[734] Two Perspectives (3)
"Wow!"
Kido burst out.
No one could call that strike anything less than a work of art—not even Imir, who'd lost half his torso.
"Th-that…."
Unlike Seongeum, a mage, Munkyeong had pursued the perfection of the body and so understood exactly what Rian's punch meant.
'He put everything into it.'
The shortest distance between two points is a straight line.
'Then what is the shortest distance between two moving points?'
That too is a straight line.
'So a finished straight line contains all possible curves within it.'
That had been Rian's fist a moment ago—an attack no one but Rian could have produced.
'I didn't fail to dodge. I couldn't dodge.'
Among the sword techniques Munkyeong had learned were kata—forms. After watching Rian's blow, though, he felt the futility of a thousand curves.
"Puuuu!"
Imir, whose right shoulder through chest and flank had been erased in a circular sweep, slumped against the wall.
"Does it hurt?"
Imir, surprisingly, asked after Rian.
"Kughhh!"
Rian's muscles, bulging and twisted in his yasha state, were unraveling as the strained fibers returned to their original form.
"Pain is…," Imir said, lifting his head at Rian's groan. "the extreme of sensation. If feeling nothing at all is death, then pain is life itself."
"Huuuugh!"
Rian clutched his shoulder and writhed. Imir's mouth twitched up.
"Treasure it. It's proof you're alive."
When pain disappears, life follows.
"Wait…."
Rian gritted his teeth and lifted his head.
"I still haven't heard it. Why did Ra Enemi—?"
What did Imir know?
"You'll find out soon enough. At the pinnacle of pain."
They would meet again.
Imir's eyes closed and the cells of his body began to consume themselves, shrinking as if devoured. When the disappearance finished, only a single molar lay where his body had been.
"Wait! Kugh!"
Rian returned to human flesh and doubled over in agony. Kido panicked.
"W-what do we do? We have to leave right now!"
"I'm fine. But Shirone—"
Although Imir was gone, Shirone's condition had worsened.
'It's not an explosion.'
Seongeum felt a cold fear.
'Could she die?'
The thought that Shirone might simply burn everything to white and vanish flashed through his mind.
"It's blocked."
From fading consciousness, Shirone muttered, "Something's… blocking it."
If she couldn't pierce it, she would die—but that was a task for one of the Shirones among the 19,000.
"Shirone! I'll go treat Rian for now!"
With the Maga bandits and Baknyeo dead and even Imir gone, it was the right call.
Kido hoisted Rian, but because of the height difference Rian ended up beneath him.
Seongeum stepped forward. "Wait. I—"
His words cut off. Kido, turning, halted and stared ahead.
"W-what is that?"
A malignant flame no artist could capture shimmered into a spherical form.
"You're too late, Shirone."
From the blaze stepped a youth whose every visible scrap of cloth was covered in tattoos.
"Truly… you're too late."
The instant Shirone met Nane's eyes, Rian and Kido vanished from sight.
The speed was such that no ordinary pursuer could catch him—yet Nane's gaze remained utterly indifferent.
'I can't win. I can never win.'
Kido sprinted to the labyrinth wall but couldn't steady his racing heart.
'It's not that I'm weak. No one in this world could handle him.'
That was the certainty in Nane's eyes.
"My lady, those tattoos—"
"Yes. I know."
Seongeum, the most information-savvy among the Ivory Tower candidates, stepped between Nane and Shirone.
"Dalia, or Psychedelic Nane, right?"
"What does a name matter?"
Ever since swallowing Anke Ra's dream, everything in this world had started to converge on Nane.
'Something is different.'
At last the three Ivory Tower candidates stood in one place, and each of them had changed.
Nane walked toward Shirone, whom Seongeum blocked.
"I cannot delay when beings are suffering, but I came to keep my promise, Shirone."
Shirone forced her fading consciousness to stand.
"A promise? What promise?"
Ra Enemi's words furrowed Shirone's brow.
"How could you know that…?"
"Still don't understand?"
Nane made a circle with thumb and forefinger. "I am the whole."
It wasn't sword-fire, but the words struck like truth and lodged in the mind.
"Anke Ra…."
The form and feeling were different, but if Nane was the whole, there was no need to distinguish between Nane and Anke Ra.
Seongeum stepped forward. "I don't know what you mean, but if you're a rival, then we should contest it."
Seongeum had already measured Nane's depth, but when it came to enforcing a will, Nane felt more manageable than Shirone.
"Don't bother. You're no match."
It wasn't meant to slight Seongeum.
"You'll die."
"…I don't care."
Though their meeting had been brief, if Shirone had to choose an enemy she would pick Nane.
"You're a good person. Please enter the Ivory Tower in my stead and let your dream unfold."
Munkyeong's face went pale.
"My lady!"
"Munkyeong."
Seongeum gave him the first smile he'd ever seen from her. "You may bury my corpse when the time comes."
"Aaaargh!"
Munkyeong screamed, drew his sword, and charged Nane.
'I didn't fail because I couldn't reach you, my lady!'
Even as he executed the finest slash of his life, Nane watched the descending flash.
