Chapter 512. Legend Never Die (2)
After Chi-Hyun was eaten by the Sernitas, a significant change occurred on the battlefield where the expeditionary forces had fought to their deaths. First, the Sernitas had disappeared. They hadn’t run away or withdrawn. They had literally been sucked into the barren land, and all of the Sernitas that had been pressuring them in all directions disappeared. Humanity and the League, who had been in the midst of a fierce battle, fell into confusion at the unexpected situation.
The same was true for Chi-Woo. He clearly witnessed Chi-Hyun being dragged in by the Sernitas. ‘No way—’ The thought that the Sernitas had been aiming for Chi-Hyun and not him belatedly crossed his mind. However, it was too late by the time he realized it. The Sernitas and, of course, Chi-Hyun were nowhere to be seen. Even more so, the nest that had been divided into two had suddenly disappeared.
[Yeah, don’t make a mistake this time.]
When Chi-Hyun’s words suddenly came to mind, Chi-Woo ran toward the place where Chi-Hyun had just been on autopilot. However, once he reached there, he had no idea what to do. Even though Chi-Hyun had disappeared right in front of him, he couldn’t find him anywhere. At a loss, Chi-Woo extended both hands.
Bambambam! A tremendous explosion erupted beneath his feet. The swamp-like areas sank and burst. A huge hole formed, but there was nothing there. There was only melted earth flowing down. Even then, Chi-Woo didn’t stop. Now that the situation had become like this, he couldn’t think of anything else, and even the Sernitas was no longer his priority. He unleashed all the energy he had saved to face the Sernitas’ main body and dug up the ground.
Humanity and the League were befuddled at first, but soon, they began gathering around Chi-Woo one by one. Seeing Chi-Woo’s erratic behavior, they confirmed the fact that the legend had disappeared with the Sernitas. They began digging up the earth with Chi-Woo or scanned underground with their mana, and everyone began looking for Chi-Hyun. Time crept by as they worked aimlessly.
Sweat poured down Chi-Woo’s body like a waterfall. He was entirely soaked in sweat, and he felt burned out. His exorcism mana that had flowed like the sea had long been emptied. As a result of his efforts, a huge crater formed where he was standing as if a meteorite had dropped, but Chi-Hyun was still nowhere to be seen. The flowing dirt and mud continuously filled the hole he made, and onlookers began to worry that Chi-Woo might also get buried at this rate. Even then, Chi-Woo did not stop.
When his exorcism mana was almost gone, he transformed the Armed with the Sixth Element into a shovel and dug, but even that became difficult to keep doing, so he started using his hands. He looked like a madman scooping up the earth with bare hands. He had to be stopped. However, no one could easily step in. Although it was true that no one dared to touch Chi-Woo, who was digging the ground silently with his eyes wide open, the most significant reason was that no one wanted to admit that Chi-Hyun was dead, especially the Celestial Realm heroes. It was only natural as Choi Chi-Hyun was a hero with unsurpassed achievements under his belt, revered by all as "The Legend".
The same went for the other expeditionary forces. Although Chi-Woo’s victory at the general assembly had reversed Chi-Woo’s and Chi-Hyun’s positions, Chi-Hyun’s authority hadn’t completely fallen either. In the first place, Chi-Woo was able to climb to the top without much difficulty because Chi-Hyun had passed over some of his authority to Chi-Woo and stepped down. Furthermore, the others considered Chi-Woo as the rightful and suitable successor to the Choi family on the basis of their relationship.
If they had been strangers rather than brothers, Chi-Hyun, as well as the others, would not have stayed still. There would have definitely been resistance—no, resistance wouldn’t even begin to cover what would’ve entailed. There would have been a lot more people who fiercely opposed Chi-Woo than in favor of him. Since Chi-Hyun not only had his reputation as the legend in the Celestial Realm, but was also the person who came to Liber first and rallied and defended the last of humanity, a group that should have been destroyed much earlier. To say the obvious, Chi-Hyun’s influence could not be ignored. That was who he was, and that was the hero he was.
As such, Chi-Woo wasn’t alone in denying Chi-Hyun’s disappearance. The entire humanity and the League were in the same boat. The one who had charged up alone and faced all the Sernitas except the Sky Castle during the great war and the one who was always the first to jump into dangerous situations and protect everyone when humanity was at stake—how could Chi-Hyun be dead? There was no way people could easily accept it.
“No…please…please…!” Many heroes who were digging desperately like Chi-Woo, fell into despair; some even began crying.
“Don’t lie…damn it…don’t lie to me…” Even Ismile constantly muttered to himself. It was then Chi-Woo, who had been digging so much that he himself was covered in mud and weighed down by the soil piling on his back, suddenly felt his body rapidly rise into the air. He wasn’t mistaken. The hole that he had dug began to bulge and quickly swell. He had no idea what was happening. Even then, he tried to dig again, but he was stopped short when the tremor spread to the entire area, and the soil rose in the shape of a hemisphere. The more it rose, the more people around it began to stumble and fall like they were on a slide. Meanwhile, the earth, which had been rising nonstop, swelled up like a balloon.
