Chapter 53: Projection (3)

At first, Kenneth was met with hostility by the warriors of the plains. 

But in time, even the legion of dark sorcerers who once followed him began to resent him.

The ultimate secret of dark magic— an undying power.

It sounds like an absolute force, but in truth, it is not so simple. 

To anchor their souls to this world, a vessel is required.

The Life Vessel— a medium that binds the souls of dark sorcerers to the earth.

The shield-bearing warrior who guarded the vessel took an arrow from the plainswoman and fell in a blaze of glory. 

The iron-tipped shot pierced the Life Vessel, which shattered in an instant, its fragments scattering in every direction.

From the clouds above, rain began to pour.

The destruction of the Life Vessel struck fear into the hearts of the undead legion once known as the dark sorcerers.

This was no longer like before. 

With the vessel broken, death now meant true, irreversible annihilation.

「Priya, the enemy… they’re retreating all of a sudden!」

A girl gripping an axe approached her close friend, urging her to issue the order to pursue.

「Priya?」

Something was wrong with Priya. 

What is this? 

Why is she frozen like that? 

Every second counts— we need to start the chase now—

But fragments of his lonely, endlessly repeating life had seeped into her. 

They brought with them a pain too great to bear.

「…What have I done? What have I done? Kenneth, I’m sorry. Kenneth… Kenneth!」

*

Through countless timelines—

「Ehi!」

「…Ke, Kenneth.」

The girl who once lived by the creed that dropping one’s weapon was the ultimate shame for a warrior— finally, her axe slipped from her grasp and fell to the ground.

The Undying Legion.

At some point, the black mages— those cursed beings had begun to plague the entire continent. 

And it wasn’t long before they reached even the verdant plains that had once been a sanctuary.

They had fought, desperately and tirelessly, to repel the invaders but it was as if the outcome had already been written. 

Every moment pushed them closer to ruin.

Erka had fallen during their very first surprise assault, unable to escape in time.

Svioha was assassinated by a monster that had crept silently into their ranks.

Samarat, wielding only a single spear, had fought bravely at the front lines to stop the tide but she too met a glorious, tragic end.

Their friends— one by one— were dying.

And now, it was their turn.

Kenneth charged forward, shield in hand, determined to rescue the captured Ehi. 

But the creature swung its arm just once, and Kenneth was sent flying like a leaf in the wind.

The monster’s expression seemed to mock him for his powerlessness.

「K-Kenneth. You know… I let Priya have you, but still…」

Perhaps, sensing instinctively that her end had come, the girl finally revealed the truth she had hidden deep in her heart.

「…The truth is, I liked y—」

CRACK!

But she never got to finish.

Her throat, crushed by the monster’s massive hand, burst with blood, unable to withstand the pressure.

So powerful was the grip that blood sprayed all the way onto Kenneth’s face, though he lay several meters away.

「Ehi!!」

Rage surged.

Kenneth could not accept that the creature who had murdered his dear friend still breathed under the same sky.

Clenching his teeth, he charged again.

But the influence he could exert on this battlefield was negligible, nearly zero.

Once more, the monster swung its arm, and Kenneth’s body was hurled back, smashing into a tree.

So this is it, huh?

I was too weak. Too pathetic. 

I couldn’t do anything.

「Kh…! Ugh—」

The impact churned his insides. 

Blood welled up in his throat, and he couldn’t keep it down.

He’d lost too much blood. 

His vision blurred, yet his thoughts remained painfully clear.

One was a silent prayer for Ehi, who had passed before him—

And the other—

‘Please… let Priya be safe.’

Worry for those who still remained.

But even that would soon become meaningless.

All of this would fade, becoming just another forgotten fragment of the past.

The monster raised its hand. 

Kenneth could only accept that it was now his turn.

Yes. Maybe following his fallen friends was better than continuing to endure this hell.

Then—

He lost consciousness.

And opened his eyes once more.

He now stood in a palace of impossibly vast scale, built from blindingly white, almost sacred marble.

*

The palace was far too grand for someone like him.

Still disoriented, Kenneth spent some time cautiously surveying his surroundings before finally mustering the courage to step deeper inside.

“…This isn’t enough for a proper narrative. Try again. I can wait longer, so think it through.”

“You mean to say a tale of vengeance by a hero who’s lost their beloved, their family, and their friends isn’t enough?”

“It’s far too cliché. You can’t expect to rewrite fate with something that tired.”

Voices.

He saw figures engaged in conversation.