'I didn't reach you because I couldn't bring myself to!'
Munkyeong's blade sliced the air and came within one centimeter of Nane's forehead in an instant.
'I'll kill you! I will kill you! I must kill you!'
The gap shrank—0.5 centimeter, 0.1 centimeter, then 0.0000001 centimeter.
'I cut.'
At that moment Nane declared it.
Dharma Technique — Cutting Sword.
A gray blade, born as if squeezing through time, materialized and split the space vertically before Munkyeong's blade could arrive.
'He's dead…!'
Munkyeong's vision exploded into dazzling colors as his sword struck the ground twenty meters from Nane.
'How—?'
By the time he recovered, Seongeum had already lunged at Nane.
"Do not insult my subordinate."
Nane felt no concept of insult, but Seongeum's ability intrigued her.
"A marvelous enlightenment."
"Hmph! Don't think you're above me."
Aether Wave — Daenagok.
The space around Seongeum and Nane warped; all directionality twisted perfectly.
"Try anything."
Any attack would hit Nane.
"Space, huh."
Nane spread both arms and formed different seals. A black sword that devoured everything appeared.
"Gravity."
The Daenagok-bent space was swallowed into the blade.
"Wave."
An immaterial sword rose above her crown and generated a powerful vibration that disturbed the Aether wave.
"And…."
Nane folded her hands with a benevolent expression and thousands of multicolored swords bloomed like an aureole.
"All things."
Dharma Technique — Rebirth in Paradise.
Swords of countless elements circled and then fired at Seongeum.
Standing at death's threshold, the thought that rose unbidden was: 'A god?'
The blade of light struck first, followed by concept-laden swords that tore into Seongeum.
'What?'
When life faded, Shirone's image appeared.
"I'm dead then?"
"You're not dead."
In an instant both of them found themselves on the border of life and death—the Choeni Bardo.
"Bakji?"
Even though Rebirth in Paradise had failed, Nane's mind felt no ripple of disturbance.
"Abolish death."
As the Dharma Technique transformed into sword-forms, a black blade pierced the veil of the otherworld and aimed at Seongeum and Shirone.
'So that was it.'
Staring at the onrushing swords, Shirone realized what had been holding back the sense of explosion.
'It was me.'
Immortal Function.
Her consciousness expanded into the domain of Infinity, and Valhalla Action once again inverted cause and effect.
"Is it Siok this time?"
Nane changed her seals. "Neither beginning nor end."
A pale blade with a faint glow swam like an eel, transcending time to chase down Shirone's outcome.
'A god?'
Shirone could only think the same.
Goblin Incarnation — Earthbound Spirit.
"Aaaargh!"
Kido rolled in front of Shirone and activated the earthbound spirit; time bent slightly and the blade pierced the cave wall.
Kraaaaang!
The thick earthen wall was completely breached. Everyone stood dumbfounded—then Nane stopped the attack.
"You don't understand."
At the sound of her voice everyone flinched. At that moment Rian, supported by Munkyeong, rejoined them.
"What are you clinging to?"
Released into the world, any of these five could be at the top—yet at Nane's single step they all fell back.
'It's not just strong. This is…'
There were no words.
"Isn't the world just something you can shut your eyes to and let end? Why struggle to live?"
Shirone found the courage to face her. "There's no reason. I'm alive. That alone is enough right to live."
To Nane, who had seen everything, Shirone's words hinted at one of two things.
Either Shirone was wrong, or Nane could not understand.
"The reason I promised to come to you was to make you keep a promise as well."
"What promise?"
Nane's Kar value still climbed toward perfection, but the endless march toward 99.99999... percent continued.
"You have a duty to answer the remaining question."
Nane pointed at Shirone. "Why can I not become a god?"
Silence fell over the labyrinth.
"God…."
It was the word Kido hated most, but none could deny Nane's presence.
"Shirone, I'm almost right."
A single sword glowing red rose vertically above Nane's head.
"Therefore I shoulder irredeemable karma and will save this world. But because I am only almost right, this will be your last chance. If there is no way to deny me, I will end this dream."
It was probably a sword containing that concept.
"Shirone, stand back. I'll smash that cult-leader charlatan."
Rian, despite his pain, drew his sword and rushed, but Shirone shook her head and stepped forward instead.
"I don't know if it's the right answer."
Counting memories she did not recall, this was the third time Shirone had heard the question.
And for the first time she felt she might be able to answer.
"But you will never be able to drive that sword in."
Nane nodded. "I concede that much. But you're missing what's truly important. Answer me: why can't I drive it in?"
Shirone paused, then slowly turned and took in her companions.
Rian, Kido, Seongeum, and Munkyeong.
"And the countless lives that exist in this world…."
"No! Shirone!"
Rian shouted as realization struck—and Shirone spread her arms toward Nane.
"This is my answer."
Immortal Function.
Not for magic.
Opening her mind to embrace all life, Shirone's body radiated light in the shape of a cross.
"What is that—?"
At the same time, the sealed gateways of the world within Andre trembled and opened like blossoming lights.
"Those are…."
Nineteen thousand crosses rose into the air.