Chapter 806
The final chance for a counterattack has arrived.
In this brief moment when Junior's [Elemental Disassembler] and Torkel's [Man is not Made for Defeat] are taking effect.
In this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, everyone in the Monster Front launched perfectly coordinated attacks.
Just as they had trained and mastered over the past three years…!
"Ivory Tower!"
"Senior Mage!"
The two flame mages representing the Monster Front's firepower stretched out their hands simultaneously.
"This is our final flame-!"
Dearmudin's massive pillar of fire was enveloped by Lilly's flames, swirling like waves.
As they merged into one, the whirling flames exploded.
The 'Sleepless Lake Princess' was engulfed in tremendous flames.
Her body, which should have been impervious to any attack, burned pitch black. Her fingertips and toes turned to ash and scattered, only to ripple and regenerate moments later.
It's working-
Following the two flame mages' inferno, all the mages formed a joint aerial magic circle and unleashed their spells to the limit. Mages from every school of magic in the world unleashed their ultimate spells without holding back.
The mana in the air became scarce, forcing everyone to overload their staves to complete their spells. The staves of the mages standing on the wall exploded one after another, scattering multicolored lights.
Knowing this would be the last magical display to go down in history.
The tearful magical baptism of the mages who had accepted their farewell poured down on the 'Sleepless Lake Princess'.
Fire and water, wind and lightning, earth and ice, light and darkness…
Even in the face of this all-out concentrated fire, the 'Sleepless Lake Princess' endured. Her body broke apart and regenerated endlessly, persisting like a nightmare lurking in the deepest night.
But she had to retreat.
After the magical bombardment ended, on the ground sizzling with magical heat, the 'Sleepless Lake Princess' staggered for the first time.
Crackle, crackle…
The gaze of the Outer Gods connected to her, those pitch-black puppet strings, wavered as if filled with static.
When the momentarily sluggish 'Sleepless Lake Princess' finally looked ahead again-
"…!"
A fist shrouded in red energy was flying towards her face.
It was the fist of Kuilan, the Beast King with his red braids fluttering.
Kuilan, who had lost both the wolf's curse and the beast-kin's blessing, was now a much smaller human than before. His fist could no longer deliver the same power as before.
He knew this.
That's why he changed his approach.
Ta-at!
Behind him, the members of the Penal Squad followed suit, assuming the same stance as Kuilan.
By the time of the battle with the Black Dragon, the Maple Fist had already been refined. It had been reborn as a martial art of the new era that anyone could learn, regardless of whether they were beast-kin or relied on curses.
The new grandmaster acknowledged by Lunared.
Kuilan had passed on the secret techniques of the Maple Fist to all members of his direct subordinates in the Penal Squad, and now in this final battle-
"Unite."
He saw the fruits of his labor.
"Heart-Severing Wind Wolf-!"
Five-person Heart-Severing Wind Wolf.
Five fists flew simultaneously, scattering red energy.
Even with her body in tatters from the earlier magical barrage, the Lake Princess tried to defend against this attack. However, Torkel, who had stubbornly clung to the enemy commander's body, interfered with her movements.
The time Torkel bought was not even a second, perhaps not even 0.1 seconds.
But that gap was enough.
Bwooosh-!
The unprecedented simultaneous five-person secret technique strike pierced through the 'Sleepless Lake Princess'.
Feeling the definite impact, Kuilan grinned.
The power of one is certainly weak. However-
The power of unity is far stronger.
Tsukaaaaak!
Even as she was pushed back, the 'Sleepless Lake Princess' violently swung her hand. A wave of darkness rose up, savagely clawing at Kuilan and the Penal Squad members.
The holy power armor that the priests had cast on Kuilan and the Penal Squad members burst apart. The golden aura that had enveloped their bodies faded away like a candle in the wind.
But the golden aura spread like wildfire to the bodies of others who leapt in next.
Kellibey, who jumped in with daggers and a hammer, placed a dagger on the body of the 'Sleepless Lake Princess' and swung the hammer imbued with the power of the tribal god, forcibly driving it in.
The 'Sleepless Lake Princess' lashed out at Kellibey with darkness. However, the dagger stuck in her body was no ordinary dagger.
[Flash Knife] — it was a blink dagger.
Flash-!
Verdandi, who teleported with the dagger, didn't hesitate for a moment and slashed the wound made by the blink dagger with [Isakeum].
The forcibly overloaded Dragon Slayer — [Isakeum] — exploded inside the wound, spewing out its breath.
Darkness splattered like blood. The 'Sleepless Lake Princess' once again swung darkness to throw Verdandi away.
But she was pushed back.
The dwarf warriors who had been piloting the autonomous golem [Iron Fist] against ordinary monsters until now switched to manual control and jumped into the battlefield. The elves of the Holy Grail Seekers, riding on the shoulders of these golems, fired magic-imbued arrows without rest.
Mikhail and his wives descended to the ground on their griffins. The Rompeller siblings, seated behind them, aimed the ship cannons they had detached from their vessel.
All the weapons built into the golems, the arrows of the elf assassins, the crimson throwing spears, and the blue magic bullets simultaneously battered the 'Sleepless Lake Princess'.
She's being pushed back.
Violet deployed [Illusion Field] across the entire battlefield. It didn't matter whether this worked on the enemy or not. They were just hoping to create even the smallest opening.
Elize, who was running at the forefront, thrust her sword coffin into the ground and opened it wide. Hannibal and the spirit mages who stopped beside her enchanted the weapons inside the coffin with spirits as fast as they could.
Heroes and soldiers rushed forward, each grasping one of these weapons. The priests cast holy power armor on these soldiers' bodies.
And at the end of this procession, Rosetta and Zenis also grabbed their weapons and charged forward, followed by Hannibal who had summoned the Spirit King.
The 'Sleepless Lake Princess' was pushed back.
She lashed out with darkness, tearing apart those who attacked her. But the next person appeared. When she struck them down, yet another person appeared.
Pushed back, pushed back, pushed back.
"…"
Watching this battlefield, Damien prepared for his final shot atop the castle wall.
"…Hah."
The power of [Far-Sight] was already fading.
His vision, which once could pierce through everything beyond the horizon, had shrunk to that of an ordinary human. All the incredibly clear scenery had faded like old memories in his mind.
But the eyes of the boy — no, now a full-fledged young man — still held a gleam.
Because he could face himself with a clear conscience.
Because even though he had been bent and dirtied while desperately enduring in this hell, he had never abandoned his beliefs in the end.
Because he had survived, weak but righteous.
For such a noble master, [Far-Sight] performed its last miracle.
Without hesitation, Damien began to pick up and fire the magic guns laid out before him-
And the bullets did not miss.
[Hunter's Retribution], [Venom Fang], [Guillotine], [Plague], [Famine], [War], [Death]-
And finally, [Black Queen].
Every magic bullet Damien fired pierced the most vulnerable parts of the 'Sleepless Lake Princess', pushing her back.
As if Far-Sight was still there. It was an unbelievable display of marksmanship.
