“Why do we have to become your disciples?”
“Yeah, is such a procedure really necessary?”
Kim Hyul and Zikhart exclaimed in disbelief at my proposal. After all, they had already fallen for Bing Seolhwa’s trick and had their families taken hostage.
Given the circumstances, it was understandable that they would respond with suspicion.
“First of all, there’s no one else who can resist the Outsider but me.”
I explained to them why they needed to become my disciples. Just like I convinced the Final Boss, I presented my reasons.
“Why do you think that?”
“Well, you would have fled here because you knew you couldn’t oppose Shub Niggurath.”
I was the only one in the Northern Lands who could withstand the threat posed by the Outsider. Even the Final Bosses who were stronger than the current protagonists couldn’t endure it.
“That’s right. Even I, holding Morgidian, couldn’t hold out, but you managed to.”
Azazel chimed in, clasping her hands over her chest, her expression radiating sincerity.
“Ah, how holy this is… I, Azazel, wish to become the Saint of Bing Yeon, not of the Outsider…”
Azazel’s tentacles fluttered excitedly behind her, causing us to feel a slight chill.
“…Well, you’re not completely clueless, I see.”
Kim Hyul nodded at my statement, as if testing me to see if I was hiding something.
After all, it was obvious to anyone that the body part behind Azazel was related to the Outsider.
“So, what do you want to do moving forward?”
Zikhart also asked his curiosity. Surely he thought there was no need to blindly become a disciple.
“I want to give you the power to wield time and space as your sword, and to help Kim Hyul get a fist strong enough to smash even diamonds.”
I recalled Kim Hyul’s late-game appearance from the original work [King of Diamond Fist] and Zikhart’s final moments in [I Must Kill the Hero] as I spoke.
Reaching that level would require intense training, just like any other disciple.
“You’ll need to join our clan so that getting help from others becomes easier. We need to minimize variables.”
After all, Bing Seolhwa might send assassins after us.
Unlike me, she, as the heir of North Sea Ice Palace, had already tried to kill my disciples through Yong Bong Gihwa.
“I’ve already painfully realized that I can’t face her alone.”
“The sensation of my internal organs twisting, my entire body’s organs and skin flipping inside out… If I can overcome that feeling, then I can stake my life.”
Kim Hyul and Zikhart trembled as they recounted their experiences facing Shub Niggurath. They had used every means possible to escape her.
“I will become your disciple. Bing Yeon. I suppose I want to erase that chilling woman’s traces too.”
“I will do the same. I look forward to working with you.”
After several rounds of persuasion, the protagonists agreed to join as my disciples, just as the Final Bosses had.
They had little choice after abandoning everything to come here.
“Then, do you have any other good ideas in mind?”
“For now, we must gather the strong from the martial world and create a formation near our clan to prevent anyone from escaping.”
I pointed to various parts of the map attached to the wall.
Our clan was located in a rugged mountain range not far from where people lived, and it would be best to lure Seolhwa here.
“To be honest, I want to evacuate everyone and fight the Outsider alone…”
As I said that, I looked around. Bi Wol and Azazel, already holding tightly onto my arms. Verdandi was acting ambiguously as if she didn’t understand, then wrapped her arms around me from behind.
“That’s unacceptable. Where you are headed is also my destination.”
“That’s right. Brother, are you trying to fight the Outsider, Shub Niggurath, without the person who knows her best?”
“I absolutely don’t want to lose my master to another woman! At least not someone here!”
They were already fired up to fight Bing Seolhwa. The fire of determination blazing in their eyes was a sight to behold, reminding me of the Final Bosses from some novels.
“…Given the situation, I have no choice.”
With a resigned sigh, I said it out loud.
Without them, I might have ended up as Shub Niggurath’s toy just like Kang Si Woo. After all, it was that Outsider who had brought me into this world.
I had to maximize the chances of winning.
“Don’t leave us out either. We deeply wish to make the fool who disturbed our families feel the consequences.”
“Yeah, experience fighting strong opponents is priceless and can’t be purchased with money.”
Seeing that, Kim Hyul and Zikhart exchanged glances and chuckled softly, appearing slightly bemused. To an outsider, we would look like dedicated disciples.
