Quit The Hero Party

*

EP.506 The Thousand-Year Conclusion (1)

*

Splash! Death rolled in with the sound of crashing waves.

Acrita felt his vision turning white. In his ears, he could hear someone laughing. A familiar yet strange voice—his own. Even in this state, he was laughing. Ha ha ha!

He had lost. Completely and utterly.

It was his perfect defeat. He could no longer deny it. His plans had crumbled. While he thought he had cornered his enemies, he himself was the one cornered.

Well, wasn’t that splendid?

Countless variables, the path they had walked for over a thousand years had outpaced him. Some might scoff and say it was just coincidence, while others might lament poor luck. But Acrita laughed.

It was neither luck nor coincidence.

The moment the verdict was delivered, he became a complete loser.

He had always forced others to make choices, yet here he was, reduced to a position of having to make choices himself… standing on the stage, he had perfectly lost. There was no longer a way to escape.

Is this the end?

A laugh escaped the Braver’s lips.

If the scream uttered before death is a human’s cry, then his laughter could be seen as a kind of scream too.

Because he had failed to achieve his purpose, it was a scream of non-existence (非命), but it was not a scream of pain, so his laughter could not become a scream of sadness (悲鳴). The laughter that could not become a scream was drowned out by the sound of the waves.

Whoosh…

The sound of bubbling water echoed.

Petals of platinum bloomed amidst the mingling waves. In the swirling waves, Acrita felt his body and soul shatter. The end approached. Death was nearing.

At that moment, as death approached, a voice lingered in the Braver’s ear. It was the voice of those who had defeated him.

「In the end, you are empty, aren’t you?」

「To be defeated by an empty vessel, my life is not so light.」

Gletus of Regulation.

「My sword will strike you down.」

「That is my loyalty to my master.」

Humanity’s sword, Ganikalt van Galatrick.

As Acrita savored the voices of the two beings who had utterly conquered him, he chuckled. The voices did not cease there. The next voice was that of the sister he had shattered with his own hands.

「Look, brother.」

「In the end, it has not reached you, has it?」

The words she had left behind when she drove him out of the kingdom echoed in Acrita’s ears. What had she said afterward?

「My life, my will, will reach you.」

「Whether it takes a hundred years or a thousand.」

At that time, he had dismissed her declaration with a scoff.

From that day when she made that declaration, a thousand years passed, and upon his return, Acrita made her a vessel of shadow. Ensuring that her declaration would never come true.

He must have shattered her with his own hands.

He would have trampled on her will and turned all the heroes who sought to carry on her will into disasters. Thus, he would have crushed even the slightest sprout.

「Those who inherit my will will someday trample you. They will block your path.」

At long last.

「Without a doubt.」

At long last, I come this far.

「Without fail, I will put an end to your life.」

The Braver’s vision gradually cleared. The shattering waves settled. Cast amidst the garden of platinum, Acrita listened to the approaching footsteps. Tap tap, someone was stepping on petals and walking towards him.

Well, look who finally made it!

Acrita chuckled.

Damn you, sister.

There stood a distant descendant, inheriting the will of Arcadia. Ayla Clen Cartedia, the King of Cartedia, approached the Braver.

Clutching the Queen’s holy sword in her hand.

Petals scattered.

Through the swirling petals, Ayla walked closer. She saw Acrita lying on the ground. His torso was torn, and even now, his flesh and soul were rapidly shattering.

If left as is, he would meet a perfect death.

Yet, Ayla moved purposefully towards the Braver. She had words to say. A will inherited, she sighed deeply as she approached Acrita.

Well, look who finally made it!

Acrita chuckled again.

Damn you, sister.

He saw his long-lost sister reflected in Ayla, now coming closer to him. His long-time rival was there. A rival who had pursued him for thousands of years had finally caught up to him.

Acrita Clen Arcadia.

Ayla spoke.

That day, the Queen declared to you.

She directed the tip of her sword at the Braver.

It was the Queen’s holy sword, a blade that symbolized the will that had been passed down, aimed at the heart of the dying Acrita.

My life is…

My path is…

Those who walk in my will…

Will reach you. Although it seems too weak and insignificant now…

But that’s alright.

It will reach you no matter how many hundreds or thousands of years it takes. The Queen declared so.

Indeed, she did.

Acrita chuckled.

I scoffed at that declaration, mocking it as a dream that could never be realized. I remember.

But, he thought.

Acrita looked at Ayla standing before him. A girl who had been a coward. A girl whom he had thought would never be his rival. Yet now, she was holding a sword at his neck.

Now it’s my turn to be mocked.

Acrita said that much.

With the sword aimed, Ayla swallowed hard.

She could speak. She could tell how much sacrifice it took to get here. How many humans had thrown their lives away to reach him. She could say all of that, but she chose not to.

Arcadia is…

Instead, Ayla said.

The will inherited by Cartedia, humanity…

Flowers bloomed from the tip of her sword.

Today, it reached you. And the next, the path that follows will ultimately exceed you.

The life of the Queen.

The will of Acriel Clen Arcadia.

Was never in vain.

I stand here as the witness.

With the sword that extinguished starlight, Ayla thrust it forward.

No mystical swordsmanship was needed. No power was needed. She simply pushed the tip of the sword into Acrita’s heart. The blade that had failed to reach the Braver a thousand years ago was now embedded deep within his heart.

