[Aaron Side Story Episode 16]
2. A sword waiting to be pulled out (10)
Originally, the city did not belong to a hundred nobles.
The palace, the audience room, and the throne he was sitting on did not belong to a hundred nobles.
it was human
It was made to wish for the king’s eternal glory when human civilization reached its peak in the Age of Light.
But not anymore.
A ghost, not a human, is sitting in that seat.
The golden crown on his head, the red cape and the splendidly decorated clothes made his eyes frown.
“Awesome.”
The hundred nobles who were sitting on the throne said.
What flashed in his eyes was pure admiration.
“Honestly, it’s amazing. Demonstrating that level of prowess with a weak human body.”
match. match. match.
The sound of applause echoed hollowly in the audience room.
There were only the king and the man in the audience room.
“If you are of human origin, you will have questions.”
said the king solemnly.
“Why should I live as a slave just because I am a human being? Why should only we be persecuted and suffer? Jim understands the question. Even if you resent us, it is not unnatural.”
The man started walking the carpet that led to the throne.
“But what can I do? that it is a law of nature. The strong exploit the weak. the lion eats the rabbit This is a law that has been established since the world was created. It is a truth that will not change a thousand years ago or a thousand years later.”
“…”
“That’s why I congratulate you. Isn’t it amazing to eat a lion with the body of a rabbit? Or maybe… Jim may have been mistaken. Were you humans not rabbits, but were in fact wolves with teeth?”
The king rose from his throne.
“Jim realized the truth of the world. The strong should act like the strong and the weak should behave like the weak. But today your power has opened my eyes.”
The man does not respond.
I took one step at a time, supporting my body, which was about to collapse.
“How are you, warrior? To be my companion.”
“…”
“I know you are dying. just don’t worry Jim has a connection with the wizard. That wound can be healed enough.”
“…”
“Until now, you humans have been exploited because you were weak. Because it was useless for anything other than that. But you proved it. It proved human potential. If that happens, I will have to think differently.”
The king flapped his cloak.
And he smiled and held out his hand.
“How is it, strong man? Won’t you conquer the world with me?”
“….”
“Here is me, the king, and you, the hero. Like the kings and heroes of the distant past, shall we not open a new era together?”
The man was silent.
The life in his eyes gradually darkened.
“There is no need for racial distinctions! Even a hundred nobles and humans can get along! okay! If your strength and my ruling power are together, I can rule the entire continent!”
The king’s attitude, which had been pretending to be calm, began to deteriorate.
“I apologize. I apologize for my mistake in underestimating human strength. If you’re with Jim, if you’re loyal to Jim, I’ll reconsider my treatment of humans. Humans are not rabbits because they are a race that has the potential for heroes like you to emerge. It’s Jim’s mistake!”
The distance between the two gradually gets closer.
“Don’t you know the folly of antagonizing me? you are dying now Individual power has limits! You can’t do anything alone! Your power has meaning only when I, the king, rule it!”
“Shut up.”
The man spoke briefly.
“I’ll rip that mouth out right now.”
“Hehehe hahaha! How mad! do you know you guys are dying Do you think I got the throne only through my mouth?”
flutter.
The king rolled up his cloak.
A carefully crafted silver sword was revealed.
sereung.
A well-kept sword was pulled out of its scabbard.
This item was a sword dedicated to the king of men in the distant past.
The value of this sword, which was crafted magically, was indescribable.
“Stupid! If you would kneel before me, I would have spared that fool’s life!”
The king bared his fangs.
At the same time, the tip of the outstretched sword aimed at the man.
A posture that does not shake even an inch.
Unlike the other hundred nobles, the king did not learn weapons only for decoration.
He was learning formal swordsmanship.
The palace treasury.
There are hidden ancient martial arts books that have been practiced in practice.
As a result of training based on that rank, the king became the undisputed strongest in the city.
Most of the Hundred Nobles do not train.
Because they only believe in natural strength and ferocity.
But the king is different.
Even though he was born with more strength and talent than others, he was not conceited.
He became stronger through constant training and practice.
That way he was able to defeat his rivals and solidify his position as king.
“Die!”
The king kicked his feet.
For a moment, the place where he was was blurred.
The man swung his sword to the left.
Kang!
Sword and sword collide.
The king’s shadow shimmered again and appeared from the side.
slashes flying at the same time.
Kang! Cagan!
from the left. from above. from below. from the left again.
The king moves as if leaving an afterimage.
A speed that is difficult to capture with the naked eye.
It wasn’t just fast.
In the midst of speed, there is slowness, and then there is change.
If it seems to have been swung from above, a sword springs out from below.
If you want to rise from below, cut the side.
It speeds up, slows down, slows down, changes, and then speeds up again as it changes.
Blue sparks flew from all sides.
The man swung an old iron sword and managed to block the attacks.
Usually, the man’s super senses clearly penetrated the enemy’s movements and predicted them.
But it doesn’t work on him.
The king’s strength was beyond the measurement of super senses.
blocking but that’s it.
The man’s whole body throbbed every time the sword was thrown back.
