“Aaron. Brunhilde’s ego has returned.”
“I know.”
“Is the goddess… the same?”
“She still hasn’t said a word.”
Crack– Vamilion’s nervous fist crumpled the ruined wall, clad in golden armor.
“Even after hearing the goddess’s words, you didn’t inform anyone, did you?”
Hiss– A thick smoke billowed from Aaron’s mouth instead of an answer.
“…Understood. Do as you wish. I must go to the battlefield. There, I will fulfill the goddess’s will. By any means, I’ll bring your soul to Paradise.”
“Frey.”
“It’s Vamilion.”
“Frey.”
Crunch– Sounds like teeth breaking could be heard from within the golden helmet.
“I have something to ask.”
“…What is it?”
“What do you think Paradise is?”
“A stepping stone to the upper world.”
“In that case, what do you think of this world?”
“A prison created to punish the goddess.”
And then.
“A world without a god.”
“Do you know what it means for there to be no god?”
“It means that gods from other lower dimensions feed on this place… Aaron, why are you asking such obvious things?”
“To confirm once more. And to check that my mind hasn’t gone mad.”
Hiss– Aaron let out smoke burned up to the roots, stood up, flicking a short cigarette against the wall.
“Frey. To sum up what you said. If there’s a god in this world, it means one day we could reach the upper world.”
“In theory, it’s possible, but that doesn’t make sense. The ‘Sword of Victory,’ my dear friend and the only hope of this world, has collapsed. Even our goddess, who existed in the upper world from the beginning, has lost her ego here. Yet, how can any being—”
“Right, it may seem impossible at first glance, but it’s certainly possible.”
In Aaron’s empty, detached eyes.
“If that’s possible, then this world’s inhabitants are all…”
A flickering ember, like an extinguished cigarette butt, ignited.
“It means they could truly become humans.”
Thud– Aaron’s weak footsteps were taken.
“Frey. Go achieve your goal.”
His endlessly heavy steps gradually became lighter.
“I will go fulfill my purpose.”
It was a resolute determination.
*
“If so, just die here.”
Brunhilde’s twisted face wore an unmatched rage and a faint regret.
There was deep sorrow and slight disappointment etched into her features.
The shape of the spear held in both hands gathered before her chest changed.
The long spear turned into a bow.
The short spear became an arrow.
Carpen’s blood aura enveloped him.
Tylant’s coldness suppressed the surrounding magical power.
Valoran’s feathers expanded the realm of magic.
Time stretched.
In the world where time elongates, thought accelerated.
The beings existing in this created world.
Of course, when I first came to this world, I thought that way.
A world within the game, with NPCs and inhabitants of the game.
However, after meeting Rubia and spending much time with her, learning about her various aspects, all those thoughts vanished.
The shaman, whom I thought I knew best.
The shaman who always smiled kindly.
I learned she was an ordinary person who could get annoyed, cry, and get angry.
Thus, her love felt deeper than anything else.
I felt she was a ‘real’ person.
Then what about the monsters?
The monsters scattered throughout the vast world and the Monster of the End standing at their pinnacle.
Did I consider them true living beings?
Carpen.
The Monster of the End I first met in Loholan had intelligence. A faint hint of emotions were present.
But those were overshadowed by their instinct for destruction.
Then, the movements.
The attacks, the patterns.
Were they all like those in the game?
Not exactly.
There were similarities and differences.
Some attacks imitated the abrupt interruptions of game patterns.
There were also attacks I hadn’t seen in the game, flowing naturally.
Swish– In the elongated time, Carpen’s tail brushed against my thigh.
Tylant.
The Monster of the End I subjugated in Ursphere.
Did it possess intelligence? Emotions?
I cannot say.
But although I can’t be certain, if I recall a vague memory,
Like Carpen, it wasn’t identical to the Tylant in the game.
Of course, changes occurred after all seals were lifted, but I could definitely feel something different, even aside from that.
Drip– Cold water, fallen from the ice, trickled down my cheek.
Valoran.
The Monster of the End I met here in Cartia.
The first entity to have the exact pattern from the game.
At the same time, it was wholly different from the game.
It possessed clear intelligence and distinct emotions.
It had taught me so much, this ancient being.
Then why did Valoran act in a manner identical to the game’s patterns?
What for?
What did it endure the pain to communicate to me, while engaging in such foolish acts?
With the remnants of its identity shredded to bits.
