Chapter 88

The Breath of Light.

A monster worshiped as an Ancient God.

It had a muscular body as large as a citadel and as beautiful as a perfect sculpture.

However, it had lost its head.

In its place, above its severed neck, was a searing light orb.

In place of a face, there was an inorganic mask.

The Breath of Light raised its palm longbow.

And then it shot out brilliance.

It shot relentlessly at the hateful bloodlines, the Cordis Imperial Prince and the last Aretion.

The arrows that burned the air gradually increased in number and power.

I and Amethus still had a lot of lingering attachments to life.

That was because both of us harbored what could be called a cherished wish.

We couldn't die, so we had no choice but to kill it.

“……”

Amethus ran forward.

With his jade eyes fixed on the Breath of Light, he brandished his double-edged sword.

No matter how many arrows of brilliance poured out, his sword was faster.

He knew where they would fly before they were even shot and scattered them all.

With a clatter, hooves approached.

They were headless deer, like their master, with thorny bushes planted where their heads should be.

It wasn't just one.

There were dozens, hundreds of them.

Their fierce momentum also resembled their master's.

The flock of deer rushed at the diviner who was blocking the arrows.

But I intervened.

“You guys seem to have a heart.”

My second Ars, The Unclosable Twenty Steps.

The flock of deer was pushed back.

Their hooves thrashed aimlessly in the air.

Before they could even figure out what had happened, a heavy, hot line flew.

My third Ars, The Heated Iron Bloodline.

It was just one line, but with the addition of futile dreams, there was nothing it couldn't do.

My first Ars, Fantasy Finger, pulled the Iron Bloodline this way and that.

The Iron Bloodline that was pulled this way and that struck all around like lightning.

With a single swing, sixteen deer that were rushing from all directions simultaneously fell.

“Hmph.”

The number of deer was immense.

They seemed to have become thousands.

They tried to trample us with their large hooves.

But they couldn’t reach us.

The rampaging Iron Bloodline didn’t allow them to.

“Come on, all of you.”

I was a hero.

Because there were always people who liked to give nicknames, I had a few embarrassing ones.

Among them was the One-Man Army.

The origin of the nickname was simple.

It was because I had single-handedly defeated the Cordis 9th Legion.

There was no better nickname to give to a man who had chased away thirteen thousand soldiers and one of the Ten Great Generals of the Empire.

“Because the more of you there are, the easier it is to deal with.”

Melee combat, a defensive posture.

This was when my true worth was revealed.

As shown by the Ars of the Septem Arcana, my specialty was fighting alone against many.

This also meant that it was difficult to cooperate with allies.

It was obvious.

Look at The Heated Iron Bloodline.

It was damn heavy and damn hot.

I swung a line that inflicted an agonizing pain just by touching it.

I also had to prepare Lahukala and the Mana Armor Valziart because it was difficult to handle.

With the Fantasy Finger pulling it around, it was almost impossible for even me to read its entire trajectory.

The fierceness that blocked the enemy also pushed away allies.

There was no way to work together unless someone had a ghostly intuition that could instinctively read the trajectory of the Iron Bloodline that even I couldn't fully read.

‘What a strange feeling.’

Amethus glanced at me.

The Iron Bloodline he was swinging protected us from the thousands of deer.

At one point, the Iron Bloodline bounced toward where Amethus was, but he easily avoided it.

Amethus could read the movements of the Iron Bloodline, which was striking around like lightning.

‘To be so in sync.’

Amethus ran forward.

He became a sharp sword aimed at the Breath of Light.

He was so sharp that if I were to attack from the side, he would have collapsed, but I protected him and allowed him to be sharp.

I swung the Iron Bloodline around.

The twenty feet around me became completely mine.

The unseen and the seen were all being crushed under my hand.

I was heavy and clumsy.

But Amethus was sharp, so it was enough.

‘When was the last time I swung a sword with such peace of mind…'

Was it during my school days?

Was it not when I was a Security Knight?

His double-edged sword easily deflected the arrows of brilliance shot by the Breath of Light.

He realized that he had become dull.

The few years he spent as a Security Knight and a confidant of Ferbias must have been too comfortable.

“Your Highness.”

“What is it?”

His jade eyes were a deep, clear blue.

He felt the sharpness he had lost and even forgotten returning.

“I will go now.”

“What?”

He was only halfway there.

The Breath of Light was still far away.

