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Chapter 291

According to Remiel, the cause of this incident was someone Lispa Elde knew very well.

And it was also someone she had been certain would never betray her.

The funny thing about archangels was that they were never the sort to have many friends in the first place.

The number of people Lispa Elde was acquainted with was extremely small, and considering the means by which she had been attacked in this situation, wasn’t the traitor most likely an archangel?

But I had already decided it wasn’t.

How could it be?

The idea that the traitor might be a former archangel lunatic who tries to chew up everything in sight was so absurd that even she would mock herself for it.

If that’s the case, then who else could wield a spear of holy power without being an archangel?

No need to think too hard.

There were exactly two possibilities.

I wasn’t sure if they were dead or not.

Someone who could wield holy power and possessed authority nearly equal to that of an archangel.

“The Goddess of Life, Eve.”

At my muttered words, Lispa Elde clicked her tongue.

“You know her?”

“Of course not. But looking at the situation, there’s only one culprit. Am I wrong?”

At my question, she let out a sigh.

Then she yelled.

“If you’ve figured it out, then run! What are you doing just standing there?! Move!”

I couldn’t exactly say I didn’t understand her urgency.

In truth, that white “white blood cell” wasn’t particularly dangerous, but the pure white goddess standing before us looked like an extremely dangerous being.

It was hard to gauge her exact level, but when instinct was screaming at me to be careful because she was abnormally powerful, that was all I needed to know.

“Let’s move first. I’m not entirely sure in this state.”

As I spoke, the pure white goddess extended her hand toward me with a graceful motion.

I stepped back instantly, and without even a visible throwing motion, a white spear embedded itself two steps deep into the spot I had just been standing.

If I had been even a moment slower, that thing would have gone through my body.

The funny part was that, compared to the white spear Luna had used, this one seemed far weaker.

Luna’s holy spear could silence a dragon in a single strike.

Even allowing for differences in affinity, comparing that level of power to this spear was almost insulting.

Either way, I could see an opening now.

In a flash, I drew my sword, Elekstra, which exhaled black blade energy, sending a storm of sword aura flying out.

The bodies of the charging white blood cells burst apart in sprays of blood.

Moving like I was dancing, I cut through the monsters without mercy.

Sur was asleep from exhaustion.

Grivy’s power wasn’t of much use here.

And all the while, the presence of the pure white goddess—watching me silently—kept bothering me.

Once a being of Paradise and called the Goddess of Life, and now… reduced to this state.

“The number of white blood cells is abnormally high…”

Lispa Elde murmured.

The fact that she was still alive despite such a severe injury was odd enough, but it seemed that losing the title of archangel didn’t mean all her power was gone.

The so-called “white blood cells” kept pouring out endlessly, no matter how many I cut down.

For some reason, the pure white woman wasn’t moving easily.

I fixed my sword path toward Lispa Elde, pushed power into my legs, and stomped hard into the ground.

Sliding through the gaps between the white blood cells, I reached her in an instant.

Ssschhh—Krrrkkk!!!

At the same time, thin crimson lines appeared in all directions along my path and vanished, disintegrating the white blood cells instantly.

“You really are…”

She said, looking at me like she couldn’t believe it.

Ignoring her, I grabbed the holy spear piercing her body with my bare hands and yanked it out.

“Bear with it.”

Puuuk!

“Aaagh!! You crazy bastard! Give me some warning next time!”

Lifting her despite her writhing in pain, I leapt into the air.

White blood cells scrambled over each other like ants crossing a river to reach us, but I wasn’t about to just watch.

Many of the white blood cells I’d just killed turned into wraiths and plunged into their ranks.

One by one.

As the wraiths bit and killed, I transformed more into undead, breaking apart their tightly bound formation like toppling a tower.

Even in the midst of this, the pure white goddess simply kept watching us.

As if to say—struggling is pointless.

If I had a powerful undead on hand, maybe I could’ve done something, but the ones here were all middling at best.

“Baril. A little gift.”

At my command, a massive dragon’s maw emerged from my shadow, jaws gaping wide before unleashing a blast of ultra-dense breath toward the pure white goddess.

KWAAAAAA!!!

But the fallen white blood cells surged forward like a self-made wall, blocking the breath before it could reach her.

