The guy’s Levantine is just a degraded minor copy compared to the original, but it’s still dangerous.
I bite my lips and lift Durandal.
This is the section where even the protagonist struggled in the original.
It’s going to be a tough fight.
Brace myself as I immediately use True Name Release.
[DURANDAL]
[TRUE NAME RELEASE]
[The Unbreakable Demon Sword that Burns Darkness]
Woosh.
With a sound like steam escaping, the black magical wave envelops my entire body.
This is no opponent I can handle casually.
[SYNCHRONIZATION]
[Indestructible]
[SYNCHRONIZATION]
Stacking my abilities.
I need to go all out.
[BLACK GLORY SWORD ART]
[SECRET ART]
[Cutting the Darkness]
Swoosh!
With black sparks flying, the flaming sword strikes directly at Golden Magic.
[This much······ is nothing.]
The moment Golden Magic laughs and counters with the fake Levantine in Messiah’s voice.
[Ugh?!]
His face distorts.
Crack.
Just like a computer graphics glitch, cracks form on his face and light dust begins to scatter.
What the heck? This wasn’t even in the original!
In the original, Yuji had a pretty tough fight against Golden Magic.
There was no Muramasa, and with Haru trapped, Golden Magic was the actual lord of the mental realm.
Yuji won because of the unique characteristic of the mental realm where will translates directly into power.
True to being a typical light novel protagonist, it’s a setup to portray that I somehow won with my strong will.
[What the hell, what is this ridiculous mental energy emanating from you…?]
Mental energy?
Why are you spouting lines different from the original?
[It feels like a separate existence from this world, it’s not just alien. This is······.]
Golden Magic’s eyes tremble with excitement.
The darkness extending from my body devours him.
His body disintegrates rapidly.
His lower half scatters completely, and even the fake Levantine he’s holding turns to dust and floats away.
What is this?
Is it because I’m the reincarnator?
Is that why this is ending so easily?
[This feeling is like back then, the world I saw. Yes! That’s it. Hahahahahaha!]
Crack.
Golden Magic, resembling Messiah, bursts into light.
With that final word, his form transforms into a handful of light dust and scatters into the air.
The world I saw back then.
A particular episode from the original comes to mind.
If what he said is true.
Then maybe…
I might have caught a clue to my return.
I bit my lips.
*
In a conference room illuminated by colorful sunlight streaming through stained glass engraved with the legend of the savior.
At a large round table.
A man was sitting there alone.
“I can feel it. I’ve finally found it.”
With black hair, the handsome man, Messiah, opens his dark eyes.
“A world of humans without gods or demons, where there are no heroes, no otherworldly beings, no magic, and no gates······. The soul of one who came from a perfect world······.”
A smile creeps onto Messiah’s lips.
“I was right. I didn’t missee back then. A complete world consisting solely of humans······. Utopia does exist!”
I was right.
Utopia exists.
This unreasonable and broken world suffering under heroes and otherworldly beings needs salvation through its end.
No heroes, no hunters, no otherworldly beings, no magic, no gates, no epidemics, no ruins, no lost technology, and no relics.
This world needs none of it.
All abnormalities must disappear.
A world where there are neither divine superhumans nor monstrous demons, where only humans exist, where normal humans can decide their own fate, an ideal, complete, and pure world.
The end of the Old World and the creation of the New World──
Only the true savior, I, the Messiah, can do this.
The Messiah’s black eyes gleamed with a chilling madness.
Not a light novel, but a web novel.
In Japanese light novels, the final boss is usually armed with twisted beliefs, good looks, and a sad backstory that feels straight out of a melodrama.
In contrast, the final boss in domestic web novels simply appears as a pure evil and ridiculously powerful transcendental being.
And in this world, the weakest hero faced off against none other than the final boss of the world’s saviors, the Messiah, who was indeed a typical final boss character from a light novel.
Messiah.
True to his name, which means savior in English, this lunatic genuinely believed his crazy actions were saving the world.
In a world where otherworldly beings, heroes, magic, and supernatural powers existed, he deemed it hopeless and aimed to annihilate it, using that energy to create a new world solely for humanity.
That was the ultimate goal of his ‘New World Plan.’
The reason the Messiah harbored such crazy beliefs was, unsurprisingly, due to his ‘unfortunate past’, which is often recycled in stories.
The Messiah lost his parents to otherworldly beings in childhood, and his only remaining family, his sister, was used like a plaything by an unnamed hero’s illicit partner before being abandoned and taking her own life.
Immediately after his sister’s suicide, the Messiah awakened his powers and came to hate the hero and the otherworldly beings that destroyed his family, leading him to a mad decision to end this abnormal world and create a new one to prevent similar tragedies.
“Such an obvious setup for a laundry detergent backstory.”
Thanks to this, the Messiah, despite being an insane fiend aiming to destroy the world, had a handsome face and a tragic past that made the laundry cycle run smoothly.
Right before being killed by the protagonist in the final confrontation, he even left a dying wish like, “Please take care of the world after this. New World Savior.”
