Academy’S Gumiho Is A Magical Genius [EN]: Chapter 133

Nightmare (3)

Mankind was doing fairly well.

Civilization advanced, and in the process of technological progress, the environment was damaged, and some people suffered, but this was often seen as a necessary step in evolution.

Until that day arrived.

I simply took it for granted.

The end of the world, the end of Earth – whatever you want to call it.

Destruction, doomsday, end times, rapture, apocalypse, Armageddon, Ragnarok, and so on.

All were accurate.

One day, incomprehensible, monstrous beasts appeared on this land, devouring everything indiscriminately, without distinguishing between friend or foe.

Even people.

As a result, in less than a year, humanity lost 30% of its global population.

Relatively poor countries lacked the resources to protect their citizens, and their large populations made them particularly vulnerable, resulting in especially severe losses.

But even considering those factors, losing 30% in just one year was a staggering blow.

Some island nations were completely destroyed, their populations seeking refuge in other countries.

Nations moved beyond simple alliances, embracing coexistence as a means of survival.

Afterward, indiscriminate attacks continued.

After hundreds of millions struggled and died, humanity finally achieved a defensive victory. With the breathing room [time and resources] to reflect, humanity was left speechless with shock.

“What, is this another one of your old stories? If you’re going to spout nonsense, get lost.”

“What kind of ridiculous thing is that, telling your sister to get lost? Do you want to get hit?”

“I’m better at fighting.”

“That’s true, but this is different. How could someone from the Land of Eastern Etiquette [referring to a culture emphasizing manners and decorum, likely East Asia] do that?”

At the absurd words, Seungwoo swept his hair back.

His hair was disheveled, uncut due to the relentless enemy attacks and constant battles, revealing his still-empty eyes.

There was no vitality in his pupils, which didn’t reflect a single ray of light.

He had a detached demeanor, as if he wouldn’t care if he died at any moment.

“Does it matter to observe etiquette in a destroyed world?”

“……Anyway, you know that the Military State was established afterward, right?”

“Don’t change the subject.”

Military State.

Meaning a country of soldiers.

In reality, it’s not a country in the traditional sense, but an organization comparable to one.

“You know that the early Military State was incredibly chaotic, right?”

“……So what do you want me to do?”

“Hey, if you don’t react to this by the end of today, I’m not leaving your barracks!”

Eve lay down on the floor of the barracks.

I frowned at her childish behavior for a moment.

Realizing that her words were the unvarnished truth, I delved back into my old memories.

“Um… Since the Military State was an organization created by combining the armies of various countries for the sake of common cause and survival, it inevitably faced problems like language barriers and racial discrimination in its early days.”

“You know it well. The sense of national identity is weak now because the state isn’t protecting its citizens, but that wouldn’t have been the case back then.”

“It’s ridiculous. To think that people were on the verge of fighting each other over mere race, before the war with the monsters.”

People were dying in the billions because of monsters.

As countries collapsed, the soldiers who joined forces for survival began to fight over trivial things like skin color and language, rather than ideologies or beliefs.

A precarious situation where monsters could attack at any moment.

It was precisely this situation that was overcome, and the Military State, which had been divided into several factions, was unified.

“—If there hadn’t been Players and Abilities at the time, humanity would have been wiped out completely in the second year of the war without even putting up a proper fight.”

“Yes, the historical records support that as fact.”

Just when the clear limitations of nuclear bombs and modern weapons were becoming apparent.

Humanity began to awaken to the concepts of magic power and abilities.

Magic power, an invisible, intangible force.

Abilities, unique powers of individuals that operate based on intangible power.

These individuals, called the first-generation Players, forcibly united the divided Military State based on their powers that surpassed ordinary humans. The Military State, now unified by overwhelming power, went through numerous battles, experiencing both defeats and victories.

In the process, they bitterly realized that there was no need to be bound by trivial things like race and language.

“The Military State at that time was a place where only the strong stood tall.”

And that’s still the case now.

“This world still operates on the logic of the powerful. The power of the old and unsightly upper echelons has shifted from military force to political power, but people still crave powerful heroes.”

“……So what do you want me to do?”

“Hey! Baek Seungwoo! Are you messing with me right now!”

I would have thought he would have caught on a long time ago, after hearing all this.

The Sword Saint was even turning his head away, in denial.

“If you have the power, try resisting! You can do it. So why aren’t you doing it?”

“I don’t want to create more chaos.”

“……What?”

“The fact that they are resisting so persistently is unprecedented in the 70 years of war. Because of that, the citizens’ confusion has reached its peak. In that situation, I’m not valuable enough to cut off the rotten roots just for my own sake.”

The Sword Saint’s power and achievements.

And with his reputation, it wouldn’t be impossible to replace all the upper echelons of the Military State and seize all power alone.

There are the Eight Great Stars, which are groups of comparable influence, but.

They are only the best in their respective fields, and it is difficult to see them as wielding absolute power.

As far as combat is concerned, no one in the Military State could match the Sword Saint.

That’s why the Sword Saint spoke with such conviction.

The sight of a child using the mannerisms of an old man was a jarring contrast, but he tried to maintain a dignified tone to the end.

