Ch.122Chapter 122. The End of Destiny

# The Beginning was the Happiest Time

It began in the happiest of times.

Under the care of someone beloved, I learned the beauty of the world, believing that everything would love me in return.

But such innocent feelings are only permitted beneath a mother’s shadow.

The moment that shadow disappeared, I had no choice but to realize.

The world was cruel, and to resist such cruelty, I had to choose to dirty my own hands.

To survive in such a world, I fought countless battles, and gradually, as I became an adult, I came to understand.

If what I had seen thus far was the foundation of the world, how should I live after being suddenly thrown into this world?

-KWANG!

Two people with such roots are now rushing at each other, each aiming for the other’s throat.

This too is the final destination of humanity’s original sin.

An extension of war waged under irreconcilable purposes.

-KWARREUNG!

Though they shared the same memories, they sought to break each other for their own ideals.

If this is the reality I must accept, then I would rather conform to that reality by destroying the world that has caused me pain.

If this is the reality I must accept, then I will build my strength and resist it to escape.

No matter how harsh, no matter how frightening the future that awaits.

-KWAGGEUNG!

After a series of collisions filled with such determination, the two are pushed apart.

Even amidst this chaos, the unconscious dragon responds to the power contained within its body and charges through the mountain range.

Unable to support its weight properly with legs made of ash, the dragon moves like it’s crawling, even as it collapses.

Its erratic movements show no consideration for those above, and the platform made of bones and scales constantly shifts and changes.

-CHWARREUREUK!

But even on this chaotic ground, what needs to be targeted is clear.

Various cold weapons forming one by one in the places they pass.

Grabbing whatever is at hand, the two leap repeatedly toward each other, clashing their magical power.

First with swords.

Then with axes that have mass, and hammers.

Blocking the enemy’s attack with a shield, targeting blind spots with an iron ball attached to a chain, then diving in close with daggers and hidden weapons.

-KWANG!!

In the midst of the chaos created by numerous entangled weapons, they eventually grasp what they are most familiar with—a sword and a spear.

-KWAGGANG!!

The storm of magical power unleashed with full force swept through countless times, but even that was endured as they focused on carving away at each other’s flesh.

The storm arising from the collision of their wills is not light.

But they must cut through even that and move forward, to act ahead of the opponent and look for openings.

-JJEOK!

That was the war they knew.

In a battle where life and death interchange by the second, leisure is merely a luxury.

They fix their gaze solely on those aiming for their throats, blocking enemy attacks while swinging their weapons.

-KWAGGANG!

The vertebrae collapse, unable to withstand such collisions.

As the two fall downward, they begin to see shadows wandering through the crudely constructed interior of the dragon.

These are monstrosities created from the distortion of their past memories.

Their appearance, like a mixture of reptilian bones and human clay figures, moved the emotions of those who faced them just by their presence.

Giving one side an advantage, and the other fear.

-KKIYAAAAAAAAAAK!!

Yes, this is the heart of enemy territory.

It was clear whom they would follow.

-JJEOK!

So they create weapons without letting their guard down and thrust them into the bodies of these creatures.

Weapons made of pure magical power are like solid auras in themselves.

The monstrosities made from crushed dragon bones are easily carved out, and the weapons embedded in their bodies explode, bringing down the forces.

-PEOPEONG, PEOEONG!

At the end of this repeated action, what returns is a blade tempered with red currents.

As that blade cuts through even allied bodies and splits the dragon’s interior, a flock of crows begins to attack through the gaps where strong winds rush in from outside.

A flock of crows watching for prey even at this moment.

It’s not difficult to deal with them, but if their numbers accumulate, strength will fall, minor injuries will pile up, and eventually provide an opportunity for the enemy to strike unexpectedly.

-KWARREUNG!

Just as they prepared to fight through even this, a boulder was thrown in front of him, and as the flock of crows was swept away, a shadow began to appear, watching this place.

A young Wizard Hero floating on fragments, lifting multiple rocks together. And below, another hero striking up debris from where the dragon had swept through.