…Or perhaps this wasn't a miracle at all.
It might have been the natural blossoming of the young man's efforts over the past three years, never letting go of his bow and gun even until the moment he fell asleep.
Crack, crackle…
Boom-!
After firing the final railgun shot with [Black Queen] loaded with [Annihilation Bullet] in 'Nightmare Slayer' mode.
Falling backward from the recoil amidst fragments of the broken magic gun, pressing his burnt palm against the floor, feeling the dried blood taste in his mouth along with his depleted mana…
"…"
Damien silently took out a mana potion and poured it into his mouth, then loaded magic bullets with thread-thin power into the magic guns he could still use.
They were [Healing Bullets].
And once again, he ran to the edge of the wall and began providing supporting fire for his allies.
Bang! Bububububang!
Kwagwagwagwang-!
As the 'Sleepless Lake Princess' was pushed far enough away from the castle walls, the soldiers on the walls began their bombardment as if they had been waiting for this moment.
Emitting a golden aura, all the soldiers unleashed cross-fire with practiced movements.
Cannons and ballistas, arrows and bullets, artifacts and magic…
The 'Sleepless Lake Princess', who had been continuously pushed back by the relentless barrage, suddenly had the strings connected to her body become clear again.
The gaze of the Outer Gods had been restored.
"…!"
Darkness swirled out from the nightmare's master, swallowing up all the cross-fire that had been pushing her back.
And as the darkness receded, the 'Sleepless Lake Princess' regained her original, intact form. As if all the damage until now had been a lie, she was still the undulating master of nightmares.
Junior's [Elemental Disassembler] had already ended, and Torkel, who had been clinging to the Lake Princess until the very end, had long since lost consciousness and been thrown far away.
Does that mean all this resistance was futile?
"…"
No.
At least, everyone in the Monster Front believed it wasn't.
From the beginning, they hadn't fought to win.
They had endured for the past three years to protect the world behind them.
And today was just another day they faced during this journey.
A little more harsh, a little more painful, a little longer. That kind of day.
Lucas, who had finished recovering while his allies bought time, stepped forward. His two hands grasped the greatsword of light.
"Once more."
He had promised the man who raised the flag on this front.
That he would protect the world until he returned.
So, once more…
Behind Lucas, bloodied people formed ranks and shouted in unison.
"Once more-!"
The Spirit Realm.
Beneath the roots of the Black Tree Everblack.
"…"
The burning woman — the Goddess — was watching.
The desperate struggle unfolding here in the Spirit Realm. And the desperate struggle unfolding in the mortal world.
As the battle in the mortal world intensified, the situation in the Spirit Realm was also deteriorating moment by moment.
The rebel army led by Ash was gradually being pushed back in the face of the Outer Gods' offensive. Although they had put up a good fight for a while, the difference in power was simply too great from the start.
"…"
The Goddess's eyes were filled with conflict, regret, and a sense of powerlessness as she watched.
That's when it happened.
"Aren't you going to help?"
A voice came from above the Goddess's head.
It was a familiar voice. The Goddess answered bitterly as she looked up.
"What exactly can I do… other than burn while tied up here."
And she called out the name of the one descending along the roots of Everblack above her head.
"…Dustia."
The distant descendant of the Goddess and Ash's birth mother.
Dustia smiled back haggardly.
Chapter 807
It wasn't just Dustia.
The regressors of each generation who inherited the curse from the Goddess were all trapped here inside Everblack.
This was the divine punishment that the clan received for stealing the magical fire.
Even after death, they were trapped in this spirit realm, forced to watch as their descendants repeated their lives — an eternal curse of regression for the entire clan.
"Won't you help us?"
Dustia asked once more.
The Goddess let out a long sigh. She murmured softly:
"For our human race that lived as slaves… to live at least like proper humans. That's why I planted this tree."
The Goddess looked up at the roots of the massive thorn tree she had planted herself, which was now burning itself to provide warmth.
"And now you're saying we should get rid of this tree?"
"If this tree disappears, Mother, you can be freed. You won't need to sacrifice yourself eternally burning like this."
"I would be free, but!"
The Goddess shook her head.
"Our descendants, all of humanity, will now shiver in eternal cold."
"…"
"Without the light of magical fire… the next harsh millennium will begin. Even so…"
"It's because that's what's necessary for the next generation," Dustia said with conviction.
"It's because that's what's truly necessary for humanity… no, for the entire world."
The Goddess blinked in surprise.
Dustia turned her head to look at her son leading the battle against the Outer Gods.
"Just as a child grows into an adult. Just as independence comes when childhood ends…"
In the mother's memories, he was still a small, young boy.
Her son, who had somehow grown so big without her noticing.
"The time for maturity has come, both for our humanity and for this world."
"Time for maturity…?"
"The time to stand on one's own strength, not power given from outside."
The time to move beyond the one-sided help given by parents and live solely on one's own strength.
It was bound to come someday.
"I understand it pains you, Mother."
"…"
"What parent wouldn't? Whose heart wouldn't be torn watching their child's back as they venture alone into the wilderness?"
Dustia spoke emphatically.
"But we must let them go."
"…"
"Just as parents can't care for their children forever, this tree can't last eternally either."
The magical lighthouse, planted by the will of the Outer Gods, spreading the power of the outside world into this world.
Thanks to the magical power this tree drew up, humanity prospered for the past millennium.
But that power was ultimately external. Not created by this world itself.
It must be outgrown someday.
"The child who leaves their parents' hands and departs alone into the wilderness will surely be cold. Surely suffer. But."
Dustia smiled faintly.
"Becoming an adult is inherently such a thing, isn't it?"
Even if cold, even if painful.
Doing today's work while chewing dirt and swallowing dust.
It is through this process that a child finally becomes an adult.
Only through this process can one truly become an adult.
"…"
Before the Goddess who couldn't continue speaking, the spirit of another regressor appeared this time.
It was her own son, born to the Goddess herself, who had been burned at the stake with her.
"Mother, that child fighting out there right now… that's the one."
The son whispered, looking at Ash catching his breath while leaning on his flag outside.
"The child I told you about then, who would sever and change this very world that discriminates and enslaves based on power and race…"
"…"
"At first glance, that child's actions may seem reckless and foolish. But such a reckless and foolish path is in fact what leads the world to the next era…"
The son smiled.
"You showed us that yourself, Mother."
By now, all the other regressors of the clan had appeared and stood before the Goddess.
The Goddess wept as she looked over her descendants connected to her, who had shared in the eternal punishment.
"Just as Mother gladly sacrificed herself for us and our descendants."
The son reached out his hand towards the Goddess's burning hand.
"Now please send us off with a glad heart. Please accept it with a glad heart."
At the same time, the regressors reached out their hands towards each other's hands.
"The maturity of our descendants. The… independence of our child."
The flames that had been burning the Goddess spread to the son's body through his hand.
The regressors endured the pain of their bodies burning as they willingly connected the flames, holding hands in a line reaching towards the sky. At the end of the joined hands, Dustia stretched her hand towards the heavens.
