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Last Embryo Volume 4 Chapter 7 Part 1

「. . . . . . . . . . . and I believe that covers all of what happened between us and Heracles. Now, do you have any other questions for me? Because if so, then I will try to answer them to the best of my ability.」

Krishna asked with a smile on his. . . or rather, Heracles’ face. It must be in his nature to always speak about things in detail and with the utmost accuracy, but as for Izayoi and Homura, they were far from being happy and optimistic after they finished listening to Krishna’s story. They were both stunned speechless, albeit for different reasons. They were simply looking at one another in complete silence and bewilderment, but after a whole, it was Izayoi who broke that painful silence by opening his mouth to ask one of the questions that were weighting heavily on his mind ever since he heard one of the more shocking of Krishna’s statements in his recounting of his encounter with Heracles.

「. . . . . . . . . . . . Krishna. Are you really one of the founding members of the 『Uroboros Demon Lord Alliance』?」

「Yes. Although currently I am sealed away after being defeated by Kalki, but it should still be okay for me to think of myself like that, I think. Was that all? Or do you perhaps still have some other questions?」

His voice was perfectly calm and virtous. It completely does not fit his current muscular body and its fierce facial expressions, which would definitely confuse anyone who would look at him right now. It was as if his voice was wrapped in a solemn and sacred atmosphere that seemed to be overflowing not from his body, but directly from his soul.

However, that kind of behavior was the absolute worst.

Izayoi could perfectly understand why Heracles acted the way he did. He knew that his anger towards Krishna was the righteous one, because he also felt the same way. Right now, in this moment, even if it looked like Izayoi was calm and collected, the truth is that on the inside he was burning with rage and indignation as strong as the ones that Heracles must have felt, or perhaps even stronger. Anyway, knowing that there was at least one more person who felt angry at the injustice that has befallen the Albino girls.

And yet. . .

The man who was standing before him now was not that hero who Izayoi could respect for his conviction. The man who was standing before him now was nothing more but scum who robbed this wonderful hero of his body and his dignity. He was so looking forward to competing against such a hero, but now that opportunity he was waiting for has been taken away from him before he even had the chance to cash in on it. And that is exactly why he directed the words he spoke next towards him.

「Hah! So, you are supposed to be the so-called 『Avatar of Salvation』, huh? Is that not laughable? Because I certainly am amazed to hear that! I thought that there would be no way for someone like you to be affiliated with 『Uroboros』, but after hearing what you had to say, I have to admit that I can totally see you being friends with loser Arjuna, The Oathbreaker. You are probably thinking that claiming to be ready to stop humanity’s destruction no matter the costs make you someone special, but the truth is that you say what you are saying and doing what you are doing only to satisfy your own self-righteousness!」

「Hou? They way those blasphemous words leave your mouth. . . you speak as though you thought that you know me pretty well.」

「Oh I know you all right. Krishna, from whom the original concept of a 「Savior」 is said to have originated. . . you are also said to be the model for King David of the Hebrew mythology’s Old Testament as well as the native Sun God of Indian mythology. According one of the more popular theories, you were also said to often clash with Indra, who was the strongest God of War at the time.」

It is a myth that has been recorded in 「Aryan」– The Great Migration of the Nobles – that was supposed to have occurred around 1500 B.C. According to it, Aryans – a term which was used as a self-designation by Indo-Iranians of ancient India – who worshipped 「Rigveda」¬– a collection of ancient Vedic Sanskrit hymns – began a major migration from their home in Central Asia to the north, south, east and west, where they then stayed, mingling with the natives of the lands they arrived in and mixing their blood with their own. But there is also another interpretation of this migration, the one that states that the mythical battle between the God of War Indra and the God of the Sun Krishna was actually a proxy war for the conflict between indigenous people and the foreigners.

Hearing Izayoi’s words, Krishna looked up into the night sky and smiled with nostalgia.

「If you really think that you know me so well, then allow me to tell you another story, a nostalgic one from the times long bygone. . . . . . . . . Yes, you are correct in stating that there was once a time where I have crossed my blade with Indra’s. At that time, he was already the strongest God of War in the entire Indian pantheon who aspired to the title of the one and only King of the Gods. I was actually the last enemy he had to fight to secure that title for himself. Later, after I have descended from the divine realm to the world below, I met Arjuna during one of the many battles that I have participated in, marking the beginning of our lifelong friendship.」

「Hmm? So you are saying that you were actually one of Arjuna’s friends during his life, huh? Then tell me something. Arjuna’s legend states that for as great of a warrior as he was, he has also slew many people and committed various atrocities along with his comrades in arms throughout his life, slaying their siblings, their masters and even elders. Were you also a part of all those transgressions that he committed? Or perhaps you were the one behind his all of his evil deeds all along?」

Izayoi was staring at Krishna with a great deal of contempt. But in response, Krishna only smiled as he stared back at him with his calm and cool eyes.

Arjuna and Krishna: two great heroes of the Indian mythology. The two of them were comrades in arms who have saved each other’s lives during the most famous and bloody war describe in the 「Mahabarata」. But although it was called a war and many soldiers have lost their lives in it, concept-wise it would be better to call it a very prototypical version of a Gift Game, in a sense that the battle during it were fought according to a set of various rules, such as:
Rule #1: Killing civillians and people other than the warriors of the opposing armies is strictly prohibited.
Rule #2: Members of the third party are prohibited from killing individuals who are already participating in a one-on-one combat.
Rule #3: Military activities are only to be carried out from dawn until dusk.
Rule #4: Blows to the enemy’s exposed back and to the groin area are strictly prohibited.
Rule #5: Killing of those who have lost the will to fight and beg for life is strictly prohibited.
Rule #6: Respect each other’s lives during the night, drink alcohol and deepen the friendship with your comrades.

These are only a selected few of the rules that constituted the 「commandments」according to which wars of the 「Mahabarata」were fought. It might seem like something taken straight out of an idealistic tale or a fantasy book, but this is actually a concept that managed to hold out even in the modern era, where there are various restrictions placed on warfare so as to ensure that both of the sides of the conflict will be bound in the same way so that the loss and destruction of human lives participating in it is going to be kept to the necessary minimum. If all of those rules have been continuously implemented and properly adhered to not only I the early days of mankind and in the B.C era, but throughout the entirety of human history as well, they would undeniably have a much larger impact on religion, myths, and the concept of war as it was shaped in the future.

Unfortunately, that was not to be the case.