Chapter. 20. Off-Road (14)
****
Ottman said. Memories are something that must be remembered, not heard.
‘Is this what it meant?’
Whoa!
=========
‘Hyde! My name is Hyde!’
=========
Something shapeless was shouting Hyde’s name
=========
‘Hmm. ‘Compared to other things, it’s low.’
=========
The voice of someone who participated in his naming ceremony without a location was also heard.
Another memory of the past flowing out from the cracked dam of memories.
It was probably the most important thing to him. Therefore, it is a memory that cannot be forgotten and serves as a starting point for other memories.
his name. Hyde.
And the one who first sang it.
“…Do you know me?”
Ouch!
His cracked voice came back and pierced through the memories that had just emerged.
know. But I don’t know.
Is he a warlord who entered my journey? Or is it someone in my memories who always walked around with a genuine smile on his face instead of that expressionless expression?
“Why… did you do that?”
I had to ask. Even though his entire body was screaming at the hostility of a being that was overwhelmingly stronger than him, the trigger of the gun aimed at him was about to be pulled, and it was clear that the water magician who entered this deep sea with his bare body would drown along with his broken diving equipment if he lifted a single finger. .
“Why did you go around killing so many people?”
His memories of looking down on the ruined city from the scorched walls of the castle, into a battlefield with dozens of knights and trains tangled together. The burning rock village and the feel of the shovel transformed Pablo’s old eyes again.
I don’t understand you.
If you are truly the person in my memories. For what reason did he become the current Warlord?
“Who are you? Next, why? “I’ve heard this at least once in every place I’ve visited.”
“who are you. Why do they come to us and attack us for no reason? Why is it that, as a plunderer, he does not covet wealth, as a ruler, he does not leave behind people to look down upon, and as a pleasure killer, he does not covet murder itself? “Why are your eyes filled with questions, even the regrets of life gone?”
.
.
.
.
It felt like there was a popping sound.
The Warlord’s face, which had been sinking without an expression, became distorted, and the calm ocean currents began to tangle in all directions.
‘What the hell is that…’
His expression, slightly revealed through the broken peace, was something that Hyde could not dare to guess.
“why. “Why do we have to kill people?”
“Why do you have to do that?”
“Is this really the only way?”
“why! Why me! “Why did I make that choice!”
The ocean current was rushing fiercely around him, as if representing the Warlord.
“I have asked myself more questions than all the people I have killed! why! Why was this the only way to find it? If only I had had a little more time and a chance to prepare a little more! If only there had been another way for the power to change the foundation of the world of Gedreutz’s game other than killing and absorbing everyone on this continent! “If there was even the slightest possibility, I would have hung on to it!”
“200 years! Even though we tried so hard to save everything, the world fell to this level in just 200 years! Do you know! “Amidst the anxiety that it might already be too late and the pressure that the world was fading away by the minute, I found myself conflicting over the only means that might be the worst or the lesser evil!”
The magician’s deep-rooted emotions that cause the nearby sea to run wild uncontrollably with just a small reveal.
“Everyone told me! Stop! Stop the senseless killing! stop! “Stop it!”
Sigh!
“The dead in my hands have already piled up to the size of the fragments of this arm. How can I get here? How can I go back! “I’ve already killed this many people, and I can’t even make excuses. The only atonement I can make is to finish the task as quickly as possible and free everyone!”
“You asked ‘Why?’ You will never understand my ‘why’! What I gave up to not give up on you, what agony I went through to do something that only I can do! “I will never understand!!”
“There is work to be done! “That’s the only answer I can give you!!!”
Kuwaaaaaaa!
In the end, the sea current heated up along with his emotions spread out like an explosion.
As I stepped on the deck holding my sword, I saw a warlord with bloodshot eyes, breathing hard, in the place where the spray had passed.
The Warlord, who had once become enraged as if he had burst a pouch on the verge of bursting, returned to his original calm state again.
“I… I guess I knew you. Seeing you so agitated and making excuses. “It seems like he’s ashamed of me, lost somewhere in his lost memories.”
“It seems like you don’t have the heart to pull out that sword either.”
….Slap!
Once again the gun was aimed at me. This time, without even the slightest wavering.
“Pull it out. “Killing an old acquaintance who didn’t take up a weapon might jeopardize what little ‘me’ I have left.”
I couldn’t pull it out. For some reason, his face, saying ‘I will not leave even a single person behind’, overlapped with the man in my memory.
“…Clothes are from the Teldrat region. When I’m done here, I’ll head to the old Teldrat region. And I plan to repeat what I did in Roderick. Some civilians may not die in order to preserve their memories, but the order has been postponed. “Everyone, without exception, will die.”
