Chapter 121 : Chapter 121
Chapter 121: Taparel (4)
Still.
When I dreamed.
Sometimes. No, I often saw the same thing.
…But it had gotten longer.
It started when I returned from Bahab.
“Choose. Will you live quietly without both arms? Or will you die?”
The man looking down at me spoke thus.
Kaliak Basor. Master of the five Magic Towers.
‘Damn it.’
Around that time.
Simurtr would let out a curse.
It was a memory of a past life. The moment of death.
After the assault on the Doom Species' fortress.
“Then I’ll die,”
Exa said.
“Cut off just one, and I’ll live.”
“One arm is not enough.”
“Kill me.”
Exa clicked his tongue.
Not one, but both? There was no reason to live.
It was a path he had walked looking only at the sword.
The Exa of that time did not know the process of pioneering a new path.
“That is problematic. You must lose both arms due to the battle with the King of the Doom Species.”
“I’d rather die than do that.”
“That is the last mercy.”
“No. Kill me.”
“Death is not permitted for you.”
I knew the reason.
“You must be the one to report the head of the Doom Species King.”
Kaliak Basor.
Akarr Bahab, the loathsome Saintess, and the disgusting adjutant.
“You want me to act like a clown?”
They feared the King of the Doom Species.
They had begun to fear Exa, who had killed him.
“Am I that scary?”
“……”
A laugh escaped on its own. It couldn't be helped.
“You pathetic bastards.”
They didn't even participate in the assault because they were afraid of the enemy's camp right before them.
Coming only when everything was over, without even knowing the truth.
“Fine. Kill me now. And you guys can be the figureheads. You’re crazy about that stuff, aren't you?”
“No. We will not kill you.”
“You’ll regret it.”
Foolish bastards who wished for destruction.
They truly believed the head he had severed was the king's.
That biased assumption was so utterly disgusting and pathetic that Exa laughed ceaselessly.
“Cut.”
His subdued limbs were liberated.
Kaliak Basor. The magic that had bound his arms and legs had disappeared.
“A fitting end for a lowly one. I suppose one’s roots cannot be helped.”
“Better than yours.”
Even though his limbs were freed, Exa had no intention of moving.
He had no strength. The muscles all over his body had gone into spasms long ago. His heart and Pagna were completely empty.
All the strength he possessed had already been exhausted in the battle that had lasted until the end of the war.
The fortress of the Doom Species. Not to the King of the Doom Species, but to his child.
‘The seventh.’
The king's youngest princess.
Exa realized this fact in the middle of the battle. The King of the Doom Species… had not yet crossed over the dimension.
The invaders who had held the upper hand in the ten-year war, who had made humanity contemplate its doom.
Those forces that drove humanity to the brink of destruction were merely the youngest's division and an advance party.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you if you regret it later, okay?”
“It is you. Who will regret it for the rest of your life.”
Exa did not speak the truth.
What he gained upon returning after a life-and-death struggle was betrayal, so what was the point of telling?
‘I’ve done enough at this point.’
He was worried about the innocent, but that was all.
He had done everything he could until now. He felt he had contributed enough.
‘I want to kill these bastards before I go, though…’
But a great regret remained.
If even one arm remained, he could still hold a sword. He could continue to fight the Doom Species.
If the youngest was that strong, what about her siblings, what about their king? How strong would they be?
The sword Akarr wielded cut through his left shoulder.
The arm that had been with him his entire life fell to the road surface.
‘Isn’t there some way.’
Exa did not open his mouth.
Unlike pain, he was not accustomed to lingering attachments.
The rest of his life without arms would be like torture. The traitors would be strutting about before his eyes, and the children of the Doom Species King, followed by the King himself, would reveal themselves.
He could only watch. He couldn't even hold a sword. What meaning would such a life have?
‘If my arms are cut off, I should just secretly die.’
The moment he made that resolution.
- I shall give you a chance.
A voice echoed in his head.
He looked around, but there was nothing to see. Not a single handful of magic remained, making detection impossible.
- For you are a most delightful one.
