The Prophet ignored the sword spirit, Verdandi, as he walked past her. To him, she was nothing more than a phantom, a remnant left behind to guard the sword of a warrior.
“…”
He continued toward the roots of the World Tree. They were just a few steps ahead, and once he extracted what he needed from the Chaos Beasts clinging to them, all that remained was to buy time.
‘All that’s left is to stop the possessor and her group. I’ve already sealed Brunhild’s thunder spear—Gungnir—with [Gleipnir], so she’s no longer a significant threat.’
Although he hadn’t completely removed her from this world with the chain magic that once bound the wolf god, he had achieved meaningful progress.
‘It was worth the effort to gather all that power.’
The being who wore Brunhild’s shell wouldn’t be able to exert the same transcendent power as before, at least not while the plan was in progress.
“…”
He wasn’t even sure if Brunhild was truly male or female, but the way she fought, licking her lips and talking about Clara’s taste, showed she was far from sane.
‘Where does that perverse lust even come from?’
Yet it seemed that she had formed a deep connection in this world, given how fervently that character pursued her.
‘That… Clara.’
Her transformation was astonishing. The murderous intent in her fists and eyes was still vivid.
—I swore to stay with her forever.
“…”
Having weakened the strongest character, Brunhild, the weakest character, Clara, had awakened and rushed at him.
“…”
This world tormented people with such exquisite [Fate].
No matter which direction they took, everything was designed to end in ruin and emptiness.
Even the universe without the Prophet Kang Jinsu was the same.
‘If this world is destined for destruction…!’
Then, he would save them all.
He would create an eternal paradise where they could live forever, in love and happiness, free from the constraints of this world’s cruel fate.
He would break the cycle of this world, dictated by the World Tree, and forge a new paradise where those he loved could live as ordinary girls.
Squeeze—
As he thought of them, the Prophet lowered his head.
‘Even now, I can’t remember your names.’
[The Witch] [The Warrior] [The Rider]
The [Three Heroes] who sacrificed themselves, leaving no trace of their names.
And Ymir, who he thought he had saved, but who sacrificed herself to save the World Tree.
“…”
There would be no more sacrifices in this world.
As he steeled himself with that thought, a small child grabbed his pants.
Whoosh—
No, she couldn’t. It was like the gesture of a ghost, a hand that couldn’t grasp anything real, like trying to hold onto a phantom tied to the past.
The pink-haired child spoke quietly.
“Jinsu.” “...” “Did you sleep well?” “...” “You have dark circles under your eyes.”
He ignored her. She was just a leftover remnant.
“Jinsu.” “...” “Did you eat?” “...” “You’ve gotten thinner. You used to be a bit chubby.”
He ignored her. She was just a corpse left behind.
‘Even corpses in this world carry [Fate].’
Bound by the World Tree’s remnants… they become cogs in the machine that keeps this world turning. A broken cog is denied existence.
“Jinsu.” “...” “I’m sorry I left you alone.” “...” “I’m sorry I made you lonely. I was always so incompetent… I ruined everything too late.”
Grit—
The voice was too familiar. The worry in it too well-known. That’s why the Prophet growled back at her.
“Shut up. The woman I loved is dead.”
Verdandi spoke with sadness.
“If I had done better, the World Tree wouldn’t be unstable because of the Beast Gods’ power… You wouldn’t have been so hurt.” “I said shut up.” “I’m sorry… But…”
Verdandi, the sword spirit, tried to grab Kang Jinsu’s pants. She tried to stop him from doing what he intended.
But her small hand couldn’t interfere with reality and passed through his clothes, as futile as a ghost’s gesture… only able to produce a faint voice.
Whoosh—
“Please don’t ruin the hearts of those living now…!” “Shut up.” “Even if we were sacrificed, that’s no reason to deny everything…!” “Don’t pretend to be Ymir. You don’t even know who I am.” “No, Jinsu, it’s you who doesn’t see who I am!”
“...”
Whoosh—
“I’m just a remnant of a miracle—‘the goddess of the present,’ Verdandi. My purpose was to carry on the will of the saint who sacrificed herself to heal the World Tree.” “...” “Even if I lost my memories and spent my days in incompetence…” “...” “I have to stop you now.” “...” “Because…”
Whoosh—
“Because I still love you…” “...”
Flinch
“...”
The Prophet ignored her.
Everything had already begun 1,500 years ago, and in the chaos among the dragon clans, as he drank from the abyss, it had become too late to turn back.
So he ignored Verdandi and kept walking forward, vowing once more.
“I will…! Save this world…!”
The Prophet reached out his hand, and the Chaos Beasts, their eyes glowing, approached. He then raised his head to look at the roots of the World Tree.
“…?”
There, Pingchang appeared. She descended from the sky with a bright light.
“Yoohoo—☆ The lonely bachelor got a confession and got scared~ boohoo~☆” “…?!” “Pingchang!! Making a dramatic entrance with the time that Senpai earned for us—☆” “How did you even—?!”
