Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 398

Chapter 398

“What in the world is going on…?”

“She has become the Annihilation Matrix.”

“What?”

Luceph gasped at Iowen’s reply. He looked back and forth between Perdi and Iowen several times, shocked that it had been completed so quickly.

“The Clock of Destiny… the deadline isn’t up yet, right? Can’t we still turn it back?”

“That is correct. The clock can still be turned back. There is still time left.”

This time, Radeka answered.

“But why…”

“Didn’t I tell you? We need to prepare for variables. As you can see, this Purification Matrix was designed to immediately switch to the Annihilation Matrix if it failed. That’s why we needed to secure a volunteer in advance. And, in the end, a variable did occur.”

Luceph’s face contorted. Radeka’s expression wasn’t good either, though her tone was calm. However, Perdi, the person in question, remained unchanged.

“It’s a pity things turned out this way. Do you not regret it?”

“It is what I wished for myself. I am fine.”

At that indifferent answer, Luceph’s face twisted even more. Perdi was a god who had only recently been born. Although she had memories as Minerva, she had a long life ahead of her as a god. The thought of Perdi disappearing so futilely was unbearable.

“I was so sure the Purification Matrix would succeed that I didn’t bother to step in. But if I had known it would be like this, I would have done it.”

“Past hopes are only fleeting.”

Luceph glared at Kanos, who added a spiteful remark. But in the end, he bit his lip and lowered his head without saying anything else.

“Then let’s begin the final great battle.”

The atmosphere shifted at Shannon’s words. Although Perdi had become the Annihilation Matrix, the other gods weren’t exactly in a safe situation either. The Evil God had been missed, and they didn’t know where it had gone. Even if they succeeded in chasing it down, it wouldn’t just meekly submit to the Annihilation Matrix. Perdi would carry out the annihilation itself, but it was up to the remaining gods to stop and capture the Evil God before it fully awakened. Even Radeka, the Goddess of Destiny, couldn’t guarantee what would happen in the process. Perhaps even greater chaos than expected would ensue. But Shannon had to say it.

“We will descend to Arkadon and annihilate the Evil God.”

A heavy word fell, and all the gods in the room nodded. The true battle for the fate of all dimensions was about to begin.

* * *

All around was thick with dense fog. The man was walking aimlessly down a path where he couldn’t see an inch ahead. He was deep in the forest, but he never lost his way, stumbled, or tripped over a rock. Obstacles that obscured his vision didn’t mean much to the man anyway. Or perhaps it was a delusion that he felt there was fog at all. It had been a long time since he had been able to make such distinctions. Regardless of the actual weather, his world was always in a deep fog. It was the one thing that had never changed since that day.

「A sign of God!」

The scene of that day, which he could not forget even when he closed his eyes, became vivid. It was the day that was the beginning of all this. Feeling as if he was sweating, the man pulled back the hood he was wearing. Light blond hair fluttered over the dew-soaked collar.

“Hoo-oo-.”

The man—Yukarte—finally let out a long breath he had been holding in.

If the late Emperor was called the Emperor of Calamity for his disgraceful death, his predecessor was called the Iron-Blooded Emperor. He was Izelte, the 13th Emperor of the Swalt Empire and an outstanding swordsman who wielded the most powerful military force and imperial power in the empire’s history.

A young, ambitious, and strong emperor. His reign was also a period in which the Swalt Empire enjoyed greater prosperity than ever before. However, the emperor’s energy, which seemed like it would last forever, suddenly began to wane noticeably when he reached the age of fifty. It was an incurable disease that could not be diagnosed even with the mobilization of medicine and theology. Sensing that he had little time left to live, Emperor Izelte hastened the appointment of the Crown Prince, which he had been postponing until then.

It was from this time that the actions of the First Prince, Kyle, began to flow in an ominous direction. It was well known that he hated the emperor’s women and half-brothers, and it was anticipated that he would take some retaliatory measures. But Yukarte wasn’t too worried. He had no desire for the emperor’s throne anyway. He thought that he would accept being banished to the frontier as it was, and that it would be nice if he could clear up the misunderstanding and return to the capital in the future, but that it wouldn’t be bad to end his life in a minor position. At the base of that was the thought that Kyle wouldn’t go to extremes.

