Chapter 425

Chapter 425

“Ah, damn… My head.”
I woke up to a cold breeze brushing the bridge of my nose.
The first thing I noticed was the ceiling of leaves and twigs. Every time the wind swayed the trees, a ray of sunlight peeked through the tightly layered foliage.
I was lying under a big oak tree.
“Is this—?”
I felt a sense of vertigo. I rubbed my eyes and pushed myself up. The oak tree grew on a fairly high hill. As I looked down the slope, I could see a quaint countryside.
Smoke rising from chimneys and a river winding through the village. Rustic but welcoming houses, painted the same color as the sunset.
I raised an eyebrow at the all-too-familiar scene.
“NimButton.”
It was Nimburton, the village where I was born and raised. For some reason, I recognized the wooden ceiling; it was where I used to take naps as a shepherd boy.
“Damn, did I break it right?
I looked around quickly. The rift that led to the last parallel world was nowhere in sight. As soon as I stepped through the rift, I swung my sword in a nearly stunned state, which, thankfully, I had destroyed.
“Ugh.”
My chest throbbed out of nowhere. The pain would start in my chest and radiate down my back, thighs, and forearms. It felt like being trampled by a herd of angry bison.
“Damn, that bastard—.”
It was Akasha’s rampage. Traveling through the rift that connected the other parallel worlds was always a pain in the ass, but this time it was especially bad. Akasha’s mana, which controls the entry and exit of others, pounded against my body like soldiers guarding the last bastion.
“Honestly, it was dangerous. I guess wounded tigers are the most dangerous.
There was also a side effect of the skill. The short-lived slash (the one that slows down your surroundings as you enter a hyper-focused state, aptly named) was all well and good, but the downside was the extreme fatigue that set in afterward. Slashing through all of Akasha’s particles in that state was no easy task, even with four arms.
Still, it wasn’t so bad that I couldn’t walk, so I grunted and pushed myself up.
“First–I need to make sure she’s okay.”
And then I walked down the hill.
The breeze from the village carried the smell of baking bread.
In the end, it wasn’t a bad situation. Akasha made a solid push, and landing in Nimbus meant she could check on her sister.
You’ll also find a Bloodline Needle under the bed, but it’s of little use to you now that you’ve paid Akasha’s blood to expand Sita’s rift.
I rummage through my coat pockets and breathe a sigh of relief.
“Phew. You’re on the right track.”
Two key items were also unharmed. Ceniel’s shard and a vial of Akasha’s blood.
The bottle was a must-have to make it home, and the shards of Ceniel that he had managed to acquire were becoming increasingly important.
‘Is there a tiny bit of Ceniel’s self, or else—.’
I was remembering the phenomenon that the shards showed in the last battle.
It was only thanks to the cooperation of this tiny piece of stone that I was able to cut off Akasha’s leg and mortally wound him. If it hadn’t sucked up the Mist of Life at just the right time, I would have lost him.
“I think it’s even prettier somehow.”
I pulled out the shard and examined it.
The shard glowed a darker color, having absorbed the life force of the last parallel world. Hopefully, its healing powers will increase. I don’t know what’s going to happen in this world, and I’m a swordsman who kills people, so I’m no good at saving them.
We were almost to the village.
“Did you see that bastard’s expression? Flailing like a deer caught in a trap while whining for help~ You should have paid him on time.”
“Kkkkk, you’re gonna pee your pants afterward. It’s not a bat, it’s hanging upside down.”
“Even bats pee in a straight line, asshole. Anyway, the assistant manager made things easier for me.”
I heard low conversation not far away. I turned my head to see a dozen or so grizzled Zhang Zheng milling about. I raised an eyebrow at the familiar faces.
“Are those assholes—?”
It was an orphaned club, the bane of Nimbus. Judging by the elasticity of his skin, he looked a little younger than I am now. He’d been up to no good since he was a kid, stealing from shepherds and breaking down fences, and it didn’t seem to change when he grew up.
The blond man at the head of the pack let out a booming laugh.
“Kahaha, there’s nothing our vigilantes can’t handle, I’m in the mood, let’s get out of this shithole and hang out with the groping bitches over there in the watery Marbas at night!”
“Kiyakho! It’s Hans again!”
The group cheered. It was hard to see the squeaky little thing squeaking like a monkey in heat.
They were the kind of people who only wake up when they die. It looked like they were going to make their fortune playing money or being illegal mercenaries. It was Hans, surprisingly, who was leading the crappy vigilante group.
‘You’ve got both ears stuck together, awkward.
It’s been a long time since I’ve seen him. It seems like only yesterday that I made him a mate for harassing my sister, but in the world I ran away from, he seemed to be living like that.
‘You talked about being a great mercenary, and then you turned out to be a village bully. By the way—.’
But what surprised me even more was the figure walking right next to Hans.
A boy with short, long hair tied back. No, a young man who looked like a boy. His tulip-red hair and girlish cheeks made him stand out in the dull crowd.
Hans patted him on the back.
“Hey, guys, what did I do? It’s all thanks to our assistant captain! Let’s all give him a big round of applause for a job well done!”
“That’s a mouthful, and I’ll trust you next time!”
“Archmage, when I go to Marvas this time, I’ll have the best bitch I can find!”