The girl, wrapped in a shining spiral, smiled and hurled a punch filled with murderous intent at the Prophet as he walked.
When her fist connected with his abdomen, pink ether exploded. The sound of the explosion echoed like the sky and earth were being torn apart.
KABOOM—!!
The Prophet was flung backward in an instant. The line of light starting from the ground extended for tens of meters without stopping. The massive spiral storm isolated the Prophet from the earth.
“Grrr—?!”
In the Prophet’s vision, the ground and sky flipped upside down. The roots of the World Tree had already receded far into the distance.
‘If I weaken Brunhild, does Clara get stronger?!’
The Prophet floated in the air, gritting his teeth as he formed a hand sign, summoning [Gleipnir].
With blood in his mouth, he screamed toward the World Tree.
“Are you going to interfere again—?! To stop me from saving them—!! To stop me from rescuing them once more—!!”
Clatter—!
He hurled the massive black chains, each link larger than a person’s head, toward where Clara would inevitably appear.
‘Clara always charges in head-on!’
As expected, Clara appeared right in front of him.
The Prophet fired the black chains at her.
Flash!
But Clara easily deflected [Gleipnir]. She danced through the air, spiraling toward him with a punch.
“This damn foresight…!” “It’s rude to ignore a girl’s confession, you nasty man—☆” “Shut up—!!”
The word “confession” pierced Kang Jinsu’s heart like a thorn. Desperately, he denied Clara’s words.
“What do you know—!! You’re just a character in a game!! Brunhild!! The possessor!! You’re all just drunk on the sweet, tender parts of this world!! You don’t even know the rotten truth of this damned world—!!”
Clara deftly dodged the ancient spells he cast in his rage. She gracefully evaded the giant veil that covered the sky, coming ever closer.
Tutututut—!
Countless black magic circles exploded in the air, but none could stop the girl as she danced toward him.
“Yep♪ Aren’t you jealous? But even in this city, it’s rare to see a cute girl like me—☆” “Stop making no sense!!” “It’s natural for a grouchy old man and a lively girl to talk past each other—☆”
Desperately, the Prophet scattered [Gleipnir] all around him, drawing black magic circles between them. Each circle was a spell he had spent centuries preparing.
He fired sealing magic from the dragons at Clara as she charged.
Countless shapes and symbols materialized, ready to slice through the sky.
It was like drawing with a massive black crayon across the vast sky.
Clara shouted playfully as she broke through them all, her pink spiral trailing behind her.
“Take this—☆ You’re just piling on debuffs… So sneaky!” “Shut up…!” “Shutuuup~☆” “…Tch!”
Shooo—!!
Countless magic circles. Countless black chains. Even as all the lines became surfaces and shot toward her, they couldn’t stop the spiral charging like a meteor.
Tatatatatata—!!
Pink and black exploded endlessly in the sky. In the sky where so many battles were raging, they clashed.
The Prophet’s body was disintegrating. Each of her attacks, filled with murderous intent, was massive.
Black explosions. Pink spirals.
All the colors merged, forming a Taiji symbol. The sky was split into two colors.
Tatatatatata—!!
Below, a warrior with crimson wings swung her sword, stabbing the heart of the brown dragonfly. A fairy girl with an emerald bow created a giant tree, pinning down the other dragonfly.
The dragonfly trapped by the tree screamed.
“Brother—!!”
Flames roared. The aura of death was purified. Her body had long been reduced to rags.
The [Warrior] had awakened. The weakest character had grown stronger. The possessor was still alive.
Ancient magic had been depleted, wasting so much power and the abyss.
‘But…!’
Even so, the Prophet did not give up. Because he had achieved one thing.
‘Even if it’s just one…!’
He would never give up.
The Prophet reached out to Clara. His body, covered in countless black cracks, swore with all the bitterness he could muster.
“I came here to save this world beyond fate—!! I will save everyone—!!”
With that cry, a black subspace opened in the air. From it, a massive flash of light shot out, unlike anything before.
KABOOOOOM—!!
A black flash passed before and behind the Prophet. It was a sudden, overwhelming attack that tore through the clouds. Clara hadn’t predicted the attack and hastily teleported away.
“What?!”
BOOOOOM—!!
The sky split open for miles, leaving countless scars on the clouds as the black light vanished.
A Chaos Beast, having consumed something from the roots of the World Tree, flew into the black flash. Along with it, a massive, wounded dragonfly staggered toward the Prophet.
Clara tried to stop them all, but the distance was too great, and she couldn’t close it in time. Even with [Bifrost], she was too late.
“If you claim to be the guardian of the academy city.”
The Prophet looked at Clara with blazing eyes and declared.
“Do not interfere with me.” “…” “Just watch. Watch as I… save the world.”
With those words, the Prophet, carrying his wounded prize, disappeared into the darkness.
Clara watched him go and muttered bitterly.
“We can’t. You and I.”