NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 125
As soon as I crossed over the space, the scenery that greeted me momentarily left me in a stupor.
It was because I found myself in a space filled entirely with dolls.
If I at least knew that this world was the Snow Castle, such a bright and cheerful space couldn’t possibly exist.
It had to be due to the cowardice mode I was in.
So, could it be related to the Outsider?
Or was it too cruel of a scene?
As I pondered these thoughts, I stared blankly at what the Deputy Director said.
“…It’s clear this is not a safe space.”
“Uh, yes.”
Hmm.
The fact that it doesn’t feel like a safe space means those dolls are somehow related to the Outsider?
If so, I should be careful not to step on them.
But how do I avoid stepping on them?
The intact floor has such a small area that if I’m not careful, I’ll definitely step on them.
While thinking this, I frowned slightly, and the Deputy Director pursed his lips and spoke.
“Hm, it seems this atmosphere doesn’t threaten you at all.”
Is it because I was making too calm of a face?
I wanted to show him my perspective, but since I couldn’t, I decided to just agree with him for now.
“Uh… no. It definitely looks like a dangerous… space.”
It’s hard to deny obvious facts, so as I stumbled over my words, I suddenly noticed Maren Burstian looking at me with a satisfied smile.
I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was some misunderstanding.
As I thought this and tried to clarify, the Deputy Director merely turned his gaze back forward.
“Let’s move on.”
“Yes!”
Reluctantly, I responded and followed.
And as I saw him blatantly stepping on the dolls, I was convinced that it wasn’t dangerous, so I also stepped forward following the Deputy Director, crushing dolls underfoot.
I roughly asked the Deputy Director for something to eat, filling my stomach as we moved forward.
With the Deputy Director looking at me like I was a monster, I couldn’t help but think that those dolls were significant.
“Don’t be too hasty. The fact that there are so many corpses means something is going on.”
Only then did I realize why the Deputy Director had been looking at me that way.
Ah.
If I start feasting in front of corpses like this, I would naturally be seen as a monster.
I should’ve assessed what was going on before acting.
As I slightly regretted my actions, I noticed something ahead.
A male and female figure were fighting, seemingly unwilling to yield to one another.
Hastily approaching with the Deputy Director, we hid behind a pile of dolls and observed, realizing that their combat strength was fairly evenly matched.
The clash of immense power.
Due to the shockwaves, the surrounding dolls were being hurled into the air.
Having discovered that they were corpses, I could roughly imagine how brutal the scene was.
Then, when the male’s face became briefly visible, I caught a glimpse of someone who seemed very familiar.
Thinking about that person, I spoke to the Deputy Director.
“Isn’t that person… him?”
He looked very much like the God of War I had seen in the Deputy Director’s dreams.
And he was wielding an axe in each hand.
In my common sense, there was no one else who could fight with such an inefficient weapon.
At my words, the Deputy Director’s eyes widened, and he rushed straight at the male figure.
His speed was so fast that I didn’t even think to block him.
*Ping!*
The Deputy Director’s large sword lightly deflected the female’s attack, and I saw both of them recognizing each other.
“Wha, who the hell is this?!”
The man responded in a gruff voice as if he was glad to see the Deputy Director.
“Is that you, Deputy Director?!”
It turned out he was indeed the God of War.
*Kaka-kang, ping!*
The Deputy Director deflected the female’s attack.
Given that the Deputy Director was able to block her attack without time to think, it probably meant she was also related to the Outsider.
However, what was a bit strange was that both the woman and the God of War had amused expressions as if they were enjoying the fight.
“God of War…!”
There was a slight tremor in the Deputy Director’s voice.
Could it be that he was thrilled to find one of the knights he treasured?
The God of War, with a playful punch, struck the Deputy Director’s shoulder.
“Hey, Deputy Director! You’re making that face just because we haven’t seen each other in a while? You’re big as a mountain!”
“…Compared to your size, I’m nothing.”
“What are you talking about! You’re taller than me, Deputy Director!”
Despite this being a long-awaited reunion, the Deputy Director spoke as naturally as if they were friends who had hung out just yesterday.
The same was true for the God of War.
But they couldn’t afford to lose sight of the situation at hand.
“…It’s great to see you again, God of War. But let’s save the catching up for later. Right now, we need to deal with that guy first.”
“Haha, of course! I’ve almost taken care of them anyway!”
Seeing the God of War shout confidently, I couldn’t help but smile contentedly.
“I’ve almost taken care of them!”
Suddenly, the Outsider blatantly started mimicking the God of War’s words.
The intonation was exactly the same.
What was that about?
Was she mocking the God of War?
Isn’t the God of War one of those insane knights on par with the Deputy Director?
