episode_0319

Death.

From a cosmic perspective, death is not the end. Souls that finish their lives and fade return to the dust of the universe, someday receiving a new life.

However, humans cannot remember their past lives. This is because a newly born being is completely different from their past life, and their memories also change.

Therefore, from a human perspective, death is the end. The termination of memory, the destruction of the world, and the end of life.

I remember my past life. I had a human body and mind, but sometimes I even question whether I am truly human.

I possess both male and female genitalia. The content is closer to male, but the exterior is closer to female.

I have the power to shatter heaven and earth, I arbitrarily control the ether, the source of this world, and I have the bold ambition to rule all things as if I were a god.

Even more than that, I have godlike, sculpted features. My male-leaning spirit often finds itself captivated by my beautiful body.

Perhaps I am not human. Even if I started as human, I may have ceased being human at some point.

Because I do not consider death to be death.

The death of others is obedience to me. When a body with free will is lost, its soul immediately falls into my grasp.

The death of a lover is not an option. I still desire a relationship with them, and I would reject such a future even if it cost me a part of my soul.

My own death is the same. I have too much left that I want before I allow the annihilation of my existence.

If I could see my soul, it would undoubtedly be a deep black. Arrogance, greed, lust…my soul overflows with all manner of sinful desires.

For me, death is a tool and a choice.

I feel comfort in the near-death state where body and soul are separated, and that is the best time for meditation.

Space, the Administrator’s time travel. The sensation is very similar to that moment. All sensations gather directly into my soul, bypassing my body.

Warm, cold, comfortable, and yet suffocating. All intuitive senses faintly hover, and all abstract senses are sharply defined.

Everything was new. The laws of nature? The workings of the universe? Certain knowledge becomes vague, and vague questions become clear.

Tenebris moved Eve’s body, plunged a sword into my heart, and imprisoned the soul pulled from my body in the realm of the demon.

If I were human, I would have certainly and unequivocally died. However, that ‘death’ was merely a shock to me.

Like Archimedes, who, after immersing himself in a bathtub and observing the rising water, realized the truth and, forgetting he was naked, ran through the streets shouting ‘Eureka!’

The bad ending that flooded my mind. It was a very refreshing shock.

Complete nothingness.

A world where nothing exists. Infinite emptiness. Seeing the exact opposite of the world I desire, I became even more certain that the path I have walked was not wrong.

“What does that even matter?”

The heart? Everyone’s hearts fill me, and my heart makes them happy. This isn’t my opinion, it’s a clear fact. Humans are the heart, and the heart is the human.

“This world offers you complete nothingness. You cannot succeed, but at the same time, you do not fail. You cannot be happy, but at the same time, there is nothing to be sad about.”

Humans must fail to know the sweetness of success, and must be sad to understand the importance of joy. It can be called foolish. However, that foolishness, those ups and downs of life, make humans better beings.

“You once failed, you were sad, and you led yourself to ruin. Emotions are always self-destructive, and they are of no help to you.”

I led myself to ruin, but I did not reach ruin. I looked back one last time from that cliff, and sadness and despair soon transformed into hatred and vengeance.

Those emotions made me rise again.

“Deny your past self. Deny the self that challenged. Deny the self that failed. Deny Narita Florine Naifrantz, who adventured in search of nonexistent hope.”

My past self, the self that challenged, the self that failed.

Narita Florine Naifrantz, who adventured in search of hope.

It’s all me. Denying it won’t change anything.

I picture myself in my head. Countless scenes flash by. Succeeding, failing, sometimes laughing, and sometimes crying.

Around me stand six women: Yuri, Lulu, Nyx, Aspi, Tier, Eve.

“You, who chose them, are the one who killed them.”

Of course, I will give them death. A very sweet and peaceful end.

With a warm kiss, to thank them for sharing their one life with me.

“Deny your past life.”

The grateful world that first showed me the colors of this world and the scent of life. Akasto is my second starting point.

“Deny your past.”

I was born to prevent the destruction of this world. That is my mission. Of course, just because it’s an assigned task doesn’t mean I have a duty to fulfill it.

I will only protect the lovers I cherish and the world they will live in.

“Deny your future, deny every possibility before you.”

I dream of happiness. I want everyone to know me and have a lot of money. I want to have a wedding with my six women simultaneously. For the future of my country, I should have many children.

