Player Who Became A Constellation [EN]: Chapter 20

Slayer Who Became a Constellation – 20

Episode 20

A scream ripped through the air.

The twilight scenery, stained with the red of the setting sun, looked like a vision of hell.

Crushed, burst, pierced – death came in many forms.

The weak humans, facing their end, lost all will to resist and fled in terror, backs turned to the carnage.

But their flight was useless. The death gods, disguised as the undead, mechanically extinguished their lives.

Aum stared blankly at the scene unfolding before him.

“Ha… Hahaha… Please… stop…!”

Aum laughed, a sound of madness, as he watched human lives being trampled like insects.

“Aum Linnea, this is your defeat.”

Aum snapped his head to the side.

Loki stood beside him, impossibly close.

“Ha…! It’s not… over… yet…! No! Not yet!”

A murderous intent blazed in Aum’s eyes.

He raised his sword, pointing it at Loki.

“If I kill you, victory will be mine!”

“Do you truly believe you can kill me? Even if you swing that sword with all your might, you won’t leave a scratch on my body, let alone this armor.”

“……”

Aum’s eye twitched.

He knew it. The more he faced the figure before him, the more acutely he felt his own powerlessness.

“…I lost. Stop this massacre now! This is violence! Killing those who have already surrendered is not war!”

“No, you’re right, it’s not war. This is…”

Loki leaned in, his face inches from Aum’s.

“‘A game.’”

“……!”

“If you had simply handed over Kudan in the first place, none of this would have happened. This is a consequence of your own choices.”

“I… did this?”

“Your arrogance, your belief that you could kill me, has led to this outcome.”

Like a dark prophecy from a shaman, it seemed Aum had brought a great calamity upon the Nord tribe.

‘Of course, even if I had surrendered Kudan, conflict would have arisen eventually.’

The more Loki consolidated his power, the more threatened the Nord tribe would feel, and the more likely they would be to rebel.

Loki’s actions were a test, a brutal warning to anyone who dared oppose him.

However, Loki had only come to the forefront because Aum had approached him, giving him a ‘clue’ to obsess over.

Without that clue, Loki might have remained quietly in Valhalla Palace, biding his time.

“All this is because of me…?”

Aum slumped to the ground.

He felt the cold steel of the sword in his hand and brought it to his neck.

He was the one who had unleashed this disaster. Perhaps, by taking his own life, he could halt the carnage before him.

As he pressed the blade against his skin, ready to end his life, Loki paused, surprised, and quickly backed away.

Bang!

The ground where Aum had been standing exploded as a massive hammer slammed into it.

Aum stared, dazed, at the figure who had appeared before him.

“Kudan?”

Kudan kicked the sword away from Aum’s grasp.

“…Killing yourself now won’t solve anything.”

“But… I’m the only one who can end this war. So…!”

“It could be the opposite.”

“……?”

“Isn’t it enough to kill the devil responsible?”

“……!”

Kudan turned his back on Aum and hefted his warhammer.

“You… you’re the real deal, aren’t you?”

Kudan was now certain that the being before him was the demon he had glimpsed during the holy war.

He raised his warhammer, pointing it directly at Loki.

“I’ve been waiting for this day. You demon! I will tear you apart and kill you!”

At Kudan’s declaration, Loki glanced at the warhammer.

“It would be more accurate to say you’ll turn him into minced meat rather than tear him apart. That warhammer is quite something. Was there another craftsman here besides the dwarves?”

“I heard it from Aum. You’re enslaving Cancun! I will kill you and set Cancun free!”

Kudan gripped the warhammer with both hands and leaped forward. The divine artifact, Monstrous Strength, caused his muscles to bulge like inflated balloons.

Seeing this, Loki took a step back.

Two Death Knights moved to intercept, raising their shields.

Clang-!

Kudan’s warhammer, which had effortlessly shattered the shield wall of the skeleton soldiers, met the Death Knight’s shield.

But it could not penetrate the shield held by the Death Knight.

With a grating sound, the Death Knights staggered, but held their ground.

“What…?!”

‘My attack was blocked?!’

“These guys are among the highest-ranking undead. They’re not raid boss-level, but they’re close. They’re not opponents that humans can easily defeat.”

Kudan gritted his teeth at Loki’s mocking tone.

The Death Knights swung their shields, knocking Kudan off balance. Then, with furious speed, they swung their massive, warhammer-like greatswords as if grasping at straws.

The attack pattern of the greatsword was simple. Because it was so large, it was restricted by its weight and the surrounding environment, limiting it to downward and lateral strikes. But the Death Knight in front of him was practicing ‘swordsmanship’ while ignoring such limitations.

Spinning and swinging, slashing diagonally, twisting in a spiral, even pulling and stabbing.

The speed was so great that Kudan was too busy blocking to even attempt a counterattack.

‘Oh! Amazing! I knew he had considerable strength from the moment he injured my hand, but I didn’t expect this!’

Loki was genuinely impressed by Kudan’s power. But he was, at best, still just a human.

“Kudan, no matter how much you have transcended the realm of humans, I don’t think you can beat them….”

“Eugh-!”

Kudan grabbed the hand of the Death Knight that wasn’t holding the greatsword. He plunged into the Death Knight’s arms and threw a punch.

The Death Knight blocked with his shield, but… with the sound of bones shattering, the shield splintered around Kudan’s fist.

Finally, Kudan’s fist connected with the Death Knight’s solar plexus.

Kwang-!

The Death Knight was sent flying, rolling several times before regaining his footing and staggering to his feet.

-Kereeeeeuk…

“…Hahaha!”

Loki was dumbfounded.

He didn’t break it with the warhammer, but with his bare hands…?

Is that hand stronger than a weapon?

