Chapter 396: The Master (5)
e7ETIFor you.dkxQm
yhje“Kyaaaaaaahhh!”HRSwgH7
Ai5ZvoEven if only in a monologue, I convey my heart to you. This is not a farewell, nor a final goodbye.NcCK
z9YJ16I, who in this generation received the title of Heavenly Archer.siyE3z
39RmR4IEven if I look like a bookworm, I am not the type to die so easily.eGQ7
0XbckI admit it. I am a woman with an arid sensitivity.kuaVV9C
rPKIwoxThat in a situation like this, I write a heartfelt letter—the older I grow, the more I feel it’s not maturity I gain, but clumsiness in expression.Z8Z
YcUBG5oI obsess over the tangible, I want to prove myself only through results.ONyO
27UT6It’s complicated. I don’t even know why I am like this. And in moments like this, I realize, yes, I am that man’s daughter.idVWB
Ej79tMThat man I hate so much.wxx0
9MlBSaki Kojima.vzcELm
OoNXxRbBut, you know something?ZbchZP7
vH2cAqwOur secret.uYGbytQ
8KitLNo, not really—as this is a monologue, I guess it’s only my secret.aY76Sj
YKFBut they say the truth, sooner or later, reaches its destination. So I confess it to you.CWZ
Zua8“Shit, cast the spell already! I said cast it…!”dfxdPW
Mi42Did you know that every year I lay flowers on his grave?G9YMufM
0mDFYIAbsurd, right? After all the contempt I showed, going to pay tribute. There is no hypocrisy greater than mine.L3FSQx
Lr0And yet… you once told me that his end was that of a hero, a glorious death in battle. Maybe that phrase was the spark.8KkvEC
R7fuKFx“What the hell is that dragon?”wVsZe
bespL“That’s Horntail, one of the dragons that follow the Heavenly Sword!”Gtnw
3waRh“Then why the hell is the Heavenly Sword’s pet appearing next to the Heavenly Archer…!”sE6O
bA0oSince then, the resentment I held toward my father, the Absolute Archer Saki Kojima, began to fade little by little. What seemed like perpetual snow, an eternal grudge, began to melt. And I even began to feel proud of being his daughter.mnc0w3Y
YykweStockholm syndrome? No, I don’t think so. Maybe it was the spirit of sacrifice.mKD54I7
KkdOOf all the men I knew, Saki Kojima was the one furthest from that word “sacrifice.” And yet, paradoxically, he was the one who embodied it in the Second Great War against the Demons.gtg
z1OI“A dragon is still a living being! Quickly, change the strategy, cancel the binding spells!”UNsjO
8Ush6KWARRRRRGHHH!CsULU1
PK0kF“We hit it! Confirmed impact, sink it!”paJrX8G
fFH“The Heavenly Archer is going down with him! Aim, shoot them all down! Let’s go, you bunch of idiots obsessed with your concept!”dDF6K9H
hSFT“You what…!”9wKKC
dSKKI asked Mom.rAPMVcL
9Wz7HEShe told me Saki Kojima was a coward.5DT
6vmThat he lacked the courage to risk his life for his convictions.qHJcnmY
np4gzThat he was a coward who let Alice Louise, my aunt, die without being able to save her.siv3
my9oglA coward who could never forgive himself for allowing his wife’s death.mSC5A
iuIWhAEOf course, that was Mom’s view.P2o
4HsBicCI believe he already knew that Alice Louise would insist on going into battle.GHXnh
Anp1QKwIf he lived only by intellect, how could he not grasp the feelings of the woman he loved most?tICs
2FRcSurely my father wavered between duty and his wife the night before his duel with the Sixth Corps Commander, Basmon.uyxisI
TzLJ3kHe spent the night awake, listening to their argument.qfTqusI
jNfkAnd even so, he didn’t stop her. Only after her death did he blame her, piling on her the rage that was his own self-destruction.CTg
RwxThat, I think, was the true face of Saki Kojima.dvM
UrsTAnd apparently, I inherited that blood.DlvEXUQ
nC73ImI am a coward. Much more than you imagine.B4nsQ
MDnHV“Separate the dragon from the Heavenly Archer!”u3h
XZcI don’t care if I fall from the clouds. After all, who am I? I live floating in the sky with you every day.mlVFdxY
VdUTbWhat I am truly afraid of is something else.Cd0M9
ZHHS“Now, take advantage of the gap!”1D374
GFJPI am terrified that, in the name of “preserving humanity,” I might let you go.rljp
IyDThat I might justify myself with that. That is my dread. One that makes me tremble.6wML
rUEO“Direct hit!”vjm
u0ffe2NThat’s why I am here. With Horntail.cPRUzMM
WDycCall me reckless, I accept it.U8Sd
MyaIaJKYes, this is suicidal.9iSkJ
rDaqIAs soon as I got the information, I rushed in. Because if I told you, I know you would carry it all on your shoulders again.hsHrED
