1031. My Enki
Just because one understands the concept and surrenders to ecstasy does not mean the method follows. That was a part even Primahild could not help with.
“Anyone can climb a mountain, but no one climbs with the same number of steps or the same movements. Every step is different, and every moment is different. Also, some might rest along the way, while others might make it up in one go.”
She was a truly good teacher. Even before considering the attitude of listening, her expressions and words were instantly memorable and vividly imprinted in the mind. She spoke with clear examples devoid of ambiguity, drawing parallels to Encred’s perspective and experience.
“You’ve climbed from the bottom to the top, haven’t you? Did you and your knight order, having risen from the bottom to the top, think you were all the same? Surely there must have been times when you hovered at a similar level; how was that?”
Here, even the level of detail is discussed.
“Yeah, broadly speaking, it’s probably similar. But worrying about every step of the climb is a bit excessive, isn’t it? So why go to such lengths? Realizing I can climb that mountain in one go, that I won’t run out of stamina, that the path leads over there while this is a trail for animals—those are the kinds of things said by guys who can see the way clearly and realize it naturally. They are the geniuses we call geniuses. But you aren’t.”
Humor was evident in the occasional remarks that reminded one of reality.
“I wasn’t like that either. The world is truly unfair, but there is also a certain thrill in catching up. The point is this. I didn’t pay attention to my pace, but I still had to ask for directions to find my way and pinpoint every single spot where to rest. So you have to do even more. Because if you lack talent, rolling around with your hands is a rule that applies everywhere in this world.”
She didn’t just make him realize the reality. She showered him with praise.
“And you were born with this instead of talent for handling the body or the sword.”
Primahild spoke and poked my soft chest with her thumb.
“Usuke’s fundamentals were laid the moment he awakened Will? Hey, I’ve never seen anyone like that in my life. Usuke is fundamentally like a tower built over a long period of time—betrayed, hurt, rising again, suffering, healing, failing, and challenging oneself again. It’s built at the end of such a long time, but you were born with that part.”
If praising someone to this extent was a skill in itself, then so be it. She took whatever was needed and utilized it.
“Hey, you pessimist. Try to fight me. Show your true colors and fight.”
“You damn bastard. Does he think he’s some kind of drill instructor?”
Zion stood before Encred holding his sword, even while grumbling.
If you make a mistake, you get fired anywhere.
What is the most important thing when facing the Phoenix?
It is a violent environment that tolerates no mistakes. Zion’s swordsmanship was similar.
Encred fought outside and fought in his dreams.
“Jitte, find a way. Come up with one. Where are you going to sell those eyes and senses you were born with as a Dragon? Ah, normally they would sell for a high price, but you can’t sell them now, can you? Because you’re dead.”
Primahild pushed Jitte forward as well. She was ready to drag along any of the boatmen she had met before by the hair if necessary.
Of course, she only utilized what was currently available.
“You have to find the way. You mortal who has died countless times. We can push you up the mountain, prepare your shoes, and hand you a stick, but only you know how to climb it in the end.”
Tools are merely a means of assistance. She helped Encred even at the cost of reducing herself to a mere tool. She poured her heart into it and did her utmost. Despite saying she would take his body, she never once mentioned it.
Encred is the kind of guy who acts on his own accord without being pushed to feel insecure. Primahild found interest and amusement in this. Even
in the past, during the Dark Ages, there were occasionally people like him. Of course, they all died.
It was a world where those who did not know how to give up fought beyond their limits, and such people were all destined for short lives.
Yet, she misses that world. That is why it is enjoyable to watch the guy struggling right before her eyes.
Regardless of how all of this ended, she enjoyed the present. That helped Encred, too.
“O Krimhalt, bless the struggle of the mortals.”
Every time today was repeated, Primahild said
The goddess of fate has forsaken me, but she won’t forsaken you.
Shion left similar words.
Jitte remained silent for several days, lost in thought. That was the contemplative attitude of Yongin. Yet, he skipped sixteen “todays” and spoke.
The god of impulse and waves will guide your path.
Encreed understood their words this way: that good fortune comes after effort.
