Fortunately, the survivor group wasn't hostile towards us.
No, they were more than just not hostile; they were friendly.
And for good reason...
"Prince Ash! How long has it been?"
They were familiar faces.
King Miller Ariane of the Ariane Kingdom greeted me warmly and offered a handshake. I grasped his thin hand and shook it.
"Miller. It's been a long time. I'm glad to see you alive."
"We Ariane people are used to this kind of weather! A mere blizzard can't kill Miller Ariane!"
His once muscular body had shriveled unimpressively, but his eyes still shone as brightly as they did 15 years ago.
I didn't bother asking about Yun. In a world like this, there's nothing more foolish than inquiring about someone who isn't present.After briefly catching up on how we'd been doing, I brought up my original purpose.
"Is there any chance we could get some medical supplies? We have many wounded."
"Medical supplies... We're not well-stocked ourselves, but we'll contribute what we can."
Miller instructed his subordinates to gather medical supplies.
His subordinates, with dull, lifeless eyes, nodded vaguely before disappearing into the shadows of the dark city.
After sending his subordinates away, Miller drew close to me and lowered his voice.
"So, Prince Ash. You have it, don't you?"
"Pardon? Have what?"
"Why, the one thing that can turn everything around in an instant, of course!"
Miller clenched his fist with his one remaining arm.
"The one thing that can topple those cursed monsters covering this land and save the world in one go...! You have it, right?"
"..."
I was at a loss for words.
No such method exists.
The world has already ended. It can never return to its former state.
Even knowing this, I searched for a miracle that might not exist. Because if I didn't believe in such a miracle, there would be no reason to live on.
So, the best I could manage was this response:
"...I'm still searching for it myself."
Miller's face, which had retained a hint of a smile, hardened.
He must have read the resignation and fatigue in my voice, in my face.
"I see, so that's how it is..."
He chuckled hollowly while stroking his unkempt beard.
"Prince Ash, I don't know exactly what you're looking for, but I'm sure you'll find it in the end. No matter where or how long you search, if it's you..."
Silence fell.
An awkward atmosphere filled the area around the bonfire. Ahem! Miller cleared his throat and brightened up as he spotted his subordinates returning from afar.
"Oh, here come my men... Hey, how much medicine do we have left?"
Clink. Clink.
But.
In the hands of the approaching subordinates were blades instead of medical supplies.
Moreover, their numbers had swelled far beyond those who had initially dispersed. It seemed they had gathered all their comrades scattered throughout the city.
"..."
Elize, Sid, and I calmly remained seated in front of the bonfire, glancing at the survivors swarming to surround us.
But Miller was visibly flustered.
"What are you doing, you fools?!"
"..."
"This is supposed to be a welcoming gathering for our esteemed guests! Put down those blades at once!"
"Your Majesty, please step aside."
Among those surrounding us, a gaunt middle-aged woman spat out words while gripping a rusty kitchen knife.
"We all know. Prince Ash, this man was the commander of the World Guardian Front."
"..."
"This man had the responsibility to protect the world. If he had done his job properly, the world wouldn't have ended so horrifically."
I closed my tired eyes. The middle-aged woman screamed in a hoarse voice.
"It's all because of you, Prince Ash! It's all your fault! If you had done things right, the world would have been safe, and my children wouldn't have had to die so miserably!"
"..."
"All these failures are your responsibility! So you should take responsibility! Why are you still shamelessly alive?!"
The survivors surrounding us took a step closer in unison.
The ominously raised weapons gleamed red, reflecting the bonfire's light and their hostility.
"Atone with your life."
"..."
"At least die now! Apologize to my children who died first...! To this world that died first!"
Miller stood up abruptly and shouted.
"You fools! Stop this nonsense!"
"Don't try to stop us, Your Majesty!"
"Isn't this world over anyway... Stop being so formal!"
"Let's kill these bastards and finally feast on human flesh...!"
Miller's intervention was futile.
The next moment, the survivors who had been slowly closing in rushed at me all at once, shouting.
I didn't dodge. I had several means to block their attack, and I was too tired to even move to avoid it.
But something completely unexpected happened.
Thud! Thud thud...!
Miller intercepted the attack meant for me, taking it with his body.
