Sirin felt the regulation’s intensity, once nestled in her heart, rapidly escaping.
In the feathers of Valoran in my hand, in the spark of Brunhilde, in the bracelet of Cartia—everything.
Gradually, the escaping soul gathered at the door of the false paradise, taking on different forms.
Forms that looked like a child had carelessly crumpled clay. They were hazy like the appearance of Jong-eon in a dream, but as they began to take shape, I could tell what was being created.
I had no choice but to know.
Black feathers.
Wings wrapped in flames.
A stance cradling the dark blue moonlight.
A golden sphere of regulation gathering all life.
Because it was being formed.
Soon after.
From the body of Frey, who was gazing at the sky, from Carpen, whose fur bristled and blood aura burst forth, from Laila, who soared into the air—
Their souls began to escape, gathering at the door of the false paradise, some longing.
Squeak—a sharp fighting spirit erupted from Frey’s body, teeth gnashing. At the same time, Carpen and Laila also began to burst forth their inner power, trying to grasp the escaping soul.
“Ha, damn.”
But they couldn’t hold on.
Instead, the speed at which the souls escaped only increased, mocking their resistance.
In the blink of an eye, the situation had become chaotic, and I found myself unsure of what to do.
But I felt I had to stop the slowly opening door of the false paradise.
And, as if it were the right answer, Laila, standing next to me, grasped the scythe of life.
[We must stop their souls, our souls, from being absorbed completely. Before the pieces of the key fall into the hands of the Nameless One… we must stop it at all costs.]
“How long?”
Frey also drew her Great Sword, stepping closer to us.
[…I don’t know.]
“What?”
[Normally, the door to paradise can only be opened when everything has ended, gathering all the pieces of the key.]
“Can it be opened? Then why the hell is it opening on its own?”
[I don’t know the exact reason, but… I think the Nameless One has broken the regulation. They severed the chains of regulation that were entangled in their body. No, it seems they have gone beyond that, breaking the chains of regulation that bind the world.]
“What the… hell are you talking about?”
Frey brushed her hair back, seemingly unable to understand Laila’s words.
Carpen, whose blood aura blazed from the start, seemed ready to charge at any moment.
And I, having understood everything Laila said, raised my Great Sword.
That existence had severed the chains of regulation. Not only tied to itself, but also the very chains of regulation binding this world.
That meant that being… had absorbed most of Lilith’s power.
The myth was coming to an end.
That existence was becoming the true god of this world.
Then, this world—
I wouldn’t even be able to save Rubia.
Having finished that thought, I thought I needed to slay Valoran, Brunhilde, Cartia, and Sirin, their incomplete phantoms, to stop the completion of the key.
Just as I was about to charge forward—
Crack—the golden sphere split apart.
The souls trapped within poured out from the gap, touching the ground. The souls, having trampled flowers and broken stems, eventually took human form.
Boom!
A strike beyond imagination shot towards me.
Instinctively, I raised my Great Sword and blocked the strike.
That blow had been sent by a phantom resembling a swordsman with an old sword standing far away.
And I knew exactly one person who could send such a strike.
“Lu… Chi?”
Luchi.
The swordsman who sliced through the world, Luchi.
But Luchi wasn’t the only one to manifest upon the ground.
The scenery that could be pictured in my senses wobbled at the horizon’s end.
[What… the hell… is this?]
The adventurers of Alrva, whom I had often seen in visions.
The dead liberation army that had gathered in Cartia to help us. People, residents.
Adventurers, knights, companions of heroes from the previous generation, now forgotten and vanished from the world, and even monsters.
“Damn… that guy…”
Just earlier, Jiz, whom Cartia had decapitated.
A massive monster in the shape of a serpent, possessing the same power as that Jiz.
[Leviathan… too.]
They rose to their feet all at once.
Countless in number.
Thousands, tens of thousands. Not even those units could describe the sheer number of phantoms that filled the end of the world.
“Ah, hahaha! This world… is way more than I thought! Did I overdo it? Hehehe…! Lilith’s power is more extraordinary than expected. Seems like sitting in that position wasn’t for nothing?”
‘Rubia’ strolled through the skies, letting out an ecstatic sigh. As she raised her hand, the head of the phantom standing on the ground lifted.
And.
Luchi’s sword was raised.
“I truly never thought I would fail at controlling my power. I only meant to stall for time, but to think it would be this much. Hehe, please give it your all. If you die here, I’ll have to lead these gloomy ones into paradise. Got it?”
‘Rubia’ waved her hand in the air.
“Especially you, Noah. I really hope you survive.”
