Chapter 46 : Chapter 46
Chapter 46: Compatibility (1)
“You’ve been well, right?”
“Yes.”
Semenu nodded immediately, but Simurtr didn’t believe her. How could she have been well after suffering for 20 years?
“Alright.”
Nevertheless, he affirmed it because he trusted Semenu. It was the reason he didn’t reject the transparent, clumsy consideration.
This wasn’t limited to just Semenu. It was true for all of Baperr. Five years. It was an absolute trust formed by overcoming all sorts of life-and-death situations together.
‘Except for that bastard.’
That’s why it was worse. The fact that a traitor had emerged from his own unit settled as a deeper rage for Simurtr. A hero? If it was for such a reputation, it was even more unforgivable.
‘If it was just for something like that, you should have said so.’
Simurtr didn’t care for such a reputation.
Did the second-in-command want honor? Simurtr was willing to hand over all the credit he had achieved to his second-in-command.
‘I would have given it to you if you had just said so.’
If only he had said it. Yes, he would have even handed over the position of unit commander if he had wanted it. The reason he had taken the title and authority of a great general was because he wanted to kill just a little more.
To save just a little more. It wasn't some common desire for success. The unit he had was enough. Even that, he would have handed over the commander’s position if he had wanted it.
‘No. Did that bastard even want honor in the first place?’
Suddenly, Simurtr thought. The Baperr unit.
The second-in-command was the brains of Baperr. Most decisions were made by Exa, but he had handled the details.
This meant he could have been directly involved in all operations. He wanted honor? If so, he could have obtained it long ago. The brains of Baperr. He would have started with something like that.
‘No.’
But that wasn't it. The man liked to hide. He wanted to stick behind Exa’s back, to settle in his shadow.
He was that quiet, and he wanted to be that quiet, but in reality, he secretly desired to be a hero, the noisiest thing in the world?
“Don’t think about it.”
Was he that good of an actor? I was just thinking that. Simurtr looked at Semenu.
“How do you know what I’m thinking.”
“The Captain is with me right now.”
“…I won’t.”
“Okay.”
“Where were we?”
“The Captain asked if I had been well.”
“Ah. Is Mectera okay?”
“Yes.”
“It’s fine. It’s livable.”
The topics they discussed were all about the present. They didn’t talk about their past lives.
The current state of the squad members? Simurtr consciously held back.
“You seemed close with the siblings.”
“I’m closer to you.”
“Okay.”
If he had his way, he wanted to ask. What are they all up to? But if he did, he would have to hear news of the second-in-command as well.
Simurtr didn't have the confidence to endure hearing that news. Nor did he have any intention of telling Semenu about the second-in-command’s betrayal.
“Degrate is.”
“Jiaren is good to me.”
“Is there no one else here who is kind besides her?”
“Sharen is kind too.”
“Sharen? Ah, the daughter?”
“Yes.”
His identity was revealed, but that was as far as it went. Revenge was Simurtr’s alone. It was the reason they didn't discuss the Doom War and Baperr, the stage of their memories.
Because if they did, he would eventually have to tell her.
“Can I visit sometimes?”
“Why ask something like that now, of all times. You can come often.”
“I’m busy.”
“…Is that so.”
Why are you busy? Simurtr couldn't ask. A wrong step, and he didn't know how the topic would flow.
“Yes. So, sometimes.”
“Alright.”
“…Yes.”
And it was the same for Semenu.
She did not ask about Exa’s death.
***
Ten days to get to Degrate.
Ten days since imprinting Asha.
“I should go now.”
It was time to return. In fact, it was already getting tight. There was still plenty of room to get stronger, to enhance his means.
“If I had my way, I’d want to visit each of the snake pits one by one.”
White Snake, Blue Snake, Black Snake. The snakes that Degrate prided itself on.
There would be something to learn from all the snake pits except for the Poisonous Snake.
Each unit leader was also a proficient Phantasmal Ability user.
Although he had learned the basics of Phantasmal Ability from the Phantasm Jiaren and the hidden Phantasm Semenu, the wider his knowledge, the better. They would have their own strengths built up over a long time.
“Later.”
It was the reason he had decided to visit Degrate later. For now, he had no time. Simurtr thought of Kanan and Mei. The banquet Kanan had mentioned was only ten days away.
The banquet of Bahab. Even if the traitor Akarr Bahab wasn't there, Simurtr didn't want to miss that potential opportunity.
“I’ll take you.”
In the current situation where every moment had to be saved, Semenu’s escort felt truly sweet.
Degrate’s teleportation was worthy of being called magic. In some ways, it was even more efficient. There were limitations, but it was that much more covert.
“It’s possible if you have a Unique Phantasmal Realm.”
