5
Whiiiiing-
A dry wind blows.
Black blood blowing in the wind, and a long gray beard.
Bikir was walking on the white salt flats.
Hongmun (鴻門).
A place that was once a vast green space.
But now it is a wasteland full of only rocks and salt.
Bikir turned his head and looked across the desert horizon.
"… … ."
Lonely and lonely.
Age weathers many things.
Emotions and desires.
… … But despite this, there was still one feeling that was fluttering, no different from when I was young.
Good winning spirit.
Who is stronger?
This would be a greed and regret that a warrior who lives on a meal would not be able to let go of until he dies.
So Bikir moved on.
Throwing away all the restraints and shackles, I surrendered myself to the instincts that I had been suppressing for a very, very long time.
Whiiiiing-
A salty wind blows.
When the edge of the storm, which was swirling like a curtain, was cut with a knife, a path into the inside was opened.
Bikir found what he was looking for.
'Grave of stabbing'
This tower, which has an awl-like appearance sticking out of the ground, contains both the black color of the night sky and the red color of blood.
It was still standing there, looking no different from when I saw it before.
Bikir muttered, shaking off salt grains from his long beard.
"… … A true Baskerville is born in the 'cradle of stabs.'"
This is a famous phrase passed down within the Baskerville family.
but. There is actually a hidden sentence behind it.
"… … A true Baskerville dies in the 'grave of the stabs.'"
At this point, he is probably the only Baskerville who knows of the existence of this phrase.
Eventually, Bikir entered the tomb of the sword.
The stairs, each one pointed like an awl, rose high and steep.
This too was the same scene.
An extremely lonely, suffocating, and lonely space.
Every time I take a step, my whole body is sharply sliced and I feel like my stomach is being ripped open.
Countless knives can be seen stuck on the floor, walls, and ceiling.
The water droplets falling down from them were red and fishy.
Jeopuk- Jeopuk- Jeopuk- Jeopuk-
Bikir continued climbing the stairs.
One step at a time.
In this way, it was sliced, chipped, cut out, and worn away, climbing towards the top.
And soon we faced each other.
The iron throne on the top floor of the tower.
Then, a heavy, clanging voice was heard, as if metal was clashing with metal.
[This is the grave of the stabbing. The final destination for those who pursue the ultimate purpose of the sword.]
And there was a man wearing thick iron armor and a long white beard.
Below the white eyebrows, the area that should be the white of the eye is filled with empty darkness, and in the center, eyes as red as the sun burn coldly.
The nose was as sharp as a knife, the lips were tightly closed, and the dead, blue skin seemed to be so dry that it barely covered the skull.
The black heavy armor and huge great sword he was wearing made the stronghold he was building look even more solid.
Bikir already knew his face.
Cane Corso Les Baskerville.
He is the former Seven Counts who went through difficult times and was the strongest man in mankind who could not do anything even in the era of destruction.
He stroked his pure white beard and smiled broadly.
[It's definitely a familiar face even though it's my first time seeing it. Does the intuition of a superman who has reached the highest realm transcend even time and space?]
Bikir did not bother to reply to his words.
'It reminds me of the old days. When I first met the author, even receiving one sword was difficult.'
I wonder what will happen now.
Since the war with the devil ended, there had been no need to test one's strength, so this was a good opportunity.
… Chaang!
Bikir pulled out his beloved sword, Beelzebub, which had been with him his whole life.
Soon, the two swords collide.
The Cane Corso swung a large serrated greatsword, and Bikir pierced the long sword like Beelzebub's awl through the swirling whirlpool of the huge slash.
Baskerville style nine and Baskerville style nine.
When they collided, it happened in a split second.
The moment when nine teeth meet nine teeth.
"… … !"
Bikir stopped moving as if struck by lightning.
It's a little late.
The countless truths I saw in the Abyss of Magic came to mind.
Meanwhile, something that had been blocked for a long time was opened up.
… Quick!
Space and time began to distort.
As the nine teeth tangle fiercely, a small ray of light twinkles.
Teeth protruding from space where dust, gas, clouds, and star clusters float.
It was the tenth tooth.
It was so small that you couldn't even see it, but it was definitely next to the nine teeth.
… Flash!
The moment it penetrated his body, the Cane Corso thought.
[…] … Is this the last time?]
As if responding to this thought.
Bye!
The sword body of his beloved dog 'Praggarh', which had been with him all this time, was split in half.
The Cane Corso looked at the broken serrated sword with warm eyes and muttered.
[okay. Do you want to attain Buddhahood now? Congratulations.]
The black energy contained in Pragarkh rises high into the sky.
The Cane Corso's body also turned into red dust and began to fade.
[I could not become a swordsman, but I was able to become a swordsman. I can be satisfied with just serving as a guidepost for future generations.]
He was blown away by the storm of slashes created by the clash of swords.
It was the end of a man who had been driven by the sword all his life.
… … .
