...
Hearing Harald's words, Loki also fell silent.
"How… could I possibly… be forgiven…"
Harald's words were filled with bone-deep regret and self-judgment.
"No way! There has to be a way! Dad!!"
Loki roared in desperation, tears surging uncontrollably.
Harald listened to his son's innocent yet deeply affectionate words. The faint light of clarity in his eyes softened for a moment, only to be overtaken by even deeper sorrow.
He could feel that cold power fighting to reclaim his consciousness once more. The backlash from the contract surged like a tide.
"No time left… Loki…"
Harald spoke almost like a sigh. "It's… beyond saving now. In my mind… I already feel… that I am a god!"
Scopper Gaban supported the gravely wounded Elder Jorul. Shanks pressed a hand to his forehead, his face equally sorrowful.
They all understood—Harald was telling the truth.
Once that contract erosion from the highest authority of the world reached this stage, it was nearly irreversible.
With the last remnants of his clear will, Harald began his final entrustment. His voice was weak yet distinct—each word struck Loki's heart like a heavy hammer…
About Elbaph's future, about the responsibilities of the throne, about how to confront the World Government…
Loki listened. The hand gripping Iron Thunder shook more and more violently. Flames roared around him, illuminating his tear-streaked face.
"To actually make a son… end his own father's life…"
Loki's voice cracked, filled with ultimate pain and unwillingness: "No matter what kind of trash parent… no one could do this!"
Harald watched his son weep bitterly. His eyes overflowed with reluctance and heartache, but he knew—he had to be the "villain" here.
He had to sever this cursed chain of suffering!
"The only one… who can do it… is you… Loki…"
He urged, voice growing more broken. The clarity in his eyes was once again being eroded by black light. "Hurry—before I completely… lose control…!"
The contract's power surged again. Harald's face began to twist. Non-human growls rumbled from his throat.
"I'll hate you! You bastard!! Forcing me to do something like this!!"
Loki let out a heart-rending roar—both a final outburst and a last desperate plea to hold on.
In the final moment before his consciousness was fully swallowed, Harald gathered the last of his soul's strength. He looked at his son and spoke the words buried deepest in his heart—words he had never had the chance to say aloud: "I too… I love you…"
Before the words fully left him, the light in his eyes extinguished completely. Emptiness and pitch-black returned. A bloodthirsty roar erupted from his throat. His ruined body struggled once more to attack.
There was no more time to hesitate.
"Aaaaaaaaaah——!!!!!!"
Loki unleashed an ultimate roar—blending endless grief, rage, despair, and awakening!
Iron Thunder—coiled in Conqueror's Haki—carried his full strength, his father's entrustment, his clansmen's sacrifices, and every hope for the future…
It crashed down!
"Bang!!"
An earth-shaking roar—as if even Elbaph's ground trembled!
Black-red lightning and silver hammer-light engulfed Harald's broken form.
There was no spray of blood and flesh. Under that ultimate power and Haki annihilation, Harald's existence—along with the twisted contract mark—was erased from the world like being wiped away by an eraser…
Reduced to the finest dust.
The King of Elbaph, hero and tragedy of the Giant Tribe, father to Loki and Hajrudin, husband to Ida… Harald.
Thus, beneath the hammer swung by his own son—laden with love and pain—he met his tragic, helpless end.
Dust slowly settled.
Loki remained frozen in the follow-through of his hammer strike—kneeling at the edge of the deep crater, head bowed, shoulders trembling violently.
Iron Thunder slipped from his grasp and fell aside, its glow dimmed.
A deathly silence blanketed the bloodstained ruins—only the crackle of flames and Loki's finally uncontrollable, gut-wrenching sobs.
Shanks turned his head away, unable to watch.
Scopper Gaban let out a deep sigh and supported the unconscious Elder Jorul.
All the surviving guards who still clung to life silently lowered their heads.
The light screen slowly—slowly—faded on this final scene filled with ultimate tragedy and human struggle, sinking at last into heavy darkness.
Inside and outside God Valley—dead silence.
Only in the sea breeze did it seem Loki's heartbroken wails still echoed, along with Harald's final, soundless "love."
On the light screen, that hammer strike that ended everything…
Harald reduced to "dust" in tragic majesty pressed like a heavy stone on the hearts of every witness in and beyond God Valley.
The suffocating silence lasted a long time.
