Episode 169
“It is not our heroes who must sacrifice. “You humans.”
Yoosung said.
Through the Clown Lord's power, ‘Raise the Stage', the scene unfolding at the Throne at the End is projected to the people of the world.
[“You have become a monster, you who have abandoned being a hero.”]
The human monarchs answered coldly as they looked down at the shooting star from the highest point of the tower.
At the same time, there were countless monarchs built up through human history and karma who were loyal to human monarchs.
Fire, destruction, war, assassins, pain and death...
“Someone’s hero becomes someone else’s monster, isn’t it? That’s what a ‘war hero’ is.”
The Lord of Heroes and the Monster of Men answered, holding the sword of the winter night.
[“Kill the hero.”]
With those words, the monarchs who had been silent once again moved. No, I tried to move.
But it couldn't be done.
An intangible force began to swirl towards the very throne where the human monarchs sat side by side.
At the same time, Yoosung was able to understand the will behind that power.
That was the longing of the humans watching this scene.
An ordeal that humans cannot understand. A transcendental game that doesn't even exist anymore.
The game engulfed the world of humans, and they were powerless to endure the ordeal. That's why I longed for a hero.
A scapegoat who will bear the pain for them.
And now there was once again an ‘ordeal’ that humans could not understand.
The king of heroes and a monster of the sky who abandoned being a human hero. Heavenly Demon (天魔). In front of him, no strong person could have any meaning.
“Are you starting to understand the situation now?”
That's why Yooseong looked up at the five human monarchs who were looking down at him and mocked them.
『Kill the hero...!”]
Immediately after, all the evil accumulated throughout human history flooded in.
The Warlord began pouring down all types of artillery fire, and in the midst of it, the Assassin Lord rushed towards the meteor, casting a ‘mark of death'.
However, paradoxically, I could feel it more and more clearly every time there was a rush of monarchs made up of human malice.
They could never defeat themselves.
Sigh!
In front of the Assassin Lord's sword swinging, the ‘Shadow Imitators' who had been silent at Yoosung's feet stood up all at once.
As the Heavenly Demon drew, shadows imitating the King of Heroes swung their swords in front of the Assassin Lord.
Sigh!
“Hey, our Kkamang has succeeded.”
The shadow imitators' swords swung, and the Heavenly Demon's sword engulfed the Assassin Lord's being.
Annihilation (MM).
“What do you think the world’s assassin lord can’t even defeat my cat?”
The shooting star taunted, and the monarchs moved again.
Destruction, death, fire, light, war... But nothing could reach the King of Heroes.
“You can’t kill me, human.”
There was a monster born of human desire.
An iron man who will not give in to any defeat, will not break or die, and can endure any ordeal.
An artificial god who does not fall at the hands of any assassin, leads any war to victory, and willingly sacrifices himself for the sake of humans.
It was humans who created that god.
And that god no longer loved humans.
“As the monarch and great empress of heroes and jesters, I make a declaration here and now.”
That's why they opened their mouths without any hesitation in front of all the people they had abandoned.
“I will challenge the seat of the overlord that you, the human monarch, reign over.”
Coo!
Once again, the area they were standing on was shaking, and countless monarchs could not hide their astonishment.
[“I will acknowledge your challenge according to the rules.”]
At the same time, a monarch wearing a jet black robe appeared there. One of the great princes who maintains neutrality in any situation and coordinates the game.
He was the lord of the game.
And that monarch was also by no means someone who gave easy-to-understand loyalty to a human monarch.
He was merely an enforcer of the rules. Reminds me of the words of the Clown Lord.
When this game first started, the being who created this game and sat in the chair of the overlord was not human in the first place.
Likewise, human monarchs have no reason to sit at the top of the game forever.
Even if you are the one who reigns at the top of the game, you cannot be free from the rules.
“What are you doing?”]
“You wouldn’t know it if you looked at it? “That’s how you inherit the throne. Father.”
Yoosung responded sarcastically as if it were someone else's business.
There was a hero there, the son of human longing and who no longer loved humans.
And the hero fixed the sword of the winter night, imbued with the coldness of the apocalypse.
With an immeasurable ‘army of shadows' imitating the Heavenly Demon's sword.
A superhuman created to endure trials on behalf of humans that cannot be endured. At the same time, he is a living sacrifice who is deprived of his life and has no choice but to sacrifice everything for humans until the end.
The Lord of Heroes wordlessly brought his hand to his face.
I felt the cold texture of the mask.
