Episode 344 Ballack (2)
Tudor and Bianca.
I looked at the two of them, who had grown up before I knew it, with a strange gaze that kept them out of the way.
“…”
Memories before returning came to mind.
The real inner thoughts of the two heroes who have been fighting each other for a lifetime were revealed in the ‘Fifth Battle’, when mankind was most on the defensive.
At the time, the great demon Amdusias, who was leading the Demonic Tree Corps, used the roots of numerous demonic beasts to hold back the human allies.
Among them, the monster that hindered mankind the most was, of course, the ‘Daylily of Blood’.
Growing in any terrain with water, these worst monsters were a great threat to human soldiers in battle, but many times more dangerous to those who lost the battle and retreated.
Bikir, too, was retreating with arrows stuck all over his body, and there was a moment when he waited only for death as his retreat was blocked by the river that swelled due to the sudden rain and the daylilies of the blood that were infesting everywhere.
The great hero who stepped forward in the immediate situation was ‘Usher for Bianca’ of the Usher family.
She fired a fiery arrow with all her strength, detonating all the bloody daylilies that had grown innumerable, and opened the last way for the survivors to escape.
However, Bianca herself, who saved countless soldiers, was caught in the root of the numerous daylilies and failed to escape.
……and. As she prepared to give up her life, the last shield that appeared in front of her was ‘Don Quixote La Mancha Tudor’.
‘Run away! Even you are in danger!’
‘……But how can you get away when you’re caught!’
‘Go! Go and ask for support!’
‘no! I can’t go!’
Like the previous conversation, the two heroes fought each other at that time as well.
And in the end, Tudor blocked the explosion with his whole body to save Bianca and the other survivors, and as a result, he lost his life.
Bianca survived while being held in the arms of a charred Tudor.
I still remember the blank expression she made when she was left alone.
The death of a man who had been regarded as a bad friend, a childhood friend, and a lover all his life.
An eternal farewell that we faced without being able to express our feelings honestly and even whisper love once.
No one who survived could open their mouths at the sight of Bianca sitting in her arms hugging Tudor in the rain and the shower pouring down on the land where everything was burned.
And Bikir watched the whole scene from behind.
‘…At that time, it was the point of view of the terminal soldier 1 watching the great heroes from afar’
But now, Tudor and Bianca are standing here.
Having met Amdusias, who separated them before returning, much earlier than planned.
And this time, the reliable veteran Bikir was guarding the front of the two.
‘Don’t worry. In this life, Amdusias will die by my hand.’
That way, Tudor and Bianca won’t face a tragic future.
Bikir sincerely hoped that would happen.
“Ah! Why didn’t you run away earlier! Go when you want to go!”
“I did it because I was hurt, why!”
“Then do better! You only grabbed my ankle!”
“It’s funny! It’s you who got caught by Bikir?”
“Did I get caught because I was weak!? Bikir is strong! And even if it was you, I got caught!”
“Are archers and spearmen the same? Really, you can’t beat one of them!”
“From now on, go when you really want to go.”
“It’s my heart!”
They will be able to confirm each other’s preciousness by continuing to touch each other like now.
Maybe together forever.
“…”
Bikir quietly stroked his chin.
Now is the time to calmly analyze the reality we are facing.
Bikir felt anew that Tudor and Bianca had changed a lot since he hadn’t seen them in a long time.
He grew taller, and his bones and muscles grew.
In the case of Tudor, his chin is thick and his voice is very low, so he looks mature.
Bianca has also changed her body shape in many ways.
Above all, the auras inside both of them had increased to an incomparable extent from before.
“…How long have you guys been on this floor?”
Bikir asked, and Tudor tilted his head.
“It seems like it’s been over a week since I came. It’s just a feeling.”
“To put it roughly, it’s like that. Calculating the sun rises and sets, it’s exactly the 2555th day as of today. Seven years.”
Bianca gave the correct answer.
It’s only been a week or so since I came to this floor, but seven years have passed in the time of this floor alone.
Tudor, who was always optimistic, said while hissing the spear on his back.
“Here, even if you train a little bit, it’s good to see the results of training all day long. Didn’t you achieve 7 years’ worth of results in one breath?”
“Can’t you think of getting old that fast instead?”
“How are you? You’re still young.”
“Oh, you burner. Do you know how much longer you will be confined to this floor…” ”
That’s a problem to think about when you go. The answer is to train hard now!”
At Bianca’s sharp words, Tudor only grins.
Bikir nodded.
As a result of their experiences earlier, Tudor and Bianca’s skills improved greatly.
It must have been the result of adapting to the harsh environment of the jungle and practicing without rest.
In addition, since time flowed like a flowing stream, the result would have been obtained that quickly.
‘This tower is not called the Tower of Opportunity for nothing.’
