“Fiss…”
A slime-like shape, resembling a round jelly, crumbled away with a noisy sound.
That was Salmora’s true identity.
It was the original body from before he had absorbed countless species and ranks over an eternity of time.
He was a lowest-grade monster that would have easily died at the hands of even a passing adventurer.
Having been stripped of the armor and weapons he had stolen from others, the creature’s true body met a pathetic death.
However.
“…It was only a part of him.”
I could realize it at the moment of his death.
This cunning bastard was still thorough.
He had certainly died, but that was not the entirety of the existence known as Salmora; it was merely a fragment.
‘He was researching how to separate personalities, and it turns out it was for his own sake.’
Under my request, an experiment to separate personalities had once been conducted.
Thanks to that, my personality was divided, and I was able to become part of the Demon King’s Legion and kill people without any sense of guilt or emotion.
It went without saying, but that experiment had not been for me.
It was a part of the research he needed for himself, and it seemed that it had eventually led to the result of dividing his life.
‘He divided his life into several parts, and this is just one of them.’
The experiment to divide personalities was merely a preliminary step toward dividing his life.
‘Is this… karma?’
All those experiments I had volunteered for for my own gain were now returning to me like a boomerang.
That was the logic of the world that could never be changed.
However, Leon, who did not know this fact, was watching the vanishing Salmora with a complicated expression.
“Do not worry,” I said to him, “Salmora is not dead yet.”
It probably wasn’t a pleasant thing to watch the death of one’s creator.
That was why I told him to rest easy.
“I am glad.”
In an instant, his expression brightened.
Did he not welcome the death of his creator?
“Next time we meet, I will definitely, with my own hands…”
No.
That wasn’t it.
He wanted to kill Salmora, the one who created him, with his own hands.
He was trying to surpass his creator and complete his revenge himself.
That fighting spirit and will.
‘…He strangely resembles me.’
Somehow, thinking that he was like me, I continued, “He is strong. So much so that I had to pour all my strength into dealing with just a single fragment of his existence.”
***
The Heart Sword.
Unleashing it was not an easy task, even for me.
Though I looked fine on the outside, I had consumed an enormous amount of mental energy, and fatigue was washing over me.
Furthermore.
“Rumble!”
The speed at which my internal self was collapsing had increased even more.
If I continued to over-use the Heart Sword recklessly like this, my disappearance would occur even faster.
But.
‘That must not happen.’
Salmora was still alive and well.
It was a situation where no one knew what he was doing or where, having divided his original body into pieces.
I could only close my eyes after witnessing his final end at the very least.
And.
“To do that, you must have realized that you need to devote yourself even more, right?”
Pulling Leon up to my level—only when all of that was accomplished would I be able to face my disappearance in peace.
“Ugh!”
He clutched the left side of his chest.
“Thud!”
The man who had never shown a weak side until now fell to his knees.
“Are you alright?” Someone approached with a voice full of concern.
It was Altain.
He was not the Vampire Altain of the past, but a new Altain who had been reborn as a complete species through Salmora’s experiments.
Seeing him again, many things had changed.
All the traits of a Vampire had disappeared, and he had taken on a new form as the only one of his kind that had ever existed.
Naturally, he was showing loyalty toward the man in front of him, the agonizing Salmora.
This was because Salmora was the father who had created his existence.
“…It is fine.”
He brushed off Altain’s hand.
“One of my fragments was defeated.”
“That…!”
“Heh. There is no need to worry. It was merely one of dozens of fragments, after all.”
It wasn’t a bluff.
The fragment that had just been defeated—the one destroyed by Kim Si-won and Leon—was only one of dozens.
Even if every fragment were destroyed, as long as the main body remained alive, he could recover them at any time.
Of course, it would take some time to restore them.
Moreover, the probability of all the fragments he had prepared being defeated was infinitely close to zero.
“More importantly…”
It was certainly unexpected, but even that fell within his predictions.
Leaving the lingering pain behind, he stared at Altain, who had stepped closer.
Altain’s appearance had changed to reflect his rebirth as a complete species.
With blonde hair and pale skin, he was a perfectly handsome man, even more so than Leon.
However, there was a flaw in that seemingly perfect being.
“Do you still fail to control your emotions?”
Altain’s flaw.
It was his emotions.
Salmora thought he had created a perfect species.
However, these things called emotions were not something that could be controlled as desired.
“That is…”
Altain wore an apologetic expression.
“I suppose even that Kim Si-won could not control his emotions and personality, which is why he requested their separation.”
For Salmora, Kim Si-won was his only standard.
This was because he was the closest to the most perfect species he could imagine.
Recalling the memory of when Kim Si-won had asked to have his personality separated in the past, he spoke.
“It seems you also need to undergo the separation and removal of your personality.”
A heart that cared for its creator?
It was nothing more than an unnecessary part.