Or is that weapon not good enough to channel Kudan’s abilities?

‘Is that guy really human? Subduing a high-level undead monster with his bare hands!’

Loki laughed, thinking about how strong the humans in this world could become.

Kudan already possessed power that surpassed the characters in the game. He wondered what would happen if Kudan grew even stronger.

‘Still… it seems to be his limit for now.’

Kudan breathed heavily as he faced the Death Knights.

His body was covered in scratches, blood flowing freely from the wounds. His breathing was ragged, and his eyes were filled with exhaustion.

His legs were shaking so visibly that it was clear he barely had the strength to stand.

“Kudan, I have something to ask you. Why don’t you stop here?”

Loki hesitated slightly as he spoke.

The desire to hear a ‘clue’ from him warred with the desire to see just how much power Kudan possessed.

“Don’t be ridiculous. Do you think I’ll end it like this?”

He wouldn’t give up.

It meant that Loki had no choice but to see this through to the end.

“Um, Loki.”

Then, someone tapped on Loki’s armor.

It was Cancun.

“Cancun.”

“War is terrible.”

“That’s right.”

“Aum surrendered. All the Nord people have lost their will to fight. Everyone except Kudan wants this war to stop.”

“One of them must be you.”

Cancun nodded, kneeling slightly and bowing her head. She clasped her hands together and prayed earnestly to Loki.

“Please. Stop this war. I will pay the price.”

“What will you give me?”

“I will give you everything you want.”

“How?”

Cancun hesitated, then opened her mouth.

“I, I’ll try?”

The flustered look on her face betrayed her youth.

Loki laughed.

It meant that she would grow up someday.

‘It really feels like I’m playing a character-raising game.’

Loki turned his head and looked at Kudan.

“But it seems that Kudan has to see this to the end?”

“I, I’m sorry…. That stubborn person is my uncle….”

Cancun stood up and stepped in front of Loki.

She drew her sword.

“I’ll fight him.”

“You can’t beat Kudan with your skills. It’s a miscalculation. He’s an absurd monster.”

Cancun had grown, but the power Kudan displayed was far superior to hers.

“I know. I’ve seen his power myself.”

“…….”

“But if my uncle really started this war for me….”

Cancun walked forward.

“He won’t kill me.”

And this war had to be stopped by the Ragnal family.

“Okay, then….”

Loki raised his hand. The undead, who had been hunting the Nord people, ceased their attacks and began to gather behind Loki.

“The game is already over. But since there are still those who want to fight, shall we watch a duel?”

Loki slumped down onto the ice floor. Death Knights and Liches surrounded him, forming a protective barrier.

Kudan Ragnal.

Cancun Ragnal.

The two faced each other, separated by a short distance.

“…Get out of the way, Cancun.”

“I heard. My uncle… fought to protect me. And… that things got out of hand because of a misunderstanding.”

“…It’s not a misunderstanding.”

“…I always think, uncle. Please break that stubbornness! That’s why you’re called a bear-like head.”

At Cancun’s words, Kudan smiled for the first time in a long time.

A conversation with his niece.

Even this meaningless exchange was enjoyable.

But he couldn’t allow himself to enjoy it.

“That guy is a monster who will take your soul and body. Why are you protecting such a monster?”

“Because I decided to serve him.”

Cancun gripped the hilt of Brutgang with both hands, pulling it back behind her shoulder and lowering her stance.

“Cancun…. You’ve finally been possessed by a demon.”

“I serve him with my heart. No matter how much you are my uncle…, if you try to harm him, I have no choice but to stop you.”

“Cancun, no matter how talented you are with the sword, you can’t beat me….”

Cancun moved.

She flew forward, spinning her body around her left foot as an axis. She raised her sword diagonally.

Kudan’s warhammer moved, easily blocking Cancun’s sword.

With a metallic clang and a shower of sparks, Kudan glared at Cancun.

“…You can’t. But you’ve grown.”

Kudan knocked Cancun’s sword aside and punched her in the stomach.

“…Cough!”

Cancun coughed up blood and rolled several times on the icy ground.

Shaking and clutching her stomach, Cancun gritted her teeth.

Even though she was wearing the armor Loki had given her, she had sustained considerable damage.

She felt pathetic that she had fallen so easily, before she could even mount a proper attack.

Cancun looked at Kudan.

His body was torn and bloody, his breathing ragged, his eyes filled with fatigue.

She had been knocked out by a single blow from an opponent who was almost on the verge of death.

Cancun glanced at Loki.

Loki was silently watching them, doing nothing.

He trusted her and was watching over her.

‘I can’t win with strength. So rather than head-on….’

Cancun dusted off her armor. It was in the form of a dress with a long skirt, but it was surprisingly comfortable to move in.

Not only that, but it was also strong enough to withstand Kudan’s attacks.

‘Of course, my uncle must have been holding back on purpose….’

If he had wanted to, he could have knocked her down with his warhammer and killed her, not just with a single punch.

Even now, Kudan was just gritting his teeth at Cancun, who was barely getting to her feet, wondering what he was so dissatisfied with.

“Cancun! Get out of the way! You are me….”

“I can’t win. But uncle.”

Cancun twisted her lips into a smile.

“You can’t kill me.”

“……!”

“Stop fighting, or kill me! Choose!”

“…You’ve been possessed so badly.”

“I haven’t been possessed.”

“No, otherwise there would be no reason to protect the devil like that.”

“He’s not the kind of person my uncle thinks he is.”

“…I can’t leave you alone anymore. I’ll go for it too.”

He pointed his warhammer at her and activated the divine artifact, ‘Monstrous Strength.’

His muscles swelled, and his size increased even further.

Cancun looked up at her uncle.

“Surpass me, Cancun.”