Chapter 100

Posted by Kuze, ? Views, Released on February 8, 2025

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A sound echoes.

“Let there be light.”

Next comes the darkness, it will follow.

And after that…

“Only fire and water shall remain.”

Clang!

Metal is being struck.

The world seen with wide eyes feels unbearably cold and pale, but—

The sight of gold flickering before me is so unpleasant, so irritating—but—

Even this has grown faint now.

“So, there’s just one step left.”

One step.

Whose step is this for?

And who is speaking these words?

Before I knew it, the pale world before my eyes had vanished.

All I can see now…is darkness.

Just pitch-black darkness.

But why?

Even in this vast expanse of darkness, there was light.

Faint light gathers into points, then lines, spreading out brilliantly.

I’ve seen something like this before, vaguely.

Yeah. It’s a landscape I’ve always watched.

The night sky.

It’s as if the night sky has been stretched endlessly, top to bottom.

That’s what kind of scenery it was.

For some reason, though.

There was something massive there.

Far away.

This enormous darkness emits an eerily vivid light.

No, wait. That’s strange.

Darkness shouldn’t have any light, right?

‘Ah.’

Huge darkness.

Circular.

No, a sphere made in a circular form?

Yet, its surroundings were unusually radiant.

As if the light encircled and embraced the dark orb or ball.

However, the darkness stationed there refused even the tiniest ray, the smallest point of light.

Stubbornly, firmly guarding its own domain.

‘What is this?’

What am I seeing right now?

Could this be…death?

And is that over there…what people enter after death? Hell? Heaven?

The heaven my mother described wasn’t like this.

The Demon Realm told by the demons also wouldn’t look like this.

Much less would the hell where devils reside resemble this place.

For some reason, I had this premonition.

A view you could never witness on Earth.

But the darkness standing, spread out before my eyes, was dazzling beyond compare.

Its vastness seemed endless.

…Until I forgot my very existence.

Me?

Who am I?

What am I?

In the first place.

Do I even matter?

There must be something only I, as myself, can do.

Yeah.

Ultimately, I exist for that.

Existence.

Life and death.

Life.

And.

If there’s something I need to do now, it’s obvious.

Live selfishly.

In old memories, Aiseus resented herself for always striving for others.

Why live this way?

Why not aim for something greater?

“…….”

What does greatness even mean?

Leaving a name in history?

Being praised by everyone?

Getting compliments? Being acknowledged?

What’s the point of any of that?

Then, does that mean my life, scorned by all, was the exact opposite of greatness?

How will history remember me?

Born as the son of a great hero, once remarkable in childhood but later despised and ignored in his own country.

Eventually, abandoned by the world—or rather, chose to be abandoned—for colluding with the Demon King… something like that?

Maybe I won’t even be mentioned at all.

Perhaps treated as a taboo, dismissed as nonexistent.

“…….”

Does it even matter?

It’s all meaningless.

Because I’m not in there.

I’m here.

Isn’t that enough?

I suddenly realize.

In life.

The biggest obstacle is ultimately…

Myself.

If only my mindset changes like this.

It’s almost absurd how easily—

Everything flips upside down.

“…….”

Someone was watching me from afar.

He was there all along.

I just realized it late.

“You’ve already done more than enough. And yet, are you really willing to take another step forward here? Why? For whom?”

“…….”

He asked.

So, I responded.

“For myself.”

And.

“If there’s no such thing as coincidence in this world, then everything must be fate, right?”

Then.

“My learning about her must have had a reason too, right?”

If my entire life was spent being manipulated and abused by someone else, only to find out that the freedom I eventually gained was merely a false cage set up by someone else…

“She will never be redeemed, whether she wins or loses.”

Her actions may never be forgiven.

But didn’t we learn something while glimpsing her memories?

She didn’t kill the villagers.

She merely put them to sleep.

But because she’s still clumsy in handling her abilities, her powers…

She’s still confused about how to deal with them.

Perhaps her intention included protecting them somehow.

If she hadn’t acted,

Someone else might have harmed the villagers instead.

She thought of that eventually.

Really clumsy…

Unreliable human that she is…

…Not even deserving sympathy.

But.

It’s enough to evoke pity.

If there’s any ultimate atonement or forgiveness for her,

It would be giving her the chance to fix what she started herself, right?

“…….”

But contracts bind her.

She must surely kill Leo, who wields the sword, as part of the agreement.

I know better than anyone how the absolute contract structure works through the Demon King.

Even I was bound by it.

Thus.

If she doesn’t kill Leo despite having the ability,

It means she lacks the will to abide by the contract.

