Bang, clang. Even in a state fully enhanced by magic, the shock penetrated his skull.
Alexander barely swallowed the pooling blood rising inside him and reached out with trembling vision.
He continued to conjure magic as effortlessly as breathing.
– Huuuk, clang!!
He swung his fist and drove it into Ivan’s abdomen. With a booming sound, Ivan’s body lurched and lifted.
However.
– Crack!
Even before the impact of the explosion finished, Ivan’s hand moved again, slamming his head back onto the floor.
“Do you not realize that the structure of this world is wrong!! I have seen and heard about your world!! Colonel Petrovich, are you not from that world as well!!”
– Clang!!
There was no response. Alexander spat out blood and shouted.
“Even if there are hundreds of thousands of deaths, history must move in the right direction!! It is tyranny for a minority of strong individuals to oppress the majority of the populace—!!”
– Kuaang—!!
In another blow, Alexander’s vision darkened. His survival instinct barely kept his head intact.
“Ending the gods’ interference was even agreed upon by Veolgrin! Now that the day of man has dawned, the light of this world must be for the overwhelming majority—!!”
– Clang!!
Ivan still did not respond. Like a machine, he merely pressed his hand down hard against the floor. The fact that Alexander was still holding on was a testament to his training.
Amidst a shock that could crush even substantial steel armor, Alexander gritted his teeth and unleashed a spell with both hands.
– Kuaaaang—!!
Ivan’s body jerked again. This time, the impact seemed significant enough that he staggered back a few steps, unable to shake it off.
Finally free from Ivan’s grasp, Alexander swayed from the shock as he gripped his sword again.
His brain felt shaken. In reality, his sense of balance was completely off. Clenching his teeth, he held the sword and said.
“…I will send you back. I will tell you how to return to your homeland, to where you came from. Ivan Petrovich. Don’t you miss your homeland? Surely you have family and friends.”
“…”
Ivan remained silent, checking his physical condition. The killing intent was still thick around him, leaving the frozen crew members unable to move an inch.
“This is not your world. Your devotion is misguided. Leave matters of this world to those who belong to it, and you should return to your world.”
Crack, Ivan lightly loosened his hands. Seeing that, Alexander fell silent. There was no will to engage in dialogue at all. Convincing that thing would be less hopeful than persuading a golem.
He was someone who had returned alive even from battlefields he thought he could never escape. He was somehow still alive even in moments where he thought he would certainly die.
From the start, he should not have left behind any potential future regrets.
Alexander reached out towards the charging Ivan again and lightly flicked his fingers.
“The Demon King, the Hero, and you. None of you should exist in this world. The life confined in a cage created for the amusement of the gods has come to an end, and our world no longer requires a god to reign over it!!”
The world being toyed with for the amusement of divine beings must come to an end.
At this point, where the end is in sight, the social structure in which a few strong individuals reign over the majority of the populace living like gods must also collapse.
At this moment, where the entire population has hit rock bottom due to the great war with the demons, the rights of individuals have soared higher than at any moment in history.
Through one more war, we can reorganize the entire social structure and build a nation by the people—.
“You should have understood! The world you lived in was my ideal! A world without superhumans… a world where individuals can achieve their honor and status through their own strength and abilities….”
It was once upon a time. Before the war with the demons loomed large. Young Crown Prince Alexander had read the memoirs of a person deemed forbidden by the church.
He obtained information about the ‘other world’ then. He gained conviction through direct conversation with Maximilian. He acquired knowledge by surveying ancient ruins and interpreting artifacts from the lost mythical age.
This world is wrong.
It is a cage created for the amusement of the gods.
However, even if we eliminate the influence of the gods, what about the existence of magic?
Magic is the universal substance that transforms individuals into superhumans. As one blossoms with magic, they can stand against thousands of their kin alone.
Once such asymmetric power is held in the hands of individuals, the state system itself will crumble like a sandcastle.
The appearance of the Demon King has united the demons. It was probably easier since they are tribes that venerate strength.
