Chapter 116


“Are you saying you’ll tell me how to save Hana?”

I don’t believe blindly trusting those in front of me is the right answer.

Their appearance was exactly the same as in my memories from ten years ago, which was more chilling than welcoming.

But despite that, I couldn’t help but be swayed by their suggestion.

“First, you need to remember that the previous 76 attempts all failed.”

“…”

If what Hansol said is true, it means we couldn’t save Hana even after 76 returns.

I had a feeling it wouldn’t be the first time, but I never imagined it would be to that extent.

The bitterness didn’t fade.

“We have seen all of your efforts here. The timeline doesn’t bind us, so we’ve watched every moment of every return.”

“…If you’ve transcended timelines, can’t you save Hana yourselves?”

Hanseol shook her head calmly and explained.

“We can’t escape this space. Our souls are here, and our brains that handle it are trapped in the academy.”

It was a difficult matter to brush off.

No one would remain unfazed upon realizing that ties, akin to family from childhood, were enduring this way.

“The specific situations varied each time, but ultimately, the fundamental cause was always the same.”

“What is it?”

“The domain of the gods.”

I frowned involuntarily at the unexpected term.

“That space was originally denied to humans. It’s just like the tree of knowledge of good and evil. In other words, it’s a critical condition for humanity to become gods along with the Messiah.”

“So using that domain of the gods is the Council’s doing, right?”

Both the shrines in Japan, the academy’s cathedral, and even this place.

When you look closely, they are all tied to humanity. To be exact, they were places of utmost importance to the Council.

“Exactly. As long as that domain of the gods remains, the Council won’t perish. Their plans can’t be stopped either.”

“What do you mean? They should all die as a result of Hana’s miracle.”

They died extremely easily, almost anticlimactically. Hana manifested Magi and then found the coordinates where they were hiding to exterminate them using her miracle.

“That was impossible with just your sister’s miracle. It means that your brother needed to take action for such a result to happen.”

Does that mean my proactive measures allowed Hana’s miracle to successfully take effect?

I understood what that meant.

“Got it. So what do I need to do?”

“Just destroy the domain of the gods.”

“How?”

The boy paused for a moment before speaking slowly.

“Become the challenger.”

“…Challenger?”

“A normal human can never destroy the domain of the gods. But you’re not an ordinary human now. Because you’ve died and resurrected as the savior.”

Hana’s ability awakening condition was to die and resurrect.

Of course, if one looks deeper, she originally possessed her powers even before dying as a Messiah.

I had also mimicked that, successfully resurrecting after dying a single time a few months back.

Does that mean this ability also went through an awakening?

“The way to become a challenger is simple. You just need to resolve to kill the god within that domain.”

“…Are you serious? Resolve to kill?”

“Calm down. The god in this timeline isn’t your sister Hana.”

God isn’t originally categorized into specific personal identities.

It’s more like a system that regulates and controls the world to flow safely.

Hana had implanted that within her body.

The Council merely sought to manipulate that system to their whim.

Thus, killing the god at this point means shattering the existing world system and creating an entirely new one.

I barely grasped that complex concept and managed to understand it.

However, a problem still remained.

“There’s a problem.”

“What is it?”

“If it were that simple, there wouldn’t have been 76 failures. A normal human cannot accept the concept of being a challenger unless they’re a special being like your sister. It’s like a mere worm not understanding the theory of relativity.”

A hollow laugh escaped me.

So the idea of becoming a challenger is akin to a worm mastering the theory of relativity?

If I accept that, then it’s not surprising at all that there were 76 failures.

Actually, even failing a mere 77 times would seem natural.

“It sounds impossible just to hear it.”

“Right. But there’s a single possibility.”

What could that be? I couldn’t even imagine.

“Join all the iterations of you across all timelines into one. Including the 76 failed attempts, it means pouring countless probabilities of you into one place.”

“…Can that be done?”

Hanseol answered without hesitation.

