In a world drained of all color, a lone young man emerged, carrying the only hue in sight. And that young man looked astonishingly like Caron—almost as if he was the latter's reflection.
The moment he appeared...
Chwarrrrk!
The blackness that lingered along the horizon lunged forward like a predator closing in on prey.
The young man's eyes gleamed as he glared at the oncoming darkness, his gaze brimming with a deep, unrelenting hatred. In a world where everything had been rendered meaningless, his hatred burned brighter than anything else.
"Let's deal with this first," the young man said as he swung a blade glowing with a dark bluish hue. It was unmistakably Guillotine.
Slash!
A wave-like slash burst forth from his Guillotine, halting the advance of the darkness. From him emanated the vastness of an immeasurable ocean—an ocean that had passed beyond the eighth sea to become one.
The 9-Star mana clashed head-on with the blackness.
Crash!
But even that overwhelming mana couldn't erase the darkness entirely. It only managed to push it back a little, forcing it to retreat to a more distant spot.
"Listen carefully. We don't have much time," the young man said.
"...Founder?" Caron asked.
"What was your first impression of seeing the final enemy like this? Did you feel despair? Or was it helplessness?" the young man asked.
Caron furrowed his brow, then twisted his lips into a smirk as he raised his middle finger and replied, "Why would I be scared of some childish coloring game?"
"Coloring game, huh? Sounds exactly like something you'd say," the young man said.
"From what I've seen, the Demon King of Void seems fundamentally different from the other Demon Kings," Caron remarked.
"You see it as it is. The Demon King of Void isn't something you can define with mere words. It's a living apocalypse, and an endless hunger. Since the beginning of time, it's been devouring, eroding, and consuming without end," the young man explained.
Caron turned his head back toward the Demon King of Void. Unlike the Demon Kings of Slaughter, Sloth, or Lust, it bore no trace of anything resembling a human form. It was simply a vast calamity, extending countless grasping limbs in all directions.
He wondered how one could ever hope to defeat something like that. And the thought alone left him feeling stifled and lost.
"Was it your doing that I was trapped in this world?" Caron asked.
"Why would it be? This place is far too early for someone like you who hasn't even opened the Mental World. Honestly, you're the one who went charging around like a mad foal. Let me guess—you blundered about without knowing up from down and ended up here, right?" the young man pointed out.
Whoosh!
The united ocean began to resonate with immense force. It was blue beyond comparison. Over the monochrome world, color began to spread—a vibrant blue that slowly reached outward, breathing life into this dead land.
"This place is a graveyard of fallen worlds—the remnants of realms Void has swallowed. Since you've made it here, I'd assume you've figured out what the Demon Realm is and what the demon race truly is," the young man said.
Caron dipped his arm into the ocean Rael had spread before him. The purest Azure Mana flowed into his body through his arm.
"How does it feel to get closer to the truth?" Rael asked softly.
Caron snorted and answered, "What does that matter right now? Just tell me how to get out of here. Are you going senile or something? You keep spouting useless crap."
Normally, people would call this kind of thing a fortuitous encounter. It seemed Rael had prepared far more than Caron expected.
Rael chuckled at Caron's shameless demand, scratching the back of his head. "Unbelievable. You do realize you can't leave here without me, right? How about treating me a little more politely for once?"
"If you're still lingering after death, you must be desperate yourself. So let's not waste time bickering—just pass on the way out," Caron replied.
"...Ha. You really are my spitting image. No wonder they say you can't fix people," Rael said as he shook his head with a sigh, muttering something under his breath. "Even your freeloading attitude is infuriating."
"Uh, Founder? That bastard Demon King of Void is moving again. At this rate we're going to get swallowed whole," Caron said.
"Quit whining. I'll handle it," Rael snapped.
With a sigh born of exhaustion from Caron's insolence, Rael reached out his hand, and his palm brushed gently over the blade of the Guillotine in Caron's grip.
"...Rael?" Guillotine called.
"Sorry, Guillotine," Rael said. "Your memories of the Demon Realm aren't whole, are they? That's entirely my fault. But I had no choice. If you had been awake at the time, things would have gone wrong. I had to seal your mind. It was the only conclusion after countless simulations, so try to understand."
"Simulations? Is there such a thing?" Guillotine asked.