Which is practically breaking the contract.

“So, you’re planning to tie her hands completely, making it impossible for her to act, causing the contract to fail. Is that your plan and will?”

“…….”

“But to do that, you’d need the power to block her. Do you have that kind of strength now?”

“…….”

I’m not a hero.

With unwavering determination.

Achieving certain victory at all costs.

I’m nothing like that kind of hero.

But.

“Saying I can’t do something… Does that justify not trying?”

“Even if it means dying?”

“I’m already dead. Whether it’s now or a little earlier, it’s all the same, isn’t it?”

“What if things end even worse?”

“We should try not to let that happen.”

“How?”

“…….”

I don’t have the leisure to think that far.

“Even if you throw away your life like this, are you sure you won’t regret it?”

“…….”

Regret?

I’ve done plenty of that.

I feel like I once heard a similar question from someone.

“As long as I never forget, revisiting the past etched in memory without regret is impossible, isn’t it?”

Unless I forget.

Unless I deliberately avoid bringing it up.

I’ll keep regretting every time I remember.

And by carrying that regret forward,

I’ve reached here.

That’s why I…

“My life is mine to use as I see fit.”

No need to care what others think.

No need to weigh pros and cons.

If I want to do it, I’ll do it.

If I’m drawn to it, I’ll do it.

If I believe it needs to be done,

…I won’t hesitate.

Isn’t that freedom?

Calculating what’s possible or impossible, judging—

Where’s the freedom in that?

“Is that so.”

“…….”

Once again.

I look up at the sky.

A pure white sky.

Now covered in something, it remains uniformly white.

The blue sky is hardly visible.

My body still feels cold and vague.

My head is hazy, senses dulled.

No matter how much I steel my heart,

Will I even be able to stand up here?

I pondered a bit.

…Maybe I lost consciousness for a moment.

For some reason.

I saw something I thought I’d seen before.

A small baby angel.

I remember it crying on the edge of a pit back then.

But now,

It’s smiling.

Strangely enough,

My shoulders lift.

“…?”

When I turn slightly,

Someone’s hand is gripping my shoulder.

Not just that.

On the other side, another hand touches me.

Despite my body feeling incredibly heavy, I’m surprisingly lifted with ease.

And in that position,

My body floats.

From the corner of my vision, someone extends their hand.

The child, smiling, reaches out with tiny hands and tightly grasps mine.

And pulls forcefully.

Though their small frame seems insufficient to handle my weight,

Somehow, my body rises effortlessly.

The hands that were holding my shoulders and waist withdraw,

And the figures who helped raise me become faintly visible.

There were men, women, children, and even four-legged beasts, furry animals too.

Their attire, faces, expressions were hard to distinguish clearly,

But they all looked at me and murmured in an unknown language.

“…….”

Suddenly,

When I lower my gaze, the child pulling my hand—

A child whose appearance seems familiar—extends a tiny sword.

Held in both hands, presenting it reverently,

As if offering it to a king or noble.

Half-kneeling, the child offers the sword, and I instinctively grab it.

Only then do I realize,

It’s the sword I originally wielded.

Truly amazing.

I entrusted it to the blacksmith just before this,

And despite enduring such hardships in such a short time,

This sword remains perfectly intact.

[…….]

A voice echoes.

The child steps back slowly, finally disappearing along with the baby angel.

‘Fortress Carriel.’

Why are you here now?

If I’m not mistaken, that child was… someone I once saw.

‘I don’t know.’

My mind is hazy.

Still, somehow my body stands upright.

Though many hands forcibly lifted me when I fell,

These legs are standing nonetheless.

Then, I move forward.

The path isn’t visible.

But following an inner instinct, I proceed.

Step after step, continuing onward.

Finally.

I arrive.

I don’t know why this place,

But suddenly, I feel this is where I must be.

Looking around, I realize this is the endpoint of beginnings and endings.

On one side lies light.

On the other, a natural disaster-like storm rages violently.

Yet, everything seems faint.

As if all of it feels unreal.

But no.

It’s all real.

‘Is this truly the end?’

Only now do I understand.

The encouragement and solace I received on my journey here.

[Ancestors.]

[To your life, respect.]

[How could you endure so much?]

[Our teacher envied you. Now even he kneels beneath your banner.]

[What’s the point of speaking hundreds, thousands of words when your life itself is the clearest answer?]

[Why do you save others but not yourself?]

[Even in death, I won’t understand you. Why do heroes and holy sons torment us so, making us feel so ashamed and insignificant?]

….

