The Empire.
More precisely, the history of the empire that the Geladridion people often refer to as the Ancient Empire was not as glorious and resplendent as one might think.
Rather, the history of the Ancient Empire was nothing short of blood-soaked and rife with tragedies.
It was commonplace for brothers to kill brothers, parents to defile or murder their children.
In an effort to maintain exalted power, humans harming other humans became so frequent that what should have been tragedies were instead called comedies.
Even when people died in horrific pain, and their souls were disrespected, it was still referred to this way.
Bijou disliked such an empire.
―!
A crimson fist blazing like fire struck down upon Bijou’s body.
One blow.
As if a meteor had fallen to the ground, an impact so great that, had it been Earth, it might have reached the distant mantle.
It was truly a mythic strike.
It was a decisive blow named after a deity’s pride, thus it could be nothing less than absolute.
It was an absolute blow.
Just as elves, created by nature and creation, can withstand even the fracturing of their souls, and just as a sword forged from fire and metal retains absolute hardness without breaking,
And just as the world of Geladridion, crafted from night and eternity, withstands the forces of evil deities,
Angie’s blow carried this kind of absolute power.
An unstoppable force of destruction and ruin.
It was only natural that Bijou’s body shattered into pieces.
Limbs were torn away and scattered, and the crystalline body plunged deep into the earth.
If there had been a cross-section, it would have looked as though a giant human had grabbed something and crushed it into the ground.
In the process, Bijou shattered completely.
Not just the limbs but the torso, which could barely contain any organs, also broke apart.
Yet, the central part where the heart was located remained intact because most of the shock was absorbed by the spine.
Thus, despite being shattered into pieces, Bijou remained alive.
Even after losing his head, limbs, spine, and all internal organs.
Bijou felt something massive surrounding him break.
Nevertheless, it wasn’t permanent damage.
Things like death and extinction that ordinary beings might experience were long distant concepts for Bijou.
But apparently, there was still something within him that could be broken.
Bijou felt a sense of liberation.
Crack.
The shock ceased.
The shock that had wrapped around his entire body and shattered it stopped, and the destruction aimed at him after Angie’s ultimate blow also halted.
All that remained was a pitiful body and a sudden wave of sentiment.
It was a terrible feeling.
A dark sensation creeping up and filling his mind.
A feeling that made his heart race while simultaneously churning inside.
Yet, amidst this, the instinct and energy to survive surged through his mind.
If he succumbed to it, he would fail. But if he resisted, it would enable him to do things beyond his limits as a human.
An emotion Bijou had lost long ago.
Fear.
Bijou, freed from the grip of a colossal entity that had bound him, regained fear.
Memories also surfaced.
The vile deeds he had committed and the acts done under the suppression of fear.
Memories from before Bijou became fearless.
When his body was shattered and caught between rocks, he recalled those memories.
There were many gods in the world.
Not all of them were good and absolute.
Just as the trio once known as the Three Evils spread wickedness and became gods, there were various forms of evil in the world.
The existence of evil gods among them was not surprising.
Evil deities often corrupted humans with their unique plots, powers, and temptations, and many of those who fell to temptation became wild wizards who ravaged their fellow humans.
Truly, it was an age filled with suffering.
Humans were weak to temptation, easily abandoned their conscience, and caused all sorts of trouble driven by desire.
Many suffered due to superhumans wielding great power, and it was common for those who couldn’t endure the pain to turn from good to evil.
Bijou detested and feared such a world immensely.
He feared humans harming other humans.
It chilled him to realize that even the empire he ruled was part of this.
Bijou wanted to solve all of this.
He sought to halt the unvirtuous deeds that no practical method could resolve and aimed to utterly transform the world.
It was something even a deity couldn’t accomplish.
He needed another way.
Overflowing with talent, Bijou explored the secrets of the world alongside his closest friend and half-brother.
Through this exploration, he discovered forbidden knowledge.
While contemplating this forbidden knowledge, Bijou aspired to change the world.
Perhaps, through some transcendent method, the world could be changed.
And he failed.
Without fear, there was no hope for him.
He opened his eyes.
Upon opening them, all around was darkness.
Bijou feared the darkness.
He wanted to escape from the pitch-black void where he couldn’t see even a foot ahead.