“I-It’s going to explode!”
Suddenly, it exploded without notice. The impact threw Chi-Woo backward, and while he flew in the air further and further away, his eyes widened because he saw a person standing alone among the debris flying in all directions. The man slowly tilted his head with his fist extended forward. No matter how many times Chi-Woo looked, it was Chi-Hyun. Chi-Woo wasn’t the only one who saw him.
Woahhhhhhhhhhh! A thunderous cheer erupted. Chi-Woo hadn’t been sure and had felt anxious, but as expected, Chi-Hyun was alive. Everyone cheered at the top of their lungs for Chi-Hyun, who had quelled their increasing anxiety and met everyone’s expectations once again. However, the cheers did not last long as their surroundings began to abnormally change. The land that had failed to absorb Chi-Hyun and instead vomited him back looked strange. What had once looked like a swamp boiled and let out steam.
Dudududududududu! It split and shook everywhere, rising and falling again like a patient in a seizure. Then, the Sernitas’ military force that had disappeared with Chi-Hyun began to reappear. It no longer looked like the Demon Empire nor the Abyss, or even the Cassiubian League’s main force for the matter. Some looked like familiar human figures, and others looked like indescribably bizarre aliens.
There was a huge battle golem, and a space battleship covered the sky. They were those who had once established a flourishing civilization on their respective planets, but ended up invaded by the Sernitas and eventually became one with the Sernitas after defeat. These beings were revived in various shapes and sizes. At first glance, it was clear that they weren’t in normal condition. Their gray bodies twisted and squirmed, and they screamed like crazy as if they were exploding in real time. It seemed that Chi-Hyun had made a significant blow on them inside.
Even in a favorable situation, there was nothing scarier than a cornered mouse, and the Sernitas was not just a mouse, but an elephant. Those who had come to their senses among humanity and the League slowly withdrew and pressed their backs together. They had no idea what had happened inside, but they all prepared to face the Sernitas, who had suddenly shown their full strength—except for one person, Chi-Woo.
He had no time or leisure to make calculations or pick things apart. Chi-Woo landed on the ground with a forward roll and ran as soon as he stood up. He ran and ran, ignoring everything around him because Chi-Hyun’s condition seemed strange from a distance. He had wondered why Chi-Hyun was just standing still and looking up at the sky at first, but if he wasn’t mistaken, Chi-Hyun had staggered a little like he was about to collapse.
No, it couldn’t be. There was no way. Chi-Woo continuously repeated this to himself and crossed the battlefield while ignoring the Sernitas constantly sprouting around him. And when he finally got close, Chi-Hyun, who was struggling to stand, collapsed as if he couldn’t hold out anymore. Chi-Woo flew out when he saw Chi-Hyun’s knees buckle. He managed to catch Chi-Hyun as he fell backward.
“Hyung!” He supported Chi-Hyun’s head with one hand and shouted, “Hyung! Hyung!”
Chi-Hyun didn’t show any response for a moment, but when Chi-Woo continuously shook him and shouted, he opened his eyes with difficulty.
“Are you okay?” Chi-Woo asked as soon as their eyes met.
“You think I…look okay…?” Chi-Hyun replied in his characteristically flat and disinterested tone with great difficulty.
“Are you hurt? Where, where is it? Does it hurt? You’re not, right? You’re okay, right? You really are okay, aren’t you?” There wasn’t any noticeable physical trauma. Chi-Hyun looked alright on the outside, but…
“No…” Chi-Hyun breathed hard, and even while frowning, he chuckled. “It hurts…really…it hurts like hell…” However, his laugh only lasted for a few moments, and he gasped in pain again and continued, “I destroyed…the nest…”
“Hyung, it’s all right. Don’t say anything for now. Get on my back. Let’s quickly go to a priest…!” Chi-Woo tried to pick up Chi-Hyun and move, but he had to soon stop because even while in extreme pain, Chi-Hyun raised his hand and grabbed Chi-Woo’s arm as if telling him to stop and just listen to him. Chi-Woo didn’t want to listen, and he wanted to immediately shake his brother’s hand off. However, he wasn’t able to do so in the end as he felt a shocking heat delivered from his brother’s grasp, which had no strength left; a heat with a strong will that Chi-Woo couldn’t resist.
After a brief pause, Chi-Hyun said, “I completely shattered it into pieces, so…their future is gone…but…” Chi-Hyun struggled to even talk and spoke in pauses. “But you can’t let down your guard until the very end…since…now that even their last resort is gone…they’ll go crazy…”
At that moment, Chi-Hyun’s voice suddenly faded; the focus in his eyes disappeared, and his rough breathing stopped. “Uh…” Chi-Woo’s heart sank. “…Ah…” Chi-Hyun’s trembling eyes blinked once more.
