WETRIED TRANSLATIONS

Wizard of the Abyss

[Translator – Aren]

Chapter 124 - Using One Evil to Fight Another (14)

After Sunken Mire left, I bound my entire body tightly to a nearby pillar.

So tightly it almost killed me. Only after confirming that no matter how much I thrashed, I couldn’t even struggle did I finally let out a breath.

She would come.

She would definitely come. As I waited with that thought in mind—

Something moving was caught within my world.

"..."

"..."

And then…

My gaze met hers as she strolled into the garden.

Moonlight shone between the two of us. After a long silence, I was the first to speak up.

"Well, aren’t you going to ask?”

"Hm?”

"I imagine you have quite a lot you’re curious about.”

Why did you betray me? Was this your intention from the beginning?

I expected angry accusations like those to come flying back at me, but Nightfall only tilted her head slightly as if she didn’t understand.

And only after thinking for a long while did she finally speak.

"Hmm… If I really had to ask something, I’m kind of curious how you were so certain you’d act the same way even after losing your memories. That was something I truly didn’t expect.”

"Asking that of someone who’s lost his memories is a bit unreasonable. I suppose I simply believed that, faced with the same situation, I’d come to the same conclusion.”

I deliberately trailed off to buy some time.

In the end, the one who had to shoulder the most burdens was her. The longer this conversation dragged on, the more Nightfall would have to bear the weight of the empty promises she had scattered about.

Because of that, I had thought there was a high chance she would attack right away—

"But still, you know? You really are you, big brother.”

Nightfall was calm. No, beyond that, she almost seemed to lack any real understanding of the situation she was in.

She didn’t even direct her gaze toward me, instead gently touching the roses in the garden. It somehow didn’t seem like she regarded me as her enemy at all.

"Come to think of it, you were always like this, big brother. You were always somewhere I couldn’t reach.”

"Lady Nightfall. I can understand why you don’t see this situation as a crisis.”

"Hmm?”

"Because you're an Upper Tier. You’ve probably accumulated a lot of experience. This probably isn’t the first time you’ve been in this sort of situation. Naturally, you must have your own methods prepared.”

Looking at Nightfall’s puzzled expression, I explained calmly.

“Saying this while I’m in such a state is a bit laughable, but you never should have accepted me.”

"What do you mean by that?”

"The moment you swallowed me, it was already over. Give up, hand that seat over to me, and I’ll spare your life.”

Nightfall blinked at my chilling declaration—

Then let out a soft chuckle.

"Big brother, you’re smart enough to know this already, but none of this really holds that much meaning.”

"..."

"Yes. The family members will have to move to different bodies. The children will need to be remade. It’ll take some time. But in the end, everything can be recreated. And well, to be honest, I think it should be fine for me to increase the number of my family members just a little now.”

-Snaaaaap!

Thousands of threads wrapped around her neck snapped at once, and they descended straight toward me.

"Because you're here, big brother.”

The ropes binding me had been tied tight. Even if I exerted every ounce of strength I had, there was no way to break free with sheer physical force alone.

And yet—the hand bound by threads began to writhe and swell grotesquely.

"!"

"Don’t worry. I won’t harm even a hair on your body, big brother.”

-Snap!

With a light flick of her finger, my hand slipped free from my own will and effortlessly severed the ropes.

My arm, swollen into a grotesque shape as if pumped full of some drug, radiated a sense of omnipotence. A power strong enough to shatter stone with ease.

"Khg—!"

But that strength didn’t exist for my sake.

From the beginning, I was someone bound by contract.

My body wasn’t mine. My hand casually tightened around my own neck, making me feel dizzy.

Nightfall covered her mouth lightly, watching with what looked like concern.

"Just endure it a little longer. I’ll erase your memories once every hour, especially for you, big brother. Then we can live together as a family forever.”

"No… thank you…”

Gritting my teeth as I refused, something other than ropes pressed down on my body this time.

"Huh?"

Nightfall tried to keep moving my arms with threads, looking clearly flustered, but the overwhelming weight refused to yield to her control.

Only then did the smile vanish from her lips.

"...You made a contract with me. Your world shouldn’t still be able to exist.”

"Well, you made a small mistake.”

I replied lightly, and Nightfall stopped trying to move my arm.

Instead, the threads shifted toward somewhere else.

"Get out."

"...Huh?"

"Get out of my big brother’s body. Now.”

What was she even talking about?”

Still, the giant anger in her tone made one thing quite clear. She didn’t like the fact that I was using my world.

The problem came next.

"..."

"...Erm."

From where the threads descended, something utterly absurd began crawling out.

They seemed to be—humans, maybe? Every single one of them had their head blown off, their muscles grotesquely swollen, and their clothes completely torn apart.

Completely naked. About three times the size of an average adult male, moving on all fours.

Soaked in blood, brain matter dripping from them, their appearance was horrific enough that you’d believe they had just clawed their way up from hell.

Seeing those monsters, a question slipped out of me involuntarily.

"Wait, you can even do this?”

"..."

Nightfall didn’t answer. She simply stared at me with a gaze filled with deep hostility. The warmth with which she’d called me 'big brother' not too long ago was nowhere to be found.

Either way, it meant I couldn’t expect mercy. Watching the monsters slowly approaching, I steeled myself.

I couldn’t stop the water pressure pinning my body down. If I did, my own hands would immediately wrap around my neck.

But if I stayed still, those monstrous creatures would knock me unconscious, and then only a horrific outcome would await me.

