Turning Chapter 847

Chapter 847

The 'new world' he now muttered about was no different from the ramblings of a brainwashed individual.

The Star of Nagran seemed unlikely to change much from his previous life, a prediction that proved accurate, yet it still left a bitter taste. Of course, this wasn't out of sympathy for Nahan, who found himself in this situation.

"But not now, of course."

"...Haha...”

Close to death, Nahan laughed once more.

The faint shadows of illusions swirling around him amplified his laughter, echoing like in a cave. Yuder heard in these echoes the message Nahan was trying to convey.

-It's a pity. Since the first time I saw you, brother, I thought we were quite compatible in essence...

"Who's your brother? Shut up."

-If only you, brother had been on my side when we first met... Perhaps things would have been different.

Was this truly Nahan's innermost thought, or just meaningless babble from an illusion seen by him, half-exhausted, while Nahan was already dead? Though somewhat doubtful, Yuder murmured, his lips dry.

"I said it back then, but that won't happen."

—

Back then, Nahan had no qualms about killing non-Awakeners. Yuder vividly remembered the face that looked down on him with amusement, issuing pathetic orders to join him.

And Yuder always had only one response to such words.

"There's only one person who can give me orders."

Then, the overlapping laughter of the illusions, buzzing around, suddenly stopped.

-I really don't understand.

-It's strange.

-Are you satisfied with where you are now? Really?

-Even after all you've been through?

Yuder didn't respond. But the illusion kept murmuring.

-The illusion born from your mind never lies. It's about things that haven't happened yet, but you've experienced.

-Then, you must know things I don't, no, things unknown to anyone in this world. It means you're someone who knows the future.

“...”

-I've heard of such a being before... Yes, when I was a child.

-The wolf that bit death to death and returned... The prophet leading the stars.

‘...A wolf?'

Yuder blinked, his eyes hazy at the familiar word. When had he heard it? But before he could recall, the illusion started murmuring again, burying the thought.

-Brother, prophet. The answers you showed for the future were all horrific.

-Damned world. A world that has not improved at all, a world full of death.

-A world deserving destruction...

-So, I guess that's the true path this world would take.

-But why didn't you destroy it, knowing the answer? Why leave them be, not seeking vengeance?

-Do you believe in something like a divine will, something better than the future you know?

His ears were ringing. His head felt like it was about to split. He couldn't tell anymore if this was a conversation with Nahan or just his own internal questioning. Yuder, barely holding on, bit his lip and spoke.

“...What do I know about God? All this revenge, revenge... I don't need any of that.”

-Then?

-What do you need?

The illusion asked, and Yuder remained silent for a long time. In the distance, a vast, dark curtain was slowly being peeled away, revealing a faint light filtering through.

It meant that Kishiar and Gakane had correctly received the signal.

Then, they would soon be here, receiving that light, crossing through the darkness.

Though it hadn't happened yet, just imagining their return to him brought a sense of relief and calm to his mind.

To protect a world he knew was doomed might sound grand, but in truth, the reason was simple.

It was just because... there was a comrade who, trusting in the faint signal sent by Yuder, braved all dangers and hastened to his side.

Because he hoped they could continue to live that way.

Because there was someone who believed in his words, his truth, without any proof, someone who might be crazy or a liar.

Because he hoped that person would continue to walk with him.

Yuder, still wrapped in the gradually fading magic, said,

“The one who... believes in me, in my words.”

If such a person existed, then revenge or whatever else was not his concern.

That all-too-fragile belief was enough to assure him that this damned world might yet have another chance. It made him believe he could make it happen.

And indeed, the world had changed a lot compared to before.

Kishiar La Orr was alive and walking with him.

Wasn't that enough?

-Is that all?

“Yes."

-I can't understand. It's strange and weak hypocrisy.

“Who was it that lost to that strange and weak hypocrisy?”

-...

As Nahan’s surroundings, haunted by illusions, began to fade even more, the illusion murmured softly from behind the peeling curtain.

-...You said I was supposed to explode and die, yet why is death so long and persistent for me? Is death turning its back on me too?

Yuder knew the answer.

“I said to die agonizingly in an explosion or at the hands of another. Be glad you can just fade away and leave a corpse, because if you exploded, this entire area would be in chaos. This is the best outcome."

A rampage is when uncontrolled power surges uncontrollably. When the physical body reaches its limit, it bursts, and the power, with nowhere to go, explodes like a bomb, sweeping the surrounding area with tremendous damage before finally fading.

To handle it with minimal damage, the power of the rampaging Awakener must be drained as much as possible and lured to an uninhabited place for elimination.

Nahan's rampage was fortunately contained by Kishiar's timely intervention and Gakane's barrier, separating it from the outside world, and was greatly depleted in a confrontation with Yuder, an immensely powerful Awakener.

And finally, the pierced heart.

The sword did not strike the heart directly but a little lower, closer to the solar plexus, precisely cutting the flow of energy from the source of the Awakener's power.

It wasn't the initial intention, but the timing was perfect. Despite the immense rampage, it seemed he would somehow avoid exploding.

‘It's a fortunate thing…If he had exploded, I would have been the first to bear the brunt of it.’

Had that happened, the damage would have been several times greater. Although Yuder was confident of not losing to Nahan, avoiding the aftermath of an explosion was a different matter.

Yuder recalled cases of rampaging Awakeners who had failed to be properly subdued in his previous life, leaving tremendous aftermaths in their explosions. Had Kishiar known about those cases, he might not have retreated just on the word.

Anyway, despite having dealt with rampaging Awakeners for a long time, there had been few instances of subduing one as powerful as this perfectly. In that sense, Nahan was quite lucky.

He wouldn't think of it as luck, though...

Nahan's grey eyes, stained with bloody tears, looked at Yuder. The focus wasn't quite right, but Yuder met his gaze squarely.

He hadn't noticed before, but now he saw that those eyes were the same color as Myra's, and also Duke Herne's.

A strange feeling crept up on him.

As Yuder frowned, Nahan faintly moved his lips to speak.

"...Those black eyes. They resemble my brother."

"If you call me that again..."

Yuder growled like a wild beast, blood dripping down his chin, when suddenly a hand reached out from behind him and grasped his body.

Labored breathing, a distinct cool scent.

"...Yuder."

It was Kishiar. He had finally returned and supported Yuder in his arms.

Unable to think of anything else, Yuder relaxed the grip on his sword hilt he had barely managed to maintain. His body swayed and fell, and shouts from unknown people around him rang out.

"Yuder!"

"Ah...!"

Unbeknownst to him, most of the shadow curtain had already been withdrawn.

Voices of people filled the space where silence had been, along with a coldness he hadn't felt in a while, and something large hitting his hair...

‘...Sleet? Hail?'

Something was amiss. Sensing danger, his fading consciousness snapped back into focus.

Now was not the time to pass out comfortably.

Yuder struggled to turn his head to look at Kishiar.