Despite being the villain responsible for killing the protagonist’s father and an enemy of his family, after killing the Messiah, the protagonist wept and understood, “There were unavoidable circumstances.”
Honestly, I don’t get why light novels love to glamorize villains like this.
A purely evil final boss from a web novel would be far better.
In reality, the pathetic Kim Deok-Sung remained a weak villain until the end.
Anyway, the Messiah’s goal was to create an ordinary world devoid of superhumans, monsters, magic, and supernatural abilities.
Yes.
The mundane reality we used to live in, where hunters, superpowers, monsters, and magic don’t exist, just human beings in all its ordinariness.
That is the new world he dreamed of.
“In the story, it was mentioned that while the Messiah was running a simulation for creating the new world with Golden Magic, the consciousness channel briefly connected to a parallel world similar to our reality, allowing him to glimpse its scenery.”
An episode that appeared while explaining the Messiah’s past in the original’s final stages.
He never forgot the ideal scenery he saw then and made it his lifelong goal.
In the final volume, he planned to use the power of the Source of the Meridian through the Philosopher’s Stone to artificially open a World Gate linking the two worlds, then use the energy from annihilating this world to merge the ideal world and this one into a third world, the new world—a grand spell.
This was the Golden Magic ‘Genesis’ that the Messiah researched his entire life.
“There’s a clue here.”
While the original never explicitly stated that the parallel world he saw was ours, the fandom speculated that the “ideal world” the Messiah saw might actually be our reality.
However, that remained a theory among fans.
In the original work, the setting book, and even in author interviews, there was nothing definitive that the ideal world the Messiah witnessed was the real world.
The author neither confirmed nor denied the speculation about the identity of the ideal world being our reality.
So, it remained on hold.
In the worst-case scenario, there was a possibility that the “ideal world” was a different parallel world that resembled the original dimension.
Returning needs to be done with caution.
What if I crossed over based on vague speculation and that place isn’t my hometown?
I don’t even want to imagine it.
“Yet in the end, the fandom’s speculation was correct.”
Through the dialogue spoken by a manifestation of the Golden Magic resembling the Messiah, I became convinced.
The ideal world the Messiah glimpsed was indeed a world like the reality I lived in.
Otherwise, why would he utter something like, “It feels like the world I saw back then”?
The reason Golden Magic took on the form of the Messiah was that the spell of Golden Magic was infused with the Messiah’s will.
It’s because the essence of Messiah dwells within the spells of Golden Magic.
The reason he can kill his captured subordinates from a distance is also due to this connection through essence.
‘Then I can return.’
Of course, not right now.
To open the World Gate, complex spells and various items are needed in addition to the Source of the Meridian and the Philosopher’s Stone.
And the only human who knows how to open the World Gate in this world is Messiah.
In other words, to return, I inevitably need to defeat Messiah and dismantle the League to secure the core data of the ‘New World Project’ stored in the League’s base.
Considering that the League’s base is in a secret city in Siberia, protected by the Soviet Union, striking the League directly is suicide.
Not to mention, I can’t just start a third world war either.
Engaging in full-scale conflict with the superpower of the Soviet Union in this world is inhumane and inefficient.
‘Is the best option really to lure Messiah into the underground ruins of the academy and beat him up as per the original story?’
No matter how twisted the original story is, Messiah’s goal hasn’t changed.
He will do whatever it takes to target the academy’s underground ruins for the New World Project.
Then, welcoming him fully prepared in the underground ruins is the best approach.
I also mustn’t neglect to continuously disrupt his plans to weaken the League’s forces.
The weaker the enemy’s strength is, the fewer enemies I’ll have to face in the final showdown.
After Messiah’s defeat, the knowledge of the League has been recovered by the protagonist Yuji and sealed in the forbidden books storage of the academy’s grand library.
‘That’s all there is to it.’
Moreover, Messiah’s plans must be stopped at all costs.
If that damn New World Project is realized, both this world and the other world will literally perish, becoming the energy source for the creation of a new world.
I have no interest in his ideals. What matters is that if his plans are executed, not only my parents but also everyone in this world, including all beings in both worlds, will vanish with the end of existence.
Recreation through the end of the world? There’s a limit to how radical things can get. It’s a completely deranged idea.
Thump.
As I reach a conclusion, my heart races like crazy.
I’ve finally found it.
A way to return to the original world.
The images of my sick mother and my father approaching retirement fill my mind.
I can go back.
Finally, I can fulfill my filial duty properly.
I should be happy.
But for some reason, a bittersweet taste lingers in my mouth.
The faces of the connections I’ve made here flash before my eyes.
Olivia, Eri, Rin, Aris, Makoto, Hoshino Kasumi, Seira, Evangelin, and even Han Seo-Jin.
[So it’s okay. I’ll wait here silently, until you resolve everything you’re hiding and return a proper answer to me.]
Olivia’s voice, talking to me in the Versailles Palace, Queen’s Hamlet, echoes in my ears.
