Chapter 381: A Future Without Me (9)
Misteltein: even the gods didn’t know who had created it, but one certain thing was that it was an arrow that could kill gods. The Heavenly Venerable had seen the God of Fate being struck down by it.
Worse still, the concept that the destroyed god possessed became something that could no longer interfere with the world. Even if time were rewound, the concept itself had been erased, so no matter how far back one turned time, the fact of its destruction would not change.
That should have been sealed…
The gods wouldn’t have left that kind of dangerous arrow alone. Gods who could barely cooperate had joined forces for the first—and last—time just to seal Misteltein. Even high gods like the Heavenly Venerable couldn’t touch it due to the powerful seal placed upon it. And yet, Keter had taken it out.
To be sure, the Heavenly Venerable tested him. “Do you even know what kind of arrow that is?”
“I’ll find out if I stab you with it.”
When Keter made a motion as if he were about to throw it, the Heavenly Venerable hurriedly said, “Wait. If you fire that arrow, you’ll die too.”
“I know, but you said it yourself: I’m something special. Dying a couple of times should be fine, right?”
“That’s impossible. Even the God of Creation—the very foundation of the world—died after firing that arrow.”
“Last chance for you to answer my question. If I kill Akrah, what are you gods planning to do with me afterward?”
“We would acknowledge you as the God of Humanity. You would become our equal.”
“Bullshit. Doesn’t matter who came first—humans or gods. It’s all the same. People don’t leave alone what they fear. They either destroy it or try to control it.”
“Then, after killing Akrah, we will turn you back into a human. That way, we won’t have to fear you, and you can reign as a god among humans.”
“Are you joking, or just shameless? Either way, you’ll try to get rid of me. My very existence is a thorn in your side.”
Crack!
The table split apart on its own. It seemed like the Heavenly Venerable’s pride had been struck as well, as the clocks all around them began to explode.
Amid the bursting clocks, he said, “That may be true, but it would still be better to accept my cooperation than Akrah’s. At least we won’t try to kill you immediately.”
“Now you’re showing your true colors. And why do I have to choose between siding with Akrah or with you in the first place?”
“If you accept my offer, you’ll have both allies and enemies. If you refuse… you’ll have nothing but enemies.”
Keter was like the grass being stomped on by fighting elephants; no matter which side he chose, his life would be in danger. If he had to pick the lesser evil, though, the Heavenly Venerable was the better option.
However, Keter didn’t see himself as grass.
“You sure you’re okay with that? If you threaten me here, I’ll take you out first,” Keter said.
He was a lion. Keter was a predator capable of tearing whales apart.
With no intention of continuing the conversation, he set Misteltein on his bow and drew the string back.
“Choose. Send me to the eighth floor… or get a taste of Misteltein.”
Faced with Keter’s threat, the Heavenly Venerable didn’t hesitate.
Clap!
The ground collapsed beneath Keter, swallowing him whole.
“Get lost, you lunatic.”
Keter thought he had escaped easily, but there was no way the Heavenly Venerable would simply let him go after rejecting his offer.
* * *
In Sefira’s office, Hissop was at work as usual. However, something about him was different. Strands of gray hair had begun to appear here and there, and deep lines were etched beneath his nose.
There was also a large scar on the back of his hand. It was fully healed and only left a mark, showing that it hadn’t appeared overnight.
Knock, knock.
Someone was at the door, but Hissop didn’t react, as if he hadn’t heard it at all. Even without permission, the door opened. Only then did Hissop turn his head toward the person who entered.
“Captain Navakin… did I miss the knocking again?”
Navakin, once just an ordinary knight, was now called a captain. The man who always seemed rushed now spoke with an air of composure.
“I must have knocked dozens of times.”
The same man who once found Hissop intimidating now even joked. Hissop gave a faint smile and gestured for him to sit, but Navakin declined.
“That’s alright, my lord. I only came to deliver some good news.”
At the mention of good news, Hissop’s eyes widened.
“Has Keter returned?”
Navakin had heard that question hundreds of times by now. At first, he felt apologetic. Now, he only felt pity.
“We’ve captured Skull Mountain, which had been causing us trouble. Everyone worked hard, but especially the commander of the Sacred Order of Sefira. Prince Rakan has awarded him a count title and plans to celebrate in his honor.”
“I see… Skull Mountain, finally… Is Anis safe?”
The commander of the Sacred Order of Sefira referred to Anis. Though Anis had been critically injured during the battle and was in serious condition, Navakin downplayed it, as per his request.
“He’s resting, but it didn’t seem too serious. He should recover soon.”
“Phew, that’s a relief, or maybe not. Now that the road to the capital is open… the Demon King Rukan won’t stay quiet.”
Rukan, once known as the crown prince, was now called the Demon King by the entire world.
“The world’s strongest figures are all watching his movements. If he acted, they would act as well. There’s no need to worry too much.”
“How could I not worry? My father is among them.”
