Chapter 254: Choice Against Darkness

Since childhood, he had enjoyed reading other people’s thoughts.

So as he grew up, their actions and words naturally became predictable.

What thoughts they held before him.

What words they had prepared and how they would act on them.

It was all crystal clear, and this was likely because he always existed in an absolutely superior position.

Some would grumble that it was boring and tiresome, but Antiphus was not among them.

He always enjoyed standing above others.

He liked reading their thoughts, grasping their emotions, and predicting their actions.

He enjoyed competition, gave his all in the process, and many victories followed.

Of course, he couldn’t always win, but when reaching the end, the victor was ultimately himself.

So it could be said that he always won.

Such victories piled up, and he reached the highest place.

Antiphus had been so confident.

‘But when did it start.’

When did that unwelcome guest intrude upon his heart.

When did a life where victory was理所当然 begin to slowly fester with defeat.

Was it the day he first met Jijoncheonma in this world.

Probably from that day.

Defeat became commonplace, and the feeling that he could not win began to creep in.

He couldn’t even read Jijoncheonma’s thoughts; instead, it felt as if his own actions and thoughts were being read clearly before him.

Because before he knew it, he was acting similarly to the losers who had stood before him.

– “Kheh heh. Everything will change once we head out to the continent.”

He continued walking, listening to Kreutzvalt’s voice.

No one paid any attention to Antiphus.

They were all drunk on the joy of victory, rushing forward, and only Antiphus walked in the opposite direction.

The strange passage surrounded by various magic circles visible in the distance.

Even that was Jijoncheonma’s work.

On every path he wished to tread, Jijoncheonma was always a wall, an obstacle.

‘Wasn’t that name utterly sickening?’

It was time to shake it off.

Thinking thus, he asked.

“Can I obtain the power of the Abyss?”

As if waiting for it, an answer rang in his head.

– “Of course.”

“Why?”

‘Why him?’

An ordinary human couldn’t possibly obtain such power.

Of course, Antiphus was no ordinary human, but beings like that were plentiful in this era.

Even he was a human who couldn’t even make it into the Expeditionary Force.

– “Because you were born that way.”

“……Born that way.”

– “Kheh heh heh. Yes. That is your destiny. There must have been clear signs a few times, but did you not feel them?”

Signs.

Thinking about it, they weren’t absent.

Starting from when he alone looked into the memories of the Abyss at the Memory Gate.

The fact that he chose Dominion as his trait, and that he had enjoyed ruling over others since birth, might also have been influenced by such a destiny.

– “What a blessed destiny. A destiny to rule over countless living beings across several dimensions, at the very top.”

“But isn’t the Master of the Abyss you?”

– “The master and the ruler are distinctly different. In the previous generation as well, a ruler hasn’t been born for thousands of years, so perhaps you might gain power even greater than mine.”

“I see.”

The passage drew closer.

There weren’t many troops nearby, and even those few were laughing and chatting among themselves or watching the Allied Forces running far ahead.

“I have a few questions.”

– “What is it?”

Antiphus drew his sword before the passage.

The knights before him wouldn’t just stand by and watch him use the passage, so he had to eliminate them first.

It was a fairly natural action.

“Is Jijoncheonma dead?”

– “He is alive.”

Truth.

“Are you parasitizing inside me?”

– “I wouldn’t normally call a temporary alliance to head to the continent parasitism.”

Lie.

“If I don’t go, what happens to you?”

– “That would be regrettable. I would have to destroy the ruler who appeared after thousands of years by my own hand.”

Lie.

Strangely, he could tell.

The truth and the lies.

“One last question.”

The presence of Kreutzvalt that he clearly felt within himself.

The threads tangled intricately between his soul and Kreutzvalt’s soul.

Strangely, he could feel them.

“If I die, do you die?”

And the answer to that final question.

– “How could that possibly be?”

It was a lie.

“I see.”

So he reversed the grip on his sword.

As he lifted it to shoulder height, Kreutzvalt’s voice rang in his head again.

– “Tch, how could you have such a foolish thought?”

There was no hesitation.

As said before, it was a decision made long ago.

So he was about to put force into it.

– “No choice, then.”

The Abyss spread again within his body.

The body that had been acting according to his will, suppressing his actions, no longer obeyed.

– “I’ll have to take you by force.”

Resistance was impossible.

Though he had lost most of his power, Kreutzvalt was the one who originally handled the Abyss directly.

So when he unfolded the Abyss directly within his body, the body had no choice but to follow his will, not his own.

Normally, that would be right.

‘……What the……?’

But strangely, the body moved according to his own will, not Kreutzvalt’s.

It repelled the Abyss trying to seize control, or rather, didn’t even give it a gap to enter, solidifying into a firm mass of power.

– “You awakened Ideation? Now? At this moment?”

A flustered, urgent voice rang out.

So he was capable of making such a voice.

Ignoring the urgent voice, his hand moved.

– “St-stop!”

He wanted to become a ruler.