The tip of Everblack's roots touched her hand.
And.
Whoosh-
Through the flames, will was transmitted.
"My Everblack,"
The Goddess whispered, swallowing her tears.
"My… giving thorn tree."
As fire spread through the entire root system, the voice of the Goddess who had planted, warmed, and guarded the tree for the past millennium was conveyed to the tree.
"Even now, worried about people, pitying those who would shiver in the cold without you, you can't bring yourself to remove your trunk."
The Goddess whispered tenderly.
"It's alright."
Thump…
The roots of the tree, which hadn't moved at all until now, twisted faintly.
"People are strong, so they'll sprout new fires on their own even without us. So, you can rest now."
Caressing the roots of the tree that had shared in the eternal punishment through their joined hands.
The Goddess wept and laughed.
"You've worked so hard for endless ages."
Towards the tree, the Goddess did not command.
"Let's go rest."
She simply spoke with all her heart.
"Let's go to sleep, together…"
And.
Rumble…!
Everblack's roots began to violently shake.
Rumble…!
"…!"
I looked towards Everblack, which was moving on its own.
Humanity's guardian tree began to rise, creating huge cracks around it. At the same time, it started detaching the part of its trunk that connected the spirit realm and the mortal world.
"We've succeeded…!"
Everyone in the fortress watching this scene cheered. I too let out a sigh of relief.
As Everblack removed its trunk and roots, the spirit realm began to close rapidly.
But that wasn't all.
Rumble…!
The massive tree, while moving away from the spirit realm's passage, began to use its freed trunk and roots to… block the Outer Gods' attacks with its own body.
"This is…"
The tree was trying to protect us of its own will.
Even as its body was crushed and shattered before the Outer Gods' attacks, it struggled with all its might to help us somehow, regardless.
"…"
Until now, I had seen the guardian trees simply as objects that needed to be eliminated.
I thought they were close to mere mechanical devices planted by the Outer Gods. So I was willing to burn and destroy them.
But that wasn't the case.
This tree had only wanted to help people, right up to the very end.
"Thank you."
I gritted my teeth as I watched Everblack supporting us with all its strength.
"Thank you…"
As Everblack completely withdrew its body from between the mortal world and spirit realm.
Just as the spirit realm itself was about to start closing in earnest.
Thump!
The hands of the Outer Gods pouring from the sky began to join together, eventually creating an unprecedentedly massive hand…
Crack!
It forcibly grasped the closing sky of the spirit realm.
"…?!"
The giant hand endured, even as its grip was torn and exploded.
And in turn, it began to forcibly open the sky of the spirit realm — the passage connecting to the other world.
"What is this…! This is impossible-"
The blood-red gaze of the Outer Gods focused on Salome, who was groaning in dismay at this sight.
Boom!
Perhaps unprepared to absorb it, Salome screamed as she was battered by the formless attack.
"Kyaaaa!"
"Salome!"
Salome fell.
Following that, as the spirit realm's passage was forcibly expanded as if being torn apart — all of the Outer Gods' attacks intensified.
Besides the giant hand, countless other fingers rained down like a bombardment.
The race gods fighting atop the fortress couldn't withstand it, and were crushed one by one under the falling fingertips.
"Ugh!"
"Is this their true power…?!"
Lark's sword broke, and all of Fernandez's spells being chanted were forcibly extinguished.
Though the two brothers tried to continue resisting even in that state-
Crash!
Dozens, hundreds of fingers poured down, and finally the 'Final Ark' was torn to shreds and fell.
"Lark, Fernandez! No…!"
Beside them, La Mancha, who had been performing evasive maneuvers, was caught by another Outer God's hand and thrown to the ground.
Boom!
Hurled beyond the transparent sea of the spirit realm, La Mancha sank just like that.
"Father! Glory Knights!"
There was no time to worry. An enormous number of fingers were pouring down above my head as well.
I gritted my teeth and raised my flag to lift the fortress.
But my magic fortress merely crumbled like sand under the fingertips of the Outer Gods.
"Ash!"
Just then, four red dragons flew in and formed a formation above my head, simultaneously breathing fire towards the sky.
Roar!
The breaths spewed by the four dragons — Dusk Bringer, Dawn Bringer, Day Bringer, and Dusk Bringer again — combined into one and set the sky ablaze.
But the fingers that had momentarily hesitated soon began to fall again, piercing even through those flames.
Thud! Thud! Thud-!
Everblack desperately extended its trunk and roots to try to stop those attacks, but the hands ruthlessly and mercilessly tore away such efforts of the tree.
"Player-!"
Another strained voice called out from afar.
Looking that way, it was the Demon King who had been single-handedly blocking the Outer Gods' 'blinking' by spreading a veil of darkness since the start of the battle.
Though he had always seemed relaxed and strong, now his entire body was in tatters. Even at this moment, the Demon King's shadow-like body was repeatedly exploding into pieces and reassembling every time the Outer Gods blinked.
"At this rate, even I won't be able to completely close the spirit realm!"
The Demon King shouted in an unprecedentedly urgent voice.
"When will that 'secret final shot' be ready…?!"
Blood from a wound on my forehead, which had somehow injured even my spirit body, trickled down to my chin.
Wiping it away with the back of my hand, I grinned.
"Just hold on a little longer. I'll definitely do it."
I believed.
"That man who wants the true ending more than anyone… that damn previous Player."
My accomplice who has been fighting eternally before me.
"He'll definitely give those Outer Gods one hell of a blow…!"
Mortal World.
Crossroad. In front of the city gates.
"…"
The 'Sleepless Lake Princess' stood still, looking around.
The area was completely devastated.
The city walls made of black dragon scales and bones were all crushed, and the siege weapons placed on them were all destroyed.
The humans who once blocked her advance against the master of nightmares, wrapped in golden auras.
Now not a single one could stand on two legs.
All were bleeding, clutching their wounds, struggling to breathe.
Though they still glared at her with eyes full of will, that was all.
The battle was over.
"…"
Crackle, crackle…
As the connection between the spirit realm and mortal world weakened, the puppet strings of the Outer Gods controlling the 'Sleepless Lake Princess' kept flickering.
And each time the connection weakened like this, something inside the 'Sleepless Lake Princess' kept moving.
The 'Sleepless Lake Princess' couldn't understand why they were still breathing.
Why she kept pulling back the tip of her sword at the critical moment.
How she somehow didn't want to kill these people, this city.
She was the master of nightmares. Just a collection of monsters that crawled out from under that black lake.
Just a tool to kill people and destroy the world.
As the Outer Gods' connection weakened, something inside her kept interfering.
"…"
Hazy memories… flashed through her mind.
The day she first met them at the entrance of the Lake Kingdom.
The day she first sold them items.
The day they fought monsters shoulder to shoulder.
The days they defeated wolves, snakes, dragons together.
The day they shared drinks and talked about dreams for the future.
Ah, and…
The night of a party where they held hands and danced.
"…"
Under the burnt veil, the woman's lips moved hesitatingly.