“Aren’t you busy?”
It would consume a vast amount of magic power, but it could mimic a mage’s warp. Of course, the exit was fixed, but that alone had enormous utility.
“Yes. I have that much time.”
Hearing Semenu’s words, Simurtr headed to Jiaren’s office. He still found her detestable, but that feeling had been diluted quite a bit.
At least Jiaren wasn't all talk. It was obvious she genuinely cared for Semenu.
“Nothing harmful will happen to Degrate. If it does, I’ll stop it. As much as I can.”
“Really?”
Jiaren’s face lit up.
As much as I can. If the subject was his past self, it meant there was nothing he couldn't stop.
“Of course. But if I come later and the other guys still hate Semenu? Then I don’t know what will happen either.”
“…I’ll keep that in mind.”
He had thought about keeping Semenu by his side, but that was out of the question. Simurtr didn't want to force anything by bringing up past connections. He didn't even want her to cooperate in his revenge.
“Sir Simurtr.”
Jiaren became much more relaxed.
In any case, Simurtr held a favor, if not goodwill, towards Degrate. As long as Semenu was there.
And Jiaren had already received Simurtr’s acknowledgment. It meant that in his eyes, she was a sister who looked after her younger sibling well enough.
“May I ask you one thing?”
Yes, as long as she treated Semenu as she had been, and managed the clan well, Simurtr would not be hostile to Degrate. Jiaren had gained that confidence.
“Let me hear it first.”
That’s why her curiosity popped out. When she thought about it carefully, weren't they in the same position? Caring for and liking Semenu.
“You won’t get angry, will you?”
“What is it.”
Simurtr’s achievements in his past life were one thing, but what was scary was his influence.
The Emperor and the five heroes, among them The Prophet who was the second-in-command of Baperr, the Baperr unit where Semenu had been, Mectera, the numerous connections starting with the Emperor and the heroes and reaching even a certain slave warrior, the many people who still revered him.
“What is your goal?”
If he revealed his past life, Mectera was bound to rise. It would regain its past status and possess the power it had in the past, second only to the imperial family.
And at the center of it would be Simurtr. The overwhelming fame of a war hero. The martial prowess of his past life that he was sure to reach someday. His vast network of connections.
The things he couldn't do could be counted on one hand. If he coveted Phantasmal Ability, he could erase Degrate, and if he wanted Semenu, he could just take her.
The Ruo Holy See denies it, citing their doctrines?
How could they, when the person in question actually exists. It could be dismissed as a simple incident. Right now, Ruo’s saintess was on the same level as a hero like Exa.
The rumors of discord among the heroes that circulated during the war were just rumors. Jiaren didn't believe them.
If they had really been on bad terms, there was no way Mectera would still be symbolizing the eastern part of the empire. The empire’s heroes, Bahab and Basor, would have shared it amicably.
“Goal?”
“Yes, goal.”
But Simurtr, the most famous of the heroes, was living with bated breath. Why? From the moment she learned his identity, Jiaren had been curious about the reason.
“Ah. You mean why am I not revealing my identity and doing this? Even though I could have everything if I just revealed my past life, why am I being so pathetic?”
“…It’s not that you’re pathetic.”
Did I touch something I shouldn't have? Jiaren, who was inwardly nervous, bowed her head.
But her curiosity had already burst, and she was watching Simurtr with a sidelong glance.
“Because that’s what’s fun.”
The Simurtr that Jiaren saw was smiling brightly. As if he was genuinely, truly looking forward to it.
“Pardon?”
“Getting hit when you know it’s coming is boring. It hits harder when you know nothing.”
What does?
Jiaren firmly suppressed her curiosity.
Because it felt like this was a part she really shouldn't touch.
***
“How should I do this? Gently?”
In the plaza of the Grand Training Grounds, Simurtr furrowed his brow.
It was true that the spar would only work if Jiaren held back, and he had already acknowledged that, but he couldn't help feeling annoyed.
“Just match the output.”
This was the final check before returning to the main house.
He had been checked by Semenu, but he felt uneasy relying on that alone.
‘She’s the type to praise me even if I take a dump.’
Simurtr looked at Semenu and narrowed his eyes. No matter how he thought about it, he couldn't return relying on her words alone.
“Should I use my Unique Phantasmal Realm?”
“Hmm, umm. Let’s use it.”
Simurtr said after a moment of thought.
Even without the phantasms from the Unique Phantasmal Realm, Degrate had many means of attack.
But those were means that the past life’s Exa knew.
‘I’ve seen those too many times.’
Most were secret techniques considering the assassins under their command.
The assassination attempts on Exa were mostly the work of the assassins under Degrate’s command.
