Book 2: Chapter 279
Book 2: Chapter 279
Crack…
“Hah…”
Min Ha-rin let out a long sigh.
The ice around Dragon God Island suddenly began to melt, and the tsunami that hung above their heads slowly receded. Of course, this was not a natural phenomenon.
It was the priestess.
She was creating the barriers again.
“…Nodiesop?”
“Dead.”
The way the Priestess responded had changed once again. She now spoke in a cold voice. The hair that had gotten wet and stuck to her cheeks had also become blue.
“…”
Min Ha-rin opened her mouth for a while before closing it again.
She forcefully swallowed the words that threatened to climb up her throat and out her mouth.
…It was short, but the conversation they had was something she would never forget for her entire life.
Her master’s decision had been sad and painful, but she couldn’t help but understand it in her heart.
She didn’t want to mention him just yet. It felt like just saying his name would rip her heart to shreds.
She looked around.
Dragon God Island had changed into a very miserable form, but it was the people who lived on Dragon God Island that were the most miserable.
How hadn’t she seen this before?
She had her eyes open, but she had been no different from a blind person.
Lukas was right.
She’d been so focused on the things she’d lost that she’d completely lost sight of the things that really mattered.
She would make sure that never happened again.
“Why…”
Staggering, Sedi got up from her seat.
“…are you the only ones here? Where is Father?”
It wasn’t just Sedi.
Arid and Leo were also looking at them.
Min Ha-rin tried to speak in the calmest voice she could muster.
“He passed away.”
“What…?”
“It is something he wanted for a long time, and it was his own will. Even if I am his disciple, I have no right to stop him from doing what he wants.”
“You… What the hell are you talking about?”
Sedi growled in a low tone. She appeared in front of Min Ha-rin in an instant and pulled her down by her collar so that they were face to face.
Close enough to feel each other’s breath.
Their eyes staring directly into the other’s.
“…don’t try to beat around the bush, tell me straight. What happened to Father?”
Her anger was obvious in her voice.
She knew what Sedi was like.
The answer she wanted was the firm truth. But Min Ha-rin could guess what her reaction would be when she heard the truth.
Nevertheless, she still had to say it.
Because Min Ha-rin.
As the only one who saw Lukas’ last moment, it was her duty to tell the others what she’d seen.
“He’s dead.”
“…”
Sedi’s eyes went wide. Her lips twitched back and forth as if she was holding something back.
“…dead?”
“Yeah.”
“And you… just left him alone?”
“…”
“Answer me. If you were watching from the side, you should have been able to stop him somehow.”
“…there was no other way. If Master didn’t stop Nodiesop, everyone would have died.”
Demonic energy erupted from Sedi’s body at those words.
She knew.
Sedi wasn’t Lukas’ disciple. Although the father-daughter relationship had only been decided verbally, she didn’t intend to downplay their relationship as superficial.
Therefore, unlike a disciple, his daughter would not be able to accept his death, regardless of the reason.
“You promised me when Father fell unconscious. You said that we would protect him this time. You said that you would definitely even if it meant risking your lives, didn’t you?”
“…”
“Answer me!”
Sedi’s voice was infused with demonic energy.
She used to be an Absolute.
So she understood Lukas’ determination and sacrifice better than any of them.
Min Ha-rin also knew this, so she found it hard to open her mouth.
“Ha.”
Sedi let out a short laugh. Her lips were twisted in a way that showed that she might cry at any moment.
Her head dropped and her small fists trembled.
She knew how strong she was. But at that moment, Sedi looked as delicate as a cat that had been soaked by the rain.
“…right. You guys survived. It’s fine since he saved your lives.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Shut. Your. Mouth.”
Sedi raised her head again, and the rage and hatred within her eyes surprised Min Ha-rin for a second.
“I can’t accept this.”
After saying that, Sedi turned around without hesitation.
“Where are you going?”
“To bring my Father back to life.”
“…that’s impossible.”
“If you say one more word, I will kill you.”
Her voice was so laced with killing intent that it caused chills to go down Min Ha-rin’s spine.
Sedi grit her teeth as she continued.
“If Father is really dead, then there’s no reason for me to stick around with you. From this moment on, you and I have no relationship, so don’t act like we’re close.”
After saying those words, Sedi disappeared.
No one there could stop her from leaving.
“…”
Min Ha-rin was heartbroken.
From the start, no.
It hadn’t even started yet and there was already discord in their group.
“Is Master… really…”
“Ah…ah…”
Leo and Arid still had yet to regain their bearings.
