282. Savior (8)
#282
“I failed again this time. brother.”
Abel said. Like Cain, he was a grown man and had the appearance of a young man in his twenties. In his well-trained hands, he held a long sword covered in blood and oil.
“brother?”
When there was no answer, Abel asked again. Cain and Abel’s faces, exposed to the intense light, were as hot as spear blades that had just been taken out of the mold. Cain, who was staring blankly ahead, muttered softly.
“···I guess so.”
The voice was as empty as a dusty cutting board. Dozens of mushroom clouds were blooming one after another on the horizon. The pillar made of fire, dust, and radioactive materials looked like a huge tower connecting heaven and earth.
Fallout like volcanic ash was fluttering down. When one mushroom loses its shape and scatters, new mushrooms grow a short distance away and wipe out everything in the area.
My breath tasted like iron. Cain clenched his fists in silence. He remembered the names of all the cities and villages disintegrating in the flames.
“Now that you’re awake, you can talk. While his brother was sleeping, he sent troops from many countries. I thought they were going to provide me with food, but they said no. It was to steal his brother’s abilities. Do you know where troops were most actively dispatched?”
“Is it the Dainhar Empire?”
“okay! This is the country that my brother cherished and loved so much. “We even used wishes to prevent destruction caused by natural disasters, so what on earth is this?”
After saying that, Abel plunged his sword into his foot. Kwasik! As the sharp blade penetrated the mechanism, sparks flew out. Under the feet of the two men, soldiers and combat machines armed with all kinds of heavy weapons were piled up like a mountain.
They were all enemies that Abel cut down to protect Cain, who was helpless due to falling asleep. Cain couldn’t answer this time either.
As Abel said, he had just woken up from hundreds of years of sleep. He was the master of stopping a supervolcano that would have wiped out most life on earth.
Quaaaaang-! Once again, a mushroom cloud rose over the location of the empire’s capital. In the end, this time too, humanity destroyed itself. Abel brushed her bangs and sighed.
“brother. “Let’s stop now.”
Following Cain, providing meaningless free service was now at its limit. No matter how many people I help. Even if they tried to revive civilization, they ultimately met a self-destructive end. Cain, who had been silent, shook his head.
“Let’s leave as soon as the explosion subsides. “There are probably still survivors in the bunker.”
“…Are you serious?”
“okay. We can’t just leave it like this. “Where the light goes out, sprouts bloom again.”
Cain said. Since leaving his hometown, he has devoted his life to the advancement of humanity. It was an action that began with the concern of how people could avoid letting their precious ones go.
In order to do this, wars, diseases, and unintended accidents had to first be eliminated. Cain thought the answer could be found in the community called the nation. Abel snorted as if he was dumbfounded.
“brother. Dainhar took over 70% of the world and launched iron balls into space. How long do you think it will take to get to that level again?”
“It will be faster than now. “We also have accumulated experience.”
Cain hesitated. The Dainhar Empire was the country that came closest to his ideal. They conquered most diseases, developed energy sources that did not harm the environment, and launched spacecraft.
They were the first to gather people from all over the world and hold a meeting. Cain was convinced that if peace had lasted just a few hundred more years, he would surely have achieved his goal. Abel, who was scratching her head, opened her mouth.
“Don’t be like that, just listen, bro. Because I have a better idea. “I made an amazing discovery about 40 years ago.”
“Amazing discovery?”
“huh. This was the last observation made by Dainhar’s expedition team. “Would you like to take a look?”
After saying that, Abel took out a small mechanical device from his pocket. Inside the flat screen, a video of a city being destroyed was playing. Winged giants were crisscrossing the sky and throwing spears of light at the ground.
A civilization that seemed to have just reached the modern level was unable to offer any resistance to the giants. People who appeared to be citizens were screaming and running away. The video ended with the giant throwing a spear at the expedition team that was filming.
“This···!”
Cain took a deep breath when he saw the tragedy. It was definitely a giant. It was the first time she had seen it since she left her hometown in the distant past.
“Isn’t it awesome? But the important thing is from now on.”
Abel nudged him with his elbow. At that time, the giants who had annihilated all living things in sight suddenly spread their wings wide.
At the same time, something like a thin gas came out of the victims’ corpses and began to be sucked into the giants’ bodies. It wasn’t that difficult to figure out that it was a spirit. Cain said.
“…Are you absorbing souls?”
“okay. From my personal research, I think their bodies are made of souls. “They gain power by invading planets where intelligent beings live and absorbing their souls.”
Abel laughed. He had already completed some research on giants. Abel, with his eyes sparkling and grinning, looked just like an excited child.
“This is the answer, bro. We must become higher beings. “I must throw away all my worries along with my body, become an overwhelming predator, and roam the sea of stars.”
“Jokes have increased in just a few hundred years. Abel. “What you mean is, let’s kill everyone on this planet.”
“What’s wrong with that? It’s just a procedure to reach paradise. “It’s the world without fleeting death, which my brother had longed for.”
Abel spread his arms out in protest. The nuclear explosion that occurred once again cast a flash of light behind him. Cain was about to answer something.
“Oh, and there’s something I want to ask you.”
“hmm?”
“Me and my brother, why can we use the power of giants?”
