Chapter 362: Everything Is Exactly As It Seems (5)

Sometimes, conversations using the fist worked better than conversations with words. When the mercenaries came to Sefira, Keter had persuaded them through that kind of physical conversation, and it had worked well.

What was contained within the punches was not killing intent, nor the desire to win. The strong did not care about reason or logic—for the strong, power itself was reason and logic. Logical persuasion was the way of the weak or of scholars. Showing overwhelming power and making them obey was how the strong persuaded one another.

In the process, the opponent may die, but Keter firmly believed that killing was the easy way. If someone chose the easy path, they couldn’t truly be considered powerful. Being strong and being good at killing were two very different things, and Keter valued that distinction deeply.

“Guaaaagh!”

The flame dog was strangled between Keter’s legs, a flying wolf was grabbed by the hair, and a blade bird was being relentlessly hammered in the chest.

The crowman of the Soul-Stealing Crow Tribe lashed Keter repeatedly with his whip-like tail. Its edge was as sharp as a famous sword, easily tearing through even thick hide. Keter’s skin did not split, but blood splattered everywhere. Whipping was one of the most painful attacks for humans, yet Keter did not even groan as he continued fighting.

Unlike the mercenaries, who were human, these non-human races had incredible endurance and stubbornness. It was clear that this battle was not going to end easily. Plus, they were not just any other races—every single one of them was a Transcendental. This was not a fight that would end in a day or two. If they were not truly trying to kill each other, Transcendentals could fight forever.

This was an unfavorable situation for Keter since he had to protect Sefira. He intended to go to Liqueur, where answers awaited. Fighting was not the purpose of his life—it was merely a means.

Gradually, fear arose within Keter. If this fight ended halfheartedly, negotiations would become even more entrenched. However, if the fight continued, there simply wasn’t enough time.

Fear was an emotion, and emotions controlled the body. It was like how one wanted to eat when hungry or wanted to take off their clothes when hot; fear stirred the mind and emotions, and those emotions moved the body. That was why Transcendentals abandoned emotions. Without emotions, there was no fear, and therefore, didn’t have to be controlled by them.

However, Keter was different. He had chosen to live as a human. Even if he called himself a monster and one might ask what being human was like, Keter did not find the answer difficult: it was to feel sadness and joy, and to be free. As such, Keter willingly embraced every emotion, even fear.

“Let’s go all the way! Let’s see who wins!”

Keter’s voice was not confident; it trembled with fear. Precisely because of that, his opponents became afraid. Keter was fearful, yet he did not retreat. This fight would continue until one side was destroyed. No one could say who would win in the end. Keter, or the non-human races gathered here.

However, Transcendentals hated gambling. For them, people who could live lives of guaranteed victory if they wished, staking their lives on uncertain victory or defeat was foolish.

The non-human races here had vaguely thought of Keter as a strong man—a Pioneer, even. To them, another strong person was simply someone to defeat in battle. But now they realized that Keter was not simply strong; Keter was crazy. He was not someone they could defeat by fighting.

Whoosh...

The five non-human races, who were fighting even through broken bones and torn flesh, all stepped back at once. They no longer wanted to fight, and they conveyed this through their actions. They were signalling to Keter that they would concede, but...

“You want to rest? I don’t.”

Thud!

He chased after them as they retreated; he punched, kicked, and grabbed their legs.

“This isn’t over yet!”

The non-human races felt it strongly: Keter was afraid, more intensely than before. A chill ran down their spines because, despite being afraid, he kept fighting.

Dragging this out was dangerous not only for Keter but for them as well. They had released the fog of Liqueur to drag Keter in. Honestly, they had not expected things to take this long. They believed a peaceful agreement would be reached. After all, Inara, Keter’s wife, was here.

In addition, every individual gathered here was a remarkable figure. In terms of martial power, each was at least seven-star level. There was even a legendary blacksmith surpassing master craftsmen, and an elf who remembered thousands of years of history.

The Samael Empire was far stronger and more threatening, yes, but with the fog of Liqueur, they could hide from the empire’s gaze. It should have been a fair deal. This desperate fight had never been necessary, yet Keter continued throwing punches.

“Let’s end this.”

The crowman attempted a peaceful conversation, but...

Crash! Crash!

Keter grabbed his tail and slammed him left and right.

“You bastard!”

The enraged flame dog’s claws shimmered with heat. It was Ein. Until now, none of them had used powers; that had been the unspoken rule. But angered by Keter refusing to end the fight, the flame dog infused Ein into his claws, fully intending to kill.

Squelch!

