Chapter 399: The Origin of Kang Geom-Ma (3)

The blades of their swords clashed high above.

The resounding crash produced a gigantic shockwave. The trees still standing were shattered to pieces.

Rachel turned her neck and watched the confrontation between Abel and Kang Geom-Ma.

She murmured softly.

“…Abel. You’ve become incredible.”

Kang Geom-Ma had not yet fully lost consciousness. To Rachel’s eyes, it was visible. Though his figure seemed almost like a mass of darkness, a tiny spark burned faintly in his chest.

That was his humanity.

Even submerged in unconscious fury, Kang Geom-Ma had not been able to discard his identity as a human being.

Thanks to that, no ally was harmed. Without doubt, he had restrained his strength.

“…If Geom-Ma had truly wanted to end this, this wouldn’t have been all.”

Rachel looked around.

Fwooooosh…!

Golden waves approached from every direction. The scene was overwhelming, but her mind gave off no alarm.

Had he not restrained his powers, if Kang Geom-Ma had been in “serious mode,” the island would have vanished completely with a single slash.

A single slash.

One alone would have sufficed.

With her unique ability, Rachel estimated Kang Geom-Ma’s power by sight. Her calculation was quite precise.

‘The Changseong family always chooses partners based on rivals… Maybe that’s why they’re so specialized in this sort of thing.’

Anyway.

Kang Geom-Ma had used his full strength on very few occasions.

Perhaps never in front of his friends, so as not to drag them along with him.

“Abel.”

She was facing someone like that. A demigod.

Even if he still showed mercy, neither dragons, nor angel, nor even the nephilim could approach Kang Geom-Ma.

And yet, Abel maintained an even confrontation against him.

“This… somehow feels like I’m losing.”

Rachel curved the corner of her lips.

“The original of the we cannot lose was our lineage, young lady.”

Though Abel’s competitiveness and the Sword Master’s diluted that fame, originally the pride of never losing belonged to the Mura family.

Vwooom!

Rachel spun her halberd at head height. It spun. And spun. Faster and faster. In mere seconds, its form became imperceptible.

Just as a silver disk formed above Rachel’s head, her thigh muscles visibly tensed.

BOOM!

Her leg released an explosion. The power of the leap, added to the spin of her weapon, catapulted her.

The brute force of the Changseong.

Rachel, niece of Richard of Mura, became a true human helicopter and took off.

In an instant, she reached the same height as Kang Geom-Ma. Everything looked tiny.

The world seemed like a toy.

This was…

‘The perspective of Kang Geom-Ma.’

Rachel lifted her gaze. Kang Geom-Ma turned his head halfway. A gray film covered his eyes.

A pressure pressed down on her chest.

Rachel forced herself not to be intimidated.

With all her strength, she moved her lips.

“Geom-Ma…”

This was the world you saw.

Even from this height, you strove to look at the same scenery as us.

Truly.

Truly, you gave it your all.

“Kh… ugh…”

The groan was Abel’s. She was already at her limit.

She was so focused on giving her all, she didn’t even notice Rachel’s arrival.

“Ah, damn it!”

Rachel’s shout snapped Abel out of her concentration.

“Rachel?!”

“Sorry!”

Huh? So suddenly?

And why are you apologizing?

“Anyway, sorry!”

“Why the hell—?”

Abel’s eyes flew wide open. Those about to resume their attacks also froze in shock.

Golden waves arrived from every direction. The sky screamed.

And yet, everyone fell silent.

It was only natural.

Because…

Crack.

Suddenly, Rachel embraced Kang Geom-Ma from behind.

If it had been to restrain him, it would have made sense. But…

Groooooan…

It was a hug. A gesture completely devoid of combat intent.

And the apology she had shouted earlier erased any possibility of it being an attack.

In truth, it was something else.

Rachel trusted in that spark of humanity that still burned like a matchstick inside Kang Geom-Ma.

She had already done enough physically. What remained was to trust him.

The faint vibration in the president’s clouded eyes was thanks to those who had come before her.

