136 – Beginning and Beginning and Beginning
The archer staggered to his feet, clutching his broken helmet. Blood overflowed between the fingers covering the mouth.
“f*ck you.”
For some reason, laughter came out along with the blood.
“The kid who will soon be left behind is so lively….”
“He’s not dead yet.”
The Watcher approached the archer to finish the final blow. Then his legs started shaking.
“…!”
Current forms are originally designed to handle only the stars of the Big Dipper. All of the stars in Ursa Major, plus even more star fragments collected so far. It was difficult to handle a total of more than 20 stars.
A hasty redesign and operation was carried out for immediate practical use, even without the assistance of a belt. This is a form used after lifting the minimum limit that the body can endure.
Compared to Ursa Major, the amount of exposure to starlight may have been reduced, but the strain on the body was more severe. It was a tactic to undermine the immediate life in order to save future lifespan.
Perhaps that was why the Watcher felt intense dizziness even though he had only taken one step forward.
“…You’re not very bright. “You’re a bastard who will soon be left behind.”
From noble mtl dot com
The archer looked at him and laughed. The archer was also not in good condition. He was hit squarely on the head with the Chilseong Bogak. A special move that would have easily killed most monsters instantly.
Of course, there was no way the archer was in good condition either. He only escaped immediate death, but he was at risk of death if he was hit even slightly.
‘f*ck, I think I’m going to fall behind too.’
The archer tensed, catching his breath. But for some reason, I kept laughing.
‘How long has it been since you’ve been bullied like this?’
I was hit like this a few days ago, but I erased it from my mind. He wasn’t in full force at that time.
It’s different now. I did my best. He launched a surprise attack on a defenseless opponent, bombarded him continuously so that he could not move, and even used a special move.
Still, we lost.
Obviously, he would have gone crazy with anger, but he was strangely refreshing. He had no thoughts of revenge or retaliation.
In the face of death, he did not even think about regrets or resentments about life.
I didn’t care about what happened or the circumstances.
Literally, he was only focused on the fight now.
No one has died yet. The fight was still going on.
“You’re the one who’s going to be left behind soon, but you’re not the one who’s going to be left behind right now, right?”
Unfortunately, the archer used up all his strength to get up. He didn’t even have the strength left to raise an arrow, let alone raise a protest.
But the mental strength still remained. He moved his body forcefully, as if he were forcing a toothed gear to turn.
The movement was nothing more than squeezing his fingers.
He clenched his fists and pointed straight ahead.
“We must end in a romantic way.”
The Watcher also calmed down his stumbling body and looked straight at the archer. The red lens contrasting with the green starlight gazed quietly at the archer. It was a gaze so cold that it felt eerie.
“Go for it, you bastard!”
Unlike the archer who confidently shouted, the watcher remained silent. He instead gathered starlight in his hands. Even though my body was strained, it didn’t mean I had completely exhausted all my strength.
“Good.”
The archer had no energy left at all. He was fine with clenching his fist, but he couldn’t extend his fist. The outcome of the fight seemed clear to anyone.
The archer himself knew it. The moment the Watcher’s fist touches, the name is over. This life also ends. He quietly watched his fist approach.
He had special eyes and could see more than just fists.
The flow of air from his fist, the flow of starlight, the frequency of his rough breathing, the particles of dirt and dust splashing with his steps, the sunlight breaking, and his own face reflected in the blood drops flying with the wind.
‘Since when did I make a face like this?’
The archer felt a doubt as he looked at that face. Beneath the monster’s shell was a mummy soaked in blood. A dried, twisted corpse.
Come to think of it, he never had any doubts.
‘Have I already died once?’
I heard that there are often cases where humans turn into monsters, and Archer thought that he was one of those cases. But something was strange about him. If he really turned into a monster, it would be strange to see a corpse like this underneath.
Is it because I came close to death? He began to consider things he normally did not do.
The moment lasted like an eternity. Like stretching a blocky piece of clay thinly and stretching it like a thread, the density of this short time became infinitely longer.
He felt his heart skipping a beat. It was a sensation he had never felt before. Beat. Vibrations that occur within the body. Mechanical beat like a metronome. Fast. Even in this slow time, it was fast.
‘Why am I so excited now? ‘What am I feeling in this fight?’
It is said that there is only one time when a monster is so excited that it ignores even death. This is when he gets closer to his own purpose.
‘…What did I want?’
Only then did the archer realize that he had even forgotten his goal as a monster.
“No.”
Before the Watcher’s fist crushed his face once again, someone’s voice broke the silence. It was a warm and affectionate voice that did not suit the current situation. The owner of the voice was wearing a long, gray hood that was difficult to recognize.
With a huff, a hand came out from inside the hood and separated the watcher and the archer. The two left hands covered the archer, and the two right hands overlapped to block the watcher’s fist. It wasn’t a mistake. It had one voice but four hands.
Bwaaak!! A fist wrapped in green starlight and a hand collided, creating an intense sound. Although the palm was torn, the defense itself was successful.
“Don’t be too sad. I told you before, it’s my responsibility to help you. My motto is not to get involved in what happens between children… But you guys are a special exception. “I’m sorry for no reason.”
Watcher gritted his teeth.
“Botis…!”
“It’s okay if I call you to see me… Even if I tell you, you won’t listen now, right?”
“Get out of the way! “That guy caused the indiscriminate bombing today…”
“You know that’s not important to me. “How important do you think it is to the monster how many people died?”
“It is important to me. “I’m not a monster.”
Botis looked him up and down and burst into laughter.
“Is that your answer?”
