LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 44 - Human or Monster (4)
Translator: Marctempest
Editor/Proofreader: TempWane
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Chapter 44: Human or Monster (4)
······Chandrafail thought.
The Red Calamity was an opponent beyond expectations.
It wasn’t enough to make him nervous, but compared to the Greater Magic Beast ‘Hydra’ he had faced before, it was a worthy adversary.
There was even a thrilling sense of danger, like a wild cat that might claw at you if you let your guard down.
But the brief moment of amusement was now over.
He swung his sword toward the Red Calamity’s neck, which was filled with resentment.
-······!
There was no sympathy or pity.
He was called a Sword Demon or a Monster Hunter in the religious states and elsewhere.
The latter, at least, captured his essence well.
He craved battle.
Human opponents were not enough.
Only beasts, monsters, and anomalies that transcended the limits of species could truly stimulate him and sharpen his skills.
The Red Calamity would be no exception.
However, just as the Black Knight was about to strike, he sensed a faint signal prickling at him.
-Magic···.
Something was approaching.
It was a threat that couldn’t be blocked with ease.
He glanced briefly at the girl in his arm.
Paile.
In a fleeting moment, old memories resurfaced.
-Who are you, mister···?
She had been an orphan of the world.
He had felt a sense of kinship with her, but that wasn’t why he had saved her.
It was because she had dared to covet his weapons, and he had cut down the thugs for that.
Paile, who had neither lingering attachments nor a place to rely on, had arbitrarily followed him.
-You’re too prejudiced, mister! You need to see things other than monsters!
Sometimes he regretted it.
He had threatened her, but she didn’t back off, so he ignored her and moved on. Yet, she was surprisingly persistent.
The girl was a symbol of weak humanity, far removed from monsters.
An existence neither remarkable nor significant.
He truly thought so, but like a small animal, he saw no reason to let her die.
-Kyaah···!
He threw her far away and shifted his stance.
A devastating slash unfolded, shattering the icy boulders.
It wasn’t easy. Both the size and the power were extraordinary.
-You.
A woman had appeared beside the Red Calamity before he realized it.
She was a striking beauty with bluish-white hair. However, the Black Knight focused on something other than her beauty.
-You’re not human.
His keen eyes immediately discerned the truth.
The woman didn’t reply, and he observed her.
-······.
Something was odd.
He felt nothing.
His sixth sense, which reacted to strength, was unusually quiet.
A trait that had never failed him before.
Chandrafail was disappointed.
He had been somewhat anticipating something, but perhaps she wasn’t much after all.
If so, there was no need to pay her any mind.
He could just eliminate her along with the Red Calamity.
─────!
The ground trembled, and malice surged at that moment.
He had already sensed another uninvited guest during the pursuit. He hadn’t cared, but the situation changed when it came to him directly.
Malice swirled and gathered in clusters.
The Black Knight’s eyes widened more than ever as he beheld the Black Calamity.
-······!
The most dreadful and formidable adversary of all calamities.
Indeed, it was so.
The trembling of his flesh, the overwhelming pressure that crushed his body······ He had never experienced such agitation in his sixth sense.
The grip on his sword tightened.
Thrill and exhilaration consumed the Black Knight.
-You are a monster.
He might die.
No, judging by this chill, he would likely die.
But it didn’t matter.
It would be the most enjoyable moment of his life.
By then, even the Red Calamity was no longer in his thoughts.
*
〈The Calamity’s Apocalypse〉
· Rank: ?
· Ability: Offer something that cannot be replaced by anything, and the calamity will meet its end.
· Description: Equivalent exchange, the first principle of all magic. Truth does not distinguish between righteousness and heresy.
I stared intently at the Black Codex.
An item obtained after defeating the Black Calamity in the final game.
I had applied it to Quellière out of frustration since I didn’t know its use.
Nothing had happened, so I had forgotten about it.
“···Facing a calamity must have been the trigger.”
No wonder I hadn’t known the conditions.