Ida had clung tightly to Harald's massive hand the entire time—as if trying to pass her warmth and strength to him.
When she saw Loki swing Iron Thunder and Harald's form dissolve, her whole body shuddered uncontrollably—as if that hammer had struck her soul as well.
She first gripped her husband's hand harder—as if confirming his real presence…
Then her worried, sorrowful gaze immediately turned toward the small figure nearby, back turned to everyone… the still-young little Loki.
Little Loki stood motionless.
From behind, his shoulders were rigid. His signature purple hair seemed to have lost some vitality.
He didn't cry. He didn't rage. He simply stood silent.
But Ida could sense—from that near-stiff quiet—a pain far deeper than any wailing.
The cruel future scenes had revealed it: first her, the "outsider Mama," poisoned and taken from him. Then his blood-related birth father—lost to conspiracy and loss of control—ended by his own hand…
Losing the most important people in his life, one after another, and in such brutal ways—this weight could crush any adult, let alone a boy whose heart was already sensitive and fragile.
The armor he had tried to build with indifference and rebellion had cracked wide open before the truth revealed by the light screen.
Dorry and Brogy—the legendary warriors of Elbaph—silently walked to Harald's side.
They said nothing. They simply reached out their massive hands—one left, one right—and heavily, firmly patted Harald's shoulders.
The pats were dull and powerful—carrying the unspoken understanding and support between friends.
They had grown up alongside Harald, caused mischief together, witnessed Elbaph's rises and falls together.
They understood every sacrifice and struggle Harald had made for their tribe's future—and could feel even more deeply the complex emotions he now endured witnessing "his own" tragic end.
Fear, regret, rage, and confusion about what lay ahead.
This pat was both comfort and vow: no matter the future, they remained comrades standing shoulder to shoulder.
The kind, resilient Giant King Harald—who had devoted himself solely to finding a path for his people, only to become a pawn in the World Government's schemes—
—in the "future" revealed by the light screen, had become a complete tragic symbol: pitiful, lamentable, and heartbreakingly sacrificial.
This realization filled everyone who knew his character—or had just come to understand his qualities through the light screen—with an indescribable sense of suffocation and fury.
At this moment, far away on native Elbaph soil—
The scenes from the light screen swept the entire nation like a spiritual tsunami.
Every giant village, every gathering place, erupted in mountain-shaking grief and rage!
"His Majesty Harald!!!"
"How could this happen?! His Majesty…!"
"World Government! Five Elders! You devils!!!"
"We will never submit! We will never join them!!"
…
Wails, roars, curses intertwined, shaking Elbaph's ancient mountains.
Harald was not just their king—he was their spiritual pillar, the light of hope who had led them out from under the shadow of discrimination toward dignity.
Seeing that light extinguished in such a way left the giants with unprecedented heartbreak and despair.
And those giant guards—who in the "future" on the light screen had sacrificed their lives to buy Loki time against the rampaging Harald—
—were now tightly embracing their real, living families.
Their wives, parents, children wept—for fear of that "future" sacrifice.
But unexpectedly, after the initial shock and terror, many of the guards themselves gradually grew resolute in their eyes.
They hugged their families tighter, voices choked yet clear: "Don't be afraid… If—if that future really happens…"
"To protect Elbaph, to protect all of you…"
"Such a sacrifice… would be worth it!"
"We cannot let you become war slaves. If someone must sacrifice, we are willing to give our lives for Elbaph. Our deaths would at least accompany His Majesty!"
No grand speeches—only the simplest, firmest conviction.
Harald's tragedy had shown them the enemy's true face and deepened their understanding of what it meant to protect.
To safeguard home and loved ones, they feared no sacrifice.
This awakening—more powerful than any slogan—began quietly taking root in the hearts of Elbaph's warriors.
It wasn't just Elbaph and God Valley. Ordinary people around the world who had witnessed everything through the light screen were also rocked by massive waves in their hearts.
"I'm… actually feeling a little heartbroken for this Harald now."
A middle-aged man wiped his reddened eyes: "He just wanted peace. He just wanted his people to be accepted… How did it end like this?"
"Exactly! Those high-and-mighty beasts of the World Government!"
Someone beside him raged: "All talk of justice and order, but behind the scenes they pull every filthy trick! If they're so capable, just wipe out everyone they dislike—why resort to these conspiracies?!"