Even if it was just a small push, it had been his limit. His last courage.

But he lacked a final blow.

And by chance, it seemed that role had been reserved for Rachel.

Because only she could see Kang Geom-Ma’s weakness.

His humanity.

Besides, having come this far, she couldn’t leave without doing anything.

It would be a disgrace to the Mura family.

That was why she embraced him. Because if their hearts touched, maybe she could reach him.

A very simple idea.

But perhaps precisely because of that, powerful.

“Wow…”

Leon let out a sigh of amazement.

Then, a huge hand covered his field of vision. Metatron, his father, spoke beside his ear.

“Don’t look at that.”

“Eh?”

“It’s indecent.”

“Dad, I’ve been an adult for a long time…”

“Even so, no!”

Metatron was an angel. With absurdly high moral standards.

Leon was about to make a face, but then.

Shaaaa…

As if it were a lie, the surging waves began to calm.

And the suffocating heat of the sky started to dissipate.

It was ghostly.

The timing was too perfect to be coincidence.

“…”

Abel, still holding her sword high, changed expression.

She froze.

“Geom-Ma…”

“…”

“Geom-Ma?”

“…”

Abel forced a stiff smile. And slowly lowered her weapon.

A moment later.

Abel plummeted. Her time in the air had ended.

“Geom-Ma!”

Abel’s sharp cry resounded just beneath the feet of Kang Geom-Ma and Rachel.

***

Between dream and reality there existed a temporal difference. What is called a discrepancy or dissonance.

Generally, the time that passed in reality was absurdly short compared to what was experienced in the dream.

It had already been three hours since Ryozo started talking with Mesther. But in reality, not even five minutes had passed.

“Sorry, but how on earth does it make sense that you’re Kang Geom-Ma’s first love?”

“But it’s true! I was the first to meet him! A million years before you were even born!”

What shamelessness.

Although, in truth, it really had been roughly a million years ago, so there was no way to refute it.

“That only applies if we follow the timeline. Ha… Forget it. You can’t apply modern logic to a cavewoman.”

“So, do I get to stay with Kang Geom-Ma then?”

“That’s not what I said, hey!”

Five minutes in real time.

In that short span, they were already arguing like old acquaintances. During that time, Ryozo had listened to Mesther’s story.

Through the Monolith, Kang Geom-Ma had crossed the timeline, traveled to the past, and rescued Mesther from the hands of the angels.

The way he annihilated the angels was, of course, very much Kang Geom-Ma’s style.

And that vulnerable side he showed toward a woman in trouble—no, toward a person in trouble—was also very characteristic of him.

That’s why people fell for him again and again. Though, please, stop making everyone fall for you already.

Kang Geom-Ma, you truly enchant too much.

‘I have no right to criticize Abel.’

After meeting Kang Geom-Ma’s self-proclaimed first love, Ryozo couldn’t help but sympathize with Abel’s grief. Mesther, proud, lifted her chin.

“You know, right? Men never forget their first love.”

“……”

A deep weariness overtook her. Ryozo rubbed her face with both hands.

It made no sense to take seriously someone who didn’t understand what she was being told.

‘Even so.’

She felt like she had to say something.

“But your first love was Kang Geom-Ma, wasn’t it?”

“We were each other’s first loves!”

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s leave it at that.”

Mesther smiled in satisfaction.

And to think this woman was considered an ancient.

How could a line of ancients, giants of strength, and the first president of the Association have come from someone like her?

Wait a moment.

“They look alike.”

“Alike? What do you mean?”

“Your descendants. They look a lot like you.”

“Eh?”

“What do you mean, eh? And besides, if you have descendants, that means you got married. Then with what face do you come talking about first love and all that?”

Mesther was left speechless. She clutched her chest and breathed heavily.

“Cold-blooded!”

“I’m just rational.”

“Lack of empathy!”

“Let’s call it logic.”

“And what right do you have to keep him?”

“But you did get married, didn’t you?”

“Ugh!”

Got you!

