309 – The Name You Call Me -4-

Falling.

Emotions are falling to the bottom.

What went wrong.

Even if I think about where it went wrong, what comes back is Ricardo’s cold corpse lying in front of me.

“…Why.”

-…

“Why did you do that.”

-…

—

“Why…!!!”

Mikhail shouted, his voice echoing through the dark cave. The illusion magic that had made him reminisce about the past shattered with Ricardo’s death.

Only now did he realize that this place was not the slum of his memories, but a dark underground. He could feel the cold reality with his entire body.

Mikhail couldn’t understand.

“Why did you give up…”

What had he done for him, he was nothing, a useless existence.

Mikhail couldn’t understand why Ricardo chose sacrifice. Just.

“Don’t do this… Please.”

He could only shout into the void.

“Hehehe…”

Yung let out a hollow laugh as he watched Mikhail’s back.

The script and the ending didn’t match, but he could take revenge. He felt good and bad at the same time.

“Throwing away your life for mere friendship, how pathetic. That’s why it’s more fun…”

In the end, he succeeded in his revenge.

On the other hand, Mikhail’s vision grew darker.

Blood was flowing on the ground.

The man from his memories, whom he had desperately denied, was lying sprawled by the sword he had wielded.

“…”

The restrictions were lifted.

“…”

Now he could move his body freely and wield his sword as he wished.

But.

“It’s too late.”

There were too many things he had done with his own hands to enjoy the happiness of freedom.

“What makes a bad person…”

Mikhail gritted his teeth and muttered quietly. He ground his teeth, thinking of the gesture Ricardo had made when he finally let go of his strength.

“What makes a scoundrel…”

No matter how much he called, Ricardo didn’t move. Mikhail clenched his fist as he looked down at him.

“What… are you sorry for…?”

-I’m sorry.

—

—

“What are you sorry for… leaving so selfishly like this… what are you sorry for!!!”

My fingers tremble.

The rising sense of disgust makes my fingertips feel powerless. I am so disgusted with my own weak and foolish self that now I shudder.

His last words to me were.

-You’ve grown up splendidly.

They pierce my heart like a dagger.

Mikhail coldly opened his lips that wouldn’t part. There was no moisture to be found on his parched lips, but the words he could say now were this desperate plea.

“Get up.”

-Thud…

“Get up…”

-Thud…

“Please… get up.”

Hot tears fell one by one onto Ricardo’s unresponsive body. It was the reunion he had waited for so long, a moment he thought would never come again in his life…

In the situation that had returned to the beginning, Mikhail swallowed his sobs in silence. Just as Mikhail’s tears were about to stain Ricardo’s clothes, Jung’s sneering voice reached Mikhail’s ears.

“You finally did it.”

“…”

“You pretended you didn’t want to, but you finished it splendidly.”

“…”

“You’re amazing, kid. Honestly, I didn’t think you’d succeed. I thought that guy wouldn’t give up, so I even considered mutual destruction… The result isn’t to my liking, but this was a pretty decent farce.”

“…hate you.”

Jung laughed as if it didn’t matter and spoke to Mikhail.

“Now, only our story remains.”

“…hate you.”

“Let’s have a bloody fight. The one who survives until the end will keep this memory.”

“Shut up!”

As the sword filled with aura passed through the air, the off-guard Jung quickly turned his body to avoid Mikhail’s sword.

-Rustle.

“Hmm…?”

Jung touched his cheek.

Seeing the blood on his hand, his pupils trembled. He felt a chill from Mikhail’s cold gaze.

—

—

‘How did it reach…?’

It should have been an unreachable distance, surely that kid’s sword would have sensed it and easily avoided it. Why…?

While Jung was lost in complicated thoughts, Mikhail’s cold voice reached his ears.

“I told you to be quiet.”

Mikhail was silently watching Jung. His eyes were filled with nothing but anger, staring coldly at Jung.

With a lifeless expression, Mikhail spoke lightly to Jung.

“Ricardo is sleeping.”

“Have you grown from the pain of parting?”

“I said Ricardo is sleeping.”

“Are you still living in a futile delusion? Let me tell you clearly. He’s dead. You killed him with your own hands. Can’t you tell from the broken spell?”

Jung looked at Mikhail with an intriguing smile. He thought it was still too early to die. Originally, he was willing to give his life to keep the promise he had made.

