“Huh… if they’re gonna come to kill me, they should at least stick around. Ugh… why are they fleeing like a bunch of rats?”
[That’s called a wheeled battle.]
“I know that. Damn it. Just saying it out loud.”
Ser, who spat out the blood that was clogging her throat, stepped forward, clearing away the fragmented limbs scattered on the floor.
Following her staggering form, dark red blood dripped down with a thud-thud.
“I never imagined there would be a completed master… it seems the situation has turned really fed up.*”
[Did those guys just create weapons in Erden?]
“Yeah. How was it? Did you feel a bit of human greatness?”
Chuckling kukuk, Ser picked up her tattered robe from the ground, brushing it off as she covered her torn clothing.
[… I now clearly understand how far human malice can progress.]
A voice mixed with lament echoed.
Ser clicked her tongue at the spirit king.
“Seriously, why are you asleep while letting the world become like this? Are you even aware? Cough… Ack… Spit, do you have any awareness?”
[That was something I couldn’t help. I never imagined Yggdrasil would lose its power like this… I’m sorry.]
“Does saying sorry after stabbing someone mean anything? Just shut up already.”
Barely steadying her nearly collapsing body, Ser looked up at the sky.
The once blue sky, which had shone brightly while she rallied the villagers, had transformed into a blood-red color as if it contained death.
And at the center of it all, the ominous figure of a red moon floated majestically, shadowing the black sun.
[The red moon… it seems Valoran has finally made a decision.]
“If you can’t explain, then keep it to yourself. Why drop hints like that? It’s irritating.”
[Ahem…]
Hearing the spirit king’s silence, Ser clicked her tongue again.
“I need to hurry. Is Karma okay?”
[Hmm… not in great shape, but it should heal in a day or two.]
The highest-ranked spirit sent to Rubia had already been reversed-summoned.
The same goes for the high-tier and mid-tier spirits sent to keep an eye on the situation there.
They probably encountered completed beings there too. Consequently, the villagers must have also suffered quite a bit.
With a deep sigh, Ser pulled out a communication crystal.
The crystal connected her to the head of the Cartia Adventurer’s Guild she met on the way.
Clearing her throat, she activated the crystal.
At that moment…
–Huh… gasp, Ser… are you safe?
The voice of Vishur, the head of the guild, came through, gasping as if struggling to breathe.
And behind him—
Sounds of a gruesome scuffle, pop,
Explosions, the clash of metal on metal,
The activation and dismantling of magic,
The sounds of people dying echoed.
Ser clicked her tongue and quickened her pace with the wind spirit’s ability.
“What happened?”
–A completed master. The number… gasp… roughly fifteen. We’re trying to hold them off, but it seems like… we’ll be breached soon.
“What do you mean you’re holding them off?”
An ominous feeling crawled up her toes.
She increased the number of wind spirits to gain speed.
Devastating scenes rushed past her vision.
Corpses of people.
Corpses of villagers.
Those she had seen when she rallied the villagers were now lying on the ground.
And beyond that…
A red hemispherical curtain overshadowing the mainland.
Intermittently shining white and purple waves danced across its surface.
The waves of Rubia and Hermila.
Outside the curtain… does that mean Noah is alone inside?
Just as she was about to change direction towards that way, Vishur’s voice, sounding like the flickering flame of life, came through.
–… I’m… breaking into the Temple of Memory…
The Temple of Memory.
A place Noah and Rubia had to go through trials, hidden from Erden’s eyes.
They had said everything was thoroughly controlled so it wouldn’t reach Erden’s ears.
But from the start… it had been certain when the completed beings were hiding in the village.
“… Got it.”
Grinding her teeth, Ser tucked the crystal back into her pocket.
A traitor.
Is there a traitor among the key personnel?
Or perhaps a challenger?
It’s too early to be sure.
They may have been caught and had their brains extracted.
[What choice will you make?]
“It’s a headache, so just shut up.”
With a fierce voice, Ser took out the crystal connected to Hermila and activated it.
Then…
–Ser! Are you okay?!
A tremendous explosion echoed, and amidst it, Hermila’s urgent voice came clearly through.
“… What’s the situation?”
–After the guiding spheres all vanished, we were about to enter with Lady Rubia, but… the path got blocked.
“Isn’t it breakable?”
–No way.
A voice tinged with despair.
And the unending sounds of explosions.
The brilliant divine power illuminated the sky.
Yet the red curtain remained steadfast in its form.
Steeling her quivering voice, she opened her heavy lips.
“The Temple of Memory is under attack. The number of completed ones is fifteen. It seems they’re about to break through.”
A sound of a gulp echoed.
–It’s my blunder.
“There’s also a possibility of being caught and having their brain extracted.”
–… That’s true, but…
“Just keep that in mind for now.”
After tucking the crystal back into her pocket, she swept her face with both hands, deep in thought.
Even as she did, the sounds of people dying and explosions never ceased.
Choices.
I know well how much impact this choice will have.
Even if there are fifteen completed beings, it will somehow be sorted out.
The Spirit King is awake.
Even the curtain that Rubia and Hermila couldn’t break will be handled by me.
