Ubermensch – Chapter 61

Chapter 61

“We’ve decided to close down Castle.”

Oh Junghee, who had approached at some point, reported to Mason.

“Is that the government’s decision?”

“Yes.”

One reason was that many of the raiders currently stationed at Castle were suffering from battle fatigue and injuries requiring long-term treatment, and another was that the facilities of Castle itself had been severely damaged.

However, the biggest reason was something else.

“Because of the monsters and .”

“Is that what they’re being classified as?”

“Yes.”

Named and Warlord. It was a new classification system for categorizing variant monsters that had become stronger through combat experience.

Due to the hypothesis that repeated large-scale battles were creating Named and Warlords, negative opinions about Castle’s existence were inevitable.

“So, we’re closing Castle…”

Mason looked at the tombstones of the fallen warriors.

No, to be precise, he looked at Ronan, who was standing there paying his respects.

Ronan had a bitter expression on his face as he watched the tombstones, made from weapons of the fallen, being removed. The graves of the old soldiers were to be moved to the National Cemetery, but Ronan, who had created those graves and was the last lord of Castle, must have been feeling a mix of emotions.

“What has Ronan decided to do?”

“It seems he’s decided to join the Holy Knights.”

And the place that had decided to take Ronan in was none other than the Holy Knights. The stubborn Ronan had refused to join ordinary raid teams that aimed for profit, and the Holy Knights, who were chronically short-staffed, had no reason to refuse him.

“Yes, that’s a fitting place for him.”

Oh Junghee looked at Mason.

“Do you have any instructions or requests?”

“That sounds like a question I should be asking you. Is there anything I can help with?”

“No.”

Oh Junghee gave a refreshing smile.

“You’re definitely not going to be much help in a battle with paperwork.”

“…”

Oh Junghee saluted and left.

She never showed it, but the mountain of paperwork she had to deal with was probably not easy. Nevertheless, she had never once complained to anyone else about the responsibilities she shouldered.

‘She’s a good person.’

And a good soldier too.

Mason watched her retreating figure with a bitter expression.

If she was a good person who could be a good soldier… she would surely shine even in a place without armies and wars.

It couldn’t be helped, it was this kind of world in this kind of era.

It couldn’t be helped, but… the feeling of regret couldn’t be helped.

Just like whenever Mason thought of Liza.

“…Liza.”

She was already standing behind Mason.

As if she had been called by him, or as if she had been there before him.

She stood there with desolate eyes and a barren expression.

“Congratulations on mastering air superiority.”

“It’s thanks to your good teaching.”

“No, it’s thanks to Raid Leader-nim Mason’s talent.”

Mason gave a wry smile.

It was true.

Mason possessed transcendental specs, and among them were reflexes and spatial awareness that reached the limits of living beings.

If ordinary people had to ‘predict’ to react, Mason could react by ‘seeing’.

Liza had probably been practicing martial arts for a long time. She would have the experience and insight to understand how an enemy would move, what was closest, and what was fastest.

It would have taken her decades, centuries to achieve her sphere.

But Mason only had to learn the concept of achieving a sphere. The rest could be supplemented by the reflexes and agility gained from the Barbarian Procedure.

“Did you come to praise me?”

“Yes, for your martial prowess and… your judgment, Raid Leader-nim Mason.”

At first, it was Seo Yeonhee who felt something was strange. But Mason didn’t dismiss the strangeness she felt, and with an almost excessive level of concentration and action, he figured out Scar and the monster army.

It was thanks to Mason’s judgment that they didn’t experience the worst attack at the worst possible moment.

“I’ve reaffirmed that Raid Leader-nim Mason is a worthy king for us. Please forgive my rudeness in daring to doubt your abilities.”

“I never said I would be your king.”

“Of course. It’s just that we want to have you as our king.”

“No.”

Mason looked at Liza.

“I want to be your friend.”

“Ah.”

Liza’s short sigh was ambiguous in its meaning. It sounded like admiration, and it sounded like a sigh. Maybe to her, they were both the same thing.

Yekaterina’s words came to mind. She was right.

Violence begets violence, and malice begets malice. Having already been baptized in malice, Liza wouldn’t believe in good intentions. She wouldn’t believe in favors, would suspect good people, and would judge people only by malice and self-interest.

Thinking that way made Mason’s heart even more complicated.

“I could rule you. But… could I save you?”

“It would be difficult.”

Liza said calmly.

“But my personal well-being is not that important compared to the future of the pseudo-humans.”

“You’re also a pseudo-human, and a human. You have a future and hope too. I want to save you too, no matter how difficult it is.”

Liza didn’t bother to argue.

“If you find me and my emotions uncomfortable, you can order me to die. If I’m an obstacle to you becoming our king, my life is something I can throw away.”

