[Heartemis, The Green God, has been defeated!]
[You have slayed the First-Floor Boss!]
[Primary contributors:
-Angel Nicolas
-Son Dae-Jung
-Lucia Di Sarro]
[Secondary contributors:
-So So-Yung
-Cho Dong-Min
-Jennifer Madison Harper
-...]
[Tertiary contributors:...]
[You have contributed the most to this battle!]
[You have obtained the SSS-Rank item 'Heart of Retribution'.]
[You have obtained the S-Rank item 'Orb that eats Flames'.]
[You have obtained the Unique Skill Palm of Destruction.]
[You have gained the Heroic Title 'One Who Counters All'.]
[You have been given 90,000 coins for contributing the most.]
[Further rewards are currently being evaluated.]
[Congratulations! You now have access to enter the Second Floor!]
A pillar of light shined down at the middle of the domain. The light generated a passage similar to a domain gate. That was the entrance to the Second Floor.
"We... We did it!!"
"I thought we were going to die."
Regular Players screamed with excitement and victory.
Although many S-Class Players there were silent. Perhaps it was because many couldn't gain any rewards from this raid.
Son Dae-Jung looked satisfied with the rewards he obtained. Lucia Di Sarro also looked happy since she was probably the most injured in this raid and got a nice bonus.
"Oppa! Are you okay?"
So-Yung came running to me, and from what I saw, she looked tired.
I responded calmly and sincerely, "Yeah. I am."
Hearing my response, So-Yung let a faint smile with beautiful eyes.
"That's good..."
Suddenly, she fell forward with closed eyes. I was able to catch her from hitting the ground and pulled her up to see what had happened. Fortunately, she just went to sleep. I couldn't blame her. She was doing her very best to buff everyone with her skill.
I chuckled a bit at seeing her sleeping face.
Then footsteps approached me.
It was Ra Seo-Yun, and Kok Jung-Jin. I expected them to talk to me after this was all over.
"Angel-"
Just as Ra Seo-Yun was about to talk, something cracking was heard.
I looked at the source and saw the split body of Heartemis breaking free from the ice I applied to it.
It cracked all over until the ice eventually shattered into pieces.
Nothing happens after a moment.
If the systems said that we won, then we won... right?
Unexpectedly, a faint noise comes out of the mouth of Heartemis.
<...Where... is this... place?>
However, for some reason, the tone of this voice was much different from before. It sounded more delicate.
Only I could understand what it was saying. The rest who were near the body freaked out at the broken voice they had heard multiple times during this raid.
"How is it still alive?!"
"We have to finish it now!"
Some Players were approaching the black body of Heartemis with different weapons.
"Wait!"
At my shout, the Players stopped and looked at me with a confused look.
"What do you mean, stop?"
"Yeah, just because you beat this thing single handily doesn't mean you have the right to choose for it to live."
I got a little irritated at the words that came out of their mouths.
"I said wait." I allowed a little mana to exit my body to scare them away.
"Ah! Uhh..."
Their faces went pale at my action, and as a result, they backed off from getting anywhere near Heartemis.
Heartemis spoke again.
I signaled Ra Seo-Yun to take care of the sleeping So-Yung and walked up to Heartemis without hesitation. The system wouldn't make an error. That was for sure. So it should be safe.
I talked down to the upper half of Heartemis.
It took a moment, but it replied.
Huh?
<...I... have never... seen you...in my life...>
Did the ice affect its memories or what?
Heartemis continued to speak.
I didn't know what was happening, but I answered back.
Heartemis seemed to have realized something, seeing as how it somehow twitched.
That?
What is 'that'? And is this the same Heartemis as before?
<...Excuse me, but is your name Heartemis?>
Just what is going on? This was definitely Heartemis, but why was it different from before? No... maybe...
Other self?
At this point, I was getting perplexed about what it was saying and why it was saying it. Yet, I still tried to get more information.
My head was starting to hurt at the answers it gave me.
<...You... look puzzled...>
Damn right I was.
<...> Suddenly, Heartemis lifted its black hand at me.
