Ch.321Chapter 321: The Final Confrontation, and the Curtain Call (1)

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Ta-ta-tat-!!

The sound of footsteps cutting through the wind added nothing but exhilaration.

With a single-minded determination to become a noble existence.

Not content with committing the evil act of endlessly turning back the innocent world’s time to achieve such a goal.

Even when cornered, refusing to back down, and making the twisted choice to abandon even the vessel he possessed to return to his primordial flesh for the sake of his objective.

Perhaps that’s why these final steps, taken to teach righteous anger as a human living in this world, felt so light?

Despite my body feeling like it could collapse at any moment, my footsteps continued with a lightness that betrayed no hint of my deteriorating physical state.

Even I found it strange as I took each step.

【Grrrrrrrr…!!】

I needn’t mention how Desire must be feeling, expressing fear through bestial howls like a creature running on instinct rather than a deity possessing intelligence.

Ta-tat-!! Ta-tat-!!

Unlike the obsidian floor that offered no cushioning whatsoever, I realized that a dragon’s scales—belonging to a race considered closest to transcendence—had an unexpected softness when I stepped on them.

【D-don’t come!!】

Desire’s screams grew louder in horror at seeing me use his body as a foothold to charge forward.

Yet despite hearing his screams filled with such menace that they could strip away any remaining sanity just by listening, the vigor in my footsteps as I tread upon his scales only intensified.

【Get off, I said!!】

Even as he shuddered and shook his body violently at my approach, my feet refused to be dislodged, as if glued to him.

In truth, with each violent shake of his body, my poor physical condition made it entirely possible that I could be thrown off at any moment.

But having mounted his body by exploiting an opening after miraculously withstanding a direct hit from his tail—which he had swung with all his might to finish me—

I was determined to at least take one of his eyes before meeting my end, or if lucky enough to survive, to roll ungracefully on the obsidian floor.

My footsteps miraculously maintained balance amid Desire’s violent thrashing, gradually approaching a position where I could claim at least one of his eyes.

Had I not mounted his body, he would have prevented my approach using attacks with his tail and every part of his body.

But now that I was already on him, using such physical means would be equivalent to harming himself with full force.

The only choice available to him was to scream while trying to shake me off his body.

【Kyaaaaa!!】

With each continuing step, I abandoned the natural dignity associated with human form.

And as Desire’s thrashing intensified, accompanied by screams filled with both anger and fear despite his draconic form that should instill primal fear in observers—

“Haha…”

A faint laugh escaped me without my realizing it.

“This… is thrilling and fun.”

My honest impression of riding him flowed naturally from my lips.

If time allowed, I would have wanted to remember this climbing sensation longer.

Unfortunately, as if to remind me that the time spent climbing not a mountain but a living dragon’s body was short—

[That’s enough…]

Paphnir’s cry, tinged with strange fatigue, signaled that I had approached close enough to reach the dragon’s face, bringing this enjoyable climb to an end.

And simultaneously announcing that the time had come to finish everything.

Though I might not be able to end his life, I could at least inflict one critical wound to help others who would soon arrive here to defeat him, concluding everything I could do…

Click-!!

This was the final moment.

“I told you earlier, didn’t I? That I’d show you human will!”

Knowing it was the end, I squeezed out even my non-existent strength and shouted powerfully at him before leaping from my firm stance on his body.

It was a leap toward the spot where I could eliminate one of his eyes on his face, as I mentioned before.

And Desire’s screams, which had been filled with shock at seeing me refusing to fall off despite his thrashing—

【Stop iiiiiit!!】

Had now reached a level of desperation beyond anger and rage, suggesting that with just a little more effort, taking one of his eyes with my dragon sword didn’t seem impossible.

Woooong-!!

As I leaped, I heard Desire’s tail making a loud noise as it approached to strike me off his body, having confirmed I had jumped from him.

If hit directly by his tail now, I would inevitably roll on the cold obsidian floor.

But fortunately for me and unfortunately for him, before his tail could strike my body—

My dragon sword’s sharp blade—

Shunk-!!

Penetrated one of his eyeballs not covered by the hard scales constituting his body.

【Kyaaaaaaaaaah!!】

Making Desire scream in agony from pain he had likely never experienced before.

I felt a thrilling sensation at my fingertips as the ki-infused dragon sword’s sharp blade penetrated his eyeball, followed by a sense of accomplishment.

Whooosh-!!

His tail struck my body shortly after I felt that accomplishment.

Splat-!!

And since I fell away with the sword already embedded, when it was pulled out of his eyeball, streams of blood the same color as his scales gushed out—this happened last in the sequence of events.

【Aaaaargh-!!】

Perhaps thanks to Desire’s screams filling my ears as he went mad from unbearable pain, forgetting all dignity—

The thought that filled my mind as I flew toward the cold obsidian floor after being hit by his tail was quite simple.

It was merely a simple relief that the sequence had proceeded in this order.

If his tail had struck me faster, I wouldn’t have been able to drive my sword into one of his large eyeballs and would have rolled on the cold obsidian floor while listening to his mockery.

