Chapter 174 – The Primordial Demon, Brunhilde Subjugation (2)

“Aaron. Brunhilde’s consciousness has returned.”

“I know.”

“The Goddess… is she still the same?”

“She has still not spoken a word.”

Crack — Bamilion’s irritable fist, encased in golden armor, dented the ruined wall.

“Did you hear the Goddess’s words and choose not to tell me?”

Hssss — Instead of answering, Aaron merely exhaled a thick cloud of smoke.

“…I understand. Do as you wish. I must go to the battlefield now. There, I will fulfill the Goddess’s will. By any means necessary, I will bring your soul to paradise.”

“Frey.”

“My name is Bamilion.”

“Frey.”

Crunch — A sound like teeth breaking came from inside the golden helmet.

“I have a question for you.”

“…What is it?”

“What do you think paradise is?”

“A stepping stone to reach the higher world.”

“Then what do you think of this world?”

“A prison created to punish our Goddess.”

And then,

“A world without God.”

“Do you understand what it means for there to be no God?”

“It means other lower-dimensional deities will use this place as nourishment… Aaron, why are you asking such obvious questions?”

“To confirm once more. And to verify that my mind hasn’t gone mad.”

Hssss — Aaron exhaled smoke that seemed to burn right down to the roots, flicked his cigarette butt against the wall, and stood up.

“Frey. To summarize what you’ve said: if this world had a God, it would mean that eventually, one could reach the higher world.”

“Theoretically possible, but that’s absurd. Even my dear friend, the ‘Sword of Victory,’ this world’s only hope, has fallen. Even our Goddess, who existed in the higher world since the beginning of time, has lost her sense of self in this world. So what being in this world could possibly—”

“Yes, at first glance, it seems impossible. But it is undoubtedly possible.”

In Aaron’s completely empty, detached eyes,

“If that’s possible, then all the inhabitants of this world…”

A faint spark, like the last ember of a dying cigarette, began to glow.

“Could become truly human.”

Thud — Aaron’s weary footsteps began to move.

“Frey. Go and fulfill your objective.”

His once-heavy steps gradually became lighter.

“I will go and fulfill mine.”

His stride now carried firm resolve.

***

“If so, then just die here.”

Brunhilde’s contorted face held the deepest anger and faint regret, profound sorrow and slight remorse.

The weapons in her hands transformed.
The long spear became a bow.
The short spear became an arrow.

Carpeng’s blood energy enveloped my entire body.
Tylant’s cold energy suppressed the surrounding mana.
Valoran’s feathers expanded the domain of demonic energy.

Time stretched out.
In this elongated world, my thoughts accelerated.

A being from a fabricated world.

Of course, when I first arrived here, that’s exactly what I thought.
A world inside a game. NPCs and residents inside a game world.

But after meeting Rubia, after spending so much time with her and discovering her many facets, those thoughts completely vanished.

The priestess I thought I knew so well.
The priestess who always seemed loving and constantly smiling.

I learned she could get irritated, cry, and even get angry—just like an ordinary person.
Her love felt more genuine and deeper than anything else.

She felt real.

Then what about the monsters?
The beasts that populated this vast world, and the Beasts of the End at their apex—did I ever truly consider them living beings?

Carpeng.
The Beast of the End I first met in Roholon possessed intelligence. It also had faint but perceptible emotions.

However, these qualities were overshadowed by its instinct for destruction.

But what about its movements?
Its attacks, its patterns?
Were they all exactly the same as in the game?

Not quite.
Some aspects matched the game, while others differed.

Some attacks broke off unnaturally, identical to patterns from the game.
Others flowed naturally—attacks I had never seen in the game.

Swish — In the stretched time, Carpeng’s tail brushed against my thigh.

Tylant.
The Beast of the End that “I” had subjugated in Ursphere.
Did it have intelligence? Did it have emotions?

I couldn’t tell.
But searching through my hazy memories…

Like Carpeng, it wasn’t exactly the same as in the game.
Certainly, some differences came from all its seals being released, but beyond that, something was definitely different.

Drip — Cold water from melting ice ran down my cheek.

Valoran.
The Beast of the End I encountered here in Cartia.
The first one to display patterns identical to the game.
And simultaneously, the one most different from the game.

With clear intelligence and definite emotions.
An ancient figure who taught me so much.

Then why? Why did Valoran act exactly according to the game’s patterns?

For what purpose?
What was it trying to show me, enduring such pain just to perform such a foolish act?

With barely any sense of self remaining.
Using up its own life force.
What had it been searching for in me?

