Vol 6 Chapter 1 (1/2)
Chapter 1 – 3-1=Hopeless
——long long ago, so called the [Sun] existed
Exuding out radiant white fla the sky with
translucent blue——yes, this was how it spread
The [Great war] between Gods and creatures scorched the earth
The whole sky became clouded with ash
The ash-filled sky and the overflowing Astronomical Force—
—Eleht to emit
which resulted in the sky turning red
This redness enveloped the continuouson the
lands Or perhaps, the star itself was la out
fresh blood
In the blood-stained sky, only aquamarine-colored ash
continues to fall down
————
Ivan gazed at the red sky and frowned
The [black ash] that let out aquaht fell onto the
ground, starting to pile up
Ivan dazed when thinking about the limits a human could
possess in regards to knowledge
Humans were unable to sense elemental particles, so they
shouldn't be able to see the aquaht As for why the
sky was dyed red, it was probably due to the polarizing light or
some other unknown reasons Elemental particles were
originally blue to begin with
As for how the humans are able to perceive and link to the
Ele to do with the
last light e Elemental after the conflict
with the ash
——[Ele species
including humans, this was a lethal poison
Touching it burns the skin Entering the eye causes blindness
If consumed, the innards would be dissolved
Even though it shone an aquaht, it was called [Black
ash] because the nature of it symbolizes death itself
Perhaps, this stuff may actually be merciful
The dust mask covered his head The fur armor was built to
withstand the cold If one took all these off and casually lie on
the ground——the ground filled with [Black ash (Death)], it
would bring that someone into a blissful sleep
(Really want to rest Working non-stop since thisMy
body is numbed, I want to drink a bowl of hot soup, wash away
all these ash and snuggle in my wife's chest and sleep——if I
can't even achieve all of these soht now I
should just)
That kind of temptation forced Ivan to tremble, completely
stopping his thoughts Born in this kind of world, there was no
reason for survival or death—— ”——Ivan Did the black ash
enter your brain?”
Ivan turned back after hearing his companion's murmur After
blinking a few times, he saw his two partners beside him
”It was only a little break, Allei I a on my
years eh?” ”If you are getting old, then shouldn't we be the
same?” Allei bitterly said
Against the young boy as one year younger than he was,
Ivan retorted ironically
”Are you awake yet? Maybe someday we can't fool around like
this anymore oh
—— Riku, you too”
Saying so, Ivan looked towards Riku—— the ”leader” in front
of him
The youngest ae face hidden
underneath the
mask and windshi+eld
His face couldn't be seen Looking through the wind
glasswere a pair of pupils that looked like the abyss itself
”Thank you for the advice Then——after a short
[break]We'll continue”
——dressed like a rock, together with leather clothing that crept
upwards fros
His limbs were numbed, he didn't even eat——this was for the
sake of not be discovered by the [Enemy] In order to live
And——in order to come here
Ivan lowered his head, overlooking the hills in silence
As expected, there was a huge pitA steel mountain laid in the
center
This was built by the dwarves, a warshi+p meant for air combat
However, it was currently wrecked
There were traces of earth-shattering [Skirmishes] in this area a
feeeks ago Riku's objective today was to scavenge for any
usable resource
Cracks present in the armor allowed the team to enter the shi+p
Ivan asked Riku ”The elemental needle plate?”
”No The [Black ash] is too intense The elemental particles
would affect it”
Ivan silently protested This way, they had one less insurance
for their lives
Elely to
ele obsidian
It was used to sense Gods and their dependents——ultimately
infor the direction of those [Monsters] with extremely
high Eleh it was created by
Riku and his sister, for now it couldn't be used
Thus, they could only discern the ene their
five senses
The trash known as the human species ere exiled and
sent away, against monsters with super senses——too
hilarious
Indeed, too hilarious
”Move forith caution” Riku ht
face
Ivan and another companion——Allei silently nodded before
sneaking into the wreckage
To enter the place just by bending their backs and brushi+ng
past the accumulated dust, was definitely luck——
Focus!