Who are you?

Why do you speak to me like this?

I cannot know.

Perhaps it’s just an auditory hallucination.

No.

They’re all real.

But, not now.

Not anytime soon either.

…How do I know this?

Kaang!

Suddenly,

A punctuation mark appears.

What I see before me is a colossal chain.

No, thousands of massive chains bundled together forming a pillar.

A giant tower.

Or perhaps a tree.

And countless weapons hanging from it.

Under a desolate sky, it stands tall upon barren land,

Supporting the heavens like a pillar.

What am I looking at?

[One day, someone will come with a sword you forged.]

A lanky blacksmith strikes a sword.

A skinny blacksmith, missing an eye, disregards some distant advice.

And continues hammering the heated metal.

Kaang!

[It’s the last!]

The sacred sword pierces the heart of a giant fox made of gold.

The golden fox screams in agony.

But it’s not over.

Soon, the silver-haired warrior unsheathes another sword from his waist.

And slices the neck of the giant fox.

A stream of blood, golden like the world itself, splashes everywhere.

And thus,

The sword, held by the hero,

Beheads the Demon King, the Golden Beast,

The monster itself.

Simply by doing this, the sword gains enough meaning.

Yet, it neither bends, nor cracks, nor breaks.

It’s truly a legendary blade.

In time, the sword is passed to a young girl.

The hero sees his future in her.

But.

[Lord Ruelde. I lack the confidence to handle this.]

Therefore.

[I wish to entrust this to Carriel.]

Pleased but slightly saddened, the hero accepts the young girl’s request.

Later, towards a child with dark hair like his wife but golden eyes like himself,

The hero bestows the sword.

Saying it will protect him when he becomes a knight.

Unable to tell him outright that this sword once severed the Demon King’s head.

If the opportunity arises.

Whether during campfire stories or shared meals,

He’ll proudly recount his deeds using this sword.

Telling him how he once beheaded the Demon King with this very sword.

And how this sword was given to him by a knight who brought him his only despair.

Grandeous, who was once the Demon Army’s Legion Commander,

Yet followed the code of chivalry, protected the weak, and fought bravely against enemies.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if someday he confessed all this?

With such complex emotions, the hero handed the sword to his child.

It felt heavy now, but someday,

The child would wield it skillfully.

That day…

….

And.

[If a child comes asking to repair the sword you forged, you may use this.]

The Knight in Obsidian Armor.

Severs his arm.

It soon transforms, melting like mud into an unrecognizable mass.

Like scraping damp earth, the blacksmith collects it into a leather bag.

And reminds his son forever of what he saw and heard.

[After my death, someone will come to you. Completing this is our final mission.]

You must remember this.

[If you accomplish just this, you’ll be free.]

And so.

The man.

Finally meets.

When a dark-faced boy hands him a warped sword,

Though he hides it well, his heart trembles as if gripped.

The prophecy came true.

Unknown to the Salvation Knights, the lifelong mission Grandeous left his father.

Why he did it, I don’t know.

But watching will reveal the truth.

He said the great Grandeous foresaw the future.

So when this sword is completed,

Will he return? Will he resurrect?

Or…

….

“…….”

Come to think of it.

Why didn’t I try reading memories or remnants from this sword?

No, recognizing and controlling this is a recent development.

So I didn’t get around to it.

And saying that, it’s not entirely unreasonable to have no explanation.

Laughing without the strength to laugh, why does laughter escape me?

Moreover.

I feel like I understand something now.

‘Ancestor.’

The ones who spoke to me moments ago.

Were they ultimately from the future?

Then did I have some special ability to see them?

And receive their help?

Had I not understood until recently, but now I do.

“I am…”

Light surges.

From one side, a massive storm leans toward me like a collapsing tower.

—

——–

And so.

Light merges with light.

Storm blends with storm.

All of it intertwines and ascends to the heavens in an instant.

Proving its intensity, a shockwave shakes the heavens and earth, clawing at the ground as if tearing it apart.

Amidst this chaos, mingling lights and frost rise upward as a storm to the skies.

And.

At that exact moment.

A beam of black light shoots vertically.

The colossal storm of mingling light and frost.

As if sucked into a tiny crack.

Is pulled into the black beam.

-?

That immense calamity boasting the grandeur of nature.

Gradually shrinks under the influence of this minuscule black light.

When it feels like everything has been absorbed into the black light,

All that remains is.

The black pillar piercing the heavens.

Existing as if cutting through space and sky, leaving scars.

Perfectly.

Swallowing all calamities from the area.

-Unbelievable.