The claws sank smoothly into Keter’s flesh. They pierced through even his tough muscles and reached his soft internal organs. Suddenly, Keter grabbed his wrist. It separated from the flame dog’s body. The hand embedded inside Keter dissolved into blood and flesh, returning to the body it had damaged. The flame hound staggered back, clutching his severed wrist.

Keter licked the blood from his lips.

“You people... do you know the word shame?”

For the first time, Keter asked a question instead of attacking. The non-human races looked at each other, wondering if anyone knew the meaning. They used the same language as humans, but they only needed the words necessary for communication. They had never bothered learning deeper concepts. Keter disliked that very fact.

“This is our home. To protect this land, countless people have died, shed blood, and are still training today. You know what training is like, right? It’s miserable. It’s painful. It’s not fun. Taking a nap in the warm sunlight would feel much better. But we still strive to become stronger. Why?”

Keter raised his clenched fist.

“Because it’s our home. Because the people we love are here. Because we don’t want to die. We endure pain and hardship and train, knowing we might die in a single battle! And what about you?”

“We only...”

“What wrong did we—did I—do to you? Do we have some grudge? Why are you trying to dump your misfortune on us? I know, you didn’t have a choice. Living creatures don’t commit suicide. They struggle to survive until the very end. I’m not condemning that. But you’re not insects or plants that can’t speak. You have eyes to see and mouths to speak. So at the very least, you should feel shame.”

𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

“...”

“Until now, you probably solved everything with force because it worked against your opponents. I’m not like that. I don’t care how strong or amazing you are. It just pisses me off. You’re trying to cling to Sefira for survival, yet you act as if accepting you would somehow benefit us too. Strutting around like you’ve got everything when you’ve got nothing!”

Woooong.

Heat shimmered around Keter’s hands. It resembled the Ein the flame dog had produced, but it was different. It was Ein Sof, a beautiful light with the power to kill anything in existence.

“Sefira does not accept just anyone. We accept only those who know their place. Other than that, the only thing we can offer is death.”

No one among the non-human races could answer. They felt Keter’s fear and unwavering resolve too strongly.

Keter was afraid to fight everyone present, yet he was clearly declaring his terms: submit, or leave. They had the option to fight, but even the flame dog, who hated humans, did not want to fight. None of them had come here to die—they came because they wanted to live.

“...”

“...”

Keter was merciful enough to give them time to think, but not much. He extended his hand and folded down his ring finger. Five seconds passed before the index finger followed. When the middle finger folded down five seconds later, the non-human races knelt.

There had never been much to consider. They were fugitives, wanderers. No matter how strong they were, they could never defeat the Samael Empire. If Sefira refused them, their final plan had been to unleash the fog of Liqueur and devour the empire, but they didn’t want to do that.

Not all humans deserved to die. Those gathered here wanted to live alongside humans—to revive their races again. They had not become strong merely for meaningless slaughter.

Watching this, Inara knelt. Puga, who had regained consciousness, also knelt before Keter. This was a posture of submission. Sitting at a table to negotiate symbolized equality, so by kneeling, they acknowledged that they were not equal to Sefira.

Keter approached them slowly. The light of Ein Sof vanished. It seemed like acceptance, but the other races could still see the dissatisfaction on his face. The flame dog clenched his teeth.

Is kneeling not enough...?

Memories surfaced. The Flame Dog Tribe had once submitted to the emperor. That was how they survived, but they were living a humiliating life. Because they resembled dogs, they had to behave like dogs—they licked boots and wagged their tails. If ordered to kill, they bit and tore like beasts.

If you plan to treat us like animals too, Keter...

Just as the Flame Dog began to stand up...

“Seriously, explaining things one by one is exhausting. You pretend to be human but don’t understand anything.”

“...?”

“I’ll show you. I’m not telling you to kneel. Come on, stand up. Then do what I do.”

Keter personally helped each of them stand. Then he stood before them.

“Arms at your sides. Bend your waist and look at the ground.”

He demonstrated the posture, and the others awkwardly copied him.

Keter smiled in satisfaction.

“Now say this: ‘Please help us.’”

“...!”

This was a plea—a request for help. The meaning of this was obvious to everyone.

“That alone... is enough?” Puga asked in disbelief.

Keter shook his head. “Of course not. We helped you, so you help us too, not with words but actions.”

“Not words but actions...”

“So, what do you want to do?”

Keter was asking whether they wanted to become servants or allies who helped each other. It was not a difficult choice.

“Please help us,” Puga said on behalf of the group.

Keter smiled and answered, “No.”