Ch.285The Final Moment. (3)

# Chapter 285: The End. (3)

However, after our Empress had finished speaking those words.

She showed a lamenting expression with a long, deep sigh.

-“…Though I had set this up, I never thought it would actually need to be activated.”

-“…”

Her voice was truly filled with deep regret.

In response to the Empress’s lament, the Former Emperor merely showed a hesitant demeanor.

But soon, as if coming to his senses, the Former Emperor’s spirit raised even fiercer flames as he spoke to the Empress.

-“Then who is responsible for the sorrow and pain I’ve endured…!”

At those words, the epitome of complete self-centered egoism.

I, who had been quietly listening from behind, almost stepped forward in a moment of anger.

-“Do you truly believe that’s something you should be saying?”

-“!”

After hearing the Former Emperor’s words, the Empress continued with an extreme scolding along with a sigh.

-“You already broke your promise of lifelong companionship with me and acted on your own.”

-“…”

-“Breaking your promise with me, who is like your other half, you acted purely on emotion and drove countless beings to their deaths…”

-“…”

-“In a situation where you’ve committed acts that would bring this world to ruin, isn’t it too harsh to demand that someone take responsibility for your sorrow and pain?”

-“…No.”

Did the Empress’s merciless words damage the Former Emperor’s mental state?

His spirit momentarily staggered, seeming to weaken slightly.

But right after that.

-“I see, you’re not the Empress… you’re not her…”

Even while looking at the Empress’s spirit before him, he was desperately denying that she was the Empress.

But contrary to his desperate denial.

The Former Emperor couldn’t bring himself to attack the green spirit before his eyes, and instead showed signs of retreating.

And the Empress, who had been watching the Former Emperor with sorrowful eyes…

Eventually turned her head toward me again, and with a truly apologetic expression, began to speak.

-“I’m sorry, son-in-law, but thanks to you, Arto, buying time, I was able to absorb enough energy to manifest like this.”

“…I’m glad to hear that.”

Of course, now that it’s been revealed that my actions were essentially meaningless in defeating the ‘Former Emperor’.

I could only take a somewhat reproachful attitude toward the Empress.

‘If what I did was meaningless, what difference does it make to me whether she says that or not.’

But as if reading my thoughts.

The Empress smiled at me and continued with additional words.

-“His lowered guard is also thanks to your efforts, son-in-law.”

“…Pardon?”

-“Thanks to you buying so much time, you created all the conditions, including my manifestation.”

“…”

-“Remember this, your efforts were never in vain.”

After leaving those words for me, the Empress turned her head back to the Former Emperor’s spirit and spoke.

-“Let’s end this now. Let’s entrust everything in this world to our daughter and son-in-law, and it’s time for us to step back.”

-“…!!!”

As the Empress’s spirit approached the Former Emperor with arms spread wide in a defenseless state.

The Former Emperor couldn’t say anything, unable even to deny the Empress’s words as he continued to retreat.

But unlike the Former Emperor, who seemed unable to properly step back, the Empress’s spirit moved forward without hesitation.

After walking just a few steps, I could see the Empress’s spirit embracing the Former Emperor’s spirit tightly.

And right after seeing that.

I witnessed a massive amount of ‘energy’ flowing from the Former Emperor’s spirit into the Empress’s spirit.

At the same time, the Empress turned her head to look at me again…

“…Would you use that power to stop the world once more?”

Despite there being no change in her expression or tone of voice.

Somehow, along with words that seemed ‘extremely’ difficult.

At those words suggesting ‘time stop’, I flinched involuntarily.

‘…Alright, let’s do it.’

Trusting her words, I immediately activated the time stop from my status window.

[Time Stop]

And at that moment.

‘…????!!?!?’

In the frozen situation, I could see both the Former Emperor and the Empress still moving together.

Well, to be precise, that was the case immediately after the time stop.

As the Empress’s hand caressed the Former Emperor’s cheek, surprisingly, the Former Emperor’s body also froze.

And contrary to the Former Emperor’s body stopping…

-Swoosh

“What, what’s happening…huh?!”

This time, my body moved.

Unable to understand how the situation was unfolding, I was just filled with confusion.

“Be at ease, I temporarily absorbed this person’s power and gave it to you.”

I could hear the Empress saying that she had essentially temporarily delegated the Former Emperor’s authority to me.

“But since it’s only temporary, there’s less than a minute left in real time… remember that and listen carefully.”

“…Yes.”

-Ding♬

[Quest: The Final Minute]

[Follow the Empress’s request.]

[Time Remaining: 1 minute]

[Reward: ???]

As soon as the Empress finished speaking, a hastily made quest window appeared before my eyes, obstructing my view.

I roughly pushed the quest window away with my hand and decided to focus on the Empress’s words.

However, the Empress, who had mentioned there was a time limit, eventually handed me a dagger.

Interestingly, except for the rather ornate handle, it was composed of very geometric shapes.

As for the blade… it was such a strange object that I doubted whether it was even a material world item.

“What is this…?”

“This is a dagger forged from my claws, containing all the psionic essence of the galaxy’s ether dragons.”

It was clearly a very precious item, but why was she giving it to me?

When I asked this question with doubt in my voice.

The Empress, while continuing to caress the cheek of the Former Emperor she was embracing, continued speaking.

“Its purpose for existence is to be an artifact created for the eternal sealing of this person…”

“!”

“Originally, I should be the one to use it, but unfortunately, since I’ve absorbed this person’s power, it’s an item I can no longer touch.”

From the words that followed, I could somehow understand that as a result of the Empress forcibly absorbing the Former Emperor’s power.

The remaining strands of the Empress’s soul.

They had merged with the soul inside the Former Emperor’s body.

And at this point, I could understand what the Empress wanted from me.

“While I hold him, stab his back with it.”

“…”

At those words, I nodded and moved to go behind the Former Emperor’s spirit.

Given the limited time, I needed to handle this quickly, as she had said.

Of course, in the midst of proceeding.

“Please take good care of our daughter, Artlaia.”

“…Yes, Empress.”

After hearing these words, with less than 10 seconds remaining.

I responded to the Empress’s words and simultaneously thrust the dagger I was holding into the Former Emperor’s back.

And right after that.

-Ding, ding, dinginginginging!

With a cheerful notification sound, a quest message appeared before my eyes.

[Quest: The Final Minute]

[Follow the Empress’s request.]

[Time Remaining: 5 seconds]

[Quest Complete!]

[Reward: ???]

And simultaneously, all sorts of messages appeared brilliantly before my eyes.

[Event: Dimensional Split Bomb Stopped]

[Thanks to your excellent strategy and someone else’s sacrifice, the timer for the dimensional split bomb that the Former Emperor was trying to use has been stopped.]

[This will likely result in your name becoming known throughout the Empire and the entire galaxy someday.]

[Galaxy-wide Goodwill toward Administrator Arto Virtorius Sevelli +50]

And the most important message, befitting a protagonist, appeared very late.

[Event: Administrator Authority Revocation and Transfer]

[All administrator authorities and abilities held by the Former Emperor of the Holy Sevelli Empire are being revoked and transferred.]

[Next Successor: Arto Virtorius Sevelli]

Seeing the message that popped up, I felt my mind go blank for a moment.

‘Wait a minute, what am I supposed to do?’

But before I could give this matter any additional thought.

-Crack!

As I watched the time stop on the Former Emperor I had stabbed in the back being released, I began to wonder what I should be thinking.