Chapter 413
Footsteps echoed through the ruined square.
Seir walked toward me with his pitch-black hair fluttering.
I put strength into my feet, thinking that an attack might come at any moment, but the Demon King stopped without attacking me.
"Come on, bring up your brilliant system."
"...How did you damage my system?"
"I was lucky. I simply tried my last desperate measure to cut off the world's mana circuit, but it was connected to the divine system. Thanks to that, I was able to hide the remains of the 'seed' in the system you received."
I knew full well that my system was damaged because of the Demon King.
However, I didn't know that the influence of that 'seed' would be this strong.
I stared at Seir's smirking face with my eyes wide open.
"That's why I knew the system recovery method."
"I'm really surprised. Thanks to this unexpected stroke of luck, I've learned a lot. Who you really are, and why you wanted to leave this world."
Seir's gaze changed slightly.
He, who had been looking at me with great interest until just a moment ago, looked at me with a slightly pitiful expression.
"You were a human from another world with a special power called the System. Only then did I understand why you left this beautiful world behind."
"You really learned a lot of things unintentionally."
"But I didn't question your choice. Any living creature longs for the place they were born. You might have simply been feeling nostalgic for that, too."
"Is that why you followed me to this world?"
"Hahaha! No, no, that had nothing to do with my intentions."
The Demon King's hearty laughter hit my ears.
While Seir was wagging his tongue, the shock inflicted on my body subsided a lot. My breathing was much more stable than before. However, my head still felt dizzy.
In that state, when I heard Seir's laughter, it felt like my semicircular canal was shaken.
It was a really horrible voice to hear.
"It was really a gamble. I'm embarrassed to say it myself, but it was really a last-ditch effort. Realizing that I would lose to you, I planned to die with the 'seed' in my body. Destroying the world's mana circuits due to the 'seed's' influence was a high-probability gamble, but carving my soul into pieces and preserving it within the remains of the 'seed' was an unimaginable probability."
Preserving the soul by carving it into pieces.
The moment I heard those words, everything began to make sense to me.
It felt like the puzzle pieces I had forgotten were fitting together one by one.
"......... That's why you were able to come back to life like this?"
"The soul-fragmenting spell was so ancient that I couldn't even remember when it was last performed. Some of my predecessors tried this spell to enjoy eternal life, but they disappeared into eternity. But look at me!"
Seir spread his arms wide.
The sun, faintly shining through the gray clouds, cast a long shadow under his arm.
It was as if a pair of black wings were spreading out.
"Aren't I so clearly alive! Aren't I more perfectly resurrected than anyone else and breathing the air of this beautiful world again?"
"Even if you succeeded in separating the soul, it would have taken enough time to regenerate the body."
"Of course. In order to regenerate the body through the soul, a host full of nutrients was needed, and just then, the little ones who came to analyze the remains of the 'seed' showed up."
I smiled bitterly as I recalled the situation I had heard from Owen a year ago.
Was all of this prepared for this moment?
That Seir was able to enjoy his fortune.
That I fell back into
"Any human would have been fine, but who would have thought that the first person to touch the remains of the 'seed' would be your little brother. I thought it was all fate. Karis von Walden. The moment that foolish little one touched the 'seed,' I moved into his body."
"Then after being suddenly transferred to the real world with Owen, you had been hiding in his body, waiting for this chance."
Owen told me that his last memory on the Arcadia continent was touching the remains of a magical tool, presumed to be a 'seed'.
The moment he touched the magical tool, Seir's soul, which had been fragmented, entered his body.
So, due to an unknown causality, both of them were sent to the real world where I am.
'The seed Seir created was so powerful that it destroyed the god's system. Does that mean that when I met God and returned to the real world, it was transferred together like a virus?'
Seir smirked again with an unpleasant smile.
"That guy was really foolish. Listening to the conversation between him and you was one of the pleasures of the past time. He didn't even know that the unpleasant emotions he felt were coming from inside himself. You wouldn't know how much I laughed when that kid said he would protect you no matter what happened."
"...Don't curse my brother anymore. I'll kill you."
"Hahaha! You're still so energetic even though you're having trouble standing on your own two feet, Crown Prince, you're truly special."
I clenched my fists with the sincere intention of killing Seir, but he just laughed at me.
"If you can kill this body, then do it. I wonder how far an ordinary human without special powers can fight."
"An ordinary human...?"
"Didn't I tell you myself, that I haven't done anything special to your body right now. The moment my 'seed' entered your system, the match is already decided."
Seir leisurely walked around me.
I felt like he hadn't attacked since a while ago and was just watching.
Isn't he?
Did he just play around with me because he judged that I didn't have any killing power from the beginning?
"Why do you think I showed up right before the system recovery rate reached 100%?"
"Of course, it would continue to be damaged until it reaches 100%. You probably wanted to attack me while the 'seed' you created was still effective."
"That's right. Now, if that system that helps you is under my authority, what can you do?"
"What...?"
With that last sentence, Seir snapped his fingers.
At that moment, several system windows tinted red appeared in my field of vision.
[The system has been eroded. The system has been eroded.]
[The possessor-nim's abilities may not function properly.]
[Calculating the available range.........….]
[System Uptime: 8%]
[Time Left Until System Shutdown: 10 Minutes]
System shutdown.