“My mind has changed.”

A more interesting story came to mind, so he gave up.

A life-or-death duel?

A more interesting play came to mind than such a farce.

Jung stood up, drew the sword from his waist, and slowly approached Mikhail, who had cold eyes.

“Do you want to kill me, kid?”

“…”

“Do you want to cut off my arms and legs and keep me alive? Do you feel like grinding me alive and drinking me?”

“I…”

-Swish.

“Ugh…!”

Mikhail lightly shook off the sword in his hand and spoke to Jung.

“I told you to be quiet.”

Jung burst into a sneer as he looked at Mikhail, who maintained a cold expression.

“Why are you so angry?”

“Shut up.”

“In the end, haven’t you returned to where you started?”

“…”

“In any case, that kid is dead in your memory, and you’re making a fuss about killing him again with your own hands. Like a tragic heroine.”

—

—

A small crack began to form on Mikhail’s mask, which had maintained a blank expression. He couldn’t just listen to Jung’s words and let them pass.

“Memory…? Back to where it was…?”

Even now, his breath was trembling, and the sensation felt at his fingertips was still chilling, but it was disgusting to just listen to Jung’s sarcastic remarks as if ignoring it…!

“If it weren’t for you… none of this would have happened in the first place.”

He wanted to tear that mouth, which was running towards the end of ugliness, apart while it was still alive.

“Oh dear, little boy…”

“Shut up.”

“No matter how much you hate me, things won’t change.”

The root of all evil.

“Curse all night long. Will that guy come back to life?”

“…Anyway, you’re going to die today.”

“Who? You…?”

Mikhail swung his sword again. This time, with the intention of truly killing.

“Now, there’s no one in this world who can stop me.”

He swung an aura mixed with two colors.

One was silver.

The other was ashen.

The sword energy containing the two auras headed towards Jung’s neck.

-Kagagagak!

Jung, who barely blocked Mikhail’s aura, spat out a sneer to draw out Mikhail’s carelessness. In his current physical state, he couldn’t handle Mikhail. He couldn’t easily overcome the injuries from the battle with the Archbishop of Greed either.

“…Why is there no one to stop you? I can erase your memory. And do you think you can do it? If I set up a puppet again, you will again….”

“No. Now, I’ll kill them all.”

“…”

“What is that justice… There’s no one to look good for anymore.”

“You killed them. With your own hands! Hahaha!”

“Yeah… Now I have no one. Why did I try to be a good person…. I endured it while doing stupid things… How much I endured that time with blood… but in the end, it came back again…?”

The aura, filled with anger, was making Mikhail’s sword even stronger.

But.

-Pasasak…

Mikhail’s old sword, which had already exceeded its limit, couldn’t withstand the aura and broke.

—

—

Yung looked at Mikhail’s split sword with a fishy smile.

However.

“I will kill you.”

Mikhail’s sword did not stop. It only aimed at Yung’s neck… and kept extending firmly.

“Wa..wait a moment!”

Yung couldn’t keep his stance against Mikhail’s fast approaching strides. The wound from the last battle had reopened while blocking the previous attack.

‘Damn… that greedy b*stard..!’

Mikhail did not miss Yung’s staggering movement and the sound of ‘thud’ echoed chillingly in Mikhail’s ears.

“Ugh…!”

Yung looked at the broken sword stuck in his abdomen with a fishy smile. Thanks to the broken sword, he could avoid a fatal injury.

“It’s my victory, kid.”

If he could grab the kid’s head again and change his memory, it would be his victory.

Yung, who laughed at the thought of making him a puppet while keeping his ego alive, suddenly placed his hand on Mikhail’s head.

“What are you doing…?”

“…Why isn’t the magic working!”

“Get that filthy hand off my head.”

At the cold voice, Yung felt his heart freeze.

Mikhail was looking straight into his eyes. The eyes that once wavered were now filled only with murderous intent, glaring at him.

‘The magic…’

He was definitely holding his head.

He should have lost his memory and collapsed…!

“I’ll cut off your remaining hand too. So, get it off.”

Mikhail overcame the dark magic and twisted the sword he had stabbed into Yung’s abdomen.

He had grown.

No.

He had become solid.

To the point where cunning tricks no longer worked on him…

“Ugh…!”

It was after he had ripened.

