Ch.286The Final Moment. (4)

# Chapter 286: The End. (4)

‘Is this bastard playing tricks again?!’

With that thought, I immediately took a step back.

But the Former Emperor merely sighed at my reaction.

“…Huuuuuh.”

While I flinched at his deep sigh that seemed to come from the depths of his soul.

Ignoring my reaction, the Former Emperor eventually began to speak words filled with regret.

“I… I wasn’t unaware this would be the outcome… I knew it all along.”

“But I was simply denying it to myself.”

“However, one thing is certain… I now know that you, Empress, never abandoned me.”

“Then according to your words, I too must quietly accept my fate.”

“You…”

As the Former Emperor spoke, there was clearly a ‘short’ sword embedded in his back.

Despite having a blade longer than most kitchen knives stuck in his back.

He showed no signs of pain as he simply pulled the sword out of his back.

Even more surprising, when the Former Emperor removed the sword.

The ethereal body that resembled blue burning flames began to fade.

Eventually revealing a middle-aged man with a thick beard wearing an elaborate uniform, who appeared to be in his late middle age by Earth standards.

He was about my height, but with a more imposing build and exceptionally sturdy physique.

His face, adorned with a beard and mustache, was covered in scars including deep gashes that made him resemble a vicious serial killer.

Yet the eyes with which he gazed at the Empress embracing him were filled with a gentleness that completely contradicted his usual demeanor, which was quite bizarre.

Additionally, unlike his fierce appearance, his expression was so gentle—perhaps he was that pleased to meet his Empress.

It was enough to give me goosebumps, considering how much I had suffered because of him.

But contrary to my inner thoughts, our Empress, who was still holding the Former Emperor, looked at him and said:

“Heheheh, this appearance suits you best after all.”

“…”

As she caressed the Former Emperor’s cheek again, I couldn’t help but wonder how I should interpret this situation.

But such thoughts were instantly blown away by the Former Emperor’s next action.

*Stare*

He was looking at me with an incredibly murderous gaze while holding the dagger.

‘Is this bastard going to stab me with that thing now because I stabbed him?’

Seeing him like that, I was momentarily gripped by the thought of what would happen if he charged at me with it.

But contrary to my expectations, the Former Emperor turned around immediately after pulling out the knife.

And offered it to me with the blade in his hand and the handle pointing toward me.

“…?”

“Take it. This now belongs to you.”

After saying that and handing me the knife.

He took the hand of the Empress who had been embracing him, turned his head toward me, and.

“?!”

An expression that didn’t match his usual behavior at all.

That is, he was making an apologetic face toward me.

And what followed were words I found even harder to believe.

“I am truly sorry. Because of my mistake, you have suffered.”

“…”

“I shall bestow upon you the abilities I possessed as a dimensional administrator.”

As those words left the Former Emperor’s mouth, a new event message appeared before my eyes.

*Ding*

[Pause]

[Event: Administrator Authority and Ability Transfer in Progress]

[Succession in progress.]

[Pause Released]

“Because I couldn’t let go of my greed, this situation has come to pass.”

“Hmm.”

“I truly have no excuses to offer, so I can only apologize.”

As he continued to express deep remorse, I stared at the Former Emperor with extremely mixed feelings.

“Haah… it’s all my fault, all my fault.”

And the Former Emperor at the end of my gaze could only repeat his lamentations.

Then shortly after…

*Ding*

[Pause]

[Event: Administrator Authority Transfer Complete]

[Authority has been transferred to Arto Virtorius Sebelli.]

[Thanks to your efforts, the universe has regained peace.]

[We all pay our respects to you.]

[Pause Released]

With the appearance of such an event message, I could see the Former Emperor’s ethereal body slowly turning to dust and disappearing, starting from his legs.

No, it wasn’t just the Former Emperor who was disappearing…

*Ding!*

[Pause]

[Event: The Administrator’s End]

[The former administrator and his wife will never again possess the power of an administrator.]

[Of course, with the tremendous power that dwelled in their physical bodies… they could have lived at least one more mortal lifetime.]

[But rather than extending their lives in such an ugly manner, they chose a clean end.]

[The lives of the Former Emperor and Empress of the Holy Sebelli Empire are being deleted.]

[Pause Released]

Along with the message, I could see the Empress’s body slowly disappearing as well.

Of course, neither the Former Emperor nor the Empress looked particularly pleased.

“…”

According to the event message, they had essentially given up their remaining lives.

And accepted eternal death.

It was a natural reaction.

Unlike how the Former Emperor had manipulated the entire galaxy and destroyed countless things.

Seeing his end come so quietly and unknown to anyone, I felt extremely complicated emotions.

While I was thinking about this, most of the two figures’ ethereal bodies had already disappeared, with only their shoulders and above remaining.

“…I’m worried whether Artraia can live happily without us.”

Even in this situation, our Empress was showing concern for the daughter she had given birth to as she was dying.

Seeing the Empress’s worried expression, I took a moment to consider.

Then naturally stepped forward and expressed my firm resolve to the Empress who was worrying about her daughter even as she was disappearing.

“Don’t worry, I will definitely make your daughter happy.”

“…I see, with you around, there’s no need to worry.”

The Empress nodded at my words.

And opened her mouth with a reassuring smile directed at me.

“Then, son-in-law, despite the trouble you’ve had being caught between us, I shamelessly ask… please take good care of our daughter.”

“…Yes.”

With those final words, along with the Former Emperor who had stopped lamenting and fallen completely silent.

The Empress’s form completely vanished on the spot.

*Ding!*

[Event: Annihilation]

[The Former Emperor and Empress of the Holy Sebelli Empire have completely disappeared from this world.]

Looking at the two who had disappeared from this world without leaving behind even a speck of dust, let alone corpses.

I gazed with lingering emotions at this dagger in my hand.

The last evidence that the two had ever existed.

‘This really gives me complicated feelings.’

But at this point, I suddenly realized one question.

“So, what do I do now?”

It’s a bit absurd, but.

Although the Former Emperor had disappeared, that was only the ‘spirit’ of the Former Emperor who had manifested through etherealization.

The Former Emperor’s main body that was surrounding this orbital defense headquarters where I and the collapsed Riel were… was still present.

“I can’t hear anything from outside, geez.”

As the Former Emperor and Empress had said, it had been barely 10 minutes since the Former Emperor had enveloped this place.

If that’s the case, Artraia and the forces I had gathered would still be outside desperately pounding on the Former Emperor’s main body…

No, that monster shell.

Faced with the sight of that monster shell, which was so sturdy that not even the noise or vibration of such large-scale bombardment could be felt, I was blankly staring outside, not knowing what to do.

“Communications are down too, so I can’t contact the outside. What should I do?”

Am I suddenly supposed to film a shelter video here?

Just as such random thoughts were crossing my mind, as I couldn’t see any way to escape this situation.

*Dingaling♬*

[Pause]

[System Administrator Confirmed, Optimization in Progress…]

[Administrator Authority and Abilities Successfully Transferred to ‘Arto Virtorius Sebelli’]

[Congratulations, as of this moment, you have become the new administrator of this world!]

[>Confirm<]

That unnecessarily emphasized confirm button on the event message.

No, just a single message appeared before my eyes.

‘What… Oh, right, that’s true.’

And seeing such a message, I pressed the confirm button without much thought, as I always did.

Having seen hundreds of thousands of messages so far.

As always, out of habit.

———————————————————-

But shit, I didn’t know it would be like this.