Psh—!
The sound of stabbing flesh rang out. The black blade pierced Yi Yeonjun’s stomach, and he fell slowly, and helplessly, like a puppet with its strings cut.
“…”
I lowered the Desert Eagle and looked forward.
Boss stood behind Yi Yeonjun, who had fallen. Blood was dripping from her hand.
“Ah-”
Yi Yeonjun let out a cry. He tried to move his neck, but it was hardly a struggle for survival. Yi Yeonjun seemed to want to capture Boss in his vacant eyes for as long as possible.
But why would he do that? Because he wanted to know who killed him? Or did he want to see Boss one last time?
I couldn’t figure out the answer, but I wasn't very curious anyway.
What I really wanted to know was why Boss was here.
Fortunately, my curiosity was quickly satisfied. I spotted Spartan, who popped his head out from behind Boss’s leg.
Clearly, he was the one who brought Boss here, even though I didn’t ask. Boss might have asked Spartan to bring her here. Perhaps Spartan made an independent decision to save me. The exact circumstances were unknown, but I could see that Spartan was extremely exhausted from multiple trips through distorted space.
“What’s going on?”
Chae Nayun looked at Boss and me in bewilderment. She raised Balmung thinking that Boss might be an enemy, but Boss looked at Chae Nayun without a hint of hostility.
Chae Nayun slowly lowered her sword. And then, she turned her gaze on me.
“…Hey.”
Chae Nayun called me. I answered with a bitter smile.
“It’s been a while.”
“…”
Chae Nayun looked at me in silence. Her lips moved as she chose her words carefully; but what finally came out of her mouth after long deliberation was a notice of postponement.
“Let’s catch up later. We don’t have time right now,” She muttered with a bitter smile.
Her words saddened me. How much time did I have left in this world? Will I be able to sort things out with her before everything is over?
“No, wait.”
Chae Nayun frowned as if she had suddenly changed her mind.
“Hey, you!”
She yelled and grabbed me by the collar. Though she took me by surprise, I couldn’t help but smile. Her unpredictable disposition was what I liked the most about her.
“…You ass- I mean, stupid… person… who’s always running away.”
Chae Nayun carefully chose her words. Struggling not to swear, she sounded a little awkward.
“Do you have any idea what you mean to…. And…. Ugh. Just tell me. Explain everything to me.”
It was then that Boss moved. She carried Yi Yeonjun’s body on her shoulder. Chae Nayun flinched.
“What does she need the dead body for? Wait, more importantly, who is she?” Chae Nayun whispered to me.
The barrier dissolved immediately when Boss removed Yi Yeonjun’s body. The crust of the barrier shook and cracked open.
“Boss! You’re b-”
We returned to Baal’s barrier, and Jain and the other members of the Chameleon Troupe welcomed Boss. Jain ran to Boss with a smile, but her expression stiffened when she saw Yi Yeonjun’s body on Boss’s back. Boss nodded without a word, and put Yi Yeonjun’s body down onto the ground.
“…I don’t know what to say~”
Jain mumbled and looked closely at Yi Yeonjun. In his wide-opened eyes was Boss’s shadow.
Jain gave a small sigh and closed Yi Yeonjun’s eyes for him.
It was then.
“Is that Nayun?”
Yoo Yeonha, who had been resting in the fortress, suddenly yelled. Only then did Jain notice that there was one more person here besides Boss and me.
Chae Nayun turned to Yoo Yeonha in surprise.
“Yeonha?”
Their eyes met, and the two hesitated for a moment before rushing into each other’s arms.
I watched them for a while, and then turned my gaze on the fortress built by Arashi.
===
[Arashi’s Magic Fortress]
—A magic fortress built by Hirano Arashi, the master of fortress building
*Increase attacks from within the fortress to outside by 20%
*Increase defense against attacks from outside the fortress by 20%
—The Dignity of a Master
*Enhance Summoned Beasts
*External Automatic Artillery
There were many useful functions attached to the fortress. But looking into them in detail would have to come later. I had something more important to do right now.
“…”
Boss was standing in a daze and looking down at Yi Yeonjun’s body. There was no sadness, no joy, no resentment in her eyes. It was as if Yi Yeonjun’s emptiness had infected her.
I approached her slowly. But she avoided meeting my eyes. Slowly, I whispered her name.
“Yi Byul.”
Boss flinched. Her lifeless eyes looked up at me. They were still as beautiful as a pair of obsidian but they had lost their sparkle.
I wanted to hold her in my arms.
[Starting the Final Arc.]
But then a sentence appeared before me, that seemed to remind me that it was not yet time.
I read that sentence.
[The completion of this arc will unlock ‘???’]
The last arc.
The final destination of a long journey.
I clenched my fists.
I had to finish this last arc in order to put a proper end to everything.
Only then would I be able to define my existence.
I decided to save my feelings for that final day.
“…”
I held Boss’s hand in mine. Her hands were cold, and shaking as if they were crying for her.
“Hey Boss.”
I asked in a soft voice, holding her hand in mine tightly.
“Do you still remember my name?”
**
Koong—!
Morax slammed his fist into the ground. Jin Sahyuk recalled the past as she dodged Morax’s fist. She thought of her half-brother, Prince Puharen, the legitimate heir to the throne of Akatrina who feared becoming King.
“…Puharen.”
Jin Sahyuk called his name.
The prince did not want to be king, but the tradition of the kingdom was not something he could ignore. Puharen’s servants wanted him to rise to the throne.
They never gave him a chance to decide for himself. They wanted a king they could easily control. Even as demons rampaged through the streets and their kingdom sunk into the dirt, they still only cared about their power and security.
“I’ll save you from them.” She lied to her brother.