But Amethus suddenly ran.

He got away with surprising speed.

Even the Breath of Light, which was holding the palm longbow, seemed to be startled.

But the Ancient God had already put its hand on the bowstring.

A number of arrows incomparable to before were shot out.

A rain of arrows.

Like a thousand suns, like a fiery rain pouring from the sky.

Thousands of arrows of brilliance that came not in a line but a surface, so dense there was no way to avoid them.

A tidal wave of brilliance that swallowed the air.

In front of it, Amethus.

The jade-eyed man with a double-edged sword.

He was wearing shabby leather armor.

Even a single arrow of brilliance was enough to turn him into a pile of ashes.

And yet, he was calm.

Compared to the agony that had shaken him, the arrows of brilliance looked like nothing but a handful of straw.

His jade eyes turned a shade of jade.

They were deeply imbued with their original, natural beauty.

Amethus Aretion’s Ars.

Oracle.

He saw.

He saw all the arrows that were shot, the arrows that were being shot, and the arrows that had yet to be shot.

He knew the bowstrings that were shot, the trajectory they were on, and where they would hit.

He didn't see with his eyes.

He didn't see with his heart.

He saw with his soul.

He avoided some.

He deflected some.

He dodged some.

He stepped on some, broke some, and passed some by.

Avoiding, deflecting, dodging, breaking, trampling, and in the end, passing all of them by.

He just passed by thousands of arrows of brilliance, the violence of brilliance that was thicker than his waist, as if he were flying.

“You crazy bastard!”

I spat out the highest form of praise.

Amethus was already right in front of the Breath of Light.

The Breath of Light raised its palm longbow to block the double-edged sword.

But the sword was too sharp to be blocked. The enormous bow was split in two.

The light orb that was attached to the Breath of Light’s head blazed.

And then it spewed out an immense fire at Amethus.

This, too, was meaningless.

Just like the wooden bow, the flames were split in two and scattered.

Even the Breath of Light was split in two.

Its citadel-sized body was torn open to the left and right.

The double-edged sword left a long scar on the ground, too.

It was Amethus Aretion’s single strike that wouldn't have been strange even if it had split Arete Island.

“Breath of Light, I can only be sorry for you.”

Amethus muttered.

The Breath of Light, which was split in two, was slowly crumbling away.

With a light orb in place of a head, and an inorganic mask in place of a face.

For an existence that was once called a god, it was a pitiful sight.

He had just learned the new truth.

He realized that there was no reason to be ashamed in front of the empire.

However, in front of the Breath of Light, an existence that his ancestors had served, he couldn't help but feel a sense of responsibility.

Hadn’t it just been played by the circumstances of humans?

‘I can’t help it. It’s too shameless to say I can’t help it, but I really can’t.’

The Breath of Light tried to kill them, but he couldn't just die.

He had a lot to do and a life to live.

Filled with mixed emotions, he turned his head.

Amethus opened his mouth toward me.

“It’s over, Your Highness.”

“Behind you!”

“……!”

I shouted, and Amethus’s jade eyes flashed even faster.

Brilliance poured out but didn't reach him.

But there was bewilderment.

Amethus quickly backed away and shouted.

“…It was split in two!”

The Breath of Light raised its body.

It had been split into a right and a left, but it was one again.

On the contrary, it was wrapped in an even greater brilliance than before and was spewing out an even greater rage.

I was already next to a bewildered Amethus, leading him away.

“Let's retreat for now, Amethus!”

***

“…What happened?”

We hid in the ruins of the city wall.

The Breath of Light was blazing with fire and searching for us.

I made the Mana Armor Valziart swell to make the shadows we were hiding in even darker.

“That wasn't a meaningless wound. But it healed in an instant.”

He had seen it clearly.

The Breath of Light, which was in two pieces, was crumbling and about to disappear.

It was definitely a blow that should have annihilated it, but it suddenly recovered as if it had gained new strength.

“…And it seems to have gotten even stronger.”

The blaze was intense.

Even though we were hiding in the shadows, the heat was rising and it was sweltering.

It was so hot that it felt like it was choking me, and I wanted to throw off my armor right away.

Sweat accumulated under my leather armor, making my skin stick unpleasantly.

There was a sound of something collapsing.

It was because one of the arrows of brilliance that the enraged Breath of Light had shot out indiscriminately had toppled a city wall.

The flock of deer rushed in as if to rummage through the collapsed wall.

