“The Kings' Folly”—that was how the Gardener disdainfully referred to that battle.
The story of six kings from different eras fighting for an impossible future was dismissed by him as a useless, foolish act.
The ruins of that battle were now nothing but a desolate, ash-gray wasteland.
The sound of the wind blowing across the wasteland sounded uncannily like the rattling breath of a dying man's throat.
Six figures had once crossed paths in the skies above that wasteland.
『The End』, 『The Beginning』, 『Infinity』, 『Eternity』, 『The Absolute』, and 『The Opposition』.
Six Authorities, six obsessions, and six lines of fate that should never have intersected were forcibly twisted together by an irresistible power.
The ultimate victor would seize the Authorities of the six kings to combat an existence even more terrifying than the Abyss.
To commit that useless, foolish act.
Yet, when this folly came to an end, even the Gardener sighed as he connected that power.
『World Reconstruction: Re-enactment of All Things』
Thus, the laws of the world were rewritten; the fruit began to grow, only to rot and fall.
Unwanted twigs were pruned away, transforming into the ultimate victor's strength alongside the battlefield where the six kings had fought.
Those redundant possibilities were cut, folded, sealed, and sunk to the bottom of the world to serve as nutrients, never to sprout again.
And among those countless worlds on the brink of destruction, there was one such world.
In this world, there was a house with only a single door.
Inside, two people sat.
Seven chairs were arranged around a roundtable, five of which had long been covered in dust.
A middle-aged man in a tattered robe, wearing no undershirt and exposing most of his upper body, sat on the armrest of a chair. One leg was crossed over the other, and he spun a copper coin in his hand.
The patterns on the copper coin had worn down to the point of being unrecognizable, but he didn't care, expertly rolling the coin between his fingers.
The former holder of 『Infinity』, “The Warrior,” Valius.
A handsome man with black hair and red eyes sat opposite him, his posture upright, hands folded over his knees.
It was impossible to tell his exact age from his face. At first glance, he looked to be in his thirties; at second glance, he seemed three thousand years old.
The former holder of 『Eternity』, the Ancestor of Blood, Alucard.
“Luge is standing alone across the ages, and the Gardener is helping, so where the hell are the other three now?”
Valius glanced at the three empty seats.
“Zhongshan Yin is celebrating his wife's birthday, Xiting is just spending some time alone, and Lu has gone mad again—he's probably looking for something to eat right now.”
Alucard replied calmly, addressing each one.
The air in the room stagnated once more for a moment.
“Alucard, I'm planning to join the Black Tide.”
The copper coin flipped in the air and was caught in Valius's palm.
“Why?”
Alucard didn't move an inch, simply asking in puzzlement.
“They offered me a pretty good deal. They said they'd give me 『Greed』. Ever since 『Infinity』 was taken away, I've felt incredibly uncomfortable all over. You must feel something similar, right? Losing 『Eternity』 couldn't have been pleasant.”
“Even with only 『Blood』, it is enough to protect my family.”
“But it's still frustrating in the end, so I just went ahead and agreed. A bad life is still better than a good death.”
Alucard's eyes dimmed slightly.
“What a pity.”
“There's nothing to pity. You know what I'm like.”
Valius leaned back lazily in his chair, his mouth running non-stop.
“There are still too many things in this world I haven't done. Do you know about Named Knights? I heard it's a new profession that will appear thousands of years from now. They focus on physical cultivation and magic to strengthen their bodies, fighting with runic weapons.”
“Sounds very professional.”
“Right? Just hearing about it makes me want to throw a few punches. I've never killed a Named Knight before, so I'll have to give it a try when the time comes. Their body-tempering methods must be pretty unique, right? I wonder what it'll feel like to kill one.”
“Yes.”
“Oh, and there's also that Arkham. Apparently, he's universally recognized as the strongest existence in human history. The Wild Hunt King counts as a dragonkin, so he doesn't count. I've always wanted to fight him, but he's already become an anchor, so he's completely untouchable. And that Primordial Machine God locked up beneath Esperfite is just a half-baked mess. Sigh.”
“Yes.”
“Oh, speaking of the Wild Hunt King, I actually thought about going to fight him too. Even though that guy being killed by the Storm King is also an anchor, it doesn't stop me from giving him a punch first.”
“Yes.”
Alucard only responded with a single word.
“...Alucard, you can't expect everyone to be like you—not only shouting about justice every day but also being willing to die for their family.”
Valius's tone suddenly turned serious.
“Justice is meaningless to me, and I've already killed all of my family members. You can't expect me to risk my life for thin air. As for me, I plan to save death for the very end of my life to savor it.”