Although he was sullen to his brothers, Kyle was basically a man of great character. He was an exemplary royal who always looked after the people’s affairs and took the lead in relieving the poor, a benevolent ruler who spared no generosity to his subordinates, and an affectionate lover to his fiancée, Roahenez. No matter how angry he was, he knew how to control his anger, and he didn’t choose a way to give the other person too much humiliation when arguing or punishing. He was such a person, so he thought that even if he hated someone, he would be satisfied with just moving them away from his sight.

However, Kyle’s hatred for his blood relatives was deeper than Yukarte had imagined. He could be merciful to others, but not to those who shared his blood. By the time he realized that, everything had already happened. On the day Emperor Izelte left for the Mashin Temple to receive holy power, a bloody storm raged in the harem and the princes’ palaces. Led by Prince Kyle, his soldiers roamed the imperial palace, killing people as they saw them. Yukarte was able to figure out the situation a little earlier and avoid the place. But his situation wasn’t much different from that of his brothers who had been killed first. Kyle relentlessly pursued him. When his mother was hit by a fiercely flying arrow and collapsed in his place, his head was dizzy as if he had been hit with a blunt weapon. In the blink of an eye, all of his family members except him were killed. As he blankly raised his head, Kyle’s ferocious figure stood before him. The red blood dripping from the sword he was holding was painfully embedded in his eyes. All of this seemed like a dream.

“…Brother.”

“Shut up, who is your brother?”

“Why… why are you doing this?”

“Ask your mother, who went to hell first.”

Yukarte gasped at the words that pierced like a dagger. Kyle was consumed by hatred. He couldn’t even guess when and for how long he had been suppressing this feeling. All he could know was that it was already too late to fix it.

“You and I have had a really tiring time. Let’s end it all now.”

Kyle raised his sword. Even as he saw the murderous intent in the blade, Yukarte couldn’t resist. He had even lost the will to resist. He closed his eyes and humbly awaited the pain that would take his life. But the next moment, what came was not pain but a sharp metallic sound. Yukarte, who had opened his eyes slightly, was startled to find someone standing in front of him. It was a woman in a dress who had grabbed the sword with both hands and blocked Kyle’s flying sword. Her gorgeous platinum blonde hair, tied neatly with a ribbon, fluttered in the wind. It was Roahenez, a close friend who had sworn lifelong friendship and was like a blood relative.

“Roa.”

Roahenez was also Kyle’s fiancée. Kyle was also embarrassed by her appearance and had a stiff face. All of Kyle’s knights around him were also embarrassed and held their breath. As the air subsided, a heavy silence flowed. Roahenez slowly looked around at the bodies scattered mercilessly everywhere. Her trembling gaze lingered especially longer on the body of Empress Themis, who had died with an arrow stuck in her back.

“How could you…”

“Is it strange that I’m here, Your Highness?”

“…I told Kawell to take you down to Clomore.”

“Yes, you did. My nephew, who is only two years younger than me and only big, is probably locked up in the granary right now. You probably won’t be able to see him today. He said that if he comes out of there, he will never see my face again.”

“Roa.”

“You’re being foolish, Your Highness. You suddenly sent me to visit my family, did you think I wouldn’t suspect anything? If you thought I would pretend not to know, then you really didn’t know anything about me.”

Kyle’s eyes shook at the sharp answer. Seeing her lover unable to make any excuses, Roahenez gripped her sword even more tightly. Her voice was filled with resentment.

“I asked you so much.”

“Roa…”

“I told you not to, I told you it wouldn’t work. I said Yuka is also my brother! I said Yuka won’t threaten you! I begged you to believe me! You said you would believe me too! But how could you do this!”

Ah, were you struggling to save me without me knowing? Yukarte swallowed a groan. Roahenez was always the one who tried harder than anyone else to mediate between the two. He couldn’t even guess how desperate she must be at this moment, how much mental pain she was in, as she struggled between her beloved lover and her precious friend. Kyle’s expression was also painful. But he looked at Yukarte and hardened his face again.

“…I can’t do this, Roa.”

“Kyle!”

“I can’t give this up either. This is something… I have to end it all with my own hands.”

“…Are you really going to do this, Your Highness?”

“I’m sorry. Please understand me, Roa.”

“No, I don’t understand.”

“Roa.”

“Your Highness won’t be able to achieve what you want either.”

Roahenez raised her sword again. Although she was wearing a dress, she was a fairly fierce swordsman. It was even said publicly that she could aim to be a Sword Master. Kyle, as well as the knights around him, were all nervous.

“Yuka, I’ll stop them here. Go quickly.”

“Roa, no.”

“I’m fine. Run away quickly.”

