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Episode 831: If That Is My Destiny (5)
“Julian!”
Deneb screamed, reaching out. Then, divine power exploded from her body, enveloping Yulian.
Yulian gritted his teeth and summoned all his energy. Spirits were summoned and engulfed him.
The breath blasts came from all directions, leaving no room to dodge. Enduring was the only option.
Kwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
A massive explosion ripped through the sky, ripping apart even the darkness that filled it. Nearby structures were instantly reduced to dust.
Even Arterion, who was a short distance away, stretched out his powerful 9th Circle shield several layers to protect Deneb and the altar.
Even then, he had to continue to pour magical energy into his shields to endure the impact.
Kuuuuung… … .
A moment later, a cloud of dust rose, completely obscuring his vision.
A dragon cast wind magic to clear the dust, slowly revealing the scene within.
“Cough!”
Yulien collapsed, bleeding
profusely. But his eyes remained alive. Kvarnex, who had been fighting Yulien, exclaimed in admiration.
“Amazing. To have held out this long.”
The attack just now had been a force even dragons could not handle. Even a rival would have evaded the breath attacks unleashed simultaneously by the dragons.
But the warrior, completely surrounded and struck by the breath, held on.
Of course, this was thanks to the saintess’s divine power. While they had considered that when exerting their strength, there was still the worry that the warrior might be destroyed.
However, Yulien had held on far more admirably than the dragons had expected.
“Still, it seems I don’t have the strength to hold on much longer. I think we just need to push a little further.”
Dragons couldn’t use their breath attacks often. But in Yulien’s current state, there was no need to use it.
Zing! Zing! Zing!
Soon, an enormous number of magic circles filled the sky.
With all those concentrated spells, even Yulien wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer.
“Cough…”
Yulien raised his head after spitting out another spurt of blood.
He’d lost all his strength in an instant, blocking the breath attack. He didn’t even have the strength to summon the spirits again.
No, he didn’t even have the strength left to stand.
“A voice… ….”
He’d heard something, though only momentarily. It was a voice that said it could help him.
Yulien looked around with a haggard expression. But still, he couldn’t see anyone.
“Is this an illusion… …?”
The situation was utterly hopeless. His desperation must have caused a delusion.
Yulien, giving up hope, stood up trembling. He gripped his sword tightly with his bloodied hands.
“…Deneb.” He
had to hold on. He had to save Deneb somehow.
That was the only thought on Yulien’s mind now.
But… … What on earth should he do?
He’d been counting on Astion to escape with Deneb. But that had failed.
He couldn’t win a fight. But he couldn’t give up.
Slowly.
Yulien staggered forward,
only to save Deneb.
Seeing Yulien, the dragons bared their teeth fiercely.
Still moving like that? His tenacious resolve was astounding. But it didn’t seem like it would take long.
“I need to control my strength. If I’m not careful, I’ll just die.”
One dragon muttered and fired a spell.
Kwaang!
With a loud explosion, Yulien’s body flew into the air, then crashed miserably to the ground.
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaang!
The dragons’ spells continued to strike Yulien. The
dragons had controlled their strength, so he didn’t die, but each blow was a devastating shock to Yulien, who was already exhausted.
“Cough…”
Yulien continued to bleed, crawling across the crimson ground. Blood spread everywhere his fingertips touched.
The great warrior who had fought against his adversary and fought against dragons was no longer visible. He was
only writhing like an insect, indicating that he was still alive.
Yulien’s eyes, crawling on the ground, grew cloudy. However, he held onto one thing.
‘Deneb… … I… … will save you… … .’
Covered in blood and dust, he continued to struggle, trying to somehow reach Deneb.
The dragons’ gaze hardened.
“This vile man…”
“Do you really not care about his life?”
“A human, a mere insect, was revered as a warrior, yet he only grew more stubborn.”
The dragons each vented their anger and frustration. But deep within them, an incomprehensible discomfort lingered.
The dragons could no longer continue their attack. If they were to make a mistake, the hero might die.
Of course, even if the hero were killed, there were plenty of people the saint would take as friends or hostages.
However, the hero held a special place, even to the dragons. The saint couldn’t give up everything if the hero died unnecessarily.
Arterion didn’t want the hero to die and force the saint to act unexpectedly.
“What incredible willpower. You’re absolutely determined not to break her will?”
Even dragons would find it difficult to successfully control the mind of someone who had reached that level. Turning them
into undead and capturing their souls would be even more difficult. While their souls were noble enough to become undead, they were the ones who held that grudge.
Therefore, they had to find a way to undermine the saint’s spirit without killing the hero, if possible.
To achieve this, they had to treat the hero even more cruelly than they were currently. They had to make him even more miserable.
Arterion, who had been pondering for a moment, snapped his fingers.
“Just turn them into idiots. It should be possible in their current state. I’ll cut off a limb each time the saint refuses and use them as test subjects.”
“Arterion!”
Deneb stared at Arterion with a shocked expression.
Arterion continued nonchalantly.
“Saint, didn’t I tell you? Your friends will never be able to live or die. There’s nothing we can do about those who have already rebelled and died, but… don’t forget that many still remain outside.”
