Chapter 597
Chapter 597: Let Me Tell You an Old Tale (2)
At that time, the Salvation Society could be considered a clan living in the Demon Realm.
Aside from humans tainted by thoughts, there were also humans who lived alongside them.
Whether it was due to evangelism and inclusion or through kidnapping and threats, it remains a mystery.
In any case, they spent a long time in the Demon Realm, building their own power and forming a clan.
It is said that countless Cracked Beings lived within the Demon Realm. It was thanks to the people of the Salvation Society who were able to briefly open dimensional doors.
However, the Cracked Beings could not leave the Demon Realm. The influence of the demon god in the outside world was diminishing over time.
Thus, the Cracked Beings lived within the Demon Realm alongside the people of the Salvation Society.
This indicates that, unlike now, the Cracked Beings were under the control of the Salvation Society, or perceived them as their kin.
When tens of thousands of Cracked Beings gathered, the Salvation Society invaded the world, gradually expanding the boundaries of the Demon Realm and allowing the Cracked Beings to move freely.
But it was futile to try and dominate the world.
Humanity had grown strong over a long time, and dragons mercilessly wiped out anything attempting to escape the Demon Realm.
Instead, humanity was preparing to eradicate the Demon Realm by allying with the dragons.
At that time, a genius emerged from the Salvation Society.
He could manipulate the demon god’s energy more easily than anyone and understood it better than anyone else.
He established methods to use the demon god’s energy and shared it with others. Most of the techniques of the Salvation Society were developed during that time.
He became the last hope of the Salvation Society. Naturally, the followers of the Salvation Society crowned him their king.
Up until then, the Salvation Society could only open very small rifts, and that only briefly.
But the king was different.
Being powerful allowed him to open rifts on his own. Moreover, those rifts were immensely large.
Countless Cracked Beings sprang forth all at once. Monstrous beasts that had been holding their breath within the rifts emerged alongside them.
The monster, Equidema, which the demon god had first created to conquer this world, began to expand its territory.
Even the gigantic otherworldly beasts trapped in dimension rifts joined the fray.
Thanks to the king and the beasts, sheer chaos erupted, allowing an enormous number of Cracked Beings to move without constraints.
Catastrophe.
A horrific disaster unfurled upon humanity once more.
A giant white snake with wings bound and killed dragons. A gigantic white figure, with an elephant’s head atop its neck and adorned with numerous accessories, trampled the earth.
Monsters, whose names and identities were unknown, rampaged through the world. Even the powerful dragons couldn’t handle them all.
At that point, humanity realized.
The king of the Salvation Society was not originally one of their kin.
A human, filled with rage against the world, had entered the Demon Realm, acquiring the powers of the demon god.
The king of the Salvation Society had absorbed the long-condensed thoughts of the demon god into his human form.
He was a betrayer who sought to destroy humanity.
And he opposed the goddess.
Humanity referred to him as the Adversary.
Despair and screams filled the world. The powers of the demon god controlled by a genius was beyond what the people of this world could endure.
The world was racing towards destruction.
At that time, the goddesses finally intervened in this world.
The goddesses, defying fate, bestowed the power to counter the Salvation Society upon humanity.
Thus, the first saint appeared.
A hero arose to become her sword.
The Elf Great Chief and the Dwarf King led their clans alongside the saint.
In addition, numerous strong individuals gathered around the saint. Even the dragons united to protect her.
All the powerful people of the world, leading their armies, followed the saint.
In this way, humanity could once again fight, centered around the saint and the hero.
The saint, the deputy of the goddesses.
The goddesses generously shared their strength with her.
She was protected by heroes.
The world loved the hero, and thus followed his will.
Along with the exceptional companions of the hero.
Even the Adversary and the monsters of the rifts couldn’t easily overpower them. United humanity was incredibly powerful.
Though many sacrifices were made, ultimately humanity achieved victory.
Half of the otherworldly colossal beasts perished, and those who survived fled back into the rifts. The rifts closed, and at last, the Demon Realm crumbled.