Just looking at the energy felt from afar shows it’s not much different from that of a spirit.
Abandoning Noah and preserving the Temple of Memory.
Preserving the Temple of Memory and saving Noah.
The former allows for future planning.
Since there’s a quite high possibility of another gigantic variable appearing, let’s consider it.
The latter depends on a ridiculously low probability.
But it could save Noah.
Then…
With a bitter smile, she took out the crystal.
“I will join.”
Then, speaking in a subdued voice, she said,
“Vishur.”
[… So, you eventually chose the latter, huh?]
“What are you talking about?”
After ending the communication, she put the crystal back into her pocket and mocked the Spirit King.
“I chose the latter because I believe in it.”
Turning to gaze at the red curtain, she continued,
“I believe in Lady Noah. I believe that my friend will definitely win, thus I made this decision.”
[… Haha, ahahahaha!]
“So, please lend me some strength. I think dealing with fifteen will be a bit challenging.”
[Alright, I will. My child. I will lend you as much as you need, so swing it as you like.]
The moment the Spirit King’s laughter ceased, billions of stars began to bloom in the red sky, starting to fall onto the despair-laden earth.
*
The space where heaven and earth are turned upside down.
A space where the sky falls and everything gets tangled.
I stand there.
Floating. Sinking. Existing. Not existing.
“I doubted the god I believed in. I denied the sky.”
My existence is being denied.
“Therefore, I acted as a fallen one.”
How long has it been? My mind feels hazy.
The voice of Cartia ringing in my head has long faded.
“Bringing down the sky. Falling from the sky. Whatever it may be, all my kind followed me. Thus, I achieved an accomplishment that would remain in history.”
My muddled mind struggles to think clearly. My body feels heavy. The sensation forming in my mind is faint.
“However, that history and those achievements have all vanished. Even those of my ancestors.”
Have you never found it strange?
Thud—!
“Ugh…”
The cutting movement feels light, but what comes at me is heavy.
“Have you never questioned where all the tribes that lived in that distant past went, and where that history has vanished?”
It’s not fast.
It’s not fierce.
Light and flowing like a dance.
But.
Crack—!
Each time it touches me,
Boom—!
Strange memories seep into my mind.
Celestials and demon clans.
Elves and dwarves.
Spirits and beast kin.
Humans.
Endless war.
A dragon waiting at the world’s edge, longing for the end.
End.
And again.
Celestials and demon clans.
Elves and dwarves.
Spirits and beast kin.
Humans.
The first despair they were given, the Monster of the End.
Dragons.
End.
Again.
Again.
Again.
And.
“I questioned. And I realized. We are merely a process.”
End.
“By the End, everything was wiped clean and mixed. Therefore now, there are no traces left.”
Visions of Valoran swirl around as if to engulf my very existence.
Visions reflecting various eras.
The cycle of birth and destruction.
Souls eroding slowly without liberation.
All chaos spills out towards me.
I awakened all my levels to counter it.
Twisting, bending, and merging.
“They were heroes who illuminated the era.”
Thus, the vision met. The first was an elf.
“Ending the war.”
The sword collided. The second was a demon.
“Achieving vengeance.”
The forces clashed. The third was a celestial.
“Saving their kin.”
A fist collided. The fourth was a beast kin.
“Reaching the end of the world.”
The voice resounded. The fifth was a human.
“Yet, they could not surpass the end.”
My head spins.
Unknown memories seep in.
“But a variable occurred with the fifth. Two souls remained in the same era.”
Complete victory.
Absolute victory.
The victory I longed for desperately.
“Thus, a path opened.”
Cartia Frey.
The relentless sword dance came to a sudden stop.
The visions that had been swirling settled, and the red streaks of blood falling from the moon froze in mid-air.
“Adversary, what form did the end you saw take?”
At first, it was merely a blur.
But as time passed through the eras, it took shape.
“I couldn’t see it. Neither could the former heroes.”
What was thus completed…
Still remains formless.
White.
“But you saw it. You felt it. You drew it. Therefore, you can reach it.”
Crackle— the red moon cracked.
Light from the black sun began to pour forth.
“Hmm. It might not have been a bad choice to trap me in the rift of dimension. How long has it been since I’ve been sane?”
The great sword raised.
The halted vision began to ripple.
The blood that had been dripping started flowing again.
“Cartia, I thank you. Truly, thank you.”
Valoran’s face, nodding happily, held a refreshing smile.
“Adversary, one last question. Will you become the best or the worst?”
Frey tightened her grip.
“Will you follow the sky, or resist it?”
She summoned her powers.
In response, her blood aura began to surge.
The chilling cold of Sirin started to radiate gently.
“Will you be the end, or the beginning?”
The red moon wanes.
The halo crashes down.
The broken wings cover the earth.
“At the last moment, what choice will you make?”
The dark light of the black sun that swallowed the red moon descended upon the world.
Best.
Worst.
Ascendance.
Reverse Heaven.
End.
Beginning.
End.
“At the last moment, I…”
Beyond the peak of my uplifted level, the truth burst forth.
“… will save Rubia. That is my choice.”
The dark light that settled down radiated brightly amid despair.
