"Kau sudah tiba."
Satu kalimat tanpa emosi, tapi entah kenapa mendengarnya membuatnya ingin menangis.
Di tengah gelora emosi yang membuncah, Elpkins berjuang menahan diri. Di sekelilingnya, kekacauan merajalela. Yuder cepat mengamati situasi – teriakan kasar Nukijo, niat membunuh yang menerjang dari segala arah, dan gerakan panik para VIP yang berusaha kabur – sebelum melompat turun dari panggung.
"Elpkins. Mulai begitu kau siap."
Yuder tidak mengenakan zirah yang bisa memberi perlindungan berarti, tapi ia tidak menganggapnya penghalang besar. Bagaimanapun, mengenakan zirah tidak selalu menjamin keunggulan atas lawan tanpa zirah.
Setelah mendarat di bawah panggung, Yuder dengan mudah menangkis gempuran serangan menggunakan kekuatan alam, pedangnya, dan seluruh tubuhnya. Meski menghadapi banyak lawan, ia bukan hanya tak tergoyahkan tapi kadang mengalahkan mereka yang berani mendekat. Elpkins menyaksikan, teringat predator yang melompat di antara herbivora.
Yuder cepat membekukan lalu melelehkan alkohol yang tumpah, membuat anak buah Nukijo terpeleset dan saling bertabrakan. Tanpa menoleh pun, ia mengirim calon penyerang terbang dengan satu tendangan ke belakang. Upaya menjeratnya sia-sia, entah itu mematahkan senjata besi dengan sekali sentakan atau menangkap dan mengembalikan belati yang dilempar tepat ke pelemparnya.
Di antara mereka ada yang memakai taktik keji, seperti menyebar pecahan kaca tajam atau menerjang buta untuk mencengkeram pergelangan kaki atau rambut, mengincar mata. Yuder tetap tak gentar menghadapi serangan semacam itu, sekadar membalas dengan pembalasan kejam dua kali lebih ganas.
Beberapa belati yang dilempar ke arah Yuder di udara tiba-tiba berubah arah, menancap ke anak buah Nukijo yang lain. Elpkins hampir tertawa, menyaksikan mereka berlarian ketakutan di bawah meja. Ia tak pernah membayangkan akan hidup melihat pemandangan seperti itu – sungguh megah.
Tapi ia punya perannya sendiri, tugas yang hanya bisa dilakukan Elpkins, seperti yang disebutkan Yuder sehari sebelumnya.
Yuder bertanya, "Kau bisa terbang besok?"
"Maaf?"
"Maksudku, pada saat sinyal jatuh, kau bisa melesat ke langit tanpa menoleh ke belakang?"
Elpkins memiliki sepasang sayap besar. Sayap itu rusak parah, pernah patah di persendian akibat ulah geng Nukijo, dan makin terpelintir serta retak melalui banyak pertempuran, hingga tampak mengerikan.
Meski memiliki kemampuan regenerasi, parahnya kerusakan pernah membuatnya takut tak akan pernah terbang lagi. Kishiar secara ajaib menyembuhkannya hingga hampir sempurna, tapi menyembuhkan tulang dan menumbuhkan bulu tidak menjamin bisa segera terbang.
Elpkins benar-benar terbang hanya sekali sejak menumbuhkan sayapnya – momen pembangkitan saat ia jatuh dari tebing. Saat itu, ia terlalu panik untuk menyadari telah menumbuhkan sayap atau bahwa ia telah terbang mati-matian kembali ke tanah. Sejak pembangkitannya, ketakutan di mata orang-orang membuatnya sama sekali tidak menggunakan sayapnya.
Tapi sekarang, melesat cepat ke langit saat sinyal – apakah itu benar-benar mungkin?
Elpkins mencoba menggerakkan sayapnya, merasakan nyeri berdenyut karena baru disembuhkan, dan erangan tertahan lolos dari bibirnya. Tapi tetap saja…
"Aku bisa. Aku akan coba apa pun yang diperlukan."
Arah terbang tidak penting. Jika para dermawannya menginginkannya, Elpkins bertekad berhasil.
"Ya. Jika berjalan sesuai instruksimu, salah satu dari kami akan ada di pertandingan pertama besok. Begitu pertarungan dimulai, kami akan langsung menghentikan semuanya dan membuat jalur lurus dari bawah tanah ke luar. Dan kau…"
Dengan mata sedalam jurang, Yuder melanjutkan.