But what if Maximilian, that great man, were more cunning and selfish? What form would the world have taken then?
A society that must entrust its safety to the mercy and morality of a transcendent individual is grotesque.
Thus, no one should stand above anyone else. Alexander sincerely believed this, acted for it, and now stands in this very place.
“The war with the demons, the many great figures sacrificed for it—yes, a valuable sacrifice. But that was, in fact, a sacrifice for the hundreds of millions of people… for the countless children that will emerge in their future! Ivan Petrovich, if you have lived in such a world, you must understand me!”
Ivan did not stop. He leaped in an instant, stretching his hand toward Alexander, who was preparing magic.
“If not, do you have a better alternative? I want to change this world for the better—!!”
Alexander did not stop speaking and reached out. The spell completed, and a purple flash lit up before Ivan’s eyes.
It was the spell he was most confident in. Illusion. A mind sorcery crafted with such precision it could fool even elves.
Even if it were a member of the Hero Party, it should be possible to deceive their eyes.
“…”
As soon as he recognized the illusion, Ivan halted right on the deck.
And soon.
– Chut.
Clicking his tongue.
With his eyes closed, he turned to face Alexander.
“Sasha liked chocolate cake.”
“…What?”
“Polina started saving to gift silk handkerchiefs to her fiancé, Nikolai loved the smell of musk perfume. Anna used to knit socks for her daughter.”
Tsut, tsut. Clicking his tongue, Ivan stepped towards Alexander.
Even with his eyes covered, amidst the illusions of all kinds of magical beasts, surrounded by flames, casting darkness in front of him, and deceiving his eyes with cliffs and maze-like terrains…
Even to the extent of summoning tangible pain. If he got cut inside, the pain would be replicated, and if he got scorched, the burning agony would follow.
In the midst of a meticulously crafted illusion that distorted both sight and touch, Ivan moved precisely towards Alexander as if measuring out the distance.
“Chernovika liked roses.”
Before he knew it, Ivan reached out and grabbed Alexander by the collar.
Even though he was part of the hero party, the illusion magic was enough to deceive his eyes.
Having received the best education in the country, trained by the most outstanding scholars in magic, and accumulated experiences gained from maneuvering throughout the world…
Therefore, even a hero party had managed to reach the level of mind sorcery capable of deception.
Slowly, Ivan opened his closed eyes. Numerous illusions swirled around him, hostile environments rushed in from all directions, and he could not even gauge the black entities and falsehoods that sometimes came flying at him.
The touch of the flames felt genuinely scorching on his skin, and the sensations of being cut or pierced by swords felt no different from reality.
Right beneath him was an abyss, and in the hand he was holding, only the empty sky could be seen.
However,
In the magic realm turned demon territory, the Warlords of the Seven Warlords. In such an environment, the man who had to stand in front of the hero party as a scout could pride himself on excelling in one skill over the hero party.
Walking towards a target. Finding the way accurately in any environment.
That was his unique role, something the hero party could not achieve.
“…Please let me live. I can’t die like this. I am the last hope left in this world…”
“I remember all those I killed.”
Ivan’s blue eyes glared ominously at the empty air.
“However, you. I will not remember you.”
Edel said that all mortals eventually die, but their memories remain. In that sense, even the dead would be eternal.
Ivan had no intention of granting this guy more time than today.
The relentless grudges, the old revenge, the nightly nightmares, and the mourning for those who had departed.
Finally, regarding all those things,
The man from Krasilov quietly extended his hand.
Somewhere in the empty void, his hand came to a stop. The rough handgrip struggled to shake off his arm.
Ignoring it, he moved his hand.
With all his strength, he squeezed tightly what he had grabbed.
A faint sound echoed in the distance.
“Stop! Don’t! This… I can’t…!!”
The suppressed groans and screams clawed at his ears.
Through his hallucinated, tainted vision, vague silhouettes appeared.
The faces of those who had left, his deceased comrades, were staring at him, just as they did every night from beyond the dark window.
Silently, the faint forms gazed at him.