Though only two people, even such cover was helping to secure room to advance toward the enemy.

-KWAAA!

Through such an opportunity, they navigate through the distorted interior of the dragon.

At the end of that journey, the impact caused the Red Knight’s body to be pushed far from its position.

Fragments and ash scatter in all directions. And while struggling in that, the tip of a spear that had already closed the distance.

-KWAANG!!

As the body was pushed back by an uppercut from a blind spot, the opponent likewise gathered mana in his legs and continued tracking pursuit after pursuit.

Not wanting to miss this moment of opportunity, he repeatedly stabbed the enemy’s body on the shaking ground, then tracked and stabbed the flying body again.

JJEOJUK!

But even that couldn’t last long, and he felt his actions being restrained as they came to a halt midway.

Despite being reduced to tatters from one-sided attacks.

By the actions of the Red Knight who grabbed the spear embedded in his shoulder and glared at him.

-KWANG!!

When the counterattack that followed in such a self-sacrificing state collided with the armor, the Red Knight who gained the upper hand realized one thing and smiled.

Yes, this is the difference between the living and the dead.

With enough magical power, they can regenerate wounds to some extent, and lacking physical pain, they have no fear of death, so they can rise again and again without sparing their bodies.

On the other hand, the opponent is a human with a beating heart and breathing lungs. Excessive movement requires more breath, and overexertion causes strain on the body, bringing pain.

Just enduring that requires tremendous mental strength.

“Give up.”

In this relationship that had once again reversed, the Red Knight who gripped his deployed weapon declared firmly.

“Give up now!!!!!”

-KWAGGANG, KWANG!!

A series of explosions as their weapons collide.

The Red Knight’s axe, rushing through the gap, collides with the shield in his hand, causing a tremor.

“Why are you going this far?”

Even as a sword rises from below with enough momentum to split through that, she ignores being stabbed and continues to move, swinging her sword repeatedly to drive him back.

“You know better than anyone that living only brings more pain. You, who are alive, know better that just giving up is easier!!”

The Red Knight overwhelms the opponent with momentum in the power struggle that follows. Her gaze filled with contempt mixed with compassion toward the opponent.

That this world is infinitely harsh and hopeless is something the one who shares memories with her would feel even more clearly.

Yet the reason for resistance could not be understood by a dead person bound only to the past.

“…Not yet.”

Believing that the reason he stands here is right, he pours strength into his body.

“It’s not over yet….”

If the world were only harsh, giving up might be the right answer, but if there exists even a little bit in such a world.

-TEOLSSEOK.

If there exists even the slightest thing that could be called light.

“…Wh-what.”

Feeling that faint light becoming prominent at this moment, he gathered magical power in the spear he had been using for defense and watched the opponent’s appearance.

The relentless attack that seemed endless had subsided, and her knees had hit the ground.

The backlash of the tactics that disregarded her body since the moment she realized she was dead had begun to overtake her.

“Because you don’t feel pain, you’re not aware that your body is becoming crippled.”

It’s a natural result. Even though she’s dead, the framework is still clearly a human body.

If stress is applied to muscles and bones, even if one doesn’t feel pain, movement will inevitably be restricted.

Even if regeneration occurs according to magical power, it takes time for that regeneration to be completed.

“If there’s a limit to that vaunted regeneration ability…”

“Then if I beat you until you die, I win. Isn’t that right!?”

At the attack filled with magical power that followed, targeting this opportunity, the body was pushed back with a KWANG!

Resisting this, the Red Knight drew upon her regenerative powers, grasped swords in both hands, and began to rush at him again.

“You who are nearly dead!!!”

In the end, if one has life, one is bound to die someday.

So it’s just a matter of pushing until death, which applies to both sides.

He is gradually being consumed even as he protects himself, while she is replenished despite being chipped away. If this fight drags on, it’s clear which side will win.

-KWAGGANG!!

Yet it is not the opponent but herself who is being pushed back in this fight.

She never realized why her offense and defense were increasingly being pushed back.