Can I see her memories from holding her hand?
With narrowed eyes, I stared at the hand that was trembling in the air. It took a couple of moments of thinking. But I came to a decision. I placed my hand on the rough surface of Heartemis's hand.
Then my mind went blank.
***
「The sound of someone running was heard inside the giant hall containing many portraits on the walls. Many doors were also seen in this hall. But at the end of the hall was a pair of giant doors that looked completely different from the doors that led up to it.
That someone headed towards those doors.
"Hah, hah, hah... father! It's time for the annual ceremony!"
A little child busted open the giant doors that led to a huge bedroom with someone lying on a massive bed that looked like it could accompany eight fully grown adults.
"Hmmm!"
The child angrily marched towards the bed and climbed up, only to see the person inside the bed sleeping soundly. The child got on top of the person's chest with a deep breath; the child jumped and smashed their tiny feet onto the person's chest.
"Gak!"
The person woke up with a painful groan.
"Why did you hit me?! Heartemis!"
Heartemis was a small child with clothing and facial features which looked like a royal family girl. Her hair was long, and her eyes were a dark pine color, along with her hair.
"Today is the annual ceremony. You have to dress now, father!"
"Ah! Umm... Heartemis... could you possibly tell the priest that... I am sick today...?" Her father looked like a young adult with black hair and pine eyes.
Heartemis looked at her father with disappointed eyes at his words.
"Father, you are the King of this land. This ceremony is essential for the people and our ancestors."
"I've only been in power for a year, though."
"And you did this last year as well. What's so different about this year-"
Heartemis stopped talking as she finally realized why her father refused to proceed with the ceremony.
"Father... are you perhaps scared of making the blood sacrifice?"
The man looked hurt at his child's words. But this made Heartemis even angrier. She was so angry that she used the same move on her father that woke him up.
"Gak!"
In the end, her father to up from the bed and dressed in very royal clothing that had a similar pattern to Heartemis's dress. They walked out of the bedroom and across the giant hall.
Heartemis looked pleased, while her father looked nervous.
Then, her father looked at one of the portraits on the walls, and in the portrait was the man himself next to his daughter, Heartemis, and finally, a beautiful woman with the exact hair of Heartemis.
As he looked at the portrait, his nervousness began to disappear.
~I can do this. I can do this.
Now feeling motivated, the man resumed his walk with a smile.
***
~Maybe... maybe... I can't do this after all.
Heartemis' father was inside a widespread room in front of a pillar holding a white sphere. He had a dagger hovering over his open palm with a slight tremble. The face he showed in the morning had utterly disappeared for many reasons.
Before being in the position he was currently in, he went through many tiring events before this one.
He sat through a three-hour speech, reciting a 200-page article about laws, greeting many other nobles that visited him, and controlling his overly cheerful daughter.
He was practically out of energy. However, he had one event to complete the day-long ceremony. And all he had to do was cut his palm and drown the white sphere with his blood, with the eyes of many nobles, guards, maids, butlers, and the priest watching him, including his daughter.
~Why did this have to be a part of the ceremony?
The man was having flashbacks about when he did it the first time. At that time, he was the newly appointed King at a very young age. It was due to his father dying of an incurable disease. And it was the same disease that killed the woman he loved.
~Maybe I'm not cut out to be King...
"Father! What are you doing?! If you don't do this, I'll tell mother how much of a loser... mmph!"
The man looked at Heartemis, who had her mouth covered by a maid on standby to stop her from spouting any more nonsense. Even if Heartemis's words were interrupted, the man knew what she was going to say, giving him a sense of humility.
He hated that feeling. He wanted to wash away that feeling. He never wants to feel that way ever again.
With one earnest look at the blade of the dagger, he sliced his palm, and crimson blood flowed out and covered the white sphere in his blood. Then a red-radiated glow emerged from the sphere, as it looked like it was absorbing the blood. Once the light diminished, the orb was no longer covered in blood; the blood was inside the sphere.