At that time, Yukarte felt Roahenez squeeze his hand once. His heart sank as it felt like a final greeting. He couldn’t rest assured that Roahenez was Kyle’s fiancée. Kyle might kill even his beloved lover without hesitation. Hadn’t he been so cruel to his blood relatives? He didn’t seem like someone who would make an exception for his lover, now that he had decided to give up everything. It was terrible to think that Roahenez would die because of him. In fact, Kyle was staring at Roahenez with such an ominous expression that he couldn’t help but think so. Then he sighed and began to walk forward. Roahenez, who was aiming her sword at his reckless behavior, was embarrassed.

“W-what are you doing? Don’t come any closer! I’ll stab you if you come closer!”

“Stab me.”

“…!”

“Stab me as you are, Roa. Kill me and choose him. That’s the only way you can stop me.”

“Kyle!”

Roahenez’s face, horrified, trembled. Even in the midst of that, Kyle was approaching with a blank face. Soon, his body reached a distance where the sword could reach. But Roahenez couldn’t stab him. Kyle stared at her, who was just trembling without being able to move, and smiled faintly. Then he grabbed her hand and gently took the sword away.

“What are you all doing?”

The knights, who had been watching with anxious faces, came to their senses at their master’s voice. Kyle looked straight at Yukarte. What appeared on his face was a clear smile of victory.

“Fulfill your mission.”

“Yes!”

The knights, who shouted loudly, surrounded Yukarte in an instant.

“N-no! No, Yuka!”

Roahenez, in despair, struggled in Kyle’s arms and reached out to Yukarte. Kyle hugged her tightly and comforted her. Even in the midst of that, Yukarte chuckled as he saw Kyle sending him a look of restraint. The situation was noisy, but he was glad that Kyle wasn’t so bad as to kill his fiancée. He wouldn’t have been able to bear it if she had died because of him.

“Still, I should put up some resistance at this point. Roa will be more sad if I die obediently.”

Yukarte drew his sword and exchanged swords with the rushing knights a few times. He pushed some people away and continued to struggle with one person. But then the knight who faced the sword widened his eyes with a surprised expression. It was Yukarte who was embarrassed by the words that followed.

“A sign of God!”

This unexpected cry instantly brought the chaotic scene to a standstill. Kyle, as well as the knights who had surrounded Yukarte, turned around with surprised faces. Yukarte, who was bewildered because he couldn’t understand the situation, lowered his gaze to where they were looking. And he found the symbol of the Demon God clearly imprinted on the back of his hand.

What is this?

That was the only thought that came to mind first. It wasn’t because he didn’t know it was a sign of God. It was just that he couldn’t understand why such a thing was imprinted on his hand. Having a sign of God meant being a priest. But priests are usually decided when they are young. In this situation, it was unrealistic for a sign of God to suddenly appear. Vaguely, he recalled the situation a little while ago.

—Roahenez had grabbed his hand.

“…”

“…”

Everything was already as quiet as a mouse. Everyone was in a state of confusion, not knowing what to do. Those who had been actively attacking Yukarte just a moment ago were now unable to move rashly.

“Article 1, Paragraph 1 of the Holy Empire Law: Priests are not governed by secular concepts and laws.”

A clear voice rang out, breaking the silence. It was Roahenez, who had already escaped from Kyle’s arms. Her words were the reason why everyone here couldn’t touch Yukarte.

A person who becomes a priest is considered to be reborn from that point on. All past identities and actions are covered up, and his judgment is left to God. Those who do not accept this and try to exercise past grudges will be excluded from the grace of the Order and will not be free from ethical condemnation.

“Yuka has become a priest. Now you can really trust Yuka, Your Highness.”

Kyle, who had been dazed, turned to look at his fiancée… and slowly hardened his expression. The terrible sense of betrayal that arose on his face was clearly readable. He too had seen Roahenez grab Yukarte’s hand. He would have also realized that the sign was fake. But Kyle didn’t say anything. If he revealed that fact here now, Roahenez would be referred to a religious trial. And she would surely be burned at the stake. Forging a sign of God was such a serious crime.

“Roa, do you love me?”

“That’s why I couldn’t stab Your Highness.”

“…I see. I feel the same way.”

After answering weakly, Kyle turned around with a tired look. The bloody trial that the First Prince had caused seemed to be coming to an end. That day, Roahenez hugged Yukarte and cried for a long time. At the same time, she was relieved that it was all over. But for Yukarte, it was not the end but the beginning.