Chapter 412: The Night and the Light (8)

Cale swam toward the bottom of the small pond.

It’s deeper than I thought.

It wasn’t quite a lake—more like a pond—but its depth was far greater than expected.

Ssshhhhh—

However, Cale’s movement towards the bottom was fast.

Why is that guy so fast?

The Saint following him was also incredibly fast.

Ssshhhhh—

Both of them cut through the water, surrounded by swirling wind.

Even though the Saint was fast—

I’m faster than him!

Cale’s eyes locked on the gray whirlwind forming below.

It’s fascinating.

The waning moon above.
The water all around.

And still—he could see it clearly.

The gray whirlwind was vivid, almost calling out to him.

As if urging him to find it quickly.

It’s a good thing.

And for Cale, it was a good thing.

– I can push that whirlwind.

Upon hearing the Sound of the Wind’s words, Cale moved without hesitation.

“!”

A sound came from above.

It was probably the Saint, desperate.

But Cale didn’t pay any attention to it.

There was no time to waste.

Whoooosh—

Cale’s hand moved through the water, towards the whirlwind.

A whirlwind—about the same size as Cale.
And at its center—

A sword?

It was small, no longer than Cale’s arm.

I thought it’d be some kind of pearl.

But no—
it was a sword, faintly shimmering in the gray light.

Ssshhhhh—

Cale’s wind made its way into the whirlwind.

Cale’s hand also moved.

‘!’

And Cale hesitated.

– Wait!

The Dominating Aura shouted desperately.

Cale had sensed it a moment before.

This—

This sword.

It’s powerful.

Hidden within the whirlwind, the sword’s presence had gone unnoticed until now. But it wasn’t ordinary.
It didn’t feel like a simple object.

Until now, Cale had held more than a few sacred artifacts before.

But this—

It’s sinister.

That sword was unlike any sacred object he had touched before.

Was it because it belonged to an ancient god — one said to be powerful even among the gods?
Or was this particular object simply… different?

Ah, this is crazy.

I felt a chill run down my spine.

My instinct warned me not to touch it.

But leaving it here wasn’t an option.

That was the problem.

That sword is the result of the rituals they’ve performed until now.

As long as it existed, the God of Chaos’ cult could attempt to summon their god into this world at any time.

Destroying the sacred site.
No matter how many buildings we destroy, the sacred site itself will never truly fall as long as that sword remains.

Ssshhhhh—

Above.

Cale’s gaze went upwards.

Damn it!

The Saint was right in front of him.

The corner of the Saint’s mouth curled into a mocking smile.

His expression said it all: You can’t touch it, can you?

He looked completely at ease.

Of course, he knew.
That guy also understood how dangerous this sacred object was.

– Cale.

At that moment, the Dominating Aura spoke seriously.

– We’re going to use our power.

What?

The Sky Eating Water and the Dominating Aura.
Those two.

They had agreed not to use these powers here.
That was why, even underwater, Cale had been breathing only with the air the Sound of the Wind provided him.

– Wrap your body with the aura.

The Dominating Aura, that braggart, was more serious than ever.

– Then at least you won’t die.

A flash of understanding flickered in Cale’s eyes.

Thump. Thump.

Cale could still feel his heart beating.

With the Vitality of the Heart and the regeneration power he had, Cale could withstand quite serious injuries.

– I’ll do my best to resist that power. I won’t lose to a sacred object.

The Dominating Aura’s voice carried a rare sincerity.

Then, the Sky Eating Water spoke.

– I’m here too. And remember, we’re underwater.

Chaos.

The two ancient powers that had a bit of that power and were familiar with it decided to try.

In fact—

I have no choice but to try.

In his current situation, Cale had only two options:
Leave the sacred object and run.
Or take it and run.

And given his temperament, the first option wasn’t even under consideration.

Cale lifted his head.

The Saint was so close that if he reached out his hand, he could touch him.

A malicious smile curved the Saint’s lips.

Cale smiled back.

“!”

The Saint’s eyes widened — calm composure shattered.

Ssshhhhh—

The wind surrounding Cale vanished.

Ssshhhhh—

In its place, the water within the pond surged and coiled around him.

And—

“!”

The Saint stopped.

No—his body froze for a moment.

And the Dominating Aura spoke.

– At full power.

An unseen force erupted, wrapping around Cale like invisible armor.
It was the Dominating Aura.

But this time, its target wasn’t a person.
It wasn’t meant to suppress or intimidate anyone.

It was aimed at the sacred object.

