NOVEL NEXT chapter 190
190 – King (2)
Thud—
‘Something’ stepped into this world through the open door.
And in that moment, the world darkened.
It was undoubtedly a strange change, but there was no one in this space who had the luxury to pay it any mind.
If one were to ask whether the cause was that they were captivated by ‘something,’ the answer would be no.
Most of those remaining in the crater could not even glance at ‘something.’
They simply couldn’t, nor did they have the capacity to do so.
The moment ‘something’ revealed itself here, an overwhelming pressure seemed to crush and flatten everything.
It wasn’t merely that the atmosphere had grown heavy; it was something far beyond that.
It felt as if the very air had turned to molten metal, an even greater weight pressing down on their entire beings, their souls.
Under that immense pressure, they couldn’t even think of lifting their heads or gazing up, let alone making a sound.
In the midst of that pressure, Rachel thought.
That her whole body, her very soul felt as if it were being torn apart.
If this continued, it seemed that soon everything she was would shatter into pieces.
—
It wasn’t just Rachel who felt that way.
Everyone was experiencing that sensation, and having those thoughts.
It was during that moment.
Swoosh—
Suddenly, the pressure that had been weighing down on them vanished as if washed away.
“Gasp… gasp…!”
However, they had no time to find the cause.
The experience of being on the brink of disintegration, both body and soul, was not something one could immediately recover from, even if they had escaped that pressure.
What saved them from the suffocating weight was—
Vroom—
None other than the barrier cast by Beluid.
The barrier cast by Beluid surrounded them, protecting them from the pressure.
Just as they managed to catch their breath and were about to express their gratitude towards Beluid, they turned their gaze and were taken aback, eyes wide open in shock.
It was because Beluid was drenched in cold sweat, as if it were raining.
Beluid was exerting all his strength.
With all his might, he was maintaining the barrier.
Not against any attack, but merely to fend off the presence.
The great sorcerer Beluid, acknowledged by all, was giving it his all.
It was an absurd situation, an unbelievable sight.
And the spectacle that astonished them didn’t end there.
“This, b*stard… what the hell…?”
Ethan was trembling, his face contorted in a deep frown.
Standing in the esteemed position of the Ten Blades, a warrior who had reached the pinnacle of thought and spirit.
Ethan, who seemed like he could stand confidently against anyone on the continent, was shaking.
It wasn’t a tremor born of fear.
He was holding on.
Resisting the presence of the being right before him, ‘something.’
Just that alone, yet his entire body was trembling like a aspen leaf.
It was because Ethan was exerting all his strength.
Merely to oppose the presence, he was giving it his all.
—
Even if one searched the entire continent, even if one considered all of humanity, there were few rivals to the superhuman, Ethan and Beluid, who exerted all their strength merely to withstand that presence, to resist its overwhelming weight.
It was an exceedingly strange phenomenon, and that presence was so overwhelming and destructive that it could not simply be described as a presence.
Thus, the group was rendered powerless by that singular presence.
But they were not the only ones affected by it.
Kuzik—
The monsters, still numbering in the hundreds, huddled in place as if to meet an emperor, began to burst one by one under the influence of that ‘something.’
Strangely, even as they died off one by one, the monsters remained curled up, not moving an inch.
In this way, a bizarre and grotesque situation unfolded within the crater.
Everyone was being crushed under the weight of that ‘something.’
With one exception.
That exception was Wade.
Wade alone did not tremble as if affected by that presence, did not sink to the ground, nor did he break into a cold sweat.
Wade simply stood still, in a posture unchanged from before, watching.
Watching the ‘something’ that had revealed itself beyond the ‘door.’
Only his expression was different from before.
A clear tension was evident on Wade’s face.
Before the ‘something,’ Wade was more tense than ever before.
So much so that he had no leisure to divert his gaze elsewhere.
With eyes that rarely wavered, Wade glared at the ‘something.’
That entity with an extraordinarily unique appearance.
Its form was peculiar and strange.
It seemed as if lines drawn haphazardly with a black pen had coalesced to form its body.
The shape barely resembled a human, yet with eyes closed and reopened, it could also appear beastly.
There were many here, yet curiously, the form of the ‘something’ they perceived was different for each of them.
Thus, Wade continued to glare at the ‘thing’ without moving for a while.
────.
Finally, the ‘thing’ began to move.
Having fully revealed itself beyond the ‘door,’ it first lifted its head to survey its surroundings.
The humans straining to resist its presence and the monsters dying in real-time under its influence.
Even witnessing that bizarre spectacle, the ‘thing’ remained utterly unfazed.
