NOVEL WEB Chapter 395
Chapter 396. If You Want to Die, You Live (1)
Hyperion asks to take Alisa back. Keter laughs but also feels a pang of sympathy.
‘I’ve been through the same with Kadia.’
Though it was only six months, she stuck to him like glue, trying to control every little thing. Keter felt like he was dying.
Since he helped fight the Grand Duke, he wanted to help Hyperion too, but Alisa was practically a stranger to him. How could he possibly separate her from Hyperion?
‘If it weren’t for this situation, I’d have stepped in already.’
Though he’s now forced to play the hero, Keter’s true nature is that of a Solver. How could he refuse such an interesting request involving an 8-star Irregular and a divorce from the Dragon Clan?
“Brother-in-law. I’ll do my best. But only if you fight with me till the end.”
“Hmm… Keter. It’s hard to say this, but I think our role ends here.”
The Grand Duke is being pushed back by the kings of various nations and the reinforcements gathered from across the world.
Keter and the Dawn Army have already fulfilled their duty. There’s no need for further sacrifice. That’s what Hyperion is saying.
Keter wanted to say, ‘The Grand Duke is our enemy, and so is the Empire,’ but he didn’t trust Hyperion’s intelligence enough for that.
‘If I tell Hyperion, he’ll probably start suspecting the Empire without any subtlety.’
So he dodged the issue.
“It’s not over just by capturing the Grand Duke. Who knows what will happen after that?”
“Ah, damn! Is that so? I’m not good with complicated stuff. Got it. Stay put, right?”
“This is bad.”
“Huh? What’s wrong?”
“If even you, who’s already strong, become this smart, what am I supposed to do?”
“What? Hahahaha!”
Keter, who never flattered anyone, praised Hyperion, making him blush but also grin from ear to ear.
“Since it’s come to this, let’s just drink and pass the time…”
Flash! Shudder!
Hyperion, holding a bottle, suddenly trembled. More precisely, the dragon tattoo on his chest began to glow.
Hyperion’s expression darkened rapidly. He put down the bottle and spoke in a hoarse voice.
“Alisa is calling me. Wait a bit. I’ll be back soon.”
Hyperion, who said he’d be back soon, never returned.
“It feels awkward to call you ‘Brother.’ Haha.”
Maknun, sitting across from Keter, scratches his head.
After ten years, Maknun has grown into a mature adult. But to Keter, he still looks like the same old Maknun.
“You’ve been through a lot.”
But Keter doesn’t pat his head like he used to. Instead, he grips Maknun’s shoulder tightly.
“I’ve been through hell.”
“How much bonus do I owe you? I’m going to go broke.”
“Brother. Are you okay?”
“With what?”
“The House of Sephira.”
“…Sigh, how could I be?”
Even if he looks fine, he’s not. The House of Sephira collapsed in an instant.
Of course, it’s not completely gone. What’s gone are the buildings and the people. The Lord Hisop, Anis, Taragon, and Gasilious, who joined the Dawn Army, survived.
But tens of thousands of Sephira people died, and even the reliable Endymion is gone.
“This is the worst feeling ever.”
All the effort put into the house, gone with a single gesture. It’s so futile and infuriating. Tears pour down, and rage threatens to consume his sanity.
But Keter knows. No matter what, the House of Sephira won’t come back.
You can’t bring the dead back to life. Unless you’re a god.
“Still, we need to finish what we started. We can cry later.”
“They might not all be dead. No matter how strong the Grand Duke is, how could he kill so many people across such a vast area with a single gesture? Plus, the 8-star Endymion and the Wind God, Arakir, were protecting them.”
“Maybe.”
Maknun changes the subject after Keter’s skeptical muttering.
“You must have noticed, Brother. All the nations’ forces are gathered here now. Anything could happen.”
“Luke already warned me. The Empire seems to have known this would happen.”
“Other nations have their own agendas, but none are as prepared as the Empire.”