“Ivan Petrovich!! You will not return to your hometown! You, an unwelcome guest from another world, will destroy this realm!! Even if I die, my work will never be finished, for I—!!”
A faint sound.
The dry crunching continued in his grasp. He felt the strength slowly draining from the hand that was twitching as it struck down on his forearm.
The illusion shatters.
The faces of his comrades looking at him cracked and began to slowly crumble.
In the empty void, the shape of a man gradually materialized. Ivan did not release the strength in his grasp; instead, he tightened it, pushing down forcefully.
Finally.
With his soaked hand, shaking off the slippery fragments dripping from between his joints.
Ivan looked at his companions with a numb, expressionless face.
“Is that… Sir Yeremov…?”
“Elpheira, check for any magic resonance in this corpse. We need to ensure there are no remnants of possible resurrection, transfer, or hallucinations.”
Leaving future troubles behind would be a foolish act.
“Dmitri.”
“Yes, Senior Ivan.”
“Cut off his wrist. We’re returning to the homeland.”
“Yes, Senior Ivan.”
Revenge may be meaningless, but Alexander’s death would help establish the legitimacy of the Krasilov throne.
“Oswald.”
“Yes, Ivan.”
“I’ll stay here and be an ear for the Privy Council. We need to know first what actions the Elf Council will take in the future.”
“Yes….”
With the Queen dead and Milestone gone, the Elves are nothing short of a ticking time bomb. It’s uncertain where they will explode, and estimating the fallout has become a burden.
As long as Alexander is hidden behind the Elf Council, predicting their future actions is impossible.
“Rundis.”
“Yes… Elder….”
“Contact the homeland. We need to complete the anti-aircraft artillery capable of sinking aerial battleships. Krasilov will provide support, so ensure there are no setbacks in preparation.”
“Yes.”
Assuming the entire Elf population will turn against us, we need to act accordingly. It will require considerable effort to arm Tilese.
And finally.
“Lucia.”
“Yes. I understand.”
“Do you remember what I said before we set off?”
“…Huh?”
“You must be able to substitute for me when I’m absent. Do you remember?”
“…Yes. I remember.”
“It’s now. You will take charge until we return to the homeland.”
With those words, Ivan collapsed.
As Lucia hurried over, listening quietly to the conversation, Ivan collapsed weakly, closing his eyes in her embrace.
“It’s exhaustion. You’ve had a hard time,” Dmitri chuckled softly, nodding.
“Didn’t I tell you to live long? Did you forget?”
“No.”
Ivan answered carefully.
“If you’re going to live long, you should also live well. Lieutenant Colonel.”
“That’s true.”
The grumbling tone lightly teased him.
Hearing a voice he hadn’t heard in so long made him a little tremble.
Even though he knew it was a dream, he liked it anyway.
“Can you promise me one thing?”
“…Anything.”
Kim Sun-woo reached out tearfully, waving his hand through the empty air a few times.
Letting his hand drop weakly, he grasped the ground and replied.
“Besides living long and well, just one more thing.”
“Okay… okay.”
“Live happily.”
“…I will definitely do that.”
“For both of us. For our sake. A hundred times… no, a thousand times.”
“Chernovika.”
Kim Sun-woo paused for a moment. No voice called out to him again. He decided to wait a little longer.
Even after a long time passed again, no voice called out to him.
Left alone in the dark space, he grasped the earthen floor tightly, sobbing.
Kim Sun-woo replied with a cracked voice.
“I will… I will definitely do that… and one more thing. I promise to fulfill your one request.”
No matter what happens. No matter the moment.
Even if I have to slaughter all the Seven Warlords of this world, and finally, just like Maximilian, find myself in a situation where I can’t control myself and must be confined.
Still, even then. In that moment. I will surely.
“I remember.”
All of you.
No mortal can live forever.
But yes, within memories. I can be with you forever.
“Definitely.”
Kim Sun-woo got up from his seat and wiped his messed-up face.
Ivan Petrovich quietly opened his eyes.
“Definitely.”
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