Cheers erupted among the self-proclaimed vigilantes.
The red-haired young man gave an awkward laugh and scratched his cheek.
“Ahhhh–the archmage, talking weird again.”
“If you can lift four people without touching them, what’s that but a wizard? Hmph, I look forward to seeing your skills next time.”
“——Yes. Don’t worry.”
The young man stammered. His tone was remorseful, but the corners of his mouth twitched slightly, as if he didn’t want to be recognized.
I looked at the pathetic little bugger and said his name.
“Asel.”
“Then let’s go. Everyone, follow me and Vice-Captain Asel!”
Almost simultaneously, Hans extended a finger. His finger, as ugly as his face, pointed east, toward Marvas. Asel was staring in the same direction with a half-and-half mixture of apprehension and anticipation (I’ll give you the best bitch ever!).
“What is that asshole doing here?
My head was white as a sheet. It was so ridiculous that I forgot Akasha even existed. I strode on like a man possessed, blocking the path of the trash as it made its way through the night streets of Marvas.
“Stop. Self-proclaimed vigilante.”
“Huh? What is this?”
Hans frowned. His eyes widened as he stared at my face as if it were a suddenly protruding boulder.
“Wait a minute—! Aren’t you Ronan?”
He sounded surprised, and rightfully so. His hawk nose, which looked like a mushroom from hell, was my work. Personally, I attribute Hans’s patience to my physical therapy, which has given me the patience of a mouse’s nose hair.
Anyway, Hans never touched me again after that disastrous day. Until I went mad and left Nimburton.
The scum that heard my name roared.
“What, what, Ronan’s back?”
“Is that really Ronan, the one who broke the captain’s nose—breathe!”
One of them clamped his hand over my mouth. I don’t remember all the faces, but I’d say about 7% of them had been beaten up by me before. I basically didn’t go around picking fights, but I made it a point to beat the first guy up so he couldn’t walk or crawl.
Asel gulped as he turned to face me.
“Ro, Ronan?! Really?”
The way he stuttered, he sounded like Asel now. His beautiful purple eyes were causing an earthquake. He hung his head low, unable to look me in the eye.
Hans, finally overcome by the trauma, speaks up.
“Whoa, long time no see, Ronan. Where have you been, finally showing your face? You have no idea how much I’ve been looking for you—”
“Fuck off. You’re an ugly asshole.”
“What.”
I pushed Hans aside and went to stand in front of Asel. The scum were horrified to see their leader disrespected.
I growled low as I turned to face Asel.
“Asel. What are you doing here?”
“Uh, huh—?”
“What are you doing here. Do your parents know you’re doing this?”
Asel didn’t answer. He looked up into my face with a grimace, then lowered his head again. I could hear his rapid breathing even from here.
“I heard you earlier. You’re the second-in-command of these assholes. I’d rather be an asshole than a douchebag. What the hell has been going on while I’ve been gone?”
“——that, that.”
“Say something. Is this the life you dreamed of, huh?”
I shoved my hands in my pockets and rushed Asel. Rather than being pleased, I was furious. Part of me wanted to hang him and beat the crap out of him, but I still had patience.
At that moment, Asel, pale and fed up, spoke up.
“Lo, Ronan, you—what—!”
“What?”
“What do you think you know—? You just show up out of nowhere and—.”
“Huh.”
I chuckled. There was a surprising spark of defiance in his eyes as he looked up at me.
Actually, from his point of view, it made sense. He’s been out for years, and all of a sudden, he’s got to want something.
But that’s none of my business, and if he’s going to be a man, I’m going to be a man. I was about to grab him by the scruff of the neck and slap him.
“Now, wait—! Hans!”
Asel’s gaze focused over my shoulder, and when I glanced back, I saw Hans with his sword drawn and ready to cut me down.
“You asshole, when a human speaks, you’re supposed to listen!”
I sighed when I saw the little guy with the sword. His posture was even worse than when he was younger. It was proof that he hadn’t practiced anything but cowering. Reaching out lightly, I grabbed him by his left ear.
“Was it a person?”
“What?”
Hans let his embarrassment show. It was time to invoke the principle of self-defense. I grabbed the frozen creature by the ear and yanked. The ear ripped off with the sound of a radish or carrot being pulled out.
A fountain of blood sprayed across the sunset field.
“Off!”
Hans faltered. Blood was seeping through the cracks of the fingers that held his ears closed. I tossed the ear over my shoulder like I was taking out the trash. It spun and fell, landing squarely on the crown of Asel’s head.
“Hijack.”
Asel froze. Blood from his ear trickled down his forehead.
I nodded, looking at Hans, who had become my partner.
“This.”
It was comforting to see the severed ear. Hans is a match made in heaven. He might as well have been born that way.
“Da, boss, for God’s sake—!”
“You’re not crazy!”
One by one, the stunned scum began to react, but at least they had some money, and almost all of them had knives. They drew their swords at will and charged in unison.
“Kill it, it’s just sashimi!”
“What do you think you’re doing?! Huh?”
Asel was the only one who didn’t back down. He may have been a scumbag, but he was an archmage, so he had good situational awareness.
I looked back at the best friend of my life, the one I didn’t meet until the third parallel world.
“I’ll see you when you’re done. I’m your friend.”