“Good that you noticed. But can we prepare?”
“We can prepare, but I’m not sure if we can handle it. Half of the Dawn Army is dead, and the rest are injured and exhausted. They’ll need at least a month to recover. The Transcendent Beings might recover in two days, but honestly, there’s no guarantee nothing will happen in those two days.”
“What a mess we’re in, huh? How did we end up being the heroes saving the world?”
“You’re the one who said life is interesting because you never know what’s going to happen.”
“Heh heh heh.”
Keter chuckles briefly and downs the liquor Hyperion left behind. The cheap liquor, paired with despair, is sweeter and more bitter than anything else.
“Have a drink.”
“One drink won’t satisfy me. I’d rather not drink at all than drink unsatisfactorily.”
“Look at this guy? Showing off his confidence in drinking to me?”
“Let’s have a drinking contest someday. I’ll take the title of God of Liquor from you.”
“Sure, anytime.”
A drinking contest isn’t for now. It’s for later. But whether there will be a later for the two of them is uncertain. They just wanted to create one more reason to survive.
Maknun gets up and points to the door.
“You’re more popular than Ruquer. There are so many people waiting for you.”
“It’s proof that my charm isn’t limited to Ruquer.”
“I’m pretty famous too, though not as much as you. You’ll see someday.”
“You’ll be even more famous when you’re dead. Dead people’s art is more expensive, you know.”
“Hahaha.”
“Heh heh heh.”
The two laugh together for the first time in a long while.
After Maknun leaves, Hisop and Taragon enter.
Hisop is a mess. His body is wrapped in bandages, almost like a mummy. He can’t even move without help, so he came with Taragon.
“Keter, are you okay?”
“Don’t I look the most fine to you?”
“That’s why I’m worried.”
“…I’m not okay, but I’m okay.”
As Hisop said, Keter looks unharmed, but how could he be fine after dying and coming back to life hundreds of times?
It hurts. It hurts endlessly. His bones, muscles, organs, and soul scream for death.
Yet, he endures thanks to his transcendent mental strength and the blessings of all races.
“From your expression, I see our work isn’t done yet.”
Even with one eye bandaged, Hisop reads Keter’s expression at a glance. Keter scratches the back of his head.
“Is it that obvious?”
“It’s more strange to pretend it’s not. All the nations’ forces are gathered here.”
Keter hears the same thing three times in a short span. But he’s not tired of it.
“I don’t know what will happen. But something will happen. So, take the Dawn Army and leave this battlefield.”
“You’re not telling us to return to Sephira, are you?”
It seems the news that Sephira, their home, is gone hasn’t spread yet.
Keter hesitates. Should he tell Hisop what happened to Sephira? Is ignorance bliss, or is knowledge power?
‘Both are a pain.’
So Keter decides not to tell.
Of course, there’s another reason. Maknun’s words come to mind. Maybe there’s hope they’re safe. He doesn’t want to crush that hope.
“I’m not telling you to go back. Just stay within reach so you can rejoin anytime.”
“Got it. And don’t worry too much. The reinforcements are completely ignoring the Dawn Army.”
“Who would pay attention to a dying group of patients?”
Then, Taragon chimes in.
“We’re exploiting that weakness.”
“Exactly.”
Though it’s called a weakness, the Dawn Army is barely surviving. The Elixir ran out long ago due to the prolonged war, and there’s not even a potion left.
Though Keter has healing powers, healing tens of thousands would be counterproductive. He wants to do something, but honestly, there’s no way.
No, he doesn’t even have the will to do so. Because Sephira is different now. It’s no longer a group he must do something for.
‘They’ll manage on their own.’
Keter believes that and sends Hisop and Taragon away.
After Hisop and Taragon, other survivors come to have brief conversations with Keter. Not just Dawn Army survivors.
“You’re the Divine Archer of this country, right? You’ve been through a lot.”
