Why can't humans do it too?

"...By the way, starting today, let's reduce the secret supply of materials from the Forest Elves. The total amount should only be enough to keep most people at a level where they won't starve to death, but will always feel hungry," Suer continued after a pause. "At that time, only those involved in the plan will be able to get enough food. Keep an eye on this line. Also, all the supplies must be brought back through the people who are carrying out the plan. Make it look impressive."

"Okay~", Xin Ke readily agreed, fully understanding the meaning behind Su Er's words. "Anything else~"

Chapter 237 The Hidden Heart

"Nothing for now. We'll talk about it when we encounter any problems."

"Okay~, then~ is there anything else~?"

"..."

With the exact same question as before, standing beside Suer, Xin Ke also gazed into the distance at the two enormous creatures attacking each other, asking the same question lightly, but this time she received no response from Suer for a long time.

“Um… Xin Ke?”, having abandoned the title of the great Miss Nirbalian at some point, Su Er softly called Xin Ke’s name.

"Ok?"

"The thing you once said you wanted to do most... is it still the same?" Su'er stammered, frowning as she recalled, her gaze still fixed on the distant battlefield.

"Hmm~, the thing I want to do most~, is it that way~ or not~", Xin Ke's words were playful and lively.

Even though the lifespan of forest elves is several times that of humans, the time span is unequal for the two races. But even without that extraordinary memory, Xin Ke still knows what Su Er said she most wanted to do... It was something she had only mentioned to Su Er once.

“Kill all the other races on the planet…end the war in this way…”, Sul repeated the words Shinko had once said to him in the dark cave with the campfire burning, words he had never forgotten.

This is an outrageous idea that even Billy and Sull wanted to achieve, a miracle that is almost impossible to realize. Even though the words are filled with a bloody atmosphere, Xin Ke is the first life that Sull has ever seen that wants to end this war and actually has a slight possibility of doing so.

“Indeed, from this point of view, the God of War is truly a formidable and unavoidable mountain,” Xin Ke sighed.

Then silence returned once again.

It wasn't that he had nothing to say; on the contrary, many words were stuck in Suer's throat. They were eager to leap out, but they were too crowded together to speak, and could only surge out in waves with each breath.

"...I want to become a god-like being belonging to humanity..."

"Ah, I know."

"...I will obtain the Star Grail, seize the throne of the One God, and end this hopeless war forever..."

"Ah, I know that too."

The words he kept uttering seemed to be gripping a cane as he explored through the dense grass; Suer moved about, tapping lightly left and right.

"...I want to live in a peaceful world where I can leisurely enjoy the warmest afternoon sunlight..."

"Ah~, that sounds really good~"

Like a rock that stands firm against wind and rain, Xin Ke calmly and unhurriedly offered her assessment.

Unable to resist turning his head, Su'er wanted to see Xin Ke's profile. However, as if sensing his movement, Xin Ke also turned her head. In those beautiful eyes that housed six-pointed stars, Su'er seemed to see his own reflection, sparkling with light.

"...Please help me...Xin Ke..."

Even the name he uttered trembled almost imperceptibly, and Su'er's breathing became rapid.

"Please help me... to make those delusions come true..."

"If I ultimately fail, please don't forget me... even if I was only a fleeting moment in your life—"

Stopped abruptly.

The index finger gently pressed against Suer's upper lip, silencing his last words. It was Xin Ke's finger, fair and slender, carrying an unwavering strength.

"Who do you think I am?" Finally unable to contain her laughter, Xin Ke withdrew her finger, her half-bent fingertip tracing the hair behind her ear, tucking a few stray golden hairs behind her ear. Her slender ears twitched slightly, tinged with a faint pink. "—I'm a genius~"

The forest elf with long, light golden hair smiled confidently as always, her proud chest held high, her neck slightly raised, and every word she uttered was fuller and more elegant than usual, possessing an undeniable magic.

This strange magic mysteriously calmed Suer's restless heart, making him uncontrollably believe everything Xin Ke said.