The sight of him nodding as if he understood everything got on Watcher’s nerves.
“Okay, I will respect you. But this time you have to respect me too. Of course you don’t have a choice. Sorry.”
Botis laughed and let go of the Watcher’s fist. Then, starting from beneath her feet, green grass began to grow around her. The land was as green as a pasture.
Unlike the right hand that released the watcher, the left hand was still holding the archer tightly. The archer said, straining to loosen his hand.
“Wait you damn goat b*tch! I still have some work to do with that guy! “It can’t go on like this…”
“Of course you are the same. “There is no choice.”
“Don’t be ridiculous! Why do you keep disturbing me! “What right do you have…”
The archer continued to shout.
“What am I doing! What am I! I need to know… I want to know…!”
His cries of questioning Bottis soon degenerated into questions about himself.
“So we have to end this fight….”
Soon the question came down to instinct.
But the shout could not continue for long and ended. This is because the archer, who now had no strength left, lost his mind, and at the same time, Vortis deployed the Goldilocks Zone to remove himself and him from this place.
The Watcher, left alone, clicked his tongue as he watched the empty space that had disappeared. His displeasure wasn’t just because he missed his target.
“I’m going to turn.”
The archer who shouted for knowledge without knowing anything looked just like him, and it was very unpleasant.
**
Han Jaejoong returned home riding Megrez’s bike again. It was now a ruin that was completely collapsed and embarrassing to even call home.
He immediately canceled the transformation and fell to the floor without any time to calm his staggering body. It was difficult for him to even lift his hand. This is the result of Starlight operating as it pleases without the assistance of a belt. More than just a headache, all the muscles in my body were tense and I couldn’t move a single muscle.
The sight of a person lying on the floor covered in blood and dust. It was the perfect look to play the victim of an incident where a house collapsed in an instant.
Actually, there was no difference.
“…Ugh.”
“Where have you been?”
A familiar voice was heard from beyond the still billowing smoke and the remains of several buildings. It was Baek A-hee.
“Where are you going when you come back? I passed out and now I’m waking up… I didn’t find it myself so I heard something else….”
“Honey? “Oh my, when did our nicknames develop like that?”
“No nonsense…”
“It’s a joke. Sorry. “If I had been more conscious, everything would have been resolved by now.”
Unlike her playful tone, Baek Ah-hee’s voice was somber.
“You shout so loudly that you end up letting someone else solve the problem….”
That’s not true. Just as I was about to say that, I heard urgent footsteps running towards me.
“This way!”
“Jaejoong! Where are you!”
The voices of White Davich and Blue Sirius followed suit.
“This way!” “This way!”
“…!”
Baek Ah-hee responded to the voice and shouted. Those on the other side of the wall who heard this let out a groan of relief and embarrassment at the same time. White Davich took a deep breath and then shouted:
“I will solve it!”
Puuu. The sound of a huge horn could be heard beyond the wall made of the remains of the building. Pieces of concrete moved and rattled, causing the ground to tremble. Just below the rubble, a skeletal soldier rose up and lifted the heavy concrete.
“Ah, I found it!”
“…! Jaejoong!”
Han Jaejoong made eye contact with Blue Sirius beyond the pile of rubble that had been cleared. Blue Sirius ran to him without even looking at his surroundings.
She rushed over and very carefully lifted Han Jae-joong’s body as if she were touching delicate glass crafts.
“Jaejoong….”
Water droplets began to drip down Han Jaejoong’s cheeks. These were the tears shed by Blue Sirius. He let tears stream down his cheeks, wiping away the dirt and blood that had already been there.
Blue Sirius quietly hugged him. He then muttered softly as if in a whisper.
“I’m sorry… I should have been more careful… I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”
Her apology resembled that of a priest confessing his sins before his god. She was filled with shame, self-destruction, and her pious determination not to repeat it.
“I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”
There was also self-destructive and angry madness.
“…I guess I was too relaxed.”
Tears no longer flowed from her eyes, which used to flow like a fountain. Instead of flowing, the tears froze and fell. A cold glow blazed around her eyes.
“I wanted to respect your will. “I know you’re dangerous, but I didn’t want to ruin your freedom… I did, but I had to… I’m sorry.”
Han Jaejoong’s vision gradually became blurred. His face was resting against Blue Sirius’ shoulder so he couldn’t look into her eyes. If you had seen it, you probably would have caught this fading consciousness.
“Now, I don’t have to follow the line either.”
With this mumbling as a lullaby, Han Jaejoong fell into a deep sleep.
**
“Thank you. Headsman.”
Libra smiled contentedly and touched the reagent in her pocket.
“Thanks to you, I was able to collect a lot of data.”
Behind him, the bronze monster he created was waiting side by side. However, unlike before, the numbers themselves were few. There were only about ten or so in number.
It was natural. This time he wasn’t going to fight.
“Not only the power of Ursa Major, but also the data on its deteriorated form… I guess I should at least give it a reward later. “We gathered very satisfactory data.”
He chuckled and raised his hand toward the door in front of him.
“Now all that’s left is experimentation.”
Knock knock. After knocking politely on the door a couple of times, a solemn voice was heard from the other side.
“Come in.”
The door opened and my eyes met the monster sitting in the center.
“What’s going on with our Argo family?”
Did you say that the enemy of your enemy is your friend? Libra likes this saying.
This means that good deals are possible with opponents who share the same enemy.
“Let’s make a deal.”
A deal that destroys both sides simultaneously without sacrificing anything.
It’s such an efficient sacrifice, Libra likes it so much.