No emotion, no movement, stood out from “it.”
Merely, as if surveying the tranquil surroundings, “it” slowly looked around.
Thus, as “it” glided slowly through the vast crater, its gaze.
At last, reached Wade, who had been watching “it.”
Then.
Kuwung—
For the first time, “it” showed a reaction.
“Grrk…!”
“Cough…!”
As a result of that reaction, Ethan had to grit his teeth even harder, and Beluid ended up spitting blood.
And at that moment, hundreds of monsters burst apart into chunks.
However, “it” paid no mind to such things.
Its gaze remained fixed solely on Wade.
At last.
─────.
“It” spoke.
Or rather, should it be called speaking?
In the first place, it wasn’t even a sound.
It was will and emotion.
Without uttering a sound, “it” was directly emanating its intent.
Wade didn’t know exactly what it meant, but he sensed it vaguely.
That “it” was smiling.
──────.
“It” spoke once more.
Then.
────────?
Suddenly, “it” tilted its head.
As if feeling some sort of puzzlement.
However, that reaction of “it” did not last long.
“It” soon nodded its head.
As if it had noticed something.
Right after “it” displayed such behavior.
Swoosh—
Change began to occur in “it.”
The form that seemed to be made of tangled black threads started to transform.
A skeleton emerged from the amorphous body, and white skin replaced the space where the threads had been.
Before long, hair sprouted, and eyes appeared.
After a brief moment, what stood there was no longer an amorphous monster made of threads.
“It” now had the appearance of a human.
A man with black hair and red eyes.
““……!””
The crowd, greatly surprised by the transformation, received no glance from the “man.”
The man quietly looked down at his changed form.
And then he said,
“It has been quite a long time since I’ve had a human body.”
He opened his mouth and spoke.
There was clearly emotion in that voice.
A subtle sense of nostalgia lingered in his words.
For a while, the man examined his body with nostalgic eyes.
“Now that I think about it, there was something I needed to do.”
Suddenly, he snapped his fingers.
And then—
Whoosh—
The wind blew.
It was not a violent wind.
It was a gentle breeze, like the calm wind blowing across a field in the deepening spring, under the setting sun.
However, it was not an entirely ordinary wind.
Looking at the results created by that wind, one could hardly call it ordinary.
The wind brushed past.
And then, a figure that had not existed in that place suddenly appeared.
—
That face, that figure, was something very familiar to those present here.
“Master…?!”
The identity of the one who appeared with the wind was none other than the Master, who had been scattered to dust.
“What…?!”
Everyone here witnessed it.
The Master turning to dust, absorbed by the ‘Gate’ and disappearing.
Yet, that same Master suddenly came back to life, intact.
It was a sight that could not help but astonish.
Even the so-called great Pope or Saint cannot bring the dead back to life.
Yet, the man before them simply snapped his fingers, reviving someone who had not only died but had vanished without a trace.
That was a realm beyond human reach.
An act impossible unless one were a god, a miracle.
Amidst the astonishment of all at that sight.
“This is…”
The resurrected Master finally opened his eyes.
As if to grasp the situation, the Master looked around, examining his surroundings and his own body.
Soon, he spotted the man.
“Ah…!”
With a face full of joy, he knelt right there.
Then he shouted.
“Master…!!”
What was contained in that voice was unmistakable joy.
To that Master.
“Well done.”
The man offered a brief praise.
To which the Master replied.
“I am honored…!”
With tears streaming down, he bowed his head to the ground repeatedly.
That appearance resembled a devout believer standing before a god.
Turning his gaze away from the Master, the man slowly closed his eyes.
—
—
Then he spoke.
“Indeed, this world is wonderful.”
In a voice filled with calm joy.
“It has vitality.”
Thus, the man murmured softly.
How long had it been like that?
The man opened his eyes again.
He turned his head and, sending a glance to Wade, who was still glaring at him, said,
“It’s nice to see a familiar face.”
“A familiar face…?”
At those words, the group frowned.
They simply could not understand what the man was talking about.
From the context, it was clear that the man’s words were directed at Wade.
However, that seemed strange.
It implied that the man and Wade had met before.
Yet, Wade’s own expression was no different from theirs.
Wade, too, seemed to struggle to comprehend the words, slightly furrowing his brow.
Among them, there was only one person.
Beluid stood there with a peculiar expression, one that made it difficult to discern his thoughts.
Thus, under the weight of questioning gazes, the man opened his mouth once more—
“It’s been a long time, Ferdion.”
He calmly uttered words that surprised everyone.