The ordeal thrown by the devil was obviously harsh, but humans have the ability to make the ordeal their foundation.
That is why, even before that terrifying destruction, humanity must have endured and survived to the end.
Then Tudor tapped Bikir on the shoulder.
“Come on, let’s go to the hideout. There are more friends for you to meet.”
“Who else is on this floor?”
“Sure. Don’t be surprised! Piggy and Sancho are together! Hahaha! You’ll probably pass out when you see him. Hey. We’ve gathered a lot of food too. Let’s have a barbecue party today!”
Tudor pushed Bikir on the back and headed into the thicket.
Looking forward to the tearful reunion to come in the future, with a smiling smile.
“That’s right. Sinclair was also with us on the previous stage… Well, the mission went a little bad, so I sent only Sinclair down. The other four of us fell into this forest because of a penalty or something. The daylilies in , didn’t attack as long as they didn’t get close to the water, so I managed to survive. Well, the real problem was ‘somewhere else’… hmm!?”
But Tudor couldn’t finish his words.
The blood and smile disappeared from his face.
That’s also true, because only ruins remained in the vast flatland beyond the thicket.
The hut, which seems to be made of stones and logs, is completely destroyed.
In what appeared to be a warehouse, burst sacks were rolling around, and grains and fruits were rolling around.
And in the center, two men were sitting with a dejected expression.
They grew a lot of beards and grew taller, but Bikir could recognize them at a glance.
Sancho and Piggy. The two guarding the hideout raised their heads towards Tudor and Bianca.
“……uh!?”
The powerless gaze of the two suddenly returned to life.
“Bikir!”
Sancho, now much taller, and Piggy, now quite grown-up, came running.
“How did Bikir get here!?”
“Did we become shipowners this time?”
The two couldn’t hide their joy and grabbed Bikir’s hand and shook it wildly.
Meanwhile, Tudor and Bianca looked around with serious expressions on their faces.
“…Is it ‘that guy’ thing?”
“All the food was stolen. While we were away for a while.”
Then Sancho nodded.
“I tried to fight on my own, but I was pushed too far. And the strength of each individual was superior to that side.
As if the battle had been quite intense, Sancho and Piggy were covered in wounds.
Tudor gnashed his teeth.
“Damn it. This is the ‘other problem’ I was talking about earlier. This one is much more of a headache than the bloody daylilies. I met Bikir after a long time, and he doesn’t look like a barbecue party.”
at that time.
Bikir found a strange thing.
It was the color of the blood flowing from Piggy’s wounds.
“Piggy. Is your blood originally black?”
“Huh? Ah, this was originally like this. Heck!? I’ve told you beforehand, but it’s not like you’re becoming a demon! It’s been like this since I was really young! Doctors said it’s because there’s a lot of iron in your blood… but Doesn’t it seem like it’s gotten a little thicker since coming into Naraksu?”
“Hmm.”
When Bikir was showing interest in something completely different, not food, Bianca, who had been investigating the damage, opened her mouth.
“Right now, that’s not important. All the food I’ve been collecting has been stolen. At this rate, let alone clearing the mission, there’s no food to eat tomorrow, so it’s a big deal… Not to mention a barbecue party.”
“What’s your mission?”
Bikir asked, and Tudor Sancho Piggy Bianca popped up the status window above their heads all at once.
< Mission > – Die and kill!
※ Each ship owner has a powerful power! Life is hard in the first place~
※ Recognized only when everyone clears the mission!
Apparently, Tudor Sancho Piggy Bianca was fighting the shipowners who had arrived earlier on this floor.
“Even we don’t know their identity. We assume they are barbarians, but it’s not certain.”
“It is certain that they are hostile to each other. They are competing for food with this side.”
“Everyone was incredibly fast and strong. All the food I’ve been collecting has been robbed.”
“They’re unusual in their bow skills. Maybe they’re comparable to the Archery of the Archbishop…”
Somehow, the power of the shipowners who came to attack this side seemed considerable.
Arrow marks deeply embedded in large rocks or thick logs proved this.
Holes pierced in a spiral shape round and round as if an enormous rotational force had been applied.
A sniper that came in from all directions regardless of front, back, left, right, and all directions.
And Bikir knew people who shot arrows in this way.
“……I have a guess.”
Bikir started walking in one direction, tracing the traces of the battle.
“Huh? If you go that way, it’s the domain of those shipowners, isn’t it?”
“A head-to-head match is dangerous, Bikir.”
“But strangely, I feel confident? Why?”
“That’s right. It was just the four of us until now. If Vikir joins us, we won’t know again!”
Tudor Sancho Piggy Bianca unknowingly followed such a Bikir and moved his steps.
Heading towards the headquarters of seasoned shipowners who must have lived on this floor for a very long time.