She said she’d wait; her silly smile wishing for everyone to be happy appears before me.
[Waiting… is fine, because I’m used to it. You don’t have to worry. But remember this one thing.]
[I am always on your side.]
The rainy day on the deserted island, the sight of Rin nursing me back to health, promising to become my family with a motherly smile comes to mind.
Even though Korea has separate surnames for couples, she stubbornly said she would follow my surname, Kim, like her mother, and her laughter and voice ring in my head.
[Master… Eri-ling knew you would come… I believed it. I knew you would definitely come to see Eri-ling. Because you… you…]
[You’re kind…]
On that rainy day, I recall Eri, who waited in the park with a lunch box in her arms, with no promise of when I’d see her.
[Eternal slave of the master, rank galaxy, Eri-ling will always be by your side… So please don’t neglect me, and just care a little for me, Master.]
After the wedding photo shoot, I remember her laughter, saying just being together was enough.
[You can’t go anywhere… A-chan will listen to mom from now on… I’ll be a good girl…]
Images flash by of Aris, drunk and hugging me, talking about her mom, remembering the accidental kiss we shared after falling over together in the shower room, feeling the touch of her lips that day.
That day, when we accidentally kissed while falling over together like something out of a light novel, I can still feel the softness of her lips.
[Run away… Junior…]
Covered in blood, I recall the foolish image of Kasumi-senpai, who bravely took an Architect’s attack trying to protect me and ended up collapsing.
It feels like the scent of blood still lingers at the tip of my nose.
[Makopi, just for today… I want to act spoiled. From tomorrow, I’ll go back to being the diligent sword of my master… Is that okay?]
The day I hung out with Makoto in Ikebukuro.
Her words from the observation deck of Sunshine 60 echo in my mind.
[Oppa Deok-Sung! I really missed Seira-tan!]
I also remember Seira, who regressed into child-like behavior while trying to protect me.
[K-Kim Deok-Sung…]
[You have to live… without fail…]
I can feel the cold body heat of Evangelin, who foolishly took the attack of an EX-rank hero head-on just to protect me and ended up bloodied.
Swish…
The sound of waves echoes in my ears.
[I was so pathetic and frustrated with myself… I was afraid I would become an unnecessary existence to you, Kim Deok-Sung, afraid of being discarded.]
[…It’s just my twisted inferiority complex and greed coiling inside me. It’s not something worth bothering you about, Kim Deok-Sung. I not only worried you by failing to manage my emotions, but I also showed you disgraceful behavior. I’m sorry.]
Han Seo-Jin, confessing her inferiority complex to me on a quiet beach.
Her voice, a character that didn’t exist in the original work, lingers in my ears.
I bite my lips.
I don’t like this world.
This damn sweet light novel world, filled with emotional excess and fools who would risk their lives for strangers.
I have to go back.
I must support my family, now that my sick mother and my father who can no longer work need me.
But is it really right to coldly sever all ties in this world and return to the original one?
My hands tremble violently.
‘For that…’
I’ve grown attached to them.
The damn light novel dialogue that doesn’t exist in reality, the cringeworthy anime reactions.
The foolish kindness that gives away without calculating gain and loss.
I truly hate to admit it, but now… life feels empty without it.
I’ve finally realized it.
Despite struggling not to get attached, acting all cool and aloof.
In the end, I became attached to them, and now I can’t let go.
But I also can’t abandon my family.
‘No, since when was this a binary choice?’
I shake my head.
A binary choice is a light novel mentality.
Only stupid light novel protagonists end up sacrificing one side when faced with a binary choice.
And then they’ll groan in their rooms, claiming it’s a trial for mental growth.
If you’re a K-web novel protagonist, you shouldn’t just raise a hand for one side when stuck in a binary choice, knowing you’d lose the other.
Being too naive could land you with a 5700-character note from the readers.
You should smash both choices and pick a third option that cherry-picks the good points from both.
That is the core of web novels: ‘soda’ and ‘abuse of power’, isn’t it?
I am not a foolish light novel protagonist.
I am a selfish scoundrel like a web novel protagonist, a soda path.
So I can’t abandon my family, nor the connections in this damn world.
Thus, just like a scoundrel, I will cowardly take the benefits of both sides.
“…So, is it only a two-way gate after all?”
That’s the answer.
The world gate in the original work is one-way.
It was for dragging the real world into this one through a passage between worlds.
But if I obtain the data for the world gate magic and throw it to the saint Beatrice and the genius scientist Ishihara Saori for research…
Maybe I can create a truly two-way world gate, unlike the original.
No, I must create it.
“Okay.”
This is the answer.
As all my worries dissolve, a hollow laugh escapes my lips.
“Damn it…”
Yeah, I still hate light novels.
This damn world truly sucks.
Just like a web novel.
I will live, utterly selfishly, just for myself.
As I grit my teeth and grab the hilt of Durandal…
Crack, crack, crack, crack, crack.
The scenery of Kurosawa Mansion starts to crack with a loud noise.
