Chapter 205: Chapter 201: The Choice Is Yours

“…What is this?”

Those were the words that spilled from my mouth after reading the note.

“Why on earth…?”

The final note she gave me…

After mulling over its contents several times, all that came out was a lament over this incomprehensible situation.

“What does this mean, Merilyn? Why would Airi…?”

“It was all part of her plan.”

Merilyn answered my question.

Her expression was tinged with pain, but there was no hesitation in her explanation.

“Raising you to be a hero after you two were united, making you the master of this fortress, and placing you in a position to lead many… It was all part of her plan to prepare you to be a savior when she would no longer be around.”

“Don’t say such nonsense! Sure, we got this far because of Airi’s prophecy, but excluding her from the outcome… She should share in the results too!”

I worked tirelessly to get this far for that very reason.

Gaining strength and rising in status were all ways to dream of a peaceful future with the people I love.

“And now you want me to exclude Airi? When the Demon King could show up here any moment?”

“She stayed in the capital to defeat the Demon King.”

“What do you mean…?”

“You know whose blood she carries, right?”

The Goddess of Destruction.

That was the identity I learned when I last met Airi.

Because of that bloodline, she was destined to save the world, and she chose me as her partner to fulfill that mission.

“Earlier, you mentioned that a god would descend upon this land…”

Yes, she was a being known as a demigod.

If a god were to descend upon this land, there was a chance she, who would carry divine blood, could be connected to it.

“Then, the god descending on this land—is that Airi’s ancestor?”

“……”

“Is the Demon King planning to invade the Empire because he’s provoked by the god that will descend through her?”

As the scattered pieces began to come together.

Merilyn, clenching her fists in frustration before me, continued to explain.

“…Hyo-sung, there have always been beings in this world who have opened paths to the outer world.”

I had heard of this before.

The story of how this world came to be the way it was.

“Through those paths, knowledge, life, and remnants from other dimensions were brought over. The calamities that have occurred in this world can be traced back to those attempts.” ŘÁNǑВЁ𝙨

Witches. Beings who were granted knowledge from the outer world through certain circumstances.

Flang said they were the very source of the calamities that befell this world.

Because of the problems they caused, monsters, dungeons, and the undead appeared, all nations except the Empire fell, and the path for demons to enter this world was opened.

“In resistance, the inhabitants of this world devised various countermeasures. They conducted experiments on humans at great cost, and when necessary, they summoned beings from other dimensions…”

The reason beings like me crossed into this world was to fix problems that had already occurred.

But the world had already begun to break down, and unless the collapse could be stopped, destruction seemed inevitable.

“…And what do you think was the conclusion reached by the leader of humanity, after failing to solve the problems with those measures?”

The Orion Empire. The only place in this world where a social structure still remained.

The ruling class of that land, the Imperial family, had been controlled by vampires, as Virgil said, but even with their disappearance, peace never came to humanity.

If their disappearance had truly brought salvation to humanity, there wouldn’t be massive revolts like there were now.

“This world is already sick and rotting beyond repair. No matter how many people you hang on crosses and kill, the chaos of this world won’t disappear…”

The one who recognized this reality was the current leader of the Empire…

To be precise, it was ‘Orion Seis,’ the Crown Prince, who would soon inherit the Empire.

“…To erase everything.”

The decision he made was relayed to me through Merilyn’s words.

“To gather the remnants from the outer world that have been collected to resist the calamities, luring the calamities to one place, and summoning a powerful being to annihilate them… In a world where those so-called calamities have disappeared, the leader of the current Empire seeks to bring about the ‘Era of Nihilism.’”

The Era of Nihilism…

The name felt familiar, as I had heard it before.

‘So don’t think about anything else, just focus on rising to the top. Make your name known far and wide, so that no one can forget you.’

Park Byeong-bin.

His clone, who was an exception to the Crown Prince’s control because of my power.

At first, I thought he had just awakened a sense of justice, but perhaps his reason for acting as a rebel was far removed from vague notions of justice.

If he truly was a clone of the Crown Prince, he would have shared the same belief that there was no hope for this world.

‘That will be the way to save more people in the Era of Nihilism that will come later…!’

The Era of Nihilism that would come after the Empire and the calamities were destroyed together.

The clone was also one of those who sought to prepare for that era, just like the Crown Prince who pursued the destruction of the calamities.

In a world where the social structure, which had reached its limit, and the great calamities would all perish together.

He believed I was more suitable than he, a clone, to gather people and lead them…

“And Airi has joined in bringing about that Era of Nihilism.”

And ironically, that goal aligned with Airi’s as well.

She also wanted me to be the savior and hoped to save as many people as possible in this world on the brink of destruction.

Even if she couldn’t save everyone, at least as many as she could.

The reason she emphasized that to me, as someone who could predict the future, was because she realized that pursuing the same ideals as the Crown Prince was the best course of action.

“That’s why she chose to stay in the capital. Where soon, the Demon King and the so-called calamities will gather…”

Yes, it was all planned.