I hadn’t expected much anyway.

Using the same trick I’d once used to tear open space, I ripped it open again and slipped away before they could reach my position.

* * *

Thrown into a jumble of overlapping spaces, I immediately asked Lispa Elde,

“Got anywhere to run?”

“No. The safest place… was already attacked. There’s nowhere in this space that’s safe anymore.”

“Then do we run?”

“…Honestly, we’ve achieved the goal of finding the traitor. I really didn’t want to believe it, but seeing it with my own eyes makes everything make sense. Someone with the power to break God’s seal… and willing to help an Outer God.”

She bit her lip.

“The Goddess of Life, Eve—consumed by an Outer God.”

“Didn’t you say she was dead?”

“I never saw it with my own eyes. And… looking at her now, it’s not simple possession. She’s completely corrupted. She can’t even be called the Goddess of Life anymore.”

While she fell silent, I scanned the surroundings.

If we returned now, her objective would be complete.

It was bitter news that the Goddess of Life was now an enemy, but it wasn’t like I could accomplish anything here right now anyway.

Still, that meant I wouldn’t be getting any reward for all my trouble.

“Let’s move. Do you see that sphere up there?”

Then Lispa Elde, who had been quiet, spoke.

“The last part you need is in one of those worlds. It might actually be safer to slip in quietly than to wander around, so let’s go there.”

“You sure about this?”

“A promise is a promise. Besides, Eve has sealed the gates of space. We couldn’t leave now even if we wanted to. I’ll make us a back door.”

“Hold on tight, then.”

Following her directions, I hurled us toward the place she indicated.

In an instant, the scenery shifted, and everything became clear to my eyes.

The first thing I saw was a ruined village in the style of the Eastern Continent.

Wooden buildings, beautiful tiled roofs.

A little different, but closely resembling Eastern architecture.

“This looks like the Eastern Continent. The roof style alone is at least five hundred years old.”

“There’s a survivor.”

From one corner of the ruined village came the scent of blood and the faintest sound of breathing.

“Wait. Did you forget what I told you? This is just showing us memories from that time. We can’t interfere, and we mustn’t. All we can do is watch.”

Ignoring her warning, I slowly headed toward the sound.

“The people here can’t see us. They can’t hear us, they can’t touch—”

“Haa… Haa… A person? Are you… a person?”

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“…Huh?”

To my surprise, the dying human recognized us.

I looked silently at Lispa Elde, and she averted her gaze.

“No… that’s impossible…”

Ignoring her flustered expression, I walked up to the man and quickly assessed his condition.

He was already fatally wounded.

In other words, there was no chance he’d survive.

It wasn’t like with Farell, where special conditions had made saving him possible, and there was no Luna here to heal him.

“Haa… ha ha… Did you perhaps see any other survivors?”

“No. They’re all dead.”

“Haa… so in the end, I couldn’t protect them.”

As he let out those calm but bitter words, I asked,

“Where are we?”

“What do you mean ‘where’? This is the territory of the Four Rivers Clan.”

The Four Rivers Clan?

Come to think of it, the great clans of the Eastern Continent had lasted for so long that they were practically like nations in their own right.

Judging by the surroundings, this must have been in the past.

“I am one of the candidates for young lord of the Four Rivers Clan. My name is Dan Ryeong.”

“Don’t talk. Your injuries are too severe.”

“No… I know it’s too late. That’s why I must say this. As a member of the Four Rivers Clan, which comforts the spirits of the dead, I do not fear death.”

I wondered if he knew his descendants would one day bring ruin to his clan.

No need to tell him.

“Just leave me. Miss, I’m already beyond saving. Even if you treat me, I wouldn’t live long.”

I turned my head to see Lispa Elde pulling out her lyra with a complicated expression.

“Physical healing isn’t my specialty.”

She put the instrument away without any hesitation.

“Heh… Could I trouble you for one request?”

“I’m not exactly free at the moment.”

“The clan will soon hold a branch gathering—a place where young elites compete in duels. I had planned to attend, but I couldn’t leave the common folk here, who were under threat from sinister men.”

He explained that he had stayed to protect the villagers instead of going to his own event.

The result was defeat.

He was dying, and the villagers he had tried to save had all been slaughtered.