It wasn't being transmitted to his ears.
It wasn't telepathy or magic either. He had learned and experienced much. He had rolled on the battlefield for eight years. Exa was confident he wouldn't confuse such things.
…The voice was more fundamental and was a power that was somehow familiar.
“Who…”
“Are you now begging for mercy?”
Seeing him frantically looking around, Akarr showed a smile for the first time.
“As expected, that lowliness doesn't change…”
“You shut up. Where does a doll get off interrupting when a human is speaking?”
He frowned, still seeing that bizarre and chilling smile.
What if he got jinxed? Exa had a hunch that this situation, this voice, would be an opportunity.
- Die now. Then you shall be born again.
The Saintess.
She was right in front of him.
She said she periodically heard the voice of God. To Exa, that was an absurd, disgusting, and loathsome lie to deceive the soldiers.
If God truly existed… that bastard should have stopped the Doom Species' invasion long ago.
‘I’m going to die anyway.’
He had already decided on suicide.
Whether he died after losing both arms or died now, it was all the same.
“I’ll make it so you can’t even attach prosthetic arms.”
The moment Akarr’s sword was about to strike his right shoulder.
Exa smiled brightly.
He offered his head instead of his right shoulder, and the moment the cold blade touched his neck.
* * *
“Those who admire our race, and those who are called heroes along with you. None of them knew. Our master is not His Majesty, but His seventh bloodline.”
“……”
“Although it was intentional, I did not know it would still be in common use. Sir Exa. Did you not encounter the truth?”
Taparel’s voice was mixed with surprise and wonder. There was also a sense of deep emotion.
Because Exa was the first and last to face the youngest princess, Luer.
And because Exa was human.
“Why did you mislead them?”
“……”
Someday.
At the exile mansion. When receiving history education from Meram.
There was a moment when he couldn't understand the victory. There was a memory from his past life when he couldn't accept the era of peace.
Just the youngest. A victory just for killing one princess? A new legion should have appeared. Her siblings, or her king and father.
The world… should have become the Doom Species'. It was a future only Exa, who had directly experienced the Doom Princess Luer, could be sure of.
“Perhaps, you made a resolution?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“But why did you do it?”
“…There was no need.”
He could have spoken.
There were people around him to whom he could reveal his past life.
There was Aran, and there was Semenu. He could have gone to his unit members, and if necessary, it wouldn't have mattered if he told Medeoban.
“They’re all mine.”
But he didn't say anything.
That thought… remained unchanged even now, having met the resurrected Taparel. The Emperor and the Four heroes. He didn't want them to be killed by the Doom Species.
“I’ll kill you guys too. All of you. I’ll kill every single bastard I meet from now on.”
Akarr Bahab, Kaliak Basor.
The Emperor, the Saintess, and the adjutant.
Kill all those who participated in the betrayal.
And I’ll kill the remaining Doom Species too. A long time ago, Simurtr, who was reborn in an era of peace, decided so.
“A war will break out.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of them all before that. You guys are nothing special once the head is gone, right? You guys.”
“Hahaha! How arrogant. Still as arrogant as ever, Sir Exa. I had momentarily forgotten you were that kind of human.”
Taparel laughed for a long time.
“As expected, you resemble the master. Such arrogance suits both the master and you perfectly. That is why we yearned for you so.”
“So what.”
“But it does not seem to be for that reason alone.”
“……”
“Well. This too must be one of life’s pleasures. I shall unravel that, along with your death, bit by bit. I shall come to you someday to show you the answer.”
“How? You’re going to die today.”
He was thwarted.
Simurtr thought as he looked into Taparel’s eyes. They began to curve even more deeply.
“Then I shall come back to life again and find you. Today is a truly joyous day. I came to find your records, but to think I would meet you alive.”
“What are you going to do with my diary? Are you overflowing with so much money?”
“I am not without it.”
“Hand it over. Where do monster bastards get off imitating humans and bidding with our money.”
“What is so different from humans? In our dimension, we are the humans.”
“Cut the crap. I said hand it over, didn't I? That’s mine.”