To be guided by the path, one must set out; to be chosen by fate, one must reach the place where fate is discussed; and to receive the blessing of struggle.
You must stand on the battlefield.
Simple thoughts surged in one after another like waves. It happened suddenly. No, it wasn’t sudden.
The totality of everything he had accumulated, heard, and experienced over time exploded within Enkrid.
The star rising in his heart shone brighter than ever, and dozens of thoughts rose and vanished in his mind.
The day he survived the stabbing, the day he was defeated by an assassin, the day he was defeated by a witch, the day he faced Mitch Hurier—all these days passed by, binding Enkrid’s memories together in one place.
When I became a knight.
Memories of that time came back vividly. Every single detail, down to the deep emotion of finally ending the day and gazing at the twilight.
Everything harmonized into one, and afterwards, my mind went completely blank.
Before I knew it, I opened my eyes to find the start of today all over again. I don’t know why, but I saw the apparition of someone who had already died.
I was ‘Let’s laugh’.
It is Oara. That is what she said. Enkrid reflected on what Jitte had researched and what Primahild had taught him.
Will’s density is variable, but it is not purity.
Therefore, there is no way to proceed slowly. What does purity mean? It is innocence. What is Will? It is willpower. Combine the two. That is the conclusion, the method, and the way to count the steps taken by Enkrid.
Leaving only a single will.
Oara was determined to grow tall.
I was ‘protect’.
This is an illusion of Cyprus.
Encred climbed the mountain once again. He leaped toward the firebird. He threw himself toward death. No, he struggled desperately not to die. As he did so, he harbored only a single will.
I will see tomorrow.
There is nothing else. He has neither the intention to strike nor the will to evade. Yet, his body moved reflexively just fine. Everything flashed by blurry. Encred frolicked in the realm of the unconscious.
It was as if he were half-unconscious while submerged in deep water, yet still breathing on his own. Even
though the boatman spoke and the pain of burning to death awakened his senses, it was not as agonizing as before.
“……Look at this bastard.”
It is a phrase heard faintly in my memory. That, too, brushed past.
I’ll find it.
I also heard hallucinations. I heard Esther’s voice.
Even if you run away, the engagement will not be broken. Fairies live for a very long time, so they will eventually find you.
Sinar’s voice was also heard faintly.
“For a dragon, once the duties of life are fulfilled, it is over when it dies, but that’s not the case for you, is it? Fulfill your wish, Enki.”
Temaris is also talking.
Come out now. Stop the joking.
Seeing that I could even hear Saxon’s voice, I realized I was worried about those I had left out over there. Finally, Rem’s voice was heard.
“Stop dozing off and wake up. How long are you going to keep sleeping?”
Encred, having been submerged deep in the lake of the unconscious, rose to the surface. He perceived everything around him anew. He sensed his heightened sensitivity once again, rather than his dulled senses. He found himself all alone, left stranded amidst blazing flames.
His forearm was burned, part of his hair was singed, and he felt a burning pain in his right cheek. This was because he had failed to dodge the blade of the flames, leaving his flesh torn and engulfed in flames.
“It was a waste to burn that face, but anyway, you got your wish, right? Now, try it. You know what I mean, right? If you fail now, that body is mine.”
“Sagong,” Primahild’s voice rang out in his ears. At the same time, Encred became aware of the changes within Will.
A single, pure will, a determination to face tomorrow.
All of this was transforming the Will swirling inside his body in real time. Before any change in nature, the Will residing within him had simply changed.
It felt like witnessing pitch-black, contaminated water suddenly become clear as if by magic. The water trickling from the hole suddenly turned into clear water, purifying even the stagnant water.
Encred could now bind or separate Will more easily than before, and it was also possible to increase its density or alter its texture.
A sense of omnipotence surged within him. Now, he would cut down anything, whether demons or whatever. Empowered by this soaring omnipotence, he swirled Will around his entire body.
‘feathers.’
Gathering and condensing his will into one. It was a lesson learned through the transformation of purity.
In an instant, wings sprouted on Enkrid’s back. It wasn’t like he had grown real wings like the Mismatched Eye. As soon as he realized he was surrounded by flames, he kicked off the ground and leaped upward; his cloak spread out softly yet firmly, absorbing the wind. His body felt lighter, and he flew on the wind as if gliding.
