Chapter 119: A Cruel Escape (4)

[119] 18. A Cruel Escape (4)

It was a rainy day.
The sky, wearing a gloomy expression, wept softly like a depressed woman. A damp smell resonated throughout the world.

Amidst it all, Feya led her army.
It was to stop the Imperial army that had advanced right to their doorstep.

The people of the Great Divide bowed their heads in fear whenever Feya passed by. Their behavior, as if facing a guardian deity, was deeply unsettling.

Feya wasn’t a guardian deity. Nor was she a monster.

“Oppa.”

A calm voice.
When I turned my head, I saw Irene’s tired face.

“Are the preparations complete?”

I silently activated the magic circle without a word. A blue light filled the room, and the two relics placed in the center trembled.

*Crack-*

Then, a ‘door’ appeared in the air.

It looked similar to the one that strangely dressed man had opened when Parsley and I traveled to another world.

“We just need to go through there?”

“…Yes.”

“Are you ready to go back?”

I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. Instead, I just stroked my nape while lowering my gaze.

“Everything will be alright, Oppa.”

Irene cupped my cheeks and lifted my face.

“Do you remember our plan?”

Plan. That word seeped into my body like a potion, cooling my head. I sighed and straightened my back.

“Sorry, I keep… hesitating.”

“It’s okay, we’re family after all.”

Irene smiled brightly and said some unexpected words. I found myself staring at her blankly.

“Why? Don’t we share the same ancestor.”

“Don’t we have different surnames?”

“Haven’t you heard of Grandfather Dangun, the common ancestor of all Korean people?”

(TL Note: Dangun is the legendary founder and king of Gojoseon, the first Korean kingdom.)

At those words, I couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh. The gloom that had settled in my heart seemed to have been somewhat swept away by the laughter.

“Right, family. We are family.”

I muttered while approaching the ‘door’. Just before stepping through, I looked back at Irene and said.

“I’ll leave it to you.”

“Don’t worry. Do you think I’d miss the ‘three-for-one sister-in-law’ event?”

“…That’s not what this is about.”

“Yeah, right.”

Finding myself at a loss for words, I just turned back to the ‘door’. Leaving one last word, I stepped inside.

“Thank you, Irene.”

And a blue light dyed my world.

.
.
.

And so I was left alone in the room.

I wiped away the smile that had been on my face. The same went for the guilt that remained like sediment in my heart.

The initial objective was complete.
Now all that remained was cleanup.

I pull out the communication magic tool from inside my clothes. While putting on a raincoat, I whispered into the device.

“Please begin the ritual.”

***

A pine forest stretched densely before the Great Divide.
And between the trees, two armies had formed camps on both sides.

The difference in strength between the two sides was obvious.

The Imperial army was the very definition of grandeur. Their armor shone dully, even under the cloudy sky.

On the other hand, few of the Great Divide’s warriors wore armor, and their weapons were meager. The drizzling rain made them look even more wretched.

Even their numbers were half that of the Imperial army.

The Great Divide’s defeat was inevitable.

Yet, despite this, their fighting spirit remained unbroken.

Despite their haggard faces, clear determination resided within. It could even be called hatred.

The resentment of those who had been driven out of the Empire and branded as barbarians. And the presence of the Great Chieftain who had led and fought alongside them all this time.

Whatever their initial purpose or intention had been, they were now bound together by a single fate.

If today was to be their last day,
If they were destined to all die before today’s end.

They would simply fight until then.

“All forces.”

At the forefront of the Imperial army. ‘They’ rode out on horseback, raising their swords, their faces twisted.

“May the mountains protect us.”

Feya, dragging her heavy body, stepped forward before the Great Divide’s warriors. She spread her monstrous wings and raised her axe.

The humid air grew taut.

Tension and excitement spread like a pungent odor between the two armies. Bloody imaginations billowed up to touch the sky.

And then…

“Char…”

“Att…”

*RUMBLE-!!*

There was a thunderous roar.

The ground split open, revealing the roots of an ancient tree. Rocks and clods of earth tumbled down, covering the vegetation.

And people looked up.

At the strange tower rising from the center of the forest.

Some were merely confused by its sight.
Others noticed that it looked similar to the tower the Emperor had built.
And Feya and ‘they’ recognized the figure standing at the top of the tower.

Irene, standing at the tower’s peak, waved her hand as if conducting something.

[Rem has left.]

Her voice echoed throughout the forest.
Relief appeared on Feya’s face,
And rage on ‘their’ faces.

But ‘their’ rage soon turned into obsession.

If he’s gone, then we’ll just bring him back.
We already know how.

After we impale that damned barbarian bitch’s head on a spear…

[And I made a promise with him.]

At the word “promise,” ‘they’ flinched. It was because of a strange foreboding they felt.

[He plans to create a passage that connects this world to his. He’ll probably start working on it as soon as he returns.]

At those words, Feya made a sad expression. He had called her stupid, foolish, but truly, he was the idiot one.

Did he really think that could be a real solution?

[And while he creates that passage, he entrusted this world to me. To ensure you no longer fight, to ensure you no longer destroy yourselves.]

At those words, Feya and ‘they’ simultaneously hardened their expressions. It was because they knew it was impossible.

The conflict between them, which began with Rem’s death, had already reached a point of no return.

Even if Rem were here, they would still try to kill each other.

[But that was a promise I couldn’t keep.]