The Human Alliance succeeded in sealing the corpse of the demon god deep within the earth.
Thus, the long-lasting war that had tormented humanity came to an end. Most of the people from the Salvation Society were killed, with only a few surviving and scattering across the continent.
They had lost the knowledge and land they had built up, barely managing to survive.
However, the Adversary did not die easily.
With the last of his strength, he cast a powerful curse on those who fought against him before dying.
The weakened goddesses could not halt the curse of the Adversary.
Due to that curse, elves and dwarves became slaves to the humans they once fought alongside.
Dragons were hunted by humans or died trapped somewhere without knowing why. They faded away into forgotten legends.
Thus, many who fought against the Adversary died or vanished in agony.
Despite saving the world, they met a miserable end.
And the Adversary proclaimed:
― I will surely return. And I will destroy all of humanity……
This was the war that took place a thousand years ago.
*
Ereness continued with a calm expression.
“I am the Elf Great Chief who fought in the war a thousand years ago. I was bound by the curse of the Adversary and could not move. That is why I could live longer than my natural lifespan.”
“……”
The people remained silent, their expressions blank. It was such an absurd tale that it was difficult to comprehend. Yet, it was hard not to believe, since the one who experienced it was claiming it to be truth.
Claude whispered to Wendy.
“It’s madness, he’s finally lost his mind. Is this even logical?”
“……”
Wendy couldn’t dismiss Claude’s words this time.
It was more believable that the figure before them was a being that had lived for over a thousand years, rather than a myth.
Ghislaine paused to think before asking.
“Let’s say all of that is true. But then why is there no record left of it?”
A thousand years. It’s not that short a time compared to human history.
Yet, no traces or records remained, no matter how long ago it was, seemed suspicious.
Ereness answered with her still calm expression.
“In the end, the world was dominated by humans. The powerful erased all records of the war and hid them. They destroyed all traces as well.”
“Why?”
“……I don’t know the reason. I just think that after the Empire fell, countless kingdoms emerged, each manipulating records to assert their legitimacy.”
‘That’s a lie.’
Ghislaine’s eyes narrowed. He was seeing the past through dreams.
The power of the saint and the hero was astonishing. There would be no reason for records of those who fought for humanity not to exist.
Moreover, did they erase all records of a dangerous force like the Salvation Society?
Even a king of a single nation couldn’t accomplish that. It would require the agreement of all the powerful figures across the world to make it possible.
‘Now that I think about it… there’s no founding record of Ruthania or about the three clans either.’
He had thought it odd even back then. No one knew of their existence.
One could argue that records of humanity had been lost through time. But Ereness, being a person from a thousand years ago, would know why no records remained yet seemed to be hiding it.
Parniel growled and said.
“It’s a fabricated story. Even if the powerful wanted to, the priests of the church wouldn’t agree to hide such glorious tales.”
“……”
“Speak! Why are you telling such lies?”
“Believe it or not, I don’t care. I’m only stating the facts. To make you understand.”
Bang!
Parniel stepped forward, gripping his weapon tightly. Ghislaine hurriedly interjected.
“Alright, I get the gist about the Salvation Society and the Adversary. So, you’re saying that the Adversary claimed he would return and is similar to Yulien?”
“……I thought so.”
“Reason?”
At Ghislaine’s words, the others looked at Ereness with curiosity, wondering why she believed Yulien was the Adversary.
After a moment’s hesitation, she spoke.
“The Adversary’s name was also Yulien.”
“……Just a name? There are so many people with similar names on this continent.”
“They looked alike as well.”
“……It could be someone who just resembles him, right?”
Ghislaine did not fully believe Ereness’s words. The Yulien he saw in his dreams was a hero. The face of the Adversary was not visible.
Therefore, he had to trust his dreams more.
Ereness frowned as if feeling exasperated.
