Chapter 125
“Yago? You really don’t hear anything?”
“…Ilena?”
Yago turned his head and asked back in confusion.
Ilena’s body began to tremble.
What is this ominous sound? It feels as if the entire massive island itself is resonating—this vibration…
At that moment, for some reason, the words Frieden had spoken before heading to war flashed through her mind.
“It felt like… pure evil itself.”
“Holy Maiden. You’ve walked a long road to come this far. You’ve truly endured much.”
King Berian spoke as he discovered Ilena, offering a benevolent smile despite looking utterly exhausted.
He looked so gentle that he seemed like a completely different person from just moments ago.
But Ilena had no room to accept it.
She shouted urgently.
“K–King Berian! Where is that man right now? Th–the man with the mask! We have to release his possession one last time!”
“…Possession?”
King Berian briefly showed a puzzled expression.
Boom—!
An ominous sound echoed, but she couldn’t tell whether it was ringing inside her head or reverberating in reality.
King Berian furrowed his brow as if deep in thought.
Then, as if he finally understood, he slowly opened his mouth.
“Frieden was only thirteen at the time. He wouldn’t remember the circumstances before that incident clearly.”
“…Father?”
Frieden tilted his head in confusion as he called out.
King Berian spoke calmly.
“That day, before the souls descended, there were six people inside the White Palace.”
“…What?”
“What did you say?”
Shocked cries erupted from all around.
“I was the first among the possessed to awaken. From the moment I opened my eyes, that man was already standing there with dignified composure—wearing a mask.”
He was already… wearing the mask?
Ilena frantically searched her memories.
[Evil spirits seeped into this land before you—ten years earlier.]
That’s right.
Jake had only said the possessed had infiltrated. He never once said there were seven of them.
It was only because Frieden said there were seven people present that day that she had assumed so.
Then who in the world is that man? In this island of happiness, among the descendants of the righteous—how could such a crystallization of evil exist?
“…Wait.”
Ilena lowered her voice and asked,
“The Heart of Honua that was sleeping in the North.”
They had neither a Holy Maiden nor Akina, the divine bird.
Even if they heard that a fragment of Honua’s Heart remained in the North, how could they have found it so quickly?
“Who found it?”
King Berian, coughing harshly due to his rapidly deteriorating body, slowly opened his mouth.
“That was…”
“I gave it to them.”
A voice as smooth as silk cut him off.
Those who had been focused on the fallen king hurriedly lifted their heads.
Before the White Palace—
A man wrapped in a cloak stood there.
When did he get there?
Even if it escaped her notice, how could Yago have sensed nothing?
Yago instantly drew his sword and stepped in front of Ilena.
Tail did the same.
Frieden, forcing up the little mana he had recovered, glared at the man.
Boom—! Boom—!
As soon as she saw his face, the tremors she had been feeling grew even louder.
Like drums announcing the final act of a play—ominous and foreboding.
“At last, you have come all the way here. Child of God.”
From beneath the mask, the man’s voice slid out like a serpent.
Child…?
As Ilena felt a strange, inexplicable sense of déjà vu—
“How dare you crawl here on your own two feet! Do you even know where this is?!”
A furious shout erupted from Frieden, who sat beside King Berian.
It was the first time anyone had seen such rage from him.
The always-gentle Frieden’s face was violently twisted with fury.
The man’s black eyes slowly settled on him from behind the mask.
“…Crown Prince. A reunion with your true father after ten years, is it not?”
“That mouth! Shut that mouth!!”
Shaking his head violently, Frieden drew up his mana.
From his left hand, blazing flames erupted, stretching toward the man like a dragon.
The pillar of fire was so intense that Ilena could feel its heat even from a distance.
But—
Shraaak!
A sound like space itself being sliced rang out.
As if cut by an invisible blade, the flaming dragon was cleanly split in two and passed harmlessly by the man on either side.
The masked man did not lift a single finger.