Alucard didn't respond immediately.
He knew exactly what kind of existence this man was.
Killed all of his own family. Heh.
Just for something like that...
...That was just the kind of person he was.
Alucard raised his eyes slightly, his gaze falling on the copper coin in Valius's hand. He spoke only after a few seconds had passed.
“Then go.”
“...Even though I just said all that, aren't you going to try and stop me?”
“Even Luge was almost killed by you.”
The ultimate victor of the Kings' Folly, the proxy of 『The Opposition』. That refined Eastern Taoist.
“But didn't I still lose? If I had won, I wouldn't have gone to join the Black Tide, alright?”
Valius flipped the copper coin into the air. This time, he didn't catch it, letting it clatter to the floor.
“Besides, Alucard, even if I am indeed a little stronger than you, that shouldn't stop you from trying to stop me for the sake of justice. Not to mention, when I beat you before, I still had 『Infinity』. Now it's gone. Your 『Eternity』 was also taken away, and your strength has dropped straight to Rank Nine. We're actually even now. Maybe we could try having another fight.”
He leaned forward, Alucard's reflection mirroring in his black pupils.
“This time, I won't aim to kill you, alright?”
“No.”
The refusal was extremely crisp and direct.
“I have things to do that are far more meaningful than fighting you,” Alucard said, enunciating each word.
“Ha, I really envy you. You actually have so many things to keep you busy besides eating, drinking, sleeping, and shitting.”
Valius hopped down from the armrest and brushed off non-existent dust from his hands.
“Fine. Anyway, I didn't just come to tell you where I'm going; I also came to give you a little benefit.”
“What is it?”
Alucard finally showed a hint of surprise.
“Within my power, I'll grant you one wish. Just don't make it too unreasonable. Consider it a reward for being a good opponent. After all, you did beat me once. Though, back then, I didn't even have time to react before that blood dragon came charging at me.”
Alucard fell silent for a very long time.
So long that Valius had begun to nudge the fallen copper coin with the toe of his boot.
“When you meet my family, do not kill them.”
“There are so many vampires out there. How am I supposed to know which ones are your family? I can't just avoid fighting every single vampire, can I? I was planning to go spin some Blood Hunters like tops.”
“Those who carry the scent of 『Blood』 are family.”
“Fine. Wait, Blood Hunters have 『Blood』 on them too, don't they? Sigh, whatever.”
Valius picked up the copper coin, slipped it into his pocket, and turned to walk toward the door.
After taking two steps, he turned back.
“Oh, right. I plan to go by Landon Colen from now on. I can't use the name Valius anymore, nor can I use my full strength. The Black Tide forged an identity for me, but if Fortuna finds out I've defected, things might get ugly.”
Alucard nodded.
“Heh, you really are something.”
Valius shook his head.
“Alucard, let's meet again in some world where there's no need to die.”
He turned away and waved his hand as a farewell.
“Valius.”
“What?”
He turned back again.
“Good luck with your future work.”
Valius froze for a beat, and then he burst out laughing.
“You really are fucking crazy.”
The door closed.
Only Alucard remained in the meeting room.
After a moment, Alucard stood up, the chair making no sound.
He walked to the only door and pulled it open.
The corridor outside was pitch black, with no light source and no end in sight.
Yet, he could still see countless names densely carved into the walls on both sides of the corridor.
They were all the names of vampires.
From the first generation to the thousandth.
From those he still remembered to those he had long forgotten, from those already deceased to those yet to be born—the family he protected.
His fingertips brushed past Blood Hunter, Eliza, and Lonia, before he stepped into the darkness.
The door slowly shut behind him, letting out a dull click.
The roundtable and seven chairs returned to silence once more.
Dust continued to accumulate on the seatbacks.
No one witnessed any of this.
...
Countless years later, on a dirt road flanked by maple trees and shrubs, Landon Colen leaned against a roadside stone monument, staring at the copper coin in his hand whose pattern was worn nearly smooth.
“Wish me smooth sailing in my work? You really fucking nailed that blessing, didn't you?”
“What are you muttering about?”
The voice from beside him was icy, having nothing to do with the actual temperature.
Landon slipped the copper coin into his breast pocket and glanced sideways at the woman beside him.
She had blonde hair and blue eyes, with a well-proportioned figure, wearing a cheongsam that looked completely out of place in this world. The long legs exposed by the high slit were fair enough to reflect light, and her face was so beautiful it made one want to punch her.
Her only flaw was that she was missing an arm, which had been severed from the shoulder. The wound had healed into an unsightly lump of flesh resting against her fair, tender skin.
Her remaining hand held a sword.