The Black Apocalypse floated ominously, asserting its presence.
But judging from the atmosphere, it seemed invisible to others.
【······!】
I stand corrected.
There was one more who could see it.
The cluster of malice clearly fixated its gaze on the codex.
Was it because this was the ‘Apocalypse’ of calamities?
“···Equivalent exchange.”
I looked at the item’s description.
Difficult words to comprehend. But that was fine.
I instinctively knew how to use it.
“That’s the calamity······.”
Hearing Nell’s muttering beside me, I lifted my head.
The calamity’s true form.
The majesty of the final boss was indeed extraordinary.
“A calamity has arrived···!”
“God, please watch over us······.”
The oppressive fear and dread, which couldn’t be felt in the game, now dominated the scene, leaving the citizens trembling.
They must not have imagined it either.
To have the enemy of the world right in front of them.
At that moment, the calamity writhed and roared.
─────!
With a deafening sound, malice burst forth.
Screams erupted as citizens fled.
The clusters of malice corroded buildings and summoned corrupted beasts.
I immediately responded to the approaching beasts.
“Move.”
I coldly muttered, erecting an ice barrier and exhaling frosty breath.
As the creatures collapsed helplessly, a crimson blade interrupted.
“Forget being my mentor; why the hell did that thing suddenly appear!”
Nell, using blood magic, vented her frustration.
Her hands were trembling faintly, contrary to her expression.
“What do you mean, a red calamity… The real calamity is something like that…”
“…”
At that moment, as I looked at her with complicated eyes, I heard a horse’s whinny.
When I turned to see, there was an enormous black horse that overshadowed even a top-class steed.
“Urbos…”
I recognized it immediately.
The black warhorse, Urbos.
It was the exclusive mount of the Black Knight, and it was charging fiercely towards its master.
“Run.”
Chandrafail, who had leapt forward in an instant, commanded his steed.
He was watching the disaster unfold, and the horse galloped on.
The girl who was with him shouted.
“Be careful, mister!”
“…Who is that?”
She was a character unrelated to my settings.
While smashing through the charging monsters, I observed the other side. A swarm of crimson malice.
Nell spoke urgently.
“That socially inept bastard…! Is he out of his mind?”
“Nell.”
When I called her name, she turned back to me.
As if just realizing something, she exclaimed.
“Right, you! When did you come back?!”
“Just now.”
“Just now…? Wait a second. You mean you’re back?”
Nell’s pupils seemed to swim as if lost.
I could see through her thoughts clearly.
She was probably wondering if I had brought something to resolve the curse.
But now wasn’t the time for leisurely gifting costumes or presents.
I asked naturally.
“What’s going on?”
“What… what do you mean?”
“Chandrafail. Why were you fighting him?”
“Chandra…?”
Her evasive reaction made me realize something.
The Black Knight would rarely reveal his name, according to the settings.
As expected, Nell squinted her eyes and asked back.
“That’s his name? How do you know that?”
“You don’t need to know. Anyway, so why?”
“Uh… I don’t know either. He just came at me trying to kill me. It was unavoidable.”
I was at a loss for words.
Kelly had mentioned that a monster had suddenly attacked, but I had hoped for additional context.
That was all?
“…I see.”
Somehow, he seemed even more self-righteous than my settings described.
That would make him harder to use.
I gazed at the other side, where the sound of hooves reverberated.
Hiiiiiing─!
The Black Knight, astride the black steed, charged unimpeded through the blazing nightmare realm.
His figure was the epitome of a hero from a tale, and his subsequent feats did not fall short.
He rampaged through the rising tentacles, unfazed even by earthquakes.
Each terrifying strike was met with a composed response as he aimed his sword at the disaster.
“I will cut down the monster.”
The legendary weapon, Demonblade.
As it howled, an awe-inspiring slash was unleashed.
Swaaash─!
The blade, said to sever supernatural monstrosities, cleaved through the black currents.
A bizarre noise, indistinguishable between a scream and a groan, erupted from the swarm.