It was as though an invisible, transparent shield enveloped him.
Frieden’s red eyes widened in shock as his decisive attack was blocked.
“W–What…?!”
“So we just have to attack that guy, right?”
At that moment, Tail kicked off the ground and charged.
His speed was so fast that even Ilena struggled to track his movement.
The sword wrapped in yellow light flashed through the air—
But before it could even reach the man, the yellow glow vanished from the blade like an illusion.
“…!”
The man raised one hand from beneath his cloak and casually knocked Tail’s sword aside.
Clang!
A sound like steel colliding rang out, and Tail’s body was sent flying, smashing into the white palace wall.
“The sword aura… disappeared before it even touched him.”
Ilena muttered in disbelief.
She didn’t know why, but near that man, mana simply didn’t work.
Which meant magic and sword aura were useless.
“No—Yago!”
The moment Ilena realized it, she shouted—but it was too late.
Yago was already charging straight at the man.
Ilena couldn’t even track his movements.
She only saw his body rise high into the air for a brief moment—then fall limply to the ground.
“Yago!!”
Ilena rushed to his side.
Thankfully, he didn’t seem gravely injured, but shock was etched clearly on his face.
To be utterly defeated without even grazing the opponent—this was a first in his life.
“Th–that’s impossible…”
Roderick dropped his sword, losing all will to fight, and muttered blankly.
The entire group had been subdued in an instant.
The strongest warriors of My Island.
“Fools.”
The man murmured quietly as he looked down at them.
“Why… why doesn’t mana work on you…?”
Roderick slumped to the ground, trembling as he spoke.
Ilena, too, stared in disbelief at the man whose cloak hadn’t even been disturbed.
He wasn’t an illusion or a mirage.
She had clearly seen him strike Tail and Yago with his own arm.
And as far as she knew, there was only one phenomenon on this island where mana didn’t work.
“Mana and magic are gifts bestowed by God upon the children of this island.”
The man spoke slowly.
“With that power, you can never harm me.”
His voice remained cold and emotionless.
Yet somehow, Ilena sensed a deep, inexplicable loneliness buried within it.
Why…?
And that strange déjà vu kept growing stronger.
Why does it feel like I’ve heard this man’s voice somewhere before?
“No matter how strong you are, it’s the same reason you can’t cut the air with a sword, or stop the weather with your fists.”
“Then… are you saying you’re using God’s power…?”
Tail groaned through clenched teeth.
“You? The one behind all of this—using God’s power…?”
Roderick murmured dazedly.
“Lies! More lies!”
A furious voice cut through them.
It was Frieden, his face twisted with rage.
“Is there even a single moment when your tongue and lips aren’t spewing lies?!”
“…You cannot believe me.”
The man murmured quietly.
Even though everyone had lost their ability to fight, he neither attacked them nor tried to flee.
“Who could believe you?! Ilena! Quickly—use your power to—”
“Then shall I show you proof?”
The man cut him off coldly.
“P–Proof…?”
“Each royal family has passed down ancient relics through the ages.”
Ilena raised an eyebrow at the sudden statement.
That was true.
The relic of the Rihyu royal family was the Record Stone bearing Jake’s prophecy.
In the East, Jake’s sword and shield.
And in the West, the fragment of Honua’s Heart Jake left behind.
“Why bring that up now?”
Ilena snapped sharply.
Boom—. Boom—.
Even amid the chaos, the ominous pounding continued to echo inside her head.
The man fixed his black eyes on her and spoke slowly.
“They are all remnants left behind by the first human—the righteous one, Jake… who inherited God’s power to create paradise.”
“How does that prove you use God’s power?”
Yago countered coldly.
“He left behind a Record Stone engraved with his own likeness for the Northern royal family.”
The man added in a barely audible voice,
“For this very day…”
“N–No. That’s wrong…”
A faint voice refuted him.
It was King Berian—collapsed on the ground, glaring at the man with eyes full of hatred.
