Chapter 643. What the Darkness Desires (4)
Sscrk.
A cruel sound.
Soon after, the stench of blood stung the nose.
A tightly clenched mouth released a voice, compressed with even deeper emotions.
“This kind of pathetic death… is this what you wanted?”
Elsidor gazed at the beasts, collapsed and bleeding.
At least level 1,000.
A named monster that no player could handle alone.
And yet, to Elsidor, who had been distant from the World Tree’s blessings,
these were merely ignorant creatures rushing in without knowing their opponent.
“Screech…”
Elsidor did not finish them off.
He simply left them behind and turned away.
Blood Elf.
Just as blood made them stronger,
it also heightened their aggressiveness.
But at this moment, Elsidor was too engulfed in a deep sense of betrayal to care about instincts.
Hiel.
The spirit that once claimed to be your alter ego,
the one who stood closest to you,
now proclaims itself as an incarnation of the World Tree
and openly defies your will.
‘Even so, I can understand.’
Elsidor had eyes to see.
Hiel had long been favored by the World Tree.
The extent of that blessing was enough
to subdue elves like himself,
even making dragons bow before it.
‘Perhaps it’s simply that they can’t resist the commands of the Mother.’
In that sense, what truly enraged Elsidor was another existence.
Elsidor recalled.
The Kingdom of Yusra—
the voice of an old knight who once greeted him.
-“Sir Elsidor, how do you feel today?”
-“Do you not feel like exchanging greetings today either?”
-“Even so, your expression is brighter than before. That is a relief.”
Back when he regarded humans as mere ‘insignificant beings.’
Back when his prejudice had not yet faded.
Aside from Hoyeol,
the only human who could hold a meaningful conversation with him was Harkon.
Of course.
-“You are quite something, old knight.”
Their conversations began with the clash of swords rather than words.
For an elf, sword aura was an unnecessary weapon.
With the blessings of the World Tree,
elves had no need for effort.
-“But unlike elves, we humans are born as mere weaklings, are we not? That is why we stake our lives at the brink of death, honing our skills ceaselessly. Of course, I could never reach your level.”
-“Your words are insolent, human.”
-“Hahaha, berate me even more! It will only drive me to greater heights in my swordsmanship!”
An arrogant human who didn’t know his place.
Elsidor had meant it sincerely.
Though he hadn’t shown it,
when he received Harkon’s sword aura,
he had suffered a minor fracture.
Elsidor bit his lip.
“…Even back then, I thought of him as a man who never knew satisfaction.”
Had Harkon truly betrayed Hoyeol?
He still couldn’t be sure.
Elsidor wasn’t one to easily gauge the depths of another’s heart.
That was why he wanted to confirm it.
He wanted to cross blades with Harkon,
hold his sword to his neck,
and force him to reveal his true feelings,
even if it meant threatening his life.
Elsidor muttered quietly.
“Do not disappoint me.”
Just as I, too, struggle to walk a different path from my past.
Suppressing his impulses,
Elsidor wiped the blood off his skin.
It was then—
“A young elf lost in contemplation.”
A foreign presence.
Though no figure had yet appeared,
an elf’s senses spoke the truth.
More precisely,
it was the voice itself that allowed Elsidor to deduce its owner.
A lung capacity far beyond that of a human.
An estimated ribcage of immense size.
Elsidor easily reached the answer.
“A filthy orc dares to utter my name?”
An orc.
Even if they were considered one of the greatest warrior races in Arcana,
that was only true for Arcana itself.
Separated from Arcana,
residing in Sisley,
an elf born as the child of the World Tree
possessed an entirely different class of physical ability.
There was no way an orc could overpower him.
Moreover.
“If I have offended you, I will offer my deepest apologies.”
Elves and orcs were naturally mismatched opponents.
Elsidor was a Blood Elf,
an elf specializing in combat.
And the orc that emerged from the bushes was—
“A mere merchant like myself could never stand against you.”
The former Ulrich of the Orc Auction.
Ulrich raised both hands in surrender,
but Elsidor did not withdraw his killing intent.
An orc should not have been able to track him down.
Elsidor quickly grasped the truth.
“You, too, have been blessed by the Mother.”
“As expected, you see through me in an instant…”
“From now on, answer only what I ask.”
Nod.
As befitting a master negotiator,
Ulrich did not provoke his opponent.
Elsidor scanned Ulrich.
Even if he had received the Mother’s blessing,
his power was trivial.
Elsidor spoke coldly.
“You are different from those mindless beasts.”
“I do not understand what you mean.”
“It means I will not let you live.”
For your sake,
I will leave no lingering threats.
Elsidor had long decided to follow Hoyeol from the shadows alongside Kinver.
It took only moments for him to deduce why Ulrich had revealed himself before him.
“Kinver, that piece of trash— No, my companion told me.
The orcs of the Orc Auction set foot in Claudi’s territory.
Apparently, you even planted the Blood Grown Lycoris Flower there.”
“…You knew everything?”
“And then, you vanished without a trace.”
Ulrich let out a low breath.
“Indeed. Because we dared to defy Claudi’s will.”
Screech.
Then this conversation was over.
There was no room for repentance.
Ulrich had already been blessed by the World Tree.
‘If you stand in his path, no matter the reason—’
No matter his intentions.
Elsidor had long since resolved to remove all obstacles.
Ulrich swallowed hard as Elsidor approached.
‘Truly, elves.
They call them living calamities, and they are not wrong.’