"Kuhak!"
"Miller?!"
Several blades pierced his old, skinny body and were pulled out along with spurts of blood.
Not just me, but even the survivors who had thrust their blades were shocked.
"Y-Your Majesty! Why!"
"Huk, huk, kheuk...!"
Spewing blood from his wounded body, Miller muttered.
"Who dares... to throw stones at this man...!"
"...!"
"Everyone who was on that front knows. Without this man, the world would have ended long ago. Because of this man, hope existed in this world..."
Miller raised his empty sleeve.
It revealed the burn scar from the black dragon's flames. He still considered that wound a glorious medal.
"I remember. That miraculous moment when this man brought sunlight back to the world..."
"..."
"So, if you want to throw stones at this man... Huk. Kill me first. Until I die, never...!"
The survivors were taken aback, but gradually their eyes changed. Their hands gripping the blades tightened.
"Yeah, we're sick of your pathetic old tales, Your Majesty..."
"Give us one last meal to fill our hungry stomachs before you go."
"Kill all four of them! Let's feast tonight!"
Even in a situation where the people he once led had all betrayed him and were pointing blades at him, Miller stood firm on trembling legs, as if trying to protect me.
I stood up and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"...Thank you, Miller."
"Huk, huk, Prince Ash..."
He looked back at me with trembling eyes.
It was an era where everything was being tested.
Humanity, beliefs, banners, will, all of it...
I was no exception. In this ruined world devoid of hope, I was about to give up on finding salvation.
I was about to accept the slowly withering fate.
But even in times like these, this old king showed that there are still people who genuinely believe in me.
So, I spoke with sincerity.
"Thank you."
Perhaps reading the determination returning to my eyes instead of resignation.
A smile slowly formed on Miller's blood-stained lips as he stared blankly back at me.
"I see... That's... enough..."
Thud.
Miller collapsed.
The old king was dead.
I quietly looked down at him, fallen in the pool of his own blood... then turned to survey the survivors surrounding us once more.
To those gripping blades and revealing their individual hatreds and desires, I spoke softly.
"I kill monsters. I protect humans."
"...?"
"That has been my lifelong creed."
I reached out my hand towards them.
"And still, I want to protect you all."
"..."
"It's not too late. Everyone, put down your weapons. Please, don't become monsters. Remain human."
Especially in times like these.
Someone must remain a lantern. Someone must remain a beacon. Someone must remain a flag.
If the world's destruction is my responsibility, then protecting the last of humanity is also my responsibility.
Rekindling that spark in people is also my responsibility.
"Don't become monsters like them."
"..."
"Even if it's difficult and painful, let's... live as humans until the very end."
The expressions of the survivors were varied.
Some burned with even more intense hatred as if the idea was absurd, some wavered and were confused, some had trembling eyes...
I calmly waited in front of these bewildered and restless people.
But in the end.
"Don't make me laugh! We'll kill you, Prince Ash!"
Once the faint emotions evaporated, what remained in the survivors' eyes was deep-rooted hatred.
"Save your pretty words for hell! Now that even that useless old man Miller is dead, we have nothing to hold us back!"
"We'll gladly become monsters if that's what it takes to survive in this hellish world!"
"Meat, meat, give us meeeeat!"
...Right.
This is reality, I suppose.
Still, I tried to persuade them until the very end. I tried to make even one person regain their senses.
But then.
Boom...
A sound echoed from afar.
"...?"
Everyone turned their heads towards it as if on cue.
Boom... Boom... Boom...
The heavy sound gradually drew closer.
The survivors swallowed their panicked screams and one by one dropped the blades from their hands. Confusion and despair appeared on everyone's faces.
They all knew the identity of this sound.
"Your Highness!"
Elize, who had hurriedly stomped out the bonfire, shouted.
"Hide!"
Elize urgently led me and Sid behind a ruined pillar.
Boom...! Boom...! Boom...!
At the same time, the sound began to intensify.
As if something very heavy was rushing across the ground.
And the moment after we hid behind the pillar-
Kwabooom!
Crushing all the collapsed ruins, three giant statues appeared amidst a cloud of dust.
Beings that appear to hunt humans by reading the negative emotions that surge when people are hostile to each other.