"What…"
For the first time in countless playthroughs.
The queen of monsters opened her mouth to speak to the people.
"What… was I to you?"
After a moment of silence.
Those who had fallen began to speak one by one.
The dwarf said:
"A friend."
The elf said:
"A guiding light."
The young knight with a broken shield tied to his bloodied arm said:
"Big sister."
The blonde knight still gripping his sword of light said:
"Comrade."
Under the veil, the 'Sleepless Lake Princess's' eyes widened.
It was then.
Crackle!
The Outer Gods forcibly expanded the passage in the spirit realm, and as a result, their gaze towards the mortal world also intensified.
The black gaze connected to the 'Sleepless Lake Princess' became clearer than ever before. The Outer Gods injected an unprecedentedly intense will to ensure they didn't lose control over her for even a moment.
Now the gaze wrapped around the 'Sleepless Lake Princess's' body was almost visible like black spider webs.
The delusions clouding the master of nightmares were forcibly deleted. She once again became a complete puppet of the Outer Gods.
The trembling in her fingertips disappeared. The master of nightmares slowly raised her sword of darkness, aiming it at the people who were still trying to stop her despite having fallen.
Step. Step. Step…
It was then.
In this place where no one could stand, someone's footsteps echoed.
From inside the city, through the collapsed gates, right up to the tip of the sword aimed by the master of nightmares.
Everyone turned their gaze towards the one slowly walking out.
It was Aider who appeared.
The lord's advisor in old formal attire slowly took off his glasses.
As the thick glasses disappeared, his old, old gray eyes were revealed.
Gazing calmly at the 'Sleepless Lake Princess' with that sunken, ancient gaze, Aider opened his mouth.
"And…"
With a faint, shy smile.
To confess without hiding what she had been to him.
"A secret love."
Chapter 808
"Do you remember?"
Standing before the 'Sleepless Lake Princess', facing the tip of her sword.
Aider suddenly reminisced about the distant past.
"There was a time when you invited me to go on a picnic together."
"…"
"You said there was a hill on the outskirts where we often played as children. With a big zelkova tree, and flowers blooming in summer…"
The 'Sleepless Lake Princess' couldn't recall any memories.
"You were the one who first suggested we go on a picnic there."
The 'Sleepless Lake Princess' couldn't summon any emotions.
"You have no idea how my heart raced then. Just imagining spending a happy moment alone with you, whom I secretly loved, kept me up all night in excitement."
Such distant memories are nothing but forgotten, burnt ashes.
She's only listening to this man's words because he's a former player. The Outer Gods are cautious, not knowing what tricks he might have prepared.
But Aider was simply, calmly unfolding his old memories with care.
"But it rained on the promised day."
A tender smile appeared on Aider's lips.
"It suddenly poured, so the picnic was canceled. I was utterly disappointed and dejected."
"…"
"But do you remember what you said to me then?"
No memories.
No emotions.
Surface.
Yet somehow, suddenly.
The sound of rain echoes in her ears…
"When it rains, we can see the rainy scenery."
The two of them,
In their forms from five hundred years ago.
"And when the rain stops, we can see a rainbow."
Sitting side by side in a pavilion in the palace courtyard, watching the falling rain together…
Eventually, the rain stops.
As the sky clears brightly, the young princess smiles.
"Come, Aider. Let's go see the rainbow."
The princess's outstretched hand takes the slave's hand,
And the two step into a world where sunlight seeps through, where the rain has stopped-
"Let's go… see the rainbow…"
When she blinked once, the distant memory vanished as if it were a lie.
This is a battlefield.
Standing here are not a princess and a slave, but the master of nightmares and a failed hero.
"…The rainbow I saw with you that day."
Aider quietly confessed.
"It has kept me alive all this time."
"…"
"The beautiful things you gave me were so brilliant… They're still embedded in my heart, refusing to disappear, and that's why I've lived until now."
Aider's halted steps began to move forward again.
"Since the day the Lake Kingdom fell, eternal black rain has been falling in your world."
As he approached, the sword in the 'Sleepless Lake Princess's' hand emitted an eerie aura.
Aider paid no heed.
Whatever was in her hand, it didn't matter from the start.
What he wanted to reach was only her heart.
"My poor princess, who took in all that rain to save a world drowning in black rain."
Aider took another step closer.
Shunk-!
The dark sword thrust forward, piercing Aider's chest.
But Aider continued to step forward even in that state.
His pierced chest crumbled and scattered like dust. Blood surged up, wetting his lips. His trembling legs wobbled, seeming ready to collapse at any moment.
But with truly desperate will, he took one more step forward-
And reached out his hand.
Aider's weathered fingertips touched the princess's cheek beneath her veil.
"This time, let me."
Caressing her cold cheek, Aider smiled with his blood-stained face.
"Show you a rainbow."
The Outer Gods, sensing something amiss, urgently tried to pull the 'Sleepless Lake Princess' back.
But it was already too late.
A dazzling flash burst forth from Aider's fingertips.
The silver light enveloped the puppet strings controlling the 'Sleepless Lake Princess' — the Outer Gods' 'gazes' — and shot straight up into the sky.
In the spirit realm, the Outer Gods forcibly expanded the passage, and as a result, their gazes directed towards the human world intensified.
The black gaze connected to the 'Sleepless Lake Princess' became clearer than ever before. The Outer Gods injected an unprecedentedly intense will to not lose even the slightest control over her.
The gaze wrapped around the 'Sleepless Lake Princess's' body was almost visible like black spider webs.
This was the moment Aider had been waiting for.
The moment when the Outer Gods strengthened their connection with the 'Sleepless Lake Princess' more than ever before.
This was the moment when his 'trump card' would absolutely not miss its mark.
"Destroying 'Apocalypse Play', no. Your very 'system' itself…"
The reason he deliberately stepped back from being a 'player' to become a 'director'.
The reason he had been handling the game called Apocalypse Play and its system.
The reason he had been searching for flaws in the system over countless years, preparing means to bypass it, and gradually infiltrating his own traces.
Everything was for this moment alone.
For the rebellion to be attempted at the very last-
"This is my small revenge."
It was a kind of virus that neutralized the system.
It was the very embodiment of one man's obsession who had fought an unbeatable opponent for an eternal time.
Following the black gaze connecting the Outer Gods and the 'Sleepless Lake Princess', the flash Aider shot up surged like a wave.
Chwaaaarrrr!
And following that trajectory, the Outer Gods' gazes simultaneously malfunctioned, exploded, and lost their function.
Faced with this sudden situation, the Outer Gods tried to hastily cut off the connection, but they couldn't.
Because they were connected to the 'Sleepless Lake Princess' like a spider web by their own will.
Flash-!
The flash that finally climbed all the way up the sky reached the eyes of the Outer Gods.
『…!』
With inaudible screams, the Outer Gods tightly shut their eyes.
All the 'systems' that the Outer Gods had overlaid on this world simultaneously malfunctioned. The passage that allowed them to interfere with this world despite existing in a far-off otherworld suddenly went dead.