After floating in the air, he tapped his foot back onto the ground and slashed his sword sideways as if tossing it. Even though it was not a move carried by force, the two-legged fire giant charging from the side split in two with a crack at that single blow, scattering into embers.
Killing the embers.
Does that necessarily have to apply only to humans?
See the big picture.
He opens his tactical vision. He also opens the doors of intuition and sixth sense. He
gazes directly at the Phoenix, which burns everything merely by existing. The countless days he has built up allowed him to predict the moment the flames would explode and the form of the attack.
Encred climbed the mountain, contributing to the birth and disappearance of rains of fire, projectiles of flame, giants of fire, and beasts of fire. Everything that attacks explodes, shatters, and scatters. Scattering embers flew and grazed his forehead, and scorching heat brushed against his ears.
Order Kill.
That is to infuse Will into the sword strike to break the flow of magical power. Applying the same principle, let’s cleave the grain of the flames created by the Phoenix.
Relying purely on the senses. Instead of the flow of magical power, feel the flow of power emanating from the Phoenix.
Will, too, was originally learned from the murderous intent of a monster. It was refined and named Will. Since
the Phoenix also scatters its will around it effortlessly, it is possible to cut it if one can capture the will it emits.
Encred was unstoppable now, more so than any day he had ever passed.
The rain of fire scattered by the Phoenix poured down like a waterfall, following the will. Before he knew it, Encred had ridden the wind with his cloak and moved out of the realm of the waterfall of flames.
Yet, he continued to approach the Phoenix little by little.
Shine.
Encred wished. As he smashed every bit of the changed Will onto the blade, he also made a request to his sword.
Shine.
It is the stage of transformation. High-purity Will lingered on the blade and burst forth with light. It was blue at first, then soon turned yellow and spread in all directions.
The blue and yellow light met the red of the flames, turning purple, then orange.
Finally, the twilight colors created by the setting sun filled the surroundings.
Encred slashed the Phoenix’s feet, severed its ankles, climbed up its shins, and hurled the sword near its neck.
The glowing sword pierced the Phoenix’s neck and soared into the sky. It was a sword that shone like a star.
The blade pierced the Phoenix, bursting with orange light in the sky before finally plummeting downwards.
The Phoenix did not let out a scream. It merely burned the surrounding air.
Although the blade, imbued with Will, pierced its neck, it would not die from this, as it was not a creature with vital points to begin with.
Moreover, the being before him was immortal. It was a bird that was reborn forever. To a wizard peering into another dimension, it is perceived as a symbol of regeneration and immortality.
Killing is impossible. That is why Primahild made the bet. Encred vaguely sensed it, too. If you were to ask why he did it despite that…
Because this is my desperate struggle.
If I were to die again and the boatman demanded the price of the bet, I would resist. I would make excuses and justifications.
If my body were ultimately taken over, I would do anything to return to my original self.
There was no compulsion in the boatman’s promise to begin with. Encred knew that, too. Still, a promise is a covenant; it must be kept.
The blade plunged into the ground with a thud. The light traced by the falling blade looked like a line dividing the world vertically.
Even in this moment, Encred did not give up. Clenching his fists tightly, he composed the will that springed from the inexhaustible well.
Now it’s time to show the Firebird an Audin-style punch.
It is the moment of such a thought. The trace left by today, the line that seemed to split the world vertically, had not disappeared.
The color of the night sky flowed out through the line tinged with orange. It is a shining indigo.
The flowing light opened the trace left by today to the left and right. With a crack, the air tears open.
“Damn, that’s damn hard to find!”
Beyond the split world, a welcome gray head appeared and shouted.
Forget about fighting. That is a bird that cannot be killed.
Immediately after that, Yongin’s words were heard.
“If you save me from here, we’ll get married, okay?”
I heard Sinar’s words, walking a tightrope between threat and joke, rather than joke and mockery.
It’s fine since you weren’t late.
Saxony says, “This is the last one.” The witch who opened the door to this world stepped down with her flowing hair and spoke.
“I have come to take you. My Enki.”
