Love Letter From The Future

All the colours had sunk into a murky, bloody hue. And when the Corpse Giant swung its fist or stomped its foot, the ground trembled.

Well, it wasn't completely quiet.

The Flesh Globs were still opening their grotesque mouths periodically and Corpse Giant was not a creature that would remain silent either.

Even the mournful slashing sound heard whenever the blade cut through flesh was absent.

It was simply because my hearing was gone.

It had been quite some time since I last heard my own laboured breathing, with only a ringing sound piercing my brain.

My vision turned blurry.

And even after drinking the potion given by Emma, my body refused to move properly.

And even though I disregarded Emma's earnest warnings and chugged another bottle, nothing changed.

I leaned back instinctively, dodging the arm that flew towards me like a whip.

Then, grabbing the other arm thrust towards me, I yanked it straight away.

What followed naturally was a seamless throw.

With a thud, a shockwave spread out, accompanied by the sound of bones shattering.

When using a sword or a hatchet, I had to break them one by one, but using the technique of the Holy Nation made it more convenient.

Lifting such a heavy monster under normal circumstances would have been nigh impossible.

With each gasp for breath, memories poured in like fragments.

A flood of emotions, stabbing my mind like needles, fueled my thoughts.

The desire to kill surged up abruptly.

Everything felt loathsome and hateful. I wanted to kill anyone who showed hostility.

The seething intent to kill bore witness to the path the man had trod.

He wanted to kill but couldn't.

He should have killed but didn't.

Cruel regret slashed through my heart mercilessly.

For him, forsaking wasn’t a choice; it was a necessity.

Otherwise, he would have to abandon something more precious and live with that regret.

My breath, filled with murderous intent, grew harsher.

It was then that a shadow loomed over the sky.

The Corpse Giant was trying to crush me.

Having faced this situation countless times before, I quickly leaped to evade it.

I wanted to bend space but lacked the mana to do so.

My body, thrown to the ground, was soon flung up again by a massive shockwave.

I rolled and coughed up blood.

"...I'm going to die."

It was a sudden realisation.

It wasn’t a joke; it truly felt like I was going to die.

I had encountered numerous deadly situations before, but never had I faced a battle like this.

My techniques gradually grew sharper, and my mana, exhibiting a strange vigour, spurred me on.

This was the reason why I still managed to maintain my aura, even though my entire body was being drained of mana.

If I just closed my eyes like this, I would find peace.

Who cares what happens after I die, be it the end of the world or whatever.

Even with such petty thoughts, I inexplicably turned my body over.

Groaning, I drove my sword into the ground.

The wind was cold.

Blood-soaked snow squelched horribly with every step, and for that, I was thankful for the blizzard.

Without that feeling , I wouldn't have even felt alive.

As my body temperature dropped, my senses dulled one by one.

Even the metallic stench of blood that I felt with every breath was now faint.

Before I knew it, Flesh Globs were swarming toward me.

Fumbling at my waist, I drew out the hatchet.

I no longer had the strength to deal with the small fry.

Swoosh, the hatchet shot out like a beam of light, tracing a bizarre trajectory.

The Flesh Glob charging at me head-on was the first victim.

The hatchet blade, imbued with a silvery aura, dug into its philtrum.

The hatchet, after bisecting the Flesh Glob, struck left and then right, bringing down a total of three Flesh Globs.

Principles of the Movement within Stillness

Now, I could adjust the trajectory twice.

Each adjustment painted my heart with a sombre hue.

My mind was shaken with unbearable sorrow and pain.

The image of a crying man replayed over and over.

It eventually came to the point where the man no longer shed tears.

Staggering, I moved forward.

Yet again, another Flesh Glob lunged at me.

Gritting my teeth, I swung my sword downward with all my might.

Phakkk, the blood burst forth as the Flesh Glob collapsed.

Even then, one remained so I staggered forward once more.

Forcing my stiff muscles to move brought on fierce pain.

Nonetheless I didn't stop, and I slashed horizontally once again.

As the Flesh Glob fell, the Corpse Giant was all that remained.

It bent down, looking at me with great interest.

It was akin to a child observing an ant.

Displeased by its condescending demeanour, I spat out blood and scoffed.

"……Just keep your head down like that."

It’ll be easier to cut your neck off that way.

Feigning bravado, I pushed off the ground and dashed forward.

The Corpse Giant snickered and tried to crush me with its palm.

But I dodged, throwing myself aside and springing up to avoid its palm.

Boom, Boom, two consecutive shockwaves swept around me.

I didn't resist them.

I instead used the force to propel myself, landing on the Corpse Giant’s foot.

The climbing began.

With a thrust, I lodged the hatchet and used the sword as a lever to climb up to the Corpse Giant's knee.

Countless legs clamoured, kicking at me frantically.

Each kick drew blood and made my arms tremble violently.

However, I didn't give up and continued climbing.

That was until the Corpse Giant, seemingly annoyed, swatted me away with its hand.

I was once again thrown off and rolled helplessly on the ground.

Now, I didn't even momentarily lose consciousness.

It was because the line between consciousness and unconsciousness was already blurred from the beginning.

With blurred vision, I kept taking shallow breaths.

My exhaled breaths dispersed into white mist.

I blankly stared at it, and suddenly, a fundamental question came to mind.

Why am I doing all this?

Indeed, there were many reasons, but with my increasingly hazy mind, absolutely none came to mind.