"How was it, my lord?"
Watching the scene of countless eyes covering the sky closing in pain, Aider suddenly asked Ash.
"Was the timing good?"
"It's the perfect timing, Aider…!"
I shouted.
Aider's 'trump card' had struck, and the Outer Gods covering this spirit realm also trembled in pain all at once.
The Outer Gods' power to interfere with this world rapidly weakened.
But this is only a temporary phenomenon.
Before the Outer Gods regain their strength — we must settle this now!
"Demon King!"
I shouted towards my eternal rival.
"Can I leave it to you?"
The Demon King, meeting my gaze, smirked, his mouth like a white crack, and then.
"Of course."
He answered simply, yet reliably.
The Demon King shot up into the sky, leaving a trail of darkness like a long brush stroke behind his body.
And standing at the center of the sky, he stretched out his arms to the sides, and from his fingertips, he emitted an enormous amount of darkness… grasping the passage connecting to the otherworld.
"Kuuugh…"
As a painful cry burst from the Demon King's mouth,
"Aaaaaaah!"
Kuguuuguuung…!
It began to close.
The sky.
The Outer Gods, who until just now were opening that passage with giant hands, tried to create those giant hands again to interfere, but perhaps because their system was destroyed by Aider, the hands couldn't properly form and crumbled on their own.
『What are you doing, Demon King!』
The Outer Gods shouted urgently towards the Demon King.
『Stop! Are you going to violate the providence of this universe that we established?!』
『You too were once a constellation! If you, such as you are, go against the laws you set, your very existence will be annihilated!』
『This world is just a play on a small stage! Are you willing to die for such a thing?!』
Scattering darkness like blood in all directions, the Demon King shouted.
"I don't care!"
『…!』
"Constellations, universe, providence, play, I don't care about any of it…!"
Even as the system collapsed and the passage crumbled, the Outer Gods desperately poured out 'flickers', 'gazes', and 'touches' to attack the Demon King.
Enduring all those attacks, his body repeatedly shattering and reconnecting, the Demon King roared.
"There has never been a soul I couldn't corrupt. So, if I can corrupt that person…!"
At this moment.
On this small stage of a play.
"I don't mind if my soul burns away completely…!"
For the first time, the Demon King took on the leading role.
"I'll show you that you're nothing but an ordinary human…"
At some point, his destroyed body could no longer recover.
As the passage to the otherworld closed, the Demon King's power was also fading.
"That you're just an ordinary human who should live ordinarily, die ordinarily, be happy ordinarily and be unhappy ordinarily…!"
But the Demon King, with unbelievable determination, continued to close the sky with his body that was being torn apart and exploding.
"I'll prove it by corrupting you-!"
The Demon King desperately squeezed out his last strength,
"Aaaaaaah-!"
And just before the sky's gate closed completely-
Chwaaaak…!
Unable to withstand the countless 'flickers' pouring from the other side of the otherworld, his entire body finally exploded and collapsed.
The Demon King fell powerlessly.
Falling down with his body in tatters, he desperately turned his broken face to look for me.
And…
Taat-!
The moment he fell, I was simultaneously soaring up.
As we brushed past each other in mid-air, our gazes met.
The Demon King asked with difficulty.
"Can I leave it to you?"
I grinned.
"Of course…!"
Flying up to the center of the sky, I stretched out my hand.
On my hand was the [Imperial Seal Ring].
"As the racial god of humanity, no…"
With eyes wide open, I declared.
"As the leader of the World Guardian Front, I represent all free will in this world!"
Then, from all over the world, white and transparent energy began to pour towards me in a whirlwind.
This was not power borrowed from the outside world.
It was the pure power of this world, the free will of all people in this world. It was their sum total.
"I wish on behalf of this world."
Gooooo…!
The will of the gathered people is hot.
It was deeper and heavier than any sum of will I had gathered before.
That's why I don't hesitate even more.
The responsibility to properly represent the hearts of those who believe in and follow my flag… lies with me!
"We reject all oppression imposed on our world…"
I forged the 'world's will' gathered in me and…
"We reject it-!"
I shot it towards the sky.
A dazzling white light covered the passage connecting to the otherworld.
The Outer Gods attempted a final resistance. Somehow pushing their broken fingers into the passage, they poured countless 'flickers' towards me.
The endlessly overlapping 'flickers' and the Outer Gods' touches finally blocked the world's will.
For a moment, our powers were in equilibrium.
A tense tug-of-war continues.
"Aaaaaaah-!"
I roared and stretched out my hand.
How did we come this far?
Do you think we'll be pushed back here?
"Just a little more…"
Feeling my whole body burning in the torrent of light, I desperately shouted.
"Just, a little, more…!"
And.
Tuduk, tududuk…
Unable to withstand the fierce battle, cracks began to appear on the [Imperial Seal Ring].
Chapter 809
The final light and darkness collided in mid-air.
The light I gathered and shot, the 'will of the world'.
And the Outer Gods' final resistance blocking it. That dense darkness.
Gooooo…!
Surrounded by the torrent of light, I gritted my teeth while pouring out the 'will of the world'.
Within this 'will' was not only the will of the suicide squad here with me in the spirit realm.
Not only the will of my comrades who set out for the final battle in the human world.
But also the will of all those living ordinary lives in the world.
For everyone to become the true master of their own destiny.
For everyone to break free from puppet bondage and gain true freedom.
They gave up the foundations of civilization that make up our world, gave up the warmth of magic, and followed my flag into the cold wilderness.
The fate of this entire world that believes in and follows me hangs on my flag, on my fingertips.
Do you think I'll lose…!
"Just a little more…"
Tuduk, tududuk…
Unable to withstand the fierce battle, cracks began to appear on the [Imperial Seal Ring].
"Just, a little, more…!"
And very slowly, the light… the 'will of the world' began to be pushed back.
I gritted my teeth.
We've already gathered all the will we can from our world. This is the maximum output.
Is even this not enough to overcome the oppression of the Outer Gods?
'Someone… '
I desperately prayed.
'If someone, even just a little… could lend me their will…!'
That's when it happened.
Whaaaak…!
A faint but clear current of will blew from behind me.
That current joined the 'will of the world', and the light I was emitting gradually grew stronger. Conversely, the darkness of the Outer Gods, their final resistance, proportionally weakened.
Surprised, I looked for the source of the newly joined will.
Those who lent me this will were none other than…
"…!"
Beyond that sky.
Some of the countless Outer Gods.
Among those fierce eyes glaring at me with malice as if to kill me, a few eyes were sending me supportive gazes. They had added their will to mine.
'Ah.'
And I realized, just now, that those gazes.
Were very familiar and old.
In this absurdly named game called 'Apocalypse Play'.
Giving far more top-grade rewards than the standard.
Providing tools, set equipment, and hints exactly needed for the situation.
Quietly watching over me, this world, with goodwill among other Outer Gods who poured out malice saying die, perish, explode.