Meanwhile, the Outsider in front of me didn’t seem to emanate that level of strength.
If anything, she was probably below Nutricha in level?
Or was she just a playful Outsider?
But saying that wouldn’t fit either, as she was repeating the God of War’s words without any hint of mockery.
Though I felt something was amiss, the Deputy Director had already moved forward alongside the God of War towards the Outsider.
*Bang!*
The God of War’s double-axes and the Deputy Director’s great sword swung simultaneously at the Outsider.
The Outsider hastily tried to block their attack with her weapon, but there was no way she could withstand their assault.
The Outsider’s weapon shattered into pieces.
With her means of attack gone, the Outsider wore a blank expression.
“Haha, Deputy Director! I’m taking the finishing blow!”
“I’m taking it!”
See? She mimicked again.
However, because the Deputy Director couldn’t hear her voice, he didn’t perceive anything odd and continued to watch the God of War’s stunning movements with a serious expression.
The God of War soared into the air, rotating five times before breaking his stance and raising his axe to the point it could tap the back of his head.
“Uraaaaaah!”
A ferocious roar echoed around, and with a centrifugal force, he brought the axe crashing down on the Outsider’s skull.
*Thud!*
To my eyes, it looked as though the Outsider’s head temporarily sunk in like a comical animation before bouncing back up.
There was no mistaking what this meant.
“Uraaaaaah!”
The Outsider trembled and let out a roar similar to the God of War’s, collapsing to the ground.
It signified death.
The God of War stood there, seemingly checking the Outsider’s status, gasping for breath as his shoulders moved up and down.
And as soon as he confirmed the Outsider had died…
“Qwahaha! We’ve achieved victory! Rondan’s Knights shall last forever!”
With that declaration, he raised his axes high into the sky.
#
“How have you survived until now, God of War?”
“Hey, Deputy Director! It’s me, of all people! Do you think I’d die to that snowstorm or some Outsider?!”
The God of War and the Deputy Director were relishing in their post-battle victory as they took a break.
On the side, I felt somewhat crumpled.
Truthfully, it took me a fair amount of time to lose the distance with someone like the Deputy Director, so I was somewhat flustered that such a big shot had just appeared.
In a way, it felt like trying to befriend a seasoned veteran from my past.
The God of War turned his gaze to me, pointing and asking the Deputy Director.
“Deputy Director, who is this young fellow?”
“He’s the one who just got promoted to a knight. He’s something else. He doesn’t even think about hurting himself for Rondan.”
“What?! There’s a knight who can move like that at his age?!”
The God of War looked at me, astonishment on his face.
It looked like the Deputy Director was quite proud, shoulders raised high.
“On top of that, his mental fortitude is incredibly strong. Even with the Outsider particles embedded in him, he didn’t suffer any damage. An average human would’ve died just from that alone.”
“Outsider particles?”
“Such a thing exists. You’ll learn about it as we work together later.”
I chuckled softly, watching the God of War looking amazed at the Deputy Director.
Having not forgotten the feeling of reuniting with an old friend, I understood why the Deputy Director was acting this way.
Right now, the Deputy Director was excited.
Not wanting to show it too much, he stood up and walked toward the portal connected to our world.
“For now, let’s wrap up the conversation here. I want to get out of this horrid place immediately.”
“I agree. Let’s hurry back to Rondan! Thanks to you, Deputy Director, we’re alive!”
“Once we go back, the Princess will probably commend you. Be ready to receive it.”
“Got it!”
With those words, the Deputy Director stepped through the space first, and the God of War and I stood up almost simultaneously.
I intended to follow behind the God of War as he led the way.
“Hmm, is that so…”
But the God of War suddenly didn’t move forward, mumbling, and turned back to look at me.
However, could I have misread it?
For a split second, I felt like the God of War’s eyes were glowing red.
“You have a resemblance to me, friend.”
That spine-chilling air froze my body.
Clearly, his face was smiling.
He had a friendly-looking smile.
But that gaze was unmistakably revealing a murderous intent directed at me.
A brief moment of silence lingered.
It was the God of War who broke that silence by performing a gesture I couldn’t comprehend—a thumbs-up.
Then, he dashed behind the Deputy Director as if nothing had happened.
“Hey! Let’s go together, Deputy Director!”
“You crazy fool! I told you not to shoulder-hug me so violently with your size!”
“What’s the big deal! Deputy Director, you’re strong!”
Laughing heartily, the God of War slung his arm over the Deputy Director’s shoulder, listening to the Deputy Director mumble as they moved forward.
Hmmm.
Was it just my feeling?
There were multiple questions, but since there was nothing I could ascertain right away, I decided to quietly follow behind those two.