Ivan then said to himself
(Don't be disarrayed, be as insignificant as a speck of dust Kill
the sound of breathing and the heartbeat Tense up the five
senses, ensure that not even dust can escape hts)
——co
dangerous
They were a considerate distance away from the battlefield
The place they were currently in could be said to be a mountain
of abandoned garbage
However, calling this place [Safe] would be complacency
There was a chance that a lostaround
Maybe, there ht even be other races that had no relation to
the andering around
Or perhaps, there were remnants of the dwarves who piloted
this shi+p——
Even if the other party was in a near-death state, they wouldn't
survive a confrontation
——this was their reality A shocking, unreasonable reality
If a dwarf held an ite——hundreds of
huet reduced to ash
This was the i their enemy In order to survive
to the future, hide from the present
So——
”——hey, Ivan, this is a huge find!!”
Hearing the loud cry from behind him, Ivan turned around with
a vexed expression
Some distance aas Allei, who had a look of excitement
Allei's eyes were sparkling as he waved his right hand
dramatically
”Co is awesome!”
Ivan squinted his eyes to look at Allei as well as Riku's face
””
Riku re an
action as if slitting the throat
Just like that, Allei who couldn't control his excitement and
panted restlessly a while ago started to trehtly
”SoSorry But, but, take a look at this”
The object Allei found seelance
It was connected with several pieces of complicated items
But when Allei twisted the object with his hand, the box
released a rainbow- colored light
”This is——!”
Looking at the large-scale map projected in the air, even Ivan
couldn't conceal his shock and let out a surprised breath
”Could this be——the world map?!” ”Yes, the latest edition
too!”
——world h they've collected data as well as made
their own measurements, ultimately the map created was only
of a certain degree
However, the map projected in the air displayed the world's
continents and oceans accurately without lacking a single
detail Furthere at
any time, this was indeed——
”It's not just that” Riku murmured softly
”A strategic map, and also the enemy forces——there are
secret codes, but decoding it should be easy with the dwarves'
language No problems”
”——Ha, haha!”
It was understandable why Allei was this excited——even Ivan
let out a smile
In other words, with thisthe situation of the
battle was possible
Infer what happens in the future and choose a safer place to
live! What a perfect find, Riku calmly said
”Ivan, Allei, compare and amend the map we currently have
with the left and right side of the map respectively I'll
transcribe the strategic and enemy forces map”
””Swear to the commands!””
Ivan and Allei couldn't hide their excitement as they accepted
the command Swear upon the deceased, swear upon the pact—
—acceptance
Taking out the paper, ink and measurement items out of their
packs, they started working
Their tiht, but they had to accurately plot the data
and copy down However, Allei suddenly thought of so
and opened his mouth
”Ne, Riku, can't we just take the projection device back?” Riku
slowly raised his head while Allei continued
”Isn't it better like this? It wouldn't be a burden regardless of
size, and we don't have to waste paper and time——”
”Dis that uses Elemental
particles to function Write quickly”
”I' that, but, the size of this” ”Allei”
With a sharp tone, Riku called out Allei's name
”If you want to die, then say it out——I'll grant your desire”
Riku said with a dark and murderous intent-filled voice, his
face expressionless and his pupils lightless
”Killing you alone could prevent athe
ele us all It is simply too cheap
a price to pay”
”——I, I understand——Sorry”
Fearing theRiku, Allei shook his head ”Bu, but, you
don't have to be so angry right?”
”Allei, what Riku said——is our aiotten it?”
Ivan gave advice, but the look on his face was serious, causing
Allei to s a mouthful of his saliva
”——[We don't exist, we cannot exist, so we cannot be
perceived]”
”See, don't you remember it? To die because of the refusal to
copy down a map
——is there anythingthan this death?” ”Sorry”
Allei whispered an apology
At this tiround
”!”
Instantaneously, the three of them lowered their body and went
into the shade, as if previously discussed
——using his best efforts to cal of his heart
Holding his breath together with his tre body, Ivan
looked at Riku as also concealed
Riku took a sly cut
the tip of his index finger
(Nothing has changed)
Pressing his exposed nerve onto the ground, intelligence was
retrieved through the fingertips, then it was transmitted to the
other senses, mainly his ears
Using eyes to check was too risky It was akin to suicidal
behavior at this time
However, placing the ears onto the ground could do it The
sounds from outside could be heard
Using these means that far exceeded rationality, Riku had
finished analyzing the [Enemy] that inadvertently revealed
itself
This level of vibration and rhythm of the sound led to some
conclusions Ivan licked his lips in his gas mask, closely
watching Riku's gestures
——About 180 feet away, two-legged race, one, heavy and
slow——probably meant as a trick
Froht was
approximately——[Twenty feet]
Larger than humans by three times, no wonder it was slow——
in short, it should be searching for so?