The king’s sword contained power that would make the body go numb at once.
The man couldn’t fight back.
“Where’s the confidence to rip Jim’s mouth apart?!”
spam.
Blood gushed from his thigh.
“You fool! Foolish!”
Kang! Kang! Kang!
Every time swords crossed,
the man’s wounds increased little by little.
Fatal wounds are barely averted.
However, he had to inflict wounds all over his body.
‘…’
Even if the man’s body is normal, it will not be an easy fight.
From the beginning, the king was confident.
that no matter who comes, it will not be defeated.
it’s not arrogance
He was proud of the strength he had built up.
Spaw!
Again, with a cheerful sound, the blade grazed his stomach.
The man could not stop this attack.
“Hahaha!”
The king, who foresaw victory, went mad.
“…”
My eyes are red.
body doesn’t listen
I no longer felt the pain.
just cold
The cold that spread from the nape of his neck covered his entire body.
It’s probably a sign of death.
The man had a hunch.
That death would begin when the hand that wielded the sword stopped.
I had no choice but to decide.
‘Pull it out.’
since when
Knowing that there is a ‘sword’ in one’s heart.
Following the trembling of the sword, the man was able to gain strength.
It was possible not to lose in the arena, and sometimes it was possible to prolong the opponent’s life by directing a fierce match.
However, the man did not like the sword in his heart.
To him, the sword was just a tool to kill and injure people.
I didn’t want to die, so I forcibly followed the teachings, but I never had a single thought in my life that I really wanted to be elected.
If he pulled it out,
he had the fear that
if he pulled out the sword in his heart and gained strength, he might become a ghost.
That is the Sword Demon.
He was a sword-mad demon and a murderer.
At that time, there would be no human heart left in the man.
There must be only demons that cut and kill at random.
That’s why I hoped.
I hope there is a means to control the sword that has not been pulled out of the ghost in my heart.
Will the value of honor guide the man’s sword correctly?
Or will there be a great king somewhere who will wield the man’s sword properly?
Now, the man does not know.
Because now is the last time in a man’s life.
‘I don’t know what life really is.’
The man laughed.
I thought that the sword in my heart would never be pulled out in my lifetime.
It is better to die than to spend in vain.
The man was so determined.
However, there is only one miracle in her life, and she tries to make the man draw his sword.
“die!”
Wedge love!
the sound of a cracking wind.
The man opened his eyes wide.
King’s final blow.
A blue trail rushed in, aiming at the neck.
The man’s death is coming very slowly but surely.
late. late.
It was a blow that the man could not cope with.
The body’s sense of time is infinitely slowed down, just watching.
Blocking is not the end.
The second and third sword attacks will follow.
The meaningless battles so far are only repeated.
If so, it should be over.
in a single blow.
Is it possible?
body before dying.
With a body that doesn’t move properly.
Will he be able to deliver the final blow that won’t allow any counterattack or evasion?
In-house calculations are impossible.
It’s a pity, but the man now can’t beat that king.
So I decided.
only once in a lifetime.
Let’s wake up the sword that was sleeping in the man’s heart.
‘Be open.’
The man’s eyes sank.
The light in his eyes disappeared in an instant.
At that time, his gaze was looking far and far away.
“…”
It was
a pitch black sea.
Originally, it was a dimension in which certain concepts and ideas that could not be recognized by humans were embodied.
slam.
A mighty wave roars.
Countless jet-black particles shattered and scattered.
There are countless realizations in each of those foams.
A lot of insight flashed in each of those shimmers.
‘This is…’
the man knew.
A place where a man who didn’t even know how to hold a sword subconsciously borrowed power.
It was the sea in which the concept of martial arts in all dimensions was embodied.
From the beginning to the distant future.
In this sea, everything about nothing is dormant.
From things that are close to miscellaneous techniques to things that contain the principle of penetrating the universe.
‘is it.’
It is impossible for a man to fully borrow the power of this sea.
It has always been.
I just looked at it and imitated it.
The man did not even stand at the starting point.
The man was slightly regretful.
If he had learned the sword a little earlier, he could have made a handful of the waves of this sea his own.
But I soon changed my mind.
If the power was obtained without purpose, that power would have turned the man’s heart into a ghost.
A sword without meaning is just a tool for murder.
It was what the man needed.
A clear purpose for pulling out this sword.
If there was a reason, there was no need to hesitate.
a little bit.
It should be very little.
The man surrendered himself to the crashing waves.
Soon, the body fell into the dark sea.
bubbling.
I can’t see anything.
I couldn’t breathe.
This is probably the last sight a man sees.
The man had work to do before his body fell into the depths of the sea.
The man opened his eyes.
“…”
Light returned to the man’s dim eyes.
The king’s sword was getting closer.
The transcendent will set his nerves on fire and made the man’s arm move.
In his right arm is a worn-out sword.
‘see.’
The whole world is painted in color.
The man noticed.
What he could see was the world of nothingness.
Synesthesia beyond cognition.
Just as a deaf master who devoted his whole life to music sees music with his own eyes.