Unconsciously, he moved his body.
Lacking limbs, yet still moving.
Desiring faster movement, new limbs sprouted, thin and frail compared to before.
They were fragile but functional.
Using these brittle arms and legs, Bijou climbed out of the deep abyss he had fallen into.
With creaking, eventually breaking limbs, he repaired himself using the remaining crystals of his body and ascended toward the surface.
The journey was long and far-reaching, perhaps taking an immense amount of time.
However, upon reaching the surface, he realized it hadn’t been that long.
“…You.”
At the spot where he emerged, the woman he had fought stood there.
Crimson hair and golden eyes.
She reminded him of his half-brother, but there were crucial differences.
Her divine power was different.
Her strength was different.
Lastly, her gender and appearance were slightly distinct.
She wasn’t War and Knowledge.
But she was enough to remind Bijou of his failure and defeat.
Bijou, wobbling on two legs.
The woman, glaring at such a sight, began regenerating her uncovered skin as she raised her arm to aim at him.
A blow that should have been fatal, yet Bijou survived.
Despite the certainty of his demise, she prepared to fight laboriously.
Though fear had somewhat subsided, the emotions of battling an opponent who wouldn’t die were a mix of irritation and fear.
On the other hand, Bijou didn’t even react, let alone prepare to fight.
Because he clearly saw the woman standing before him.
Due to the wounds inflicted by Bijou, her body, except for her face, was almost entirely red from blood and internal organs.
Her armor had been shattered long ago by Bijou’s merciless attacks, and the exposed flesh was turning purple as it regenerated.
It must have been a terrifying battle.
Faintly recalling the destruction he had unleashed and the deaths he had caused, Bijou remembered well what he could do and his chances of victory.
It was a battle the woman couldn’t win.
Without a miracle, it was certain that the woman would lose and die.
Even with a miracle, the woman had no chance of winning.
For death itself had been denied to Bijou.
He knew his sanity wouldn’t last much longer.
Soon, Bijou would lose his sanity and become the fearless warrior he once was.
Beyond that lay no victory.
The woman would lose.
It seemed she was well aware of this.
“Shit…”
She launched her ultimate attack.
Though it hit immediately, Bijou still stood.
The woman also remained standing, but her condition was far from perfect.
Certainly, Angie possessed regeneration.
The torn or split arm was also regenerating.
But it was different from Bijou, for whom death itself did not exist.
For the woman, who merely possessed regeneration, fighting against someone immune to death would inevitably lead to her demise.
After a long battle, Angie would surely die.
Angie already sensed this through her intuition merged with divine power.
Yet, she did not retreat.
Bijou stared at the woman who refused to step back.
Her fists trembled.
Her legs trembled too.
Her eyes held fear, and her depleted divine power was consumed faster than it could recover.
Though she possessed regeneration, fighting would lead to her death.
From her, Bijou could feel the plan of the entity that had transformed him into this state.
It was the conspiracy of an immense being capable of altering destiny itself.
Even though Bijou had died thousands of years ago and there was no fate indicating his resurrection until recently, the plot had been set.
To the omnipotent being, temporal constraints meant nothing.
Bijou felt the fate imposed upon him to subjugate him.
Here, Bijou would kill the woman.
Then, he would fight and lose to the entity seeking vengeance for the woman.
Afterward, the infinitely powerful being would consume the vengeful entity who had lost all hope and means.
There was no way for Bijou to resist such an overwhelmingly powerful being.
At least, not the fearless Bijou.
He closed his eyes.
Though his face and eyes made of crystal didn’t show it clearly, Angie frowned upon seeing this gesture.
Uncertain of his intentions, while on guard, Bijou recalled a figure behind his closed eyelids.
Always cheerful and positive, the man flickered there.
Bijou’s half-brother and benefactor who prevented him from achieving his twisted goal.
Because of great fear, he closed his eyes, and Bijou, through arrogance, peeked at the forbidden and failed.
But, was it really so?
Had he closed his eyes then, would Bijou have avoided failure?
Or should he never have attempted it at all?
If neither of those, then what was the right answer?
How could the world be changed?
Bijou didn’t know.
What was right, what was wrong, which choice was better, and which was worse—he couldn’t distinguish.
Would anyone answer him?
Fortunately, there was someone.