"Kaulah yang bisa menggunakan jalur itu lebih cepat dari siapa pun di sini."
Itulah sebabnya tugas ini hanya untuk Elpkins.
Mendengar penjelasan Yuder, rasa ngilu menjalar di tulang punggung Elpkins.
Tak ada seorang pun yang pernah mengakui sayapnya berguna. Tapi sekarang, berbeda.
Setelah terkurung di lantai tiga bawah tanah, Elpkins menghabiskan malam yang nyaman untuk pertama kalinya, berlatih menggerakkan sayapnya sepanjang waktu. Awalnya, sayap itu hampir tak bergerak seolah tulangnya membeku. Bahkan hingga pagi ini, tak banyak kemajuan, tapi usaha gigih perlahan mendatangkan respons. Saat ia mengerahkan tenaga, sayapnya mengepak nyata berbeda dari sebelumnya.
Elpkins menarik napas dalam dan menatap lubang yang Yuder buat di langit-langit. Cukup besar hanya untuk satu orang lewat.
‘Aku bisa terbang. Aku harus!’
Saat sayapnya mengepak makin kuat, seperti burung berlatih terbang, Yuder menjaga panggung, memastikan tak seorang pun bisa mendekati Elpkins.
Dalam pertempuran satu lawan banyak, pejuang tunggal biasanya dirugikan, tapi situasi Yuder agak berbeda.
Kepalan tangannya menghantam titik-titik vital dengan presisi. Permainan pedangnya dengan mudah menangkis senjata yang dipegang lawan jauh lebih besar sebelum mengiris tendon dalam sekejap, melumpuhkan mereka. Dengan elemen api, air, angin, dan tanah, gerakannya sekilat di sini, sekilas di sana, membalik taktik musuh dalam sekejap mata.
Yuder bergerak dengan kebebasan dan keganasan ikan di air, menggunakan seluruh tubuhnya sebagai senjata. Jika ada orang yang lahir untuk bertarung, menggunakan setiap bagian tubuhnya sebagai senjata, dialah orangnya. Gerakannya begitu bisa memprediksi serangan musuh, sulit dipercaya ia tidak benar-benar diberi tahu sebelumnya.
Apakah ia lahir untuk bertempur?
Semua orang berpikir begitu, mengamati gerakannya yang sempurna dan terkendali, tak pernah menyia-nyiakan momen, tak pernah berlebihan.
Ini sama sekali berbeda dari para ksatria yang memainkan permainan pedang mereka yang cantik dan lembut. Monster ini terlalu terbiasa dengan pertempuran tanpa aturan ini. Kekejaman saat ia menggunakan tubuh orang tak sadar sebagai perisai terhadap serangan datang membuat bahkan Nukijo ngeri. Ini makhluk yang lebih dekat pada iblis daripada teladan keadilan.
Kekuatan mutlak. Eksistensi seperti bencana alam, tanpa keraguan atau belas kasihan.
Meski banyak anak buah Nukijo masih tersisa, mereka mulai takut pada Yuder.
Tak peduli sebanyak apa pun herbivora, mereka tak bisa mengalahkan satu predator. Monster berambut hitam ini predator lahir, dan mereka sekadar mangsa, kesadaran yang menghunjam sampai ke tulang. Begitu mereka mengakui tak bisa mengalahkannya, ketakutan dan kecemasan menyebar di kelompok itu dalam sekejap.
"Sialan! Jangan mundur! Bagaimana mungkin kita tak bisa mengalahkan satu orang itu! Bahkan tak ada goresan padanya, bagaimana itu mungkin!"
Nukijo, melihat anak buahnya goyah dan kehilangan semangat, berteriak frustrasi.
"Bertahan! Bunuh dia dengan cara apa pun! Siapa pun yang mundur akan mati oleh tanganku!"
"Dengan atap yang jebol, pasti sudah berisik di luar sekarang. Kuharap orang-orang di sisi lain menahan para penyusup."
Tapi, seolah merasakan pikiran Nukijo, Yuder yang bertarung sengit berteriak.
"Elpkins! Belum siap?"
"Tidak, sudah selesai sekarang!"
Selesai? Apa yang selesai?
Terlalu fokus pada Yuder, Nukijo baru menyadari keberadaan Elpkins.
"Kenapa dia di sini? Bukankah kemarin dia masih keliling mencari kita?"