He had to be perfect.
He had to achieve absolute flawlessness by removing emotions, personality, and everything else.
Therefore, these useless emotions and personalities had to be eliminated.
“You are still incomplete. So, let us begin the experiment to become complete.”
The previous failure.
The fact that he had achieved a lower record than Leon was likely due in large part to those emotions.
Having surmised as much, Salmora entered into the personality separation experiment to remove the element of incompleteness for Altain’s perfection.
***
“…In the past, I underwent an experiment to separate my personality.”
I brought up my past to Leon.
“Your personality… sir?”
Leon’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Yes. Given my situation at the time, I thought it was unavoidable for survival.”
People are selfish.
One’s own life is the most important, and one’s own situation is the most difficult.
That was why I had to join the Demon King’s Legion to survive.
But ironically, because I was human, I couldn’t help but feel conflicted.
“The process of standing on the side of the Demon Clan and killing fellow humans—slaughtering hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands—was something even I found difficult to endure back then.”
Even though my emotions had been worn down over a long time, my feelings and personality still remained.
Because of that, I couldn’t help but be reluctant to massacre other humans.
However, if I hesitated to kill humans, I couldn’t stand on the side of the Demon Clan.
Therefore, to eliminate this hesitation, I separated my personality.
No, to be precise, I sealed it deep within myself and thoroughly ignored it.
Leaving only one behind—the personality known as bloodlust, meant for killing someone.
“Certainly… if it’s that method, it seems one could kill people without guilt.”
Leon nodded.
In that urgent situation back then, how many people could have made a different choice?
He empathized with the situation and admitted that my method was quite effective.
“But that was only a temporary fix. Rather, it was a terrible move that hindered my growth.”
At the time, I thought it was an appropriate method.
But looking back now, it was nothing more than a low-grade method that hindered my growth and only temporarily overcame a crisis.
“Why is that?” Leon asked, expressing his doubt, “If you remove emotions and personality, wouldn’t you be able to reach a higher level?”
If one could remove the personality from a human, it would surely be an enormous benefit.
Even in battles between masters, isn’t it important not to feel agitation, fear, or any fluctuation of emotion?
It is easy to mistakenly believe that if one can remove emotions at will, they can reach the state of ‘Clear Mirror, Still Water.’
“It is not about removing them. That state only shines because you can control and manage them.”
Clear Mirror, Still Water.
The state of selflessness is not something that can be obtained just by arbitrarily removing things.
Only when you can control them can you reach the true state.
“Even if you reach selflessness by arbitrarily removing them, that has no value; it is nothing more than an imitation.”
One must control, not remove.
Only then can one reach the true realm that the pioneers who came before us achieved.
“Emotions and personality are amplifiers. Only by being able to control them properly can you reach the realm beyond. Just like the Heart Sword I showed you before.”
Counting.
Understanding the end.
What was needed for that was emotion.
Only by using them as an amplifier at the right moment can you reach the realm you truly seek.
“…If someone were to forcibly try to remove those emotions…”
“They would be making the same mistake I did in the past. They become an incomplete existence, truly imperfect.”
In the past, I was incompleteness itself.
Of course, that doesn’t mean I regret it.
If I hadn’t separated my personality, if I hadn’t received Salmora’s experiment, I can guarantee that I wouldn’t have reached where I am today.
And.
“Success can only be known because I have experienced failure. By taking my failure as a lesson, you will be able to take a faster and more correct path.”
Removing emotions… that is something one might regret in the long run, even if it seems beneficial right now.
I myself have only just managed to grasp the Heart Sword because of that personality separation.
If I hadn’t removed my personality and had challenged it head-on, what if I could have grasped the Heart Sword a little sooner?
‘Perhaps the history of the continent would have changed differently.’
The invasion of the Demon King’s Legion.
The interference of the gods.
The conquest of the King of Domination Belmond.
As all those events occurred, the continent was stained with blood.
Although all those situations eventually met their end due to my timely intervention, the dead do not return.
In the end, because I chose the easy path, the continent had to suffer through countless sacrifices.
The stage has moved to Earth.
If I were to choose the easy path here, Earth might also face the same despair and terror as the Gritia Continent.
But it is different now.
I have seen the way.
Although it is a slightly difficult path, if we walk through it, I—and Leon—can reach an unknown realm that we have not yet stepped into.
And at the end of it.
“The destination we truly need to reach will unfold.”
Immediate power?
Immediate comfort?
Results that can only be allowed when one truly looks into the future and casts all that aside.
I am teaching Leon to grasp that.
“So, do not even think about things like the separation of emotions and personality, and just devote yourself. Moving forward without looking away—that is the path you must take.”
Great talents mature late.
That was exactly how I was teaching Leon.
Even if it was a little slow, I would present a path that could go further, finally allowing him to achieve the desired results and reach the destination everyone wants to arrive at.