In the Imperial Capital of the Caldea Empire, Nineveh.
Having served as the capital for over several hundred years, Nineveh, known as the most bustling city in the empire with its splendid and beautiful landscapes, had now turned into a sea of flames.
The majestic Imperial Palace, a symbol of the empire’s grandeur, lay in ruins, its half-destroyed structure a testament to devastation, while the surrounding land was cracked and fractured as if an earthquake had struck.
In the midst of this overwhelming destruction, the only two beings that remained alive and breathing in this vicinity were none other than…
Flames flickered violently all around. Against this backdrop of dancing fire, there stood a woman with black hair, expressing an indescribable elegance that could only be likened to the graceful sway of silk.
“Quite impressive, human.”
Her voice was as clear as a jade bead rolling over a silver tray. Yet beneath that dulcet tone lay an undeniable, deeply rooted hatred and disgust for her opponent.
“Countless fierce warriors have dared to challenge me until now, but you are the first to actually wound me.”
The woman gazed quietly at the wound on her right palm, a deep gash that seemed to have been scratched by a wild beast.
Yet that alone was all she had suffered. Compared to the injuries inflicted upon her by the man before her, it was almost pitifully insignificant.
For he had paid the price of inflicting such a wound with half of his upper body, which had been diagonally severed, and a large hole through the center of his heart.
“…Haah, haah—”
Jin gasped for breath while clutching his upper body, which felt as if it would crumble at any moment. He was sustaining his life force by forcibly circulating his mana, but that was also reaching its limit.
He had no strength left to continue fighting the woman before him.
The battle that had just transpired against the backdrop of Nineveh had ultimately ended in Jin’s defeat, no, in humanity’s defeat.
For the woman before him was one of the seven heralds of the world’s destruction, the one bringing doom to the tens of thousands of the Imperial Capital, or rather, the empire itself. She was the key to annihilation. And a symbol of devastation.
The Red Dragon, Ajdahaka.
That was the true identity of the woman standing in front of him.
“Nevertheless, what a truly trivial fight this has been. A select gathering of the strongest humans dared to challenge me, yet they could only inflict such a trivial wound.”
With that, Ajdahaka licked the wound on her palm. In that instant, the injury Jin had painstakingly inflicted seemed to reverse in time and returned to its original state.
“If I had known this would happen, I should have spared my father and illustrious ancestors. After all, they possessed a potential to kill me.”
“It’s not like you defeated me head-on; you snuck up on me from behind, yet here you are, flapping your mouth like that.”
As Jin mocked her, the coldness in Ajdahaka’s gaze intensified.
Snap.
Boom—
“Cough!”
Looking at Jin, Ajdahaka flicked her finger lightly, causing him to collapse flat on the ground. In an instant, the surrounding gravity became over twenty times heavier, pinning him down in space.
“You’re quite the talker for a defeated mutt. If you’re truly a mutt, then lie down on the ground like one. If that’s too much for you, well, I suppose it can’t be helped. How troublesome, but from now on, I shall personally educate you.”
A sadistic and violent fervor began to dwell in Ajdahaka’s eyes, which previously held nothing but cold disdain for humanity.
Before her lay a human that had just enough worth to catch her attention among the countless insignificant insects.
He was the only one who dared rally the mindless insects thinking solely of their own gain to combat the End and propose hope for a future to the humans lost in despair.
His deeds could be likened to a storybook hero, and Ajdahaka could not help but acknowledge the achievements he had amassed.
Though only a scratch, the extraordinary power he united among humankind had managed to pierce through her supposedly impenetrable defenses and inflict injury.
Thus, there was no choice but to feel anticipation. What kind of last moments would this hero display after gathering everyone’s strength solely to kill her, sacrificing his own life in the process, and now burning out like a candle?
Would he continue to stare at her with that hateful look, even as she shattered his body to pieces? Or would he shed tears like a child, begging for his life? Might this so-called hero exhibit a different side of himself at the brink of death, distinct from an ordinary person?
Either outcome was of no consequence. After all, both would be worth witnessing.
If it were up to her personal preference, she would much rather see him cry. A single tear shed in the tragic final moments of a hero—now that would resonate in her heart in a charming way.
“Ugh… ah….”
Even under the crushing pressure of gravity that bore down on him, Jin seemed to be attempting to say something to Ajdahaka, his lips moving. Amused by the sight, Ajdahaka flicked her finger once more, releasing the gravitational force that held him in place.
This was the last gasp of the hero. Surely, granting him the mercy to utter his final words would be a fitting magnanimity for a victor.
“Heh heh, go on. Say whatever you wish. What desperate words do you want to convey to me at this moment—”
“Hey, you bitch.”
“…Huh?”
The words that escaped Jin’s lips were not the grand farewell that she had desired from a ‘hero,’ but rather a cheap curse.
“You damn bitch. I invested ten years to catch you, only for it to end like this. Tch, could the reason for my failure this time be that I killed off all those worms just to overcome the second End? If only I had a bit more manpower, I could have tried a pincer attack.”
“What are you—”
“And by the way, I’ve wanted to ask you since the first time we met: why do you have a handle sticking out of your head? If I had won today, I would’ve smashed that ugly horn first.”
With those words, Jin spat saliva from his mouth. However, seeing blood rather than spit emerge, he clicked his tongue. It seemed this ‘life’ of his was coming to an end.
“This is the end for the ninth time. In the tenth, I’ll definitely crush that proud face of yours. Oh, and I’ll take care of that horn too.”
Listening to the crude banter reminiscent of the lowly mercenaries who’ve been through battles all their lives, Ajdahaka wore a bewildered expression.
Was this truly the sound coming from the mouth of a man hailed as humanity’s hero at the final battle concerning their very existence?
“…Could he have lost his mind?”
“I’ve been crazy for a long time. After digging around in this damn world for over a hundred years, wouldn’t my head go crazy?”
Pointing at her head and spinning his finger as if mocking her, he then chuckled in a hollow manner. After all, now that it was all over, what purpose did it serve to voice such complaints?
“I’ll see you next time, you damn lizard bitch. When that time comes, I’ll be sure to chop off that pig-like neck of yours and salt you down while still alive. I’ll also make sure to cut that horn in half.”
His consciousness started to fade. Yet, until the very final moment, Jin did not calmly close his eyes but instead glared at Ajdahaka with a look of utter disdain.
It was truly exhausting. How many times had he come this far? How many more times would he have to endure this torment before a day would come when he would no longer see that damn woman’s face?
In the gradually darkening field of vision, Jin closed his eyes, now feeling the sensation of death that had become all too familiar.
Thus, his ninth regression came to an end.
Simultaneously, regardless of his will, the tenth regression began.
Jin, or rather, Seol Hajin.
He remembered the nine ‘ends’ of this miserable world and was now about to face the tenth regression.
The only protagonist in this damned story.
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