I was anxious because I thought there was a problem with the system when I got the notification that I had encountered the Demon King earlier. Is this the influence of the 'seed'?
'The system's abilities were limited, so my body was not recovering well and was so heavy.'
In short, I am not the crown prince who is currently fighting the Demon King's army on the front lines.
I am just an ordinary human who has lived as an idol in South Korea.
Fight Seir with all my abilities practically sealed.
"... Haha."
How can I laugh at this ridiculous situation? Am I on the verge of losing my mind?
I shrugged my shoulders and laughed to myself, but then stopped.
No. It's too early to give up.
'.... Isn't that saying there's still about 10 minutes left?'
The system is not completely shut down.
It still has 8% of its capacity and 10 minutes left.
Then the answer is simple.
All I have to do is separate that disgusting face from my body once again within 10 minutes.
Seir stretched out his right arm, sensing that my gaze had changed.
The dark shadow condensed under his hand like a solid.
A longsword with an ominous aura took shape.
"Yes, that's the look I want from you. A look full of confidence, as if you're going to rush in at any moment."
Seir gripped the longsword that emerged from the shadows tightly and slowly raised it toward me.
"I want to see it again. Show me that splendid swordsmanship that set my heart ablaze, that movement that was so fast my eyes couldn't keep up with it."
I fell down after saying something very fortunate.
I laughed so loudly that I couldn't stand Seir's voice.
"I'm really shaking, I can't stand it anymore. You're talking too much because you're afraid of your great neck being cut off again. You're bluffing, but you're afraid of death? You're talking so trivially."
"...What did you just say, you little brat?"
"Yes, I'll gladly take you on."
I opened my eyes wide and concentrated my mind as much as I could.
The broken system moved according to my will.
The continent of Arcadia once recognized the being that had once engraved its name on this land.
-Kiing.
Particles of light gathered in front of me.
The small particles clumped together to form a single shape.
The holy sword Durandal, which I had stuck in the center of the temple a long time ago before I returned to reality, reappeared at the master's command.
'It's been a while.'
I held Durandal as I felt a familiar sensation.
I prepared to sharpen my sword as I always did, and I held Durandal, but it really felt like I had dozens of sandbags on my arms.
If the power of the system wasn't perfect, then even the holy sword I'd wielded my entire life would be this heavy.
"Hoo.........."
I took a deep breath and continued to rearm my mind.
This isn't that heavy.
Compared to the lives of the humans Seir had killed so far.
Compared to the hatred he had harbored toward me over the past few years.
And compared to the hearts of the countless people who believed in me, it wasn't that heavy.
"Ah.......... My heart is pounding."
Seir swung his longsword a few times, cutting through the air.
The blade, as black as his eyes, emitted an eerie light.
"Now, Karis von Walden, my only one who understands, let us dance like that once again. Let us compete with our skills, enjoying with our whole body the cool sensation of standing at the crossroads of life and death. Let us burn our lives beautifully as if we were the only ones left in this world!"
The moment the last words echoed through the air, Seir rushed toward me at incredible speed.
I used the Crown Prince's body vision to the fullest extent and followed the trajectory of the blade, but my body, which was several times heavier than usual, barely reacted.
"Huh!"
"What is that slow movement! Show me! The sword energy that fell to my neck!"
Pitch-black swords rained down from all directions.
I tried my best to block all attacks as the old experiences embedded in my body came back to life, but I was limited in keeping up with Seir's speed.
Shoulder, forearm. Side.
Every time we fought, small wounds appeared on my body.
My whole body flinched at the feeling of the blade wound that I had felt after such a long time, but it was not the time to think about pain.
'Focus. There is no time.'
I have to finish everything in 10 minutes.
No matter how hard I think about it, I can't come up with a good way to deal with Seir after the system is completely shut down.
I have to burn my life in these 10 minutes while the system is still functioning a little.
"Kuaa!"
I clenched my teeth and used all my strength to slam Durandal.
A technique that attacks the neck, waist, thighs, and ankles in a series of four attacks.
In the past, this technique alone could destroy a group of demons, but now its power has dropped considerably and it doesn't work on Seir.
"Hmm, it's better than before, but it's still bad. Did the system erosion alone make you this weak?"
The Demon King clicked his tongue while waving his arms flexibly.
"I didn't wait to feel this much fun. Crown Prince, I wish you had put in a little more strength."
I would grind your head right now if I could.
The more I swing my sword, the more out of breath I get.
Seir's sword energy, which I had barely managed to deflect, was now coming closer and closer, leaving a deep wound on my arm.
Blood was flowing out.
Every time I put strength into my hand holding the holy sword, a drop of crimson blood dripped down my elbow.
I was somehow holding on tenaciously, but I knew it too.
It wasn't enough.
In my current state, I couldn't even hurt Seir, let alone cut off his neck.
The strength left my grip slightly.
Seir smiled wickedly when he saw that for a moment.
"Is that your answer? It's really too bad."
Seir's black sword flew in a large circle to the side.
A large attack flying much slower than before.
If I had even a little bit of stamina left, I could have easily avoided it, but my legs were already not listening.
"I will personally give that body rest."
No. I have to block the attack somehow—
The last remaining reason moved my arms to lift Durandal.
However, Seir's sword, which approached without mercy, hit me exactly.
-Kukwagwagwang!
My body flew away powerlessly like a rag doll.
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