I’m a Bastard But You’re Worse!

How the hell did you survive a wound like that? And where should I cut you to kill you for good?

Drake responded by shrugging his shoulders, as if what I asked had nothing to do with him.

Look, I didnt survive because I wanted to. The curse of immortality put on me by the fallen god wont let me rest in peace, even after going through something like this. Even if I starve myself till I become bones, or I am ground into dust, I end up being revived, whether I want it or not. To put it simply, its torture.

Grace told me about you. Youve lived over one thousand yearsand were a hero once.

I spoke while glaring at Drake, and he returned a slightly sharper look himself.

Right, once. I fulfilled my role and have been living aimlessly ever since. The corpse of a hero, basically. I didnt die where I was supposed tojust like this city.

Drake grinned sarcastically, then turned away from me.

You came all this way, we might as well have a chat.

..

Drake walked inside the cathedral, before I had a chance to answer.

I considered cutting him down from behind, but then decided to follow him.

The air around Drake was different from when I first met him in the Garnet kingdom.

Maybe because he had returned to his hometown, he didnt emanate a lethal aura like before: he was more like an old man resting in his garden, basking in the sunlight.

(How am I supposed to cut down someone like this?)

I knew in my head that I had to kill him.

If I just jumped and struck down someone without an ounce of killing intent, however, I would forfeit my pride.

For the time being, I had no choice but to follow him inside the cathedral.

This isimpressive.

The scenery inside the building left me baffled, once again.

The cathedral, adorned with gold, silver, and platinum, reflected the light filtrating from outside, creating a mystical atmosphere.

The windows housed colorful stained glass with flowers and stars, which mutated in glow and color at the whim of the artificial moon.

Yet more than anything else, the painting on the ceiling stole my attention.

Isnt it something, that painting? The subject is none other than the creation of this world, at the hands of the exalted gods, at the beginning of time.

So Drake boasted, as if he had had a hand in it himself.

His expression was irritating enough that I wanted to quip something back at him, but the painting was so mesmerizing that I let it go.

There was a sun-like ball of light in the center, surrounded by angels with their wings spread out and other god-like beings, carrying weapons and musical instruments.

As they approached the edges of the paintings, the god-like figures turned more and more hideous: at the corners of the ceiling, they looked just like demons.

once, in this world there were a great number of gods.

hm?

Where did they come from? Or have they always existed? No one knows. In any case, the gods bestowed the gift of magic unto the people of the surface, who proceeded to build the ancient magic civilizations.

As I looked up at the painting, Drake started explaining, in a solemn tone.

I turned towards him, but Drake was looking up himself yet gazing at something far away.

Thanks to the divine gift, the people prospered, triumphed over both illness and pain, eventually even their own lifespan, thus gaining eternal life. They built a paradise on earth, living a life of content under the eyes of the absolute gods, forming eternal peace.

One day, however, the gods abandoned the people. They declared humanity a failure.

Drake stretched a hand towards the sky, then formed a fist.

The gods abandoned humanity and revoked the gift of magic. They left this world, and traveled somewhere else. The earthly paradise crumbled: the evil ones, once distanced by the powers of the gods, were awakened.

The evil ones?

Malicious beings, also called evil gods.

Drake looked at me and grinned.

Youve got one with you, havent you? A descendant of the evil gods. The woman with the power to control monsters.

Are you talking about Sue? Shes a descendant of the evil gods!?

I grimaced. I just couldnt believe that a fluffy, ditzy kitten-purring-in-the-sun girl like that came from a lineage of evil deities.

Im not saying shes an evil god herself, but she has their blood flowing in her veins. Judging from her hair and eyes, shes probably a succubus.

.

If I said I had no idea what he was talking about, I would have lied.

I clammed up, unable to find a rebuttal.

Anyway, the gods disappeared one thousand years ago, and humanity was left with a reawakened menace. The only hope left was that some gods with a shred of conscience left weapons to fight against the evil gods.

The magic tools

Bingo. A sword that cuts any source of magic and can even kill a god. A bracelet that grants invulnerability. A tower that shoots lightning to protect its city. This Atlantis too was supposed to be a shelter to hide from the evil gods.

..

I broke down and analyzed Drakes words in my head, still a frown on my face.

Magic was lost one thousand years ago. The magic tools, weapons found in ancient ruins. Civilizations that fell to ruin, despite their advanced technology.

All these dots connected into a single line.