“Completely deny yourself, existing in this world, and even in all the universes.”

I exist in this world now. I began from the origin and have evolved from the past. I run toward the future, and the end will also be written by me.

Countless past possibilities created me, and the present me creates countless future possibilities.

I create myself. I am me.

The me who exists in all time is me, and I am another world.

This world is also me.

From the death and nothingness that Tenebris offered, and from that moment of meditation, I realized.

“This is my conclusion and the end of this world.”

.

.

.

A pure white light flickered all over my body.

Is it my physically existing body, or is it a spirit body? It felt like an intermediate state, neither.

Pure white light radiating from pure white light. The ether was me, and I was the ether.

Is it simply the result of enlightenment? That seems insufficient; my body and mind are overflowing.

I feel like I can achieve anything now. Even destroying everything in this world and returning it to nothingness, as Tenebris and all the dark stars wished.

“Ah… so that’s it.”

In the distant sky, the clouds part. The hot sun flickers. And its edge is gradually being swallowed by the shadow of the moon.

The sun symbolizes yang energy and masculinity.

The moon symbolizes yin energy and femininity.

At the moment the sun and moon overlap, a solar eclipse signifies a complete harmony of yin and yang that transcends gender.

“Wh… What’s happening…!!”

“Just shut up. It seems like we’ll be going soon… don’t interfere.”

I raised my hand and tightened my grip on Tenebris. The demon inhabiting Eve’s body is being suppressed and pressured by this world.

“How can a human have this kind of power…”

“Because I am not human.”

A feeling like something is shattering its outer shell slowly stimulates my being.

My body and soul gradually merge into one.

My body, transcending the laws of nature. My spirit that loves all things, and is loved by them.

The hermaphroditic futanari is a biologically complete body, and a consciousness with a mixed male and female identity is a fully realized spirit.

An enlightened soul, a perfect body, a perfect mind. I have surpassed human limits and am qualified to become a new Administrator.

And now.

Through the perfect total solar eclipse, this world too has decided to accept my ascension.

I slowly opened my eyes.

The same near-death state I felt in space. An omnipresent sensation where everything is seen and felt.

The me I affirmed had changed into a form befitting that soul.

Brown eyes and black hair symbolizing a Korean person. And a single white lily blooming atop it.

Feet that walk the world. Hands that touch the world. Breath that inhales and exhales the world, and a heart that moves the world.

My form represented all of me.

With the eyes that see the world, I looked at the demon on my palm. It was so large and terrifying before… now it is small and pathetic, unworthy of my attention.

However, even such a small being needs an end.

“Behold.”

“…!!”

“This is me. Without a trace of nothingness, but filled with only hope, will, and life… This world is me.”

I reached out my hand. Tenebris’s true form was right in front of me.

A hand made of a pure white galaxy gripped the black star.

“Deny. Continuously deny. As you always have, to destroy and devour all the stars of the universe, deny me until the moment of annihilation.”

“Th—”

“That too will be proof of my existence.”

With a tightening of my grip, the black star shattered. My light completely swallowed the demon’s darkness.

As long as I exist, nothingness will not be tolerated in this universe.

“I send you my thanks. Thanks to your devotion to your instincts and your attempt to take me, a human, I have achieved enlightenment.”

“Yo—”

“Because you denied me, I could affirm myself. This was all a predetermined conclusion.”

“Y-y—”

Darkness revives in the light. A vestige of Tenebris remained in Eve’s body. It struggled until the very end, writhing in my grasp.

“Good. Struggle until the end. The darker the darkness, the brighter the light.”

“Kaaaaak…!! I… We cannot accept this!!”

Black tentacles instantly filled the sky. Even if it was only a vestige, the demon was still a demon. It unleashed the oppressive atmosphere I felt when we first met.

Tenebris, virtually identical to its true form, appeared in full. It wielded countless tentacles, each dripping with demonic energy, a black star greedy for light.

“Mo… More power is needed…!!”

Tenebris’ tentacles stretched towards Eve. The movements of a predator before its prey. It clearly intended to consume even the karmic residue remaining in Eve’s body.

I gently waved my hand. Countless beams of light poured forth. It started as a single point, extending into a line and branching out. Soon, the light became a small universe in itself.

The universe engulfed Eve and Tenebris. The black tentacles reaching towards Eve’s body instantly solidified.

“G- Ugh-”

“Your vision is filled only with greed. A truly tasteless soul.”