A man who acts like a superior towards Keter introduces himself as one of the Empire’s seven Grand Dukes and boasts.
“The Empire will handle the rest. You don’t need to worry.”
“…….”
Keter crosses his arms and glares at the Duke. He can’t tell if the man is testing him or if he’s just another foolish noble.
‘Even if he is, the Empire is the strongest nation on earth. And a Duke is the highest nobility. He can’t be that stupid.’
Perhaps taking Keter’s silence as a positive sign, the Duke becomes even more arrogant.
“From your expression, you’ve grasped the situation. The Lilian Kingdom has fallen. Sephira has also suffered greatly. Our House of Halan will take in Sephira. They’ll be recognized as formal nobles of the Empire, and in return, you’ll serve me—”
Smash! Crash!
Keter smashes a liquor bottle on the Duke’s head and presses his temples.
“Just an idiot. Next!”
Keter kicks the unconscious Duke out and prepares to receive the next guest when—
Rumble!
A dragon’s roar echoes from outside.
The ground and sky seem to split as they shake. It’s natural for the heavens and earth to tremble during a battle of gods, but it’s not normal.
Right after the battle began, the Great Sorcerers erected a thick barrier to prevent the surroundings from being affected.
A barrier created by the combined efforts of the Great Sorcerers of various nations. Though it might not block a god’s direct attack, it can contain the aftermath.
But the roar and shaking breaking through the barrier suggest something extraordinary is happening.
“Damn it! It hasn’t even been a day!”
If the battle ends in less than half a day, the Dawn Army won’t have time to recover.
Thud!*
Keter bursts through the tent’s roof and flies towards the gods’ battlefield. As expected, the barrier created by the Great Sorcerers is shattered.
The sight of the magic circle, as thick as a city wall, breaking is spectacular, but there’s no time to admire it.
‘At least I have to stop the Grand Duke from doing something stupid.’
The Grand Duke won’t die easily. He might even fake his death.
Above all, Keter can’t trust the gods of other nations. At the very least, he wants to see with his own eyes how this ends.
The gods’ battlefield is a chaotic space, twisted by divine power clashes, making it impossible to observe with the naked eye.
But Keter’s eyes are special. The eyes of the Sephira bloodline, combined with the blessings of all races related to eyes, allow him to see beyond the veil.
Black pillars surround the Grand Duke, and chains wrapped around the pillars bind his entire body.
The Grand Duke is completely subdued. Beside him, four figures, presumably the gods of various nations, argue over him.
“I arrived first. So he’s mine.”
“Arrival is a physical concept. By that logic, I’ve been watching the Grand Duke for hundreds of years, so he should be mine.”
“Hoho, I delivered the final blow. You’re just spectators. How dare you claim him?”
“Let’s divide him into four.”
Keter feels suffocated watching them hesitate to finish off the Grand Duke.
“Just kill him!”
He understands the Grand Duke is powerless now. But the sight of him being helpless feels artificial to Keter.
But this is something only Keter, who has been by the Grand Duke’s side, can sense. The gods are confident they can handle any scheme the Grand Duke might have.
“This won’t do.”
He’ll kill him himself. Even Keter can kill the Grand Duke now.
Of course, a being like the Grand Duke can’t be killed physically. Even if killed, he’ll resurrect over time.
But kill him anyway. That’s the best option, Keter thinks, as he prepares to rush in—but someone blocks his path again. This time, Keter expected it. Someone would surely block him again.
‘Even if Hisop blocks me, I’ll ignore him and go.’
Having made up his mind, Keter tries to ignore the person blocking him and move forward—
“Keter.”
“……!”
The person only calls his name.
Hearing that voice, Keter stops. It’s a woman’s voice. One he’s never heard before. But it pierces his chest and soul.
He turns around.
A woman silently gazes at him.
Keter blinks twice and speaks.
“Akra?”
She slowly nods.