A mature woman, completely veiled in black and dressed in a long gown, was speaking with a divine bird— a majestic creature with seven blazing red wings.

Both exuded an aura of mystery rarely seen.

Seven crimson wings…? Tengri?

Kenneth’s eyes widened. 

That description had been drilled into his mind for as long as he could remember. 

The bird was unmistakably Tengri, the divine one.

Why… was he in Tengri’s realm?

Was he really dead?

“Wait a moment. I think someone’s eavesdropping.”

The veiled woman suddenly looked around, as if she’d sensed something, then turned to stare directly at one of the marble pillars.

Exactly where Kenneth was hiding.

!? What the hell?

He may have lacked talent in combat, but he was a warrior through and through. 

Hiding his presence, controlling his breath— these were second nature to him. 

He hadn’t made a single mistake. He was sure of it.

“…Isn’t this the boy that Kan had feelings for?”

“How did he even get in here? My apologies. I’ll remove him immediately.”

Tengri’s voice sounded flustered, but the woman showed no sign of irritation at the fact that Kenneth had been eavesdropping on their conversation from the shadows.

On the contrary, she looked like she’d just stumbled upon something amusing.

“No, no… I just had a wonderful idea. Tengri, you really do want to save this world, don’t you?”

“Of course. I made a promise to my sister. That I would protect this world until the day she opens her eyes again.”

“Then how about this?”

A sacrificial rite— one person’s sacrifice for the sake of all. 

Stories built on sacrifice are always noble. Always tearjerkers… and provocative too. Entertaining, don’t you think?

With a benevolent smile, the woman leaned in and whispered something to Tengri. 

He glanced over at me, clearly uneasy, then finally nodded in resignation.

“Great, great! So we’re going with that scenario, yes?”

Giggling like a girl in her prime, the veiled woman turned to me at last.

“Child, all the people you loved are dead. In the most horrific ways imaginable.”

And then, without another word, she projected the final moments of Saka into a crystal orb.

A familiar silhouette came into view.

It was Priya, fighting tooth and nail to hold her ground until the very end.

She had put up an impressive fight but her limits were plain to see. 

When her strength finally gave out, she would be pierced all over by blades and meet her end.

“And the last person you care about will die soon too. Since it’s the finale, maybe we shouldn’t let them die so simply? A gruesome execution, or maybe a bit of forced… fun? It could be quite the spectacle.”

“You psycho bitch!”

It was obvious. 

These beings were far beyond anything Kenneth— a mere creature— could hope to comprehend.

If he let his feelings show, the only fate that awaited him would be a horrifying one. 

And yet, Kenneth couldn’t suppress his rage.

The veiled woman only laughed, clearly enjoying every moment.

Kenneth was overcome with despair.

“And so I ask you, do you want to save them? Everyone you ever loved? You could start over.”

“Start… over?”

And he couldn’t help but be tempted.

What did she mean, start over? 

Could he shed his helplessness? 

Escape this nightmare ending?

He saw himself nodding unconsciously at her proposal.

“…The price is 00. If you can bear it, you might be able to change everything.”

If you can, that is. She didn’t finish the thought aloud.

“Show me your new story, then the cycle of endless rebirth.”

It won’t end in just one try, you know? 

Her final words echoed as his consciousness began to fade, as if his mind was being pulled elsewhere.

And just like that, Kenneth lost consciousness.

*

「Huff, huff…」

At first, I thought— What is this, a dream? 

That’s how unreal the experience felt.

In the middle of the night, maybe it was a chill that woke me, or maybe I’d just sweated so much that my whole body felt sticky and gross. 

I lifted my sleeve to wipe my forehead—

「Wh-what the hell?」

—Only to see a strange color seeping into the fabric, turning that surreal feeling into something terrifyingly real.

My sleeve was staining red, like it was soaking up blood.

Then, almost mechanically, the sleeve began to twist and realign itself, forming letters, symbols that radiated dread.

—

– You now have 6 lives remaining. Use them wisely, okay? – And just so you know, this isn’t a dream. It’s your new reality. Wishing you the best of luck (smile).

‘What the hell is going on?’

What do they mean by “lives”? What the hell does “6” mean? 

And more than anything, this isn’t a dream?

The monsters— those grotesque abominations with appearances too horrific to imagine— rampaging across peaceful plains… 

My loved ones meeting gruesome ends, one after another…

I didn’t want to believe it. 

But the unnatural, impossible sights unfolding before my eyes left me no choice.

And as the past repeated itself again and again, I could no longer deny the truth.