Just as I was about to carelessly close my eyes,

"...Ian Percus."

A thunderous voice suddenly jolted me awake.

"Save the world."

Panting, I lifted my head.

An unknown voice echoed in my ears, breaking the ringing in my head.

A curse-like promise that kept me from collapsing or running away, no matter how much I wanted to.

That's right, I thought, letting out a bitter laugh as I drove my sword into the ground.

I, too, had made a promise.

I told my young friend that I would protect everyone, that I would safeguard the land where everyone must live.

Therefore, I couldn’t afford to collapse.

A glint of madness flickered in my eyes.

The Corpse Giant, seeing this, burst into laughter before releasing the loudest wail I had ever heard.

WOOOOOOOOOOO-!

Then, the corpses began to rise.

The range wasn't vast. However, it was enough to raise all the refugees who had died and fallen around here.

There were even a few familiar faces.

Though they couldn't at all remember me  and only stared with bloodshot eyes.

It truly left a bad taste.

As I silently gazed at the newly risen enemies using my sword to support myself,

"…O’ Light, flood down!"

I thought I heard a girl's voice.

Suddenly, the ground began to surge starkly white.

The corpses that had just risen looked down in bewilderment.

And in the next moment.

Kieeeeeeeek!

The electrocuted corpses all screamed in unison.

My mind was still foggy, so I couldn't grasp the details.

I only instinctively realised that this was an opportunity.

Dashing madly, I climbed up the Corpse Giant's leg.

Unlike before, the body of the Corpse Giant that had raised the corpses was now eerily still.

It shook its body in a panic, not expecting me to exploit its vulnerability.

But I had been the one suffering until now.

Desperately, I climbed the massive body, alternating between sword and hatchet. Eventually, I directly faced the Corpse Giant's head.

The head, composed of hundreds of faces, was utterly grotesque.

So I smashed that hideous visage with my hatchet.

Kiek, kiek, kieeeeeek!

As I began to crush the heads one by one, the Corpse Giant screamed for the first time.

Watching it stumbling backwards, I clung on, swinging my hatchet even more tenaciously.

Blood, flesh, and shattered skulls rained down.

Die.

Almost like a prayer, I fervently wished as I swung the hatchet in a fit of rage.

Please, just die already.

Haven't I done enough already?

I felt like I was going to collapse and die at any moment. Yet, I forced myself to endure and climbed up to this place.

The cold had already seeped into every joint of my bones, causing excruciating pain. It felt as if shards of ice were lodged in my joints.

My muscles, stiff as lead, were no longer able to move.

Blood had been spewing out in spurts, and my lungs had been screaming for a long time.

And because of that man’s memories, my mental strength was at its limit.

Yet, I couldn't bring myself to give up and kept swinging my hatchet.

There was only one reason.

Because a great knight never lies.

Kiek, kek, kieek, kieeeeeeeeeeeeek!

Before I knew it, the Corpse Giant's head was quite dug out from my relentless hatchet strikes.

Staggering and thrashing, the Corpse Giant used its own hands to scrape its head off.

One third of its head was crushed in its brutal grip, and the corpses tumbled down.

Even I wasn’t expecting such a reaction.

My body also had no choice but to be flung away together with the falling corpses.

Thud, my body collided with the corpses that had fallen first.

And then, the continuous downpour of corpses struck me.

Smack, smack, smack.

Blood gushed out and I felt suffocated. Before long, even my vision was completely obstructed.

I was sure I'd die if this continued.

With all my strength, I slashed upwards with my sword.

Five silver lines soared, causing the mountain of corpses to explode.

Having overexerted myself, I could only look up at the Corpse Giant through my blurred vision.

Even so, I could see it.

The face of the Corpse Giant, wriggling as it completed its regeneration.

The monster was stomping its feet heavily, as if it was very angry for allowing me to land even a single blow.

The aftermath alone made me stagger and fall again.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Hearing the enraged howl, I laughed in disbelief.

Was it still not enough?

Just a little more, if I looked a little more, I felt like I would find the answer.

But, until the end, I couldn't cross that thin boundary.

As if someone had blocked access to those specific memories.

I should have been dead by now.

I was only prolonging my life with Emma's potion. My body was already in a state no different from a corpse.

The blizzard grew fiercer.

It was now so dense that even the sun was no longer visible.

My vision was clouded, making it impossible to distinguish anything.

By the time I managed to prop myself up with my sword, snow had piled up all over my body.

Blood trickled down my cheek, dripping to the ground.

I tried to lift myself, but my knees buckled in the end.

I couldn't muster any strength.

Is this truly the end?

No matter how hard I tried, my body wouldn't budge. Even as a vague shadow approached me, I remained motionless.

At a glance, it didn't seem like another Flesh Glob.

If so, who else could it be? As I pondered this question.

The fluttering snowflakes suddenly stopped.

It wasn't a metaphor or an exaggeration.

It was a scene where time seemed to have literally stopped.

Despite that, I could hear the sound of approaching footsteps.

My eyes slowly turned toward the source of the sound.

Like a ghost, a man was walking through the suspended time.

He looked strangely familiar.

Black hair, golden eyes.

For a moment, I felt as if I were looking in a mirror.

The man, with an extremely fatigued expression, knelt down beside me.

He spoke.

"…You've done something incredibly foolish."

His tone was biting, as if reprimanding.

It was the first conversation we ever had.