Ivan's back was full of sweat
Then, fro the
entire surroundings (damn, it's a Demonia!!)
They were convinced even without Riku's gestures
A mutant Phantasma—— demons created by the [Demon
king]
Basically, they arethat
they were beasts not given enough brains was not too far away
from the truth either
Despite its huge strength, it are of them [Preys]——it
was because they were incos that they lost the
instinct of quietly approaching their prey Noas the thing
wandering nearby a Demonia or simply one of the variants of
the more inferior races It was estimated to be a man-eater and
a hill spirit—— in that case, a battle with our current strength?
——impossible This was clear Yes——completely impossible
Even if their opponents were the inferior Demonias——
huainst them
Those guys didn't lurk around like beasts or gave warnings,
because there wasn't a need to
They are strong, they always solved all problems with their
own strength This has always been their tender and rational
way of living
The weapons on their handsno, even if they developed a
meticulous plan, no humans could kill a Demonia
All these actions were pointless
Even if they used up all their wisdoies and traps to
launch attacks against the Demonia——as the point?
This would only get perceived by [Superior] Demonias with
higher wisdom and they would understand the [Threat] of
huht?
The extinction of humans would be met with no resistance So
they only had one course of action at this state
There were no other choices
[We do not exist, we cannot exist, so we cannot be
perceived]
Human resistance was not permitted, or else they would be the
hunted [Prey] In that case——Ivan guessed the outcome
Slowly turning his head, he looked at Riku——who said the
next words ”Ivan, I command you”
Riku announced just like that ”——die here”
”Swear to the co wryly——
Ivan didn't hesitate to answer
Entrusting his pack to Allei, Ivan started walking forward ”Oi,
oi”
Facing against Allei as holding the pack with tre
hands, Ivan advised while s
”You understand right, Allei In here, someone has to be
sacrificed”
Yes——so two look
for opportunities to escape There was no other way
180 feet——would take about 8 seconds for a human to run
Against the De the distance——there
was no other choice
If the three of them fled, it would still result in demise The
worst case was to get chased towards the colony——even
though the ene was
still capable of being done
Riku must have considered [Who] and [Where] would the
sacrifice take place ”Riku is important, and as for Allei, you
are still young It was natural ould
be the bait right?” ”But——because of this!” Ivan smiled
He then unbuckled the lock on his chin and slowly took off his
dust mask ”Ivan!?”
The cold air blowing on his skin incredibly relieved his
tension
The wind evaporated the sweat on his body and blew the
stench of the beast's skin away, bringing an extremely
co
”Don't mind me [In order to protect my friends and family]—
—this reason of death would be very noble right?”
Saying this, Ivan handed his
Allei ”damn it Dammmnnnnnn——ITTT!”
Patting on the shoulders of his long time friend, Ivan turned
away
Ivan turned towards Riku——looking through the windshi+eld
into his black pupil, he said so
”Goodbye, Riku I'll leave my family——my kids, in your
care” Riku was still nonchalant
Watching Ivan as gazing at him, he nodded ”Ahh, leave
it to me”
”I'm sorry too”
Hearing Ivan's words, Riku replied back in surprise ”Why do
you apologize?”
”I'm sorry too” ”Oi, Ivan You”
Allei's tre voice was heard behind Ivan's back
As if to hide his true feelings, Ivan was back-facing Riku
Then, he waved his hand
”Allei, together with my part, take care of Riku Then, I'll
go on ahead (Death) oh”
——using his best efforts to cal of his heart
Holding his breath together with his tre body, Ivan
looked at Riku as also concealed
Riku took a sly cut
the tip of his index finger
(Nothing has changed)
Pressing his exposed nerve onto the ground, intelligence was
retrieved through the fingertips, then it was transmitted to the
other senses, mainly his ears
Using eyes to check was too risky It was akin to suicidal
behavior at this time
However, placing the ears onto the ground could do it The
sounds from outside could be heard
Using these means that far exceeded rationality, Riku had
finished analyzing the [Enemy] that inadvertently revealed
itself
This level of vibration and rhythm of the sound led to some
conclusions Ivan licked his lips in his gas mask, closely
watching Riku's gestures
——About 180 feet away, two-legged race, one, heavy and
slow——probably meant as a trick
Froht was
approximately——[Twenty feet]
Larger than humans by three times, no wonder it was slow——
in short, it should be searching for so?
