The black umbrella passed by.
Following it with their eyes, people saw demons who had been swallowed by gray sickness and transformed into horrific shapes.
The cries they let out brought to mind predators searching for prey.
And so, even as terror seized them—
SHAAAAAA—
The warm gray mist, different from the dark sound of rain, and the beautiful thing made by that galaxy created peace.
FLASH!
One by one, lights came on inside the houses.
“......”
The Wanderer Ryeon looked back.
Cale Henituse beneath the black umbrella.
The path she had walked while following him.
A path he had walked without resting even for a moment, without walking slowly. A path he had walked without pause.
Along that path, light was coming on one by one in the city wrapped in darkness and storm.
A path of light had been created.
Rattle.
Rattle.
One by one, windows opened, and people looked outside.
SHAAAAAA—
The storm blew into their homes, but the demons willingly took the wind and rain upon themselves in order to see more of the miracle they had watched from behind their windows.
Creeeeak.
Some even came outside.
And they watched the backs of those walking away, or slowly followed after them.
“......”
Just like her younger brother Cho, who was following Cale as if his soul had been taken.
Cho’s face looked somehow dreamlike.
His blank expression even looked foolish at a glance, but—
He’s alive.
Even when he spat out rage and irritation, his eyes had always looked dead.
Now they were shining.
And—
Cale Henituse.
She could see only the back of the man walking at the very front.
Purification.
A purification that truly continued without end.
Was he not tired?
No.
His complexion was still pale.
He sometimes staggered.
He refused even the wheelchair and kept walking without rest.
He must be enduring it.
Even if it was difficult, he was surely enduring it.
To be honest, as time passed, Ryeon had no choice but to acknowledge Cale Henituse’s will as strength entered his steps and he kept walking forward with his eyes fixed ahead.
“That is the path of legend.”
“!”
Ryeon flinched and looked to the side.
There stood Clopeh Sekka, smiling as he watched her.
He whispered very softly.
Soft enough to be buried under the sound of rain. But because Clopeh was right beside Cho and Ryeon, watching them, his voice reached only the siblings.
“Lord Cale has walked countless paths. And wherever those paths passed, light, joy, and peace settled.”
“I do not want to hear useless nonsense.”
Ryeon answered coldly, but her mind was complicated.
After she had run away from home, she had never looked back at the road she had walked.
Because she had not had the courage to look at the house collapsing in flames.
Because she had not wanted to look at the enemies chasing her while she fled.
And because she had wanted to turn away from what she had done, from the path she had walked while staining it with blood.
“Hey.”
But her younger brother was different.
“If I follow him, will there be a lot of good things?”
Cho’s gaze was fixed on Cale.
“Not him. Lord Cale.”
“Just answer me.”
Cho urged him, and Clopeh answered obediently.
“That is something you will learn if you follow him, is it not?”
Heh.
No one reacted to his low laugh.
Just as he said, it was a matter they could learn by following him themselves.
SHAAAAAA—
“This is the last quarantine center in Midi.”
Listening to General Mol, Cale carried out the purification ritual at the last quarantine center in Midi.
SHAAAAAA—
As if everything were returning to its original form, gray droplets fell at the end of the ritual and seeped into the ground.
—Cale. There is about four-tenths left now.
It was not a large number.
They had stopped at several quarantine centers, but even where there were infected, there had been no more than three. Some places had none at all, so they had skipped them.
Perhaps that was only natural.
Creeeak, bang!
Cale, who had been walking, looked toward the door that had suddenly opened.
An ordinary two-story house.
The front door of that house had opened.
A woman rushed out in a panic.
And beyond the door, in the darkness, he could see a man’s back.
“Grrrrr!”
And a boy holding on to that man.
No, a gray infected person.
“Please save our son too!”
The people who had not trusted the Demon King’s castle and had hidden themselves began to come out one by one.
The boy’s mother had seen the miracle, and she had no choice but to cling to it.
“My husband too—”
There was a wound on her husband’s body.
Their son had attacked him.
Seeing her husband’s arm turning gray, the mother had no choice but to run toward Cale.
“First, move him to the quarantine center, and then—”
General Mol tried to block the mother as she rushed over.