There were all kinds of masks there, crying, laughing, neither crying nor laughing at the same time.
Masks of countless heroes who fell for humanity.
Beings who repeat the same thing endlessly and make sacrifices for their sake, are not understood by anyone, and receive nothing in return.
Lieutenant General Kilgore, Mistress, and even Sword Master were no exception. Just as there are other '10 heroes' that Yoosung does not know about.
[“We will no longer sacrifice for you humans.”]
[The Lord of Heroes proclaims to the Lord of Humans.] He claims to be
the savior of heroes and willingly turns his back on humans.
And the Lord of Heroes walked away.
To the human monarchs who look down upon him from high above.
One step, two steps and three steps.
The pace narrowed, and the monarchs loyal to the human monarch moved in unison. But no assassin's sword, no weapon of war, fire, destruction, pain, or even death could bring the Lord of Heroes to his knees.
Nothing had meaning before the hero and the monster in the sky.
“It is you humans who must sacrifice.”]
[The Lord of Heroes declares to the Lord of Humans.]
[“Make a decision.”]
An ordeal that humans cannot bear has spoken.
And in the face of trials they could not bear, the will of humans began to fail again.
It was the will of mankind that even the human monarchs who reigned there could not be freed from.
Sacrifice for us.
The sacrifice of a cow for the greater good.
Sacrifice to protect us.
Once again, human ugliness began to stir there. But it was no longer aimed at heroes.
Because the hero there was no longer someone humans could fight against.
In the face of overwhelming violence that they cannot even dare to think of resisting, humans once again choose submission. Not even angry.
“This is your last chance.”
“Either the high-ranking people there sacrifice, or ‘all humans’ except the high-ranking people sacrifice.”]
And only when that being demands sacrifice does one begin to get angry.
It is not anger at the sacrifice itself.
All they do is point their fingers and become angry at people who will be the victims.
You, you, not me, you.
In the contradiction of urging someone else to sacrifice and at the same time never sacrificing oneself.
“How does it feel to be swallowed up by human contradictions?”
That's why Yooseong smiled bitterly.
“It is you who must sacrifice...!”]
At the same time, the human monarch shouted. Those were not words addressed to the Lord of Heroes. Likewise
, it was a finger pointing from
humans towards each other .
Do you think that all human lives are equal?
The lives of a king and a butcher are not equal.
It is not the monarch who must sacrifice to protect the empire.
It's you guys.
The power of the empire, which supported the monarchs to the humans and the humans to the monarchs, began to fluctuate within.
Kugoong boom!
It wasn't even an easy battle to understand.
Before we knew it, the human overlords there even started pointing fingers at themselves.
As I was looking at that, I couldn't help but laugh.
The scene was so ridiculous that I couldn't stand it.
So, I started giggling, shaking my shoulders and wondering what was so funny, twisting my upper body.
The clown’s mask suddenly changed into the “Laughing Clown” mask and he started laughing.
“Do you know what makes a king a king?”
After laughing, Yoosung said.
“He can exist only when people accept him as their king.”
It is an illusion that a being has something special from birth and is therefore noble and can rule over others. There is no such thing as nobility.
There is only ‘faith’.
The belief that they are different from oneself.
The belief that a beggar on the side of the road is different from a person sitting on a throne.
From that belief, nobility, power and honor are born.
“You, who have lost the faith of humans, no longer have the qualifications to be monarchs.”
That is why the King of Heroes spoke.
“This is the last chance I give you humans.”
In a cold voice without even the slightest emotion.
“Kill your king.”]
[“...!”]
The stage curtain is still up. All humans will be watching this scene through the power of the Clown Lord.
And the King of Heroes was urging them to make a decision.
It was time to dethrone the human king, who had been appointed by the hands of humans.
[The will of the humans urges their monarch to make a sacrifice.]
At the same time, a message emerged.
Once again, an intangible wind swirled around the entire throne spire, and the scenery changed.
That place was the Norwegian Room, where the shooting star had been until just moments before.
The five heads of the UN Peace Security Council were right there. Presidents and Prime Ministers of the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China. The most powerful people in the world.
The human kings all took something out of their chests.
It was a pistol.
Everyone puts the pistols in their hands to their mouths or to their temples and pulls the trigger at the same time.
Taang!
Gunshots rang out and bullets tore through their skulls and shot outward.
Blood and brain matter were splattered, and the body collapsed like a puppet with its strings unraveled.
It was a very humane death.