Chapter 228 [Hollow Town] [10] [Talk with El]
Chapter 228 [Hollow Town] [10] [Talk with El]
"What dost thou want?"
A soft whisper echoed in my ear, making my heartbeat drop.
I turned back.
The bull was gone, and in its place stood a tall man.
Taller than anyone I had ever seen.
He wore a vintage black suit that fit perfectly on his body, his skin shining like bronze, the chest part open where a reddish flame burned.
A blurry weapon lodged on the side of his ribs, and even when I focused, I couldn't see it clearly.
My gaze slowly moved up to his face, which, unlike a human's, was that of a bull.
The Oak tree morphed, turning into a blazing throne.
The man sat down, his eyes filled with boredom as he looked at me.
"You finally showed yourself, huh?" Getting a hold of my emotions, I said calmly as I took my previous seat.
He didn't reply but just looked down at me, and because of the height difference, I had to look up.
"What dost thou—"
"I know you can talk normally," I cut in, looking at him, "So spare me the old accent."
A suffocating pressure fell on my shoulders, making me grunt in pain.
"Do you even know who I am, you puny mortal?" He whispered, his voice heavy and drumming in my ears.
"Who doesn't know about the Dark Trinity?" I replied, slowly adjusting to the pressure, "And who doesn't recognize you, God Molech."
The burning feeling in my chest slowly subsided as he retracted his pressure.
"...And yet you aren't bowing down." He whispered softly, "...Tell me, mortal, don't you know fear?"
"I would fear the real you." I replied calmly, without showing much emotion, "...Not the current you, who is just one-sixth of the whole."
Molech.
Call him a genius or a madman, but he is one of the few gods who split himself into six different beings so he could remain in the mortal world.
All six of them hold power akin to the strongest demigod.
...And all of them grow separately.
"I am still capable of obliterating your entire family." He snorted, his pitch-black eyes glaring at me.
I stopped myself from laughing at his words.
I can't be that disrespectful to a demigod.
Not now.
"Of course you can." I replied, nodding.
He snorted again as his gaze moved toward the frozen children, "Did you know they were fake?" He asked.
"No, I killed them because they were annoying." I replied, glancing at the children as well.
"What do you want?" He asked, his voice serious.
"Are you planning to use Anant's divinity to heal yourself?" I asked, feeling the killing intent radiating from him, "...To bring back the part you lost against Ragnar?"
His killing intent exploded, pressing on me from all directions.
I drew in a deep breath to avoid crawling back in fear.
I would lose if I did that.
Don't show fear.
Never.
"Are you going to stop me?" He asked venomously, looking down at me.
"No." I shook my head, "...I don't care about that, do whatever you want."
His killing intent slowly retracted.
"Why?" He asked, curious.
"I didn't come here with the intention of saving anyone." I replied, looking at him, "Kill anyone you want, or the entire town. I just want you to spare two of them."
"The maiden is one of them?" He asked, and I sighed.
A part of him is stuck in hell.
Killing Arianell would basically open the gate of hell for 'him' to come back to this world.
It's over.
"Yes."
"I refuse." He replied as he stood up from his burning throne, "...The moment they entered this town, they were already dead."
"I'm only asking you to leave just the three of us."
"Just wait for your death, boy." He replied, walking past me, "You and the entire town will be my nourishment."
I looked down as the sound of his footsteps echoed behind me, walking toward the forest until I couldn't hear it anymore.
"Sigh…"
I let out a tired sigh as I took out my phone and dialed a number.
...My mother's number.
I stared at the number for a while without doing anything.
"Hahaha." I laughed, looking up at the sky, "...I got played again, huh?"
She tricked me once again.
And now, I can either die or use my last wish that she granted me.
'Did she plan everything?' I couldn't help but wonder.
How much did she know to come up with this plan?
Molech's location, his plans, Anant's divinity?
Or maybe everything?
"She is terrifying." I whispered as I closed my phone.
[What are you doing?]
"If she wants me to use my wish, then I'm not doing it." I replied as I stood up.
[Then how are you going to save yourself?] n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
"I'm summoning my daughter." I replied, stretching my body, "I should be able to now."
There's one thing my mother doesn't know but I do.
...That's the future.
And even if she can somehow predict that, she can't predict my blessing's ability.
[Have you gone mad? She will kill the whole town.]
"Come on, man." I scoffed, turning toward the forest, "You're underestimating her; she will kill the whole city."
[Sigh.]
His sigh echoed in my head before the world around me turned gray.
"Hmm?"
I glanced around, only to notice that everything around me had stopped.
As if time had—
"Why are you doing it?" I turned toward the sound.
An otherworldly handsome man with long pristine white hair stood there.
His eyes were closed while he wore a simple robe.
"El?" I whispered, and he nodded.
"You are my blessing's holder now." He said, walking closer, "We can interact like this once in a while."
"How does this work?" I asked, curiously looking around.
"First, answer me." He said, his voice serious, "Why?"
"It's nothin—"
"You don't have to lie."
I drew in a deep breath as I cocked my head to looked at him.
A sense of burden slowly crept in.
"Oliver." I replied, rubbing my temples, "...He asked me to keep Aimar safe."
And I brought him here.
Into the mouth of danger.
"I don't want him to die as well, El." I confessed, looking at him, "I will protect him no matter how low I have to go for that."
He 'looked' deeply into my eyes before he slowly nodded.
"What about Arianell?" He asked, his voice a little strange, "Are you not doing it for her?"
I shrugged, not replying to his words.
Honestly, I don't know if I would do the same for her.
"What will happen to you if you summon her?" He asked, walking closer.
"...I'll be half-dead." I replied, shuddering, "Honestly, with my current body, I can only summon her twice before I die."
"...I see." He replied, his voice heavy, "...Can you tell me about Molech? What happened in your game?"
"Two of his six beings attacked the world tree thirteen years ago." I replied, recalling the events,
"...Ragnar was able to kill one and injure the other, and that Molech went missing until the end of the second game and he was here all this time."
El nodded, his expression thoughtful.
"You recognize that weapon lodged in his ribs, don't you?" He asked, looking at me.
I nodded, replying, "That's Ragnar's weapon, or to be more precise—"
"Sabaoth's weapon." El completed my words.
I nodded as he fell into deep thought again.
"Anyway, can you let me out?" I asked, preparing myself, "I should take care of him before he fully heals."
"No." He replied, shaking his head, "...You will not summon her."
"Why?" I frowned, tilting my head in confusion.
"I will take care of him." He replied as he 'looked' at me.
My chest clenched as I heard him. "You can do that?"
"He isn't that powerful." He replied, shrugging, "And he's already injured."
I nodded in response as I looked at him.
"By the way, why aren't you opening your eyes?" I asked curiously.
"They hold divinity." El replied, pointing to his eyes, "And the moment I use my divinity, you will become the most wanted man in this world."
I shuddered at the thought.
"Go back to the town." He replied as he turned around.
"El." I called out, and he 'glanced' back.
"Yes?"
"I can trust you, right?" I asked, my voice coming out rigid.
"You can." He replied with a slight nod.
Drawing in a deep breath, I asked the question that had been bugging my mind, "...You could save Oliver, right?"
A silence followed.
"...No." He replied, and I felt my heart clench.
"I see." I whispered weakly, nodding.
Without saying anything further, I turned to walk away.
"Azariah." His voice made me halt.
"Yeah?"
"Sabaoth's weapon." He said as the world around us resumed, "Make it yours."