Luka-luka mengerikan itu telah hilang. Tubuh Elpkins kini bersih dan sehat seperti hari pertama ia menginjakkan kaki di sini. Sepasang sayap raksasa, berbulu lebat, membentang dari punggungnya seperti lengan yang terbuka. Saat semua orang sejenak terpesona,
"Uaaaah!"
Elpkins akhirnya menendang tanah dan melesat, sayapnya mengepak kuat.
Saat ia naik dengan goyah menuju targetnya, Nukijo cepat menyadari ke mana ia menuju. Ia terbang menuju lubang di langit-langit.
"Tembak dia, tembak!"
Saat Nukijo berteriak, anak buahnya yang sibuk menembakkan panah ke Yuder panik, tak tahu harus berbuat apa.
"Kita sudah habiskan semua panah untuk yang itu…!"
"Apa? Sudah habis?!"
Di tengah keheranan Nukijo, Elpkins melesat kuat. Makin ia mengepak, makin stabil gerakannya.
"Aku menemukan satu!"
"Tembak cepat!"
Saat salah satu anak buah Nukijo menemukan anak panah tersisa dari jauh dan membidik, Elpkins tak berhenti. Tepat saat ia mencapai lubang yang Yuder buat, panah yang terisi dilepaskan.
Elpkins bersiap menahan sakit tapi tak mengubah arah atau mengendurkan sayapnya.
"…Aaaah!"
Tapi rasa sakit tak datang. Jeritan datang dari tempat lain. Saat melewati lubang langit-langit, Elpkins melihat panah itu, yang dibelokkan, menembus Nukijo. Semua itu jelas perbuatan Yuder, dengan kekuatan angin di tangannya.
"Naik!"
Saat mata mereka bertemu, Yuder mengucapkan perintah dengan gerakan bibir.
Elpkins merespons, tak pernah menoleh ke belakang, hanya ke atas, sambil mengepakkan sayapnya dengan kuat. Pecahan langit-langit dan lantai yang rusak menggoresnya, meninggalkan luka, tapi ia tak memedulikannya.
Untuk pertama kalinya sejak terkurung di bawah tanah, langit tiba-tiba dekat, lalu memenuhi pandangannya.
Elpkins kini berada di atas atap Kedai Black Orca.
"Apa itu?"
"Astaga. Orang dengan sayap!"
Saat orang-orang di bawah menunjuk dan melongo kaget, Elpkins tersengal mencari udara. Persendian sayapnya nyeri seolah akan patah, tapi ia tak merasakan sakit.
Ia menghirup udara dingin dan manis di luar dalam-dalam lalu berteriak,
"Aku seorang Pembangkit! Aku baru saja kabur dari arena tarung ilegal di bawah! Tolong bantu!"
Itu kalimat yang Kishiar dan Yuder perintahkan untuk ia teriakkan begitu muncul.
Akhirnya, semuanya tercapai.
Gemetar hebat karena telah melakukan apa yang dulu ia anggap mustahil, misinya sendiri, Elpkins meneteskan air mata.
Ini, akhirnya, sebuah pelarian.
Chapter 673
"You've arrived."
A single emotionless sentence, yet hearing it strangely made him feel like crying.
Amidst the overwhelming surge of emotions, Elpkins struggled to contain himself. Around him, chaos reigned supreme. Yuder scanned the scene quickly – the coarse shouting of Nukijo, the murderous intents charging from all sides, and the frantic movements of the VIPs attempting escape – before leaping down from the stage.
"Elpkins. Begin as soon as you're ready."
Yuder wore no armor that could provide significant protection, but he didn't consider this a major hindrance. After all, being armored didn't necessarily guarantee an advantage over an unarmored opponent.
Upon landing below the stage, Yuder effortlessly parried the onslaught of attacks using the forces of nature, his sword, and his entire body. Despite facing numerous opponents, he was not only unyielding but occasionally overpowered those who dared approach him. Elpkins watched, reminded of a predator leaping amidst herbivores.
Yuder quickly froze and then melted the spilled alcohol, causing Nukijo's henchmen to slip and collide with each other. Without even looking, he sent a would-be attacker flying with a single back kick. Attempts to ensnare him were futile, whether it was breaking iron weapons with a flick of his hand or catching and accurately returning thrown daggers to their throwers.
Among them were those who resorted to despicable tactics, like scattering sharp shards of broken glass or blindly lunging to grab ankles or hair, aiming for the eyes. Yuder remained undaunted by such attacks, simply exacting a devilish retribution twice as fierce.