…So it would be up to Min Ha-rin to care for them and lead them.
‘I won’t give up.’
She would continue Lukas’ wish.
Win the qualifiers, return to Earth, expel all the Demons, and make sure the name Argento Spell was known by the entire world.
And she also wanted to hold a funeral for Lukas. It might not seem possible now, but she hoped that Sedi would be with them by then.
It would not be easy, and it would probably take a long time, but at least she had a clear goal.
She won’t wander aimlessly any longer.
‘I will never forget.’
She would never forget the kindness she received from him. She would prove herself to him.
‘So please rest well, Master.’
You really worked hard.
Master.
* * *
Time passed.
…
…
A lot of time passed.
…
…
So why was he still ‘existing’.
“…ah.”
Lukas spoke after a long time. It was amazing that he even had a voice in the first place. No, maybe he was only thinking that he’d made a sound.
…Lukas.
He’d chosen to make the Abyss his tomb.
He’d prepared to be annihilated there and that is exactly what should have happened.
But like his body, which was still floating uncorrupted in space, his mind still remained conscious.
‘Why… why haven’t I disappeared yet?’
After aimlessly floating in this world, he should have already been assimilated by the darkness.
That was the end that Lukas hoped for and the end he should have met.
Even at that moment, half of his body and mind had been immersed in the darkness.
Nevertheless, Lukas still existed.
He was still able to think.
Raising a hand, Lukas patted his body. And he realised a surprising fact.
The cracks were sealed. As if his wounds were being repaired.
‘Did I do this?’
Lukas was the only thing that existed in the Abyss at that moment.
Other than Lukas, there was no one capable of healing his injuries, which led him to think about himself.
But he couldn’t remember doing it.
‘Did I subconsciously heal my wounds?’
Anger surged within him for a moment.
It was a clumsy response that couldn’t even be called a temporary measure. At best, it would simply slow down his rate of annihilation.
Therefore, his anger was directed at none other than himself.
Wasn’t he the one who said that he wanted to die? But now that he’d finally reached the point of death, he’d suddenly developed a desire for life? Did this mean that there were still some lingering regrets in his heart that even he had been unaware of?
‘That’s not possible.’
Lukas was certain that his desire for death was sincere.
Even if it was subconscious, it was impossible for him to do such a thing like extending his life.
[Don’t give up…]
“…!”
Suddenly, he heard a faint voice.
Lukas immediately knew who this voice belonged to.
[Never give up…]
The voice grew louder and louder until it became a cry that rang in his ears.
[No matter what! I will never give up!]
It was a voice that was unfamiliar and familiar at the same time.
Lukas turned around.
Standing there was a man.
A blonde haired and blue eyed man was venting his feelings into the empty void.
Lukas couldn’t help but call out the man’s name.
“Lukas…”
‘Lukas Trowman’ was standing there in front of him.
This wasn’t a reflection of his current self, as if he was looking into a mirror.
Instead, this was the Lukas from the past.
To be precise, it was the Lukas who had been defeated by Lord and gotten his soul trapped in the Abyss.
What was this? Was it a mirage? Or was it a remnant memory of the past that remained in this world? Or perhaps it was some kind of phenomenon created by the external force that had been released into the world…
Lukas stopped thinking about it.
Even when faced with an unknown phenomenon like this, there was no need to analyse it too deeply.
[I’m afraid that I might give up!]
Throb.
That cry resonated in Lukas’ chest.
The voice of this man who hadn’t given up became a sharp dagger that pierced into his chest.
He knew the reason but he pretended not to.
Instead, he just looked at ‘Lukas’ again.
It was faint, but he remembered a bit about this time.
0
It was not long after he’d first entered the Abyss.
In other words, a few millenia had to pass before this man would be able to escape from this place.
…More importantly, this was something that the ‘Lukas’ at that time would never know. He didn’t know when or even if he would be able to escape, but he never gave up.
While looking at him, Lukas couldn’t help but mutter.
“How the hell did you endure that?”
[—-.]
It was at that moment that ‘Lukas’ opened his mouth and muttered something.
It probably wasn’t an answer to his question. Although it might seem like the present and past Lukas were existing in the same space, it was impossible for them to interact with each other.
Nevertheless, he didn’t want to hear those words. Because he knew that as soon as he heard that voice, an uncontrollable change would begin to occur within him.
He was afraid of that.
Lukas covered his ears with both hands.
(TL: He didn’t even get to rest for a chapter. But I like Lukas’ reaction at the end. It feels so… human.)