Nobles, guards, maids, butlers, and priest cheered at the man who was their King. Heartemis also cheered her father with a bright smile on her face.
Then a shout resounded. "I have completed the blood sacrifice! The feast may now begin!"
Everyone left the room and entered another hall with tables filled with numerous foods and drinks.
Heartemis dashed out onto the balcony on the left of the hall that led to the view of the entire kingdom during the night sky and looked down at the crowd surrounded by tables of food and drinks. She got on top of the rails with a big jump.
"Huh? Isn't that Princess Heartemis?!"
The people below noticed Heartemis.
Heartemis then shouted out, "The feast has begun! Eat to your heart's content!"
At Heartemis's announcement, the people below began to take the food from the tables and ate. Adults, children, elderly all enjoyed the food.
"Heartemis! Get down from there!"
Heartemis heard her father's voice and looked back to see her father walking up to her with a bandaged hand. Once her father got close, the people below saw their King in royal attire.
"It's the king!"
"Oh, long live the King! Long live the King."
The King saw his people continue to praise him, and the amount of credit managed to form a smile on their King. They were able to see and, as a result, cheer even louder.
Heartemis got down from the dangerous place and proudly held her father's hand.
In her mind, she thought her father was the most influential person in the whole wide world, even if he did have a bit of a pathetic side of him. Then again, this was only his second year as King.
Heartemis was still proud to have him as a father. And so she thought that her entire life who have no problems as long as she had her father beside her.
Unfortunately, that hope she had disappeared years later.
When Heartemis was only 10 years old, a group of powerful people with the ability to control the elements of nature appeared and caused havoc inside the kingdom. Nobody knew who the group was or how they had the powers of nature. Yet, the kingdom's people who trained with the sword could fight against the evil that only continued to destroy.
But over time, the forces of nature were too much for the sword to handle. And so, the leader of this evil group had met the King after many long battles.
In the damaged hall where the feast for nobles after the blood sacrifice was done, two men stood apart from each other.
One man was the King of the invaded land. The father of Heartemis. He was in combat attire with a long-bladed sword in hand.
The other man had a red hood, dark clothing, and flames on his fingertips.
The man with the hood spoke first. "So, this is the almighty King of this poor kingdom? You know, I have to hand it to you. Your people with the sword were something that I didn't expect would be such a threat to us. But in the end, it was all for nothing. You're all just a worthless civilization that should be grateful we used our special magic on your lots."
The King didn't utter a single word as he listened to the offensive words of the man in the hood.
"What's this? Not going to defend what I just said? Hah! What a 'King' you are!"
"Shut the hell up..."
"Hmm? What was that? I don't think that language is suitable for a King."
"I don't care!"
The King dashed at the man with killing intent, and as for the hooded man. He smiled at the action.
They began to fight swordsmanship against magic.
The hooded man used fire magic, causing the surrounding hall to be scorched in flames. Despite that, the King stood his ground, cutting through the fire with remarkable swordsmanship. Even the hooded man was surprised at the power the King had.
"To think that the King himself would have this power! How interesting! So you weren't just sitting on your ass the entire time!"
Walls were blackened and ripped, and the two men had gained many injuries, yet they still fought.
One fought for their home, while the other fought to destroy it.
Sadly, this battle was the same for many others. Magic was too much for the ones who used the sword. However, they both had significant injuries.
The King could barely get up from kneeling as he was burned several times. He had even lost an eye and arm from the battle.
Of course, his enemy wasn't just lightly cut. The hooded man had both his thighs cut open, a handless right arm and a slit mouth.
The scenery around them was covered in flames with choking air.
Then the hooded man spoke with blood in his mouth.
"...You know what, King? This might've been the most entertaining fight I've had in a long time. I always win, of course. But I will praise you for delivering me such a wonderfully hard, fought battle."
"You speak as if you've won already..."
The King talked back at the man.
The man tilted his head in confusion. "Have I not won? I mean, look at yourself. I'm not in better condition, though I can still keep going. On the other hand, you look like you're about to die from the blood loss."
"I... I can still..."