“Uuuuuugh—!!”

I unfurled my domain, my universe within my heart. In my universe, even time cannot flow at will.

All phenomena are beneath my feet.

“I have never permitted you to touch my woman.”

A small amount of anger. That emotion immediately becomes a sword, cleaving the world.

The Shadowless Divine Sword, Sacred Flame.

Each small light burns hot. It is my anger and the holy flame that annihilates the evil before me.

The burning light formed a strike, cutting down all the black tentacles directed at Eve. The lumps of black demonic energy were unable to fall and turned into ash on the spot.

Tick—Crackle—

I slowly turned my head and looked at the boundary of the domain. The demon’s minions outside the domain were burning themselves to save Tenebris.

That intense demonic energy burrowed into the domain. Because it wasn’t a domain that protected something, it easily allowed external intrusion.

Tenebris’s power returned temporarily, and its dominance weakened for a moment. Using that opportunity, all the demonic energy gathered into Eve’s body.

Eve opened her eyes. Her black eyes looked at me, and her small, pink lips slowly parted.

“As a last resort, even if it is only a little… I will certainly leave a scar on you.”

“You continue to provoke me. Disappear.”

“I can’t do that…!!”

Eve flew toward the swinging blade. No, it was Tenebris, who had possessed Eve’s body, that lunged.

It used Eve’s body as a hostage. Because it knew I wouldn’t attack her.

“With you in your current state… even breathing would kill this woman. You know that, right?”

“You are correct.”

“Then, until my power runs out… obediently receive it and become completely shattered!!”

Demons energy gathered in Eve’s hand. The pitch-black, ominous aura soon took the form of a sword.

Eve, wielding the pitch-black sword, lunged at me. It was a damned sword imbued with the essence of my swordsmanship.

The Black Heaven Demon Sword, Divine Slaughter.

Seeing the killing intent within, I smiled faintly.

“I’m sorry, Eve.”

The sword that could kill me stopped in mid-air. Tenebris’ mind, controlling Eve, attempted to wield the sword, but her body refused.

Beyond Eve’s pitch-black eyes, a deep blue like a lake bloomed. Her hair also returned to a light sky blue.

As if it had swallowed up all the demonic energy.

“Don’t apologize, you. This… is me. This is only… the minimum atonement for the countless sins I have committed.”

「Wh- why… even this woman’s power…!!」

Tenebris’ voice echoed faintly, bewildered. Over the top, Eve smiled warmly.

I accepted her resolve. I gripped the sword and swung it wide. Containing all of myself.

The Shadowless Divine Sword, Heavenly Punishment.

It pierced the place where Tenebris was sealed. Eve’s long life, the sins she had committed, everything—her heart containing that karma.

Fwump—

The sound of flesh tearing and bones breaking resonated. With that hideous sound as its death cry, all the demonic energy vanished from Eve.

Clang—

The eclipse ended, and the domain shattered. The omnipotence drained away from my body.

“Kurk-”

Simultaneously, crimson blood gushed from Eve’s mouth. She was enduring the pain with a frown.

I immediately deactivated the Shadowless Sword. I pushed the ether that formed the sword into Eve’s chest wound.

“It’s okay, Eve. You can live—”

Clang—

Eve grabbed my sleeve. In my embrace, she quietly, very quietly, exhaled her last breath and words.

“Ah, Adam… no, Nari…”

“…Yes, I’m listening.”

“My life… was a worthwhile adventure…?”

Her fading blue eyes asked me. I suppressed something that was about to burst forth from within my chest. It was so stifling, so agonizing, excruciating.

However, I had transcended humanness. I wouldn’t falter to human emotion.

I dispelled all falsehood with Tenebris towards the outer universe, and delivered only sincerity, the words amassed inside me alone.

“…Yes. Your life was a… most precious… adventure, like a jewel.”

“Th… That’s right… I’m so… so happy…”

In my arms, Eve smiled. I held her cheeks and smiled back.

Hot droplets fell ruthlessly on Eve’s face.

“I… only… love… you…”

The old letter that neither of us could deliver returned to its owner.

Eve, who no longer had the strength to hold on, dropped her hand.

I could not control it.

“I won’t let it end like this.”

I turned my life into ether and enveloped Eve’s body. So that not a single bit of her soul could escape.

So that Eve would never return… I sealed her existence and karma.