To protect Cale from that sword.

For the first time, the Dominating Aura unleashed its full strength—not to conquer, but to defend.

“….!”

The Saint couldn’t move.
His mind went blank.
No thoughts.
No actions.

He couldn’t do anything.

The small pond trembled as an overwhelming pressure filled it—
an intangible weight so dense it swallowed even the air.

Even though that energy was focused on Cale, it tried to dominate everything around him.

The Saint froze—
he couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe.

That overwhelming pressure left him with no choice but to stop.

Ah!

And the moment he could move again—

Ssshhhhh—

The gray whirlwind was pushed away.

In the space that opened, Cale’s hand shot forward.

Finally, he grabbed the sword.

No, it can’t be!

The Saint’s face contorted.

At the same time—

“Ugh!”

A groan escaped Cale’s lips.

Damn it!

Damn it!

Shit!

Pain ripped through his arm like fire. The sacred object’s energy surged violently, trying to devour him from the inside out.

He couldn’t think or speak.

A surge came.

Death, excruciating pain, cries of sadness, anger, injustice, anguish—

all of it poured into Cale at once.

– Cale, Cale!

Super Rock called out desperately, but Cale couldn’t hear him.

Another surge followed.

The laughter of those who rejoiced in death,
the drunken cheers of those who celebrated the slaughter,
the light footsteps of those who danced upon blood-soaked earth—

All of it crashed down on him.

Ugh—

Cale held his breath.

Even though Cale had his eyes open, he felt like he couldn’t see anything.

…!

Suddenly, he felt a chill.

Like a death that comes without warning.

A sudden coldness enveloped him.

Cale lifted his head.

“!”

And he saw.

Beyond the gray mist, eyes that were looking at him.

Sadness and joy flooded his mind, twisting together and shaking his entire body.
Cries of pain.
Shouts of ecstasy.
Everything blended, pressing down on him, suffocating him.

And the eyes that were looking at him—

They were coming closer.

The eyes beyond the gray mist were getting closer and closer.

They were becoming clearer.

They were coming closer.

He was short of breath.

No, his whole body was shaking between pleasure and sadness.

He felt himself unraveling.
His consciousness blurred, as if his existence was being replaced—
swallowed by someone else’s sorrow,
someone else’s madness,
someone else’s joy.

Ah.

The eyes were getting closer.

Ah.

Cale could finally hear these cries and shouts of joy clearly.

‘Ugh, team leader! You can’t leave like this!’

‘Jeongsu, Jeongsu!’

‘Ugh, father, b-because of the monsters! Father, mother! Ahhh—'

‘Please, save us. No, at least save our child, please, please—’

The cries that Cale, as Kim Rok Soo, had experienced reached his ears.

And then came the laughter he never wanted to hear again.

‘Hehe, leader Kim. Why are you acting so rigid? Do you want to end up like leader Lee Soo Hyuk?’

‘Hahaha! No, if they die because they’re weak, why does our guild have to go help them?’

‘Ha… haha—. Mr. Rok Soo. This world now belongs to the powerful. Let’s enjoy it.’

The memories, the Records he didn’t want to remember, were coming in waves.

Ah.

And the eyes—
those eyes were getting closer.

It felt like, any moment now, he would see himself reflected in them.

Yes.

Now he couldn’t even see the gray mist.

He only saw those eyes.

Gray eyes—

And within them—

Cale’s reflection, his own image—

Eh……?

Yes. That image.

– Cale—

– Cale!

He saw it clearly now.

His reflection in those gray eyes—
and his own eyes staring back.

Brown eyes.

The moment their gazes met—

– Cale!

The Dominating Aura.

That boastful, proud being—its desperate voice reached Cale’s ears.

A voice that trembled, yet refused to stop calling his name.

– Cale!

Finally, Cale could see his reflection clearly.

Brown eyes.

Except for those eyes, which glowed with an intangible light, his entire body was gray.

No—
it was being dyed gray.

Like Choi Jung Gun’s body, corrupted by chaos.

But this…
this wasn’t corruption.

It was something deeper.
Something that stripped away existence itself—
something that destroyed people from the root.

– Cale!

The noise that had filled his mind was fading.
The screams, the laughter, the chaos—
all of it was being drowned out.

In their place, only the Dominating Aura’s voice grew louder.
Clearer.

Cale lifted his head.

He looked straight into the gray eyes—

or rather, into the reflection of his own eyes within them.

– Cale!

When the Dominating Aura called him again—

“I hear you.”