"Let us declare war together on those high and mighty gods—Sur~"

She pulled up Suer's hand and held it upright in front of her, covering it with both of her palms. With force, her beautiful eyes gleamed with eager anticipation. What should have been the most presumptuous declaration of war against the divine race instead burst forth with scorching flames, almost setting Suer ablaze.

I wanted to say thank you but couldn't; those simple words couldn't express the full emotion.

She can.

I can do it too.

No... we can do it.

In the instant he was assaulted by the scalding flames, Suer suddenly realized a problem—he had probably made an irreparable mistake.

A magnificent mistake, yet one that shines with dazzling brilliance.

--------------

As Xinke finished speaking, Suer knew that the forest elf with light golden hair had given up the wish she had once told him in that dark cave, dragging her legs which were charred black from being corroded by ash—the world she once wanted to see.

The world only Xin Ke knows.

Unlike the world that any life caught in the midst of a great war could observe in this cold and cruel world, it was not on the same plane.

A proud and stubborn person who never admits defeat, who sees all setbacks and hardships as part of the road to success, and who sees only success and not yet successful as the only two options in life, silently changed their will.

During the more than one year that she spent back in the settlement, Xin Ke stayed by Su Er's side, participating with great interest in how to increase the settlement's food supply without the help of elves. She did not return to the ruined city where her research workshop was located, and she did not even mention the unactivated divine essence buried in the workshop.

It was as if they had completely forgotten about it, along with the unwillingness to lose to the goblin race, the obsession with losing to the goblin race in the long competition of using the inactive divine essence as a weapon.

So innocent, it was as if they had become a real human being.

Suer's gaze swept over Xinke, who was standing in the corner, and he could see her wink gently at him... nod slightly. Suer's gaze continued to move, sweeping over the raised faces below—Suer knew they were all waiting.

They were waiting for the hope they had been waiting for for who knows how long.

Chapter 238 Piercing the Sword of Destiny (Part 2)

The cave was empty and cold, with water droplets dripping from the ceiling from time to time. The numerous lights that had been lit made it no longer dark and cold, but it was also warmed by the people standing side by side with it.

Standing atop a naturally extending rocky platform, Suer could take in everything below. Gathered here were the people of the entire settlement, filled with hope and unwilling to accept reality. Due to the limited space, only a portion of them were present. Suer's words would be relayed through them to the ever-expanding settlement and to the ears of every human being.

As he gently closed his eyelids, the faces and names of each of them appeared in Suer's mind, along with their current locations. Suer breathed rapidly, and an invisible power surged from every cell of his body.

"Today, we stand here! We stand in this cramped cave, a place where not even all the hopeful humans can stand! What you want to hear is not how to find more food, nor how to lead everyone to constantly escape to the edge of the battlefield, nor your sleep-wake prayers about not being touched by the aftershocks of those reckless bastards' battles!"

"I'm not standing here to tell you a beautiful dream that allows you to deceive yourself and barely survive in this cruel and cold world! That kind of dregs that will only bring pain when it shatters!"

"Isn't it time to face reality? The fantasy that war will end someday is something that will never come!"

Completely different from his usual gentle demeanor when he appeared in the settlement, Su'er roared out every word, ruthlessly shattering the last vestiges of hope and illusion in the hearts of many.

Without holding back a single detail, Sull revealed the game known as the Star Cup and the One God to the people below, instilling a clear and cruel truth into their minds—their struggling lives were nothing more than insignificant dust in the eyes of those high and mighty races, merely a game.

"Living in this awful world, we can only eke out a living, praying every day that this endless war will end—should we pray to the very murderers who started this endless war?!"

Suer was questioning, but before he could get an answer from below, he roared out in an even louder voice.

"My answer is absolutely not!!"

"We struggle like wild beasts in this wretched world. Dignity and hope have become nothing more than pale words existing only in tattered books. Is this really acceptable?!"

"We are human beings!"

"We must reclaim our dignity! It is absolutely unacceptable to entrust our survival entirely to the whims of those scoundrels! Admit it! This is a world where the strong prey on the weak! To survive, to have dignity, to be free, we must possess great power!"

"So—that's why I'm here!"

"A method that allows us humans to stand tall on the continent, and that gives us a divine species that belongs only to us humans, capable of protecting us!"