Helping me grow, guiding me to become a hero, leading me to stand before many, and now allowing me to lead this fortress and help those seeking salvation…

“It was all to perform a ritual, using the blood running through her veins as a catalyst, to summon the Goddess of Destruction to this land.”

All of it was to bring about the moment when she and the calamities would perish together.@@novelbin@@

Because she believed it was the way to save as many people as possible.

“Such…”

As I heard the whole truth, my mouth began to open in shock.

“Such a thing…”

It happened unconsciously.

It was only natural that no coherent words came out of my open mouth, devoid of proper thought.

If I had at least screamed, I might have felt some relief, but even that was quickly stifled by the reason that caught up with the situation.

[Please, forget me.]

Yes, it was impossible to force something like that.

She wanted to sacrifice herself, and her goal was to save as many people as possible by perishing along with the calamities.

I, who couldn’t even compare to beings like the Demon King or a god, had no right to deny her plan.

“Why…?”

So even if I hated it, I had to accept it.

She would eliminate the calamities, and I would faithfully lead as many people as possible… Yes, that was how I should accept it, but…

“Why did you tell me this?”

I couldn’t hold back the resentment that rose within me toward Merilyn, who had conveyed this truth.

If only I hadn’t known, if only she had let it pass by, I might have remained blissfully unaware… Why did she feel the need to reveal this truth to me?

“…Because I’m a demon.”

Another companion who soon responded to my question reached out to me with a sad smile.

“Because we’re a selfish and narrow-minded race. We just do what we want whenever we want. Compared to our desires, the fate of the world, concepts like justice or righteousness, are all distant matters…”

“…Merilyn.”

“And being with you is my desire. My world revolves solely around you, so if you despair, I despair too… If you disappear, the world as I know it becomes meaningless.”

Before I knew it, her hand was gently touching my face.

As she wiped away the moisture from my eyes, her face slowly came into focus before me.

“…So I want to leave the choice to you, Hyo-sung. Even if Airi made the plan, you are the one who will carry it out.”

She faced me resolutely as she whispered those words to me.

Holding my hand, transmitting her warmth.

“Living a life with your desires and will suppressed is something no demon could endure… And I don’t want you to live that kind of life either.”

As she expressed her desire to share in the choice that lay ahead, she tightened her grip on my hand.

“So, Hyo-sung, make your decision.”

She whispered softly.

If the choice comes from my will and no one else’s, at least she would never deny it.

“Whether you choose to find her as she is or follow her prophecy… the choice is yours.”

That whisper, which justified her selfishness, felt like the whisper of a demon itself.

Even though I knew I should respect Airi’s choice to pursue the greater good, even if it meant abandoning the one I love.

“I…”

As a mere human…

I couldn’t deny the pounding in my chest…

“I…”

Just as I was about to speak, a loud thud and a violent tremor shook the ground.

Feeling my body tremble and my breath catch, I sensed the crystal in my pocket start to vibrate.

It was Sanson’s call.

-Hero, you need to come out right now. Something huge is… is approaching the fortress from beyond the hill…

“I’ll be right there.”

Something else had happened again.

At this point, it was no surprise, but Sanson’s voice was more tense than ever, and it worried me.

Normally, he would warn me calmly in serious situations, but now he sounded almost terrified.

“…Hyo-sung.”

“I’ll sort out the situation first and come back.”

I needed time to think as well. The reprieve was a relief, but that thought vanished the moment I stepped outside the ark.

“Wh-what…?”

I couldn’t even finish my question.

That was how enormous the presence was, as it gradually revealed itself over the hill opposite the ark.

Rumble, rumble.

A gigantic skeleton slowly appeared under the dark sky—no, what first emerged was just the skull, and beneath it were pieces of flesh clinging to the skeletal frame.

An undead creature of such appearance was climbing up the hill…

If it were just a situation that could be described so simply, it wouldn’t have caused everyone who saw it to hold their breath.

Rumble, rumble!

As it moved its arm forward, the tremors in the ground intensified, and the massive body towering over the hill began to draw closer.

As its size expanded, the number of people swallowed by the light streaming from the sky increased. That was the kind of being that stood there.

A monstrous entity that, by merely existing, devoured the sky and froze everything it encountered.

“What is that…?”

Yes, what I felt at that moment was unmistakably fear.

A fear of a completely different level than anything I’d faced before… A monster that defied understanding, one that made rational judgment impossible, was approaching us at that moment.

“Hu… ng… ry…”

That being gradually turned towards us.

“So… hungryyyy…”

As its mouth opened and that voice came out, I couldn’t shake the feeling of déjà vu.

It didn’t take long to realize why.

I had encountered the owner of that voice before, and that was why this absurdly huge being didn’t feel entirely unfamiliar.

“Gorgon… Zola…?”

Gorgon Zola, the Black Knight of Famine.

One of the four lieutenants serving the Corpse Lord… Why has he appeared before us in that form?

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