One of the worst monsters of the apocalyptic era-
"Tamn-Jin-Chi...!"
The giant statues with heads of a rooster, a snake, and a pig, their eyes flashing blood-red, raised their weapons. Then they spoke in monotone voices.
"Always greedy,"
"Always full of anger,"
"Always foolish. Oh humans."
The three spoke simultaneously.
"Come, let us journey together towards Nirvana."
And they began their hunt for humans.
Whoosh!
Splat-!
With every dance of the giant crescent blade, twin halberd, and four-pronged spear, the necks and heads of the survivors who were alive just moments ago separated, spraying blood in all directions.
"Aaaagh!"
"Run away, run away-!"
"It's Tamn-Jin-Chi! We can't beat them! Hurry and esc..."
A man who had been shouting at the top of his lungs was caught in the hand of a giant statue, and his upper and lower body were torn apart.
The man continued screaming for a long time even after his lower body was thrown far away.
"You damned monster! Back then, you took my children-"
The middle-aged woman from earlier charged at the giant statue with her kitchen knife, but.
The next moment she was struck by the statue's fist, and her blood and flesh exploded in mid-air, splattering everywhere.
A massacre occurred.
Those who quickly hid in various ruins like us survived, but those who were outside were horribly slaughtered.
"Kuk!"
As I slowly began to raise my magical power, a panicked Elize stopped me.
"Your Highness, what are you doing!"
"But, the people...!"
"We can't defeat those monsters now! You know that! We need to hide and look for a chance to escape!"
Then Sid muttered quietly.
"...It's too late to escape anyway."
"What?"
"More are coming."
Sid murmured, looking around with eyes tinged with a faint magical light.
"Other monsters too."
"...!"
Whoosh...
From beyond the ash-covered land, the ground approached like a wave.
No, it wasn't a wave.
It was an innumerable horde of rats.
In the center of that rat horde was a single massive lump of flesh.
"Mother Rat...!"
It was the monster I often called the Great Rat Mother, the mother of all rats.
In other words, it meant that the main force of rats that had swallowed this world had arrived here.
"Aaaagh!"
"It's the rat horde! The rats have appeared!"
"If we're swallowed, it's over, hurry and run...!"
Those who tried to flee outside the city were terrified and tried to come back into the ruins, but it was already too late.
The wave of rats, moving at a speed far superior to humans, engulfed the survivors.
Those swallowed by that wave couldn't even scream before their flesh was torn off and their blood sucked dry in a matter of seconds.
The bodies, turned to skeletons in an instant, rolled on the ground.
And it didn't end there.
Clop! Clop! Clop!
The sound of hooves.
Along with the swift sound of galloping hooves, four Centaurs appeared. They were each wrapped in plague, flame, water, and ice.
"The four generals of the Apocalypse Knights..."
This is truly going from bad to worse.
As I shuddered, Sid added.
"This isn't the end."
"What?"
When I turned to look, Sid's face was paler than I'd ever seen it.
"It's looking this way. It's coming towards us."
Sid's eyes trembled as he looked at me.
"The 'real' enemy...!"
The next moment,
Boom-!
With an earth-shaking roar, the sky split open.
The sky, always black with swirling smoke, cracked open to reveal the undulating darkness of another world.
Countless eyes blinked incessantly through the crack, peering down at the ground.
And following that path in the sky, under the clouds and in the starlight... two beings descended.
"...!"
One of them was a woman with her face covered by a mourning veil, its edges burned.
The dress she wore also had its hem and sleeve ends burned, and the tall crown on her head was also scorched black.
Even her long white hair, almost trailing on the ground, had blackened ends.
'The Sleepless Lake Princess'.
The worst enemy, and once my friend.
And beside her...
"It's been a while, Ash."
Wearing a blackened mask that constantly emitted dark smoke, with a crown of thorns atop the smiling mask.
Dressed in a white royal outfit completely blackened at the edges, with a white cloak also blackened at the edges...
There stood a jester.
I spat out his name.
"Crown."
Then, the crowned jester smiled behind his mask and asked.
In a low, deep, pleasant voice...
"How is it? Have you gotten used to this nightmarish life yet?"
--TL Notes--
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