─────!
The heavens and earth shook, and people collapsed to the ground.
Even Nell groaned and covered her ears.
“Ah, damn it…!”
The ghastly sound was nerve-wracking, but I forced myself to focus.
The Black Knight, perhaps thinking he had gained the upper hand, prepared to disengage with a spin.
“…No.”
I muttered without realizing.
He didn’t know the reason behind this phenomenon.
But as someone who had played countless characters and seen various endings, I knew immediately.
This was part of the Calamity’s battle pattern.
The noise wasn’t a scream or cry—it was a roar of fury.
Attacking in this heightened state of sensitivity would result in…
“Stop!”
I shouted uncharacteristically, but the Black Knight didn’t seem to hear.
At the critical moment, the Demonblade slashed through the swarm again.
However, the result was entirely different.
Fwoooosh─!
Like a burst gas tank, the malice exploded wildly.
It filled the ground and billowed ominously.
The black horse reared up, and the Black Knight showed visible dismay.
“…!”
The pervasive malice surrounded the black rider as if to encircle him.
The sticky hatred restricted his movements.
Although he seemed to resist fiercely, flashes of dazzling light occasionally bursting through the black currents, the malice only grew thicker.
Soon, it became so intense that nothing could be seen.
And then, it exploded.
Hiiiiiiiing─!
This was the disaster’s counterattack pattern, dealing catastrophic damage to enemies.
The black warhorse tumbled, and Chandrafail was thrown to the ground.
“Ahh! Mister!”
The girl screamed, covering her mouth.
As she tried to rush into the danger, the citizens nearby stopped her.
“Let go! Let me go! Mister is…!”
The fallen Black Knight was assaulted by numerous tentacles.
Although he continued to cut them down as before, his unstable strikes revealed his peril.
Witnessing the expected outcome, I closed my eyes.
“As I thought.”
Chandrafail couldn’t overcome the Mahabharata.
To be honest, it didn’t make sense for him to lose, considering his potential.
I had held a small hope, but… as expected.
Because his potential was vast, the Black Knight was considered one of the hardest characters to develop.
To become the overwhelming one-man army he was meant to be, one needed to follow the so-called ‘veteran route.’
There was no way someone suddenly dropped into an unfamiliar place could know that.
“…How have you been living?”
Anyway, time passed meaninglessly.
The Black Knight had wasted his chance to become the strongest.
Watching him fall into a defensive position, Nell scoffed.
“That crazy idiot. Talking about cutting down the monster like that, serves him right.
He wouldn’t listen to anyone and just acted on his self-righteousness.
That’s what he gets…”
“Nell.”
I understood her anger.
It was resentment borne of acknowledging the gravity of the situation, and I felt sorry for her.
But I didn’t want the two of them snarling at each other.
Both of them were like children to me.
“Don’t hate him too much.”
“…What?”
My curt words.
She widened her eyes and looked at me.
“What are you talking about?”
“Because that’s just how he is.”
The Black Knight’s nature, in some ways, resembled the curse of the True Ancestor’s blood.
If resentment was to be directed, shouldn’t it be aimed at me instead of him?
Deficiency makes characters noble.
That’s why I always left something out.
So······.
“The fault is mine.”
“What? No···.”
Nell furrowed her brows as if she couldn’t understand.
But I wasn’t finished speaking.
“That’s why I’ll resolve it.”
“······?!”
She blinked, and the moment I grabbed the Codex, a lively voice interrupted.
“Quelli!”
A lively woman with braided hair.
Sigina’s appearance was marked with soot, likely from an intense fight.
I looked past her bloodstained rapier to see the rear.
Dozens of knights had lined up, seemingly accompanying her.
One of them pointed at me in surprise.
“You’re the one from back then! The woman who defended the Red Calamity··· no, Nell Sartilla!”
“······.”
Holy Knight Commander Blefer.
It wasn’t a pleasant connection, so I ignored him and walked on.
He stammered as he continued speaking.