A common iron sword. In Avalon's blacksmith shops, you could probably buy one for just a few copper coins, with a discount if bought in bulk.
Yulia Wagner.
One of his colleagues.
“Nothing, just thinking about the past.”
“Oh.”
Yulia clearly had zero interest as she shifted her gaze forward.
“Did you manage to gather any information on the Hero just now?”
“I did. The tavern keeper in that town down the road was incredibly talkative, and I showed the portrait issued by the Church to Jealousy. Look, he's over there.”
Landon gestured toward the distance with his chin.
A masked, gray-haired man was crouching by the roots of a tree, holding the crumpled portrait with both hands, his shoulders trembling slightly.
A single demon horn on the right side of his head swayed conspicuously due to the shaking.
The left horn had been completely severed from near the base, leaving a flat, smooth cross-section.
The sword sheathed at his waist, whose hilt possessed a highly prominent skeletal texture, swayed gently along with his body.
“...What's up with that guy? Parkinson's?”
Landon pointed at him with his thumb, looking somewhat bewildered.
“No idea. I heard the Hero killed Zhong.”
Yulia said calmly.
Landon's eyebrows twitched.
“Wasn't Zhong pretty strong? Did he let it get to his head again?”
“Who knows? But Zhong is indeed dead. Cirian hasn't come to report to us yet, and it's unclear how the weapon recovery is going.”
“Zhong is dead, and your first reaction is to recover his weapon?”
“Do you want me to cry for you?”
Yulia raised her sole remaining hand and brandished the sword in her grip.
“You can tell, right? This sword isn't very easy to use. The blacksmith said it was already the best sword in the village. Was he lying to me?”
“Sigh... With your swordplay style, you should have slipped a few powerful swords away when the Sword Saint wasn't paying attention back then.”
Landon felt a wave of sheer annoyance and couldn't help but say so.
The air froze for an instant.
Clang.
The iron sword swung so fast that only a silver flash could be seen.
Before the tip of the sword could press against his throat, Landon's right hand had already firmly caught the blade between his fingers.
Not a single drop of blood came from his knuckles.
“What the fuck is wrong with you again?”
“Did I give you permission to mention my master?”
“Fine, fine. But at the very least, you could have taken your junior brother's 『Annihilation』, right?”
Yulia's expression was as calm as a placid lake. It was precisely this calmness that sent shivers down one's spine.
“Did I give you permission to mention my junior brother?”
Landon's gaze turned cold.
The surrounding grass began to bend outward.
“Do you really want to die? Don't forget, you are still just a human even now.”
Yulia did not withdraw her sword.
“You don't dare to use your full strength, so I have no reason to fear you.”
“You think I can't beat you just because I'm holding back?”
“You can try.”
“Enough. Are you two children?”
Jealousy interrupted their pointless bickering, his tone carrying a distinct, suppressed excitement and frenzy.
He had stood up at some point, still holding Esper's portrait in his hand.
Both of them snorted coldly and retracted their stances almost simultaneously.
“Alright, Jealousy.”
Landon flexed the fingers he had used to catch the blade and glanced at the gray-haired demon before him.
“You've been staring at that portrait for ages. What's your conclusion?”
“She is on her way to find Kaylar. It happens to align with our destination. The Adventurer's Guild has indeed mistaken Kaylar for a death marcher, which is a good thing for us.”
Jealousy's voice remained as calm as possible, but his speaking speed grew faster and faster despite himself.
“How did you figure out what she's going to do so quickly? Do you know her?”
Landon's lips twitched, and he couldn't help but ask.
Jealousy's movements froze for a fraction of a second, and the corners of his mouth beneath the mask curled up into a twisted grin.
“Of course I do.”
The young girl in that portrait.
Even if her crimson eyes were concealed with brown.
Even if a year of being an adventurer had smoothed out her sharp edges.
Even if she wasn't the one he was once familiar with.
“How could I not know? How the fuck could I not know? Haha...”
Jealousy's body curled inward slightly, trembling uncontrollably, as if thorns were growing wildly inside him, piercing his entire body.
“I do far more than just know her!”
His voice was also shaking, but not from fear or anger.
It was something far more twisted.
“Lonia Catori...”
“Who?”
Yulia asked with a cold face.
“The Hero's real name.”
An uncontrollable laughter was already laced in Jealousy's voice.
“What exactly is your relationship with her?”
Landon thought to himself that if he had known his colleagues were all such weirdos, perhaps dying in battle that day would have been a better option.
“What relationship...? Hehe...”
He removed his mask, revealing a pair of purple eyes that were identical to Gloom's.
“She is... the person I want to kill most in my life...”
Rate on N.U.
