Academy’s Genius Swordmaster

282. Savior (8)

#282

“I failed this time too. brother.”

said Abel. Like Cain, he was grown up and had the appearance of a young man in his twenties. In his well-trained hands, he held a longsword that was covered in blood and grease.

“brother?”

When there was no answer, Abel asked back. Cain and Abel’s faces, exposed to the intense light, were as hot as spear blades that had just been taken out of the mould. Cain, who was staring blankly at the front, muttered in a low voice.

“…I guess so.”

It was a hollow voice like a dusty chopping board. Dozens of mushroom clouds were blooming one after another on the horizon. Pillars of fire, dust and radioactive material looked like huge towers connecting the sky and the ground.

Fallout like volcanic ash fluttered down. When a mushroom loses its shape and scatters, new mushrooms grow from a short distance away, wiping out everything in the area.

The breath he inhaled tasted like iron. Cain clenched his fists in silence. He remembered all the names of cities and towns dissolving in flames.

“Now that I am awake, I can speak. While my brother was asleep, many countries sent troops. I thought he was going to bring me food, but he wasn’t. It was to steal his older brother’s ability. Do you know where the troops were most actively dispatched?”

“Is it the Dainhar Empire?”

“okay! It is the country that my brother cherished and loved so much. I even used my wish to prevent the destruction caused by natural disasters. What the hell is this like?”

Having said that, Abel plunged his sword into his feet. Kwajik! As the sharp blade penetrated the mechanism, sparks flew out. Soldiers armed with all kinds of heavy weapons and combat machines were piled up like a mountain at their feet.

It was an enemy that Abel cut down to protect Cain, who had all fallen asleep and was helpless. Cain did not answer this time either.

As Abel said, he had just woken up from a sleep of hundreds of years. It was the price to pay for preventing a supervolcano that would normally have wiped out most life on earth.

Kwaaaang-! Again a mushroom cloud rose above the location of the empire’s capital. In the end, again, mankind destroyed itself. Abel brushed his bangs and sighed.

“brother. Let’s stop now.”

Doing meaningless free service along with Cain was now the limit. No matter how many people you help. Even if they tried to revive civilization, they eventually faced a self-destructive ending. The silent Cain shook his head.

“Let’s start as soon as the explosion subsides. There will still be survivors in the bunker.”

“…Are you serious?”

“okay. Can’t we just leave it like this? In the place where the fire goes out, the buds are supposed to bloom again.”

Cain said. Since leaving his hometown, he has dedicated his life to the advancement of mankind. It was an action that started from the thought of how people could not let their precious ones go away.

To do so, war, disease and unintended accidents had to be eliminated. Cain thought that the answer could be found in a community called a nation. Abel sneered as if it were absurd.

“brother. Dainhar occupied 70% of the world and launched a ball of metal into space. How long do you think it will take to get back to that level?”

“It will be faster than now. We also have accumulated experience.”

Cain groaned. The Dyinhar Empire was the closest country to his utopia. They conquered most diseases, developed energy sources that did not harm the environment, and launched spacecraft.

They were the first to gather people from all over the world and hold a meeting. Cain was sure that his goal could be achieved if peace lasted only a few hundred years. Abel, who was scratching his head, opened his mouth.

“Don’t do that, listen bro. Because I have a better idea. I made an amazing discovery about 40 years ago.”

“A surprising discovery?”

“huh. It was last observed by Dainhar’s expedition. Would you like to see it?”

Having said that, Abel pulled out a small mechanism from his pocket. Inside the flat screen, a video of a city being destroyed was playing. Winged giants flew across the sky and threw spears of light at the ground.

The civilization, which seemed to have just reached the modern level, was unable to offer any resistance to the giants. People who looked like citizens were screaming and running away. The video ended with the giant throwing a spear at the expedition team that was filming.

“This…!”

Seeing the devastation, Cain sighed. He was undoubtedly a giant. It was the first time I had seen it since leaving my hometown in the distant past.

“Are you done? But the important thing is from now on.”

Abel tapped him with his elbow. At that time, the giants who had annihilated any life within sight suddenly spread their wings wide.

At the same time, a pale gas-like substance was extracted from the bodies of the victims and began to be sucked into the bodies of the giants. It wasn’t too hard to notice that it was a soul. Cain said.

“…Are they absorbing souls?”

“okay. From my personal research, it seems that their bodies are made of souls. By invading the planet where intelligent beings live and absorbing their souls, they increase their power.”

Abel laughed. He had already completed some research on giants. Abel’s eyes twinkled and he smirked, just like an excited child.

“This is the answer bro. We have to become higher beings. You have to throw off your passions along with your body and become an overwhelming predator and roam the sea of the stars.”

“The jokes have grown in just a few hundred years. Abel. Didn’t you mean to kill everyone on this planet?”

“What is it like? It’s just a procedure to reach paradise. It’s a world without the ephemeral deaths that you longed for.”

Abel spread his arms in protest. Another nuclear explosion cast a backlight behind him. It was the car Cain was about to answer.

“Oh, and there’s something I want to ask you.”