“I can’t ask for much… but if this is buried in silence, more will die…”

He coughed up blood, then pulled a bloodstained nameplate from his robes and held it out.

“Please… go to the Four Rivers Clan and report what happened here. I beg you… so that no more innocent lives suffer. If those at the gathering join forces, they can stop the ones trying to cause a blood disaster…”

I felt no obligation—what happened had already happened, and I didn’t plan to get involved further.

But Lispa Elde, standing behind me, had an expression that was hard to ignore.

Perhaps it was because she had witnessed so many tragic deaths through her gift of empathy.

She looked as if she couldn’t bring herself to turn away.

“Didn’t you say we shouldn’t interfere?”

“I know… It’s just… just because. And… and there’s something strange about all this. It might be related to the key…”

An excuse as smooth as flowing water.

The “key” she mentioned was likely the last part I was still searching for.

Once I had it, I could finally prepare the gift I wanted to give Luna.

She probably realized it was a rather pathetic excuse, because she avoided my gaze.

I didn’t mind and took the nameplate.

“If I see them on the way, I’ll deliver it.”

“Thank you… I am… grate… ful… for the… ‘hero’… in your name…”

And with that, he breathed his last.

Lispa Elde slowly stepped forward, placed her hand on his head, and murmured,

“Though his spirit is gone, may he find rest.”

If Luna was strong in physical healing, then Lispa Elde had a surprising amount of skill in mental or spiritual healing.

Not enough to cure instantly like Luna, but effective nonetheless.

“Shall we go?”

“Yes… ugh…”

She agreed quietly, but then staggered in pain.

“Are you alright?”

“Sorry… The holy spear wound was pretty severe. I must look awful.”

“You’re lucky to even be alive.”

“I’m pretty tough.”

Given that she had a literal hole in her body and was still slowly recovering, that was an understatement.

Remarkably, the wound in her body was already starting to close.

“I don’t care if there’s no bleeding—you’re exhausted. Get back on my back.”

“I’ll trouble you again, then.”

As soon as she climbed onto my back, Lispa Elde buried her face in my shoulder.

“Feeling this powerless… it’s really not a pleasant feeling.”

“Powerlessness is never a good sign.”

“Aren’t you afraid? Eve is a goddess. The source of her power is the power of the Chief God.”

“When my opponent is strong, my first instinct is to find a way to win. I’m used to it.”

“That sounds like something only someone who’s spent a long time fighting the strong would say. You really are…”

She trailed off mid-sentence, as if too tired, and soon lost consciousness.

I quietly and discreetly left the village so as not to wake her, heading toward the massive city located below the forest.

Of course, I still intended to give Luna her gift… but I also couldn’t get that voice out of my mind—the one I’d heard when the Goddess of Life, Eve, attacked that day.

I didn’t know why.

It was just a certain instinct telling me I had to confirm it.

And so we entered the city, bustling with countless people coming and going—over 500 years in the past, when the Four Rivers Clan thrived.

I could see people staring blankly at Lispa Elde, still on my back.

Well, just as Luna had an overwhelming beauty, archangels were all blessed with striking looks.

Lispa Elde’s beauty was enough to make most men lose their composure instantly.

Come to think of it, Cheon Ryeong and Hwa Ryeong once told me this—

The Eastern Continent revered strength. Especially in the past, this tendency was even more extreme, to the point that “the strong make the rules” was practically a proverb.

Why bring this up?

Because whether in the past or now, even if things looked peaceful, the Eastern Continent was always one wrong look away from a knife fight breaking out.

And… that very mindset was going to be useful for what I had to do next.

“I’d better avoid drawing too much attention.”

With Lispa Elde sleeping soundly on my back, I slipped through less-crowded streets.

Then, in the distance, I spotted a building.

I hadn’t said it aloud, but Lispa Elde’s condition wasn’t good.

What she needed right now was energy—and I intended to let her absorb the kind found here.

“Food should do the trick.”

I remembered the fruit I’d picked up on the way here.

Just one bite had filled me with a kind of non-physical energy, the kind that would greatly aid her recovery.

There was an inn… but no money…

“Alright, stop hiding and come out.”

At my words, several rough-looking men stepped out from the dark alleyway, thick blades in hand.

And with that… the money problem was solved.

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