Sword Master With One Strike Kill - Chapter 158

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

One-Strike Kill Swordmaster Episode 158

Episode 158. Reenactment of Annihilation (6)

* * *

“…”

Upapa, who had been silent for a while, alternately looked at the creatures swimming in the aquarium and the Istereg in my hand.

Swoosh-.

He gently placed his hand on the glass window once more.

It was a careful gesture, as if trying to commune with the life forms beyond.

I didn’t miss this opportunity and continued my persuasion.

“I know very well how deep your affection is for them.”

“…”

“These must be precious children you’ve carefully raised over long years. You must have hoped they would someday grow into divine beasts and become guardians of this world.”

Flinch-.

Upapa’s shoulders trembled slightly.

No matter how much it was a choice for humanity’s sake, directly ending the lives of the children he cherished so much was not an easy task.

As such, this moment must be incredibly agonizing and painful for him.

“I have a better way.”

“…”

“You must not give up on them yet.”

The colorful shell of the Istereg glowed softly as it caught the blue light from the aquarium.

I continued speaking while stroking its surface.

“With this child’s power, we can surely create a different path. A way that can safely protect the spirit creatures while simultaneously fulfilling your wish.”

Upapa looked at me.

“Is that really possible, Upapa?”

“Yes.”

I answered with a voice full of conviction.

“I will take responsibility for everything.”

“…”

“I will ensure that neither their transformation into monsters nor bringing disaster to the continent will ever happen.”

A long silence flowed.

In the aquarium, the spirit creatures were still swimming peacefully.

They were still unaware of the fate that had befallen them, simply cutting through the water following only their pure instincts.

Blue water light slowly spread across Upapa’s face.

He quietly closed his eyes and spread both arms, as if trying to deeply accept the pulse of countless lives connected by invisible threads.

The entire world was dyed in blue light.

Inside the water and outside. Creator and creation. All boundaries became blurred.

Upapa became one with the countless lives he had created, slowly sinking into a deep silence like the quiet depths of the ocean.

Swoosh-.

How much time had passed like this?

Finally, Upapa opened his eyes and nodded.

“Alright.”

“…”

“The other guys praised your skills too, so let me try believing in you once, Upapa.”

Pause-.

And at that moment.

I couldn’t help but furrow my brow slightly.

“…?”

Something was strange.

Clearly, the Upapa before my eyes right now was a dummy within “Rashutku’s Nightmare.”

It meant he was merely an illusion created to reenact the past, a being that had already perished thousands of years ago.

But…

‘…The other guys praised my skills?’

That wasn’t the only unsettling remark.

Surely just a moment ago, he had also said ‘you’re more polite than I heard.’

Lines I had never heard once in the game.

More importantly, all these remarks seemed to refer not to the past version of me that had been incorporated, but to the real me.

‘Could it be.’

A certain possibility suddenly crossed my mind.

‘If this dummy isn’t just a simple replica, but is somehow connected to the real Elders…?’

Then all the strange reactions up until now would make sense.

The conversations the Elders currently in the Heavenly Realm had might be transmitted even to this phantom existence.

While I was continuing such thoughts by myself.

Whoooosh-!

Right at that moment, intense light began pouring out from Upapa’s body.

A sign of ascension.

As the light grew stronger, Upapa’s pink body began to slowly become transparent. But there was no longer any hesitation or fear in his expression.

“Well then, I’ll be going now. Upapa.”

Whoosh-.

Upapa’s form slowly being engulfed in light.

He raised one hand to give his final farewell.

“Please take care of them. Those children…”

Fade-.

Before his last words could even finish, Upapa had completely disappeared.

In the place where he had stayed, only the gentle afterglow of light remained, scattering into the air like mist on water.

Pean, who had been quietly present until now, carefully opened his mouth.

“That person was also one of the Great Ones.”

“Yes.”

“The Master of Dormancy and Regeneration… It’s the first time I’ve heard such a title.”

I answered in a calm voice.

“Well, he’s already a perished deity.”

“…!”

Flinch-.

Pean flinched in surprise.

Guilt flashed across his expression.

He seemed to think he had brought up a topic that could be hurtful to me.

“I’m sorry. You must have been close to him…”

What?

He thinks I was close to that guy? Why would he suddenly think that?

“We weren’t exactly close, just acquaintances.”

“For just that, you seemed to know him too well.”

“…?”

“Not only did you instantly see through his troubles, but you even brought exactly the solution he wanted.”

No.

What is this guy talking about now?

‘…I’m telling you I’m not close to Upapa.’

We had only encountered each other a few times in the game.

And that was only occasionally when entering the trials of “Rashutku’s Nightmare.”

‘And besides, he’s just a game NPC anyway.’

I wasn’t so socially isolated that I’d befriend a character on a monitor screen.

“You must have been disappointed.”

“No, that’s not…”

“Still, you must have been happy to see an old friend after so long, but it’s truly unfortunate that since this is within a ‘trial,’ the other party doesn’t recognize you, Gaon.”

“…”

Right.

Let’s give up cleanly.

This elf patient suffering from severe delusions didn’t seem to have any intention of listening to me in the first place.

It would be better to just let him misunderstand as he pleased.

He firmly believed I was one of The Great Ones, so there was no reason to shatter that delusion, was there?