Perhaps it was because they had no trust in the Demon King, but even so, he could not give preferential treatment to someone who had hidden without understanding the gravity of the matter, despite the many searches conducted several times.
How many infected and suspected infected were there in the quarantine centers right now? How many families were anxiously watching over them?
Everything had to be done in order.
“......!”
But he sighed and stepped back.
SHAAAAAA—
The sound of waves, or wind through a forest.
Purification.
That miracle unfolded again.
“Ah. Aah—”
The mother dropped to her knees, bent low, and expressed her gratitude to Cale.
“Thank you, thank you—!”
Without saying anything in particular, Cale began walking again.
—It’s not enough.
The Ancient Tree spoke.
—Even if you do all of Mika, I don’t know whether you’ll be able to purify your whole body.
In the city of Telia and with the Gray Tree clan, the effect had become clearly visible all at once because he had purified hundreds of people. Purification rituals for small numbers were not much help to Cale.
—Still, you have to do it.
But just as the Ancient Tree said, Cale continued the purifications without rest.
From Midi, now to Mika.
And in Mika, many people were already there to receive Cale.
SHAAAAAA—
After another purification, the sounds of wind and waves ceased.
When the gray-tinted galaxy purified the demons and Cale—
“O savior, thank you! Thank you!”
Someone who appeared to be an infected person’s family member shouted from beyond the space guarded by soldiers.
“......”
Cale stopped walking for the first time.
His gaze turned toward the demon who had said those words.
Cale spoke seriously, with sincerity.
“I am not a savior.”
Yes. Things like this had to be denied from the start.
If he left it alone for no reason, it would become a big problem.
Cale looked with satisfaction at the demon who seemed speechless at his words and was covering his mouth, then began walking again.
“...How can this be?”
The resident of Mika who had been left behind murmured in admiration while looking at Cale as he moved away.
He had heard what had happened at Mika city barracks.
That was why he knew the Gray Tree clan called him savior.
And Cale had shown actions worthy of it.
The Demon King who had supposedly come to this city was nowhere to be seen, yet this man alone faced the storm and dark night, revealing a radiant gray light.
Everywhere he walked, the terrible sickness vanished.
How could such a man not be a savior?
The demon could not help but be moved by the savior’s humility.
“...Demon god—”
Perhaps the demon god had sent someone like him.
The demon, whose faith in the demon god was devout, unconsciously called upon the demon god.
“Heh. That person is not one who follows the will of another god.”
A white-haired, green-eyed man said this with a gentle smile.
“That person merely walks forward while unfolding his own will.”
He headed back toward Cale with two other companions and grew distant.
For some reason, the words of the man lingered in the minds of the demon left behind and the people around him.
The will of another god?
Then which god’s will did he follow?
No. He merely unfolds his own will?
......!
Some enormous thought bloomed in their heads.
But by the time they could ask about it, Clopeh had already moved away, and those left behind looked at each other for a moment before they had no choice but to open their mouths and speak of it carefully.
Because they had already seen a miracle.
SHAAAAAA—
And so, as the black umbrella created gray galaxies, and as demons unconsciously added their own hands to that path of light, light slowly began to fill the two cities.
“Only five places remain now.”
At General Mol’s words, Cale stopped walking for a moment.
“Haa.”
Then he looked up at the sky and sighed.
“!”
“......!”
At the sight, the people around him shut their mouths.
It must be hard.
Is he exhausted?
General Mol, Cho, and Ryeon thought Cale must be tired.
—Cale. I don’t think you’ll be able to purify everything today.
Of course, Cale had not sighed because he was tired.
Strictly speaking, he had gotten rained on while searching for Ron, but even so, his body was healthier right now than it had been in recent days.
Compared to when he had been using the wheelchair, his body felt extremely light.
“......”
And the Wanderer Cho, who had been watching this with a strange expression, opened his mouth.
His voice was quite brusque.
“Hey, don’t you need to rest?”
Cale’s gaze turned toward Cho.
“!”
Cho flinched.
“Why, why? Hey, I was just—”
But he could not continue.
This bastard isn’t looking at me, is he?
Cale Henituse was not looking at him.
