Chapter 180

〈 Chapter 181 〉 The End of Tragedy (1)

*

“Luel…”

Lucy’s eyes were trembling.

And from her stance, gripping the greatsword with both hands, a definite hostility was emanating.

‘Has she found out Luel’s secret?’

It had to be.

But she was quicker than expected.

‘Usually, she discovers it after Luel leaves the library to execute the plan…’

Wait, leave the library?

That was something I hadn’t considered.

Unlike the original Luel, who was holed up in the basement, she had spent a lot of time in the study to teach me.

‘Did she use that gap…?’

At that moment, Lucy shouted.

“Why do you want to destroy the world…!”

It was a cry like the roar of a lion.

But at the same time, it felt like a desperate scream.

“Why… have you joined forces with the Demon Kings…!”

To her anguished cry, Luel coldly replied.

“You don’t need to know, sister.”

But I knew her true feelings.

I understood why she was coldly pushing Lucy away.

Because we had already shared the truth.

‘Being the villain who destroys the world is enough for her.’

But the problem was that there was something she didn’t know.

‘If this continues, Luel will die at Lucy’s hands.’

If Lucy realized Luel’s plan, the outcome would always be the same.

Luel would die at Lucy’s hands.

That’s why the story of the twin sisters was always criticized and not recommended to newcomers.

‘Damn it.’

This was not good.

This time, I wanted to prevent that tragedy from happening.

That’s why I had tried to change Luel’s mind somehow.

‘But it’s too late.’

I couldn’t change Luel’s mind.

And Lucy realized Luel’s plan earlier than expected.

The tragedy was already about to begin.

“Luel, at least make up an excuse. There must be a reason for wanting to destroy the world.”

Lucy was repeating what I had said.

“If you really have to destroy the world, I’ll help you. So please tell me the reason.”

But to her, Luel shook her head coldly.

“No.”

Lucy was much more precious to her than me.

So it seemed she had no intention of revealing the reason even if it meant death.

And I couldn’t tell Lucy the reason either.

‘It would be troublesome if she went over to Lucy as well.’

In the meantime, Lucy, who had been in shock and bowed her head, lifted it again.

As if realizing it was already irreversible, tears flowed from her eyes.

“Luel…!”

With Lucy’s shout, her eyes turned red.

At the same time, the veins in her face and neck bulged.

It meant she was drawing out her Blood Magic to the maximum.

‘What now?’

For a moment, I was troubled by that pressure, but in the end, there was only one choice.

‘I have to block it first.’

Though it was late, it wasn’t completely over yet.

Perhaps while blocking Lucy’s attack, I might be able to sway Luel’s heart.

‘Resonance.’

I took out my bow.

I aimed to exert pressure from the distance that still separated Lucy and me.

Lucy shouted at me.

“Allen Pleuk, get out of the way! This has nothing to do with you!”

Of course, she was right; this situation had nothing to do with me.

It was a matter between the sisters.

But…

“I can’t just stand by and watch you trying to kill each other.”

I nocked an arrow and aimed at Lucy.

Lucy shouted at me as if it was her last chance.

“You don’t know! What she’s plotting right now!”

No, I do know.

“She’s plotting the destruction of the world.”

At that, her expression contorted completely.

“You traitor. You’ve seduced Luel…!”

“That’s a misunderstanding…”

“Shut up! Do you think I would fall for your tricks too?”

This was troublesome.

It seemed she misunderstood me as the cause of Luel siding with the Demon Kings.

‘No, this might actually be good.’

After all, her target had shifted to me.

It was a good thing that I had bought a little time to sway Luel’s heart.

Thinking that, I pulled the bowstring without hesitation.

‘I’m sorry, Luel…’

Once it came to fighting in the library, there was no choice.

‘Overload.’

The arrow began to swirl with dark aura.

If this hit various places in the library, quite a bit would be destroyed.

“You’re an archer!”

The moment Lucy tried to close the distance, arrows were fired toward her.

One, two, three.

It was the rapid-fire I had learned from Wilhelm over his shoulder.

Thanks to practicing on the journey, it was now quite refined.

“Ugh.”

At least it seemed that enough force was behind it to suppress Lucy’s charge.

She abandoned her rush, rolling to the side to dodge the arrows.

However, there too, the arrows were flying.

‘Don’t stop my hands.’

The moment I stopped pressuring, Lucy would close in on me in an instant.

And facing her in close combat, the overwhelming difference in power would be dire.

‘I have no choice but to hope Luel’s heart changes before that.’

But it seemed I didn’t have much time.

“Don’t interfere!”

Lucy finally threw her greatsword into her inventory.

Then she used her physically amplified Blood Magic to swat the arrows away with her bare hands.

Moreover…

Creeeak.

That sound came from under her feet.

At the same time, shards from the library floor shot up like a splash of water.

‘What the hell.’

Lucy was charging at me with an enormous shockwave.

I hurriedly switched weapons.

‘Albert.’

– Did you call, Master?

‘Is there nothing you can do?’

Lucy approached with incredible momentum.

Of course, her strike wouldn’t be as strong as Yusera’s Sky Cleaving, but I had to remember that what I had coordinated with her during the graduation tournament was her sword techniques.

Sword techniques and physical strength are entirely different matters.

