Chapter 48 - The Liberators (1/2)
Right after Oscar's projection introduced himself, Liselotte and Aletia reacted as if they were half-surprised and half-expressed it. On the other hand, Rio stared at the projection in amazement mixed with pity. Amazement because he could see one of the Legendary yet Crazy figures in Arifureta Universe. Pity because he remembered the pain Liberators experienced due to Ehit's cruelty.
”By the way, please spare me the questions. This is nothing more than a recording I left behind, so I, unfortunately, cannot answer any queries you may have. I wanted to tell those who made it this far why it was that we, who learned the truth of the world, chose to fight against the gods... so I decided to leave a message. And this was the simplest form to convey that message in. I want you to know... that though we were mavericks, we were not truly rebels.”
The story he wove for them was completely different from the history Rio had learned from the Holy Church's records, or the doctrine of Holy Church Liselotte heard since she was young, or the stories Yue had been told about the mavericks. The revelations Oscar had for them shocked Liselotte and Aletia to the core. Meanwhile, Rio had expected it, but it was different from reading from the novels. Oscar's expression when he retold the story gave the sense of realism that Rio didn't feel from reading the novel. It reminded Rio to the fact that he was living in this world for real now.
Oscar's tale was one of the mad gods and their descendants who fought against them.
A short time after the Age of the Gods, the world was engulfed in strife. Humans, demons, and even beastmen all fought against each other in a never-ending war. Their reasons were as numerous as their battles. Land, resources, personal values, greed, but most important among them was theology.
In that age, the races and countries were split up into numerous factions, each of which had their own god. And it was each tribe's god that incited its people to fight against those who worshiped others.
After some time, a group appeared that sought to put an end to this centuries-long war. They called themselves the Liberators.
There was only one thing they all had in common. Each member was a direct descendant of one of the gods. Their leader was someone who had, by coincidence, happened to learn of the gods' true intentions. It appeared that the gods were using the various races like pawns, playing a grand game of chess with the world as their board. The leader of the Liberators couldn't stand their sickening disregard for life and began looking for comrades who felt the same way he did.
However, their plans were foiled before the battle could even begin. The gods manipulated the sentient races and made them believe the Liberators were trying to destroy the world. They were marked as enemies of the gods, and every human, demon, and beastman considered them their mortal foe.
After a great many conspiracies, events, and dramatic encounters, the Liberators found themselves on the run. They couldn't bring themselves to fight the people they had sworn to protect, but those very people believed they were ungrateful heretics trying to bring about the end of the world. Their true name was forgotten, and they were known simply as mavericks in the annals of history.
The Liberators were killed off one by one until only the strongest seven remained. With the entire world against them, they realized they wouldn't be able to defeat the gods. So they scattered to the ends of the earth and built huge labyrinths to hide themselves in. They created a series of trials, praying that someone who could clear them might one day appear, so they could bequeath their powers onto them in hopes that these new warriors would carry out their dreams.
After he finished his long speech, Oscar smiled peacefully.
”I have no idea who you are, or why you chose to fight your way down here. Nor do I have any intention of forcing my own dreams of the gods' demise onto you. I simply wanted you to know what it was we fought and died, for... As a reward for hearing me out, I shall grant you my strength. How you use it is entirely up to you. I can only pray you won't use it for evil. That's all I have to say. Thank you for listening to the end. May the 'blessings' of the gods never reach you.” Oscar's apparition vanished once he finished talking. At the same time, Rio felt something strange enter his mind. The sensation was quite painful at first, but because he knew what was happening, he quietly let it enter inside him and numbed the pain using his skill.
The process finally completed, and the magic circle grew dim once more. Rio let out a long breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding in the whole time. He immediately checked the difference between the Creation Magic he created with Skill Creation and the one from Oscar. He discovered that they were similar.