To think that the winning bid was his own memoir.
Another reason to kill Taparel had just arisen.
Among the countless names in the memoir, there must surely be living names as well.
“I would like to grant your wish if I could, but I am sorry. I too am acting under orders.”
“Luer. Did that princess bitch order you?”
I couldn't guess his true intentions.
Because there was nothing he could do with the diary.
“It is a secret.”
“Are you crazy?”
His voice was full of goodwill, but he was firm about the memoir.
That goodwill was also repulsive, but his coveting of the memoir was even more unpleasant.
What would Taparel try to do if he knew those names?
“The feeling is… like this. I am so happy I could go mad. The most joyous thing is that you, Sir Exa, whom we revered, are alive, but…”
“Enough with the crap.”
“I feel a sense of kinship.”
Taparel waved his hand in the air. A small illusion appeared in the empty space.
It was similar to the image Semenu had materialized during the Selection Ceremony.
In the video… Exa was holding a sword.
“I was happiest at this time. The master was the same. She said the time she sparred with you was the most enjoyable. She said you shared many stories.”
Simurtr operated the Star-Breaking Style.
Taparel’s illusion wavered.
“Seventeen, you say. Haha. The young Sir Exa. This is truly a rare sight. If the master had seen this, she would have cherished you.”
“Where did you pick up that body?”
“Did you not know? I heard Pegna disappeared. I wondered why Mectera was so quiet, and it was your doing, Sir Exa.”
The collapse of the Black Tower.
Taparel had just now realized who the true culprit was.
“It wasn’t you in Huit, was it?”
“That is correct.”
Taparel answered obediently.
It was the same in his past life. That man held a clear goodwill towards Exa.
‘Transplantation of the Soul.’
Kua.
It had achieved the founding goal of its religion. It succeeded in implanting another soul into a test subject.
‘So that’s why he suddenly told Barote to call him ‘sir’. It used to be ‘hyung’, but Taparel took over that body.’
Perhaps, even the founder of Kua was not dead and was living in a new body.
Remeter’s father, and Herein Remeter too.
‘But that bastard was dead. He found dead bastards and implanted them?’
Spirit Medium.
One who sees and feels souls and uses their power.
To explain it by the doctrine of the Ruo Holy See… one who deals with evil spirits that reject the afterlife, a heretic targeted for eradication by Ruo.
‘There must be a limit.’
Deban, the test subject, was born during the war.
It meant that a new vessel had existed since then.
‘Either the Transplantation of the Soul succeeded recently.’
Or the conditions were strict, and there was a limit to the transplantation.
‘It’s probably both. Otherwise, there’s no reason for them to appear now, and no reason for the world to have been peaceful until now.’
Taparel appeared now. If such a horrific act had been possible before, the era of peace would not have come.
I had to find the Spirit Medium. Simurtr spoke as he thought.
“You’re Degrate. What about Luer? Is that a secret?”
“That is correct.”
I didn't expect anything.
However, just learning of Luer's resurrection was a great harvest.
“Why are you coveting my things? This isn’t the first time, is it?”
“It is a secret.”
“You son of a bitch. Are you kidding me?”
“If you naturalize, I will tell you everything.”
“Nonsense. What naturalization? Don’t pretend to be a foreigner. It’s disgusting.”
“In the grand scheme of things, it is no different from a foreign country. It is just that the dimension is different.”
“What do you mean, you bastards who can’t even communicate.”
“Are we not communicating right now?”
“Not you.”
“The lower ones? They are in the process of building their stature. They are assembling their authority through life. Before long, they will complete their authority and obtain a title.”
“Ugh.”
Simurtr pretended to gag.
Nevertheless, Taparel continued to speak excitedly.
“Sir Exa need not worry. You will receive a higher title than I. The master will also be desperately wanting you.”
“So if I tell you to die, will you die?”
“If you naturalize, and if you wish it. But it will be meaningless. Abina will reappoint me.”
I wanted to swing my sword right away, but… Simurtr decided to endure it one more time.