He liked the image of others admiring him.

He liked seeing them cheer his name with joy.

Perhaps that was why he was jealous.

– “You are one born with the destiny of a ruler!”

Like Hio Pavlenko, whom everyone acknowledged.

Someone who could throw away his life without hesitation for others.

– “If you die here, you’ll be remembered forever as someone inferior to Hio Pavlenko……!”

He wanted to become a hero.

But destiny whispered to him to become the Abyss.

What could he do then?

– “Ah, no!”

At the very least, he shouldn’t become a villain.

“Sorry.”

***

He opened his eyes to a bustling presence.

“……Hio?”

As soon as he opened his eyes, a violent headache came.

A nauseating feeling as if he would throw up.

Nevertheless, he forced himself up.

‘What was the situation?’

‘What happened to Kreutzvalt?’

It was his first time using two main Divine Authorities simultaneously, and he had maintained them beyond their limits, so even his senses were not intact.

That meant he had no choice but to rely on what his eyes could see, and judging by what he saw immediately, it didn’t seem like they were in the middle of a battle.

“Hio, are you okay?”

A familiar voice reached his ringing ears.

Turning his head, Airlights was already standing there, supporting Hio.

“The situation. Kreutzvalt?”

Airlights nodded at his urgent question.

“He’s dead. The Abyssal energy has noticeably weakened, and the Strange Entities seem to be dissipating as well.”

“……Hah.”

At those words, the tension completely released.

But he could immediately sense something was off.

It should have been an undoubtedly joyful occasion, but Airlights’s expression wasn’t.

So, with a slightly steadier gaze, he looked around again and saw it.

“Pour more healing divine power!”

The sight of numerous priests gathered.

“It’s no use. Any more divine power is meaningless at this level……”

“Just keep doing it until we can’t do any more!”

In their center, someone lay down.

Looking more closely, something was strange.

It was a familiar face, but the condition was anything but familiar.

“……I was a little short. We got to the brink of complete annihilation, but fell just one step short.”

As he listened to Airlights’s explanation, he moved towards the center.

“You see, the depths of the Abyss, even Hio……”

“It was Vitalianus who handled that alone……”

At first glance, Vitalianus’s appearance was peaceful.

His two eyes peacefully closed as if he were sleeping.

In stark contrast, his entire body was too faint.

As if he were a ghost rather than a person, he had become transparent from head to toe.

Accordingly, his presence was gradually fading.

“This is a condition that can no longer be helped with divine power……”

“No. I can save him.”

At Hio’s voice, the priests flinched and made way.

“……I can save him.”

There must be a way.

If he could just buy time, there would surely be a method in the Divine Authority Window.

It would take time to gather Points and find the right Divine Authority, but regardless, there was definitely a way to save him.

A figure that looked as if both body and soul would dissipate at any moment.

The problem was maintaining this state without it worsening……”

“If I use Necromancy to maintain the current situation and find a way later……”

I can save him somehow.

Just as Hio was about to say that.

Vitalianus’s wrinkled hand grabbed Hio’s wrist.

“……Vitalianus.”

He opened his mouth as if wanting to say something, but no voice came out.

So he just smiled and slowly shook his head.

It meant not to do that.

It meant to let him go now.

As Hio fell silent for a moment, Vitalianus’s body became so faint and transparent that it was beyond help.

‘What words should he say, and how?’

At this moment, which was surely the last, He hated his terribly clumsy way with words.

So.

“You worked hard.”

Before Vitalianus, who was about to leave, that was all he could say.

That he was a great hero.

That they could win thanks to him.

Because such words didn’t come to mind, only the most ordinary of words did.

Still, that didn’t seem too bad.

“It was fun being with you.”

Because Vitalianus’s final face bore a bright, joyful smile.

Thus, one of the continent’s greatest stars set.

It was surely no mere coincidence that the Black Mist lingering briefly in the sky vanished along with him.

***

The Abyss that had cast a shadow over the world was completely annihilated by the activities of the Allied Army of the Continent, the greatest there had ever been and ever would be.

From now on, no Abyss Gates, no Strange Entities, and no Abyssal energy from them would appear.

The Allied Army became the heroes of the continent, and among them, the Expeditionary Force that directly confronted the Master of the Abyss was praised as the greatest heroes, with each one’s achievements and honors to be recorded in history forever.

But there is one fact not widely known to most people.

The six heroes called the greatest heroes, praised by many.

The hero of the continent, Hio Pavlenko.

The new god of Fioria, Airlights.

The Ancient Dragon, Freya.

The Dragon Knight, Regarda Ovierre.

The Ruler, Antiphus Praman.

The Sword Saint, Vitalianus Mahel.

After the war ended, no one witnessed the appearance of these six.

Not at the victory ceremony immediately after, nor anywhere else.

The same was true months and years later.

There were occasional rumors that they quietly visited the memorial services of two heroes, but they were just rumors.

They soon died down.

‘……So then. What happened in the end?’