So there was only one thing I should do.

Now.

"Sink."

I blinked, and the worlds overlapped before my eyes.

Empty space became liquid, and all life was burdened by the constraints of weight before it could act.

"...Kugh, khg.”

Unfortunately for them, they didn’t seem intelligent enough to comprehend what was happening.

The creatures advancing on me began to shrink. By the time they stretched their arm, no foreleg, toward me, it was already far too late.

-Crunch!

Blood sprayed around as their bodies were crushed by the pressure, only to disperse into the seawater before it could even reach my cheek.

The ruptures didn’t stop at one. It continued until every last monster was crushed to death.

Faintly hoping that this was the end of it, I looked at Nightfall.

"Thi-this…”

A vain hope. Nightfall was still standing.

Instead, she stared around her in shock, then raised her hand to feel the flow of water.

"You’re the Grand Sea, no. No, this is different…”

Cruuunch!

She wasn't completely unharmed. The moment she reached her hand toward me, it was instantly crushed.

I watched the carnage with a frown. That should have hurt.

"—The Abyssal Sea?”

She murmured the word as she pulled her crushed hand back, looking completely unbothered.

It fit rather well. A dark sea. That was what I had thought my world should be called, but now that I thought about it, Abyssal Sea suited it far better.

"Hmm. Abyssal sea. I suppose that sounds right. I didn’t know because I’d lost my memories.”

"Impossible."

Nightfall shook her head, as if she couldn’t believe it.

"You, how are you still alive? Even Great Void said that nothing could survive within the Abyssal Sea.”

"As I said before, I don’t really know, since I lost my memories. But…”

This time, I asked while looking at her crushed arm.

"Now that I hear that, it’s actually very good news for me. Can you endure it?”

"..."

Suddenly, the threads binding her tore away in a flash and flew off somewhere.

"How ridiculous. Don’t underestimate me.”

The change was immediate. Her arm regenerated in an instant.

As she began walking forward as if it were the most natural thing in the world, there was not the slightest hint of strain in her movements. However—

"Khg, khg, kkh…”

The monsters that hadn’t died yet shriveled more violently with every step she took.

...Burden transfer. Nightfall had dumped all of the Abyssal Sea’s burdens onto those bound by contract.

When she extended her hand, a sword made of threads naturally formed and settled into her hand.

Even if it was made of thread, it was just as sharp. The blade lightly touched my neck, slicing the skin slightly.

Nightfall asked sharply.

"So. What now?”

Unable to escape my own body, pinned down by water pressure, I couldn’t move an inch. Even though I had offloaded part of my burdens to her, Nightfall could still move freely within the Abyssal Sea.

Victory and defeat were already decided. In truth, they had been from the start. If Nightfall had simply pulled out the threads and strangled my neck, I wouldn’t have lasted long.

And yet.

"You’ve only made it this far.”

I forced a smile.

Even as burdens pressed down on both Nightfall and me, even as her blade continued to cut into my neck, I smiled.

Her expression twisted into one of irritation as she put more strength into the hand gripping the sword.

"How long do you think you can endure? Passing my burdens onto others shouldn’t be so easy.”

That was the reality. Nightfall had already killed most of her family members, and her livestock were dead.

She was forcing the remaining ones to shoulder the burdens, but it wouldn’t last long.

"Hah."

Nightfall laughed as if it were absurd and pushed the blade deeper, scratching my throat.

"You’re one to talk. Even if I can’t last 10 minutes, you won’t last 10 seconds.””

"I see. I’m not eager to die just yet, so what are your demands?”

"Swear to dedicate every hour of your memories, of your life, to me."

"No thanks.”

"Then it can’t be helped.”

The sword of threads clenched tighter around my neck.

"You’re no longer my big brother. You were just a fake that mimicked him all this time. I’ll kill you and move to another body. That’s all.”

"No, Lady Nightfall. I am your big brother.”

"...What?”

She looked at me, dumbfounded.

I forced the threads to move and gently brushed her cheek.

"Look. Didn’t I receive Puppet’s power as well? I’m merely trapped within the Abyssal Sea.”

"...Don’t insult my big brother any further.”

-Prick

Blood gushed out.

"Then you’ve made a grave mistake.”

"The only mistake I made was being deceived by you. I’ll fix it now.”

"You can’t. You should never have given me those threads. Never. Absolutely never. Didn’t I tell you earlier? The moment you swallowed me, it was already over.”

"?"

Perhaps sensing something amiss about how calmly I was speaking even as my neck was being cut, Nightfall’s expression started to fill with doubt.

Then—her gaze moved to the threads attached to my body.

Most of them were gone.

Nightfall must have realized it then. Those threads hadn’t snapped. They had ‘connected’ to something else.

"...Ah.”

Yes, a mistake.

Nightfall had done something she should never have done.

Even if she had given the power to manipulate things to everyone in the world—

She should never have given it to me.

"I believe you called my world the Abyssal Sea—”

I nodded, smiling gently as I watched her slowly back away.

"Then these would more accurately be called deep-sea creatures.”

[...-.-----...----!]

"This, is…"

Nightfall couldn’t tear her eyes away from where the monsters she’d been controlling moments ago had been.

They were gone. Only leaving behind a trail of blood.

They had been devoured by far more horrific creatures.

Grotesque. Things so enormous and twisted they could no longer be called fish. As she stared at those abominations, Nightfall finally spoke just two words.

"Three Calamities."

Hmm. For some reason…

That term felt strangely familiar.

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