“You kidnapped Beden to create Mectera bodies?”
“Beden? Ah. You mean Mectera’s third son? That is correct.”
“You’re telling me this one?”
“It seems you already know.”
Taparel’s voice was still excited.
“We also targeted Bahab but failed. You know this as well, do you not?”
“So you killed Barote?”
Conversely, Simurtr’s voice was only sinking.
“We decided to dispose of him as he was judged useless.”
“Who?”
“Myself. And Remeter.”
“Herein Remeter?”
“Do you know Remeter’s daughter? Ah, it is said that an object chooses its master. Elder. It seems you have reclaimed that sword after Pegna. I now understand why I could not take Elder at that time.”
“Was it that bitch?”
“What are you saying, Sir Exa? It was you.”
“What?”
“The judgment, the disposal. Was it not your achievement? Barote’s failure was all because of you.”
As if asking why he would ask such a thing.
Taparel spoke in an extremely matter-of-fact tone.
“Do you see me as a kid too?”
It was a provocation not even worth dealing with.
“You look like one.”
“Nonsense.”
“They say Barote was five.”
“……”
“Did you know? Kua’s test subjects grow fast. The original owner of this body was named Deuhan. It has been… seven, no, eight years since his birth. Would you like to touch it? It is still fresh.”
“Is their lifespan short?”
“It was so in the early stages. But now, it is said to be the same as any human. However, their prime is long. By any chance, do you desire a body of a noble bloodline? I will provide it if you wish.”
While pretending to be human.
“Five years old. Now that I see it, the disposal might have been a wrong judgment. It seems I should have given him more chances.”
“…This is why I hate you bastards.”
While wanting to be treated as human.
In reality, they take for granted actions that wouldn't be satisfying even if they were killed for them.
“Why is that? Is it because of Barote? Because the child was young? You know, Sir Exa.
That piece of junk was your enemy. Regardless of whose sword it was, in the end, you annihilated the enemy. In wartime, you would have been praised for that achievement.”
“Shut up.”
Taparel.
Knew Exa’s reverse scale. He enjoyed the killing intent that arose from it.
“You haven’t changed. Still as twisted as ever. You are furious about Barote’s death, yet you show not a shred of interest in Janya Jabad’s death.”
“You bastards. Do you all come back to life like that? You took over that body, Deuhan’s body, so why did you kill Barote?”
While leaking killing intent.
Simurtr did not lose his reason. He was thinking.
If Barote was useless, they could have just transplanted a soul into his body.
A Basor bloodline would surely be worth taking… but they didn’t.
Proof that the Transplantation of the Soul had strict conditions attached.
“Haha. That’s right. You cherish and love children. It is your only weakness. A weakness possessed because you are human… no.”
“……”
“Come to think of it, that’s not it either. Human. Were you the only one who was human-like?
Or were you not human-like? Seeing it like this raises doubts.”
“Shut it.”
“I believe the current era is giving us the answer. The absurd heroes. If those four survivors are the standard… Sir Exa. Then you were the only one who was not human-like. Four lived, humans are still the same, and you died.”
“Just answer.”
Taparel smiled brightly.
He didn't know the cause of Exa's death, but he knew the relationship between Exa and the other heroes.
A ten-year war. He had experienced eight years on the battlefield with Exa.
Even if they didn't see each other every day, over that amount of time, enough information about the enemy army would accumulate.
“It is a secret.”
“Did you guys always have so many secrets?”
“The times have changed. The body has changed too.”
Taparel’s voice echoed once again.
The fact that he had elicited a new reaction from Simurtr, different from what he had consistently shown, made him happy.
“Luer was spilling everything.”
“Would you like to go and meet her?”
“Shall I go, now?”
“I shall send an invitation soon.”
Soon.
Not now.
‘Why?’
Taparel professed to be Exa's fan. In his past life, the man had tried to persuade Exa every single day.
If he came out like this… Taparel should have been shedding tears of emotion while guiding him before Luer.
‘Not yet.’
Not yet.
Taparel had been resurrected… but the Doom Princess Luer was not yet.