“Wait, what’s going on here? What is that Black Knight? Explain the situationㅡ”
“Shut up.”
At this point, adding a few knights wouldn’t make much difference.
The religious state had far less capacity to handle calamities than I imagined.
Having decided on a course of action, I approached a girl.
The girl who had been with the Black Knight.
She was sniffling, and I spoke to her calmly.
“Hello.”
······A greeting was the start.
I kept to the basics of conversation, but she seemed more desperate than I thought.
Recognizing me, her eyes widened, and she hurriedly grabbed my sleeve.
“You’re the one who launched that giant spear earlier, right? You’re an amazing magician, right? Please help him!”
Her tear-filled eyes and trembling voice were brimming with desperation.
The Black Knight was still locked in combat with the calamity.
He wouldn’t hold out much longer.
“I amㅡ”
“And the Red Calamity too!”
“···?”
Following her gaze, I turned to see Nell standing there.
She raised an eyebrow as if she had followed me.
“What’s she saying? That guy tried to kill me, you know?! Without any explanation!”
Her voice was full of indignation.
The girl’s face turned pale.
“That’s because he’s a monster hunter··· He has to hunt monsters··· Otherwise, he becomes lethargic like a living corpse······.”
Her voice, trailing off, was filled with various emotions.
But one word seemed to provoke Nell further.
“Why am I a monster?! I’m a vampire, okay?!”
“V-Vampire···.”
“Yeah. Got it? A noble species!”
The wrath of the True Ancestor naturally exuded an intimidating aura.
The girl, who had been barely holding on, began to cry with wet eyes.
“I’m sorry··· I’m so sorry. But still, still···!”
Watching her closely, I asked a question.
There was something I hadn’t yet asked.
“What’s your name?”
“···Paile.”
The girl wiped her tears as she answered.
I absentmindedly repeated it.
“Paile···.”
Chandrafail······ Paile.
Could he have given her that name?
Regardless, that wasn’t the priority right now.
Shaking my head, I spoke to Paile.
“I’ll help.”
“A···! Really, really?!”
She lit up with joy, and I nodded.
But there was a condition.
“In return, you’ll help me too.”
“···Huh?”
The girl blinked innocently.
Her puzzled expression prompted a clarification.
“Me? But I’m just a powerless girl. ···Not that I’m prejudiced.”
Then, clenching her fist energetically, she continued.
“What do I need to do?”
“Convince him, for starters.”
No matter how I looked at it, she was the only clue to controlling the Black Knight.
As I stared at her, she lowered her head dejectedly.
“···Convince him? But he doesn’t listen to me······.”
“It’s okay.”
If she truly meant nothing, there’s no way he would have kept her around.
Meeting my gaze, Paile nodded resolutely.
“Alright then! Whatever it is, I’ll do my best!”
I smiled faintly and patted her head.
Then, I turned and moved forward.
Nell quickly followed.
“What are you planning to do? If you’re thinking of something dangerous, stop it. You might not realize it, but that black thing is absurdly strong. Even that guyㅡ”
“Nell.”
I placed a finger on Nell’s forehead, halting her barrage of worries.
Blue light shimmered in my eyes.
I cared deeply for her, but she couldn’t intervene right now.
“Be quiet.”
“···!”
Nell, for some reason, clutched her forehead and shuddered.
She seemed to be suppressing something······ What was it?
Tilting my head in confusion, my attention shifted to the raging noise.
─────!
The battlefield was a storm of relentless strikes and explosions.
The Black Knight, his armor damaged and cracked, still burned with fighting spirit.
But he was much weaker than at the start and had little time left.
〈The Calamity’s Apocalypse〉
I glanced at the Codex in my hand.
Its description was cryptic.
Yet the method of use was incredibly simple.
“Equivalent exchange.”
That single term summarized it.
All it took was offering “something precious to me” in exchange for “inflicting damage on the calamity.”
It was a unique item, designed solely to target the final boss.
Considering it was first obtained in the last game, it was likely intended to be added to “The Four Seasons War II.”
