Chapter 80 – Extinction, The Coming (10)

The dragon was dead. One of the Four Worst Evils—the terror of humanity—now lay lifeless on the cold ground, defeated by a single man.

As the blood-soaked Louis staggered forward, the people around him recoiled in fear. To them, he might have been more terrifying than Carbius himself.

Liv immediately noticed that Louis wasn’t in a normal state. His body was ravaged, his mind unstable. He stumbled toward the canal, pushing past her. She stood frozen in shock until Lehel’s voice broke through.

“He’s going to die.”

“What…?”

“It’s not just his mana and Karma that are in chaos. His body is crammed with things that no human should withstand—dragon bones included. When the magic holding it all together collapses, his very existence will unravel.”

“What does that mean…?”

“In simple terms…”

Lehel scowled, pointing at Louis’s hand.

“He’s falling apart. Like dust.”

Her muttered curses faded as Liv bolted toward Louis. If left alone, he would plunge into the canal. But her delicate hands weren’t enough to stop his determined steps. When she grabbed his remaining good arm, she gasped in horror at the sight of his splitting, cracking skin.

“No, no…! Boss, what should I—ah!”

In her panic, Liv spotted the green-haired girl watching her from afar. Memories of what the girl had said in the forest flooded back to her.

“I want out—now! Let me leave!”

The girl shook her head solemnly, then pointed at Louis, who Liv was clinging to desperately.

“The only ones who can escape a nightmare are those who aren’t trapped by it. Liv, you’ve let go of this place—you could leave anytime. But he can’t.”

“Why not?!”

“Because what he wants is beyond that canal.”

The Illusion Killer.
Those ensnared by sweet dreams could never return to reality.

Louis’s steps reached the riverbank. Time was running out.

Liv turned to glare at the girl, her voice trembling as she called out a name that should no longer exist.

“Saya Rampling.”

“….”

“I’ve never heard of someone like you appearing in Baldur’s Nightmare. You want something, don’t you?”

“Smart.”

Saya walked forward and pulled two broken staves from Liv’s belt—one from the past, given by her father, and one from the present, handed over by him again.

She combined the two into a single, complete staff and handed it back to Liv. The grip was firm and real—a feat of Image Magic, a spell that brought illusions to life.

“The unique magic of the Illusion Duke is passed only to those who are worthy. Sometimes, a successor doesn’t appear for a century or more.”

“You want me… to learn this?”

“If you want to take him with you, you’ll have to open the door yourself. It’s your choice.”

The decision didn’t take long. To bring Louis back, Liv grasped the staff Saya offered.

Instantly, everything except Louis and herself began to blur and drift away into a single collapsing space.

“Congratulations, Liv. You’ve proven yourself. With more practice, you’ll awaken your own unique magic someday.”

Liv waved one last time to Paris, who was reaching out for her desperately.

“But remember this: you live in reality.”

She clung tightly to the staff, holding on until the world around her faded into unconsciousness.

***

When Liv came to, she coughed out dirt and dust, realizing she was lying on the ground near the Shrine of Storms.

The dark hole that had led into Baldur’s Nightmare was gone, and the fog was starting to clear.

The Tower’s students must have evacuated—there wasn’t a soul in sight. Gripping her head with one hand, Liv pushed herself up and saw Louis lying motionless nearby. She rushed to his side.

“Boss, Boss! Please wake up!”

His skin was ice-cold, sending shivers through her body. Liv realized that while she had returned to reality, nothing had been solved. She had no way to heal him—she wasn’t a priest capable of using healing magic.

“Somebody! Anyone! Help me!”

Her voice barely carried in the humid air. The Mage Tower was far too distant, and she feared that moving Louis’s fragile body would only cause him to shatter.

Standing helplessly, tears welled in Liv’s eyes as she cried out again.

“Please, anyone… Please help us…”

Then, a strange grinding noise echoed from somewhere nearby.

Creaaaak. Clang! Whirrr. Thud-thud-thud…

Gripping her staff, Liv turned toward the sound. It came from the cliff’s edge near the Shrine of Storms, the very place Peter had warned her not to approach.

Is someone down there?

Cautiously, she moved closer to the cliff but quickly realized the sound wasn’t coming from below—it was above.

Clank! Chiiiii—! Crash!

Finally, the fog parted, revealing a colossal structure—an enormous tower stretching high into the sky.

Its exterior was a patchwork of rusted copper and steel plates, with small mechanical clicks emanating from within. Despite its bizarre, almost mythical appearance, Liv immediately recognized it.

“This… This is…”

A moving structure. A demonic surveillance device.

Horus’s Lighthouse.

As steam hissed from its massive exhaust pipes, Liv raised her gaze to see a figure descending slowly from above. Her expression turned to shock as the figure landed gracefully in front of her.

“I thought I’d check on things, and it looks like it worked out well.”

“You—you’re…”

The tall, golden-haired woman greeted Liv like an old acquaintance, despite Liv never having seen her before.

<Terra Ernisten’s Unique Magic: Horus’s Eye>
<Universal Creation ⌜Hall of Creation⌟>

“Hello, Liv. Paris’ daughter.”

“…!!”

“You’ve inherited a unique magic. Congratulations.”

Dressed in a blacksmith’s work clothes, her elegance and noble demeanor exuded an overwhelming aura.

