Chapter 231

Chapter 231

The mages of this world had a vicious side.

In order to become perfect, in order to reach the end, they would do anything. They carried out acts that would make others recoil in horror as if it were nothing. Using innocent people as test subjects and turning them into something worse than death was a common occurrence.

Those people, abandoning the ruined world and coveting a new one, set their sights on the “heroes.”

“These ones are certainly sturdy.”

“Elder, what shall we do with this one?”

“He is the strongest even among the monsters, so he is perfectly suited to be used as the core. Hey, put that up there. I will set my own hands to it.”

“Yes, Elder.”

The court mages carried out experiments at Argio’s grave, where the evil god had been sealed.

Even matters that had been restrained due to ethical issues—perhaps because the world was in chaos, or perhaps because no one came to stop them even as far as the evil god’s grave—they accomplished them with ease.

“It is the place where the evil god was sealed, so the energy is abundant. Yes, good. It is the perfect place for us to write a new history. If we use these monsters and the evil god’s power, then even drawing down the main god into this chaotic land will not be mere fantasy...”

It was nonsense.

‘Draw down a god to the earth?’

Kill the creator, steal that authority, and make a new world? Instead of thinking to fix and cultivate this land in which their souls had taken root right now, they meant to abandon it and make something else?

‘Idiots.’

There was no way they could do that.

“W-what is this...!”

“Why is this happening! What was the problem!!”

“Th-there was no problem! We definitely succeeded in drawing in the main god’s authority!”

“Then why in the world is this...!”

Of course, their attempt ended in failure.

The man trapped in the narrow, dark thorn prison did not know the exact circumstances.

He could only guess that the mages failed to kill the god, and because of that the main god abandoned this world and left, and that with the creator’s authority they had copied, even if only partially, they tried to create a “new world” and instead gave birth to a horrific hell.

‘It should have been obvious from the start.’

Humans could never harm a god.

‘Calling us monsters so often, it seems they even forgot what their material was.’

Idiots, truly viciously stupid bastards.

‘Even though they were not monsters, but humans...’

They were strong enough that they could not be called human, and yet they were still human. That a being born from the main god cannot harm him is something even a three-year-old baby would know.

Above all, would the evil god’s aura, used as material just the same, have truly been cooperative with the mages?

‘Of course not.’

Amid pain and screams and shrieks, derisive laughter swelled toward the mages. It was not the man’s alone. All the “materials” trapped in this thorn prison along with him did their utmost to mock the mages.

“You failed, you idiots!!”

“Ghk... ihihihi, kihihihihihihik!!”

“Failures who can’t even live up to your names...!!”

“Die! Die! Die!!!”

In the blood and chunks of flesh, and the remnants of the evil god, the mages gradually lost their reason.

“Wasn’t it Elder who devised this plan from the beginning!!”

“What?! Are you saying I was wrong!!”

“Yes, wrong! Wrong, you were! The world has already been ruined beyond repair!!”

“You wretches, not knowing your place, how dare you...!!”

“You should have been begging the main god, but instead you drove him away!!”

“Come before me at once—I’ll tear your mouth apart!!”

Amid the “materials’” mockery, they killed and killed one another. It was only natural, since they were already all that remained in the world. It seemed the humans outside the black forest had all died long ago.

Failures of a ruined world. Losers. They committed all manner of horrific experiments and only ended up ruining the world even more than before. Such a miserable and paltry end suited them well.

“...”

“...Ugh, u-eugh...”

“Uwek...”

Even some who survived that pandemonium could not endure the poison of the black forest and died. How absurd did it have to be to hear even those lofty mages retching and whining?

And so all the mages died.

“Guaaaaaaah...! Aah, ugh, uh...”

“...Hhgguh...”

“Khulk, kek. Kehheuk...!”

Only then did the “materials” trapped in the thorn prison begin to die off slowly.

“...N-next time we meet...”

“...In the arms of god...”

Those who should have died long ago only breathed their last after a long time had passed even after the mages who had forcibly kept their lives tethered died, and only when even the life-support apparatus had finally worn out and broken. The reek of blood was overwhelming.

“...”

And only the man remained.

“...Why, why?”

Please, no.

“Aaah... aaaaaaah...!! AAAAAAAAAH!!!”

Clank, clank-clank-clank—!!!

“Kill me, please...!!! Kill me!!! It hurts, it’s so hard!!! Please!!!!”

What on earth was the reason?

The elder mage’s words—that he would use him, the strongest hero, as the “core”—suddenly flashed through his mind, but even that, seized by an immense rage and despair and fear, he could no longer continue thinking.

“Guaaaah!! Aaaaaah!! Khulk, khulk, kkhhuhuuuk...! Uh...!”

He thrashed in pain, screamed in terror at being left alone, then grew weary and hazy—repeating it countless times. It had been a long while since he had embraced death like an old friend, yet in the end the man could not die.

“...”

And in a time close to eternity, the man simply sank into darkness. Unable to form even a single thought, at times twitching like an insect with all its limbs torn off, at times regaining a shred of reason that was worse than none at all, only to fall back into emptiness again.

“...”

Now he could not even know what he was saying, what he was thinking, or what state he was in.

