HBWnovel Chapter Season 2 668
Chapter Season 2 668
Translator: Alpha0210The first meeting with the Half King had been profoundly impressive.
Residue still remembered most of that moment.
The slightly upturned corners of her lips, her transparent eyes, the arrogance mixed into her voice. The expression completed by all those elements. The conversations they'd exchanged while facing that visage head-on.
Even as he found it memorable, he'd also been plagued by a sense of dissonance.
Because he'd continuously felt that the Half King was hiding her true self.
There were two things Residue had focused on at the time.
The fact that the Half King had been created, and that in the process, ideology and beliefs had been forcibly programmed into her.
In truth, both of these issues were connected to those who had made the Half King—the "Manufacturers"—so Residue had concluded there was no means to shake her directly. Since no obvious openings had appeared even during their conversation, that belief only grew more firm, and—
'What a fool I was.'
Why hadn't he realized it sooner? The Half King had already been in an unstable state back then.
...No. Perhaps it would have been stranger to notice? The Residue of that time hadn't had the luxury to focus on others.
Besides, the Half King had been too powerful to doubt.
From Residue's perspective, it was contradictory for a being with that much power to have an unstable mind.
An Absolute Powerhouse who was emotionally unstable?
Wasn't that equivalent to burning water or drinkable fire?
Residue glared at the Half King, who still hadn't responded.
"I can't believe it. You're not some beast, so did you really consider them your parents just because they brought you into existence? Or did they place some kind of suggestion on you?"
"...Be quiet."
"If you'd put your mind to it, breaking some mere suggestion wouldn't have been difficult. Did you not want to break it? I suppose the lie was sweet enough to lose yourself in?"
"......"
A bleakness could be felt in the Half King's gaze. She seemed to have given up even pretending to maintain her composure.
Because of this attitude, a conclusion naturally emerged.
The Half King truly regarded the Void Lords who had contributed greatly to her creation as her parents. She frowned when mocking herself, but grew angry at their insults—that was proof enough.
Then how should Residue respond? Should he applaud this pitiful artificial lifeform's beautiful sense of morality?
That was not Residue's role.
"You dull-witted fool......"
"Dull-witted fool" was an insult Residue had coined himself.
It could be interpreted as "stupid idiot," "thick-headed moron," or quite simply "moronic moron"—he had created it specifically to curse at fools for whom a single word like "stupid" simply wouldn't satisfy.
"You were made as a super-creature, so your intelligence must be unparalleled, yet why can't you understand? Do you think just because you consider them your parents, they consider you their child? Does your current relationship feel normal to you?"
"......"
Silence again.
A sigh escaped him once more at this pathetic display, so unlike the Half King he'd once clashed words with.
"...Honestly, you're merely foolish, but the ones hiding behind you are disgusting. Should I call them cunning?"
The Half King's lips moved slightly.
Perhaps she wasn't completely beyond saving—while listening to Residue's rebukes, she might be searching for the source of the strange dissonance she'd felt all this time.
"They say parental expectations are the hardest thing to betray. Think carefully. Didn't your heart sink every time they glared at you with those stern eyes? Wasn't disappointing them more terrifying than fighting against Destruction, that incomprehensible existence?"
"......"
"No being doesn't feel fear toward Destruction. You're no exception, born from materials kneaded from 'The Outside.' In the end, you felt fear too, but you only fought because you were avoiding an even greater terror."
Even after saying all this, the Half King said nothing.
From her wavering eyes and tightly clenched fists, he could tell she was deeply shaken, but that alone wasn't enough.
Residue raised his voice.
"Damn it. My mouth is going to fall off. Rambling like this isn't my style. Isn't it about time you understood what I'm saying? The point of my words is that this is a crossroads."
"What... crossroads do you mean?"
"Whether you'll hurtle toward destruction in that state. Or acknowledge now that you made the wrong choice and turn back."
"......"
"Want one more piece of advice? You haven't gone far at all yet. Turning back sounds grandiose, but it's really not that difficult. What does that mean? It's a problem that ends the moment you just admit it."
This was also advice from a senior who had turned back one step ahead, so his voice carried sincerity.
Residue slowly lowered his voice.
"Surely they didn't rob you of even the ability to judge?"
The absence of judgment would directly lead to a sharp decline in combat ability.
If they had intended to design the Half King as merely an obedient puppet from the start, they wouldn't have bothered with honorifics like "Your Majesty".
