his comrades.
To let them take charge of the Dark Sword!
That they should somehow take charge of it!
That way, he would have a chance to steal it and escape!
“Shelloh! Tell me! Do you really think that youngster can completely control that Dark Sword without your power—the power of the Seal?!”
“…”
However.
The comrades’ reactions were far from convincing.
His claim that ‘Lisir’s use of various powers is proof that he has been consumed by the power of the Dark Sword’ had little persuasive power—
“That Dark Sword was found in Illathein. And Lisir was the one who initially neutralized the Dark Sword. In addition, the Guardian Caroer seemed to completely trust that man. At present, there is no room for us to intervene. At best, we can only ask that man, I think.”
The Sword’s Owner, Shelloh, pushed up her glasses and spoke.
Sodin shouted in frustration as everyone except him nodded in agreement.
“What good is that! In the end, isn’t that Dark Sword in your hands!”
Currently, the Dark Sword was being kept by Shelloh, the Sealed Hero.
It was a measure taken as Shelloh prevented the Dark Sword’s recovery with the power of the Seal.
Sodin spoke of the Dark Sword placed in Shelloh’s room as if it were in his pocket.
Shelloh’s eyes behind her glasses narrowed.
“What’s that? You don’t mean you’re going to run away with it secretly?”
“Foolish talk, it’s not escape! It’s isolation!”
“…You should calm down a bit.”
“I’m going crazy. Why is this guy like this!?”
“Sodin, calm down. Please.”
As Sodin’s claim entered the realm of absurdity, his comrades began to turn their heads one by one.
“…”
In the end, Sodin began to calm himself down by taking several deep breaths.
“Huu.”
He exhaled deeply.
“Yes. You’re right. I… got too excited.”
As he regained his composure and spoke in a weak tone, his comrades sighed in relief and offered him words of comfort.
“I’m sorry for showing you my weak side… Thank you for understanding…”
They didn’t know.
That Sodin’s eyes, lowered in shame, were burning.
✦✦✦
“Huh!? Lisir? Why are you appearing here? I kept knocking on the door, but there was no answer, so I wondered what was going on!”
“Oh dear. Were you waiting there all this time? I’m sorry. I’m just coming back from my morning training.”
“Morning training… huh? Wait? Isn’t this a bit funny?”
“What do you mean?”
“Usually, people who make others wait are lazy people, but Lisir is so diligent that he made me wait, didn’t he?”
Lisir nodded at her words.
Ratsil was also taking too long to explain the purpose of her visit because she was talking too much.
Chatter chatter buzz buzz giggle giggle.
“Uuuugh.”
It was a long time before Lisir could speak.
“So, Ratsil… what brings you here so early in the morning?”
“Oh, right! Look at me! Caroer has summoned Lisir regarding the Dark Sword! An hour from now—wait? How did the time go by so fast? About 20 minutes from now, you can come to the place we were yesterday!”
“Then, those people will be there too, right?”
As Lisir recalled Shon’s party, Ratsil nodded.
“Actually, there’s no need for that!”
“Yes? There’s no need for that?”
“That Dark Sword! Lisir found it, and Lisir dealt with it, right? It’s only natural that Lisir should have it! Probably, Caroer called those people to make sure they know that’s how it is!”
“Oh…”
At this moment.
Lisir found Ratsil’s voice particularly beautiful.
Because the worries of the past night had completely disappeared thanks to Ratsil’s words.
Even though Lisir had first discovered and neutralized the Dark Sword, he was not sure about its ownership.
It was because of the special nature of the Dark Sword.
Unlike the Holy Sword, he thought it wasn’t something that could be possessed just because one wanted it.
But.
Hearing Ratsil’s words changed his mind.
‘Yes. Ratsil is right. No need to overthink it.’
The Dark Sword was found in Illathein, the Elf City.
Therefore, the disposal of the Dark Sword should rightfully be left entirely to the Elves.
If Caroer, the Elder and High Elf of Illathein, says, ‘Lisir, you keep the Dark Sword’, who could object?
Lisir thought.
Unless someone called Night of the Sword comes to Illathein and says, ‘Excuse me, I heard you’re keeping my item here’,
it was appropriate for him to manage the Dark Sword.
“Ratsil. Shall we go there now?”
“It’s still 20 minutes away, are you alright?”
“With Ratsil here, what’s 20 minutes?”
Lisir and Ratsil headed to the place with light steps.
✦✦✦
“They’re late.”
Caroer, seated, muttered softly.
Ten minutes before the appointed time.
Most of the people had already gathered at the place.
Ten minutes passed—
and another ten minutes passed.
The seats that had been empty from the beginning remained unfilled.
“Hey, where did these people go?”
Archmage Sodin.
The Sword’s Owner, Shelloh.
Junggeom scratched his chin, looking at the empty seats of the two.
“…Wait.”
Hesitation.
Junggeom’s eyes gradually widened.
“Don’t tell me, no?”
He burst into laughter repeatedly.
As if it was a foolish thought, even to himself.
However, his expression gradually turned to anxiety.
“…”
It wasn’t just that.
Junggeom’s anxiety slowly spread to his comrades.
“Is there a problem?”
Lisir felt a clear sense of unease from them and spoke.
“…”
After exchanging glances with his comrades, Junggeom opened his mouth.
This morning.
The small commotion that had occurred regarding the ownership of the Dark Sword.
The unnatural appearance of Archmage Sodin during that commotion.
“…”
Caroer jumped up from her seat and headed somewhere.
Lisir was the first to react.
He took the lead and followed Caroer.
“Damn it…!”
Shon’s party also started following behind them belatedly.
✦✦✦
“Damn it, old man! What are you doing! Are you crazy!?”
Their anxiety became reality.