Just as a mathematician who made a discovery of the century feels a complex mathematical formula in sound.
Complex concepts have invaded and penetrated the realm of the senses.
red. Black color. blue.
Brilliant colors were applied to the man’s world.
The man instinctively recognized what the color meant.
It was a realm drawn by crossing swords and sword trajectories.
‘If I swing my sword towards the red spot, the situation will get worse.’
The man’s eyes moved quickly.
I scanned the colors of the world and found out their meaning.
‘If I swing my sword at a black spot, I will surely die.’
Red is the red line.
Black is the deadline.
Unfortunately, there are very few blue ones.
In addition, the area is gradually reduced.
“….”
It is safe to assume that there is no blue color now.
Everywhere he looked, red and black colors weighed on the man’s shoulders.
The odds of winning are gone.
‘Not yet.’
the man waits
A moment that will surely come.
The world is covered in black.
I couldn’t even see the red light.
black.
dark black.
death.
The king’s sword came close.
The blade will soon separate the man’s neck and torso.
and in it
In pitch darkness where nothing can be seen.
A dazzling ray of light was visible.
The man’s sword cut through the light.
at the same time.
“Quaaaaagh!”
The king’s right arm, holding the sword, gushed blood.
The king screamed in sudden pain.
The king looked at the man with blank eyes.
“for a moment! for a moment! crawl…!”
Shuk.
A solid white line was drawn around his neck.
“Wait a minute…!”
Took.
The severed head of the king fell to the floor.
The body that had lost its owner convulsed while standing, then collapsed on its knees.
‘Is it the end?’
Changgang.
The sword the man was holding fell.
It was a half-shattered iron sword.
As it fell, the blade of the sword split in half.
Roaring!
The flames have already entered the audience room.
A red tongue flicked around the bodies of the man and the king.
“After…”
There is no heat.
There is no pain.
just cold
can’t move
The cold that started at my toes climbed up my thighs, made my stomach freeze, and now it was coming up to my head.
The man’s eyelids trembled.
I want to rest.
I wanted to finish everything.
“Are you there, Mr. Nameless! Nameless!”
The rest was interrupted by someone’s cry.
“Answer me if you can hear me!”
hurried footsteps.
The man looked at the entrance to the audience room.
Someone stood over the wall of flames.
“Are you… Nameless?”
“…”
“Wait! I’ll get you soon…”
“Stop.”
Is it because of blurred vision?
It doesn’t look good.
The young man’s voice was heard.
I said sorry, maybe.
“Why are you here?”
It should be normal to protect refugees at the south gate.
If it failed, there would be no meaning in killing the king.
“I came to inform you. You won! We… saved the refugees!”
“how?”
“Other gladiators helped. Not all of us were trash!”
Right.
It’s likely enough.
The time when Kainil and the South Gate guards were fighting.
The arena’s gladiators who escaped belatedly joined Cainil’s side.
“Thanks to Mr. None of this would have happened if you hadn’t lured the guards inside the arena. The Hundred Nobles’ army was scattered. Maybe…”
You don’t need to hear the answer.
It must be because the king is gone.
Hundred nobility are not beings driven by loyalty or loyalty.
The reason they followed the king was because he provided them with the food of being human in the city and the entertainment of arena games.
Now that the life and death of the king is unclear, the hundred nobles do not fight humans for trivial reasons such as revenge.
They are busy living with themselves.
If the king reappears, they will unite, but that possibility is gone.
The city was freed from the shackles of kingship.
“Thank you! You… changed the fate of those of us in the city!”
Bian calls out beyond the flames.
“Rescue first…”
“Don’t come.”
said the man
“I will die anyway.”
Either die by burning or die from exhaustion.
The man’s fate is decided.
Even if Bian came in to save him, he would die together.
“Ha, but…”
“Tell that man. If you lose your original intention, I will rise from the grave and kill you.”
Bian stopped talking.
That young man knows.
You will see a man covered in blood in the flames.
None of them have shallow wounds.
It wouldn’t be strange if he died sooner.
He was prolonging death by will alone.
But that too will end soon.
The man is ready to accept death.
There was nothing left.
“You understand?”
The man looked at Bian and said.
Bian lowered his head.
“If so… let me know.”
“….”
“Give us your name to remember!”
name.
It was long since abandoned.
Bian exclaimed.
“A discarded name is fine. Even a name I made up right away is fine. We want to remember that I… I don’t want to pass off the proof of your existence as a joke!”
“You speak well.”
“Then let me know!”
the man thought
What does the name mean?
Is a name a testament to the meaning of a person’s life?
Or is it something the owner of the name wanted to be like?
either one would be correct
Even a man once had a name.
Name given by parents.
I cherished it, but swore to throw it away.
Then
it is not the man’s name.
‘My Name.’
Bian looked at the man with hard eyes.
Flames were already burning near the young man.
It seemed like he wouldn’t move a step unless he gave me his name.
“My name is…”
The man laughed.
and said The names of those
who wanted to resemble
but couldn’t.
“It’s the Lydigion.”