Ch.149Chapter 149. Final Chapter (4)

Inside Rinasien, the womb of chaos was filled not with gray but with pitch-black darkness.

While the Demon King had been completely devoured, the Demon God and other Demon Dragon Knights might still be in the process of being digested after being sucked in.

“Kugh…!”

Unlike the sharp gray demonic energy that would tear into flesh, this darkness clung to people with a sticky sensation and pressed in with a constricting pressure.

Even with Lucy’s body, which far surpassed that of humans, she was swelling up as her blood couldn’t circulate properly.

Saaaa…

Before long, Lucy felt a light enveloping her.

“What is this?”

The pure white light gently illuminating the darkness was clearly different from the self-sacrificial life force that had burned the lives of Arsil and Tigria.

Nor was it the pink holy power that had sliced open Rinasien’s lower abdomen.

Lucy could easily guess that this light was holy power directly bestowed upon her by the Goddess.

But how?

The Goddess had said she couldn’t enter battle due to the constraints of causality.

Though curious, there was no time to ponder.

Since the pressing darkness had been pushed back, Lucy had only one thing to do.

“Rin-!!”

Apart from the faint holy power, she couldn’t distinguish anything at all.

In the perfect darkness, Lucy called out for Rin desperately.

Naturally, there was no answer.

“I need to find him quickly…!”

If she wasted time foolishly like this, Rin would be completely absorbed by Rinasien.

Anxiously flailing about searching for Rin, she could neither see nor touch anything.

“Rin!”

No matter how much she pushed the darkness away, she only grasped more darkness.

It wasn’t just the darkness that dispersed at Lucy’s touch.

The light surrounding the hero was noticeably dimming compared to before.

“Please… this isn’t for my sake…”

Trembling with fear at not being able to find him, she moved even more frantically, but it was futile.

“Ah…”

Was she going to lose him like this?

After coming here boasting that she would save him,

After coming all this way,

After consuming even the lives of Arsil and Tigria to get here?

Absolutely not.

Lucy closed her eyes.

She tried to feel.

The sound of his heartbeat.

She tried to find the heartbeat of the one who had clung to her since his limbs were severed.

There was no way she could have forgotten it.

The hero couldn’t have forgotten that faint memory engraved not on her body, but on her soul.

“Haaah…”

Exhaling all the air in her body, Lucy channeled her magical power.

In the darkness, red-gold magical energy appeared.

The magic rose around Lucy’s body and soon spun into a single red thread.

It wasn’t something newly created,

But the red thread of fate she had woven countless times with her own hair in her immature days when she simply wanted to possess him.

Her love and selfishness toward Rin, tied in a knot around his finger after looping it around her own pinky.

Holding her breath, Lucy opened her eyes.

The trajectory of the beautiful red thread pierced through the darkness, leading somewhere.

Only then could Lucy manage a faint smile.

“Found you…!”

—

As much as he didn’t want to admit it, the darkness was far too comfortable.

Rin, completely absorbed by Rinasien and contained within her womb like a dwarf in a flask, found it difficult to resist this coziness.

From the moment he was consumed by Chaos, his fate was as good as sealed.

All his efforts had turned to bubbles, and all that remained was for Rinasien to destroy the world.

Rin found himself feeling relief rather than despair or anger, surprisingly.

‘I did my best.’

But Rin alone had done his best.

Despite enduring countless torments, who remained by his side in the end?

Even Ravin had reached his limit, and even the Dragon Knights couldn’t overcome Rainford’s shield.

Those who had wronged him had long since lost their resolve, and those who had shown him kindness were too weak.

He thought it couldn’t be helped.

‘That’s just my life.’

His first life, which he couldn’t even remember, was said to have ended with him throwing away his life to save his loved one who was defiled before his eyes.

His second life ended with betrayal by those he trusted and loved until the end, all because of that damned purity and chastity.

And this final life… he simply struggled without being loved and would drown in darkness.

Rin curled up like a fetus.

If he closed his eyes here, this demonic energy would carve out his conscience and turn him into a completely different being.

A distorted being that Rinasien wanted, one who would look only at her.

Even if not, Chaos would force his eyes open and show him the destroyed world while whispering her own love, continuing days of torment.

‘What does it matter anyway.’

Rin was tired.

He had suffered too many wounds and swallowed too much sorrow to get here.

He had endured being treated as less than human while hiding his identity under those who had destroyed the Sewage Alley.

Even that mask was a result of contempt toward him.

Nevertheless, he had fulfilled his duty.

He had carried the entire burden of the hero’s party all by himself to get here.