“First, give me that head. You said you would, didn't you?”
“…I didn’t know you would go so far as to disgrace a subordinate you protected with your life. Can I not take it back?”
“I’m the type who despises taking things back.”
Strictly speaking, he hadn't sold him out.
Just a single curse. Geudeuk. A familiar sound echoed from the handle grasped in his fist.
It was enough. There was nothing more to gain from conversation. Any more would be met with a consistent 'it's a secret'.
“…Still as belligerent as ever. Not a single thing has changed.”
* * *
As it had always been in the Doom War.
The provocation worked splendidly.
But he does not lose his reason.
Taparel finds such restraint welcome, yet disappointing.
Then and now. The human named Exa Baperr was endlessly difficult.
“Stop acting all nostalgic. It’s pissing me off.”
“Is it not a fond past?”
“Nonsense.”
“Do you prefer your current body?”
“……”
Hwaak!
Instead of an answer, Elder, which had at some point become identical to its form in his past life, advanced.
The rotation of 4-stars. A pure white Sword Aura slashed Taparel diagonally.
“You’ve weakened. Not yet mature. A disadvantage we do not have.”
From the shoulder to the left pelvis.
The body that had been split diagonally reattached itself. The severed surfaces shimmered like a mirage seen up close before sticking together.
“You use it well?”
“Phantasmal Ability. It is a useful power. Do not be too envious. Of course, it seems Sir Exa would miss his past life’s body more than such an authority.”
A gust of wind rose from Taparel.
Simurtr’s hair flew back. A strong wind caressed the collapsed temple.
“I shall be on my way now. It has been an ecstatic day. The master will be pleased.”
Hoo-uk. The sound of breathing was heard from all directions. Around Taparel and Simurtr, between the pillars, in the sky.
It wasn't Phantasmal Ability. So far, Taparel had used hand gestures whenever he used Phantasmal Ability. This meant he wasn't yet accustomed to it.
Those gestures could be a deception… but there was no reason to reveal it so early.
‘If he intended to hide it, he would have hidden it until the decisive moment.’
It wasn't caught in the Sword Net.
That breathing sound wasn't really exhaling. Those things, they don't breathe.
‘Spirits.’
The spirits that Taparel was raising.
Beasts that didn't need to breathe were forcibly exhaling.
They proclaimed their presence to force intimidation upon this side.
‘Leader.’
The authority possessed by Taparel.
Taparel, called the Leader, knew how to command the spirits of his kind. Keuheong. A spirit in the shape of a wolf charged from the front.
A pure white Sword Aura cut it down, and he caught a translucent snake falling from the sky with his hand and crushed it.
“The light has become quite modest. In the past, it was so dazzling it was hard to look at.”
Taparel stomped his foot. Eudeudeuk. Cracks began to form in the empty space to his side. The manifestation of a Rift. Seeing this, a strange light appeared in Simurtr’s eyes.
He knew Taparel held goodwill towards him. But the reason he was avoiding a fight now… was not just that.
“The spirits have decreased a bit?”
Just as Simurtr had weakened, Taparel had also weakened.
“Even so, it will be more than enough to face the current Sir Exa. It seems Sir Exa is the one lacking with his current body.”
The second Rift.
It seemed to take quite some time. A line had appeared in the empty air, but it hadn't broken yet.
Confirming this, Simurtr chose without hesitation. The magic that flowed through Asha reversed back into his body. The heat-filled magic raced through his circuits. Five rotations.
The swollen magic instantly occupied all directions.
Hwaaaak! Fire ignited around the spirits. Pure white flames enveloped the spirits. The spirits’ screams echoed. The flames grew brighter and swelled.
“Even with this?”
The temple, which had been cool without a ceiling, heated up instantly. The shabby pillars became unbearably hot.
“This is…”
Sweat began to flow from Taparel’s face in the heated air.
“It’s the Bahab you hate so damn much.”
Seeing Taparel’s reaction, Simurtr grinned.
White Flame. Bahab’s Swelling Flame was expanding whitely in Simurtr’s hand.