Ivan's back was full of sweat
Then, fro the
entire surroundings (damn, it's a Demonia!!)
They were convinced even without Riku's gestures
A mutant Phantasma—— demons created by the [Demon
king]
Basically, they arethat
they were beasts not given enough brains was not too far away
from the truth either
Despite its huge strength, it are of them [Preys]——it
was because they were incos that they lost the
instinct of quietly approaching their prey Noas the thing
wandering nearby a Demonia or simply one of the variants of
the more inferior races It was estimated to be a man-eater and
a hill spirit—— in that case, a battle with our current strength?
——impossible This was clear Yes——completely impossible
Even if their opponents were the inferior Demonias——
huainst them
Those guys didn't lurk around like beasts or gave warnings,
because there wasn't a need to
They are strong, they always solved all problems with their
own strength This has always been their tender and rational
way of living
The weapons on their handsno, even if they developed a
meticulous plan, no humans could kill a Demonia
All these actions were pointless
Even if they used up all their wisdoies and traps to
launch attacks against the Demonia——as the point?
This would only get perceived by [Superior] Demonias with
higher wisdom and they would understand the [Threat] of
huht?
The extinction of humans would be met with no resistance So
they only had one course of action at this state
There were no other choices
[We do not exist, we cannot exist, so we cannot be
perceived]
Human resistance was not permitted, or else they would be the
hunted [Prey] In that case——Ivan guessed the outcome
Slowly turning his head, he looked at Riku——who said the
next words ”Ivan, I command you”
Riku announced just like that ”——die here”
”Swear to the co wryly——
Ivan didn't hesitate to answer
Entrusting his pack to Allei, Ivan started walking forward ”Oi,
oi”
Facing against Allei as holding the pack with tre
hands, Ivan advised while s
”You understand right, Allei In here, someone has to be
sacrificed”
Yes——so two look
for opportunities to escape There was no other way
180 feet——would take about 8 seconds for a human to run
Against the De the distance——there
was no other choice
If the three of them fled, it would still result in demise The
worst case was to get chased towards the colony——even
though the ene was
still capable of being done
Riku must have considered [Who] and [Where] would the
sacrifice take place ”Riku is important, and as for Allei, you
are still young It was natural ould
be the bait right?” ”But——because of this!” Ivan smiled
He then unbuckled the lock on his chin and slowly took off his
dust mask ”Ivan!?”
The cold air blowing on his skin incredibly relieved his
tension
The wind evaporated the sweat on his body and blew the
stench of the beast's skin away, bringing an extremely
co
”Don't mind me [In order to protect my friends and family]—
—this reason of death would be very noble right?”
Saying this, Ivan handed his
Allei ”damn it Dammmnnnnnn——ITTT!”
Patting on the shoulders of his long time friend, Ivan turned
away
Ivan turned towards Riku——looking through the windshi+eld
into his black pupil, he said so
”Goodbye, Riku I'll leave my family——my kids, in your
care” Riku was still nonchalant
Watching Ivan as gazing at him, he nodded ”Ahh, leave
it to me”
”I'm sorry too”
Hearing Ivan's words, Riku replied back in surprise ”Why do
you apologize?”
”I'm sorry too” ”Oi, Ivan You”
Allei's tre voice was heard behind Ivan's back
As if to hide his true feelings, Ivan was back-facing Riku
Then, he waved his hand
”Allei, together with my part, take care of Riku Then, I'll
go on ahead(Death) oh”
Part 4
At the same time, Riku, Allei and Ivan——flew out of the
shadows, but in contrasting directions
Contrary to Riku and Allei's actions of trotting while bending
to the ground, Ivan ran full speed ahead while shouting out
Hearing the beast's roar, Ivan maintained his speed while
giving a slight glance to his back
After it noticed the enee apart
and startedover to Ivan's direction
——the [Enee Just like what Riku had speculated, it
was at least three tier than a human
Even though it was cloaked in black skin, the bulging muscles
could be seen Jagged teeth that nearly covered half of its face
was exposed the moment it opened its mouth
Ivan laughed upon thinking that he would get to experience the
monster's attack first-hand
Facing thein a completely different direction
fro Riku and Allei
Attracted by the great ,
the monster didn't notice Riku and Allei——
”————ha, ha!”