“Why, why so…”
“I swear by the dragon’s words. If you don’t sacrifice yourself for the seal, if you take your own life, we will retaliate. We will turn you into idiots, mind-control you, turn you into undead, and use every cruel method at our disposal to torment your friends.”
“…”
“So that your soul… will cry forever in the heavens over your remaining friends.”
Tears welled up in Deneb’s eyes at those words.
Arterion was sincere. He planned to break Deneb’s spirit like that.
To make sure she could never think of anything other than his own demands.
Woof!
The dragons landed on the ground. One, now in human form, approached Yulien.
A white light emanated from both of its hands.
The light pierced Yulien’s mind, destroying it completely.
“I will personally transform you into an idiot. Until the saint accepts my offer, you will forever be our test subject, our puppet.”
Yulien struggled to get up, staggering. At this rate, he would be defeated.
Finally, Deneb could no longer endure it and screamed.
“Stop! Stop! Understood! I…”
Before she could finish her scream, Yulien’s low voice rang out.
“Don’t.”
“Yulien…”
“Don’t… give in to these guys…”
“But…”
“Don’t… save… this world…”
Arterion’s eyes twitched.
He wasn’t even shouting. For that, Yulien was already exhausted.
But his softly muttering voice was clearly audible to everyone there.
Even the dragon approaching Yulien stopped walking. It sensed something was off.
Yulien lowered his head, continuously speaking to Deneb.
“I… am okay…”
“My friends outside… will definitely… overcome this…”
“So… don’t…” “Don’t be…
trapped here alone…”
Yulien lifted his sword with trembling hands.
If he were captured by the dragons, Deneb would surely succumb to their threats.
So, to protect Deneb from further threats, he tried to take his own life.
But he couldn’t bring himself to do it. It wasn’t because he cared about his life.
‘… … Deneb.’
If he died, Deneb would be deeply shocked and saddened. And in the end, she would sacrifice herself for her friends.
That’s the kind of person she was.
Clank.
Yulien dropped his sword. He no longer had the strength to even hold his sword.
His heart was now filled with despair. There was no way to save Deneb, no matter what he did.
Yulien lowered his head and muttered,
“What on earth… do I do?”
How could he save Deneb? He kept asking himself the same question over and over again.
Even as the dragon approached, Yulien continued to mutter.
At that moment, a voice came from deep within Yulien’s mind again.
“Have you despaired endlessly?”
Yulien held his breath. Now the voice was much clearer than before.
“I can help you. ”
The whispering voice seemed to echo with his own heartbeat.
“…How can you help me?”
Yulien’s small voice was almost a prayer.
It didn’t matter if it was an illusion. It didn’t matter if it was an auditory hallucination.
Even if it was the devil’s temptation, he needed hope to escape this despair right now.
He closed his eyes and listened to the voice.
Slowly, very slowly… … An unidentifiable whisper began to envelop his soul.
Then, Arterion, who had been quietly watching Yulien, raised his head.
Guuuuuuuu… …
“What is it?”
The darkness that filled the sky slowly moved like a whirlpool.
The darkness had always been undulating and moving irregularly. Even though it was no different from usual, it felt like an ominous omen.
Even in the midst of all this, Yulien kept his head down, his eyes closed, and continued to mutter to himself.
“If that’s possible…”
“Yes…”
“I…”
The dragons listened, their voices suddenly muffled. It
was only natural they couldn’t hear.
Yulien was speaking to someone other than them.
‘How can I… save Deneb?’
– Do you want power?
‘I want it. The power to protect Deneb.’
― But this power will gnaw at you and cause you pain. It is a power that does not align with your soul.
‘It doesn’t matter. If I can save Deneb, then any pain… … .’
The voice in my head suddenly shook. It sounded like it was laughing, or crying.
– Didn’t I tell you? This is an unavoidable fate.
‘fate…….’
― Yes, it is fate. But it can be changed.
‘Can you change… …?’
This is your last chance to change your fate. Forget the saint. Forget your friends. Give up everything and take your own life. That is the only way to escape this immense shackle of fate.
‘… … .’
― Then, you can change the future that has already been decided. Your noble soul will ascend to the heaven of the goddesses and be assured of eternal rest.
‘… … That’s not happiness to me. I can’t let Deneb be trapped here forever.’
If you accept this power, your soul will be tainted with darkness and fall into the very depths of hell. You will be cursed by all beings in the world, and your soul will suffer for eternity, unable to find salvation. Do you desire such a life? Is that truly the fate you desire?
‘… …If it has to be for Deneb.’
Even if I live a life of eternal damnation.
Even if I suffer eternally.
Even if I am never saved… … .
Swish… … .
Yulien’s hair began to turn black. Darkness stirred, seeping beneath his skin.
Paaaaak!
A pair of wings of black energy rose from behind him.
They were the shadows of what had once been light, now burning. It
was the world’s most beautiful glory, and at the same time, its most dazzling despair.
‘… …if that is truly my destiny.’
Julian slowly raised his head.
His eyes, once more radiant than the stars in the sky, were now engulfed in a darkness deeper than the abyss.
His gaze, tinged with darkness, rested on Deneb.
And so, the deepest darkness …
gazed longingly at
a light it could never reach.
‘I am…….’
A single tear rolled down his cheek.
‘… … I will love even this fate of mine.’