One day, when boredom grew greater than pain and fear, he tried counting the time that flowed past. After 742 years and 9 months and more than 3 days, 2 hours, and 19 seconds, he stopped counting.

“...”

At times, he would be seized by hallucinations. He remembered the days when he lived like a human.

He felt resentment toward the “materials” close at hand who, except for him, had all been granted the mercy of death, and he felt the loneliness that was worse than pain. Was it truly only him left in the world?

Was there no one left anymore?

And then—

“...?”

He heard something like footsteps.

“...Ah, uh, ugh...”

He heard a voice as if soothing and coaxing someone.

‘Who is it?’

No, it didn’t matter.

Anyone was fine. It could be a human who had survived that calamity, it could be an expedition of a new era born after countless years had passed, it could be the descendants of beasts who could speak.

‘Please, please, me.’

If only someone would look at me just once.

“...”

“...My.”

“...”

“Are you alive?”

“...Uh...”

“How pitiful.”

As if knowing his breath was trembling desperately, the voice outside the prison continued.

“Hey, calm down. I’ll get you out soon.”

At last, it was the end.

* * *

“...Ah...”

It was a long time after that before the man first gathered something that could be called consciousness.

“Are you awake?”

“...Y-you are...?”

“Now you’re somewhat human.”

“...”

Eyes—ah, in his eyes.

Something entered his vision.

“...H-hug...”

“Do you need an embrace? Because you fear I might be an illusion?”

“Please hold me. Just once... please, please...”

“You still seem terrified. It’s alright—I’m not something you imagined.”

It had been so long since he had seen anything that his eyes ached sharply. That what flowed down from his eyes was not blood but ordinary tears felt disgustingly unfamiliar. His breathing choked and his hands and feet trembled.

Something he could not dare hold in his gaze, unlike its rough and sharp voice, approached gently and held him. A cool body temperature. But the hand patting his back was warm, and the voice soothing him was kind.

“Yes. You must have been scared.”

“...”

A dazed feeling.

Just like that, he lost consciousness again.

* * *

After that as well, the man repeated opening his eyes and losing consciousness so many times he could not count.

When a long time had passed and he reached the point where he realized that this time he had regained consciousness for the 182nd time, only then could the man understand something.

During that time, the person before his eyes kept calming him down.

“...”

“...”

“Oh, my.”

A young man with vivid red hair grinned as he looked at him.

“Looks like you can see me now, yes?”

“...Ah...”

The man nodded, clumsily.

“...H-how long... how long have I...”

“It must have been quite some time.”

“...”

“Now then, let’s see.”

The young man came closer and held out his hand.

“May I take your hand?”

“...Yes.”

“Good. Come here.”

A body temperature that would likely feel quite cold was, for some reason, familiar to the man. No, it had become familiar. He could not know how long the young man had stayed by his side, and as he sat there dazed, the young man leisurely took his hand.

Then he gently stroked it, and pressed it, firmly and slowly. His body flinched for a moment, but soon calmed.

“Look, this is your palm.”

“...Yes.”

“These are your fingers, and here are your nails. One, two, three, four, five. There are five in total.”

Like teaching a newborn beast how to live, he continued speaking softly and slowly.

“If I press here and let go, do you see how it turns pale, then red again?”

“...Yes.”

“That means blood is flowing. Can you feel that your bones, nerves, and blood vessels reach all the way to these fingertips?”

“...Yes.”

“You’re doing well. Excellent.”

After that, the young man repeated similar things.

“This is your foot. Here is the sole, and these little fellows are your toes. Much shorter than your fingers, aren’t they? It is originally so, so don’t worry—mine are the same.”

“...”

“Now, my fingertips are touching the sole of your foot. How many do you think there are?”

“...Three?”

“Mmm, good. Very well done. Does it hurt if I press here?”

“No, it’s just... refreshing.”

“And here?”

“Here too.”

“Well done. Now, take my hand. Hold me with this hand and the opposite hand. Then plant your feet on the ground. It will still be difficult to put strength into your legs, so don’t worry—lean on me.”

The young man gripped his hands and lifted him up in one motion. As he staggered, he naturally leaned on the young man. Slightly smaller than him, and yet the young man supported him firmly like a tree rooted in the earth.

“Through the skin of your soles, can you feel the ground’s cold and soft touch? Good. Now put strength into those toes. Starting from the biggest, then the one next to it, the next, continuing to the side, all the way to the last little one.”

“...”

“Very excellent.”

When the process finished and the man stood on his own, the young man stepped back a pace.

“Good.”

“...”

“Now, can you see me?”

“...I can, see you.”

He was a tall young man.

It felt like it had been quite a long time since he had seen someone tall enough that their eyes were nearly level with his. No, in that situation, what wouldn’t have been a long time... but that was just how it felt.

His pale, blanched skin, as if he had never once seen the sun, showed veins through it.

His thick, richly curling hair was tied in a knot and hung long to one side, and around his neck hung dense ornaments of gleaming gold and jewels.

Smooth cloth softly wrapping his body, and the thick, furred hide of a beast. And bare feet like his. The neck with ornaments. Lips set in a sharp smile. Nose. And...

“...”

Even eyes infused with molten gold.

“...I can see you, well.”

“Very well done!”

The young man smiled.

“Congratulations on becoming human again!”

(Continued in the next part)