And then she threw her innocent brother into a dungeon where he stayed until he died.
“I’m sorry.”
Levitating in air, Jin Sahyuk muttered words of apology.
Puharen— no, Morax gazed at her. What a pitiable being! Her brother, the victim of her greed and ambition, was denied a peaceful rest even after death….
All of a sudden, Morax appeared before Jin Sahyuk. She realized too late that the devil’s fists were headed for her.
Kwaaaaa—!
Shin Jonghak thrust his spear for Jin Sahyuk. The pressure from his spear pushed Morax away.
“…Haa.”
Jin Sahyuk breathed heavily. Her heart was racing.
She turned her gaze to Shin Jonghak, reproaching herself for being shaken by the past.
“Stay focused. You’d be dead if it wasn’t for me,” Shin Jonghak said with a smirk.
“Guess you aren’t completely useless,” answered Jin Sahyuk.
She took a deep breath and collected herself. Someone who could sacrifice morality for her own ambitions and murder her brother without hesitation— that was the kind of person she was, after all.
“…Rest in peace,” Jin Sahyuk looked up at Morax and muttered.
At that moment, however, an unexpected pair of guests appeared before them.
“What the hell…?”
Jin Sahyuk spotted the two silhouettes behind the gap between Morax’s legs. One had the appearance of an insect, and the other….
“Orden?”
…Was Monster King Orden, whom she had been acquainted with in the past.
**
Kim Suho followed Shimurin. The closer they got to Baal, the greater the number of demons. Difficult battles followed, but thanks to Aileen, Yoon Seuang-Ah, Yi Younghan and many other Heroes who joined along the way, they were able to win without casualties.
“So you’re a magician from another world?”
Aileen asked Shimurin.
Shimurin nodded but said nothing, and concentrated on her role as the guide.
“…Well, sure. I don’t like chatting either, so let’s just walk.”
Aileen pouted and walked along Shimurin. The Heroes moved forward amidst the tension.
How long had it been?
By the time the demonic energy penetrated into their bodies and its pressure seemed to crush their hearts, they finally arrived at the center of the barrier.
“…Ah.”
“That’s….”
Many exclaimed in both amazement and horror.
Baal was much larger when viewed closer than from afar. The Heroes were overwhelmed by the mere sight of him. The demonic energy flowing out of his body kept humans from getting close to him, and the bodies of fallen Heroes were scattered under his feet.
“…”
Kim Suho stared into Baal’s eyes, which looked like two black holes. They contained many worlds within them. Everything Baal had ever destroyed was displayed in its eyes. The fallen worlds were screaming in agony. Enraged, Kim Suho grabbed Misteltein. The god-slaying tree branch had become a holy sword through Enlightenment and Awakening and was ready to strike at evil.
"Glad to see you again, everyone.”
A voice brought Kim Suho to his senses.
Everyone turned to where the voice had come from. They saw Master-rank Heroes Yoo Sihyuk and Yoo Jinwoong. Following the two, dozens of Heroes gathered where Kim Suho and his friends were.
"How did they escape from the labyrinth?"
Shimurin muttered in confusion. How could they have found their way through such a complicated labyrinth without the kind of knowledge that she had?
Her curiosity was quickly satisfied when ‘nature’ suddenly appeared in the barrier. Soil covered the dark void on which everyone was standing, and the empty sky turned blue. Two men appeared beyond the landscape of nature. Everyone turned their attention to them, and they walked all the way to the center of the barrier.
"…Haha. It seems we have lots of comrades here."
Chae Joochul remained calm even when he saw Baal, and as usual, Heynckes opened his mouth first.
“Say, before you all leave, would you care to listen to what this old man has to say? I’ve fought in many wars, and I’d like to make some strategic suggestions based on my past experiences.”
Heynckes suggested, and the Heroes, including Kim Suho, nodded without a moment’s hesitation. They all admired Hyenckes, a member of the Nine Stars.
But Airun, who came from a different world, seemed hesitant. She looked at Heynckes with suspicious eyes and whispered to Bell, who stood beside her.
“Would it be wise to trust him? Your Highness, please consider taking refuge in a safe place.”
She hoped to persuade the prince to leave the battlefield. But Bell turned down Airun’s offer with a smile and turned his gaze to Kim Suho.
“No worries. We’re going to win this fight.”
Bell sounded extremely confident; it was almost as if he had seen the future.
Perplexed, Airun asked cautiously.
“What do you mean?”
“Look over there.”
Bell pointed to Kim Suho, who was listening to Heynckes with Misteltein in his hand.
Bell was confident in Kim Suho’s victory.
Kim Suho was ‘designed’ to be the winner of this fight from the start.
Baal chose to descend inside a barrier in order to avoid the interference of the world. But this was a mistake. Baal was not the only one under the influence of the world’s interference.
“He’s the main character of this world afterall.”
Kim Suho.
He was also under the influence of this world, just like Baal.
The world’s deterrence was weakening his power.
“Main character…?”
“I don’t expect you to understand.”
The world's deterrence limited Kim Suho’s power to ‘human level’. But the said constraint did not exist in this barrier, for this barrier was technically Baal’s world.
So what would happen if there was less interference?
Kim Suho’s power would no longer be bound to the limits set by the world.
Baal had unwittingly removed Kim Suho’s shackles by bringing him into this barrier.
“I’m just saying he’s going to win no matter what.”
Baal's defeat had been predetermined by fate.
Yes, fate.
Everything was all part of a novel with a prearranged beginning and end….
"Do you understand?”
In the meantime, Heynckes’s explanation was over.
The Heroes roared and lined up for the upcoming battle.
"Good. Now let us pray to God, as we prepare for this final battle."
Heynckes declared solemnly and raised his steel sword.