To Arsil, who wanted the revival of the alley, he had entrusted the new children of the alley.

To Naidrian, who wanted reforestation to replace the Elven Forest, he had given hope for a new foundation.

To Tigria, who wanted to know what love was, he had at least shown the direction of true love.

To Lucy, who had given up everything after being betrayed, he had become the very purpose of life.

And yet…

Rin was still carrying that burden.

‘I’ve reached my limit now.’

Couldn’t he put down this burden now?

Please, I tried so hard.

‘Just praise me, really.’

I won’t ask you to ease this loneliness.

I won’t ask you to heal these wounds.

I won’t ask you to take away this sadness.

Just,

Now that all hope is gone,

Don’t rely on me anymore.

It’s just too hard.

A sense of powerlessness dominated Rin.

Ah, I want to sleep.

The porter felt his mission was over.

Knowing that his third life as Rin was coming to an end, he slowly lowered his eyelids.

Before his eyes closed completely, he smiled faintly.

Finally, liberation…

“Rin-!!!!”

Someone called for him.

“Rin!!!!”

With a desperate and anxious voice.

At the voice searching for him like a child, he barely managed to open his heavy eyes slightly.

“Lucy…?”

Don’t disturb me.

I want to rest now.

“Rin, can you hear me?”

No, I can’t hear you.

Let’s stop this.

Lucy, I’m too tired.

“I’ve come to save you!”

It’s too late. If you were going to save me, you should have done it when I was suffering among people.

“I’m sorry I’m late. I’m sorry I hurt you. I’m sorry I’m such a fool who can only apologize!”

The apology is fine.

Once I fall into this deep sleep, I’ll be alright.

“But even a fool like me… I don’t want to live in a world without you.”

You really are a fool.

The world is going to end anyway.

The world without me won’t last long either.

“As a sinner who has hurt you… I have a duty to help you be happy until the end. No, that’s my mission.”

A hero should save the world.

What’s the point of saving my happiness?

“You are my everything. My world. Your happiness is the only goal of my life. Just as you saved me, I’ll save you too. I promised Ravin that!”

Ah, what is this?

This warmth.

“I’m sorry, I’m such a fool that I don’t know what else to beg for. But there’s one thing even someone like me knows is right.”

Don’t come closer.

If I open my eyes again, only pain will continue.

“Even a sinner like me knows that it’s only right, it’s the correct path, that you who have sacrificed so much should find happiness, even if I die here.”

*Grab*

“So Rin, let’s live, okay? Be happy. You’ve suffered so much. You’ve really suffered so much… you’ve gone through too much because of people like me…!”

A warm sensation spread through his shoulders.

Someone was holding him tightly.

Embracing him firmly as if afraid to lose him, pressing an ear against his heartbeat.

“You told me to accept the past, face the present, and live the approaching future properly… You said you might forgive me if I did that…”

“Lucy…”

The porter’s lips moved to call the hero.

But the hero was still listening to his heartbeat while pleading.

“It’s okay if you don’t forgive me. My sin is too deep to even ask for forgiveness. Instead, if that’s the case, I’ll commit just one more sin against you.”

“…?!”

His body spun around, and the hero pulled the porter toward herself, reversing their positions.

Lucy, concentrating all her strength in her arms with red-gold magic and enhancement, threw him forcefully out of the darkness.

“Uwaaaaaa-!!!”

“Lucy! What are you doing!”

Rin shouted toward her as his eyes widened from the floating sensation.

Even as he did so, Rin was rapidly exiting the darkness.

“You must live! You must be happy!”

The hero, who had tried to smile brightly at seeing him open his eyes, couldn’t hold back her tears.

“Happy… *sob*…!”

Even through her blurred vision, the red thread shone brightly.

Ah, if only she could follow him out even now.

But the light bestowed by the Goddess had already used up its power and was flickering, and the demonic energy was tightening around her moment by moment.

If only she could at least convey these feelings to him at the end.

But Lucy didn’t do that.

“I’m so sorry… sorry for being worthless until the end…”

“Lucy-!!!”

“You must… be happy…”

She reached out toward him as he grew more distant.

She bit her lip hard to hold back the feelings about to burst forth.

‘I love you.’

She held back until the end.

She absolutely did not let it out.

Because I don’t deserve it.

Well done, Lucy.

This is the end that suits you.

I was too happy just to look at your back, which I couldn’t turn around to face.

“Goodbye… Rin…”

Lucy closed her eyes in complete resignation.

*Crackle!*

And the darkness tore her body to shreds, crushed it, and turned it into rags.

Saaaaa…

Only the broken red thread floated in the darkness.