Cale opened his mouth and spoke.

And the moment he heard his own voice—

….!

All the sounds in his memory vanished.
The screams, the laughter, the cries—
gone.

Silence.

Then—

“Ugh!”

A groan escaped his throat.
He clenched his jaw, forcing the sound back down.

“Ugh!”

Cale lowered his head.
He didn’t look at the gray eyes.
He couldn’t.

Damn it!

Without realizing it, his hands were holding the sacred sword.

It won’t let go!

The sword wouldn’t let go of Cale’s hands.

Probably, the gray-stained hands wouldn’t move according to Cale’s will.

– Pant. Pant.

The Sky Eating Water let out a ragged breath.

She was barely managing to contain the spreading gray wind.

The water surrounding Cale was the only thing that remained untouched—
still transparent.

Everything else had turned gray.

The pond water—gray.
The air—gray.
Even the light itself seemed drenched in chaos.

Cale lifted his head.

The world was gray.

Everything was chaos.

In that moment, he couldn’t tell where he was anymore.
Was he at the bottom of the pond?
Floating in the middle?
Or near the surface?

He couldn’t tell.

No matter how much he looked, he couldn’t see it.

He couldn’t distinguish anything.

Ugh!

Pain surged, swallowing his senses whole.

Even so, Cale forced his eyes open.
He refused to close them.

He searched—
looked around desperately—

– …I’m resisting……!

He heard the Dominating Aura’s voice, trembling yet resolute.

The answer.
He needed to find it.

“!”

And then—he saw it.

When he lifted his head again, something was there.

In the distance.
Faint.
Flickering.

Something that appeared, disappeared, and appeared again—
drifting through the endless gray.

It was light.

“Ha, haha—”

Cale couldn’t help but laugh.

Even though blood was flowing from his mouth, he didn’t care.

Even though his whole body ached as if it was falling apart, he didn’t care.

Because he saw it.

The light.

A light he recognized.
A light he had felt before.

It was the Sun.

And Cale knew very well who that sun belonged to.

Alberu Crossman.

Without a doubt, it was him.
That light was Alberu’s, breaking through the chaos-stained water.

No—
he wasn’t just sending it.

He was fighting his way through the chaos,
forcing his light forward—

As always—

As always, he was someone Cale could rely on.
Someone who would find an answer when Cale himself could not.

And now—
Cale found his answer by seeing that light.

If this is chaos—

then up there, there is no chaos.

So, you must go up.

It’s different now.
This isn’t a moment of confusion or blindness.
He knew where to go.

That light.

Just follow that light.

Alberu Crossman.

The sun was carving open a path through the chaos.
A narrow gap—
but enough for him to escape.

And Cale felt it—
a certainty that went beyond reason, beyond instinct.

Drip.

His body trembled, every inch of it stained gray.
Only his eyes—
only those eyes remained untouched.

Even moving his body wasn’t easy.

Still—

– Cale.

Cale remembered what he had seen.

Super Rock spoke in a low voice.

– This is nothing more than a small pond.

I know.

He had seen it — the shape, the topography, the boundaries of this place.
The image was clear in his mind.

And his eyes — the only part of him still untouched — began to shine more brightly.

– And I am the earth.

At those words, the Sky Eating Water stirred.
Her power rippled in response,
as if the water itself had taken a deep breath.

– The first time we met!

Yes. When he first met the Sky Eating Water, the power Cale had used wasn’t water.
There had been no water back then.

So how had he fought underwater that day?

The answer was simple—
the earth.
The rocks beneath his feet.

A wide basin where only green grass existed.

All of that was earth.

Even when everything collapsed and fell apart, the earth remained.

– This small pond, even though it’s full of chaos...

Super Rock spoke.

– It’s wrapped in earth.

Then, he made his suggestion.

– Let’s go up.

Cale responded without hesitation.

“Yes.”

It was obvious.
He knew exactly where he needed to go.

The light that was reflected on the surface.

Towards that sun that was trying to make its way through the chaos.

He just had to go there.

Thud.

At the bottom of the lake,
the earth began to tremble.
The rocks beneath the ground quivered in response,
as if awakening from a long sleep.

 -----

P/R Thoughts: 

At the heart of chaos, Cale faces the sacred sword and his own buried pain — until Alberu’s light cuts through the darkness, guiding him toward life once more.

***

If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.

Thank you for reading!

[Author – Yu Ryeo Han]

[Translator – Anowa]

[Proofreader – Mayank]