Without hesitation, Terra approached Louis’s fallen body. Placing her gloved hand on his chest, she spoke with a wry smile.

“Keeping beings from another world alive here involves two challenges. First, crafting a body identical to their original but far more durable. Second, ensuring the summoned soul stays tethered, unable to escape.”

<Unique Magic: Binding Chains ⌜Soul Chain⌟>

“Since his soul doesn’t belong here, it’s unstable. Without constant anchoring, it would vanish entirely.”

<Unique Magic: Time Rewind ⌜Partial Chronostasis⌟>

“That’s why Louis is, in a way, a transcendent being—one who has surpassed death. As long as the magic persists, his heart will never stop beating.”

‘And that’s why I opposed this plan from the start,’ she muttered bitterly, her face a mix of guilt and resolve.

As color returned to Louis’s face, Terra stood to leave. Liv, panicked, called out after her.

“W-wait! Please!”

“Mm, yes? What is it?”

Terra’s casual tone matched her composed demeanor, though she still didn’t seem to fully grasp who Louis was. Half of what the mage had just explained was lost on Liv, but now she felt ready to know—ready to face the truth.

“Who… is the Boss? What kind of person could do something like that…?”

Terra interrupted Liv’s question, pointing toward a specific spot in the barren landscape.

“The key to great magic is always closer than you think. It’s one of my favorite sayings.”

Following her gesture, Liv spotted her bag lying on the desolate ground, where it had fallen after she was sucked into the gate during the storm.

“Liv, you already have the answer. You just forgot it along the way.”

Terra rummaged through her pocket and placed a familiar flask and vial—the type Liv often saw in the academy’s laboratory—on the ground. Waving her hand as if to dismiss any further words, she added:

“Take good care of Louis. And as for losing yourself in illusions… I don’t think I need to remind you.”

Without waiting for a response, Terra disappeared as if she’d evaporated into the air.

Liv stood there, staring blankly at the spot where Terra had been moments before. Then, as if driven by instinct, she scrambled to grab her bag. Flipping it upside down, she emptied its contents—a jumble of pens, crumpled notes, and a small piece of black paper fluttered to the ground.

“This is…”

It was one of the Lit-Vice examination sheets, black as night.

Louis had handed her a stack of these twelve-page forms at the academy. The top and bottom pages of the bundle had been faintly stained with Karma after his touch. Liv had even used one before to glimpse the past in Professor Glatos’s laboratory.

Swallowing hard, Liv picked up a pen and some paper.

This time, she vowed not to forget.

She closed her eyes.

***

When I opened my eyes, I found myself lying on a couch in an unfamiliar room.

The interior was surprisingly spacious, filled with purple and red hues. At the edge of a violet carpet, a fireplace crackled softly, while the walls were adorned with strange wooden ornaments and an enormous astronomical map.

I felt… refreshed. It was as if my soul had left my body and returned, renewed.

“Where am I?”

I sat up, trying to figure out the date and location, when a cold, emotionless voice behind me answered:

“You’re in the upper levels of Phecda Tower.”

“Huh? Baroness?!”

“It’s been a week since we escaped the nightmare.”

Spinning around in surprise, I froze at the sight of Liv. Something about her had changed. She still wore her usual tidy outfit, free of cumbersome accessories, but now there was an aura of mystery and elegance surrounding her that hadn’t been there before.

Even the relief on her face, as she exhaled softly, carried an almost intoxicating sweetness.

“Boss, I have a question.”

Her sudden formality broke through my thoughts. She sat gracefully beside me, resting her delicate hands on my knee, calming the air between us.

“It’s a very important question.”

I braced myself.

“Go ahead.”

She hesitated for a long while. Not because she didn’t know what to say, but because she was deliberating—wondering if the question even mattered, or if the answer would be enough.

Eventually, Liv met my gaze with resolute eyes and spoke.

“My father’s sacrifice… was it worth it?”

“Yes. It was.”

I answered without hesitation. It was a promise I had made to myself long ago—no matter what, I would tell her this.

“Thanks to Paris Greenwood, we reached the Demon King’s castle. Without the time he bought us, the canal would have been destroyed, and we wouldn’t have made it.”

Liv closed her eyes and nodded slightly.

“If not for him, we would’ve been surrounded and unable to end the war. Baroness Liv…”

Her expression made my chest ache. Pushing through the lump in my throat, I continued:

“Your father’s sacrifice… and the sacrifices of everyone in that forest…”

This was the best I could offer her.

“…were not in vain.”

The sound of logs crackling in the fireplace filled the silence that followed. I sat there, quietly watching Liv, her posture perfect, her knees together, lost in thought. She looked just as she had back at the store, but there was something more profound about her now—something that kept me from looking away.

Finally, a faint smile spread across her lips, and she looked up at me. Yet I found myself unable to meet her gaze, guilt forcing my head to lower.

“I see…”

I didn’t want to see her smile if it meant tears would accompany it.

“…Their sacrifices… weren’t… in vain… hic…!”

Liv was clever. She must have pieced it all together the moment she asked the question.

She knew Paris’s sacrifice had meaning. She also knew why I had hoped she wouldn’t learn the truth.

When Carbius arrived at the mountain, we had already crossed the canal.

“Boss… I…”

Her hand gently cradled my head, pulling me into a soft embrace.

“I… love this kind Boss so much…”

With a single tear trailing down her cheek, she whispered:

“I really, truly love you.”