If it were known that just moments ago we were arguing over who would take the lead, they would really see me as trash.
“Azazel, do you think the others can withstand the Outsider’s might?”
I intentionally diverted the conversation, focusing on Azazel, the saint who had already made a contract with Mordigian.
When I visited her for the first time, everyone but me had fainted on the spot.
“Honestly, I’m not sure. Even with preparation, that’s an Outer God we’re dealing with.”
“With Verdandi’s armor and your future vision, it isn’t impossible.”
If you combine armor that grants absolute defense to the wearer with eyes that can see the future, you could potentially counter the Outsider’s attacks.
“…Can I really? Ever since I faced Shub Niggurath, I’ve developed a bit of fear towards seeing the future.”
Azazel deliberately avoided my gaze. Her future vision was about seeing ‘possible parallel universes.’
“I’m afraid of seeing a future where you die. If I end up seeing you turn into a cold corpse, I won’t be able to bear it.”
Azazel bit her lower lip as she spoke, and I recalled the immense shock I felt when I later learned of Seolhwa’s suicide. That feeling is only understood by those who have experienced it.
“Still, please try to see the future once. It’s necessary.”
I gently stroked Azazel’s head and requested. Even if I was to die, as long as I could save everyone here, I wouldn’t regret it.
“Understood… Then, could you place your hand over mine? It might lessen the fear.”
Azazel looked into my eyes, offering a small request. Her lips and eyes trembled slightly in fear.
“…Like this?”
I placed my hand over her cupped hands, and warmth began to spread. It was slightly higher than the normal body temperature.
After the entire process ended, I heard Bi Wol grinding her teeth next to me, but I ignored it.
“Thank you.”
Azazel’s rainbow-colored eyes seemed to engulf me, and I felt a hint of joy mixed within.
*
The moment Azazel regained consciousness to see the future, she was greeted by a desolate wasteland.
In the darkness, where even the moon or stars were absent, she illuminated the surroundings with her divine power.
‘…Where am I?’
Azazel instinctively sensed that something was wrong.
She was supposed to be fighting Bing Yeon Blossom Heart, but where was this place?
Worried, Azazel bent her finger back to check if this was reality or a vision of the future.
‘It doesn’t hurt. So this must be the future…’
Suddenly, her finger bent back like a bow. Seeing there was no pain, she let out a sigh of relief.
Due to her innate ability to glimpse into the future, she sometimes confused reality with what was to come.
‘Where are my brother and the others?’
Azazel couldn’t shake the feeling of being left alone in this place. There were no signs of life, structures, or traces of people being there.
“Hello, Azazel.”
At that moment, she heard a voice calling her from above.
Recognizing the voice, it was familiar. It was the androgynous tone of the female and male she had encountered when trying to glimpse Bing Yeon’s future.
“So you came to peek into the future, but it will be useless. I just killed the Demon King and absorbed his powers.”
Upon hearing that, Azazel felt a pain as if her brain was being scraped. She had experienced something similar before.
“Ah, ugh…, aaah…!!”
Azazel could only scream in vacant horror. She had realized that the place she was standing was not just a wasteland.
This was where Bing Yeon Blossom Heart had been. As soon as the Outsider, Shub Niggurath, descended, everything had been wiped clean as if it had never existed.
The reason why there were no stars or moon above was that the Outsider’s body was blocking everything.
– Azazel, pull yourself together…!
Seeing her like this, Morgidian was struggling with all his might.
– Mother of all, why are you doing this…!!
He had barely managed to keep her alive last time, and now he shouted towards the shadow of Shub Niggurath floating in the sky.
He had no idea why she showed such interest in those related to Bing Yeon. Generally, the Outsider’s attention drove people insane or killed them.
No matter how much humans loved ants, that affection could never be understood by the ants themselves.
“Why? Because I want to see the end of this world.”
In response to Morgidian, Shub Niggurath made her intentions clear. She wanted to see how the story of a serialized novel that had been put on hold would unfold—her preferred ending.
“If it’s the ‘new’ ending of this world that the man Bing Yeon desperately hides, that would be even better.”
Shub Niggurath grinned as she expelled Azazel, who tried to glimpse into the future from this place.