"Even when I'm kindly telling you the truth like this, if you can't accept it, then there's no choice. I'll have to kill you right here."
"Why would such a conclusion follow?"
"In that state, fighting would only bring continuous suffering anyway, wouldn't it? So I'm saying I'll personally put an end to it."
That was enough bravado.
Residue spoke.
"Of course, if you still want to live, there's another path."
"......"
The Half King opened her lips slightly, then closed them again.
And let out different words.
"I must fight alone. That alone is my destiny. And I was made strong enough to do so."
The voice that escaped her no longer held its characteristic strength.
Residue thought about wanting to smack the Half King on the head as she murmured with a dark expression.
Of course, she wasn't Beniang.
She was a monster capable of easily dodging even a surprise One Step Through Time and Space, so he had no choice but to strike with words instead.
"Your Majesty. Half King, Your Majesty. Please, you dull-witted fool. If you have a brain, use it properly and think. Even those incomparably powerful Destructions now move in groups and devise strategies. On top of that, the one controlling them and meticulously planning the invasion of the Unified World was the man most skilled at playing the long game in the entire world. But what about you? Can you say you're definitively superior to those Destructions in even a single aspect? What on earth makes you think you can boast about fighting alone?"
Residue said, looking at the Half King.
"You don't need to fight alone."
"......!"
The Half King flinched.
"So stop this inefficient nonsense already. Do you still not know how precious you are?"
"I am... a precious being?"
"Yes. A precious and unique being. Even across the entire Unified World, you're a treasure that can be counted on one hand."
Treasure......
The Half King murmured in a low voice, then shook her head.
"...What exactly are you telling me to do? If I don't need to fight alone, then what should I do? I only know this way."
"That's why I said I'd teach you."
"You mean......"
At this moment, the Half King asked with a somewhat confused expression.
"Are you saying you'll become my parent?"
How did the conversation suddenly turn to that?
The Half King's statement greatly deviated from Residue's plans, and even he couldn't tell what would come out of his gaping mouth in that moment.
CRASH!
Fortunately—if it could be called that—
He didn't need to answer.
Because at that moment, a massive metal mass fell from the sky and crashed directly onto Residue.
"......!"
The Half King drew in a breath at the sudden event.
"There is no need for you to listen further, Your Majesty."
Simultaneously, a rigid voice was heard.
Splash. With the sound of water rippling, someone revealed themselves.
It was a woman with white skin. Her expression was stiff like a machine, and she was exceptionally tall. Incongruously, she wore a flowing dress.
"What is the meaning of this?"
"That is a devil, Your Majesty. If not, it might be a Destruction."
"Why do you think so?"
"Did it not scheme with its cunning tongue to sow doubt in Your Majesty's heart?"
"......"
"Please forget everything you just heard, Your Majesty."
"...Insolent wretch. Who are you calling a devil?"
Residue rose while shaking off the metal mass that had been pressing down on his body, but the process wasn't easy. The weight of the metal was unimaginably heavy.
The metal was also extremely hot—if he hadn't protected himself with Thunder just before, his entire body would have melted like a candle.
Pushing back his hair that clung to him from the water, he looked at the newly appeared figure.
Even though he was seeing this woman for the first time, he could easily tell who she was.
"Futurix, I presume? What an impressive appearance."
"Beginning Wizard. I noticed during the conference, but you talk far too much."
Futurix spoke coldly while waving her hand.
It seemed she had decided that continuing the conversation itself was dangerous.
'Not bad.'
He'd been rambling while feeling uncertain, but it seemed Residue's sophistry had been more effective than expected.
In other words, if he could just subdue Futurix somehow, persuading the Half King was now only a matter of time.
Splash, splash.
At that moment, dozens of silhouettes appeared simultaneously from beyond the dark lighting. These figures had such individualistic appearances that they couldn't be grouped into a single mold, but Residue easily realized their true nature was mechanical.
"...I'd really like to stop fighting now."
That was wishful thinking, surely.
The moment Residue grumbled and spread both hands, a storm of Thunder whirled around him as its center. The machines that had been slowly approaching came to an abrupt halt.
If most of those things originally ran on electricity as their power source, then Residue could be called the natural enemy of machines.
But the cessation of movement was only momentary.
The machines soon began charging toward Residue with creaking movements.
"Hmm......"
Watching Residue let out a low hum, Futurix spoke.
"Thunder and lightning seem to be your main force right now. So I specially prepared countermeasures. All machines attacking you are made to be immune to electricity."
