R4STWH - Chapter 144

Chapter 144

'This should be just enough to balance things out.'

After deflecting the sword fragments flying towards him and striking Ermitar's nose bridge, Elias checked the display floating in his peripheral vision.

48.151 : 51.849

The numbers listed without explanation continued to fluctuate endlessly.

This happened particularly when Yumi, Zero, and Elias inflicted damage on Ermitar.

This was a unique characteristic bestowed upon Elias.

After first contracting with Neo, Elias had tried various approaches to find the most suitable title for achieving his goals.

His current title of 'Executor' was the result of several trials and errors.

It was because of this characteristic, 'The Almighty's Scale.'

The catastrophic trials given to the worlds he monitored had their own rules.

The core principle was that the balance between those leading the world's destruction and those trying to protect it had to be maintained within a small margin of error.

While the world's inhabitants basically moved the weights up and down, if it tilted too far to one side, observers from other dimensions would intervene to add their strength.

Those named 'Monarchs' were the prime example of this.

The dragons who had been forced to reveal themselves in other timelines due to Elias were currently maintaining neutrality, lying in their dwellings across the continent. However, the combined weight of Ilesha and Baeksa joining forces exceeded that of all of them together.

That was why nine 'Monarchs' had already appeared, when usually only one or two would show up as final bosses.

That much was needed for it to be judged as fair.

The variables here were Zero, Yumi, and Elias.

Even among the Awakened who had obtained titles, no human in this world could influence the scale's numbers by more than 10.

This was true even for the Saintess who had the greatest influence. Though not certain since she had never crossed over to the other side, it probably wouldn't exceed 5.

In this situation, how great was the influence of Zero and Yumi?

In fact, just them standing opposite to Ilesha and Baeksa should have balanced the scales.

However, the conflict and hesitation within them had only led to an ambiguous judgment.

They were only half-measures to begin with, unable to harm Ilesha and Baeksa.

Nevertheless, what happened when these two people, who had easily handled the weight of four or five Monarchs, finally turned to Ilesha's side one by one?

23.342 : 76.658

The moment Yumi, who had been watching Ermitar intently, steeled her resolve to eliminate him, the scale tilted sharply.

This resulted in giving even more power to Ermitar, who had already gained an opportunity through Zero.

"It would be better not to change your mind after making a choice, whether it's this side or that. Not only your lives but my wife's life could be endangered."

He had warned them of this before leaving the Imperial Palace, knowing this would happen.

They had created the conditions for the emergence of an enemy far more powerful than any final boss that had brought about the end of worlds E-20FUg and E-17ACEM.

'Such frustrating people.'

And in the end, wasn't it Ilesha who had to deal with the aftermath?

Ermitar, harboring intense hostility towards Elias, persistently targeted only Ilesha despite Baeksa, Yumi, and Zero unleashing their full power against him.

Believing that making her loss would be the ultimate revenge against Elias.

However, this was a misunderstanding born of his ignorance.

'No matter what methods are used, no one can ever take her from me again.'

This would remain true even if either Ilesha or Elias lost their life.

After all, his soul would be eternally bound to her, accompanying her wherever she went.

Of course, this didn't mean he would be negligent in protecting and guarding her. Above all, hadn't she told him?

That she wanted to turn Ermitar into jerky.

Her wishes were his wishes, and this was the only causality that moved him.

He carefully controlled his strength to help her while ensuring the barely balanced scale wouldn't tilt to one side again.

Instead of directly plucking out Ermitar's impudent eyes that were targeting Ilesha, he raised his blade to allow Yumi's magic to pierce through them.

Suppressing the urge to cut off the monster's tail, he cleared away obstacles in advance so that Ilesha could safely land within the Saintess's holy barrier after colliding with it.

The method of deceiving the scale by not directly applying force was a technique he had occasionally used in other timelines in the past.

However, this familiar and effortless task became incredibly challenging now that it involved Ilesha.

When his hand unconsciously reached out to deflect Ermitar's teeth that were aimed at Ilesha's shoulder, the scale wobbled and tilted.

45.331 : 54.669

'Oh no...'

However, even this momentary concern melted away at the sight of her bright smile directed at him.

"Thank you, Elias."

This absurd desire to embrace her and kiss her in a situation where not even 0.1 seconds could be wasted carelessly.

"Please be careful, Ilesha. Don't push yourself too hard."

"Okay, I will."

Using all his self-control, Elias only briefly squeezed her hand before letting go.

Then, to balance the tilted scale, he pretended to accidentally kick Zero's back, sending him flying toward Ermitar's snout.

"...?!"

"Oh my, you should be more careful."

Zero glared at him, grinding his teeth, after nearly losing one of his limbs.

Whether he did so or not was of no concern to Elias.

48.115 : 51.885

As long as the result was good, that was all that mattered.

After barely avoiding an 'additional penalty,' Elias slightly changed his approach.

This was because he felt he would eventually cross the line if they didn't deal with Ermitar quickly.

'At this stage, there can't be any other conditions that would qualify as the Saintess's quest.'

While it was difficult for him to guess the quest contents of others like Baeksa or Crow, it was different when it came to the Saintess.

Wasn't he the one who had naturally obtained God's testament upon acquiring the title of Executor?

The plan for the Saintess, who had been most closely connected to God, was particularly clear.

Elias landed beside the Saintess, who was enveloped in a gentle light as she maintained the barrier with her holy power.

Then he casually posed a question.

"I wonder what Melder received as his quest reward."

"...?"

The Saintess looked at him with an expression that seemed to say 'what nonsense are you talking about.'

'This woman is frustratingly dense.'

Just as he was about to sigh,

"Is there a way to check another person's inventory?"

Crow, who had been protecting the Saintess's side and deflecting occasional monster fragments since the barrier's activation, approached and asked him.

"The only way is to make them reveal it themselves... Though there should be quite a few people in the church with talent in this area."

"...I think I understand what you mean."

Fortunately, Crow was more perceptive than the Saintess. Elias continued to clear away things flying at the Saintess for a while in Crow's place as he hurriedly ran off somewhere.

"Um, Your Grace. May I ask you one thing?"

"Please go ahead."

"After we safely overcome this catastrophe, will God be able to return as well?"

Elias glanced at the Saintess who asked this question.

Having endured more trials than in any previous timeline, she looked much more gaunt and shabby than in his memories.

Nevertheless, her eyes shone brightly, making it impossible to regard her as lightly as before.

It was the result of walking her own path, facing head-on every trial that had been prepared without avoiding a single one.

That's why Elias had to tell her.

"Since He never left, there's no need for Him to return, is there?"

About the being who desperately protected the Saintess, who could no longer see or hear Him.

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