Within the limits of the system, they tried their best to help me somehow…
They were the very Outer Gods who had been cheering me on all this long time.
『What…?!』
The other astonished Outer Gods shouted.
『What are you doing, you lot!』
『Why are you helping the ants' rebellion?!』
『Their misfortune is our joy! Their tragedy is our nourishment! Why?!』
The rest of the Outer Gods were enraged but.
The moment those few Outer Gods lent their will, the tide turned.
The collision of light and darkness that had been in equilibrium was now gradually changing to the advantage of light — the 'will of the world' was pushing back.
"Aaaaaaah-!"
I squeezed out my last strength and thrust my fist forward.
Flash-!
The light completely pushed back the darkness.
The 'will of the world' completely dyed white the passage connecting to the otherworld.
Finally, all the Outer Gods couldn't withstand and retreated, and the next moment.
Kuguuuguuung…!
The sky closed.
Above the completely closed sky, I applied the final process.
Like melting wax to seal a letter with a seal.
Gathering the last of my will power, I sealed the closed passage… and stamped the [Imperial Seal Ring].
Kung-!
As the insignia of the 'World Guardian Front' was stamped on the sky, the completely shattered [Imperial Seal Ring] scattered into golden fragments.
The sky was completely closed, and the passage was shut.
Beyond the closed sky, countless hands that the Outer Gods belatedly poured out struck down wildly. Fists and palms full of anger swung beyond the glass-like barrier. But it's no use anymore.
『…!』
『…!』
『…!』
Far in the sky, the Outer Gods' furious roars echoed.
Among those gazes filled with boiling anger, dejection, and a hint of admiration…
Were the gazes that had just helped me, no.
The gazes that had helped me throughout this long defense game.
Those gazes that had been with me through those long days and long nights.
"…"
Though I tried to break the rules, stand above the rules, and see the world without prejudice.
It seems I was still trapped inside my shell.
I thought the world outside the shell was full of malice. I believed no one was on my side, that everyone was my enemy.
But that wasn't true.
"…Thank you."
There was goodwill everywhere.
Even in those I considered my most terrible enemies, there were hearts that helped and cared for me.
That fact made me tearfully happy.
"Really, thank you…"
To all those who watched and cheered for me until the end, for all my life up to now.
I said, with all my heart.
"Thank you for not giving up on me and watching over me."
They whispered something to me.
Perhaps because the passage is blocked. I can no longer hear their voices.
But I can clearly feel what they want to say.
All this time, the other Outer Gods whispered with malice. They prayed for my game over like this.
Die, perish, explode.
But those cheering for me were saying this.
Live.
Grow.
Bloom.
Hope.
Love.
Rejoice.
Let new buds sprout.
Throw yourself into life without fear!
"…"
Wiping away my tears.
After smiling brightly at them.
I stood facing all the remaining Outer Gods.
Proudly meeting all their gazes, mixed with hostility, anger, admiration, and affection-
"…The next time we knock on this door."
I said emphatically.
"I hope we'll treat each other as equals, not looking down on one side as a lower being."
I grinned.
"I hope we'll be mature enough to respect each other."
If such a day comes someday.
We'll open the door with joy, and the moment will come when we can look into each other's eyes and talk.
"I sincerely pray for the moment when we can talk for each other's sake."
Though we faced each other with death today.
We also proved that we can share our hearts, not just fight with hostility.
Someday, we might be able to stand side by side, looking in the same direction.
Believing so, I raised my hand to my neck.
I grasped the choker-style necklace that had been around my neck since the tutorial stage.
The 'Traitor's Necklace'.
I coolly unfastened and removed that necklace… my streaming equipment.
And after stroking my neck, exposed for the first time in 3 years.
"Hoo!"
Taking a deep breath.
Bowing politely, lowering my head, with all my heart… I paid my respects to the sky.
It was a greeting after a dance had ended.
Like an actor announcing farewell as the curtain falls on a long play.
After finishing my heartfelt greeting, I straightened up again.
And whispered to the many gazes looking at me, gradually fading.
"Thank you for playing."
Thank you for playing.
My long adventure, together…
Aurora spread like a curtain over the sky.
I stood there until the sky of the spirit realm was completely covered with aurora, and even the last gaze of the Outer Gods disappeared from view.
"…"
Like an actor standing at the end of a long play, with reddened eyes, I wiped my eyes several times.
Then, slowly turned around.
The stage is over.
Now it's time to return to life.
At the bottom of the spirit realm.
Below the roots of Everblack.
"…"
The terribly shattered Demon King lay there.
With his very soul torn to shreds, the Demon King was dying. He felt his end was near.
Kung! Kuguuuguuung!
That's when it happened.
The entire spirit realm began to collapse with violent tremors. Ash had succeeded in completely sealing the gate to the otherworld.
With the success of the rebellion, this artificial space — the spirit realm — created by the Outer Gods to interfere with this world was naturally in the process of disappearing.
"…"
Fragments of the shattered Everblack rained down on the Demon King's head. The Demon King quietly gazed at the collapsing world with blurry eyes.
That's when.
Sabak. Sabak.
A faint sound of footsteps was heard.
Surprise flashed across the Demon King's face as he painfully turned his head.
"…"
There, a woman.
So familiar yet so strange. Such a missed woman was approaching with an emotionless face.
"…Are you satisfied with this?"
The woman, once called a goddess but now an ordinary being, asked.
"By sacrificing your entire life, destroying a world like this… are you satisfied?"
"Of course."
A satisfied smile spread across the Demon King's mouth like a white crack.
"I couldn't be more satisfied."
The woman's body no longer had any divine radiance or transcendent holiness.
The thorn bush that had been wrapped around her body, the unquenchable flames, the wounds from stoning, all had disappeared.
She had become just an ordinary soul.
"In the end, I succeeded."
The Demon King raised his broken hand to point at the woman.
"You… have fallen to me…"
The woman shook her head with a bitter smile.
"…You fool."
Kung, kuguuuguuung…!
Once again, the world made the sound of collapsing.
The ground forming the spirit realm began to sink and the sky started to fall. The white sand beach shot up like a fountain and the transparent sea surged high, sweeping over the shore.
The black thorn bush, having lost its magical light, shattered and rained down like rain.
Receiving that rain, the woman quietly sat down next to the fallen Demon King.
The two gazed at the perishing world side by side.
"What will happen to you now?"
"I'll go to the afterlife."
The woman answered calmly.
"And I'll be reborn again and die again, and live countless lives like that, reincarnating."
"I see…"
"And you."
The woman whispered, examining the Demon King's shattered face.
"Since you're not originally a soul of this world, you'll probably disappear like this."
"…"
"Even in the unlikely event that your soul doesn't disappear and reincarnates here, because you've committed so many evil deeds… it would take nearly an eternity to pay for all your sins."
"I don't mind if I disappear. I don't mind if I'm punished for eternity."
The Demon King smiled again.
"I found the purpose of my life and achieved it. That's enough."
"…"
After a moment of silence.
"If you don't disappear, if you pay for all your sins for nearly an eternity."