“I don’t know. No one has tried it.”

“That makes sense.”

“But without this method, anything else will surely fail. That’s for sure.”

It likely wasn’t a groundless claim.

If absolute AI, which observes all timelines, is convinced of this, it’s probably an undeniable truth.

It was too heavy an issue to decide easily.

I carefully pondered and considered this without jumping to conclusions.

“Does merging all my timelines mean my future self will also disappear?”

“It means that if you don’t succeed in this iteration, you can never turn back again.”

After 76 attempts, I failed.

But can I succeed this time?

If I fail again, there won’t be another chance!

“I’ll do it.”

“Really? Are you sure you won’t regret it?”

“It’s fine. Hana believed in me. I’m sure we’ll succeed.”

Hanseol smiled brightly.

“I knew you would say that. You’ve said that 76 times.”

“Then close your eyes now.”

*

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself in the vastness of the universe.

Countless stars, galaxies, infinite space.

In that space, I existed as a speck of dust—a single human.

This wasn’t the real universe.

The past, present, and future.

A collection of worlds placed within spacetime.

Each star within this universe symbolized a possibility.

A world that could have existed. Another universe existing in a different timeline.

The existence of Kim Shinwoo in this infinite space wasn’t just one.

Every possibility held a different version of me.

Those Kims lived countless lives and formed connections with the being called Yu Hana.

Under the system known as god.

Everyone lived in that world of infinite possibilities.

But among them, there was an unchanging grand framework.

Yu Hana sacrifices herself as the Messiah for humanity and meets her death.

Kim Shinwoo lives for her as her connection, but ultimately fails to prevent the girl’s death.

That was the predetermined ‘fate.’

A condition under the system that couldn’t be changed no matter what means were employed.

There was only one way to break that.

That was to kill the god.

All iterations of Kim Shinwoo gathered in one place.

Harboring only a single intent within their hearts.

Among them was also a boy who had already tasted failure and was shattered.

Everyone approached the 77th iteration of Kim Shinwoo.

Even if it could be the moment to sacrifice his own life.

Kim Shinwoo didn’t raise any objections and accepted his decision.

With each absorption, Kim Shinwoo’s world was rewritten.

Lives of entirely different possibilities etched themselves upon his heart.

Countless lives.

In there, the 77th Kim Shinwoo also existed, who held a different will.

There was the one who killed the fallen Yu Hana in his own hands and joined Han Si-hyun.

Yet everyone shared the same thought.

In this flawed universe, a girl could never find eternal happiness.

Such a world was wrong. So it must change.

Since the predetermined fate is far too unfair.

Grand ideals or noble justice didn’t matter at all.

Just for Hana.

The 76 Kim Shinwoo who failed in the past returned to the past and merged into one.

That life brought immense shock.

Becoming the challenger to kill the god was no easy task.

It was something an ordinary human could never even attempt.

Yet Kim Shinwoo had already attempted it 76 times.

Although he had failed every single time, the history of those attempts remained etched in him, reminding him of who he was now.

Soon an intense dawn rose that was blindingly bright.

At that moment, I realized.

That now, countless Kim Shinwoos no longer existed.

In this vast universe, there was only me alone.

If I fail here, the lives of all Kim Shinwoos will end without continuation.

Now it is time to wake up.

Kill the god and save Hana.

For that, I will do anything.

Yes. Anything.

*

I awoke to the sound of chirping birds.

Had I fainted and collapsed without realizing it? I rose from my seat.

The family of the orphanage had vanished.

As if it had all been a fleeting dream, there was no trace of their existence.

The strange feeling that lingered in the mountain had also disappeared.

The domain of the gods, which was unrestricted by any timeline, had shattered.

What that meant was simple.

I had become the challenger.

“I didn’t think I’d see you here.”

I stood up and looked at the figure in front of the tombstone.

Flaming hair like the sunlit sky.

Eyes that seemed to contain the brilliant sea.

Sophie stood before me.