Book 9 Chapter 27

Chapter 226

“My luck is definitely heads… No, no, they must have thought of this too. That bow had such an ability, after all.”

This time, I will definitely kill him.

Earlier, I rushed to kill him and aimed for his side, but this time, I will aim precisely for his head, neck, or heart…

Just then, Rem grasped Serwebon tightly, and Serwebon retracted the vines that were covering his eyes.

‘Everything is felt.’

I can feel the bow being drawn onto the string.

Those muscles, those tendons, and the vibrations of the string being pulled, the vibrations emitted by the arrow.

Everything was felt and seen, so there was no need to open my eyes. In that state, I wove a magical arrow.

“How dare this brat…”

That greatly provoked Pell, who had always maintained a nonchalant attitude both before and after the duel began.

Was it because of his arrogant intent to block the most crucial sense for an archer, sight, and then shoot?

That was part of it, but the real reason lay elsewhere. It was because he had experienced this exact situation before.

- Are you that famous human Archmage?

The day he tasted defeat in archery for the first and last time.

Pell, whose pride was at its peak back then, had secretly infiltrated the training hall of the Drunken Master to shatter old legends.

As Pell drew an arrow to the string, the 90-year-old archmage took out a bow from the shelf. It was a common practice bow, roughly carved from yew wood.

- Let's see whose is superior, my innate luck or your skill accumulated over a lifetime.

The gold coin he had flipped before the fight came up heads five times in a row. Luck was clearly on my side.

In the first volley, the moment he was about to release the bowstring, his shoulder was pierced.

I made the first move, but an old man who could die at any moment was faster than I, who was in the prime of youth.

‘And he shot with his eyes closed.’

He instinctively knew that even before he could release that string, a second arrow would pierce his heart, neck, or anywhere else, killing him.

Is this what it means to have an overwhelming difference in skill that even luck cannot overcome?

But that guy stopped.

With the words, “I’m tired of killing now,” scrawled crookedly on the ground.

How insulting it was, the mere memory of it made his blood boil.

“Are you insulting me in the same way as that old man? Did you boast about that story to your descendants for generations?”

His mind changed.

I’ll kill him in one swift blow. So much so that he’ll feel self-loathing from the profound difference in skill.

A sinister poison swirled so densely on the arrow drawn to the bowstring that it was suffocating.

Its size was so massive that it was closer to a wedge than an arrow, and anything exposed to the poison emitted by that wedge melted away powerlessly.

‘I read the vibrations.’

At that moment, a brilliant pure blue light was also woven into an arrow on the bow of the White Frost Bow, Serwebon.

‘This is the world my ancestor saw.’

The vibrations of the arrow are visible.

The vibrations of the poison imbued in that arrow tell me what trajectory it will take to target me.

Thwang, Pell's bowstring rang first.

Even before the sound of the bowstring could be heard, the arrow of poison had already reached three steps in front of Rem, and the aftershock of the poison it released was melting everything around it.

Two steps ahead, just before reaching Rem, light exploded, and the arrow left Serwebon…

【The first volley of the old archmage.】

Was it just a coincidence that the moment a chillingly beautiful flash exploded, Pell's mind replayed his past defeat?

‘What—’

The vibration of the poisonous arrow, and the arrow of light that precisely pierced the weak point of that vibration.

As the arrow vanished, the poison, having lost its magical central axis, also crumbled. Like light swallowing darkness.

In the meantime, Pell had already fired his second and third curved shots.

As if a will resided within the light, the beam of light shifted its trajectory in various ways, swallowing the arrow and aiming its arrowhead back at Pell.

This was a fragment.

A partial manifestation of the Drunken Master's secret art, Cheonaengsal (Thousand Oriole Kill), which only those who achieve perfect harmony with Serwebon can use.

‘—is that what it is?’

Although he relied on luck, Pell had not solely used archery with luck.

He deftly moved his body with skill honed over decades, dodging the light beams and continuously firing arrows, but…

The light of the beam became so brilliant that it blocked his vision, and then, in the next moment, it pierced Pell’s body.

“…”

To an outsider, it would have seemed that the match ended the instant a flash erupted from Serwebon.

When the light cleared, the dazzling light arrow that had left Serwebon’s string had already created a gaping hole in Pell’s body and flown beyond.

It was easy to discern the path the arrow had taken. The ground, melted by poison, was purified, and countless new sprouts were growing there.

“Ah…”

As if just realizing his defeat, blood flowed profusely from Pell’s mouth.

“Today’s fortune is…”

The words he left before staggering once and collapsing were the same as on that day 200 years ago.

“Heads… it was…”

Only then did Rem open his eyes.

As he calmly opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath, his ice-cold body soon gave way at the knees.

Serwebon’s regenerative power had saved him from death, but it hadn’t completely healed his fatal wounds.

“Ugh, Ooh-syah-ah-ah-ah-ah!”