Those gloomy snakes. It was also the reason why Simurtr hadn't learned from Semenu.
Stealth, ambush. Things that could not be mixed with the Star-Breaking Style.
“Will this be enough?”
“…Yes.”
A green light the size of a head formed above Jiaren’s hand. It was similar to a mage’s orb, and its size was unpleasantly appropriate. Jiaren had accurately gauged Simurtr’s level.
“I’ll go first.”
Jiaren said with a smile.
This was education disguised as violence. The past ten days, it was a good opportunity after being on the receiving end.
A huge thorn shot out from the raised orb and was fired. It slammed squarely into Simurtr’s face.
“Oh my.”
When the awl pierced through, ripples formed on Simurtr’s face. It swirled around the awl like a vortex.
It was the same phenomenon shown by the beast in Huit. Simurtr tilted his head to the side.
As he pulled out of the awl, his face returned to its original state.
“Properly.”
Simurtr furrowed his brow.
He had told her to just match the output, but she was holding back. A Phantasm’s phantasm was not this clumsy.
A phantasm constructed through a Unique Phantasmal Realm was more concrete and covert than magic. There was no need to raise a hand to signal an attack, nor was there a need to expose the scene of the phantasm starting from the Phantasmal Realm.
“I’m sorry.”
Jiaren apologized, but her expression couldn't hide her emotions. It was a phantasm? Jiaren had really thought Simurtr’s face had been pierced. Or that he had blocked it with strong energy.
Whoosh! Simurtr suddenly closed the distance. Jiaren caught his speed. A sword aura was already shimmering on his sword.
‘Three?’
The speed of the sword aura’s manifestation was surprising, but.
Slashes were already flying towards both of Jiaren’s shoulders. When? Jiaren hadn't seen Simurtr swing his sword. There was no time for that.
‘A phantasm?’
Therefore, this was a Phantasmal Ability. The moment she was certain of that, Jiaren instinctively pulled her body back.
In that instant. Her insight that read all of Simurtr’s movements. All the senses of a Phantasm were screaming that both slashes were phantasms, but they just didn't seem like phantasms.
‘He’s a hero.’
Simurtr’s identity gave credibility to that instinct.
He must have a move she didn’t know. She was a Phantasm because she had mastered phantasms. Jiaren judged that all the slashes were real.
Crash. Including the sword Simurtr was swinging. The three slashes Jiaren had dodged left cuts on the ground. Jiaren saw it.
‘What.’
All three attacks carried the same force. Without even having time to admire the power distribution, there was only one cut left on the ground. It originated from Simurtr’s sword.
Then what about the other two?
‘They were phantasms?’
How? Without even thinking, the sword moved again. The one that had scratched the ground shot upwards.
At that moment, Jiaren furrowed her brow. At some point, Simurtr had started holding his sword with one hand.
His left hand. Jiaren looked at his right hand. A sword was also held in his right hand, which should have been empty. The trajectory was different. The sword in his left hand was soaring, but the sword in his right hand was aiming for her elbow.
‘Which hand?’
One of them was a phantasm. Simurtr only had one sword. Experience told her that the one in his right hand was a phantasm. But her intuition said otherwise. Both were real.
‘That can’t be.’
Her intuition was wrong. This time, she had to be calm. A subspace tool? He had left that at Semenu’s residence.
Simurtr’s arm and chest muscles swelled. As if bringing his arms to the center, the two swords approached to meet at Jiaren’s solar plexus.
There was only one real sword, and she had to choose. Blocking both would be simple, but… she couldn't do that.
‘Still, I’m a Phantasm.’
To be unable to distinguish a phantasm, to have her options blocked? For the same reason, she didn't want to evade either. He was an outsider who had just adapted to Phantasmal Ability. Her pride was on the line.
Clang! A heavy resistance came from her right hand. Her left hand was light. It passed straight through the green shield Jiaren had materialized. The white phantasm lightly brushed past Jiaren’s body.
“Scared, huh?”
Simurtr looked at Jiaren and grinned.
“…Let’s stop.”
In the end, she couldn't choose. Jiaren smiled bitterly. The one that had split her body was a phantasm without physical force, but the reality of a Phantasm being unable to distinguish a phantasm felt like a real cut.
“Already?”
“It’s meaningless. The fact that the phantasm’s phenomenon color is white instead of green can be thought of as a difference in nature… but I can’t distinguish the materialization itself.”
It exists, but it doesn't exist. An expression used to refer to a Phantasmal Ability user who has not constructed a Unique Phantasmal Realm.
But in Jiaren’s eyes, Simurtr’s was real. It was more realistic than anything else, despite having no physical force.
“How did you do it?”
The potential to develop Degrate.
Greed flowed in Jiaren’s eyes.