The woman spoke in a gentle voice.
"And if in that distant future, if there comes a moment when we meet again. Then… I'll greet you with a smile."
The Demon King, staring blankly at the woman, asked.
"Is that pity?"
"No."
The woman smiled faintly.
"It's just a promise."
The Demon King smiled faintly too.
"Is that so."
"That's right."
Under the collapsing world, the woman reached out and held the Demon King's shadow-like hand.
At the end of their long ill-fated relationship, the two gazed at each other like that for a long time.
Above their heads, the thorn bush that had lost its light endlessly rained down.
Chapter 810
Reality, Human World.
In front of Crossroad's city gate.
Boom boom boom boom-!
A black cloud surges towards the collapsed city wall.
When the connection with the outer gods was cut off, the 'Sleepless Lake Princess' collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.
Then, the horde of monsters waiting in the rear, surrounding Crossroad, began to charge as if they had been waiting for this moment.
"…"
The fallen heroes and soldiers quietly watched the black tidal wave rushing in, the marching end of the world.
Though they had no strength left to fight.
Everyone got up, holding their wounded parts. Supporting each other, they formed a wall with their bodies instead of the broken city wall.
For they are the last wall of this world. The final line of defense of this world.
Everyone prepared to face their dignified end.
And, the moment the vanguard of the charging monsters touched the wall of people.
Whoosh…
It dispersed.
Like mist.
All the monsters that were rushing in, armed with strong teeth and claws, muscles and hatred, solely to kill humans, dissipated like bubbles.
The moment Ash succeeded in closing the sky in the spirit realm.
In the human world, all monsters vanished simultaneously in an instant.
The horde of nightmares disappeared as if it were a lie.
Like darkness fading away before sunrise, the gathering black clouds dispersed, and only peaceful sunlight was shining down on Crossroad.
People looked around in surprise with wide eyes. Not believing their own eyes, they rubbed them and turned to look at each other's faces in astonishment.
And then, without anyone starting it first, they embraced each other and cheered.
"The nightmare is over!"
Someone laughed,
"The nightmare is over!"
Someone cried,
"We survived!"
Everyone hugged.
"We protected the world…!"
The people who embraced each other cried and laughed together.
A little away from the people rejoicing together, in the open space in front of the city gate.
"…"
Aider quietly looked down at the 'Sleepless Lake Princess' lying with her head on his lap.
Lifting the burnt veil. Carefully examining the sleeping face of his beloved.
Aider whispered softly.
"You are not the 'Sleepless Lake Princess'."
She is no longer the master of nightmares.
Because all nightmares have ended.
Aider slowly took out shining fragments from his pocket. They were the pieces of her soul that Ash had brought back from the deepest part of the Lake Kingdom.
Aider slowly tilted his fingertips, and the soul fragments that flowed down his palm fell directly onto her chest, being absorbed into her.
Whoosh…
The shadow of nightmares remaining on the 'Sleepless Lake Princess's' body slowly seeped out. Color gradually returned to her pale skin, and a faint warmth circled her cold body.
She returned to being 'Nameless'.
But Aider knew.
Even if all these scattered pieces of her soul were gathered again, it would be impossible to fully restore what she had already lost.
Though the traces of nightmares might disappear, there was no way to recover all the precious things she had sacrificed to save her world.
So Aider chose.
"I'll give you the you that I remember."
The existence of her that he remembers.
The existence of himself who remembers her…
To give to her.
"I'll give you the world of you that I remember."
From his chest pierced by the sword of darkness, Aider carefully took out a piece of his own soul.
It was a dazzlingly white piece, uniquely brilliant among his entirely ashen soul.
"Will you forgive me for mixing a bit of my impure fragment, like dust, into your noble soul?"
As Aider clenched his hand once and opened it, his soul fragments shattered into powder.
"For it is the most precious thing this poor man can give."
Those memories with her that shone like stardust, the most precious things he had cherished all his life, Aider slowly dropped onto her chest.
"You are not 'The One Who Lost Her Name'."
She is no longer Nameless.
For she will regain her rightful name.
"Your name is Ariel."
Slowly, preciously.
He calls her original name.
"Your name is Ariel."
From the 'Sleepless Lake Princess' to Nameless.
And from Nameless, finally… to Ariel.
"Your name is Ariel."
Everything about Ariel that Aider remembers.
The fragments of Aider who remembers Ariel.
Poured over her mosaic-like pieced-together soul, seeping between those wounds, firmly binding her soul together.
At that moment, tears trickled down from Ariel's closed eyes.
Carefully wiping those tears with the tip of his other hand, Aider looked down at her with an affectionate face…
"Ah."
He caught the last stardust-like soul fragment remaining in his hand.
"No. This, I cannot give."
Aider carefully peered into that last stardust.
That piece was a memory of a day.
It was the memory of the long-ago day when Ariel gave him the name Aider.
"This alone is… my everything that you gave to me."
Aider preciously put that tiny soul fragment, like a grain of sand, into his own bosom.
And he smiled sadly.
"So, it's okay to completely forget about a man with such a name now."
In exchange for healing all the broken wounds and burn scars of sacrifice left on Ariel's soul by offering his own soul.
Aider chose the path of becoming a forgotten existence.
So, he will embrace and die with just the memory of this name.
So that she would never remember him, even by chance.
"All those sad nights, all those painful dreams, are now over."
Aider gently stroked Ariel's cheek once more as she breathed peacefully.
"May you have only good nights and sweet dreams from now on."
Slowly bowing his head, Aider carefully pressed his forehead against hers, and made a wish more earnest than ever before.
"You must be happy, for my share too…"
Quietly facing Ariel's sleeping face, Aider whispered in a voice that seemed about to disappear.
"Goodbye."
The nightmare was over.
All the people of Crossroad embraced each other, crying and laughing with joy that they were alive.
In this moment when everyone was happy, a very small farewell passed by.
A truly long farewell that no one would remember.
Spirit Realm.
In this collapsing world too, people were preparing for farewells.
"…"
The Emperor, Traha, stood on the deck of the airship La Mancha, observing the collapsing spirit realm.
More precisely, he was watching Ash bidding farewell to the members of the suicide squad who fought together, in the center of this world.
Various racial gods, including the Four Great Gods, came to Ash, asking him to take good care of their races.
Ash made a clear promise to get along well with all races.
Fernandez and Lark first paid their respects to Traha before heading towards Ash.
Fernandez tormented Ash with words, and Lark, who approached, hugged them both tightly in a brotherly embrace. The two younger brothers screamed that it hurt.
Then the two older brothers repeatedly told their younger brother to take good care of their father and the empire.
The four red dragons each hugged Ash and exchanged words of blessing.
Everyone was in a warm mood, but only the 2nd Dusk Bringer couldn't hold back her tears during the hug, so Ash had to work hard to comfort her. The three dragons of the previous generations watched this scene and chuckled mischievously.
Ash also exchanged greetings with the previous generation of returnees. He had a long conversation especially with Dustia, his birth mother.
