I Became the Guild Leader in Exile

25 – 5# The Lion King of the Valley (5)

The power of manifestation was indeed a very demanding ability to employ. Sustaining a manifestation required a constant stream of thought. Imagine how challenging it could be on the battlefield.

Maintaining a tangible object, like a relic, wouldn’t be too difficult, especially for someone who had used it for half a lifetime. That’s why the original Isaac used manifestation only to create his sword.

However, manifesting abstract concepts is an exceedingly difficult task.

And to manifest the concept of being the strongest, one of two things must be true.

Either truly once the strongest,

Or just plain crazy.

* * *

The clenched fists of the two individuals who had put everything on the line collided head-on. There were no tricks, just a straightforward clash of power against power. Jalin, who had been watching from a distance, gritted his teeth.

Could there really be a human capable of fighting on equal grounds with the chief? Except for the commander of Nemea Fortress sixty years ago, I thought there would never be such a person again. To see such an individual appear again!

“Jalin, would you not assist the chief even now?”

“Assist? Us? How, exactly?”

“That’s… it has already gone beyond the scope where we can intervene.”

The lions, too, had formidable strength that could easily overwhelm most humans. However, they were not at a level to interfere there. Even approaching now would likely result in being torn apart.

‘Powerless. The fact that we can only watch again.’

He wanted to be of some help to the chief who bore everything, but whether in the past or now, he was utterly helpless. All he could do was pray.

The Lion King roared, gathering his will not to weaken. He couldn’t afford to die easily, burdened as he was. That’s why he desperately wished.

Please, let yourself, the embodiment of my full strength, fall. The fate of the Lion King was entrusted to Isaac. Having collided head-on with the Lion King without a single step back, what could he be thinking now?

‘Is there no cool name for this technique?’

Yes. Surprisingly, he was thinking of a name for his technique. Speaking the name of the technique during a fight was the privilege of a creator. Eventually, Isaac decided on a name.

Zero Impact

The answer to a filthy dilemma brought victory. Things with names are influenced by their realization. What lacks a name does not exist. Precisely, it means it cannot be recognized.

Disgustingly, the answer to that cheesy contemplation brought victory. Having a name influenced its implementation. Without a name, it didn’t exist. More precisely, it meant not being recognized.

But by giving it a name, he clearly recognized it. And now, it was possible to fully implement that power in reality. Just like now. Overwhelming power began to overwhelm the Lion King.

The Lion King gritted his teeth and tried to resist the weakening will. But in the end, he couldn’t hold on and was pushed back by the force. The impact contained in the fist pierced through the Lion King like a sharp spear.

“…Impressive, hero.”

Having exhausted all his strength, the Lion King smiled and finally fell. Isaac let out a rough breath. This time, it was not an easy opponent. Isaac frowned.

‘It hurts like hell.’

Isaac, who overwhelmed a White Knight-level power in combat, was not at all a trivial opponent. The Lion King was by no means a weak force. The Lion King’s monstrous power pierced through Isaac’s abilities, causing internal damage.

Thanks to that, Isaac felt tremendous pain at intervals. Nevertheless, he did not retreat. It wasn’t that he could feel the Lion King’s emotions through his fist. It was just because of the concept.

For the concept, Isaac was willing to bet his life. Of course, he could endure bone-breaking pain with a smile. Aside from that, there was no way to avoid the pain…

“A satisfied face.”

“Fought with all my might and lost. I have no complaints about the result.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, now do what you must as a hero.”

Without regrets, it would be a lie, but having lost in a fight where he gave his all, there was no intention to drag out a pitiful story. Rather, the Lion King had hoped for this outcome.

Ending his own life carried too much baggage and lingering regrets. However, forcibly losing with no pride was unforgivable. Monsters must die by the hands of heroes. That is my fate.

And the Lion King was prepared to face death. However, no matter how long he waited, the end did not come. Feeling something strange, the Lion King opened his eyes. Isaac was just sitting near the Lion King, silently watching him. Is he teasing him? But it didn’t seem like that. Then, Isaac finally spoke.

“Except for what remains in your fist at the end, I felt regret.”

“So what does it matter?”

“Family.”

“……!!”

“A man like you having regrets, that’s probably the only thing.”

Impressive, this person has grasped all that from such a short encounter. He’s definitely not someone who just listens to stories and lets them pass by. He wants to confront. The Lion King laughed and said,

“You’re trying to face a monster. A hero.”

“One who self-blames, regrets their sins, and worries about leaving behind neighbors.”

“…….”

“We don’t call ourselves monsters. Urkan.”

“I can’t bear it.”

It has been a long time since he was called by his name. Not the monster Lion King who plunged the fortress into fear, nor the tribe leader supporting the tribe. Just one name. Urkan smiled weakly.

He saw right through this man.

So, unknowingly, he starts to have expectations.

“Tell me everything, from one to ten.”

That he might be able to find salvation.

An expectation with no room for complacency.

—

Urkan invited Isaac and Zeke into his tent. It was really a shabby tent to be called a tribal chief’s tent. But Zeke looked around with sparkling eyes.

“Is this the first time you’ve seen a tent?”

“Seems so. I’m from the countryside, after all.”