Lucan was so powerful that Transcendentals from all over the world had joined forces, and among them was Besil, Sefira’s former patriarch.
The old Navakin would have panicked at this kind of mistake, but the current Navakin replied smoothly, “That’s exactly why you can rest easy. If Elder Besil weren’t there, then I’d be worried.”
Because Besil was there, they could win.
At Navakin’s words, Hissop couldn’t help but laugh. “You’ve changed a lot. You sound just like Keter.”
At the mention of Keter, Navakin glanced around before speaking carefully.
“My lord, it’s been ten years since Keter disappeared. We’ve kept watch across the world since then, but there hasn’t been a single trace of him. So perhaps it’s time we…”
Slap!
Before he could finish, Hissop struck him across the face. With a blank expression, Hissop pointed to the door.
“Keter hasn’t given up on us. How could we give up on him? If you’re going to say something like that, leave.”
“…My apologies.”
After Navakin left, Hissop calmly returned to his seat, but his thoughts were in disarray. He couldn’t continue working.
Creaaak.
Leaning back, Hissop opened a drawer. It was so stiff, making it clear that it hadn’t been opened in a long time.
Inside was a cigarette. It was made crudely and from cheap materials. It was one he had made himself.
“I held out for seven years.”
With the cigarette in his mouth, Hissop recalled when he first started smoking. When Keter hadn’t returned even after two years, Hissop had suffered from severe anxiety, hallucinations, insomnia, and auditory disturbances.
At that time, Daat, Sefira’s strategist, had recommended smoking.
“Big Brother said that if things ever become so painful you wish you were dead, try this.”
Keter never returned, but Daat remained in Sefira, and that was a great help to both Hissop and the Sefira alliance.
Though he usually kept a low profile, Daat was always the first to step forward in times of crisis. And whenever he did, the worst was somehow avoided.
Hissop used smoking to suppress both the stress of war and the anxiety caused by Keter’s absence. The anxiety eased, but his health deteriorated rapidly, eventually to the point of coughing up blood. Even then, Hissop refused to quit, until Daat said one thing.
“If you die meaninglessly like this… what will you do when Big Brother returns?”
He couldn’t die when Keter hadn’t come back yet. By then, most people believed Keter was dead, so Hissop steadied himself. Even if no one else remembered, he would not forget. He endured like that for seven years, but after his conversation with Navakin, something inside him cracked.
Even the civil war, even when Rukan, now a monster, declared war on the entire world—none of it weighed on him as heavily as the thought that Keter might be dead.
I’m sorry that I even doubted you might be dead.
They weren’t real brothers, but perhaps Hissop felt even more guilt because of that.
You gave everything for us, and we couldn’t do anything for you.
He knew Keter had gone to Liqueur and that he had descended underground. Everyone had wanted to go down and help him, but they couldn’t because the underground of Liqueur had collapsed. No one could go down anymore, which also meant no one could come back up.
From that moment on, Keter might as well have been gone forever, and yet no one gave up easily. That was precisely because it was Keter. However, as the war grew harsher, people became exhausted. And gradually, Keter began to fade from their memories.
Hissop picked up a document and sighed.
“No news from Daat either.”
Daat had stayed in Sefira for seven years before disappearing one day, leaving only a note.
—Something urgent came up. I’ll be going.
Some cursed him for it, saying that since Keter was gone, he had no reason to stay. Rumors even spread that he had betrayed them, especially as Rukan began overwhelming the alliance.
Hissop suppressed those baseless rumors, but even he felt the loss.
“Everything is in place, but something important is missing.”
He knew exactly what it was: Keter and Daat.
Everyone believed the world alliance would win, but Hissop felt uneasy, not about the Demon King, but about what came after.
The kingdom had split into four factions due to the civil war: Lerkin, the king consort; Rukan, the crown prince; Rakan, the second prince; and Sefira of the south.
Before Keter left, three factions had united to defeat Rukan. They had agreed on how to divide the land afterward.
But now everything had changed. Countries from all over the world had joined the war to punish Rukan, stationing massive armies in the kingdom. Would they leave quietly after Lucan was defeated? Of course not. They would stay, claim rights, and assert their power.
Seeing that inevitable future, Hissop felt despair.
At this rate, the war won’t end until I die of old age.
That was why he longed for Keter even more. Keter had always been the one to cut through situations like this.
“…Hah.”
With a sigh, Hissop set down the cigarette and picked up his pen again.
“Nothing changes from fantasies alone.”
The gloom in his eyes faded, replaced with determination. Whenever he thought of Keter, he felt the urge to rely on him, but he also remembered Keter’s words.
“If you give up, that’s the end.”
Hissop didn’t remember the exact wording, but he repeated it like a mantra whenever he felt like giving up.
He erased the concept of giving up from his heart once more. Keter was going to come back, but if they had to rely on him alone when he returned, it would be a disgrace to the Sefira name.
“We’ll prove that Sefira is strong even without you.”
Hissop firmly believed that was what Keter truly wanted.