Ivan had to cry out loudly to attract the monster's attention He
then focused his attention on the escape route and picked up
speed
The decoysmoothly The next step
was to distract the er
No ht? After
allThis is a human's last job
——yes, his mission was over from here onwards
Only a single run left before the end of his life——it was really
a simple task ”I'm sorry Riku——to leave you with such
troublesome tasks”
From now on, there would be more difficult, more precarious
andthe person as like his
little brother(Riku)
In the next few minutes, or maybe a few seconds later, he
wouldn't feel as relaxed as this——
”Ahhh, although this may be too muchBut, could you
please——damn it”
——Riku's pair of abyss-like dark eyes eed in Ivan's mind
Even when staring at Ivan, there was——nothing shone out of
it
No fear, no hesitation, not shaken, no sorrow, no pain Nothing
eed For this reason—he could be trusted
To throay his life because of the coiven by a
young teenager
If necessary, his own life could be treated like garbage and toss
away, if it was for the words of the black-eyed master
He believed that——he was going to use his life more
effectively than anyone else But——
”I know this h down on you——but Riku, aside
fro in you, I cannot think of any other way”
So, I have to apologize Because the reason you gave me to
die
Actually, I shouldn't think about dying My wife and my cute
daughter are still waiting for me back in the colony
No matter what, I must escape, I want to be with my family,
enjoy the
——but, this
Dying in this place buried in aquamarine ashWhat was the
difference? ”Ahhh, Ahhhhhhh!!”
Unfortunately, this hat Ivan thought
At this ti happiness, was
very unfortunate damn it To die without a reason and to die
involuntarily
”Sorryy, I'ive me——”
——in this broken, crazy and tragic world
Born without a et killed after
finding a little bit of happiness
What was the point to live in this world if it continued
endlessly?
——the one who answered this question is that boy, Riku
It was to protect your friends, protect your family——in order
to achieve the future where the ould end, dying was fine
Fantastic Si behind one's own
existence, what could be better than this?
Even if I die, at least die in style right? Like that——I should
shout it out ”——I! I will die in order to protect my friends
and familyyyyyyyy——!!” Okay——there was no need to be
shy regardless of who that was intended for
This is too cliché Only hu to their
imminent deaths would understand this point
”Ha, ha! Oi, Riku! This era, ill it endddd——!” There
was no reply He also didn't want to know the answer
——as for [When], it would still be strange to Ivan even if he
understood This world was so cruel that people couldn't hope
This world was so cruel that people could only despair
The past and future were distant, it wouldn't be related to the
humans of today
But now, the only thing needed to be done is to desperately and
continuously weave towards the future, to not tolerate any
other reverie
Soet eliminated like trash
in the next second
”Ahh”
Just like this, keep running ahead ”Ah——Ahhhhhhhhhhh—
—!” Just keep going straight
As long as the body is still alive, just keep shouting
Even if you fall on the way, someone else shall bear this
burden ”Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh——
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!” Humans, aside from this—
— ”Ahhhh——————————ah!”
Then, the shout disappeared
This was the era of——[The Great War]
Huile, they couldn't survive as
an individual, so they had to live together as a whole [Race]
Personal feelings were ignored, everyone existed to survive as
a whole Working as a whole was a necessity
For this, although it couldn't be said to be the best, it was the
step that gave thehest chance to win
Through comprehensive and rational plans, humans could
continue living—— no, running
Covered with ash andtheir little happiness,
discarding any bones——until the unknown day when the war
ends
Because of this, the sacrifice of one person to save two others,
sacrifice the minority to save the majority
Regardless of the one sacrificed, saving other persons in the
colony was the top priority
Therefore, other means would not be considered The one who
implemented this——was Riku himself
Froretted it nor feel any
remorse for it But
——
He sprinted full speed without looking back, until he fled to the
forest which was supposedly safer Suddenly——