“If you don’t like it, you can just cut me here.”
but. It’s getting blurry. The traces of the man in my memory are in the enemy in front of me.
“you.”
“Do you have the will to do it?”
“….”
I tend to have good observation skills. Even if I’m not concentrating, even if an opponent’s fragmentary weapon that is much stronger than me is aimed at my head, I can still see small things.
“…There must have been a ship up here.”
The hem of his cloak.
Although it was a rag from the beginning, there was still one clear trace. A unique mark with a deep dent in the middle, as if it had been recently torn.
The Deep Blue Line is full of all kinds of aggressive marine life, and the route taken by the salvage ship Whale was no different.
=========
‘Captain. But why do you have to wield something like that as a weapon?’
‘Because it’s the best way to handle it? It works well too!’
‘No matter how well you use it, do you use common sense to wield a ship’s anchor?’
=========
The captain’s weapon was a ‘semi-anchor’ used to overcome high waves.
It is as destructive as its weight and requires great strength to handle.
When it is cut, a torn mark appears in the middle, like the hem of that cloak.
“What are you doing up there?”
Kiiiiing-!
The overcharged scabbard bloomed with the green mana of the dragon vein stone.
“….There are no exceptions.”
The Warlord answered.
His goal was incomprehensible, but it seemed to kill all intelligent beings in the world and become something.
The salvage ship Whale was exactly on the surface of the sea where we were, and the Warlord’s cloak bore the mark of the captain’s anchor.
The captain and the rest of the crew, except for Eggwill, faced the Warlord.
There were no exceptions.
He was a Warlord.
click.
“Grim Rock. Tarimus. Tuadal. Isena. Bymus. “These are the names of the five people on that boat.”
“I will forget. Except I have one task to remember. Even for those who died.”
This is what was going to happen in the end.
=========
‘Find him….’
‘Find him….’
.
.
.
.
.
“Kill me.”
=========
Find it.
In search of the Warlord. Kill it.
My hand didn’t come off, but that’s why I held on with even more strength.
“I forgot everything. Kill and forget. “I think I know why everyone hates the Shard Knight so much.”
The tears mixed with the sea shimmered like silk threads and became disheveled.
Is it coincidence or inevitable?
If you want to forget everything and remember one thing: duty. I am.
“Hyde, we reached this far by holding on to that one name!!!”
….crackle!
The green magic power that tore the past world into pieces from the sword that was held as if it would break.
Using the power of magic and mechanical devices, a huge arc was drawn along the tip of the sword.
A green arc that cuts through the darkness of the deep sea, far exceeding Hyde’s expectations.
“….okay. “You look alike.”
The Warlord’s muzzle spewed out sunset-colored magic towards it.
Cuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu
The entire deep blue line shook greatly for a moment. It is brightly lit with a mixture of green and sunset colors.
****
….Grrrrrrrrr.
I don’t know how long I’ve lost my mind, but it probably won’t be long.
‘Breath, breath…!’
If it had been that long, I would have already suffocated to death.
Looking around, I saw that the airship in the trench had been split in two and was sinking deeper along with the collapsed rocks of the valley.
‘Warlord… what happened to Warlord?’
I couldn’t tell anything because of the light from the explosion, but I knew one thing for sure.
‘I was still able to afford it even after receiving it.’
An incredible power that I have never wielded even once in my life or seen anyone else use.
However, before I lost consciousness, I saw the light emitted by the Warlord lightly canceling it out.
Kwa-kwa-kwang-!
And unless I heard wrong.
‘I can’t believe I can attack so many powerful attacks in one go.’
It was clearly a three-pointer. Even after blocking the attack of the Pasan Sword, two more bullets with the same power were fired towards me.
So how can I live and suffocate like this?
[Fortunately, it arrived on time.]
“….Boo-gurrrrrrrrr! Negative! “Ugh!”
[hmm? Oh, come to think of it, you can’t breathe underwater, right?]
Takak-
“Puh-haa! Hehehe, that’s hehehehe! Just look at it and you’ll see it! “You know!”
[No, I was hoping that if I just left it alone, my magical talent would sprout on its own. No matter what I say, you look like that guy.]
Ottman, the figure of an old man as translucent as water, joked at the sight of Hyde out of breath.
“What happened to that guy… Warlord?”
[He is a professor. This is not a guy who deserves to be called by that name.]
“But-”
[I parted the sea for a moment. Thanks to Aldarshax’s very rough play, I barely managed to time it.]
“Then that dragon….”
[….It would be nice if it went back to the flow, but maybe…. That poisonous snake-like thing. It would be better to think that it was in my hands.]