“Sorry…” Chi-Hyun’s eyes, which had started to lose focus, regained a bit of light, and his chest slowly heaved up and down. “My mind…suddenly blanked out…”
“You surprised me!” Feeling barely relieved, Chi-Woo shouted. Then he asked if Chi-Hyun was really okay, but Chi-Hyun did not reply.
In the first place, Chi-Hyun had used that ability in exchange for his life. No, it wasn’t just his life, but his fate’s past, present, and future. Chi-Hyun, who had used the Second Coming during the 37th timeline on the WI5H planet, was able to save his life thanks to that ability back then. That had been possible because he had received the World’s protection at its perfect state, and it delayed Chi-Hyun’s death to the best of its ability. Furthermore, Laguel, who had been monitoring the situation at the time, had responded quickly by forcing him to return to the Celestial Realm.
However, there was nothing like that in their current situation. Thanks to Chi-Woo, he had been able to use the Legend’s Second Coming, which was originally unavailable to him, but he couldn’t expect more than that. He couldn’t expect protection from the unstable World that favored heroes on Liber, and if he could return to the Celestial World, Chi-Hyun would have sent Chi-Woo back from the very beginning. Since he couldn’t expect any outside support now, Chi-Hyun had to pay the full price of using a power that was not allowed to him at this moment. It was a price he had already known about and was determined to pay.
It was the same for Chi-Woo. Truthfully, he had noticed how dire Chi-Hyun’s condition was as soon as he reappeared. He had no idea what had happened, but it was hard to consider Chi-Hyun as a human being right now, let alone consider if he was alive or not. The only thing Chi-Woo felt was a strong energy flowing infinitely from Chi-Hyun, and this energy was still draining from Chi-Hyun’s body.
…Yes. He had known, but Chi-Woo didn't want to believe it. “Don’t joke with me. I’m dead serious,” he said threateningly. “You said you were the legend.” He quickly added as if that was not enough. “You said you were the strongest. Then why would the strongest die? That doesn’t make any sense.”
‘Right? I’m right, aren’t I? That’s right.’ Chi-Woo repeatedly asked for agreement, but Chi-Hyun was still unresponsive because his senses, including his hearing, had become very faint after the brief moment he blanked out. It was to the extent that his consciousness was quickly fading away; he had stopped right in front of death’s door with superhuman endurance, but if he relaxed just a little, it felt as if he was going to fly to an unknown place forever. Chi-Hyun, who had been softly groaning like he would die at any moment, suddenly remembered that day; the day light shone on his dull, gray life for the first time. He remembered the memory of the day when he was saved. The words he shared with his brother still remained crystal clear even after all these years.
Chi-Hyun’s Adam's apple slightly moved as he recalled the memory. No, not yet. Although he couldn’t see or hear anything now, he firmly believed that his brother would still be by his side, and he exhausted what little strength he had left in him to slightly move his head towards the direction that Chi-Woo had run towards him from. “The nest…organize…don’t let down guard…make sure to…definitely…” Chi-Woo seemed to have shouted something. However, Chi-Hyun forced himself to continue. He needed to talk to Chi-Woo, at least for the last time. “An…d…”
“When it's…all over…”
At that moment, Chi-Woo, who had been calling out Chi-Hyun’s name with all his might, was able to clearly see his brother’s expression.
“Go…home…Our parents…are worried.” Chi-Hyun stared at Chi-Woo with unfocused eyes and softly smiled. Even though it ended like this, Chi-Hyun didn’t regret the decision he had made that day, so he was able to smile.
Chi-Woo saw the struggle visible on Chi-Hyun’s face suddenly ease. His half-open eyes closed slowly, and suddenly, Chi-Hyun felt heavier than before. Then light began to radiate from Chi-Hyun’s body, spreading across his torso, limbs, and face in order. Chi-Woo didn’t show any reaction for a moment. He just stared blankly. Then his breathing came out rough, and his whole body began to shake.
“…Hyung.” He opened his mouth without realizing it. “Hyung?” Even when he called out to his brother, there was no answer, so he called out once more. “Hyung!” However, it was the same no matter how many times he called Chi-Hyun’s name. Only then did Chi-Woo’s mouth slightly widen. No, there was no way.
“Al-Alright. I was wrong. I won’t ever tease or prank you anymore. I’ll listen well and do whatever you tell me to do without complaining, so…!” Even though he knew it wouldn’t reach his brother, Chi-Woo frantically grabbed onto Chi-Hyun’s body, which was gradually being consumed by light. However, Chi-Woo could not finish his sentence. With a stunned expression, he tilted his head up with his mouth open. Before he realized it, Chi-Hyun’s whole body had completely turned into light.
Shaaaaaaa! Chi-Woo’s eyes followed the brilliant radiance that rose into the air as if it was being sucked into the sky.
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