The force of a sword strike is determined the moment the sword is complete, but physical strength can be continuously maintained as long as it is pressed against something.

It also required more strength to deflect.

So I wanted to receive Albert’s help if possible.

– If it’s something I can assist with… a barrier, perhaps?

But it seemed he couldn’t help me.

‘What barrier in this situation? No, never mind.’

It was my fault to hope even a little.

– No, the barrier will definitely be useful.

At that moment, he unfolded a shimmering aurora barrier around me.

It was just as I was about to tell him not to waste Divine Power.

‘Huh?’

Lucy’s movements slowed noticeably upon entering the barrier.

‘Why is that?’

– Typically, barriers are used to block chaos. However, since they interact with the very concept that forms the world, they can also apply differently. In the case of my barrier right now, it’s rejecting all those with whom you do not have a deep connection.

It was more useful than I had expected.

Thanks to that, I had some breathing room to reach the realm of time.

‘The realm of time.’

With a thunderous noise that ripped through space, Lucy, who had come running, now seemed to be moving almost in slow motion.

It was because I had already reached the realm of time.

I had finally succeeded in receiving Libero’s sword techniques back at the Leim Kingdom.

Though it would take a bit more time to reach the realm of time, it was much better than the acceleration through Wind’s Power.

In the past, I wouldn’t have been able to react to such a sudden attack.

‘Then…’

I moved Albert to face Lucy’s greatsword that had come out of my inventory.

At that, her eyes widened in shock.

“How?”

Instead of answering, I barely deflected her heavy greatsword.

– This is rather difficult.

Albert complained, but as a 4-star relic, it wouldn’t be easy to break.

Hah.

I took a moment to catch my breath.

‘Here she comes.’

Her attack came immediately after.

I used Albert once again to block her attack.

To that, Lucy, aghast, asked me.

“What is this strange swordsmanship…?”

How rude to call it strange.

And then…

‘If you have time to ask, you should counterattack.’

I wrapped Wind’s Power around my feet.

Then extended my sword to aim at her as I pushed her blade aside.

“Guh!”

Startled by my sudden counterattack, Lucy quickly distanced herself from me.

‘Good.’

It was then that I raised my bow again toward her who had pulled back.

“Please get out of the way. This is between my sister and me.”

It was Luel.

I hoped that she would change her mind instead of saying those disheartening words.

Of course, I knew that wouldn’t be easy.

“I won’t. Just like I told Lucy, I don’t want to let you die.”

“Why? Have you also been persuaded after knowing the truth?”

“Not a chance.”

I continued shooting arrows at Lucy while talking to Luel.

“At least, I’m not someone who discusses impossibility without even trying.”

Then Luel seemed flustered.

“Are you saying your heart hasn’t wavered? Even after hearing what I just said?”

“Did you want me to waver?”

“That’s…”

“No, it wasn’t.”

If that had been the case, she wouldn’t have had a reason to save me.

She never intended to let me know the truth of the world.

Then the only reason she saved me was one.

“You hoped for another way.”

At that, her eyes lit up with hope.

“Is there another way?”

I’m sorry, but there isn’t.

“There is still no other way.”

But I do have time.

“I know the date when the seal of the Divine Authority you mentioned will be released. I know it precisely.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ll tell you the details later, but you have about a year and nine months left.”

At least that’s a lot longer than one year, which she had mentioned would be the earliest.

“So we have about another year to try, right?”

“But… how can I believe that?”

This was frustrating.

So I shouted.

“Memories from another dimension! Everything I’ve walked and this very situation are all in my memory!”

The reason I hadn’t revealed this to anyone until now was not only that I didn’t want to expose my weapons, but also that the likelihood of it being believed was incredibly low.

But Luel was different.

‘She knew about the existence of another dimension from the beginning.’

Moreover, she was smart.

So she would probably understand if I said that this place was perceived as a game world on Earth.

Of course, I would explain that later, but for now, persuasion was the priority.

“You promised Lucy.”

A secret only she and Lucy had kept.

That would surely work.

“You both promised to go on an adventure together.”

At those words, Lucy’s veins bulged even more.

“Luel! Did you tell this human even that!”

She began charging at me, holding the greatsword, bearing the arrows I shot.

But her reaction confirmed to Luel that Lucy hadn’t revealed that secret to me either.

“Die!”

Her greatsword swung down with all her might.

This was dangerous.

It was at that moment I thought.

“I’ll believe you.”

With Luel’s voice, a blue veil appeared before me.

“Certainly, I have no knowledge of a method to avert destruction. But…”

Her veil was forcefully blocking Lucy’s sword.

‘This is…’

Thanks to that, I realized.

Luel had constantly yielded all this time so that Lucy could adventure for at least another year.

Just like when she became the Water Sage.

She had been yielding.

Although she had given up this world to protect the other dimensions, she couldn’t give up on her sister, Lucy.

Now she was firmly declaring.

“Perhaps I should have discovered it through adventure.”

Before I knew it, she too was shedding tears like Lucy.

“Dear sister, I will leave this place too.”

“Luel?”

“I too… will go on an adventure.”

At the word adventure, the strength drained from Lucy’s arms gripping the greatsword.

Seeing her like that, Luel finally smiled.

“We promised when we were kids. To go on an adventure together.”

*