What was it searching for in the end, as it drained its own lifespan to hand me the magic stone lodged within its body?
Why.
Why did it hand me its magic stone while cutting its own life short?
Why did it—
Even up until the moment of death, its bright smile remained—
Whack-! A powerful feather, imbued with magic, struck my forehead firmly.
“Ah…”
In the world where time stretched.
Within my imagination.
The feather that had struck my forehead gently floated down before my face.
It slowly approached and poked my forehead.
Memories flooded in.
Ancient beings.
Heroes who burned their bodies for the world.
Defied predetermined fates against the high skies.
Adversaries.
They vanished from records.
Forgotten from memories.
Their traces faded away.
Even as they lost their identities.
Like us,
They trod upon the earth, gazing up at the sky.
They breathed, spoke, and lived through today.
They dreamt of tomorrow, and envisioned the future.
They felt rage, sorrow, and anxiety.
At times, they felt joy, love, happiness, and hope.
For the sake of defying the heavens, they paid the price of losing their existence and identity, reborn as the Monster of the End.
They were not beings created from the outset.
[Yes.]
A playful woman’s mischievous voice.
[We undoubtedly existed in this world.]
A lively woman’s sharp voice.
[Like ordinary people, we ate, drank, laughed, chatted, loved, and hated.]
A languid woman’s cold voice.
[We lived in different eras, but all shared the same goal.]
A stoic man’s calm voice.
Voices I had never heard before.
Feelings I had never sensed.
Their will, which had never been conveyed.
All approached clearly.
Brunhilde’s bowstring was pulled back.
The grievances of the deceased souls were compressed into the arrow.
Not the instant-death move I had seen in the game.
Not the attack of the Monster of the End.
The wrath of a hero who lived through an era.
The wind. The longing. The dream. The hope.
The goal she could not achieve.
The last spark.
Gathered to break me.
To test me.
I urged my trembling body.
Straightened my slouched posture.
Cleared my dazed mind.
Clutched my loosened heart tightly.
Feeling the weight in my hand.
Recalling the burden on my shoulders.
I gripped Frey tightly.
Brunhilde, pulling back the bowstring, had a glimmer in her smile.
Rubia’s delayed divine power injected vitality into my body.
The mysteries of the spirits lightened my frame.
An intensified blood aura surged around me. A coldness that seemed to freeze the very space swirled. In the urgent time, a feather swimming in a different timeline glided through the air.
Twang!
The bowstring pulled to its limit.
Whoosh—!
It released.
An arrow approaches.
Death races toward me.
The immense storm wrapped around Brunhilde’s consciousness shot towards me.
But it’s not a game.
It’s not an instant-death move.
It’s not a pattern that triggers without fail.
It’s not an attack I cannot counter.
So, I can stop it.
As always.
I stepped forward with one foot.
Pulled the other foot back.
Twisted my waist while pulling Frey forward.
In that moment, I drew the trajectory of the rushing arrow.
Following instinct and sensation.
I raised Frey, at an angle.
Clang—!
The flowing power distribution, the trajectory of the sword, deflected Brunhilde’s arrow. The bouncing arrow soared into the sky. The ascending arrow erupted with indescribable magical power, darkening the world.
The transcendent magic that burst forth from the sky pierced steel and shattered tree roots. The roots underfoot crumbled. My body fell. A fierce wind brushed past. Simultaneously, the spirit’s wind wrapped around me. A sharp electric shock stabilized my body’s balance.
Crack– Newly extended roots supported my feet.
The steel wrapping around me added stability.
“Aha-ha—!”
Brunhilde, wearing a deep smile as if delighted, held onto her spear. The pitch-black flames that engulfed her body blazed even more intensely. Massive wings spread forth, covering the sky.
The wings flapped. Pitch-black flames scattered. Among them, the summoned creatures flooded the ground. Thousands, tens of thousands of summoned creatures. Summoned beings cloaked in pitch-black fire clashed with the liberators, unseen even in the game.
“Everyone, please proceed as originally planned.”
My small voice traveled to my comrades, riding the spirit’s wind.
Ser’s gaze focused on me.
Followed by Hermila, Alex, Delia.
And Rubia as well.
“And, Ser and Rubia, please open the door to the world’s end.”
Receiving their questioning gazes, I looked towards Brunhilde.
I held Frey aloft, adjusted my stance, and declared.
“In ten minutes. I’ll end everything.”
