Chapter 371 – The Last Time ‘She’ Could Love (4)

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Bael had many choices.

It was far easier to count what he couldn’t do than what he could.

The King of the Devil Gods.

Unlike other Devil Gods who were merely fragments of the ‘Ancient One’.

Bael was beyond approaching the origin; he had become the origin himself.

An existence that couldn’t even be categorized as a Devil God, another ‘Old Ancient One’.

To offer such a being a deal was pathetic. What meaning could a deal have for someone who could overturn everything? 

The plan that the Seasons had prepared, the great work that Agares had completed through hundreds of millions of regressions, were nothing more than a momentary amusement to Bael. 

A fleeting game that would crumble like a sandcastle with a mere flick of his finger.

Even the threat from the Goddess was, in reality, meaningless.

A non-aggression pact with Yoo-seong?

At best, it was just a verbal agreement, not a formal contract.

Breaking it would have virtually no penalty.

The shackles that bound Bael were so fragile that they would shatter with a mere cough.

There was no reason to accept Autumn’s deal.

Absolutely none.

The price of the deal was.

Just a trivial thing that could be easily obtained.

“But you accepted it.”

Autumn hummed a tune, muttering to herself.

“Why is that? It must be because you are a lazy king.”

A powerless king who knows everything, and therefore can do nothing.

Wanting to know nothing, yet unable to avoid knowing everything.

Because he has no choice but to know everything, life has no substance.

The effort to know, the will to do.

For Bael, these were like forbidden dreams.

The only thing that piqued his interest was…

Something even he didn’t know.

An irregular who painted the predicted future with the unknown.

“You made a contract with that child for that reason, didn’t you?”

If it had been the original future.

If it had been the future predicted by Bael and the Seasons.

Three hundred years ago.

The Heroes should have been annihilated.

Yoo-seong, Lucille, Michael, even Iris (Amon).

Instead of fighting Bael for seven days, they would have fallen within hours.

Even then, Michael and Alice would have died within ten minutes.

Then Lucille, and finally even Yoo-seong would have knelt.

“But, it was wrong.”

The destiny planned by the Gods was broken.

Although the ‘Godlike One’ and the ‘Pinnacle of Humanity’ died young from the aftereffects of the battle, no one died and all returned alive. 

Yoo-seong’s sword pierced Bael’s heart, and both sides were nearly incapacitated. A draw. An overwhelming defeat was overturned into a draw. It was a miracle. Something even the Gods had not foreseen.

“That’s the gift we prepared for you.”

The chosen one.

The sword of the plan reforged by the Seasons.

So strong that,

Because Yoo-seong’s power overwhelmed even other Devil Gods.

It was easy to overlook, but originally, Yoo-seong’s ability was tailored to Bael.

A god-slaying sword that would drag Bael’s omnipotence down to the realm of mere competence.

“There were chosen ones before Yoo-seong.”

But none of those chosen ones were as strong as Yoo-seong.

“They were test types.”

Experimental stages for the finished product.

“Yoo-seong was a prototype.”

A prototype to prove the results of past experiments.

He proved his performance by carving out Bael’s heart.

“And, Eugene.”

The finished product.

Catching all flaws and errors.

Correcting past mistakes and failures.

Born by mobilizing all of the Seasons’ capabilities.

A one-off type.

The completed chosen one.

A Heavenly God.

“So Yoo-seong is no longer needed. The God of War has fulfilled his role, so we must use him even like this.”

Unlike her excited voice, her expression was dry.

As hard as a fruit that has lost all its moisture.

She narrowed her eyes, which looked like a collection of rolling fallen leaves.

“Yoo-seong. My son.”

From birth, the chosen one was not ordinary. They were extraordinary.

They were truly the sons of Gods.

If Supernaturals were those who received the blessings of Gods, the chosen ones were those who received the blood of Gods.

From the moment they were in their mother’s womb, the blood of the Seasons was injected, and they were born as superhumans.

Therefore, their talents were immeasurable, and they always reigned as the strongest of their time.

Among those chosen ones, Yoo-seong, who was closest to the finished product, and Eugene, the finished product, were even more special.

They had no father. The Seasons breathed life directly into an excellent mother. Children born without a father. No, children whose father was directly a God. The true sons of Gods. The demigods. Children of Gods.

“My lovely child.”

She remembers.

Forgetting is not allowed for Gods.

She could recall those moments at any time.

A small, wriggling baby.

A tiny infant who couldn’t even open his eyes or speak.

That baby grew up to be an uncontrollable rascal.

A five-year-old child, his baby fat not yet gone, ran around with a wooden sword, climbed trees, and burst into laughter.

Even if he fell, he wouldn’t get hurt, but how worried she was.

He seemed even more excited by the horrified reactions of the people around him, and even started singing.

Autumn still remembers that song, with its terrible rhythm and pronunciation.

Time passed, and the child grew into a boy and went out into the world.

Growing up, he unconsciously realized that he was different from others.

With an unknown loneliness and isolation.

The boy embarked on a journey to save the world, as if destined.

Seeing many things.

Experiencing many things.

Meeting trusted friends.

Making a beloved lover.

Experiencing failure. Getting hurt.

Falling and getting back up.

Sometimes laughing. Sometimes crying.

With courage even in regret and despair.

The boy lived through an era of war.

Strongly.