"You know a lot about me? Who told you?"
"You need not know."
Residue sighed and poured out his Thunder. However, the haphazardly unleashed thunderbolts only managed to momentarily halt the machines' movements—they failed to destroy them.
In the meantime, one machine that had closed to within arm's reach swung its fist at Residue.
Residue twisted his body to dodge, but for some reason, stopped his evasion.
Thud.
"......"
Even though the fist struck his solar plexus dead-on, nothing happened. There had never been such a cotton-soft punch.
Of course, this didn't mean the machine's actual strength was at the level of cotton fluff... but it at least wasn't enough to surpass Residue's basic defense after completing his evolution.
More precisely, it wasn't even close.
'Pathetic offense and excellent defense. And this number......'
Residue's mind raced quickly.
"Are you buying time? Futurix. What are you waiting for?"
"......"
"No answer again. Heh. Fine. What a consistent stance. You pathetic fool. The greatest coward in the universe. Now I'm starting to see what's going on in your heads."
Residue changed his tactics.
Rather than attacking all the machines at once, he decided to take them out one by one with certainty. Indeed, the changed tactics were effective, and though the pace was slow, he could steadily silence the machines one at a time.
"'Your Majesty must fight alone,' 'That is the king's duty,' 'A king does not share responsibility,' 'Please do not lend your ears to the words of other blasphemous beings......' You probably spouted nonsense like that while brainwashing the Half King."
"......"
"You garbage. You shoved responsibility onto her because you were scared, yet you packaged it so disgustingly with talk of the way of kings."
As he destroyed the created machines one by one, his voice gained force.
His anger was beginning to rise.
"Do you people even have guilt? Probably not. Do you think the continuous brainwashing only affected the Half King? That's not it either. Those disgusting whispers caused more terrible changes to yourselves than to the Half King."
Perhaps their thoughts had changed from the beginning.
Making a super-creature like the Half King, attending at her side. Perhaps they had initially harbored the admirable thought of preparing for the coming war against Destruction.
"Long-held intentions must be continuously reinforced. Otherwise, they corrupt too easily."
"Our intentions have not changed."
"How confident you are."
Residue scoffed.
"The Half King, once her creation was complete, was stronger than you all expected—and she was far too obedient. The temptation from those things must have been quite sweet. That's probably when it started. When the Half King's role became that of a shared responsibility-dumping puppet for the Void Lords."
"......"
"Then what about the Half King, whom you treated as a puppet? Was she truly composed? Did she feel nothing? Do you really think she harbored no fear?"
"...You."
Futurix also spoke in a heated voice.
"Why are you so obsessed with Her Majesty? It has nothing to do with you. Even if everything you said is correct, what gives you the right to interfere this far?"
"...I don't know about that."
Residue spoke in a rough voice, as if spitting the words out.
"I'm just annoyed, that's all."
Yes. Every single one of them annoyed Residue.
Those who tried to shoulder everything alone always, always made Residue angry.
Only then could Residue understand why the Half King's existence had bothered him so much.
The Half King was a mirror image of Lukas.
"Being fine and pretending to be fine are different. Even I, who have only seen the Half King twice, know that fact—you created her directly, yet you know nothing?"
CRACK!
Residue crushed the last machine underfoot.
"......"
Futurix's eyes sank deeply.
"Is that all the puppets you prepared? I wonder if your time-buying succeeded."
"...As expected, you are dangerous. I must eliminate you here. By any means necessary."
"By yourself? Or will you borrow the Half King's power again this time?"
"There is no need to borrow Her Majesty's power to eliminate you. Can you not feel it?"
At that moment, Residue felt several powerful presences closing in from all directions.
"Including myself, four Void Lords have already gathered here."
"......"
"Do you not think this is sufficient force to eliminate you, Beginning Wizard?"
"Hmm."
So she'd been buying time to set this up.
Residue hummed in thought.
"...Certainly. Even though I've grown considerably, facing four Void Lords alone is still too much."
This wasn't bravado—he was merely speaking the truth.
Residue continued.
"But there's one thing I'm curious about. There should have been my companion. The one who went right at the fork. What happened to him?"
"You mean the being who was wearing the Beginning Wizard mask? So that was your trump card."
Futurix wore a mocking smile.
Looking at her face, it seemed she wasn't completely devoid of emotion. Come to think of it, if she were truly emotionless, she wouldn't have felt fear either.
"Then I'll gladly tell you. Your companion has already been subdued and is currently in custody."
*****
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