… … yet.
The storm subsided.
There is only one person left. There was only one Bikir.
[Your birth will be like the birth of a sword, and your death will be like the death of a sword.]
The voice of the Cane Corso, which has now disappeared, is slowly fading away.
Right then.
"Ugh! "You burn!"
A loud noise is heard from behind.
When Bikir turned around in surprise, he saw familiar faces standing there.
"I thought I would come here."
"I've been watching this place ever since I heard it muttering once."
"Everyone is so paranoid... … ."
"We have a former jailer who is a master of tracking techniques."
"Oh, are you talking about me? It's true that he was a prison guard, but he's not good at tracking. "I don't know if it means arrest."
Camus, Ienne, Dolores, Sinclair, Circo.
All my colleagues who had been with me from the other world were gathered here.
"Ho, I tried to come alone, but how could I…" … ."
On rare occasions, Bikir even stutters.
The person who walked in front of him was Camus.
"I don't know about anyone else, but I should have brought them. "You don't even know how to open the door to the abyss of magic."
"… … ."
Bikir kept his mouth shut.
Camus entered the tomb of the stabber on his own and soon looked at the huge traces of magic carved at the very bottom of the spiral staircase.
"… … "It's the traces of ten mana rings."
Camus looked at the magic circle engraved on the floor and the marks of the mana injection.
"It is similar to the art of complete revival, but it is much nobler, greater, and stronger than that. … … I couldn't believe such magic existed in this world. "What was the purpose?"
"It seems as if this symbolizes the truth itself. I can't know something that even Camus doesn't know... … ."
Sinclair, who was skilled in magic, was also sweating.
Iyen, Dolores, and Circo also put their heads together.
"You can tell just from the traces. "It looks like there was a huge explosion."
"I heard that this area was a dense forest area. I think it may have been because of this explosion that it turned into a salt desert... … ."
"Did something like a meteor fall? If so, it might be related to the two gaps left in human history."
And it was Camus who synthesized all these opinions into one.
"Well, you'll know when you go again."
Second exploration into the Demonic Abyss.
This opinion was also consistent with Bikir's.
* * *
Vikir and Camus once again reached the abyss of magic.
As you pass the 'Five Fingers of the Creator' area, you see a familiar phrase.
-All things are born from the abyss of magic and return to the abyss of magic.
-One day, when the fateful day comes when the stars move, the door to a new level will open and everything will inevitably come to an end.
Two phrases that stand like gatekeepers of timeless nothingness.
Camus stretched out the roots of the revenant tree and twisted the locks between pillars.
After opening the eight doors, Bikir was finally able to encounter something.
It was a human being, a spirit body taking the shape of a female body.
Bikir could sense it the moment he saw it.
'Motherhood'.
The person radiating bright light right before my eyes is my distant ancestor, my 'first mother.'
And the mother said to Bikir and to her son.
[I missed you.]
"… … ."
Bikir couldn't say anything.
And then my mother opened her mouth once again.
[I was so worried about you that I couldn't leave. I don't know how many generations have passed, but you are still my daughters and sons.]
The mother hugged her son tightly.
And then he opened his mouth in a warm and moist voice.
[Now I can leave with peace of mind. To the place he went,]
"Where are you going?"
Mother answered Bikir's question.
[Just grab your hair.]
"… … ?"
Toward Bikir, who was tilting his head with a puzzled expression, his mother reached out her hand and stroked his head.
[Live.]
"… … ."
[As you wish. Lots of stuff. Live to the fullest. Enjoy this world cheerfully.]
The mother seemed to already know and understand the purpose of Bikir's coming here.
But Bikir still didn't know what to do.
"Can I go with you too?"
At that question, my mother shook her head.
[A long time later, a very long time later, when the last moment of your life comes, come to this place.]
"… … ."
[Until then, enjoy ordinary flirting and ordinary self-satisfaction. That is the highest cheerfulness, awareness, and love.]
That was my last time with my mother.
* * *
Vikir returned from the Dark Abyss.
And I spent a very long time in this world.
Beautiful wives and cheerful children, happy times with them flowed like a dream of nine clouds.
How much time has passed like that?
When all the red sand in this world is covered by the sand of time and no longer rustles.
Only then did Vikir come to the abyss of magic for the third time.
Fit-
On the first visit, I learned the art of complete revival and the truth of the 10 formulas.
On my second visit, I met my first mother.
What to do on your third visit?
"… … . … … . … … ."
Without saying a word, Vikir walked up the stairs of dust, clouds, and starlight that appeared before his eyes, one by one.
And at the end of the stairs, I came face to face with someone sitting at the end of the Demonic Abyss.
'Five fingers of the Creator'.
A throne, or rather a constellation, at the end shining beyond the five giant fingers.
An old man was sitting there.
I was fiddling with a few glass beads in my hand.
"… … . … … . … … ."
With an expression that I don't know what to make.
-complete-