In a moment of life or death where one cannot step back even a single step, it rather leads to the impulse that one must not be broken, exerting strength beyond one’s limits.

She, who focused only on memories of always surviving despite trembling in fear in the past, could not understand that desperation.

“Urgh…”

Yet not wanting to be defeated.

The thought that she must not be pushed back here is causing both bodies that should be pushed back to straighten up with even stronger determination.

“Ah, aaaah!!”

So she pushes forward, having abandoned even reason.

Solely to bring down the opponent.

Repeatedly rushing toward each other, thinking only of that one thing.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAK!!!”

The aftermath of the fierce barrage that unfolds at the end causes the surroundings to be overturned, and droplets of blood scatter in all directions.

A desperate offense and defense that continues while breaking the dragon’s spine and advancing.

In that fight where neither the forces that gathered around nor the assistance rushing in from outside had room to enter, the one who finally gained the upper hand was none other than the living one.

-KWANG!

As the body impaled on the spear rolls on the ground from the impact, a falling sword is grasped by a reflexively outstretched hand, stopping the advance.

As the aura-filled blade gradually cuts through the mana-filled grip. The Red Knight, receiving the rotten blood on her face, vomits blood and denies reality.

“How on earth…”

“…Because I carry more.”

The blade gradually digging into the grip.

As it gathers strength to cut through the shoulder, the Red Knight also resists with her broken body.

“Because I carry different things from you, who decided to throw everything away and destroy it all…”

“…Such things are useless.”

“It’s thanks to what you deemed useless that I could come this far.”

Because there is much to lose, because he knows that if it ends here, it’s not just himself who dies.

That’s why the living can advance more desperately.

-KWANG!!

At the end of that, the left arm flies away from the magical explosion. And the tip of the spear embedded in that body.

The sword barely manifested doesn’t reach him and is stuck in the dragon’s bone, barely preventing that body from being pushed back.

“So I won’t give up. Until I die, absolutely…!”

The man who manifests weapons, preparing to rush at such a person again.

As he said, his determination will never be broken until his life ends.

Despite being damaged to the limit from the fierce exchange, the power still alive in his eyes proved it.

-KKIYOAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!

But such a gaze can only be maintained when the opponent is human.

At this moment, the Red Knight tried to send a signal to the dragon they were standing on through the sword she had thrust into the ground.

There’s not much she can do.

The unstably constructed dragon has lost even its self-awareness, and trying to infuse power into an empty, cracked vessel would only cause most of the power to leak out.

All that can flow from such a body is perhaps just the ash that flows out as the body decomposes.

-KWAAAAAA!

But even the debris flow that erupted at the end is fatal to humans.

Feeling her airway being blocked by the smoke that spewed from the mouth and gradually filled the surroundings, she felt her movements becoming increasingly sluggish.

A situation from which she cannot be free, unlike the dead whose breath has already stopped.

“Urgh, haaa…!”

Yet the reason she exerts strength while gritting her teeth is because she has the will to seize this opportunity, even if it means being prepared for her breath to stop.

“Ah, aaaaaaak!!”

The javelin thrown while breathing with lungs that are gradually hardening.

The body of the Red Knight hit by that attack is pushed back, and even the arm fixed to the sword embedded in the ground is severed.

Yes, the Red Knight now has lost the function of both arms at the end of the fierce battle.

It seemed her body would be pushed out of the dragon due to the loss of balance, but by enduring just one step back, she managed to avoid falling.

“Puhu, hahaha!! Now, it’s the limit, truly the limit has come…!”

On the other hand, the opponent’s lungs are half-hardened due to the debris flow.

Without recovery, he would slowly die from oxygen deprivation if left alone, but conversely, the dead are slowly regenerating even at this moment.

The torn arm rapidly grows from the tendons, and soon bones and muscles sprout—a matter of just a moment.

-JIING!

As if even that is too much to wait for, the Red Knight draws in spirits to create the shape of a hand with mana, and soon an aura shaped like a blood wind begins to rise in her grip.