Why?
Even as it ended its own life…
Why did it dig out the magic stone embedded in its body and hand it to me?

And above all, why?
Even at the moment of death, why did it wear such a radiant smile—

Slap! — A demonic energy-infused feather struck my forehead with tremendous force.

“Ah…”

In this world of stretched time.
Within my mind’s eye.
The feather that had struck my forehead now floated down and stopped before my face.
It slowly approached and pricked my forehead.

The memories he had shown.
The sights he had witnessed.
The experiences he had endured.
They flowed into me.

Ancient figures.
Heroes who had sacrificed everything for the world.
Those who had challenged the high heavens to break their predetermined fate.

The Challengers.

Erased from records.
Forgotten from memories.
Their traces wiped clean.
Their sense of self lost.

Yet they, just like us,
Walked the earth, gazed up at the sky.
Breathed, spoke, and lived each day.
Dreamed of tomorrow and envisioned the future.

They felt anger, sorrow, and anxiety.
Sometimes joy, love, happiness, and hope.

As punishment for defying the heavens and failing,
They lost their existence and sense of self, reborn as Beasts of the End.

But they were never fabricated beings to begin with.

[That’s right.]
A playful woman’s mischievous voice.

[We definitely existed in this world.]
A spirited woman’s sharp voice.

[Like ordinary people, we ate, drank, laughed, talked, loved, and hated.]
A languid woman’s cold voice.

[Though we lived in different eras, we all shared the same goal.]
A blunt man’s serene voice.

Voices I had never heard.
Emotions I had never felt.
Their will that had never been conveyed.
All reached me with perfect clarity.

Brunhilde’s bowstring was drawn taut.
The grudges of dead souls infused the arrow.

Not the instant-kill ability I’d seen in the game.
Not an attack of a Beast of the End.

But the rage of a hero who had lived through an era.
The wind. The desire. The dream. The hope.

The goal she could not achieve.
Her final flame.

All gathered to break me.
To test me.

I whipped my trembling body into action.
Corrected my loosened stance.
Cleared my dazed mind.
Tightened my wavering heart.

Feeling the weight gripped in my hand.
Remembering the burden on my shoulders.

I grasped Frey firmly.
A smile crossed Brunhilde’s lips as she pulled back the bowstring.

Rubia’s divine power, belatedly unleashed, infused my body with vigor.
The spirits’ blessings made my body lighter.

Blood energy, even more intense than before, erupted in all directions. A frigid chill that seemed capable of freezing space itself swirled around. Feathers, swimming in a different timestream amid the urgent moment, glided through the air.

Creeeak—

The bowstring, drawn to its limit…

*Twang!*—

Was released.

The arrow approached.
Death rushed toward me.
Brunhilde’s will, wrapped in a massive storm, was fired at me.

But this wasn’t the game.

This wasn’t an instant-kill technique.
Not a pattern that would automatically trigger.
Not an attack that couldn’t be countered.

Therefore, I could block it.

Just like always.

I stepped forward with one foot.
Drew the other back.
Twisted my waist and pulled Frey forward.

Simultaneously, I traced the arrow’s trajectory.
Following instinct and perception,

I raised Frey at an angle.

And swung upward.

CLANG!

[Flowing Water].

With perfect distribution of force, the sword’s path precisely struck Brunhilde’s arrow upward. The deflected arrow soared into the sky. As it reached its apex, it exploded with indescribable magical energy, casting darkness across the world.

The transcendent energy that erupted from above tore through steel and shattered the tree roots. The ground beneath my feet collapsed. My body fell. Fierce winds rushed past. At the same moment, the spirits’ wind wrapped around me. Sharp electrical currents stabilized my body.

Crack — Newly extended roots supported me from below.
The steel covering them added stability.

“Ahaha!”

With a smile of delight, Brunhilde summoned a long spear to her hand. The black flames enveloping her body burned more intensely. Her massive wings spread out as if to cover the entire sky.

Her wings flapped. Black flames scattered everywhere. Minions born from these flames covered the ground. Thousands, tens of thousands of minions. Servants wrapped in black flames—beings never seen even in the game—clashed with the Liberation Army.

“Everyone, follow the original plan.”

My quiet voice was carried to my companions by the spirits’ wind.

Serr’s gaze turned to me.
Then Hermilla, Alex, Delia.

And even Rubia.

“And Serr, Rubia—open the door to the End of the World.”

As they all looked at me with questioning eyes…

I faced Brunhilde.
Raised Frey high.
Corrected my stance.

And said:

“Ten minutes. I’ll finish everything by then.”