Far in the past, a close friend who refrained from arrogance, peeked at the forbidden while keeping his sanity.
That friend eventually became a god, disregarding even his own death for a truly noble cause, arranging everything afterward.
The cherished lineage of that brother.
The sole successor.
Bijou opened his eyes and looked at Angie.
Their eyes met, and for a long moment, Bijou silently gazed at Angie as if understanding would come from it.
Meanwhile, Angie hesitated, lowering her fist slowly since she couldn’t detect hostility in his eyes.
When her fist descended and they faced each other without enmity,
Bijou spoke.
“There is an overflow of evil in the world, and people submit to it.”
His voice was deep and melancholic, silencing Angie, who usually would have snapped at him to shut up.
“How can we save the world from such a fearful reality?”
Hearing the question, Angie looked at Bijou.
Despite the black crystal face that shouldn’t reveal any expressions, clear emotions surfaced.
Desperation, frustration, and hope.
Looking at that face, Angie couldn’t recall the mysterious black form she had fought moments ago.
Instead, an image of a weary old man came to Angie’s mind.
Only after observing his expression could Angie contemplate the question posed by the old man.
A question Aslan would have answered eloquently, one Angie couldn’t answer.
Perplexed, Angie unconsciously lowered her gaze and replied.
“I… don’t know.”
The sadness in the old man’s expression deepened, and resignation enveloped him.
“But…”
When the old man turned his face toward Angie again, she recalled memories.
The words and actions embedded in those memories.
Angie thought of Aslan.
Aslan had said the world was wrong.
Therefore, Aslan declared he would change and save the world.
By killing too many evil deities, he would save it.
Traveling the world with Aslan, Angie witnessed many things.
Evil people irrespective of the existence of evil deities.
And good, noble individuals amidst the overwhelming evil.
Certainly, Geladridion was wrong.
There were undoubtedly too many evil deities in this world.
Geladridion worsened due to the fates controlled by evil deities, so it was clear that these deities must be killed.
But Angie didn’t believe that killing all the evil deities would solve everything.
Aslan knew this too.
Angie recalled the questions and answers exchanged between Aslan and Ados.
And the conclusion Aslan finally presented.
‘I believe in humanity.’
People are evil.
But they are also good.
Killing all the evil deities won’t make all humans in Geladridion good.
Yet, Angie had seen more good people than evil ones.
She had encountered noble individuals who resisted evil and didn’t bow to absolute malice.
She had seen warriors who stood firm against any adversity and overcame fear.
Courage resides in those who overcome fear, and struggle is for overcoming challenges.
Angie believed in those who sought to overcome evil.
She trusted in the goodness humanity would achieve someday, free from the hands of the gods.
Thus, the words that flowed were entirely Angie’s own.
“Undoubtedly, the world is screwed up, and there are many bad people.”
Angie smiled.
“But not everyone is bad. I believe in those people.”
Such a simple statement.
Even a naive-sounding phrase made Bijou pause.
His sanity was gradually being overwhelmed by waves of malevolence.
He didn’t have much time left.
As the cowardly Bijou transformed into the fearless one,
“Is that so.”
He laughed after hearing Angie’s words.
Indeed, the world was filled with evil, and there were horrifyingly numerous wicked individuals.
But there were just as many good-hearted humans.
Those who willingly lend a hand despite their own suffering, those who strive to remain good amidst overflowing malice.
Ordinary people who listen to their conscience.
Thus, not all humans submitted to evil.
Connected to omnipotence, he understood this with his dying sanity.
That for every evil human, there was a good one.
That even amidst infinite evil, humans could sometimes be conscientious and sometimes good.
Thus, he raised his omnipotent right hand.
“Remarkable.”
The cowardly Bijou.
A man too fearful to trust in humanity, trembling with fear and submitting.
He smiled contentedly.
Having finally touched the truth he had long feared and ignored.
Crack!
His right hand pierced his chest and tore apart the last remaining heart.
And smiling, he closed his eyes.
Certainly, it would take a terribly long time, and pain and sorrow would still overflow.
But even within that pain and sorrow, humans would remain good.
He was satisfied with that fact.
Omnipotence shattered his body. Cracks spread, and the blackened crystals crumbled.
In the collapsing dust, Bijou was smiling.