Kuuuuuuung──!

Right at that moment.

The entire massive aquarium began to shake violently.

I quickly turned my head and silently looked beyond the glass window.

‘This is…’

The movements of the spirit creatures that had been swimming peacefully in the water gradually became rougher.

Their graceful swimming gradually changed into sharp thrashing, and wild madness slowly seeped into their once clear and gentle eyes.

The change was slow, but it was definitely progressing.

“Pean.”

The spirit creatures’ transformation into divine beasts had begun in earnest.

“Prepare for battle.”

* * *

Kugugugugugu-!

Here and there in the aquarium, ordinary fish began turning belly-up one by one.

Unable to withstand the rapidly intensifying aura of the spirit creatures, they began dying off.

Sring-!

Sensing the ominous energy, Pean immediately drew Seorineul. It was just when Gaon had ordered him to prepare for battle.

“…”

But why was it?

Even though the spirit creatures were gradually becoming more ferocious, Gaon just stood there with a still peaceful expression.

‘…Gaon.’

Actually, at first I couldn’t understand his actions.

For what reason had he come to the aquarium in this urgent situation?

Now that the entire empire had fallen into chaos due to the Outer Gods’ invasion, spending time in a place like this hardly seemed like a rational choice.

─There, the only method to eliminate the divine beings of another world lies dormant.

That excuse was also clumsy.

The fact that a method capable of god-slaying was hidden in the aquarium was strange enough, but…

‘If a method to truly eliminate the Outer Gods had existed, the world wouldn’t have crumbled so tragically in the first place.’

The Great Ones wouldn’t have fled to the Heavenly Realm one by one, and the tragedy of the brilliant Rashutku Empire’s overnight destruction wouldn’t have occurred either.

It also made no sense that no one knew about such a decisive means, even if it had existed.

‘However…’

Just before.

Watching Gaon’s conversation with the “Master of Slumber and Regeneration,” everything became clear.

Gaon simply wanted to change the past. Even if it was just an illusion within a trial, he wanted to prevent his friend’s death.

“…”

Pean also had many things he terribly regretted.

Those bitter memories that he would give anything to undo were lodged deep in his heart.

But…

How much more so for Gaon, who had lived far longer years than himself?

Just how deep and painful were the regrets and wounds he carried?

‘The one who can truly understand that…’

Pean thought to himself.

‘…is only me.’

Right.

The only person who could understand Gaon was himself, who had lived through eternal ages.

Those who knew firsthand the weight that time brings, and the depth of accumulating regrets, were extremely rare.

That’s why he felt even more strongly that he needed to comfort Gaon. He couldn’t let him carry such a heavy burden alone.

Jjeojeojeojeojeojeojeok──!

Just then, cracks began spreading across the glass walls of the massive aquarium.

The powerful energy emitted by the spirit creatures transforming into divine beasts, and the resulting turbulent water pressure, pressed against the glass windows.

Ominous sounds echoed from the glass windows on all sides. It was a precarious situation where this space could collapse at any moment.

“Gaon.”

Tuk-.

Pean lightly tapped Gaon’s shoulder beside him.

“I fully understand your heart.”

“…?”

“So please don’t think you’re alone, and know that I’m always by your side. I will share and carry that heavy burden you bear, Great One.”

Pean’s voice was filled with sincerity.

“My oath to follow the will of the Elders is not only for those in the Heavenly Realm.”

“…”

“So in this trial as well, I will become your sword.”

* * *

‘No…’

I sighed inwardly.

‘…why has this guy been acting like this since earlier?’

It’s excessive.

Really too excessive.

But I didn’t have time to point it out.

The first phase of the boss battle was about to begin.

“Enough, prepare for the fall.”

“Huh? What do you mean…?”

Kwaaaaaaaang-!

Before I could finish speaking, the glass windows shattered into pieces and the entire floor collapsed.

With a sinking feeling, we were sucked straight into the pit.

I quickly drew the Feather Sword and stabbed it into the wall.

Kagagagagagak-!

The blade scraped against the stone wall, slowing our fall.

‘This will probably be the last time I do something like this.’

…If I complete the 【Jinmyeong Geopbang】 this time, I won’t be able to treat the Feather Sword so carelessly anymore.

‘Anyway.’

I glanced up slightly.

From above, shattered glass fragments along with aquarium water poured down like a waterfall.

Mixed among them were the corpses of already dead fish. As well as divine beasts charging at us with their maws wide open.

At that moment, Pean muttered in a bewildered voice.

“How did you know… the ground would collapse…?”

He was also controlling his speed by embedding Seorineul into the wall, but his attention was focused on something other than the fall.

He seemed quite shocked that I had noticed the signs of collapse before he could detect them with his super senses.

Ah, of course.

The reason I could predict this situation was thanks to the experience gained from multiple playthroughs.

This fall was the first cutscene that appeared before the boss battle began.

But…

Pean once again interpreted the situation completely differently.

“Are you now using super senses even better than me?”

“…”

“No, but I didn’t even feel the resonance of divine power… Don’t tell me you’ve already completed embodiment?”

“…”

“Even for someone as great as you, this makes me a bit jealous.”

The fact that he was calmly spouting such nonsense even while falling was truly absurd.

‘How should I deal with this elf who’s suffering from severe delusions?’

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————