Several thrown daggers aimed at Yuder in mid-air suddenly changed direction, striking Nukijo's other henchmen instead. Elpkins almost laughed, witnessing them scurrying under tables in terror. He had never imagined he'd live to see such a spectacle – it was truly magnificent.
But he had his own role to play, a task only Elpkins could undertake, as mentioned by Yuder the day before.
Yuder had asked, "Can you fly tomorrow?"
"Excuse me?"
"I mean, at the moment the signal drops, can you soar to the sky without looking back?"
Elpkins possessed a massive pair of wings. These wings were severely damaged, once broken at the joints due to Nukijo's gang's antics, and further twisted and cracked through numerous battles, rendering them grotesque.
Although possessing regenerative abilities, the extent of damage had once led him to fear he might never fly again. Kishiar had miraculously healed them to almost perfect condition, yet healing the bones and regrowing the feathers didn't guarantee immediate flight.
Elpkins had truly flown only once since he had grown his wings – a moment of awakening as he fell from a cliff. In that instance, he had been too distraught to realize he had grown wings or that he had flown desperately back to the ground. Since his awakening, the fear in people's eyes had kept him from using his wings at all.
But now, to rise swiftly into the sky at the signal – was that really possible?
Elpkins tentatively flexed his wings, feeling a throbbing pain due to their recent healing, and a suppressed groan escaped his lips. But still…
"I can do it. I'll try whatever it takes."
The direction in which to fly was inconsequential. If his benefactors wished it, Elpkins was determined to succeed.
"Yes. If it goes as you've instructed, one of us will be in tomorrow's first match. The moment the fight starts, we'll immediately stop everything and create a straight passage from underground to the outside. And you..."
With eyes as dark as the abyss, Yuder continued.
"You are the one who can use that passage faster than anyone else here."
That was why this task was meant for Elpkins alone.
Upon hearing Yuder's explanation, a shiver ran down Elpkins' spine.
No one had ever acknowledged his wings as useful. But now, it was different.
After being trapped on the third underground level, Elpkins spent a comfortable night for the first time, practicing moving his wings throughout. Initially, they barely twitched as if the bones had solidified. Even by this morning, there wasn't much improvement, but persistent effort gradually elicited a response. When he exerted strength, his wings flapped noticeably differently than before.
Elpkins took a deep breath and looked up at the hole Yuder had opened in the ceiling. It was just large enough for one person to pass through.
‘I can fly. I must!’
As his wings fluttered more vigorously, like birds practicing flight, Yuder defended the stage, ensuring no one could approach Elpkins.
In battles where one faces many, the lone fighter is typically at a disadvantage, but Yuder's situation was somewhat different.
His fists struck vital points with precision. His swordplay effortlessly deflected weapons wielded by much larger opponents before slicing tendons in an instant, rendering them powerless. With the elements of fire, water, wind, and earth, his movements were a flash here, a flicker there, upending his enemies' tactics in the blink of an eye.
Yuder moved with the freedom and ferocity of a fish in water, using his entire body as a weapon. If there were ever a person born to fight, using every part of his body as a weapon, it was him. His movements were so predictive of enemy attacks, it was hard to believe he wasn't actually forewarned.
Was he born for combat?
Everyone thought so, observing his perfect, restrained movements, never wasting a moment, never superfluous.
This was entirely different from the knights who performed their pretty, demure swordplay. This monster was too accustomed to this ruleless melee. The cruelty with which he wielded an unconscious man's body as a shield against incoming attacks made even Nukijo cringe. This was a being closer to a demon than a paragon of justice.
Absolute strength. An existence like a natural disaster, without hesitation or mercy.
Though many of Nukijo's men still remained, they began to fear Yuder.
No matter how numerous the herbivores, they cannot overcome a single predator. This black-haired monster was a born predator, and they were mere prey, a realization that struck them to the bone. Once they acknowledged they could not overcome him, fear and anxiety spread through the group in an instant.
"Damn it! Don't back down! How can we not take down that one man! Not even a scratch on him, how is that possible!"
Nukijo, seeing his men falter and lose spirit, screamed in frustration.
"Hold on! Kill him by any means! Anyone who retreats will die by my hand!"
"With the roof blown open, it must be noisy outside by now. I hope those on the other side are keeping the intruders at bay."
Yet, as if sensing Nukijo's thoughts, Yuder, who had been fighting fiercely, shouted.