"Hah! Do you think you can keep going? Let me tell you this. Even if you had beaten me, my allies would finish my job."
The King thought about fighting more people with natural powers like the man in front of him and despaired.
"It seems you've realized by now that you can not stop us. Well, it's time for us to end this."
The hooded man walked up to the King and hovered his open palm directly at him. The man charged up a blast of flames and said some words to the King.
"Goodbye, King of the Zudaeryn Kingdom."
The man was about to launch the attack when small pieces of rubble hit the man.
"Huh? Who's this?"
The King took notice and turned his head toward the rubble. The moment he knew who it was, his heart sank.
The person shouted at the hooded man, "Get away from father!"
The now 12-year-old Heartemis looked at the hooded man with fierce eyes.
"A girl? What the hell is someone like her doing here?"
"No... Heartemis, get out of here!!"
"Heartemis? Oh! Hahaha, so that's your daughter?!"
The man laughed and stopped as he thought of a beautiful idea.
"Hey, King."
The King looked at the man with contempt.
But that didn't stop the man from speaking.
"If you don't want me to kill your precious daughter. I'll give you a great offer. Would you like to hear me out?"
"..."
The King was silent and only glared at the man.
"Not going to talk now, huh? Alright then, what if I do this?"
The man lifted his only hand at Heartemis with charged-up flames.
"No...!"
"Oh, you don't want this? Then listen to my offer then."
The King looked at his frightened daughter and replied, "Fine..."
The man smiled disgustingly and continued.
"Haha, alright then. If you want your daughter to live, you only have to do one simple task. Do guess what it might be?"
"Just say it..."
"Alright, alright, all you have to do is... kill yourself."
The King looked at the man with disbelief.
"You confused? Well, you see, I heard a lot about how the new King always took a huge amount of time to complete the last part of an annual ceremony. The blood sacrifice. And judging from that scar on your palm, I could deduce what this blood sacrifice is."
The man smiled the whole time sinisterly as he spoke.
"So, I want to see if you'll still be scared to sacrifice yourself for your daughter's life. If you do, then I will let her go. I won't chase her, and none of my allies will as well. Hell, I'll even let her take your body so that she can bury it. But... if you don't... I think we both know what'll happen. Don't worry. I'll promise to keep my word."
The King looked down at the floor before looking at his daughter he wanted to save. And that opportunity had come.
The King grabbed the hilt of his sword with his remaining arm and with one more shout from his daughter.
"No! Father!"
He dug the blade through his abdomen with no hesitation.
Heartemis watched in horror as her father plopped onto the ground, blood spewing all over his body.
The man looked at the King with surprised eyes.
"Hooh, so even wimps like you can do this."
Heartemis ran up to her father, bleeding out tremendously. The man in the hood didn't do anything to stop the girl.
Heartemis got on her knees and watched as her father began losing his life with tears running down her face.
Then her father spoke in a weak voice.
"Heartemis... I want you... to live a good life... even if... I am not there... with you... I have ordered those... who have escaped... to take care of your needs..."
"N-No, father... y-you can't..."
"I am... sorry... but you... are the most... the important thing to... me... in this world... right now... so... I beg you... to please... listen to... me..."
Heartemis couldn't say anything to her father and didn't want to agree with what he had said. All she could do was watch her father tell his final words to her.
"Heartemis... I love you from the bottom of my heart..."
"I-I also love you, father..."
Heartemis' father looked at his daughter with a bright smile before closing his eyes and resting his head on the ground.
"Father...? Father...?? Father! Father!"
Realizing that her father had died, Heartemis cried out in sorrow.
"Haha, what an ending that was! Am I right?"
Heartemis heard the man's words and slowly turned her head to him.
But the man was now heading towards the balcony. He got out of the hall and was now on the balcony rails.
"Oh! By the way, kid. If you ever feel you want to kill me. I'll be here for about 10 years or so."
The man waved a single hand to Heartemis before jumping off the rails.
Heartemis was all alone.」
Chapter 15: Heartemis Sword Pt.3-End