Lord of Myths: I Can Summon and Fuse Divine Powers.-Chapter 60: A Parasite, a Heroine and a Priest on the Hilltop. (5)
Black clouds covered the sky, blocking the starlight.
The landscape was illuminated only by the faint light of the magma flowing across the ground.
Though when it started to rain, the magma gradually went out.
"Rain? How curious, it seems even the heavens cry for your misery," the man said with a twisted smile. "But hey, you shouldn’t get so discouraged, because even if being you must suck, you still have a chance."
Alioth didn’t understand the man’s words, but he couldn’t give them importance either.
He felt the rain falling on his face, wetting his hair and soaking his clothes.
His feeling of defeat was incalculable.
Someone he couldn’t even touch was humiliating him, attacking his weak points.
Alioth didn’t even know how it was possible that that man knew so much about him.
Was he a stalker or something?
"You... lie," a weak voice then said.
Alioth turned shocked, it was Nora.
Her voice was hoarse and weak, almost a whisper.
Had they left her like that with one blow?
The priest turned to see the girl, looking at her with clear confusion in his eyes.
"Lie? What are you talking about, girl? Is there something you’d like to say?" the priest asked with a kind voice, like the one a grandfather would dedicate to his beloved granddaughter.
A voice that would normally sound warm, but coming from that guy, sounded chilling.
Nora rolled to the side, to be able to stand up with difficulty.
Her arms trembled as she did so, as if her body were exhausted.
Though in fact, that was the truth.
That blow the priest had given her wasn’t a normal blow.
He not only struck her head with tremendous force, but cut her connection with her authority of evolution.
It was like when you disconnect the television and reconnect it.
A simple blink where all her ability stopped working.
But that was a problem, when her authority deactivated it also reset.
All the evolution Nora had achieved in that battle had vanished.
Along with her energy.
By doing so, all the wear her body had undergone during hours of combat fell on her at once.
Affecting her entire being.
Nora felt her body not responding, as if she could no longer move.
But would that stop a heroine?
The girl managed to stand up with extreme difficulty, in fact, staying on her feet was already torture.
Her legs trembled and all her muscles screamed in pain from the effort they were forced to undergo.
Still, Nora ignored the pain, and extended her arm, pointing at the man with her finger. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
"Y-you," the girl said with difficulty. "You’re a liar."
The girl finally managed to say.
Alioth looked at Nora incredulously.
What was she doing?
Why was she standing up to defend him when not even he had the courage to do so?
Alioth couldn’t understand it.
If Nora had survived, she should have played dead, or gathered energy to be able to escape.
But that?
Why was she doing it?
She was only going to make the priest angrier.
Alioth felt the impulse to tell her to be quiet, not to speak, to flee!
But the words didn’t come out.
Why?
Why couldn’t he speak?
Was it out of fear?
Was it out of cowardice?
Was he really so scared he couldn’t even ask Nora to stop?
Or was there another reason?
Perhaps deep down Alioth wanted to hear Nora.
Perhaps he desired from the bottom of his heart to hear someone defending him.
Especially after hearing that man treat him like that.
Perhaps it was a mix of both.
But regardless of what it was, Alioth couldn’t open his mouth.
However, the priest did deign to speak, responding to the golden-haired girl at that same moment.
"Is that so? Could you tell me where I’m wrong?" the man asked, with chilling calm and gentleness.
Why was he speaking like that?
Was it because Nora had earned his respect?
Or because he didn’t see her as a threat?
Perhaps it was also a mix of both answers.
Nora looked at the priest with determination in her gaze, there was no fear or doubt in her eyes.
There never was.
The girl cleared her throat, and began to speak.
"What you’ve said about Alu is a lie," the girl began to say. "He may be a bit boring, or talk like an old man, but he’s not a bad person!"
Nora exclaimed.
Alioth opened his eyes, though he didn’t particularly appreciate the first comments, she was really defending him.
She really was a true heroine.
"Is that so? And why do you say that? I only see a coward and a crybaby who depends on others to survive," the man responded with a calm but contemptuous tone.
Alioth couldn’t help but feel another pang in his chest hearing those words.