"Elpkins! Is it not ready yet?"
"No, it is done now!"
Done? What was done?
Preoccupied with Yuder, Nukijo had only just realized Elpkins' presence.
"Why is he here? Wasn't he scouring for us till yesterday?"
Gone were the terrible wounds. Elpkins' body was now as clean and healthy as the day he first stepped foot here. A pair of giant wings, densely feathered, stretched from his back like unfolding arms. As everyone momentarily lost their gaze in awe,
"Uaaaah!"
Elpkins finally kicked the ground and soared, wings flapping vigorously.
As he ascended shakily toward his target, Nukijo quickly realized where he was headed. He was flying towards the hole in the ceiling.
"Shoot him, shoot!"
As Nukijo yelled, his men, who had been busily firing crossbows at Yuder, panicked, not knowing what to do.
"We've used all the arrows on that one...!"
"What? Already?!"
In Nukijo's astonishment, Elpkins soared powerfully. The more he flapped, the more stable his movements became.
"I've found one!"
"Shoot quickly!"
As one of Nukijo's men found a remaining crossbow bolt from afar and aimed, Elpkins did not stop. Just as he reached the hole Yuder had made, the loaded arrow was fired.
Elpkins braced for pain but did not alter his course or relax his wings.
"…Aaaah!"
But the pain did not come. The scream came from elsewhere. As he passed through the ceiling hole, Elpkins saw the arrow, redirected, pierce Nukijo. The feat was clearly Yuder's, with the power of the wind in his hand.
"Go up!"
As their eyes met, Yuder mouthed the command.
Elpkins responded, never looking back, only upwards, as he powerfully flapped his wings. Pieces of the broken ceiling and floor grazed him, leaving wounds, but he paid them no heed.
For the first time since being trapped underground, the sky was suddenly close, then filled his view.
Elpkins was now atop the Black Orca Tavern's roof.
"What is that?"
"My goodness. A man with wings!"
As people below pointed and gaped in shock, Elpkins gasped for air. His wing joints ached as if they would break, but he felt no pain.
He inhaled the cold, sweet air outside deeply and then shouted,
"I am an Awakener! I've just escaped from an illegal fighting ring below! Please help!"
This was the line Kishiar and Yuder had instructed him to shout as soon as he emerged.
At last, everything was accomplished.
Shivering with the tremendous sensation of having accomplished what he once deemed might be impossible, his own mission, Elpkins shed tears.
It was, at last, an escape.
[BL] Bermuda
Leonardo Blaine, the true war hero of the Raina Logia Empire and the commander of the Armsilver 11th Squad, is dishonorably discharged for disobeying orders during the final battle that could have led the Empire to victory in the territorial war. People criticize and point fingers at him, and after being released on parole from prison, he disappears without a trace.
Three years later, his name has been forgotten by the world. The Council has been persistently pursuing him, but he has proven difficult to capture. Frustrated by this, Hugo Agrizendro, the commander of the Council's army, decides to personally apprehend him.
"Since when have you been watching me?"
Leonardo was calculative and astute, so it wouldn't be surprising if he had been observing Hugo for some time now. However, Leonardo's answer was something that even Hugo had not anticipated.
"From the very beginning."
[BL] Cloudless Sky
Jin Soram, the top-ranked hunter representing South Korea's Rift Phenomenon Management Headquarters, is stronger than anyone else and lazier than anyone else. As soon as he arrives at the office, he buries himself under a blanket and falls asleep. When he goes out on a mission, he causes accidents and returns to the office, often shirking his duties.
"Do you know how it feels to play a game that's already messed up? ...Anyway, the next round will come, so this time, I'm just going to play it recklessly."
In fact, his true identity is someone who has regressed through three lives, trying to save the world from the Great Rift but failing each time. After repeating a life where he couldn't sleep peacefully even for a day, he became completely exhausted before this life even began.
"I know. You worked hard, Jin Soram."
And then there's Han Tae-un, the man who saved Soram and died in all three previous lives. As he did in every life, he comes to Soram's side once again. The Great Rift is approaching soon. It's impossible to resolve it in this life without any preparation. Soram vows to save Tae-un in this life and die himself. At least, he won't let Tae-un save a failure like himself again.
"For now, until then, let's sleep..."
As Soram sluggishly lives his life waiting for that moment, a gradual change occurs in his heart.
'I thought this was a messed-up round... but I want to live a little longer here.'
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