“Why are you saying that?”

“I haven’t been able to forget what I’ve been through. And I can’t forget those who did it to me. If I can’t erase my past, and my hatred, wouldn’t it be the easiest to just kill me?”

Liza said with an indifferent expression.

“It’s not uncommon for hatred to be forgotten as generations change.”

“I believe people can overcome hatred.”

Mason bit his lip.

“No, I want to believe.”

“Didn’t you say that the 28th century was a world where the times had overcome hatred?”

That was true.

Mason grew up in a sterile room of malice, but that wasn’t because people had overcome malice. It was just that they were people of a world born after all malice had disappeared.

“Then do you have to suffer forever?”

“Yes.”

“Then the first thing I need to do to be your king… is to save you.”

Liza looked at Mason for a moment.

As if looking at a fool who couldn’t be saved, or a saint who could be revered but not imitated. An emotion that couldn’t be clearly expressed was contained in her eyes.

Both emotions that could be seen when dealing with someone you couldn’t reason with were present in her eyes.

But only for a moment.

“If that’s what you want… do as you please.”

Liza quietly lowered her gaze and left.

As she moved away, Mason let out a long sigh.

It was a heavy and difficult conversation.

More so than any fight…

Thud!

At that moment, a can of beer someone had thrown landed in Mason’s hand as if drawn to it.

“Andrei.”

“Boss.”

Andrei was approaching, taking a swig of his beer.

He grinned cheerfully and said,

“Tough, huh?”

“I can’t say it wasn’t.”

Andrei stood beside Mason.

“But don’t hate her too much. That lady’s just one person who went through something no one should ever have to.”

“I don’t hate her. Not one bit.”

“Ah, right. Our boss is a sucker.”

Andrei chuckled and took another gulp of his beer.

Mason looked at Andrei.

“Don’t you have a painful past?”

“Everyone has a past. But I’m not a delicate person like her.”

He said with a wry smile.

“After I killed the god I served with my own hands, I didn’t really have anything to agonize over.”

“…You killed someone?”

“The god I served.”

Mason said seriously.

“Tell me more.”

“With an empty mouth?”

Mason gestured with his chin towards the can of beer.

Andrei scratched his head.

“Beer is a drink, not alcohol… well, fine. If you want to hear it that badly.”

Mason looked at Andrei with a tense expression.

“I was asked by a widow to kill someone called Thor.”

“…Is that all?”

“Yeah.”

“…I feel like you could make the same story more interesting.”

“Don’t look for truth in the tongue of a drunkard, and don’t look for pleasure in the tongue of a sober man. It’s an old Viking proverb.”

“…”

Mason grumbled.

“I’m going to drink alcohol just because of you.”

“Anyway, my point is… you need to live a dull life too. Especially if you’re someone who has to live roughly in a rough world.”

“Maybe so.”

Mason looked out at the sea of blood.

These were things he didn’t want the weak to experience.

“Maybe so…”

Mason sighed deeply.

Night. The night at Castle was deepening.

The night sky was clear, and the stars were shining.

As if nothing had ever been defiled.

Unlike the world of people.

๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑

A calamity god with a silver arm stood there.

He stood before all the people of all the worlds.

Despair and fear were all that spread in the eyes of the people who looked at him, and those who knelt and turned their backs only hoped that his gaze would not fall on them.

The calamity god of the silver arm was roaring.

He was reigning over the world, shedding tears of blood.

Leaving nothing behind him.

๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑

“…Gasp!”

When Mason, drenched in cold sweat, opened his eyes, Eun Yuri was sleeping soundly next to him, naked.

“Mmm…”

Was it because Mason suddenly woke up?

Eun Yuri stirred and chased after his body heat.

“…”

Mason carefully lowered her arm and got out of bed.

The refrigerator was full of beer, cola, and other drinks. After a moment of hesitation, Mason’s hand grabbed a bottle of water.

Mason gulped down the water and quietly sighed.

“Sigh…”

He leaned against the wall.

He was tired. Not physically tired, but mentally tired.

‘What is this dream?’

The calamity god with the silver arm was Mason. His appearance had changed slightly, but he was definitely Mason.

He was roaring.

It was a mighty roar that shook the entire universe.

An invincible calamity god who could grasp all creation with an outstretched hand and take a step to the end of the universe.

But why was such a being… shedding tears of blood?

What was the calamity god, scattering despair and fear, suffering from?

He didn’t know.

No, to be more honest…

‘I don’t want to see…’

He didn’t want to know.

He only felt a mixture of fear and disgust.

Mason didn’t want to know about him, and he didn’t want to feel what he was feeling.

Therefore, this dream… was nothing but a nightmare.

“Damn it.”

Yes, it had to be a nightmare…