The Sword’s Owner, Shelloh.
The moment they arrived at her room where the Dark Sword was kept.
“Kuhk-…”
The Sword’s Owner was lying on the floor with her glasses askew.
Her unnatural state, bound all over by a fiery noose, clearly indicated that she had been unexpectedly ambushed.
“How…”
Archmage Sodin.
He was holding the Dark Sword, and he was bewildered when Lisir’s party burst through the door.
“To break that barrier with your level, it would take at least tens of minutes…!?”
“Barrier? Ah.”
Lisir said something meaningful and looked down at his hand.
Sodin felt an indescribable anxiety at that action.
But that was only for a moment.
Sodin drew a vicious smile on his lips and tightened his grip on the Dark Sword.
“Well, it doesn’t matter.”
“Sodin!!! Please, stop!!! We can still fix this!”
Shon cried out anxiously, but Sodin didn’t care at all.
Then, just as Lisir and everyone else were about to act—
“Uuuugh…!”
The Sword’s Owner, Shelloh, let out a pained groan.
The fiery noose that bound the Hero’s body blazed fiercely, burning her body.
“If you come any closer, the Hero will become a charred piece of meat.”
“…!”
Lisir’s party involuntarily stepped back.
While they hesitated, Sodin acted quickly.
“Shelloh. Release the seal on the Dark Sword.”
“Go to h—hell—”
Shelloh’s words could not continue.
Sodin’s flames engulfed her.
The fierce flames inflicted terrible pain on Shelloh, instantly taking her consciousness.
Sodin, who had been with the Sealed Hero and her comrades for many years, knew.
That the power of the Seal she possessed as a Hero was directly linked to her will.
Shelloh lost consciousness and collapsed limply on the floor.
He didn’t kill her.
Because then her value as a hostage would disappear.
“Old man… you’ve really gone crazy?”
The Sword Master, having confirmed his comrade’s complete betrayal, gritted his teeth.
His killing intent began to weigh down the entire room.
“…”
Sodin didn’t care at all.
Because he knew that he was not the kind of person who would easily give up the life of a comrade who was also a Hero.
Rather, he was the kind of person who would stop those who urged him to give up his comrade’s life.
“I only want this Dark Sword. If you don’t interfere, what you fear will not happen.”
“…”
Sodin smiled contentedly.
At his words, his comrades began to look at Lisir and Caroer.
Lisir and Caroer were ready to stop him at any moment.
“Understood?”
Caroer looked at Lisir and spoke.
Lisir nodded without hesitation.
“…”
Sodin was quite surprised by Lisir’s reaction.
He was neither a comrade of the Hero nor the actual owner of the Dark Sword at this point.
Yet, unlike his comrades, he prioritized the Hero’s life without hesitation—
“Don’t resent it too much. You’re not suited to be the owner of the Dark Sword, no matter how you look at it. Unless it’s a Holy Sword.”
Sodin made a joke with a bit of sincerity.
Meanwhile, the resonance between him and the Dark Sword was proceeding.
Thump!
Thump!
Thump!
“…!”
Everyone in the room flinched.
The dark-colored sword pulsed again, emitting its ominous aura.
“Ha, hahaha! This is it!!!”
Sodin thrilled at the ominous yet powerful aura and took out an item from his bosom.
“…!”
At that moment.
A great shock appeared in Caroer’s eyes.
It was because the item in Sodin’s hand was familiar.
“That’s the Legacy of the First Hero…—”
“…!”
Lisir was startled by those words and began to look at it more closely.
The cubic item.
“Ooh! Guardian Caroer, should I say you’re amazing! You recognize this item!”
The owner of all Holy Swords.
The greatest hero in history.
As Caroer said, it was the Legacy of the First Hero.
At the same time, as a kind of key—
It was the reason Sodin had been with Shon’s party until now.
“Legacy of the Hero! Answer my question!”
Sodin infused the Legacy of the Hero with power as he shouted.
Then, a pattern appeared on the cube, and a brilliant light began to pour out of it.
“I will fulfill all the conditions you mentioned at that time right here! Dark Sword!”
Thump!
Thump!
-Yes… beast… what do you desire from me…
“Give me your power!!! The same power you gave that man!!! Then I, Red Sky Sodin, will promise to be your rightful master!”
-The same power you gave that man…
“That’s right!”
Sodin began to laugh maniacally in ecstasy.
“Legacy of the Hero! I said it then! If you want my recognition, my current comrades are not enough! You need to bring a Black Mage and a Shaman of my level! From now on, that will be the case! Watch closely!”
That was why the Archmage decided to steal the Dark Sword.
The power the Dark Sword had given Lisir.
The illogical power that allowed him to break down barriers and wield all kinds of power.
The source of the whirlpool of power that Lisir had shown when he rampaged, taking over his body!
If he obtained the power of Black Magic and the power of Sorcery with that power, he could immediately activate the power of the Legacy!
And with that, he could go where it would take him!
Sodin focused intently on the Dark Sword with wide eyes.
He focused on the power it would bring.
However.
“…”
No matter how long he waited, the Dark Sword did not function.
Thump!
Thump!
Thump!
It only pulsed silently.
As if it had lost its voice.
“Dark Sword!!!”
Sodin urged impatiently.
Then, it finally spoke.
-Beast… I don’t understand what you’re saying… I didn’t give any power to that terrible monster…
“What are you saying… Then, using my body, recreate the rampage from that time!”
-Rampage…
“That’s right! That whirlpool of power! Sword! Magic! Sorcery! Black Magic! The power that transcends boundaries and encompasses everything! Your great power, to me too…!”
-Logically… do you think such an unbelievable power exists… you fool…
The Dark Sword scolded him sternly.
“What—”
Sodin was speechless.
✦✦✦
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