"There is," Rael replied casually.
Tap.
Rael tapped Guillotine's blade with his finger.
"Uh, uh? Huh?" Guillotine made a strange sound, then fell silent.
Caron tilted his head slightly and asked, "What did you just do, Founder?"
"Think of it as an evolution, of sorts. You picked up the Demon Realm map from Saint Kamael's tomb, right?" Rael asked.
"Yes, I did," Caron answered.
"Good. I just added a function to Guillotine that will guide you based on that map," Rael explained.
"Wow, if you could do that, why didn't you do it for me during my Coming of Age Ceremony?" Caron complained.
"This bastard... He complains even when I help him," Rael muttered.
Whoosh.
A low hum filled the air.
Once Guillotine's voice faded, the silence grew heavier.
Caron scratched his head, then glanced at Rael's blue eyes—eyes that looked exactly like his own when he saw them in a mirror. Someone once said the eyes were the window to the soul. Maybe that was why it felt so strange.
"If I had my way," Rael said with a faint smile, "I'd summon some good liquor and sit down for a long talk. But time's short."
The blackness Rael had driven back was now reaching for Caron again.
"Well... There's nothing else I really need to tell you. See that? That's what you'll face at our destination. The enemy I couldn't defeat even three hundred years ago. The power that erased my kin from this world," Rael explained. There was no hiding the hatred in his voice.
"So where have you been all this time?" Caron asked. "Inside Guillotine? Or inside my head?"
"The power of Void twists all laws. What you see now is only a fragment I left within its domain. Normally, we would have met beyond the Veil, but this place is also part of Void's territory. Seems Void wants you to grow stronger a bit faster," Rael replied.
"That's... hard to wrap my head around," Caron said.
"You'll understand eventually. Void's desire is to cover all existence in emptiness—even itself. It's a being that longs to vanish," Rael continued.
He slowly extended a hand and touched Caron's forehead with one finger. Smiling brightly, he said, "Let's call this a preview lesson. Now I'll teach you how to get out of this damned Mental World. It's simple—spread your sea wide and take in the black power with everything you've got."
"Have you lost your mind, Founder?" Caron asked.
"Think of it as an invitation. If you don't accept that power, you'll never cross the Veil. Don't worry, Guillotine will protect you," Rael said as he gave a weary smile and pointed to the blade.
"Guillotine, the sword forged in the cold North Sea, steeped in the blood of countless traitors. And also..." Rael continued as he looked up at the ashen sky. "A key to what lies beyond the Veil. One of the few vessels that can contain Void's power."
In the distance, Void's power began creeping back. This time, Rael didn't push it away. He looked calmly at Caron and said, "Unlike me, you can break the Veil."
"If you couldn't do it, how am I supposed to?" Caron asked.
"I was alone. You are not. No... We are not," Rael answered.
That word— we —rang strangely in Caron's ears.
With a smile, Rael nodded and said brightly, "Guillotine will assist you. Trust me and absorb the power, Caron. This is the last help I can give you."
Caron's response came in a shameless tone. "Isn't this the moment for a parting gift?"
"You greedy brat. Just how much do you plan to freeload?" Rael asked.
"Well, lack of shame must be in the bloodline," Caron replied.
"Shut it and absorb Void's dark mana. Your gift is waiting outside this world, so keep that in mind. Ready?" Rael asked.
By now, Void's power had reached them. Black tendrils lunged toward Caron, but Rael skillfully sliced them into fine fragments.
The shards seeped into Caron's sea, then flowed through his mana channels as alien dark mana surged into his body.
"You could've at least warned me before starting this! You or Rael, you're both the same—unbelievable," Guillotine grumbled as it absorbed Void's power.
Pain that made his entire body feel as if it was being torn apart exploded through Caron, but he clenched his teeth and endured.
This kind of agony was nothing. If it brought him closer to completing his revenge, he would gladly bear it.
As his vision blurred from the unbearable pain, Rael's voice whispered faintly, "In the end, we will all reach the last sea. The finale is near... so hold on just a little longer, my..."
Caron never heard the last word. Agony spiked, and the world went pitch black.
***
"Commander, if you don't open your eyes, I'm going to stick this sword right into your gut," Beatrice said sharply.