But at least I succeeded in leaving my mark on him before going down—that’s a great success, isn’t it?

While the massive tail, curved like a whip, delivered an irreversible impact to my body unlike before, the thoughts that arose in my mind stretched on endlessly even in this momentary situation.

Thud-!!

But ultimately, the moment my body was flung away and rolled on the obsidian floor with a thunderous sound was incomparably shorter.

However, despite clearly recognizing the massive weight that had struck my body—

Perhaps because I had already exceeded my limits and my senses had dulled?

[This is… truly difficult.]

Or perhaps thanks to Paphnir, who expressed his pain in a struggling voice while somehow bearing the pain I should have felt for reasons unknown—

Despite clearly seeing fragments of the obsidian floor—which should be impervious to ordinary impacts due to its creation through unholy divinity—shatter upon contact with my body.

I felt no pain whatsoever.

Just…

【Kyaaaaaaaa!!】

Desire’s piercing screams as he struggled with pain beyond his endurance.

[Well done. Rest for a moment.]

And Paphnir’s voice, which had instantly calmed the pain he had expressed earlier and now addressed me with appreciation, sounded like a lullaby.

As fatigue seeped in enough to make my consciousness-supporting eyes slowly close.

In this situation, it was clear that I wouldn’t be safe, no matter how I looked at it.

Why did Paphnir show such optimism in this situation?

If my body allowed, I would have expanded my spiritual perception to check the surroundings and understand why he had such confidence.

Unfortunately, my cons,cious,ness… had already reached its limit.

My eyes… are clos,ing…

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In the obsidian palace, now reduced to a skeletal structure with only the framework remaining, where Desire’s primordial body—which had grown by voraciously devouring the flesh and souls of his kind—was fully exposed.

【Kyaaaaaaaaaaa!!】

The piercing screams of the one responsible for reducing the palace to this state echoed throughout.

Not a freezing scream that seemed to embody killing intent in sound form.

【It hurts… it huuuurts!!】

That scream expressing pure pain was pitiful enough to evoke sympathy.

But separate from the pitifulness of the screams—

Boom-!! Rumble rumble rumble…!!

With each of her thrashing movements, the obsidian palace collapsed piece by piece, making thunderous noises as if to announce that it was in an even more miserable state than Desire, who had merely lost an eye.

Well, whether it made such noises or not, Desire wouldn’t care about the collapsing palace’s situation.

Everyone values themselves above all else.

Even if one would feel heartbreaking pain upon realizing that the magnificent palace they had painstakingly created was now collapsing by their own hand—

What use is that when faced with overwhelming physical pain?

Judging by the intensity of her thrashing, Desire’s screams showed no signs of subsiding anytime soon.

“Tsk…”

From somewhere, someone clicked their tongue sharply.

“My friend. After all that big talk, the result is quite disappointing.”

After speaking in a voice mixed with disappointment, regret, and concern—

Snap-!!

With a crisp sound of fingers snapping together—

【Ugh… uuuugh…】

A miracle occurred as Desire’s piercing screams suddenly ceased.

Yes, a miracle.

Desire’s vitality, which had been diminishing in real-time with each thrash and scream—

【I made… a mistake…】

Was now visibly recovering bit by bit as she expressed her sentiment filled with anger and grief.

Unfortunately(?), her eye, damaged by a sword comparable to a divine weapon, did not recover to its original state.

【My old friend… Though it shames me… I must express my gratitude to you.】

When Desire, who quickly regained her rationality, honestly expressed gratitude toward Renium—the owner of the voice who had quickly alleviated her pain—

No one would deny that what was happening right now was indeed a miracle.

“That’s enough… Don’t waste time and finish what you were trying to accomplish.”

Renium, having considered his duty fulfilled by alleviating his friend’s pain, left these words before disappearing from Desire’s vicinity once more.

Despite being the god of time who could completely control this situation alone if he wished—

Perhaps he believed it was something Desire, who could influence this land, should do rather than himself.

“This alone should show how much I’ve overexerted myself, so please don’t ask anything more of me…”

Desire’s massive body nodded slightly in response to Renium’s quiet, almost self-directed words as he vanished, showing no dissatisfaction.

This was likely thanks to the rationality that emerged as her pain suddenly subsided, bringing her coolness.

But separate from regaining her business-related coolness—

【How absurd… Even when competing with countless of my kind, I never lost an eye, yet to lose one so pathetically…】

As she turned her head to look at the unconscious Kal, her soliloquy filled with bitter sentiment revealed one emotion that persisted despite her regained rationality.

【To honor you who have left an indelible mark on this eye…】

Her voice was cold as she uttered this quiet sentiment while slowly moving her heavy body.

Yet even that cold tone couldn’t hide the anger embedded within its packaging.

Boom-!!

The heavy footsteps representing Desire’s massive body calmly echoed throughout the already collapsed obsidian palace.

【I shall swallow you without pain, allowing you to become nourishment that enhances my flesh and soul.】

With this death sentence containing minimal respect for an opponent who had fought as an equal in some form, while suppressing her anger as much as possible.