I couldn’t hide my shock at Otman’s appearance as he spoke of the dragon’s death.
A strike using the mana of the precious dragon vein stone, which is said to be only used in fragment weapons, was blocked in vain by the Passan Sword, which is known to be the strongest among magic tools in existence in terms of power.
It is also said that World, Warlord’s companion, fought and defeated a dragon who was almost like a demigod.
[Uhm…. There are a lot of things I want to tell you, but I don’t have time. The professor’s magic is growing like weeds on a summer day… There’s no time, so get to the surface right away. My magic will help you breathe until you reach the surface.]
“…When I leave. “After that.”
[What am I? I need to end the not-so-cute reunion with my cute student. No need to worry. It’s because I look like this, but it’s a part of the Last Spell, which is called a miracle of magic. Don’t worry, it will buy you a few minutes.]
A few minutes. This means that I will stand in their way just for a few minutes before I can escape to the surface.
In other words, the friendly old wizard I see now only has a few minutes left to live.
The dragon sacrificed his life to bring Otman back here, and
Otman said he would sacrifice his life for a few minutes for Mojiri, who could not even breathe underwater, to swim toward the surface.
Why does it revolve around me so much?
“If I go up… what can I do? There is no way that a half-sized Orunite could do anything to such transcendent beings…”
[You know. You can do it. It would be impossible for anyone in the world even if the Five Great Gods came back, but you can do it! Because you are Hyde, you can definitely do it!]
“Why on earth… why?”
[Possibility. Because I saw potential in you. Because you were the beginning! Hyde, your existence is more unusual than anyone else in this world! More unusual than the dragon, perhaps even more unusual than that professor! You were the beginning of change, you kept this world from completely tilting, and you were the only countercurrent against the current of the collapsing world!]
“Then you and the dragon throw your lives away when you have no certainty or plan for the future. You mean? Just because I remembered one name, Hyde?”
[That’s right, because the person who gave up five lives just for that is right in front of my eyes. That can happen.]
Talk.
Something flew from Otman’s fingertips and burrowed into his jacket pocket.
Grumbling.
As Otman waved his hand, the current began to pull me toward the surface.
why. Why does it have to end with everyone dying?
Why do all the stories in this world end in tragedy?
He waved his arms and legs, but Otman’s face was gradually moving away.
“I still have one more swing! Just let us fight together!”
[You can’t do that. If I do that, Aldarshax, who went through all the trouble to send it to you, will jump up and slap me.]
“The ship… The Warlord attacked our ship. The boat and the people there. Even if you climb up, you’ll just end up dying in the middle of the ocean!”
[….Is that guy like that? Do I say out of my mouth, ‘I destroyed the ship you were on and killed all the crew members?’]
….No way?
Otman, who had already become as small as a dot, was seen bending down and smiling.
[It’s a joke, it’s his specialty and habit. The difference between the outside and the inside is proof that there is hope left for us. Don’t I tell you? It’s not time for you two to meet yet. It’s too early.]
“Then…?”
[Now we’re just upstream. It means that you two still have a little more to go before you reach the end.]
In the distance, an alien white line could be seen dividing the blue sea.
White hair. World opened Otman’s barrier and entered Otman’s barrier with the Warlord.
[You’re still hot-tempered. Go, Hyde. Now that the dam has broken once and for all, all memories will return soon.]
“Otman! Ottoman!”
[The waves will lead you on your way…. When you bend far away and meet again-]
Rumbling-!
Bye!
“Puh-haa!”
“Ottoman? Otman! Ottoman!”
Otman’s voice has not been heard since he reached the surface in the blink of an eye.
Grumbling.
As I took a deep breath, I felt something small and hard in my chest.
This is what Otman gave me before we parted ways.
The blue jewel embedded in his chest, which now seems empty and has lost its light.
slam.
Shoot-
slap.
Wow –
the sea just rippled regularly, as if the tension just moments ago had been a lie.
I held Ottoman’s jewel in my hand.
‘It was entrusted.
I don’t agree with the Warlord’s crazy plan, but I understand when he says there’s no going back.
We’ve already left too much behind to take a step back. Let’s move
forward so we don’t let it all go to waste.
Where the waves lead.
To the place where my preparations, which may still remain, are scheduled.
slam.
Shoot-
slap.
Shoot,
the waves were crashing against something on the open sea.
ship.
Although it was half-broken, it was still recognizable as far as [Salvage Ship We-].
The salvage ship Whale covered in colorless and transparent crystals between two other completely destroyed ships nearby.
“Captain.”
One, two, three.
Although it’s not quite the five it should be, it’s still a popular three.
Hyde swam toward the salvage ship Whale with all his might.
****