Luchi’s sword fell, from above to below.
Following its trajectory, a thin line was drawn. An endlessly straight line. The line that had once sliced through the world. That line quivered as it created a fissure in space. It spread, distorted, and crumbled.
Slowly expanding, the line turned into a massive strike, racing towards us.
Jiz’s lightning engulfed the sky. A sound that shouldn’t be heard here echoed. The roars of the phantoms filled the air. The gear of adventurers struck the ground. The cries of monsters awakened the world.
Amidst that chaos, I dropped my Great Sword.
I expanded my senses, picturing everything in this place. Among them, I drew the being I needed to strike down first.
Luchi.
Boom! I stomped, gripping my dropped Great Sword. As the trajectory formed in my mind, I swung my Great Sword toward the rushing strike.
KA-RANG!
A massive light met the strike aimed to cleave the world. The light repelled the strike. As a result, the shattered blow exploded into fragments. Crack! The phantoms touched by the fragments crumbled helplessly. The shards embedded in the ground left a massive scar as they faded.
Within that, a phantom resembling Luchi swung their sword again, a colossal wave charging forth.
I swung my Great Sword at it.
—Ka-WAAAAANG!
Once more, the strike shattered and scattered. The fragmented shards became countless calamities that crushed the ground. They tore through space, destroyed the scenery, and killed phantoms.
Finally, the lightning that had engulfed the sky fell toward me. Simultaneously, Frey charged and leaped.
Her Great Sword shone with light. It was swung, cleaving the lightning and splitting the ground.
Boom! A massive clump of fierce energy surged forward, consuming the phantoms. For a moment, the energy that was tearing apart the phantoms was halted by a colossal shield.
At the same time.
A massive tidal wave erupted. The waves crashed. Within the rolling sea,
the phantoms lost in their march began.
“SKREEEEEAM!”
As if to drown out that sound, Carpen let out a fierce roar, launching himself toward the phantoms. Hundreds, thousands of thorns erupted from the blood aura surrounding him, piercing the phantoms’ heads and plucking out their hearts.
Laila, soaring into the sky, swung the scythe of life.
A massive light erupted. That light took root upon the ground, resembling Yggdrasil. Soon thereafter, the spirits, mysteries, and life force that surged up there shattered the phantoms surrounding Carpen.
Frey, who landed on the ground, did the same. With a sword qi that seemed it could slice through even a graze, she scattered it into the phantoms’ sea.
With each swing of their movements, thousands and tens of thousands of phantoms died, but it meant nothing.
It’s not possible to see the bottom of the sea by scooping up the seawater.
Yet they did not stop, swinging their swords, claws, and scythe.
I too joined in their fray, killing phantoms left and right. Deflecting arrows that flew without regard for distance and slashing down falling chains from the sky.
The power of Reverse Heaven swept the ground. The light of Open Heaven covered the sky, gathering lightning.
My rough stomp flipped the waves, and the swung Great Sword shattered the fortress walls.
And then again.
Scrape!
A chilling slicing sound resonated. A strike meant to cleave the world rushed toward me. I swung my Great Sword with all my strength at that direction.
But.
This time, it was different.
Crack!
Behind the strike swung by Luchi’s phantom.
Jiz’s lightning, Leviathan’s waves.
Magic that could surely number in the millions.
Sword qi, arrows, rocks.
Were pouring down on me.
When did this happen?
There was no time to think.
I stomped harshly, swinging the Great Sword I held tightly. The light flared as I swung. The light that whipped around began to tear apart everything rushing toward me.
Space warped. A crack formed. From that very fissure, arrows shot forth. I raised my knee to deflect them. Following that, spears emerged from the crack. Swords were swung. Axes. Hammers. Halberds. Daggers. Fists. Spells. Curses. Magic. Chains.
All aimed not at me, but at Frey beside me.
“Carpen!!”
Hearing my cry, Carpen’s blood aura enveloped him. He rammed Frey with his shoulder. Immediately, blood aura burst forth. He twisted joints to catch the recoil of the Great Sword. Again, he released blood aura, correct his bent waist, and—Boom!—he swung his Great Sword.
From below, upwards. The Great Sword, swung toward the sky, ignited with light. The rising light, a massive pillar, drew boundaries in the sky filled with monsters and painted a new horizon on the ground.
Just as everything rushing toward us was about to be deflected,
Fwoosh!
Hellfire began to ignite beneath my feet.
This is, unavoidable—
[That was close.]
Tylant’s voice.
As her timid voice sounded,
Swoshhh!
Hellfire froze.
Suddenly, winter came to the world.