“I’ve always watched over you. Cheering with joy, holding my breath with anxiety… When you encountered Bael, I was so scared. Knowing it was a predetermined fate, I still hoped it would go wrong. And I wished that you would transcend fate and create a new future according to our design.”

In the end, everything worked out well.

The blueprint for the god-slaying sword called ‘chosen one’ was finally completed.

All that remained was to make a more improved sword than Yoo-seong.

“The chosen one cannot be mass-produced. We needed time to make the next sword. Yoo-seong, you bought that time wonderfully.”

Although there were flaws in the finished product due to various factors, there was no change in the Seasons’ plan.

Just as Agares was carrying out their own great work.

They were also steadily preparing their own plan.

All the materials were prepared, and the foundation of the picture was all drawn, so now they just had to draw the pupils on the dragon’s face.

“Now that you’ve served your purpose, you’re no longer needed. Please sacrifice yourself for us.”

Even the last variable was blocked.

In exchange for handing Yoo-seong over to Bael.

“…”

Autumn, who had escaped from the chaos where Bael resided, returned to her own nest. The outskirts of the world. A space outside the laws of the world, belonging to paradise yet not belonging. The garden of the Gods. Her lips, which had been talking to herself as if telling someone, quietly closed. Her expression was peaceful, as if nothing had happened.

The color of her hair gradually changed from the ends. The golden hair, woven with light, was dyed red as if the color had faded. After blinking a few times, her pink eyes also turned blue. 

Her appearance did not change, but the impression changed drastically just by changing some parts. The subtle lewdness that she had subtly exuded disappeared as if washed away. Replacing it was a warmth like well-ripened barley.

This was her original appearance.

When she stood before Bael, she had only intentionally imitated the appearance of her sister.

“…This tiresome war will end soon.”

Who will be the winner, who will be the loser.

Whose blood will soak the floor, and who will stand on it.

It will soon be judged.

“…Haha.”

Suddenly, she laughed.

Looking up at the sky.

With a distorted smile mixed with frustration and determination.

“Ah, aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!”

She let out a silent scream.

This was her true self, which she only showed when she was alone, and never revealed to anyone.

Her knees buckled helplessly and she collapsed as if crumbling.

Autumn grabbed her hair and screamed in silence.

“My child! My child! Ah! My child! I lost him again! Why?! Why?! Why?!”

Tears blurred her vision.

The Goddess’s tears stained the floor.

Twisting her body as if she would tear herself apart, she rolled on the floor.

“I did as you said! Everything! It went according to your plan! Spring! Spring! Spriiiiiing! Is this okay? Is this okayyyyyyy?!”

What was right?

Was this really the right answer?

Was this really the best?

It was too late to consider such things.

Yes, it was too late.

From that day. From the day the ‘Ancient One’ destroyed her hometown.

No.

If it was then, there was still room for recovery.

What truly became irreversible was.

From the moment Lucille was made a scapegoat.

From the moment she agreed to Spring’s plan to sacrifice that child.

“If this happens, I won’t even be able to recover that child’s soul! Like Lucille! Like that child! I can’t hold him again! If he just died! If he just diiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiied! At least I could hold him in my arms agaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaain!!!!!”

Tears flow.

The Goddess’s tears become a river.

Flowing and flowing over the dry floor, it became a sea.

Please, at least curse us.

Lucille.

Because you are a good child.

Until the very end, you did not sincerely hate us.

If only you had hated us sincerely.

If only you had truly hated, cursed, and insulted us.

If only that had been the case…

Yoo-seong.

That child should not have met this end.

In the end, he should have met it quietly, in peace.

I should have embraced his wounded soul and guided him to the next life.

“───────────!!!”

The scream continued.

Autumn clutched her chest and screamed until her throat was torn.

All she could do now was that.

※

“…She’s probably crying.”

“Probably.”

“Why did you make Autumn do it? Why her of all people?”

“I didn’t make her. She volunteered.”

“You should have stopped her anyway.”

“What can I do when she says she doesn’t want to turn a blind eye to her sins? She said she wanted to see off her own child, so I couldn’t bring myself to stop her.”

“Still… No, never mind. Apologize to Autumn later.”

“I’ll have to apologize to Yoo-seong too.”

“…Don’t.”

“Why not?”

“You, you’re not going to be sincere with Yoo-seong anyway, even if you are with Autumn.”

“Did it show?”

“…Sometimes I miss the old you.”

“I haven’t changed.”

“You have. From the moment you said you would sacrifice Lucille.”

“…”

“Autumn had a big role, but strictly speaking, Yoo-seong is all of our child. But Lucille was your child.”

“Everything is for the sake of the greater good.”

“Haa, yeah. The greater good. How nice. If you put up the sign of the greater good, you can do anything.”

“…”

“I’m not really questioning you. Spring, just… sometimes… I wonder if we’re too stuck in the past… No, um, it’s nothing.”

“Winter.”

“I know. It’s too late to regret it. Now that we’ve crossed the line, we can’t stop anymore.”

“Yes, even if we accumulate so much evil in the process…”

“Everything is.”

“For our old children who fell that day, in that place. Unfairly. Miserably. Horribly. Painfully. Vainly. Whose souls could not even be saved.”

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
A human does not understand the heart of god.

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Astaroth’s plan was the best course of action, you know?

Too bad that she was too stupid and incompetent to do it, how incompetent~

If only someone else can pull it off~