It seemed they were looking for us.

It was only a matter of time before the Breath of Light found us.

“What do you think is the reason, Your Highness?”

“Do you think I know everything?”

“But you know, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

You're sharp.

I tapped my temple.

It was late at night when we entered Arete Island.

Thinking about the various things that had happened on the island, the answer came to me quickly.

“It’s about time for dawn to break outside.”

“…I see.”

The Breath of Light, an incarnation of sunlight.

The rising sun must have given it new strength.

No, it would be more appropriate to say that its original strength had been revealed.

Since Arete Island was always bright, we hadn't noticed.

Suddenly, I got goosebumps.

Until now, it had been night and yet, the Breath of Light had shown such power.

Then what kind of being would the Breath of Light be in broad daylight?

I shuddered as I came to a slight realization of what it meant to have been worshiped as a god.

“What are you thinking so hard about, Amethus?”

“I’m wondering why you let the Breath of Light wake up even though you knew it was so strong.”

“What if I said I did?”

“I'd feel like beheading you right now.”

“My, my!”

I pretended to be surprised.

It was a playful attitude that I showed because I knew Amethus wouldn't behead me now.

I chuckled and waved my hand.

“It’s incredibly strong, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Because it’s an Ancient God.”

I grinned.

“But Amethus, that’s not like you. You’re not the type to be intimidated just because your opponent is strong.”

“…What do you know about me?”

“Why do you think I don’t know? You still have doubts, don't you?”

“……”

The jade-eyed man let out a deep sigh.

He couldn’t hide what he wanted to hide.

I spoke again as if I was pushing him.

“I understand. The time you’ve lived doesn’t just disappear so easily. After swinging your sword around, you probably have new worries. Should I still take that head? Even if I don’t kill it, should I not let it go? What if there’s a possibility that I was deceived?”

“…You’re really digging into me.”

“I told you I understand. The sharper the truth is, the harder it is to accept. Do you think you can overturn a lifetime of beliefs in an instant?”

The Regressor Prince leaned his face closer.

“So, ask. I’ll allow you to, especially you.”

My blue eyes and a gently curved nose bridge.

Even as a child, I was fiercely beautiful. I was as delicate as if I wasn't human.

“Aren’t you curious?”

“……”

“Why I brought you here, what I’m trying to do by waking up that monster. Why I’ve been doing all this since I escaped the capital, just ask.”

The whisper was a seeping one.

“Because I'll tell you my secret.”

***

“……”

Amethus looked up.

The arrows of brilliance flew.

The Breath of Light was still looking for us.

A silence in the shadows.

I had said that I would tell him a secret.

Amethus didn't fully understand the meaning of those words.

But he knew that it wasn't something to be taken lightly.

That was why he asked.

“I will ask as you wish, Your Highness.”

His jade eyes were calm.

“Why did you bring me to Arete Island?”

“To tell you the truth about your family.”

“Why did you tell me?”

“To show you the atrocities of the empire.”

“Why did you show me?”

“I wanted you to hate the empire.”

“Then……”

Amethus gripped his double-edged sword.

“…Why did you let the Breath of Light wake up?”

“To force a choice upon you.”

“What kind of choice…?”

He had been in a terribly great agony, but now it was invisible.

A few questions and answers had instantly calmed him down.

It was holding the swirling rage, the betrayed anger, and the life that was flowing in the wrong direction.

It was as if it was guiding him to where his heart should have originally been.

“…No, there’s something I need to ask first.”

Still, what an amazing intuition.

I chuckled, looking at his jade eyes that once again got to the heart of the matter.

“Why did you want me to hate the empire?”

“Because I hate the empire.”

“So……”

He gathered the remaining questions and spat them out.

“…What would you gain if I were to hate the empire like you do?”

“You still don’t know, Amethus?”

I felt relieved.

“What is the one thing I can gain?”

I spoke the secret.

It was the truth I had kept hidden.

“It’s right here.”

I raised my index finger that always covered my lips.

And then, I pointed at the man in front of me.

“You.”

What I was pointing at was my worst nemesis.

A skill that put him shoulder to shoulder with the empire's legion commanders at the age of twenty-five.

Jade eyes that haphazardly dug up secrets.

A tenacious ill-fated relationship that had continued from before the regression.

That was why I coveted him.

I couldn't stand not coveting him.

“I want you, Amethus Aretion.”

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