"Hey, Beatrice," Kerra muttered. "At your age, do you really have to say it that way[1]? Just say you'll turn him into jerky while he's still alive."
"That's because he's making me angry! We were out there nearly getting ourselves killed smashing a demonic monster the size of a house, and he's here snoring away—how is that fair?" Beatrice protested.
The surroundings were noisy.
Caron slowly opened his eyes at the sound of his companions calling his name. Before he closed them, he had been in the Mental World created by the Demon King of Void. But this—this was reality.
Fwaaaash!
Turning his head slightly, he saw Seria beside him, lips pressed tight as she channeled holy power into him. She had clearly pushed herself past her limit; her face was drenched in sweat.
"...Seria, I'm fine now—" Caron began.
Thud!
"Urgh!"
Before Caron could finish, Seria drove her fist into his stomach and said, "Stay down and be quiet. Do you even know what's going on in your body right now?"
"It's my body. Don't you think I'd know best?" Caron replied.
"Void's dark mana was inside you. Are you experiencing hallucinations? Any sudden urge to slaughter everyone around you?" Seria asked.
She was treating him like some dangerous lunatic. Caron scratched his cheek and replied, "Not really."
"You were already crazy to begin with, so you're more dangerous than most. If you feel any uncontrollable urges, tell me right away. I'll smash your skull in with my mace," Seria declared.
"...Seria, if you smash a human's skull with a mace, they die," Caron said.
"You're not 'a someone,'" Seria snapped. She sighed heavily and shook her head, then finally lifted her hand from his chest.
Only then could Caron sit up comfortably. He muttered, "That was close."
The massive Void Walker that had towered over them was gone. The wide cavern was littered only with the scars of an enormous battle. At its center stood a huge purple sphere, ominous energy radiating from it.
"Good work, everyone," Caron said lightly.
Kerra, clutching his wounded right arm, let out a weary sigh and asked, "So there are demonic monsters like that crawling all over the Demon Realm, Commander?"
"Not all over," Caron replied. "Maybe beyond the Veil, in Void's domain."
"How strong is the Demon King of Void?" Kerra asked.
Caron thought back to the power he had just faced—a calamity so terrible that even in a dreamscape it had been overwhelming.
He wondered what it would be like in reality if it was that horrifying in a mere Mental World. Honestly, he wasn't sure it could be killed at all. It didn't make sense that he could cut down a calamity with a sword.
"I don't know," Caron admitted. He still had no clear way to defeat the Demon King of Void. There were too many mountains left to climb before that battle.
"If we keep taking the heads of the other Demon Kings first, maybe we'll find a way," he continued.
That was the best he had for now—deal with what stood directly before him, step by step, until the final destination was in sight.
Caron gave a slight nod and turned to the sphere, then asked, "That's the core holding this place together, right?"
The guardian who had protected it was gone. All that remained was to destroy it and lift Void's power shrouding the island.
Shiker, who stood behind him, nodded and replied, "I promised to get you out of here. Don't worry—destroying that core is my final duty."
"How are you going to destroy it?" Caron asked.
"Simple. I'll self-destruct with it," Shiker answered. Not a shred of hesitation colored his voice. With an expressionless face, he stepped forward and continued, "If I destroy the core, Void's power over this place will vanish."
"And after the core is destroyed?" Caron asked.
"This land will disappear, along with the last city of my people. The only reason this city still stands is because of that core," Shiker explained.
Caron frowned and said, "That's a problem."
"How so?" Shiker asked.
"I don't want the island to disappear," Caron replied.
It was the perfect spot for a forward supply base—seizing it would give them a huge strategic advantage. And more than that...
"I don't share good things with others," Caron added.
"...What's that supposed to mean?" Shiker asked.
"It means you don't need to blow yourself up," Caron answered.
Whoosh!
From Guillotine's blade, a deep, dark blue light flared.
"If we've come all this way and suffered this much, we might as well take something home with us, right?" Caron said.
Realizing what he meant, Shiker's expressione turned cold and he shouted, "That's madness! Absorb that thing and Void will devour your very soul! Only a lunatic with no will to live would—"
"Exactly," Caron cut Shiker off mid-sentence.
"...What?" Shiker asked.
Caron smirked and stepped forward, saying, "I'm that lunatic."
1. This is about the word 배때기. It’s a dialect word that is also considered slang. ☜