Its subtitle, The Awakening of Calamity, perfectly matched the prequel’s concept.
I must have obtained it by chance because I had played the game up until the very last moment before saying goodbye.
I pondered deeply.
“Something precious…”
What could it be?
It could only be something wholly mine—no people or someone else’s belongings.
I instinctively lowered my gaze.
I saw my pale, slender hands and the blue crystal held within them.
As I opened my mouth to speak, something flew in and rolled across the ground.
“Urgh…”
The deep voice belonged to Chandrafail.
His entire body was battered and bruised, and blood dripped from his mouth.
However, his eyes, visible through his broken helmet, remained sharp and clear.
“Step aside… This is not your place…”
He propped himself up slowly using his sword against the ground, but the enemy wasn’t about to wait.
The disaster roared and rushed forward.
─────!
I raised my hand calmly and opened the Apocalypse.
The gray pages flipped rapidly.
“I have no choice.”
Comforting myself, I gripped the catalyst tightly.
The highest-grade amplifying relic, the Catalyst.
It was a treasured artifact equipped with both elemental enhancement and amplification abilities.
For over ten years, I had used it not only in battles but also in mana training without fail.
Though I had obtained it by chance, it was perhaps the most precious thing to me now.
【Put it… down…!】
Then, with a horrifying voice like scraping metal, the disaster’s target changed.
Its grotesque eyes burned brightly as it glared at me.
More precisely, it stared at the Apocalypse.
Only then did I realize.
The reason it had been so desperately trying to kill me was because of this.
“What right do you have to be here?”
A voice colder than ever escaped my lips.
It was the sum of my anger, fear, and various other emotions.
The prelude to retaliation began with my words.
“Filthy like a rotten well, lawless like a night parade of demons.”
I wasn’t without spite or resentment myself.
All my pent-up emotions were reflected upon that creature.
It’s a disaster, after all.
With such an awe-inspiring name, it should be able to bear it.
【······.】
An unusual silence fell over the area.
The disaster, the citizens, and the Black Knight all stared at me in astonishment.
I remained calm.
I could, because I was the Snow Maiden.
As I offered the relic as a sacrifice, it disintegrated into powder and flowed into the Apocalypse.
The pages flipped fiercely.
I let out a cold voice to conclude.
“Return to the landfill. That cursed land is your home.”
Immediately, the disaster went berserk.
It raged and flailed as it charged at me.
I extended the hand holding the Apocalypse.
【───!】
The surrounding people gasped and took defensive stances.
But I, maintaining a composed demeanor, stared directly at the disaster.
Equivalent exchange.
The more precious the sacrifice I offered, the greater its power.
I whispered softly, almost inaudibly.
“Mahabharata.”
Its true name, known only to itself.
The disaster flinched, and at that moment, the pages of the Apocalypse ignited.
A flash exploded shortly after.
─────!
Intense light filled the area, and a chilling wail echoed.
Unlike its roar of fury, this was undoubtedly a scream of pain.
Everyone covered their ears and shielded their eyes.
“What, what’s happening…!”
“Ugh…”
The sheer brightness and destructive force were overwhelming.
However, perhaps because I was the caster, I remained unharmed.
Thanks to that, I could see it clearly with my unclouded eyes.
“Just disappear already.”
Even in its agony, the creature glared at me.
The disaster, burning with hatred, groaned and collapsed to the ground.
I had defeated it.
But it wasn’t dead.
As long as the landfill existed, it was immortal.
“Ugh, I can finally see again…”
“The malice is gone! What about the disaster?!”
As the light subsided, people slowly opened their eyes and regained their composure.
They quickly scanned their surroundings in caution, then blinked with dumbfounded expressions.
It was understandable.
“······.”
As silence returned, I closed my eyes.
I instinctively felt that things were about to become very troublesome.
Their gazes, filled with astonishment and confusion, slowly shifted.
And inevitably, they converged on one point.
Unfortunately, that point was me.