“Not only do they share a name, but they also look alike. Though there are slight differences in hair color and some traits…”
“……”
The people had no words. Just on the basis of resemblance, to accuse someone who fought for humanity of being the Adversary.
Claude whispered to Wendy again.
“When you get older, your stubbornness grows too. They can’t admit they were wrong.”
“……”
Wendy chose to ignore him.
Ereness pressed her temples. She knew how she appeared now.
To the people of this age, she must have seemed irrational. The myths and tales of the old wars she had mentioned might be dismissed as nonsense.
But there was no helping it. She herself was currently in chaos and frustration to a maddening extent.
Observing the unsettled Ereness, Ghislaine decided to carefully dissect the issues based on what he knew.
“Alright. Let’s discuss urgent matters first. You mentioned that a dragon would attack soon. How do you know?”
Ghislaine didn’t question the truth of it. It was something that had occurred in his past life, so it was certain that a dragon would invade.
Ereness bit her lips a few times before answering.
“I heard it directly.”
“What…”
“That dragon is a comrade and friend with whom I fought long ago. My task this time is to meet that dragon.”
The people were taken aback. They knew she was of great status, but she was friends with a dragon!
Claude bit his nails as he spoke to Wendy.
“There is not a single flaw in what she’s saying.”
“……”
Claude was honestly quite scared. To think she was friends with a dragon. Just Ereness alone could be argued to be among the strongest on the continent; a friend would be exceedingly powerful.
Ereness continued, looking around at them.
“The dragon’s name is Arterion. He’s a white dragon living in the Shadow Mountain Range of Turian.”
“The Shadow Mountain Range?”
“Yes, the reason for the monsters terrorizing that area is precisely because of that dragon. He believed that the Adversary had revived in the Turian Kingdom… and that’s why he continues to send monsters to annihilate that place.”
At those words, Yulien’s gaze deepened.
The reason for the people of the kingdom struggling was because of the dragon.
Therefore, killing that dragon would mean all problems are resolved, wouldn’t it?
Sensing an uneasy atmosphere, Ereness glanced at Yulien. She let out a sigh and continued.
“He harbors great resentment towards the Adversary. He aims to destroy even the Turian Kingdom to kill the Adversary.”
Ghislaine had a look of disbelief. To annihilate an entire kingdom just to kill one person.
“What if the Adversary isn’t in the Turian Kingdom? Or, we’re not even sure if he has been resurrected yet, are we?”
“If he can’t find him, then he’ll just wipe everything out. He’s not in a normal state right now.”
Ghislaine chuckled dryly. Indeed, in his past life, that dragon was insane to the point of not being able to communicate.
Ereness spoke with a serious expression.
“If we offer that Yulien to the dragon, his fury may calm down. After all, he likely sees that person as the Adversary.”
If Ereness’s words are true, then that dragon must have fought against the Adversary a thousand years ago.
So, he would show a reaction similar to Ereness’s.
Ghislaine pondered his memories from his previous life.
‘That dragon definitely…’
The dragon had unleashed an incredible rage upon humanity.
At that time, it was impossible to discern whom that fury was directed at. So many had gathered to hunt the dragon.
It seemed like Yulien had been targeted the most, but he thought that was simply because Yulien was the strongest.
Even if he learned that the dragon had rampaged due to Yulien, Ereness’s suggestion sounded like madness.
Who among them would sacrifice a comrade they had fought alongside? It was clear everyone would oppose it. The morale of the soldiers would plummet uncontrollably.
Yet, it seemed Yulien had a somewhat different view.
“If what you say is true, then it might be better to do so. That way, others might remain safe.”
“What?”
Ereness grimaced as she looked at Yulien. She never expected such words from him.
But Yulien spoke with a nonchalant expression.
“I will go to the Shadow Mountain Range. Tell me the exact location.”
“What will you do alone?”
In that moment, Yulien’s gaze deepened. His eyes appeared to swallow everything like an abyss.
Soon, a cold voice escaped his lips.
“I will kill the dragon.”