He let out a yell and thought.

I won, against the one called the foremost archer in the generation after Ancestor Kiese.

Of course, this victory wasn't achieved by his own strength alone. Just like his ancestor, he fought alongside Serwebon.

As Rem rested his head against Serwebon’s bow, trembling with the thrill of victory, Serwebon emitted a gentle light, as if encouraging a friend’s descendant.

‘Are Rain, Bart, and Gosul safe? Seeing that power weaken, it seems Valensidis somewhat succeeded…’

I have to go quickly.

But would going help?

Against that guy, the pillar of the Black Church, in this condition…

* * *

When he first arrived here, the raging power of fire that had fiercely enveloped the area had now weakened to that of a campfire.

“This Shalesarum has guided all that could be guided during the time the gods last permitted.”

That was Shalesarum’s fire of life.

That the fire was dying meant that even his last life, a fragment of his soul, was disappearing.

“Now is the time to go out into the world; go where you are needed and share your fire. Become the fire of the world.”

Now, the last remaining bit of power must be used to send this admirable and beloved nephew out into the world.

Even standing at the end of his long life, there was no regret on Shalesarum’s lips.

Was the somewhat wistful smile he wore born from the impending farewell with this nephew?

“You shall always bear this in mind and be mindful of your conduct.”

No.

It might not be such a simple emotion.

That child too had grown up like this child, raised to love the world and care for the weak…

“Aki knows, Uncle.”

As if to alleviate Shalesarum’s worries, his nephew, who perfectly resembled his sister’s smile, beamed brightly and held Shalesarum’s hand tightly.

“We are the fire of the world, so if fire loses its heat and light, what will warm and brighten the world?… That is what you always said!”

This child, yes, this child will truly become a great dragon.

The delusion that flashed in Shalesarum’s mind for a moment was one that could never be realized.

The hallucination of Alakish coming here with Akirea, and Elamas meeting them. Tears welled up in Shalesarum’s eyes.

“Go now. You have already delayed greatly.”

“There’s no need for that. This will be my last for me.”

“Aki doesn't understand what you mean!”

“But there is no need to grieve. My heart shall dwell in your soul and always be with you. Just as your mother’s.”

Shalesarum said his sad farewells and touched Aki’s forehead with his index finger.

Just as he had left in the distant past, entrusting his will to Elamas.

Elamas had wept then, pleading with Shalesarum not to go.

But the mission bestowed upon a true dragon was absolute, and Shalesarum had to leave Elamas behind…

How would this child react, would he react like Elamas? If so, if that happened…

Thwack.

At that moment, Aki clasped both hands and performed a respectful fist-and-palm salute.

“If I follow my master’s heart, wherever I go, I will be with my master.”

The etiquette learned from his first master, a posture shown to those one respects.

“So, if Aki acts according to Uncle’s words, Uncle will always be with Aki!”

Shalesarum could not hide the overflowing laughter from the depths of his soul.

‘That his spirit has grown significantly can be seen just by looking at his body, which transformed from an infant to a child, but this child always surprises me.’

Behind Aki, the phantom of Alakish, smiling contentedly, was visible. It must be the sincere joy emanating from a mother’s magic pearl.

In this very place, with Akirea’s magnificent words, did the siblings achieve a reunion after a millennium…

Alakish smiled and nodded, and Shalesarum opened his mouth.

“Since your heart has already reached the path of the dragon, what more can I teach you? Go now.”

As Shalesarum pressed his forehead against Aki’s, his body was enveloped in flames, then soared into the sky and vanished.

In this world, this world of souls that would soon collapse, only two people remained.

The eldest daughter and eldest son, reunited after over a thousand years. Shalesarum watched the sky where Akirea had disappeared and spoke.

“Not to mention myself, he seems destined to become a greater fire than my sister.”

“…”

“He will be a fire that warmly illuminates this world. Not just with his power, but with his heart as well. Many will see hope and find salvation in that fire…”

Perhaps at the end of his life, it was a vision created by a fervent wish.

Just as he thought he was talking to himself, Alakish placed a hand on Shalesarum’s shoulder.

And, as in the distant age of origin, she smiled gently.

“I pray that your daughter too will see that light and emerge from the darkness.”

That was the comfort and last wish Shalesarum had wanted to hear, and his sister’s eyes, which had read his very heart, were so warm.

Shalesarum lowered his head.

The old dragon wept, forgetting even the dignity of a true dragon, and Alakish patted Shalesarum’s shoulder.

Perhaps Shalesarum, too, found salvation from the light of the young dragon at the end of his life.

This too might be the benevolent providence that Karen’den had prepared for them.

Indeed, the will of the gods is unknowable and unfathomable to creation, but the feeling Shalesarum experienced before this world of souls vanished was…

“Thank you truly, sister. I can now finally return to the fire in peace. For I have entrusted all my heart and will to Akirea.”