Gurgle! The Braver coughed up crimson blood. The starlight rising from the tip began to incinerate the Braver’s soul and body.

「Perhaps it cannot reach now.」

Acrita looked ahead.

Through his reddening vision, he faced Ayla.

「But someday this blade will pierce you. And on that day, at last…」

The voice of his sister echoed in his ears.

Her voice resonated with Ayla’s voice.

“On this day, humanity triumphed.”

「Humanity will prevail.」

“Cartedia will be known as an empire.”

「Arcadia will be called an empire.」

Crossing a thousand years, the Queen’s sword pierced Acrita’s heart. The starlight inheriting her will delivered the Braver an eternal sentence of death.

…Hah.

Coughing blood, amidst the pain of burning life and soul, Acrita laughed. He let out laughter. He never understood why he was laughing until the very end.

Having shattered countless lives.

Having robbed countless lives.

Having collected the final moments of many, many lives, Acrita was now observing the end of a Braver who had lived for tens of thousands of years. The Braver was laughing. It was not madness. It wasn’t even rage.

But why was he laughing?

What was so enjoyable?

No matter how wretched the lives they lived, at the end of life, they would become a work of art; yet this Braver could not even become art. So, did the author’s life hold any value? Likely not. An end that is not beautiful cannot be called a work of art.

Acrita did not understand the Braver.

Thus, Acrita must have ultimately been misunderstood, even by himself. The Braver met his end without being understood by anyone.

Hah, ha ha…

The laughter faded.

The fading laughter was suddenly snip! cut off. The end of the Braver, who had lived for tens of thousands of years, was pathetic.

In the end, it was your victory, sister.

Death, awaited for thousands of years, swallowed the Braver.

Crumble! Acrita’s remnants shattered.

Watching the scattering remnants, Ayla let out a long breath. The long chase had come to an end. The eradication of the Braver was complete. However, Ayla could not shout the end of the eradication.

There was still an unfinished battle.

Ayla shifted her gaze.

There, far away, the Black Dragon and Skebal were entangled. Just as she was about to lead her team towards them, a flash captured her attention.

Flash!

A blinding light burst where the Black Dragon and Skebal collided. Like the sun rising beyond the horizon. Immediately thereafter, a fierce storm surged, bringing hot winds.

Ugh…!

Her hair whipped wildly. The winds caused the petals of the garden to flutter in all directions. The heat was felt even from this distance. As the storm made it hard to open her eyes, Ayla barely managed to keep them open.

Clop!

Footsteps were heard.

A white mane swept beside Ayla. Someone passed by, stepping on the flowerbed. Through the flowing white hair, Ayla squinted.

Chloe was running.

Unfazed by the surging winds, Chloe was running. Towards where Belnoa was located.

*

Chloe ran.

With every step, her vision trembled.

Unhealed wounds throbbed. The warm wind made her breath catch. Her legs were shaking, and sweat flowed down her back. The wind whipped her hair over her eyes, forcing Chloe to bow her head and run.

Footsteps. The sound of her heartbeat pounding. The sound of breath.

Breathing heavily, Chloe ran.

Had she ever run this hard in her life? Had she ever run this desperately? Probably not. Not when Belnoa was always by her side during such times.

Holding her hand and running together.

To where that Belnoa was, Chloe bit her lip and ran. The once powerful winds had quieted down. Chloe lifted her head. Gasping for air, she pushed off the ground and looked straight ahead.

There was the Black Dragon.

The Black Dragon that had once seemed distant was now slowly approaching Belnoa. The Black Dragon was now in sight, battered and torn. Its wings were ripped. Blood flowed from its entire body, and it was dying from the impact of the combat.

On the melted remains of Skebal.

The Black Dragon, Belnoa, was dying.

Though they won the duel, in the end, Belnoa too could not escape death. Realizing this, Chloe caught her breath. She stumbled, embarrassingly falling to the ground.

Ugh…

Chloe propped herself up with her hands and staggered toward Belnoa. As she approached, Chloe shouted at the top of her lungs. Belnoa!

And then, it happened.

“Oh. Why did you call?”

A voice reached Chloe’s ears.

Her eyes widened. She quickly turned her head to where the voice had come from. Above the melting, dying Black Dragon, she heard the voice.

“Anyone would think someone had died.”

Perched atop the Black Dragon’s head, Belnoa chuckled softly. Chloe blinked in disbelief. What was this? Was she seeing things?

“Belnoa…?

Her legs gave way, and Chloe fell to the ground with a thud. Then Belnoa stepped down from the Black Dragon’s head, approaching Chloe with light steps.

“What do you need me for?”

Thud!

Belnoa stood before Chloe, extending her hand. Trembling, Chloe reached out and took Belnoa’s hand. She felt the sensation. It was not an illusion.

“Oh, really…”

Finally, Chloe burst into tears.

She laughed while crying. Her expression was unmanageable, emotions overwhelming her as Chloe wept with her head down. It was a while before she finally raised her head.

“…Belnoa?”

“How…”

The late-coming eradication team members widened their eyes upon seeing Belnoa, about to speak but stopping short.

Bam!

Chloe raised her head and grabbed Belnoa by the collar, pulling her close. Belnoa’s mouth was halted mid-sentence, trying to explain the situation. Some members stared wide-eyed, some turned their heads in silence, while others gazed at the two with expressions of disbelief…

“Wow.”

Lac exclaimed in admiration.