For a moment, Cain’s face stiffened. Abel raised her index finger and focused her power on the tip of her finger. Sparkling mana fell like dew and a sphere made of star protection was created.
“How did you… do that…?”
Cain’s eyes widened. What Abel was dealing with was undoubtedly the power of a giant. Could it be that you found him and drank his blood? That can’t be possible.
“From that day on, I was able to use it. The power they use is the same as the abilities my brother and I wield. That means we are related to giants.”
“···What do you want to say?”
“If you know the truth, please tell me. Unlike my brother, I have no memories before I was ten. “What happened in the meantime?”
Abel approached him and grabbed both of his shoulders. Cain couldn’t say anything and was just breathing heavily. Abel continued.
“We can do it, bro. That it can make people better. “You don’t have to go through this trouble anymore.”
“···It’s gotten weird. Abel.”
“no. The strange thing is my brother. “I think you know something. Please tell me.”
“I don’t know anything. Even if I knew, I wouldn’t tell you.”
“Damn it, why on earth are you hesitating? “Say it quickly!”
Suddenly Abel shouted. Thousands of years worth of madness and anger were pulsing in his eyes. His hands holding both of her shoulders tightened.
“You bastard…!”
I couldn’t hold on any longer. Cain squeezed her eyes shut and punched her. Abel was taken aback and pulled out his sword, but Cain’s fist hit him right in the center of his face.
****
“So what happened? “Did you win?”
Ronan asked. There were many shocking stories exchanged, but for now the only thing that mattered was that Abel had been beaten. The Savior nodded.
“okay. “It was only after spending about a year in bed that he recovered to the level of leading his normal life.”
“Okay, that’s it. “He was a man who did what he had to do.”
“It was around that time that we became awkward. “He never called me brother again.”
The voice was gloomy. Only then did Ronan understand why Abel, whom he had met in the world of images, treated her savior with such respect as a superior. I never thought something like that would have happened.
“Anyway… you can just drink this. “I’m glad it didn’t dry out completely.”
The savior, who was chewing his lips, gestured. His finger was pointing to the pool beneath the giant’s feet.
The giant’s blood, which had been abundant enough to be used as a hot spring, had now dried to the point that not even a bowl’s worth of blood was contained. Ronan had even cut the giant’s heart with his sword and squeezed it out.
“If I drink this, will all my curses be lifted?”
“If you go through the ritual. “The five will not disappear all at once, but they will gradually disappear in a short period of time.”
“…I see.”
Ronan knelt down on one knee in front of the puddle. His own face was visible above his shiny blood. No matter how many times I saw him, he resembled a savior. Ronan, who was suddenly looking down at the puddle, spoke without turning his head.
“I have to say this. “Your thinking is wrong.”
“what?”
“Humans are not animals that live their entire lives as babies. I agree with that son of a bitch Abel that they should be left to fend for themselves. “I certainly could have made faster progress with my father’s help, but he probably didn’t have to.”
Ronan’s voice echoed through the pit. The Savior raised an eyebrow.
“Suddenly… what do you mean?”
“What I am saying is that even if I drink this and regain my strength, I will not live like my father. “My mission ends with killing those bald guys and saving my sister.”
“you···.”
The savior’s face hardened. After being silent for a long time, he opened his mouth.
“Yes… how you live after breaking the curse is definitely your freedom. But I cannot agree that I am wrong. Have you ever lost everything that supported your life in an instant? Have you ever felt that despair?”
My voice was trembling. He never expected that his son would be denied his ideology. Ronan calmly shook his head.
“there is.”
“what?”
“There is. “I’ve lost everything.”
Ronan turned his head. The savior who made eye contact with him flinched. The calm, sunset-colored eyes that looked exactly like his own were not telling a lie.
Ronan still remembered it clearly. The day three giants descended from the sky. The moment when her beloved sister, her hometown, and the army that contained her body were annihilated.
The end of my first life was extremely cruel. The Vindicator asked Ronan.
“…Then why are you resisting? Just leave it alone. “All we have to do is allow all life on this planet to be absorbed by the giants, as Abel wants.”
“This guy is so cool. You can’t compare that and this. “There is a world of difference between animals living in the jungle fighting among themselves and a poacher suddenly appearing and wiping them out en masse.”
Ronan finished speaking with a proud smile on his face. She thought it was an appropriate metaphor. The savior, at a loss for words, twisted his lips.
“And I think you’re misunderstanding something, but I’m not encouraging neglect. “It means don’t treat people like children.”
“Treated like a brat…”
“I believe that people are stronger than we think. With such overprotection, you will never be able to reach the utopia that your father dreams of. “The intentions were good, but the direction was wrong.”
Ronan’s voice was full of confidence. A heavy silence fell. The savior, who was drooling, barely opened his mouth.
“Then what are you saying you want me to do?”
“Is there anything special?”
Ronan trailed off. The days he had spent through two lives were passing through his mind like a flash of light. He closed his eyes once, then opened them and laughed.
“You just have to believe it. “People’s potential.”
Ronan looked forward again. He scooped up the blood with both his hands and brought them to his mouth. The blue liquid that started it all flowed gently down Ronan’s throat.
