SCT-Novel Chapter 106: Impure Love
Chapter 106: Impure Love
Chapter 106: Impure Love
All the training was for this moment.
Emphasizing this, Airi left him and the spear in the middle of the dragon vein and sealed the entrance with a rock.
For the significant task of experiencing the past, it was necessary to isolate him completely from external disturbances.
Whoosh.
Airi, standing in front of the sealed cave, attempted to merge her power to see the past with the dragon vein.
Originally, her power was limited to understanding someone else’s situation.
But this time, it would not end with just reviewing memories.
What he needed to pursue was the power and abilities befitting a hero, and the surest way to achieve that was to walk through the journey of a real hero named ‘Tacchia Pheloi.’
‘Inserting someone else’s experience into one’s mind... It could lead to the extinction of one’s personality.’
Moreover, there was no guarantee that this ritual would succeed.
The memory he was about to review was of a hero whose strength rivaled that of a dragon, and the soul of such a hero was crafted into a weapon by a being at the pinnacle of this world.
Being a ‘Transcendent,’ handling those memories with a human mind was not an easy task.
‘There’s no guarantee that the future will be successful.’
Yet, it must be done.
If this would be abandoned now, all the effort and the sacrifices made for him would be in vain.
“...Is it over?”
Merilyn, who had been watching the process, approached Airi upon seeing that the barrier had formed.
“Yes, now we just wait...”
And whoosh, a fist swung before she could even finish her answer.
Unable to control her emotions, she struck the surface of the rock that formed the barrier.
“...Please don’t break it. If there’s interference from outside, the ceremony will be disrupted.”
It was something she had somewhat anticipated.
No matter how unpredictable the incarnation of madness might be, when it came to the one person she loved, it was easier to foresee her actions.
“Since Hyo-sung has already accepted it, you wouldn’t want to do something that would trouble him, would you?”
“You’re unusually cold. Especially considering that Hyo-sung could die.”
Merilyn gritted her teeth and reached out her hand.
She grabbed Airi’s collar, her eyes fierce at such close range.
“Tell me. What kind of future did you foresee that made you change so much?”
“...What will you do if I don’t tell you?”
“I’ll rip out your heart while you’re still alive and leave with Hyo-sung.”
She had long since discarded the guise meant to hide her true colors.
Despite the sharpness in her voice, devoid of her usual pretense, Airi calmly returned a prepared answer.
“And then Tacchia will come after you and Hyo-sung to kill you.”
Merilyn shuddered and glared at Airi.
The reason she suppressed her anger was that she had felt the difference in status between herself and Airi from their very first encounter.
“...Why is that monster coming out here?”
Monster.
Even the second-in-command of the Demon King’s army had no choice but to describe the opponent that way.
Even in decline, she could easily overpower her, and she might have once wielded power equal to her former master.
“If Hyo-sung doesn’t awaken as a hero here, we will all die at her hands.”
“What are you talking about? You said yourself that woman wouldn’t unleash her power until Hyo-sung is dead.”
“Despite that agreement, a situation will soon arise that will force Tashian to act. You must have guessed what’s going to happen in this land.”
The excavation site where dragon bones were buried.
She had already guessed what would happen here during her month-long stay.
She had kept her distance, thinking it had nothing to do with her, and if those signs became reality, she had planned to leave this place with him.
But if the impending disaster here would provoke that monster...
“...Damn it.”
Finally, Merilyn released her grip on Airi’s collar, grinding her teeth without actually throwing a punch.
She wanted to tear apart the person in front of her, but she knew this had to be done because she too had no other choice.
“Why...?”
Even if she understood it in her mind, her heart...
...couldn’t easily let go of the unfairness of this situation.
“Why does it have to be Hyo-sung?”
If she had been connected with him earlier...
...the desperate future looming over this land might not have become his duty to prevent.
“...Hyo-sung has also accepted this.”
“You don’t want to do this either. There are plenty of people out there who would follow your commands like a pack of dogs. You could just choose one of them to carry out this grand mission!”
Love and mission. Choosing a path that coexists with both while risking the collapse of both.
Why does the person in front of her insist on pushing the one she loves into danger?
“...No, I can only assist the person I have chosen as my partner.”
“What...?”
Wasn’t she also unable to forsake her mission, wandering alone for an eternity for one person?
-Ding-a-ling, ding♬
Faithful to such realization, Merilyn, having sat down, took out her instrument and continued to play.
Under its peculiar power, Airi began to feel her spirit gradually uplift.
“...Merilyn.”
“This much, at least.”
Yes, the past was unchangeable.
But if she still loves him despite that...
Moreover, if he shared this damned fate with that woman, then she also had to be with them.
“I should be able to do this much, right?”
Though she didn’t know how much her power would affect him within the barrier of memory, this was all she could do.
Watching her silently continue playing, Airi wiped the tears from her eyes and bowed her head before her.
To show at least some gratitude for her complying with her forcefulness.
“...I entrust Hyo-sung to you.”
She couldn’t continue long because she also had things to do outside of this place.
Soon, a disaster would strike this place, and someone needed to guard it until then.
‘It’s almost time.’
What Airi saw as she finally emerged from the cave was a sky darkened with clouds.
‘Soon, Tashian will rampage.’
It was the sky she had seen in the prophecy that day.
-Swoosh.
Beneath the clouded sky.
On the cold, rainy battlefield, I swung my sword, eliminating one after another in front of me.
But no matter how many I take down, they keep appearing. Dozens, hundreds...
-Crack, crunch!
Yes, it’s such a time.
An era where it’s normal for humans to kill each other. I found myself in such a place to survive.
In a world rife with death everywhere, the surest way to protect myself was to gain strength and kill everyone in front of me.
“Why exactly...?”
But it wasn’t always like this.
Before... No, surely even until recently, there was happiness in my life.
“Why am I doing this...?”
The more I recall such blissful past moments, the more agonizing this present moment feels.
My mother.
My mother, who raised me after finding me adrift in a river, disappeared silently before my eyes one day.
“Ah, ahh... Mom... Mommy... Mom, where are you?!”
Would it have been less painful if I had never known such happiness?
If I had never met her and known from the beginning how cruel and disgusting the world is...
Yet, I had been tainted to an extent that even this fierce rain couldn’t wash away.
“If I knew it would be like this, you should not have picked me up. You shouldn’t have taught me about love.”
Tashian. I despise you.
I resent you for still being in my heart even though you left my side.
You, who gave me a name...
I want to make you like the numerous corpses behind me, you who named me ‘Tacchia Pheloi’.
-Ding-dong, ding♬
Just as my mind was being eroded by such hatred, I faintly heard the sound of music.
Listening to that sound, I thrust the sword in my hand into the pile of corpses before me and took a deep breath.
“...No. I’m not.”
The cold seeping deep into my lungs brought a gradual sense of calm.
Despite feeling the hatred growing uncontrollably within me, I gritted my teeth and pushed it away.
“I am not Tacchia Pheloi.”
Yes, this is just someone else’s memory, after all.
Experiencing those memories, I felt myself getting engulfed in events of the past.
“I am Woo Hyo-sung.”
The force was so strong that I felt like I was losing myself, but still, I stubbornly endured and prepared to move beyond these horrific memories.
Gaining some strength from the faint music I heard.
“I’m not Tacchia Pheloi, but Woo Hyo-sung... that’s my name...”
Even in this terrible nightmare, I can’t forget.
Endlessly reminding myself of my own existence.