*Woooong-*

A strange sound descended from the sky. A bizarre pressure visited the hearts of all soldiers.

[The Parsley in our world did something unforgivable. Making holes in the walls of our world, trying to return to the past.]

Soon, soldiers started rolling their eyes and foaming at the mouth. Many even started clawing at their eyes while screaming towards the sky.

It was an instinctual act.

That they must escape from this place by any means.

[Because of that, this world became connected to our world. And because of that, this world’s Parsley was able to bring Rem to this world.]

[And as long as these two worlds remain connected, such things will continue. People of this world kidnapping people from our world. People from our world kidnapping people from this world…]

*Woooong-!!*

The louder her words became, the louder the sound from the sky grew.

Eventually, the soldiers who still maintained their sanity witnessed something strange. Something slowly forcing its way through gaps in the clouds.

That round, black thing slowly tore through the rain clouds and slowly descended into the world.

Suddenly, the soldiers who realized its identity turned pale with terror. Fear also crept into Feya and ‘their’ faces.

A fingertip.
It was the tip of a finger.

The rain stopped, and brilliant sunlight shone down on their terrified faces.

[And that could potentially destroy my world.]

At that moment, ‘They’ remembered the tower they had built.

It was a kind of relay station.
A rope connecting the world where Rem was alive to this world.

If the tower before them now served the same purpose… If it were a bridge connecting another world to this one…

End. The barren word flashed through their minds.

‘They’ felt their vision blurring.

[I’m sorry, but I cannot allow anything that might threaten my world to remain.]

Their armies had already lost their meaning.

Overwhelmed by fear, the soldiers screamed and scattered in all directions. Not a few drove swords into their own necks.

By now, the ‘hand’ had torn apart the sky and revealed its form up to the wrist.

Feya realized that the hand was almost as large as this continent. And that if it were to fall to the ground, this continent would shatter.

Ironically, Feya felt a deep relief in that moment. It was finally the end of her slow suicide. The end of her long winter.

Feya pushed aside the people who were trying to protect her and looked up at the descending hand.

[Farewell.]

‘They’ fell to their knees watching the descending hand. They screamed as if wailing.

“No…! Please…! I…! I…! I haven’t even properly said I love…!”

The giant hand covered the continent.

And everything sank into silence.

***

It was a familiar room.

I slowly walked towards the window. Leaning on the windowsill, I looked outside.

A simple city spread out around a tall tower at its center. Colorful waves of magic flowed through every street.

The city under the jurisdiction of the magic tower.
Melias.

A place that had turned into a pile of ashes in that other world.

Finally, I had returned.

I felt no joy. No sadness either. What pressed up against my mind was only urgency.

I quickly left the room.

Even if it was Irene, she couldn’t hold those two back for long. Even when I was alive, they weren’t exactly on good terms.

So I needed to create a passage connecting this world to that world as quickly as possible.

With Parsley’s help, it shouldn’t be too difficult.
Of course, I’d have to persuade her a little…

*Creeak-*

A sound I shouldn’t be hearing.

Feeling my hands trembling, I turned around. In the middle of the corridor, a ‘door’ was opening in midair. Eventually, the fully opened door spat out a familiar face.

Irene.

She was covered in black ash and full of wounds. Bright red blood flowed from the wounds on her blackened skin.

And that could only mean one thing.

“What happened?”

Even while having a rough idea of the answer, was it my foolishness or weakness to ask. Feeling my chin trembling, I continued asking.

“Y-You shouldn’t have come back so quickly… What exactly…”

“Oppa.”

Her voice was strangely gentle. Irene smiled even while bleeding.

“They’re all dead.”

Some words pierce the heart.

“I killed them all.”

And some words crush the heart.

I understood those words, but tried not to. I blinked for a while, trying to convince myself it was an auditory hallucination.

But Irene’s voice was ruthlessly clear.

“That world is gone now. Even if it isn’t completely gone, there’s probably nothing left but crumbs for the Outer Gods to pick at.”

“Irene, wait a second, I’m not sure what you…”

“And Oppa, if things continue like this, this world will also meet the same fate three years from now.”

I don’t understand what she was saying. My thoughts melted away as they became entangled with memories and cruel imaginations.

“I had to stop that. Oppa, do you understand what I mean? I had to stop this world from being destroyed.”

Irene’s eyes were dreamy, as if looking somewhere far away.

“Because only I knew this world’s future. Because I was the only one with enough knowledge to change that future.”

“Irene.”

When I came to my senses, I was already pointing my sword at her throat. The sword, perfectly reflecting my state of mind, trembled.

“Tell… Tell me what happened. Properly. I-I don’t have a fucking clue to a single thing you’re saying… So.”

“I meant it when I said you’re my family, Oppa.”

Irene grabbed my trembling sword with her bare hand. Not caring about the blood flowing from her hand, she pushed my sword away.

“But you’re not my only family.”

*Thud.*

An impact from behind.
I felt my legs give way and turned around.

A frivolous appearance and a man’s suit.
Betty Ailleyde pulled the syringe out from my neck with a cold smile.

I tried desperately to hold onto my fading consciousness, but my body inevitably collapsed to the floor. Gritting my teeth, I glared at Irene and said.

“Ire…ne…!”

“Get some sleep. When you wake up, it’ll all be over.”

*Thump-!*

And as if a light had been switched off.

Everything turned black.