Ryozo curved a victorious smile. This was fun. She crossed her arms and lifted her chin.

“And now, miss defeated. When are you going to tell me why you brought me here?”

“Ugh… You really don’t know how to appreciate favors.”

“Favor? You almost drugged me with that weird thing!”

“Hey! I didn’t even say anything! But if it weren’t for me and my ID, you’d already be dead. I was the one who saved you!”

“Aha. I suspected it.”

“Suspected?”

Ryozo nodded calmly.

“While you were telling me the story, I was deducing it.”

Driven by impulsive emotion, she had launched herself alone into the villains’ base. Even though she had help from Horntail, the enemies were formidable opponents.

Villains, generally, were much more resilient and powerful than humans. And from among them, the twelve strongest were chosen—the Twelve Villains.

Though Ryozo was recognized as a preemptive strike heroine, facing all twelve at once was unrealistic.

That was why she ended up wounded. Horntail protected her in the end, allowing her to survive.

The fact that she was still alive and had that dream—Ryozo pieced everything together and reached a conclusion.

‘Something supernatural saved me.’

And that something was Mesther.

Through the dream, the ancient wisdom and the Yggdrasil had manifested. Everything fit too well to call it coincidence. This world is riddled with causalities disguised as coincidences. Ryozo firmly believed it.

“Then, let’s get to the point.”

Mesther removed her flower crown and stepped forward. Ryozo stepped back slightly.

“Scared, granny?”

“…Stay back. You’re dangerous.”

“Pff. If I wanted to hurt you, I already would have. Come on, put this on.”

Ryozo looked alternately at Mesther and the flower crown. Finally, she tilted her head.

Mesther placed the crown on her head.

Tap.

In that instant.

Ryozo trembled as if struck by lightning.

Her breathing faltered. She felt her heart leap into her throat.

Thump.

She heard it.

Thump.

She could feel even the tiniest movement of the cells rushing through her veins.

Thump.

Her vision, which could see down to the atoms, pulled away so far that now she saw the Milky Way as a mere dot.

Information?

No.

This was experience.

All the knowledge accumulated over countless eras by the ancient wisdom—the logic of the world, the circuits, the nostalgia, the longing, the hope, and the despair. All of it was injected into Ryozo.

A true inception.

Memories compressed in dream-time, soaking into her mind.

“You saw it, right?”

The resolution of the world returned to normal. Ryozo almost vomited.

“…So that’s why you made the Yggdrasil grow.”

“Yes.”

Mesther adjusted the crown on her head as she answered.

“He saved me once. So I also wanted to save him, even just once.”

“And that’s why you waited… ten thousand years?”

Ten thousand years.

An eternity no human being could endure.

Mesther endured with pure will, watching the Yggdrasil grow.

It was impressive. Incredible. If she hadn’t seen her memories, she wouldn’t have believed it.

“You understand, don’t you?”

“…Yes…”

Mesther held herself back.

She wanted to return the favor she had received from Kang Geom-Ma.

Ryozo watched her.

That radiant smile felt, for some reason, sadder than any dull expression.

“…Why did you heal me, bring me here, and then show me all your memories?”

With a much more formal tone, Ryozo asked the question.

Mesther smiled with an enigmatic nuance. Then she wrapped her arms around Ryozo’s neck and whispered.

“During these ten thousand years watching petals fall, I was able to glimpse, no—rather, feel the truths of the universe.”

“……”

“I suppose it’s called empathy. I saw another girl like you, who also has to endure a long wait for him.”

Mesther patted her back. As Ryozo received it, she sensed a sweet floral fragrance.

“Be strong.”

Mesther stepped back.

“Saki Ryozo.”

The scenery around her, the Yggdrasil, Mesther’s face, her smile—all darkened.

“Please, find him.”

***

And so, Ryozo awoke in the real world. She had not yet fully left the dream.

With her mind still hazy, she struggled to sit up.

Then she saw it, in her blurred field of vision.

“……?”

Kang Geom-Ma and Rachel.

At the very moment they were joined.