༺ The Sun Is A Radiant Star! (4) ༻
“I get that he needs to fight the Grandmaster. But will it be okay? That woman, she’s strong. Just by looking, I can tell that she’s on par with the Demon King Sabernak.
Brigitte assessed calmly.
Coming from someone who had actually seen the Demon King, Brigitte’s assessment would be accurate.
Even from what I saw, the Grandmaster was strong.
To the point of thinking if it would be possible to defeat her without ‘me’ included.
Before I knew it, Brigitte had her staff pointed at the ground.
“Should I step in?”
“No.”
I grabbed Brigitte’s staff.
My eyes continued to observe the two monks trading blows with one another.
Fwoosh— Fwoosh— Gooooong—!
With every punch, the air shook violently and ear-splitting shockwaves burst into the surrounding area.
The exchange had already gone on for 5 minutes.
The short yet long passing of time was slowly reaching its end.
“Enkidus, your vitality is fading away.”
“…….”
Due to a heavily wounded lung, Enkidus seemed to save his breath.
Anyone could see that Enkidus was at a disadvantage.
Because of that, however, I wondered.
“That guy, how is he still standing?”
Enkidus was in such a state that it wouldn’t be weird for him to just drop dead.
But though the last thread of his life was resting on fate’s guillotine blade, it continued precariously without snapping.
I couldn’t comprehend this situation.
At the same time, I knew I needed to take all of this in with my own eyes.
The path I’ve been searching for might be at the end of this fight.
Just then, Salome asked.
“Doesn’t the strength of the monks of the Ascending Sun Sect come from the sun’s presence? It’s nighttime. How is it possible that he’s producing such power? Even with a dying body….”
This really couldn’t be.
I perceived Enkidus’ level to be about 45.
It should be impossible that he was fighting full strength at night against his master who was a level 49 like me.
Because the Master didn’t seem to differ between day and night.
Yet, Enkidus’ fists were gaining speed while his legs were gaining weight.
Baaaam—!
And finally, a powerful roundhouse kick struck against the Grand Abbot’s head.
Though the Master had hastily raised a hand to block the attack, she noticed her shaking arm and shoulder and growled fiercely.
“Such insolence! How can this be? Enkidus, tell me how you are still alive with your chest penetrated! How do you have such strength even in the sun’s absence?”
At that question, Enkidus slowly opened his mouth.
“…That you would be the one to ask me. But Master, do you not yet know? The sun is only a star that shines.”
“…What?”
“Furthermore, daytime is merely a phenomenon. In fact, the sun and day, the harmony of night and moon do not exist in this world. What exists is only the mind that acknowledges them as such.
“The mind?”
“If the mind can be controlled, night becomes day, and the moon becomes the sun…. And….”
Enkidus’ golden eyes sought me.
With his blood-stained beard shaking, he spoke quietly.
“And an unspeakable evildoer can become a friend and father. For this monk, it took a hole in the chest to finally come to this revelation. Cariote, you were correct.”
At that, Cariote, who was wrapping her belly with bandages, nodded.
“Yes, demons don’t exist. Yet they can also exist anywhere. If I believe them to be one, they will become one.”
I honestly had no clue what they were saying but it sounded profound.
Is this that state of enlightenment that Enkidus always emphasized?
But the Grand Abbot snarled as if she couldn’t accept it.
“What nonsense! To control the mind…! Do you think that this Unenlightened One, that I also did not attempt it? I will not hear anymore of this! Svaha—”
The Grand Abbot recited a mantra.
It was the mantra that had made the demon dog Orthor go on a rampage earlier.
Snap— Riiip—
The silk outfit that was covering the Master’s body made an awful tearing sound as a scaly body grew and revealed itself to the world.
━Kaaaaaaahhhhh—!!!
It was a snake.
A giant snake with four legs.
It had scales of pure white and eyes that burned gold, and Brigitte was amazed by its form.
“…Is this the true identity of the Grandmaster!? She wasn’t even human! It’s so massive! Ugh, it’s so gross!”
Is it gross?
I thought it looked rather awesome.
Cariote also expressed her awe.
“A mystical creature. I’ve heard of those who attain karmic revelation as an animal deep in the woods or high in the mountains. Though it is my first time laying eyes on one.”
A gigantic beast.
Hadn’t Naru also said, “Oh, holy shh…! A huge raccoon helped Naru…!” on her way to Ordor Kingdom to find me?
It must have been something similar.
━This Unenlightened One, I, this self…! Will surely ascend and become a dragon…! Only one step…! A mere step will not stop me…!!!!
Kaaaaaaaahhh—!!!
Jaws big enough to swallow a bull opened wide and emitted a cry that shook the whole area.
But Enkidus remained calm.
With his feet firmly grounded, he closed his eyes and fisted his hands.
“Dear Master, I thank you for all these years. As my learning is finished, I will now depart.”
Fwoosh—
Enkidus threw out his fist.
“Dragon Fist.”
Wind pressure was created from a single strike.
Such pressure blasted through the snake’s body.
━Guuhuggghhh…That time, I should have consumed….
“Farewell.”
Booooomm—!
Belatedly, the sounding impact of the fist followed.
It was a fist that shook the heavens and earth.
One that contained everything that he had.
“I knew he was hiding something.”
Glad I wasn’t the one at the end of that fist.
* * *
Whumph—
Enkidus fell to the ground.
He saw red.
‘It was a good life.’