Dustia said she was grateful that he endured the difficult journey well, and Ash said he was grateful that she had always been watching over him.
Then Ash also made contact with the last branch of the collapsing Everblack. The returnees who had lived with Everblack helped with the communication with the tree.
Ash offered to transplant a sapling to the human world if Everblack wished, but Everblack refused.
As the age of magic had ended, Everblack, a tree synthesized by magic, could no longer survive in the human world. Everblack decided to meet its end here by its own will.
As Traha watched his son continuing such conversations…
Someone flew onto the deck and stood beside Traha. Traha looked at the other person with a bitter smile.
"You told me to go to hell, yet we meet here."
"…"
"I'm glad to see you again, Dustia."
It was Dustia, Traha's wife and Ash's birth mother.
Dustia approached with a low sigh and stood beside Traha. Traha gestured with his chin.
"How was life in the spirit realm?"
"It was always noisy because Your Majesty kept battling with the gods right next to that tree."
"Not much different from when you were alive then. Did you worry about me even there?"
"Ha, as if."
"Your personality hasn't changed much from when you were alive either."
"You haven't changed since I died either, Your Majesty."
The couple's expressions were peaceful as they conversed, seemingly arguing as they always did when alive.
The couple watched their son together. Dustia opened her mouth.
"Ash has removed all these shackles."
"…"
"The curse of endless returns that has continued for generations has finally disappeared. Now… I can depart for the afterlife too."
"It's not just the curse of returns that's gone. He's eliminated all the blessings that enveloped the world and all the laws that formed the foundation of our civilization."
"That means the fixed ideas, yokes, and evil customs that bound the world will also disappear."
Traha chuckled.
"Just because you're already dead, aren't you looking too positively at the storm that boy will bring?"
"We don't know what this world that Ash has changed will look like in the future. But, our son… will do well."
"…"
"Even if he loses his way and wanders for a while, he's a child who eventually finds the stars. So… he'll do well in future adventures too."
Dustia looked straight at Traha.
"I can no longer watch over that child. So Your Majesty must take good care of our son."
"Can't you see I'm old? It's my turn to be taken care of now."
"Don't talk weak. You, the Peacemaker."
A smile brushed across both their lips.
"When I die, I'll probably fall into hell, but you'll go to a more peaceful place now."
"…"
"It would be nice if we could meet again, but this is probably the last time, right?"
"Well, I don't know exactly what's beyond this path, but…"
Traha and Dustia's lips drew closer.
"If Your Majesty falls into hell, wouldn't I probably be waiting in the same place?"
"May I propose again then?"
"Of course you should. Your proposal in life was the worst."
The two kissed slowly, and then stepped back.
"Well, it's time to part."
"Goodbye. My damned love."
Dustia left the deck, and Traha drove the airship towards Ash.
Ash was in the middle of struggling, caught by Salome.
Ash tried to shake her off, saying "I already have someone! Get lost!", but Salome kept clinging on, shouting outrageous things like "It's better because you have someone!"
"Ash!"
Traha called out loudly.
"There's no time! We have to leave now!"
Boom boom boom…!
The spirit realm was collapsing rapidly.
Ash, who had just thrown Salome far away, nodded towards the Emperor, then looked around at the many people watching him.
There was no longer any meaning in verbal farewells, nor was there time for them.
After exchanging glances with everyone once, Ash flew towards La Mancha.
At the same time, the five Glory Knights began preparing the dimensional transfer magic circle installed on La Mancha. It was the magic furnace that had been transferred and installed from the demon race's ship.
Whirr!
Although there was still enough magic power left in the spirit realm, it was clear that the magic power supply would disappear from the moment they crossed the boundary to the human world. So, they were using the magic power stored in advance in the ship's storage as the power source for operating the magic furnace.
The Emperor exclaimed softly.
"At first I wondered why we were transplanting this alien magic furnace, but it was the means to return to the human world."
"If it was just me, it might have been different, but of course I prepared a retreat method as the top priority when escorting Your Majesty."
Ash grinned.
Even if the passage between the spirit realm and the human world closed, this was the contingency prepared as a method to return to the human world from the spirit realm for one time only — La Mancha with the dimensional transfer magic circle attached.
It was the moment when Ash, flying through the air, was about to grasp the hand of the Emperor standing at the edge of the deck.
Boom-!
Suddenly, a violent vibration shook the area.
"…?!"
"…!"
A massive shockwave originating from the magic furnace engraved with the dimensional transfer magic circle swept through the area. La Mancha shook greatly, and Ash was pushed back sharply.
The hands of father and son missed each other in mid-air.
The blood drained from Traha's face.
"Your Majesty!"
At the same time, Hecate, who was preparing the dimensional transfer magic circle in the bridge, screamed.
"The dimensional transfer magic circle is going out of control! It entered the operation sequence on its own as soon as we started supplying magic power!"
As Coco, who had installed the dimensional transfer magic circle, had warned in advance. The alien magic furnace itself was in an extremely deteriorated state.
It had already been used once when entering the spirit realm from the human world, so its durability was at its limit.
Moreover, La Mancha had to undergo fierce battles during the great battle in the spirit realm. It had been thrown into the sea of the spirit realm and miraculously resurfaced.
In this process, it was impossible for the dimensional transfer magic circle, a delicate magic and machine, to remain intact.
Added to this was the very unstable environment of the spirit realm itself collapsing…
Boom-! Boom-! Boom-!
Irregular vibrations erupted from the magic furnace one after another. Ash was pushed back repeatedly like a leaf swept up in a storm.
Traha called out urgently towards the bridge.
"Stabilize it immediately!"
"It's impossible! The magic furnace isn't listening!"
"Then stop the operation for now! Force it to stop! Ash is outside the ship!"
"Ugh…!"
Hecate hit the stop button on the magic furnace control panel several times, then tried to forcibly cut the connection between the magic furnace and the magic storage connected to this magic circle by drawing her sword.
But the amount of magic power going into the operation of this magic circle was too large and enormous for an individual to handle.
Clang-!
Just striking the connection point with the sword shattered the sword, and Hecate was thrown backwards.
Traha tried to stop the airship itself by infusing his consciousness, but the dimensional transfer magic circle continued to run wild regardless of the control of the airship itself.
One of the other Glory Knights who was trying to stop the operation somehow shouted.
"We can't control it, Your Majesty! At this rate, soon…!"
The next moment.
Flash-!
The dimensional transfer magic circle that had gone out of control forcibly activated, ignoring all the necessary processes.
The entire huge hull of La Mancha was enveloped in light, and with a dazzling flash, it cut through space and… disappeared.
It left for the human world, leaving Ash behind.
"…This is why."
Watching the only method of return to the human world disappear before his eyes, Ash laughed helplessly.
"I shouldn't let my guard down until the very end…"
Immediately after, the aftershock of the dimensional transfer magic and the impact of the spirit realm's collapse swept through the area.
Swept up in that fierce vibration, Ash fell to the bottom of the collapsing spirit realm.