Yet, if he had intended to cower in fear,
he would never have revealed himself.
Ulrich awakened a long-buried instinct within him—
the primal sense of an orc.
“Hmph…!!”
And thanks to that—
Drip.
He managed to block Elsidor’s sword with his bare hands.
Even if he suffered a wound so deep that not even the blessing of the World Tree could heal it—
It was a relief.
“What are you in such a hurry for, young elf?”
“Next time, I will sever your head.”
“Is that so? Then allow me one final word as my last will.”
Step.
Elsidor stepped back for the final blow.
His resolute expression showed no intention of retracting his words.
Ulrich took a final breath.
‘Lord Grandfell, I have committed a great sin.’
No matter my intentions—
I have opposed you.
And for that,
I am about to lose my life to an elf.
However—
‘Even so, I cannot forsake my convictions.’
Ulrich finally spoke.
“Young elf, you must know this. The ‘Light’ and the ‘Darkness’ you serve are not the same.”
“How dare you claim to know that?”
“It is not my speculation. It is Pride’s.”
“Pride?”
“He is the one who protected the darkness— who watched over Lord Grandfell long before the Light ever did.”
“…!”
That was right.
Ulrich had learned the entire story through Pride.
That was why he had no choice but to rebel against the current decision.
“Do you really think Lord Grandfell chose to bear Claudi’s original sin once again out of his own will?
Do you truly believe that restoring the long-forgotten Claudi domain was his own intention?”
Ulrich was certain the answer was no.
-“Grandfell cannot possibly love that cursed Claudi family. He remembers everything—what happened to his mother and siblings because of him. And you’re telling me that same Grandfell suddenly decided to return to the Claudi family? That he willingly chose to become the head? No, the Grandfell I know would never do that…! Everything…!!”
Elsidor asked again.
“…The Light wanted this?”
Ulrich shook his head.
“Well, I cannot answer that question. However, whether the ‘Light’ and ‘Darkness’ each desire something different… We can simply watch and find out. Now that Light and Darkness are completely divided, it is up to us to decide who to follow.”
Srrng.
Until that moment,
Elsidor had no hesitation in cutting down Ulrich.
Hoyeol and Grandfell.
Light and Darkness.
He had never thought that the two desired different things.
‘That is precisely why even the Mother…’
Might be trying to prevent their reunion.
That was what he had secretly suspected.
However, Elsidor’s thoughts soon changed.
And it wasn’t just Elsidor.
“T-This can’t be!!”
The Evil Eye that had risen into the sky.
The dazzling silver radiance emanating from it was undeniably Claudi’s.
So in the end, you truly chose to bear Claudi’s original sin once more, Lord Grandfell…?
Just as Ulrich stumbled, his legs giving out beneath him—
“……!!”
An elf and an orc.
Different as they were, both of their instincts screamed a warning.
Something was creeping up their spines.
No doubt about it.
Negative Emotion.
The negative emotions of every remaining demon in Arcana was converging in a single direction.
Yes.
“…What in the world…”
Toward the ‘Source of All Evil’ that had appeared in the night sky.
Elsidor suddenly recalled.
He had once sought knowledge—
Solely to be of help to you.
-“Why are you suddenly asking about demons? You can hunt most demons with ease, can’t you? Ah, no! I wasn’t talking back, I was just curious!”
Back when a reentry into Hell was on the horizon.
To prepare himself against any demon he might face.
Elsidor had studied demonology.
And in the process, he had learned something.
『Demons grow stronger through negative emotions. However, the total amount of negative emotions in existence is fixed.
That is why demons never truly trust each other. It is also the reason why even Demon Kings and the Ten Thrones are never genuinely respected. Players need to exploit these demonic traits to attack the demons…』
Survival of the fittest.
The strongest demon devours all negative emotions for itself.
In Elsidor’s eyes, he could now see it clearly—
A supreme demon, swallowing all the negative emotions of Arcana.
Elsidor murmured.
“…Is this the true nature of the Darkness you followed, orc?”
Ulrich shook his head.
“No, Lord Grandfell would never wish for something like this…!!”
But once again, he couldn’t finish his sentence.
Thanks to the blessing of the World Tree,
he now understood what was happening.
“…The Arcana continent is in danger, young elf.”
“What kind of bullshit are you suddenly spouting?”
“T-The World Tree… The World Tree is in danger…!!”
At those words, Elsidor’s ears twitched.
“…Take me to the World Tree at once, you orc filth.”
*
read only on pindangscans
support me : https://ko-fi.com/pindangscans
*
Leasehearts followed the will of Grandfell, which resided within the Demonic Sword.
And eventually, he arrived.
So this was it.
Indeed, Grandfell, you are my son.
No.
You are Claudi itself.
Leasehearts cries out in joy.
“The great Claudi…!! Do you intend to devour the very Mother of all things, the Creator, so that you may truly become the ultimate evil?
Ah, I was a fool to believe I could ever grasp your grand vision.”
The Secret Garden of the World Tree.
There, to meet Leasehearts—
No, to face the will of Grandfell—
stood the incarnation of the World Tree.
“Grandfell Claudi Arpheus Romeo.”
At her call, the will of Grandfell, embedded within the demonic sword, spoke.
Yes.
It is all according to the arrangement.
-Hiel.
“I am not Hiel anym—”
-Wander no more.
The incarnation of the World Tree.
-Isn’t it enough that I am the only one who hurts him?
No—
Hiel’s focus returned.
“…My lord?”