But Nora took a firm step while shaking her head.
"Lie! Alioth is none of that," the girl assured. "He’s good! He gave Caligo a name! He forgave me when I hit him! He... he didn’t get angry when I laughed at him, or treated him badly, and even after I behaved terribly toward him, he came to rescue me."
Alioth felt his stomach twist.
Guilt was poisoning him.
He knew Nora didn’t know the truth, Alioth was still upset about everything she had done to him, though outwardly he seemed mature, inside he was still a crybaby who gets angry about everything and holds grudges.
Deep down the priest was right, his true nature had always been that of a parasite, that of a burden.
Even on Earth, even before being in a coma.
He never thought about others, he was always selfish.
Even though he was a child, he was arrogant, proud, treated others as tools.
He was always seeking others’ approval, his father’s praise, and always used that as motivation to continue being arrogant.
He used his talent for sports as an excuse to feel superior, when he didn’t even play in a professional league.
He even mistreated his stepbrother for having another mother.
How could he be like that?
Now, with time he had realized what his stepbrother had to suffer.
It wasn’t just his parents’ breakup, but that one of his stepbrothers bothered him simply for being from another mother.
Alioth felt that deep down, he never deserved to be saved.
He never deserved for his brother to sacrifice himself for him to keep him alive.
Even if he never got along badly with his blood brother, Alioth knew that deep down he despised him.
And the worst thing is that not even when he entered a coma could he truly reflect.
All he did was lament his own misfortune and take advantage of the only family member who still loved him.
Alioth realized he deserved to be disconnected earlier.
In fact, he didn’t deserve a second chance in that world either.
He only deserved death.
"He saved me... without asking anything in return," the girl then continued. "He taught me what a true hero is, he allowed me to live a real adventure! If someone who is capable of behaving like that with someone like me, then there’s no way I’ll allow anyone to insult that someone!"
The girl shouted, before Alioth’s incredulous eyes.
He could see how a golden aura began to surround the girl.
Was she recovering her power?
"Adorable, a bit confused, but adorable," the priest said with a smile, then turned toward Alioth. "Aren’t you ashamed? A brat had more guts than you and defended you. Pathetic."
Alioth lowered his gaze, the shame was crushing.
Nora was a child, but she had much more courage than him.
Then, an unpleasant sound resonated throughout the place, like flesh being pierced.
Alioth immediately looked up, seeing a horrific scene.
"It’s a shame that such a promising young woman must die for defending a pathetic parasite, but I suppose that’s how things are," the man said, as he pulled his arm from Nora’s body.
The man had appeared in front of the girl and had pierced her heart with his hand.
The girl’s lifeless body fell to the ground, on the still hot rock.
Alioth felt like a piece of his soul was torn out.
The boy fell forward, feeling his vision blur.
"Why?" he managed to say, with an almost voiceless voice. "Why not me?"
Alioth didn’t understand, he assumed the priest wanted to kill him, not Nora.
He believed Nora would be saved for being a "promising Vanir."
But apparently it wasn’t so.
Why?
Was it because of what Nora had said?
Was it because of what Alioth hadn’t prevented her from saying?
The boy felt a hole in his chest, as if Nora’s wound had transferred to his body, though it was only emotional pain.
"Why haven’t I killed you? Well, I see you’re confused," the man said calmly. "I no longer want to kill, since I saw you survived! You don’t understand, do you? You’re what I need to bring my master back! You and only you meet those conditions, that’s why I need you alive."
Alioth felt all his strength leave him.
What was he talking about?
Was he saying Nora had sacrificed herself for nothing?
That he could always protect her?
Alioth never felt so regretful in his life.
The priest, seeing Alioth’s defeated face, smiled, as he walked toward him and extended his hand.
"Come, follow me and rejoice! Because the destiny I have planned for your body is grand!" the man exclaimed.
Alioth looked at the old man’s hand.
Suddenly following him didn’t sound so bad.
After all, nothing mattered anymore.
"Alrig—"
But then something happened, a small projectile descended from the ground, piercing through the priest’s hand.
Alioth was petrified.
What had just happened?