He was abandoned by those who birthed him, only to be abandoned by the one who raised him.
A meaningless birth and a meaningless death.
Someone may say that.
But Enkidus believed his life to have been meaningful.
If he believed it, then it was so.
“Is it time, then?”
Just then, someone spoke.
It was a voice like the shadow of an icicle in winter.
At the sound, Enkidus’ life flashed before his eyes like a panorama.
Training.
Meditating.
Being scolded.
And descending the mountain to roam the land with companions.
‘Truthfully, the past 2 years have been more lively than all the 20-some years before that.’
After coming down the mountain, he saw and did many things.
It had been an enjoyable experience.
‘I did not expect to have regrets.’
Having experienced the joys in life, it was a shame that it was coming to an end.
An utter failure as a monk.
Anyway, salvation was already out of reach for having killed his one parent and master.
But he had to.
‘They are only children.’
His master had sought to harm the little ones.
Like his brothers who had disappeared from the temple earlier in the days—
‘I… have seen. That day, the night I saw my sworn brothers being swallowed by a massive snake…. I had only thought it an illusion…’’
Since then, Enkidus has feared the night.
He kept silent.
Because he could not lie.
Considering as his parent a snake that had gone mad from longevity and consumed humans.
Relieved because it had not been him who had been consumed—
And so he had come to fear the night.
Ironically, however, his closest friend was a man akin to the darkest of nights.
And the daughters he bore shined like the moon and stars.
“Judas, I should thank you… for returning the night to me….”
“I didn’t do anything this time. It was all you. That was incredible, defeating the level 49 Master with a single blow. I think you could have transcended for real, as some kind of bald Demiurge.”
“…I say this now but Judas, you are a villain.”
“I know, that’s why you didn’t really approve of me. You can’t lie so it was easy to tell. So then, why did you become my friend?”
“Well, watching someone like you make progress, clumsy as it may be, it makes me think that… this world… is not hopeless….”
“…….”
* * *
Death.
I experienced a lot of it on the continent of Pangaea.
Some were caused by me, some weren’t.
The ones that weren’t always left a little shock.
Enkidus was dying.
No, he may already be dead.
Should I turn him into a Champion like I did with Salome?
No, he wouldn’t accept that.
How about if I end it for him?
Then he would live on as my shadow.
But I wondered if that was alright to do.
A friend’s death.
How should I explain this to Naru and the others?
Naru especially looked up to her Uncle Baldy like he was her real uncle.
As I was thinking this—
“I thought so.”
Someone spoke.
It was Salome.
“You thought so?”
“It’s as written in the picture diary. The monk Enkidus forfeits himself after defeating the large snake. I didn’t know what the large snake was, but it was the Grandmaster.”
The picture diary… then it was written in Hina’s diary?
This was predicted?
“Salome, you knew that Enkidus was going to die?”
I asked.
I was about to get angry.
I’ve never felt like this before, which threw me for a loop, and then Salome answered ambiguously, “Well, not exactly.”
What did she mean?
I was wondering this, and then Salome spoke.
“Enkidus was supposed to kill the Grand Master five years from now. The event took place way in advance. Also, the ‘Priestess’ should have been involved, too.”
The Priestess?
“You mean the Priestess of Yahbach?”
“Yes. This is the proof. Judas, the 7-colored orb that you gave me is a treasure for the priestesses but it’s actually from the Sun God, Narmir. It’s a symbol of harmony between the gods of sun and light.”
Swoosh—
Salome took out the radiantly shining jewel of 7 colors.
“Originally, in the future, the old snake was going to swallow the Priestess. But I guess the results of some events don’t change even if the process does. This must be what they call fate.”
Having said that, Salome placed the jewel atop Enkidus.
When she did, the pearl glowed brightly and started regenerating his body.
“For real?”
That’s an incredible treasure.
It was definitely called the 7 Treasures for a reason.
Then something happened.
━T-The dragon’s pearl…! Narmir’s Orb…!
The giant snake that was thought dead with half its body blown away by the strike started to move.
As I thought of its stubborn existence, Brigitte slammed down her staff.
“Hellfire.”
Whoosh—
The snake’s form caught on fire.
Crackle— Crackle—
━Guuaaaaahhhh…!
The snake burned up quickly.
While I was grimacing from the bitter smoke and even worse howling, Enkidus suddenly stood up from where he lay.
“What in the world….”
Enkidus touched his chest as if he couldn’t believe it.
The hole in his chest was completely filled, which could only be called a miracle.
Salome placed the orb in his hand and spoke.
“Save your gratitude for the Priestess. She was probably the one who gave the pearl to Hina. And for your information, the Priestess was said to have joined the research last minute. When the Grandmaster died, the Priestess’ contribution greatly advanced the experiment, apparently.”
Is that so?
So, they filled the gap left by the crazy snake Master with the Priestess.
I was worried that something would have gone wrong with the experiment.
Tap—
Just then, Brigitte poked at the burnt snake corpse.
I was wondering what she was doing when Cariote spoke.
“Mystical creatures develop a core that is made of concentrated karma. She may be searching for that. Move over, I’ll help.”
They’re gathering spoils.
Soon, Cariote split the snake’s body with a dagger and expertly collected the material.
Finally, Brigitte held in her hands a watermelon-sized stone that radiated an interesting mix of white, gold, yellow, and blue.
“Alright! I got it!”
Even just by looking, it was a cool gem.
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