Behind me?
Cho realized Cale was looking beyond his shoulder.
—Human!
Meeeow!
Meeeow!
The average ten-year-olds.
Raon’s voice reached them.
Then On and Hong came into view, running across the rooftops and between them.
Both of their faces were quite solemn.
Grin.
The corners of Cale’s lips rose.
“It’s time.”
Choi Han and Eruhaben.
Those two beings were not beside Cale.
—Human, it’s gold dragon grandpa’s side!
Whooooosh—
Wind swirled around Cale’s ankles.
He lightly kicked off the ground.
Thud.
The large towel draped over his shoulders fell to the ground.
But the black umbrella stayed with him.
—A huge current of water is surging in that direction!
—Human, water is surging over the mountain, breaking the mountain as it comes!
At Raon’s words, Cale’s eyes burned.
The anger he had suppressed while doing what he needed to do and waiting.
Ron was not here.
When that murderous old man had thrown his body away to save one little On.
It really was murderous.
Ron.
Cale thought he would never be able to beat this old man.
He remembered Ron, who had returned with his arm cut off by the merpeople and Dark while pursuing Dark in the past.
As he recalled that time, Cale remembered one thing.
That’s right.
Dark.
At first, those bastards had also been quite difficult to face.
But one by one.
One by one, one by one. As they had knocked down those enemies, they had even managed to bring down the White Star.
“Heh.”
—Human, don’t laugh strangely! No. You should laugh like that right now! Heh!
Whether Raon imitated his laugh or not, Cale headed toward Eruhaben.
“Follow me.”
Of course, before moving, he looked down below the roof and gave an order.
“Yes, Lord Cale.”
Clopeh smiled, and the Wanderers Cho and Ryeon would soon come with him.
Cale stopped paying attention to them and headed toward Eruhaben.
The ancient dragon stood outside Mika’s city wall, on the road leading to the city gate.
There, he was waiting for the water dragon, which might come to either of the two cities.
“Heh, haha—”
Cale laughed.
It was not because he felt exhilarated or excited.
Simply—
Right. Let’s do what I’ve always done.
When had he ever avoided an enemy because that enemy was too strong?
One by one. Hadn’t he always grabbed hold of those bastards’ weaknesses, and if they had none, created one and brought them down?
...Third Emperor.
You first.
I will catch you first.
—I’m thirsty.
I will steal your great power.
—The sea, is it—
I will study your power and defeat you with it.
Tap!
Cale landed atop the city wall.
RUMBLEEEEE—
It was different from the sound of rain.
A rough sound that crushed everything surged from far away.
GRAAAAAAAH—
A chilling roar rang out, carrying a power too great to belong to a beast.
But no beast, no creature, could be seen.
RUMBLEEEEE—
What they could see was water.
In the fierce storm.
A mountain visible in the distance.
A massive river approached, crushing the trees, grass, and everything on that mountain as it carved out its own path.
—It’s the sea.
Just as the Water that Devours the Sky said, that was not a river.
It was the sea.
The sea was approaching this place.
GRAAAAAAH—
Furious over the whereabouts of the avatar that had disappeared.
Over one part of itself.
The approaching sea.
And that sea crossed the mountain and raised its body on the road facing Mika’s city wall.
GRAAAAAAAH—
It was a dragon.
The sea they had thought was a river had become a dragon.
“Looks delicious.”
Cale said that.
Thump.
Then he plopped down on the spot.
Sitting on top of the city wall, he crossed his arms.
Because it was not his turn yet.
“I have been waiting.”
There was someone who had been waiting for that being even more than Cale.
The water dragon stared at the being standing before Mika’s city wall gate.
Sss, sss—
Platinum dust shone clearly even in the rain.
Step, step.
Ancient dragon Eruhaben.
He walked toward the water dragon.
And his form gradually changed.
From human to dragon.
FWOOOSH—!
A massive dragon spread both wings and stared at the water dragon.
Ancient dragon Eruhaben still remembered the water dragon he had failed to stop, and he had been hoping to meet it again.
The dragon spread both arms and smiled.
“Welcome, fake.”
It was a savage smile directed at an enemy.