“If you share my memories… you probably thought like this. Yes, all of this is exactly the same as back then.”

The imperfectly manifested dragon, and the hero’s ghost that has come to replace the dragon’s wrath on top of it.

The cruel smile drawn on her lips at the end stemmed from compassion for the pitiful end of the person before her.

“And the end of that story was humans being defeated by dragons. This fight was predetermined from the beginning…!”

In the end, it’s just a repetition of history.

In the end, humans will end up unable to overcome calamity.

“With this, the meaningless fight ends. Stop interfering with me and… disappear forever!!”

Feeling that this is being repeated even at this moment, the Red Knight gathered strength with confidence in this moment’s victory, with the momentum to annihilate him.

Not realizing that something splitting the dark clouds in the sky was flying toward her.

-PEOEONG!!!

Yes, what descended at this moment was the intervention of a third party that no one expected.

An attack that fell like a meteor from the sky precisely struck the hand holding the sword, causing the blade concentrated with magical power to fall beneath the dragon and scatter miserably.

“Wh-what…?”

Just when she thought it was about to end, what on earth happened at this moment?

Why did a lump of magical power that fell unexpectedly from the sky interfere with her as she was about to clinch victory?

-PEOPEONG, PEOEONG!

No, it’s not just one.

Flashes pouring from the sky at this moment were falling on various parts of the dragon’s body rampaging in the mountain range, causing confusion.

A technique mimicking what is commonly called a meteor shower.

When he saw this phenomenon descend upon the scene, the face of someone flashed in his mind as he clung to his fading consciousness.

Irie Haven.

The prophet who had vaguely foreseen a future like this even before this fight began.

The star magic she handles requires a time lag that can only be effective when used with future prediction, but when facing a Transcendent, it’s impossible to perfectly predict and assist their actions.

But as for possibilities.

Even if she can’t accurately predict how the fight will unfold after her companion rushes in, she can at least dimly confirm numerous possibilities.

‘So she attempts to overturn fate by dropping meteors on all points corresponding to those possibilities.’

Of course, it’s a strategy hastily put together as the future changed, and even pouring all her strength into it, she couldn’t aim for lethality because the power was dispersed.

But if even with such a crude attack, she succeeds in preventing the opponent’s actions and creating even the slightest gap.

‘Go, Hyoseong.’

Believing that he would not miss that opportunity.

-PPUDEUDEUK!!

His body, which instinctively realized that intention, a body he thought wouldn’t move, gradually began to move.

Moving without breathing means the strain on the body can only worsen.

But even so, he wants to move forward by exerting his determination.

For he knows that what the living should truly fear is not pain, but a situation where there is no hope no matter how desperately one struggles.

-PPADEUDDEUK, DEUDEUK!!!!

If such hope exists, even if it’s just a little, just a thread-like level, he must move forward.

The moment a spear forged from such will was grasped in his hand, fear began to bloom on the face of the Red Knight whose both hands were destroyed.

“No…”

-KWANG!!!

The dragon’s wrath is pushed away from the dragon’s side by the impact.

She felt the power overflowing within her gradually subsiding just from the connection being broken.

As the power used for regeneration also runs out, her body crumbles like powder, and with no hands to grasp weapons, even gathered mana just scatters repeatedly.

Despite this, what awaited her as she tried to somehow maintain her posture was the figure of the hero who had jumped down from there following her, as if not allowing even that leisure.

“No, no. I’m still…”

At the very last moment.

When a single spear created by squeezing out that power and concentrating her strength at one point was precisely aimed at her body, resentment began to leak from her mouth.

Because she could not accept that her love and hatred for her mother, her revenge against humanity that had separated her from her, would end so futilely.

-SSWEHAAK!!!

But the world’s coldness applies without exception even to the apostles of the end.

-KWANG!!!!!

Eventually, the dragon’s wrath pierced by the final attack is miserably embedded at the bottom of the mountain.

With that as the turning point, the decaying body of the dragon also began to collapse.

And…..