With a gurgling sound, thick blood began to drip from Yung’s mouth. The sword, pulled out with a rough hand, drew a red line on Yung’s abdomen and met the cold wind.

—

—

Mikhail, without giving any room, pointed the tip of his sword at Jung’s neck.

“Die.”

“…Wait a moment, kid! The good memories you have…!”

“Don’t act disgracefully…”

“Not yet! Not yet…!”

-Thud…!

Mikhail spoke to Jung in a heavy voice.

“Now, disappear.”

-Thud… Thud…

Now it can be seen.

Ricardo’s figure standing upright.

“…I see.”

Mikhail walked towards Ricardo, who was lying on the ground, with weak steps. Ricardo, lying powerlessly, had stayed in that spot, as if cheering for his fight until the end.

“Now… I can see clearly.”

Mikhail gently touched Ricardo’s cheek with his trembling hand and pressed his forehead against his.

The fog lifted.

The fog that had covered his eyes for a long time lifted.

“I… am very late, aren’t I?”

“…”

“I’m sorry for coming so late…”

Now, Ricardo’s figure looked like the boy in his memories.

Youthful.

Strong.

With the face of a boy who was only kind.

“I’m really sorry…”

It appeared.

-Crack!

“…!”

Jung, holding the sword stuck in his neck, struggled to get up and spat out a breathless laugh.

“Kuhahaha!!!”

—

—

Mikhail glared at Jung with bewildered eyes. He was standing there, coughing up blood, even though Mikhail thought he was dead.

As he gathered aura in his hand to grab Tyrfing, which had fallen next to Ricardo, Jung spoke to Mikhail with a face full of madness.

“Kid! Come with me!!!”

“When…!”

“Isn’t it better this way? Rather than living with bad memories, it’s easier to just die…!”

With a sly smile, Jung activated the orb.

-Click…!

A massive explosion sound began to spread in Mikhail’s ears. The sound was coming from deep underground.

“Ha ha ha! Yes, this is a masterpiece…!”

“…”

“I should have done this earlier. Ha ha…ha.. oh…?”

Mikhail didn’t hear Jung’s laughter fade away. He saw Jung’s face trembling as he looked at something.

What Mikhail saw now was a massive flame descending the stairs of the cave.

The massive flame created by the orb was engulfing Mikhail’s vision.

Mikhail closed his eyes and thought.

‘You’re leaving me with a burden until the end.’ Tears didn’t stop as he thought about the worst outcome and the inability to bring a clean conclusion.

‘Until when…’

The light of the explosion came closer to Mikhail.

With his eyes closed, Mikhail gave a sad smile.

“I’m sorry…”

I hope we never meet again.

If we hadn’t met, we wouldn’t have had to go through this tragedy.

“..I really.”

If there is a next life, I want to be someone who can help him, but he wouldn’t want to be tied to someone like me again. Through the falling tears, Mikhail turned his head to where Ricardo had been lying.

“…”

Seeing nothing where Ricardo should have been, Mikhail widened his eyes and turned his head.

And then.

“…Look.”

As a familiar voice reached Mikhail’s ears, his pupils trembled.

It was red hair.

—

“`

It was a broad back I wanted to lean on.

It was a figure I wanted to hide behind.

Ricardo, who was embracing Mikhail, spoke in a low voice filled with mischief.

“Aren’t you just satisfied with yourself and self-destructing? What kind of promise is this, when in the end, you’ll just do whatever you want.”

Jung looked at Ricardo with a bewildered expression and said.

“Uh… how are you alive?! You should be dead!”

“Me?

Ricardo shook his head with a truly amused expression.

“Why would I be dead? I’m perfectly alive.”

Ricardo spat out a sneer and wore a pitiful expression.

“You’re pathetic to the end. That’s why your first love cheated on you.”

“b*stard…!”

“I played along with you. Puh… Ah, this is fun. Oh, by the way… that first love is now living well with that man and has a child. She regained her memory or something…. Isn’t it funny?”

“b*stard…!”

“I understand. You can’t fix an ugly face.”

With a huge explosion, the basement began to collapse.

Along with Jung’s desolate expression.

“Ah… aaah! I’ll kill you!”

-Crash…

“If you can. Ah… you’re already dead.”

It collapsed.

Ricardo hugged Mikhail and whispered softly.

“Your name is really pretty.”

“…”

“Miss Misa.”

The name you call is my name….

“Thank you…”

It was sweet.