2iEAnd how would that make me any different from my father then?4Gh
g7BgNV7I’ll tell you later how I located the base of the Villains’ Union.01Gi8Cs
B6XE7TAAh, and as you might suspect, I got the information by bribing Horntail with meat.LaB
mvV4IWoBetter to be discreet—with a piece of meat, he was capable of selling his own mother.2S5I
WvVq“Mobilize—!”Ct5n
nxi3And Abel…mzs2PPU
u8rHSH3Even if I come out hurt, it won’t be your fault.GD73ex
C4iv6mI’m here by my own will. Because I wanted to break the shell that imprisoned me.ViEw
pN7mMpMy father, Saki Kojima, whom I despise, was also my best teacher.cgwqbHj
yljwzHe taught me, consuming his life, what the spirit of a hero means.oVzWq
1SiqshA detestable man, but a great teacher nonetheless.oBncO14
gYq9aVV“I hit her, I hit her squarely!”YSk9
mcv6HZhIn the end, Saki Kojima, your last lesson was an example.Sh9
tSje0And the only thing that still allows me to feel a flicker of pride in you as a father.HEMLM
wqivRX***XKgPdh4
f7my7I gathered everyone I could contact. Rachel, the dragons, the angels. Without distinction of race, I summoned them all.vYF
LZAf8mAlmost all responded and came running.mj8JzI
DKUch6Rachel and the agents sent to Korea, the strategists of the unofficial line led by Ho-in, the butler Karon, who even canceled his return to Castle Sigurd to come.mbBm5B
ssy5qIAIt was as if everything had been foreseen.j8zi1
zlOW7DWThanks to many villains of the Villains’ Union being deployed in Korea, there was a large number of heroes stationed there.1AaX
LRDnBringing them all by normal means would have been a waste of time.ReWYY
aXAfbQuSo I sent my Dragons of Light, engendered by myself.zTU
6fc8VuPThey soared across the skies at the speed of light, picked up those summoned, and returned instantly.76xx
bbYjyX“We’re all here now, Geom-Ma.”BmL4HiM
DZWB8qlRachel cracked her stiff neck from side to side and said.hNZW
VHdRp8W“Thank you all for coming so quickly.”OovL
lFc8f“Explanations, better after it’s all over. What’s urgent now isn’t that, right?”xVvGkS5
Y6J8BRachel replied coldly.5AfHzdj
f4urfoSAs she said, I hadn’t been able to give them any prior briefing.vvVDLH
WQFF1There was no time for reports when the situation was bleeding me dry inside.OXMu
O1h8Even so, more than a dozen heroes accepted without questions and came, literally, at the speed of light.1oQh
L0DKQMQ“Thank you for understanding the situation.”JkNpD4
YI45G“Please. Among us, there’s no need for formalities. Let’s go already.”Fih68VP
gRGyOO8In haste, we prepared as best we could and departed immediately for Avalon Island, mounted on thunder dragons.wQ9
mCBlThe wind whipped our hair and our cheeks burned.Cuo
ZwNWKReEven for heroes, flying at such speed was like swimming under the sea.5AhtUgY
msWLnmThe esophagus suffered, nausea was no surprise.ocT
brLZon“It’s all my fault…”YDg
GeIIAt my side, Abel kept muttering nonstop. She had fallen into a state of absolute panic, paralyzed by guilt.FkgN
iBJ9Z“It’s not your fault.”mOc
IkhI embraced her by the shoulders.q1E
HzZK01I pulled her close, rested my chin on her forehead, and whispered in her ear.0Ikaqg
GJV“Ryozo is not someone ordinary. And nothing has happened yet. So don’t worry.”sje
86uqRE“…Yes.”cxhVB
FR2She answered, but her expression remained somber.hhtNl
zBHcwy3“If I keep giving you words of comfort, it will only increase your guilt.”41K
60vYzEhA long, empty consolation was useless.zPvES
1qUORTo heal, Abel needed to face the outcome and convince herself that Ryozo was safe.d9e
EDTEsOnly then could she calm down.bzBqkE
CXo8aAlthough, in reality, I was only pretending composure myself. Inside, I was rotting.eG9w6
qks72OoDamn it.JeuEWw
UO9Please, Ryozo, please, be safe.gmb
lAPYou went to risk your life because I am a mediocre husband, because I am a damned insensitive fool who pushed you to take the initiative.T9Dm
67T6While I tormented myself with such thoughts, we arrived at the skies above Avalon.lfSu1M3
yQyTI waved my hand. The dragons descended, and all the heroes managed to land without issue.Fa0bK
pqR7g68After confirming we were all together, I spoke.HpD
DajVTm“We must find Ryozo.”yQK
wXpnJ9My heart pounded up to my throat.NBQSn
7ms“But searching calmly will take too much time…”pJA
nIZKyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!WP58