That was the weight of the position he held.

“Eve, keep your distance. And from now on, I would like you to refer to me as ‘Sword Saint’ instead of my name in public settings.”

“What, what did you say……? Are you serious?”

“Great Mother of Magic, Eve. Although we are childhood friends who spent our days as boy soldiers together and are like siblings, this is a formal occasion where I, as one of the Eight Great Stars, am welcoming you as the and also as the who explores knowledge and contemplates wisdom.”

So please maintain decorum and keep your distance.

We are the faces representing the nearly 100 million soldiers of the Military State.

The unspoken words resonated clearly in Eve’s mind.

“So… you understand?”

“You can still run away now, right?”

“You know I can’t, why are you saying this?”

“Where does a kid like you get such duties and responsibilities?! Rebel, whine, do something! You’re at that age!!!”

Duties and responsibilities, huh.

This is a very profound topic.

“There are those who sacrificed themselves for me.”

“!!!”

“My path is always paved with corpses. That’s the case now, and it will be in the future.”

The soldiers are prepared to give their lives to protect me.

That’s a certainty, proven by countless examples.

It’s because they don’t want Baek Seungwoo the human, but the Sword Saint Baek Seungwoo, and they are prepared for that sacrifice.

“I am now… closer to a propaganda weapon than a human being.”

“Hey, aren’t you being too harsh? What do you mean, a weapon to yourself?”

“Don’t ask if you already know the answer.”

“……That doesn’t mean you have to think of yourself that way.”

The respected commander was nowhere to be found.

Even the proud name I received from my parents is just a backdrop that supports my role.

Before I knew it, I was only addressed by my title.

The Sword Saint was disheartened by that fact.

“That’s right.”

“Then run away quickly. I’ll tell the others that you died a miserable death on the battlefield. I can create clones and illusions of you as much as I want!”

“But you know I can’t.”

“Hurry!!!”

Eve, now going beyond mere appeals, was trying to issue orders.

She was using 「telekinesis」 to force movement with her grasp and 「word spirit」 [a power where words have a tangible effect] with her mouth, but.

Crack──!!

When the Sword Saint emitted just a fraction of his magic power, Eve’s fragments of magic power shattered emptily like broken glass. Those constructs of pure magic were destroyed, reflecting light as they splintered sharply, as if they could never be reassembled.

Yes, just like my life… I can’t go back to the way things were.

So I have to see it through to the end.

That was my mission, stepping on the sacrifices of soldiers and comrades.

Thus, the Sword Saint, having steeled his heart, could no longer wear clothes as he pleased.

The clothes he wore were always white.

Only pure white was permitted for the Sword Saint.

If there was an exception, it would be red.

“……I’ve been wearing white clothes for a week now. I’m getting tired of white, can’t I wear black clothes?”

“Black is not allowed.”

“Why not?”

“Because the fact that blood is묻었다 [묻었다 means ‘stained’] is less emphasized. You are young, but you understand that in a war situation like this, not only the morale of the soldiers but also the morale of the citizens is important, right? This is simply part of an effort to boost that morale.”

This is an order from the Commander-in-Chief, but also a request.

Please understand, Sword Saint.

Having heard those words, there was no justification to refuse.

In truth, I didn’t care about justification, but I understood what the middle-aged Commander-in-Chief wanted.

“I am a sword. The sword of the Military State.”

The sharpest sword in the world.

I will be a guillotine that severs heads and ends lives.

May the wicked demons who dare to obstruct the Sword Saint’s path be governed by death, personally punishing their sins.

Thud─!

A rather anticlimactic sound for stabbing a sword.

As if stabbing meat in a butcher shop, the casually wielded sword stirred up a monster the size of a mountain.

Cutting through flesh and shattering bones.

In the process, the Sword Saint’s armor was soaked in blood, and the pure white would prove its purity with crimson blood.

“That’s… insane.”

Pure white armor stained red.

So thoroughly covered in blood that it seemed impossible for the color to ever return to its original state, even if it were washed.

Evidence that clearly demonstrated how tirelessly the Sword Saint worked to slaughter the monsters.

Thanks to the evidence that humanity’s hope was working so hard, people’s enthusiasm grew even more. Because the more his pure white was stained crimson, the safer the world became.

The Sword Saint, who was only allowed to wear pure white and blood-red crimson, periodically dyed his pure white armor red.

The rate at which the white color of the armor wore out was astonishingly fast.

At least twice a month.

As many as three times a week, he wore new armor.

Every time that happened, people cheered, and screams and dying words never ceased on the battlefield.

Eventually, as time passed, the Sword Saint, who had overcome countless natural disasters with a human body, became the most powerful person in the Military State.

And on the battlefield, a new name was bestowed upon him, inspired by his 威容 [majesty] and 자태 [figure/appearance].

Sword Demon.

And Heavenly Star of Slaughter.

The Sword Saint’s nicknames were not recognized as official titles or aliases.

The common citizens remained unaware, but the soldiers who roamed the same battlefield understood.

The only hope born from this hellish war, the one who will end this hellish war, is ultimately another monster.