"Mama…"
A little girl in her mother's arms looked up. Tears filled her clear big eyes. Her voice trembled with childish innocence:
"That purple-haired giant big brother… is so pitiful… His original mama didn't want him, his new mama was killed by bad people, and in the end… he had to… kill his own dad himself…"
She couldn't continue. She buried her face in her mother's chest and sobbed quietly.
Children often perceive most directly. She didn't understand complex political schemes, but she truly felt the profound pain in Loki—losing loved ones one after another, forced to bear a cruel fate.
The girl's mother gently patted her back and stared silently at the light screen, eyes filled with complex, unspeakable emotions.
Making one's own child end their father's life… what kind of hell was this?
She couldn't imagine it. She could only hold her child tighter.
At the God Valley site, the heavy, oppressive atmosphere had nearly solidified.
Hajrudin—Harald's eldest son, Ida's biological child, Loki's half-brother—watched Loki's lonely, stubborn back. Remembering the future Loki on the light screen swinging the hammer in tears, shouldering everything, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
The brothers had never gotten along well. Loki's rebellion and uniqueness had often given this older brother headaches and helplessness. They had argued and even fought more than once.
But now, those grudges seemed utterly insignificant before the cruel future and crushing responsibility.
Little Hajrudin took a deep breath and walked to a spot not far behind Loki before stopping.
Though older than Loki, he was still much smaller in size before him. Right now he looked somewhat clumsy and nervous.
He was silent for several seconds, then spoke in a voice he tried to keep calm—though the awkwardness was still audible: "Hey… you… you jerk…"
Little Hajrudin paused, seeming to gather his words. Finally, as if making up his mind, he raised his voice slightly: "Thanks."
The words came out of nowhere, but Loki's body stiffened almost imperceptibly.
Hajrudin continued, his tone smoothing out a little: "Even though… even though you always cause trouble later, and your temper is awful and stubborn… but in the light screen, for Elbaph, for Father…"
Hajrudin's voice choked a little but he pressed on: "You did… really well. So… thank you."
This wasn't a condescending praise from an older brother. It was heartfelt recognition and gratitude from one boy—who had also lost his father in that future and witnessed his "younger brother" forced to bear the cruelest burden.
Gratitude for Loki stepping up in that moment in the future, for enduring that unspeakable pain, and for… protecting Elbaph.
Little Loki didn't turn around immediately.
He remained with his back to Hajrudin. His shoulders seemed even more tense than before.
After several seconds, a muffled reply came—thick with nasal congestion yet stubbornly refusing to soften: "Shut up… who needs your thanks…"
He sniffed hard, trying to make his voice sound fierce, though the tremor was unmistakable:
"Don't… don't act all high-and-mighty like a big brother… When it comes to fighting, you're way weaker than me… and you always will be…"
Though the words still carried a sting, their sharpness had noticeably dulled—more like habitual pride-protecting stubbornness.
And he had said "and you always will be"—a subtle hint that, deep down, he had already begun unconsciously accepting Hajrudin as this "older brother" and projecting that relationship into the future.
He didn't reject the thanks, nor did he lash out with his usual venom.
This was perhaps the first truly meaningful exchange between these complicated brothers—one that crossed the divide.
Though still awkward, it was precious.
Ida watched her two sons' interaction. Tears of relief shimmered in her eyes.
She leaned gently against Harald's arm and whispered: "Look… the children… are growing up in their own ways."
Harald felt the warmth of his wife's hand. He looked at his eldest son's clumsy yet brave expression, then at his youngest son's stubborn yet slightly softening back.
The tightly furrowed brow on his face finally eased—just a little.
Elbaph's future might still be shrouded in thick fog—full of malice and traps from the world's highest power.
But at this moment, he saw the bonds of family re-forming. He saw courage and responsibility sprouting in the next generation amid trauma.
This faint glimmer of humanity quietly growing from the ashes of tragedy—perhaps this was the strongest weapon against that cold darkness.
New scenes slowly appeared on the light screen. God Valley had not yet returned to calm.
The gazes of the various forces intertwined even more complexly—especially when falling on the Five Elders and God's Knights—filled with open suspicion and icy hostility.
Harald's "future" had acted like a bloody warning, completely tearing away the World Government's hypocritical mask of "justice" and "order."
...