“hmm?”

“Me and my brother, why can we use the power of giants?”

In an instant, Cain’s face hardened. Raising his index finger, Abel concentrated his strength on the tip of his finger. Sparkling mana formed like dew, and a sphere made of the blessings of the stars was created.

“You…how did you…”

Cain’s eyes widened. What Abel was dealing with was undoubtedly the power of a giant. Could it be that you found him and drank his blood? It can’t be.

“Since the day I can write. The powers they use are the same as those of my brother and I. Which means we have something to do with giants.”

“…what do you want to say?”

“I mean, if you know the truth, please tell me. Unlike my older brother, I have no memory before I was 10 years old. What happened?”

Abel approached and grabbed his shoulders. Cain was breathing heavily without saying anything. Abel continued.

“We can do it bro. that it can make people better. You don’t have to go through this suffering any longer.”

“…It’s gotten weird. Abel.”

“no. What’s weird is my brother Looking at you, you seem to know something. Please tell me.”

“I don’t know anything. Even if I knew, I wouldn’t tell you.”

“Why the hell are you holding back? Speak quickly!”

Suddenly Abel shouted. In his eyes, a mixture of thousands of years of madness and rage pulsated. Power went into the hand holding both shoulders.

“You bastard…!”

I couldn’t stand it any longer. Cain closed his eyes tightly and threw a fist. Embarrassed, Abel drew his sword, but Cain’s fist was thrust right into the center of his face.

****

“So how did it go? Did you win?”

Ronan asked. There was a lot of talk about something shocking, but now the only thing that mattered was that Abel had been beaten up. The savior nodded.

“okay. After spending about a year in bed, he recovered to the level of his original life.”

“Hey, that’s it. He was a man who did it when he did it.”

“It was around that time that we became awkward. He never called me brother again.”

His voice was somber. Only then did Ronan understand why Abel, whom he had met in the image world, treated the savior like a superior. I hope something like that happened.

“Anyway…you can drink this. I’m glad it didn’t dry out completely.”

The savior, who was licking his lips, beckoned. His finger pointed to the stagnant pool beneath the giant’s feet.

The giant’s blood, which was so much that it could be used as a hot spring, was now so dry that not even a single bowl of it came out. Even that, Ronan cut the heart of a giant with a sword and squeezed it out.

“If I drink this, will all my curses be lifted?”

“If you go through the ceremony, that is. Five won’t do it all at once, but it will gradually disappear in a quick time.”

“…I see.”

Ronan got down on one knee in front of the puddle. His own face was visible through the glistening blood. No matter how many times he looked, he resembled a savior. Ronan, who suddenly looked down at the puddle, said without turning his head.

“I must say this. You are wrong.”

“what?”

“Humans are not animals that live as babies all their lives. I agree with the Abel son of a bitch when he insists on letting them grow on their own. I’m sure my father would have helped me to make faster progress, but I wouldn’t have to have to.”

Ronan’s voice echoed through the pit. The savior raised his eyebrows.

“Suddenly, that…what are you talking about?”

“Even if I drink this and regain my strength, I will not live like my father. My calling ends with killing those bald heads and rescuing my sister.”

“You…”

The savior’s face hardened. After being silent for a while, he opened his mouth.

“Yes… How you live after breaking the curse is definitely up to you. But I can’t agree that I’m wrong. Have you ever lost everything that supported your life in an instant? Have you ever felt that hopelessness?”

voice was trembling. I never expected that my son would deny me his ideology. Ronan calmly shook his head.

“there is.”

“what?”

“There is. I have lost everything.”

Ronan turned his head. The savior who met his eyes flinched. The sunset-colored eyes that looked just like the sunken self were not telling lies.

Ronan still remembered it clearly. The day when three giants descended from the sky. The moment when the army in which the older sister loved her hometown was annihilated.

The end of the first life was miserable. The savior asked Ronan.

“…Then why are you resisting? that you just have to let go. As Abel intended, all life on this planet should be allowed to be absorbed by the giant.”

“This uncle is really. You can’t compare that to this. It’s quite different when animals living in the jungle fight to their death among themselves and when a poacher suddenly appears and sweeps them away.”

Ronan, who concluded the speech, smiled proudly. It was an appropriate analogy for him to think of. The savior, lost for words, twisted his lips.

“And I think you are misunderstanding something, but I am not encouraging neglect. I mean, don’t treat people like kids.”

“Treat me like a child…”

“I believe that people are stronger than you think. With such overprotectiveness, you will never be able to reach the utopia your father dreams of. The intentions were good, but the direction was wrong.”

Ronan’s voice was full of conviction. A heavy silence fell. The salivating savior barely opened his mouth.

“Then what are you saying you want me to do…?”

“Is there anything special?”

Ronan dragged his horse by the tail. The days he had passed through two lives passed through his mind like a kaleidoscope. He closed his eyes once, then opened them and smiled.

“You just have to believe. People’s potential.”

Ronan looked back again. He put his hands together to draw blood and brought it to his mouth. The blue fluid that started it all flowed gently down Ronan’s throat.