Ignoring the sudden commotion and gasps below, Suer almost roared, drowning them out with an even louder voice.

They didn't mention becoming the sole god directly; such a fantasy was too much for them to accept, even if it were placed here.

They could hardly believe what Suer had said. However, despite their doubts and disbelief, the people who had gathered there inevitably felt a sense of anticipation and longing, drawn by the beautiful vision he had described.

After pausing for a few seconds to allow people time to think and accept the plan, and to calm his overly excited emotions, Suer explained his plan to the people below in an orderly manner, including the most crucial part of the plan: his unique ability.

“…Really? Surgo?” Credo, standing in the front row, asked incredulously, “Humans can cast magic too?”

“It’s not magic, and it has nothing to do with elves. It’s a unique power that belongs only to humans, and it has only appeared in me so far,” Sul said, nodding seriously to Credor. He chose to keep this a secret.

As the whispers among them gradually subsided, Suer continued speaking.

“In the settlement, some might say: Sur, I just want to live like this. Yes, that’s true, life is indeed very important, but I still want to tell you that there are things in this world that are more important than life! That is dignity! And the right to truly live in this world! A space where humanity can survive!”

"Unbeknownst to you, the goblins are researching weapons that use the very essence of the gods as their raw material. The strongest beings in the world, the War God of the Skywing race, have never even used their full power once. Now, we have been forced to relocate our settlements once again amidst their escalating war. However, with their ever-increasing firepower, one day they will even destroy this planet, just like the sun that has already been destroyed! They have already done so! In fact, judging from the current rate of escalation of the war, the day when even the planet beneath our feet is destroyed is not far off!"

"How can we escape? Where can we escape to?!"

"Think of your children, think of your children's children! For the future of your children, so that they will no longer have to struggle for survival like beasts like we did, so that future generations of humanity will no longer have to endure what we went through! Fight! My compatriots!" Sul roared, clenching his right fist and slamming it into the air as if striking an unseen enemy. "Give those arrogant fools a good beating! Snatch victory from their hands in this endless war! We must win!"

Gasping for breath, Suer felt his blood boiling. His hard gaze swept over every face below, and he saw what he wanted to see: burning fighting spirit.

“I cannot deceive you, I cannot deceive you who are family to me—many people will die,” Sue repeated in a low voice, “and one by one, they will die in order to achieve a goal in the plan. Given that this will inevitably become a reality, those who are willing to join me… please stay here.”

The lamplight flickered and the firelight swayed, as if an invisible wind was blowing through the area.

At that moment, everyone seemed to have turned into stone statues, completely still.

"...What are you saying, Sul?" After a long silence, a soft laugh suddenly broke the silence. Lani, a blue-haired female warrior who had lost an arm in the expedition, said with a smile, "Everyone has been waiting for this moment, a moment that makes our lives more meaningful."

"That's right! Hey! Suer! If you can really teach those arrogant guys a lesson, you can have my life!"

"If my wretched life can contribute to a glorious future for humanity, then I've won either way, right? Haha."

"Keep it up, Sue! Just tell me exactly where you want to start!"

"Yes, yes, I can't wait!"

"Surge! I want to die in the most meaningful and coolest way possible! Remember to tell everyone how cool I look!"

"..."

The shouts and commotion didn't bother Suer at all; instead, it made him reach out and wipe his eyes, from which tears streamed down his face, blurring his vision and making everything indistinguishable.

"Hey, why are you crying, Suer? As a leader, you can't show a weak expression, you know? You said that yourself, didn't you? Haha."

The people who had bravely risen up gradually quieted down. Suer wiped away his tears and etched those faces deep into his mind.

"Ah, I'm so sorry to have shown you my weakness," Suer said, his voice already carrying an unavoidable nasal tone, forcing a smile.

“Our future has been taken away, our hope has been taken away, our dignity has been taken away, and we have even felt despair in the face of despair. This is the sorrow of us in this world, and now we will finally sing the song of resistance.” Suer drew his dagger and said, word by word, “Come forward…drink my blood.”

As he spoke, Suer gripped the blade of his dagger tightly and yanked it—bright red blood dripped down his palm and into a stone bowl floating beneath it.