crsWyKgA crash made us all turn our heads at once. A flock of birds took flight in panic.QuFZr
UTVDHA“There.”O3xYm
7YZRachel extended her arm.VFv2P
CTYTOn the other side, in the direction where the birds vanished, a column of smoke rose in a spiral.Ii6hA
pj3RsfuThe epicenter—the surroundings of Yggdrasil, the World Tree.ruKmFl
bz1“Let’s go immediately.”GuNH
p6z5KgFFrom the shoulders of the dragons, wings unfurled.6Gd
gh1The angel Metatron and the Nephilim Leon also spread their feathers.e36nyG
rbm“No!”ylkCf
G8ZwgI stopped them with a tilt of my head. I spoke sharply.E4BTy
Fm6Zi“We don’t have confirmation that Ryozo is safe.”rZsLsR
hVDE5c“What the president means…”Jh6C
96OyzSpeedweapon backed my point, carefully dodging the word “hostage.”ag8M
oB9At“…Is that if Ryozo is free and suddenly sees dragons and angels swooping down on the base, he might feel threatened and react unpredictably.”aHW
Mlf“Exactly. It could be a risk factor.”Hwg3o
kC0zI could barely hold myself together.fOoR
2tZhIcThe taste of blood rose in my mouth as I continued.PJOo
xXyaJf“This is a human life. I will not gamble with that.”hr0
k3wrdW8I looked at Abel, pale as a corpse. I squeezed her hand and declared.btg
pXF“We’ll all go in together at once. A psychological blow to paralyze them. If we go in waves, the villains might do something insane. We need to strike in one blow.”CGzN7
T7Zj6“But…”9BH
nU0Rachel hesitated, biting her lip.2ikx7k
6Bm7The forest of Avalon was denser than any.0sakU
IIywoThe trees reached the height of a five-story building.z0IM
Bl11nn3It had been a natural labyrinth for years, perfect terrain for ambushes.PHQE
tFDE9“Speedweapon.”7ZbO
g1usR5I drew Murasame.TcD
a7g“Yes…?”iwzSM
fhY“The association holds a reforestation festival every year, doesn’t it?”vZTt3
HmQnj“Eh… all of a sudden?”B8o
aDss7xHe blinked, bewildered, but finally nodded.2JI8r
xaYtn“It was postponed because of the catastrophe in Paris. Maybe in a week or two. But why do you ask…?”ZDLLZB
QXvSwing.1hK
gTWI raised the sword.azaPk
QXRA“Tell the president that this year they’ll hold it here, on Avalon Island.”i6MDcW
ij5MThe blade gleamed. There was no crash, only a clean diagonal slash.Ntn
GugThe entire forest shook a moment later.xgDv0NZ
6NwzBooooom! Boooom!pIASpax
b7tThe trees fell en masse, clearing the view all the way to Yggdrasil itself.h4EPjq
8CvAn open road of toppled trunks stretched before us.0LKAf
T1wBI narrowed my eyes.AvI1GC
21HfRThere, in the distance, several villains appeared, their faces full of surprise.4lFlXPx
hdfhpl“Let’s go.”ByZ1
mdg8qLoI charged straight ahead, at the speed of light.mLwc
zjlIn a blink, I was in front of one of them, so close our eyelashes nearly brushed.cbA5ag
t7gQlnCrack!2zUo
sdZGMurasame sliced through his ribs and pierced his heart.GMbK
znnfHe barely tried to let out a whimper before my blade shredded him.c4THV
sKBVHe didn’t even have time to scream.vSgg
cZKeycLeaving the dead villain behind, I lifted my gaze to the others.8xc0wJ
hrcnBZThen, everything shook like an earthquake.YAhWRVJ
t3HO3eI saw it. My trembling retina fixed on it. Sky-blue hair, sprawled on the ground.erf
eenhGxqInjured.RZL
wKNmSeverely.N9CzV
NluNo—critically.5jwP
wMDFehlAh.vAs5
GuH4FAA deafening ringing exploded in my head.DSudGA
RH2zBEEEEEEEEEP!jW9o
E42sveU“President!”ggWb60
ABZc6hSpeedweapon’s voice boomed in my eardrums, but soon it distorted and vanished completely.RzxLA
zAcI felt a white frost blanket cover my forehead and eyebrows.wX9NacJ
IoO2X++++++++++++++++++7WR
13xjX《Oh, Omnipotent One who became a youth.》6hOONVk
5udshku++++++++++++++++++eqFYU
TyKGzdI sank into murderous intent.sxk5Va
iz8sArms from the abyss pulled me down into my unconscious.eZLSrK
H58fN1bDownward.q93
GwBbFFurther down.WKRmVOH
naNBsyFwoooosh.VJt5
pr9Yggdrasil, which had been withered for ten years, was dyed golden.Gfucv
OKaoIt captured the scene of new green shoots sprouting.41Io8S
YroaLeaves scattered into pieces.jI89IT
DDJzSeeing that, I half-opened my eyes.Js7mhH6
WxeOdWR‘Red.’2ky
ylsCf2A deep red.g9urRs
rsuU5The entire world is riddled with red lines.o9bOEW
w1r0xDEverything is something that must be cut.sUHpllH
jNcGdUlFrom the beginning, this whole world is nothing but an object to cut.vDzs
28Y2yh++++++++++++++++++VNYO
M15j《May He grant you freedom.》L5w
xn0WA++++++++++++++++++X6iB
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