As he drew the dagger out, Kolon's face remained expressionless in the face of the spurting blood. He wiped the blade on his body and then looked down at Ande on the ground.
With eyes wide open, the sudden pain rendered him speechless, yet as he gazed at the one he had protected, there was still some incomprehension in his gaze.
"Isn't it obvious, 'Lord' Ande? The disaster has passed, and you are no longer of use."
Crouching down, Kolon fumbled in Ande's embrace and quickly found that puppet.
He tugged at it, unable to pull it free at first, but Kolon only sneered coldly. Swinging his dagger, he made another slice, severing Ande's left hand at the wrist.
"We never got along, did we? You know... The great Deity walked the earth in mortal form, clearly favoring me first, but you beat me to it. He taught you drama, allowing you to stand out among Humans; he then gave you this gift to protect your life during disasters. Perhaps it has other uses, but that doesn't matter anymore, now—"
Standing up, and looking at Ande, still breathing faintly, Kolon showed a hint of disgust. He knew how despicable he was, and it was precisely because of this that he loathed Ande's goodness even more.
"You were a good man, 'Lord' Ande, I address you so one last time. You saved me without holding a grudge, yet I treated you this way, you must not understand, right?"
Raising the puppet and looking at the splotches of blood on it, the corners of Kolon's mouth twisted into a smirk. He looked at the puppet, as if speaking to Ande and even as if to Laine, who had been turned away from his door yet still regarded him indifferently.
He had not understood this expression before, but he understood it now. It was the lofty condescension of the gods, in whose eyes all beings were equal, but merely 'equal.' Because apart from him, all else were the same.
"In this world, in the end, only those who stop at nothing can win... Look, I've won now."
"Survival of the fittest, that is the true nature of Life!"
Watching as Ande's breathing completely faded away, Kolon glanced at the puppet in his hand. No matter how he examined it, he could not discern anything special about it.
In the end, he had to set this matter aside for the time being. Before leaving, he gave Ande's corpse one last look.
"If reincarnation truly exists in legend, then remember my words well, naive young man. That way, if you do have a next life, you will surely thank me for my warning."
Turning to leave, he took off his bloodied clothes and retrieved a gold box from the pit. In response to his companions' inquiries, he merely explained that there was still danger outside, and he needed to deal with it together with Ande, requiring some more time; but it was nothing to worry about.
Though food was scarce, half a day's wait was manageable, and with Kolon being a craftsman by trade, his years holding a hammer made him tall and robust. Therefore, whether or not they harbored doubts, people chose to believe him.
Back on the surface, Kolon opened the box and placed the puppet inside.
For the moment, he couldn't figure out how to use the thing, and considering the curiosity about his strange powers that people had underground, as well as the panic over divine punishment, Ande had ultimately explained that this divine gift, once used, couldn't be used again for a short period; thus, Kolon treated this as the norm.
However, nobody knew if the puppet had any other problems, so he stored it in the gold box. Gold was rumored to have the ability to block certain influences to some extent, and although he didn't understand, he mimicked the practice.
Placing the gold box near his chest, Kolon took a long deep breath. Up to this moment, his nerves had been tightly wound. He had probed Ande with indirect questions, trying to confirm that although the man knew some strange little tricks, he truly lacked powerful abilities. But until he saw Ande's life fully extinguished, everything was uncertain.
Maybe Ande was deceiving him, and he could actually call down lightning, easily turning the tables; maybe Ande had some hidden aces, just never-before-heard-of puppet; or perhaps the puppet still possessed other special powers, and even the Deity that gave the gift might descend in person... Fortunately, none of that happened.
Not until this moment, when he had placed the puppet into the box, did his perilously risky scheme finally come to a close.
"To think that you actually told the truth... It serves you right to die ."
"The deceit of the priests, people's initial gratitude towards you underground followed by their mixed complaints, and even my past hatred for you... if all this couldn't make you see the truth of this world, then it's better to leave the chance to me."
Glancing at the nearby hole, Kolon sneered contemptuously. He didn't believe that no one had noticed something was amiss with his hurried coming and going, but those 'smart people' had all opted for silence. Perhaps when they learned of Ande's death, a few not-so-'perceptive' folks might come out to question him, but it didn't matter by then.
Without the creator, without the priests, without the strictures of the old Bronze Humanity's societal structure, everything had returned to the primordial state on this refreshed land.
And he, armed and robust, was the rightful ruler. With the outcomes of those few not-'perceptive' individuals, he would show everyone who was in charge here.