“Ah, I see. S-Sorry.”

“It’s okay. I don’t dislike that aspect of children.”

Surprisingly, Urkan liked children very much. In the novel, it described how Urkan would imagine his own child overlapping with other children when they came into his arms. Isaac, who had read the original work from beginning to end, knew that fact very well. But to others, it only seemed like a story passed down through fists.

Thanks to that, Urkan was prepared to tell his secret to Isaac, a complete stranger. Maybe this man could make it possible. Thinking that way, Urkan handed it over.

“What’s this…?”

“Read it.”

[Continually attacking the fortress but not attempting to capture it. If you violate this, your son’s life is not guaranteed.]

Isaac held his tongue at the typical threatening letter. Yes, this was why Urkan started attacking the Namea Fortress. However, Zeke, who didn’t know the situation, was puzzled.

“Are you not the chief of the Lion Tribe?”

“Yes.”

“But how do they have your son?”

“That’s because my wife is human.”

Zeke was speechless at the unexpected answer. However, Urkan had an expression of nothingness. Rather, he seemed somewhat refreshed. Isaac nodded his head.

“I see. Is your wife the human who immortalized you? “

“That’s right. She was also the former commander of the fortress.”

“Why did the commander and the tribe leader meet?”

According to Zoink’s education, he could not understand this. The commander and the tribal leader are each community’s top commanders. But they met each other? What if something happened?

“It’s natural to react like that. I thought the same thing at first.”

“You did?”

“She came here alone.”

[The chief must come out right now and receive me!]

I still remember the shock of that time. At that time, the Lion Tribe and the Namea Fortress couldn’t even say they had a good relationship. The greatest enemy accumulated from hatred and resentment handed down from their ancestors.

From Mikes’ perspective, expanding northeast territory would be able to advance to the coast. In contrast, the Lion Tribe could not afford to lose the hometown they had been living in for a long time.

It was an inevitable situation for them to collide with each other. But in such a situation, the commander of Namea Fortress personally visited the Lion Tribe. Without using any soldiers. Just alone.

“She believed that she could coexist with the Lion Tribe. Looking back now, it was really foolish.”

“It must have been possible because there was a force that could accommodate recklessness.”

“That’s right. Compared to now, she was inexperienced, but she still defeated me, who was the strongest in the tribe at the time.”

Urkan, who was intoxicated with power, completely lost to her at that time due to arrogance. I, who was the strongest in the tribe, was defeated, so the fate of the Lion Tribe is over now. That’s how I was discouraged.

“Now, hand! “

“… Kill him quickly. If you have pride as a warrior.”

“Kill? Why should I? I just came to talk.”

“A woman like that will suddenly swing her fist?”

“Genuine conversation has always been divided by fists.”

There was no logic in chaos, but strangely enough, he was someone who couldn’t hate. Perhaps because of that strange charm, he might have been drawn to him without realizing it himself.

“We had many conversations, from the direction in which the kingdom and the tribe could coexist, to favorite foods and training methods.”

From Noble mtl dot com

“If you spend a lot of time together, you will naturally leave a deep impression on each other’s hearts. Even if the races are different.”

“……Again.”

My heart flutters with fear as I hear the word ‘love.’ I don’t even know why I’m like this. Just when I regain my senses, inexplicably, my gaze becomes fixed on him, unable to move.

“…I wondered if it was okay like this. I even suspected that you were trying to seduce me and make up for your shortcomings.”

“So, did you break up in the end?”

“No.”

Urkan shook his head firmly. There were times when we couldn’t trust each other, and it’s true that we got hurt. However, even such worries and doubts were beyond reach.

“We loved each other.”

But that time didn’t last long. It was fifty years ago, back when ten years had passed since then, or specifically, from that distant day. She was suddenly summoned back to her homeland. Her face, smiling and assuring me that everything would be okay, is still vivid.

“After that, we lost contact. And what came afterwards were this letter and the necklace.”

“It’s an unusual necklace.”

“Well, that’s right. It’s a necklace made for her directly, following our tribe’s traditions.”

“When did the necklace and the letter arrive?”

“Three years ago.”

Even if he had sent the necklace along with the letter, it’s not easy to believe. She could have already lost her life a long time ago. Considering the passage of time, the possibility becomes even higher.

However.

How many parents in the world can assess their child’s life so coldly?

If she really is alive? If traces of her and me remain in this world? Then what should I do? I can’t give up on that faint, singular possibility. He stained his hands with blood.

“Still, it feels relieving to talk to someone else. My story can now be forgotten.”

“Don’t give up! Nothing has been decided yet!”

“Decades have passed. It has been three long years since the letter arrived.”

Is it because of Isaac and the battle that he was able to make such a cold judgment? Now Urkan could make a more rational assessment than anyone else. And the conclusion he reached was always the negative answer he had denied.

“She and my son are already dead.”

“So, nothing has been confirmed yet…!!”

“How can we confirm anything? So much time has already passed. Or are you suggesting that you will find my son for me?”

That wasn’t a sincere request.

He had already realized and given up on everything.

A voice filled only with sadness.

That voice even silenced Zeke.

“Understood.”

Isaac responded to that voice.