"Why are you still alive?"

"What the hell are you saying?"

At my words, the divine Noya twisted his face in a grimace. I froze for a moment, taken aback by his grotesque expression.

"No... that’s not what I meant."

I stopped myself mid-sentence. It was too clear what I meant.

I thought carefully and spoke again.

"Really, why are you still alive?"

"...What should I do with you?"

Eventually, I repeated the same words. Noya sighed, as if utterly bewildered.

"Why? Does it bother you that I’m alive?"

"...Is that even a question?"

Of course not. That wasn’t what I meant, but my trembling fingers made it clear that I was lying. Seeing this, Noya chuckled softly.

"Don’t get all sentimental now. Don’t come hugging me or anything."

"I’m sorry, but I’d rather not do that either."

"Damn you."

Heh heh heh.

Noya laughed.

I watched quietly, then asked,

"But Noya..."

"Yeah?"

"...Is it really... too late?"

"Hm?"

Hearing that, Noya widened his eyes slightly and let out a hollow laugh. Then he stretched his arms out.

I moved my heavy feet and rushed to embrace him.

"...Tsk tsk. Foolish child. Just earlier, you said you didn’t want to."

"..."

I quietly held the old man, feeling his rough hand stroking the back of my head.

"See..."

He stopped mid-sentence. His voice didn’t sound right.

"What’s this, now?"

Hearing that, Noya’s voice became laced with laughter.

"You crying?"

"...I’m not crying."

"You are."

"I’m not. Who’s crying?"

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Noya burst into hearty laughter.

"You funny thing. Acting all tough, yet here you are, whining like a child."

"I’m not crying!"

"Heh heh."

"Stop laughing already."

I wiped my eyes with my hands. Fortunately, no tears had formed. It was probably just a little feeling of melancholy.

‘Embarrassing.’

That thought seeped into my voice and caused it to falter. I’d almost let myself cry like a child.

"...So why did this happen?"

I spoke through clenched teeth, resentment slipping into my voice. Noya’s smile faded.

"Didn’t I tell you to just leave it be? I... what could I have done?"

"Yangcheon."

His hand reached for the crown of my head.

"It won’t change much, you know. You knew this already. It was always going to end like this, just more stubbornly clinging to a foolish desire."

"But..."

Even so—

I still needed him. The words rose to my throat, but I couldn’t say them.

"That, too, is desire."

Noya must have known what I was about to say. He always did.

"Whether it was my desire or yours, it’s still just desire."

"...So you died for me instead?"

"Died for you? Ha ha. There’s no 'for you.' I failed in the end. The rest, you have to take care of yourself."

"Don’t you feel regret...? You said there were things you wanted to do."

Things he couldn’t finish. He had /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ spoken about that regret.

How he needed to accomplish what he had failed to do in the past.

Wasn’t it because of this that he wanted me to stop the Blood Demon?

When I mentioned it, Noya replied with a soft smile.

"It wasn’t things I wanted to do—it was things I wanted to see. You know that, don’t you? It’s no different from this."

"So... you’re just going to leave?"

Without even seeing what he wanted to see?

Without doing what he meant to do through me? Just leaving?

"I can’t let you go."

I couldn’t let him go like that.

If he left—

What would be left for me?

I’d be alone, without the one who knew my secrets. The one who stood by me, supported me, and taught me. If he were gone—

What would be left?

"I can’t let you go."

I tried to hold on to him, to keep him with me, but—

"Yangcheon."

Noya called my name in a sorrowful tone.

Before I could say anything,

"Enough of the chatter. You haven’t had the time for this."

A cold voice pierced through the air.

I blinked, looking up at the sky.

There, above me—

"...You..."

"Long time no see."

A being covered in white hair, identical to me, stood there, shrouded in embers, flickering and swirling.

I stared at it in shock.

"My incompetent descendant."

The goblin smiled and spoke.

**********

Rumble.

The ground trembled with a deafening roar. What was once a field and forest was now a wasteland.

In the center of this ruined land, someone exhaled a weary breath.

"Hoo..."

Each exhale of the man shook the surroundings.

"This is ridiculous."

He let out a frustrated sigh as he laughed.

His body was a mess, unlike before. His left arm had been torn off. His side looked as if it had been eaten. His right leg was just a knee, and his right arm hung on by a thread.

Normally, his body would have regenerated by now, but Taechon’s body could not heal.

"This is the limit."

Even the vessel he had evolved with vitality had reached its limit.

It should not have been so easily destroyed, especially since it was supposed to contain divinity.

But—

"...This is no joke."

Even with all the preparation, his body had reached its breaking point.

It was in front of him now.

"What are you?"

Taechon stared ahead with his broken body. There, he saw—

"Crrrraaack—."

A massive beast with white fur trembled, spears lodged all over its body.

It had crimson eyes.

Taechon twisted his face in confusion, staring at the creature.

"I can’t understand it."

Clunk.

Slowly, with his broken leg, he approaches.

“Why?”

The closer he gets, the more certain he becomes. No, the certainty was already there when they fought.

"Could it be that you possess the divinity of the Myriad Realms (Mangye)?"

"Grurrrr--!!"

Clank--!!!

As Taechon approaches, the creature attempts to move. Despite the excruciating pain and restraints binding its body, it tries to charge forward again, unfazed.

Seeing this, Taechon swings his hand.

Kwaaang-!!

"Graaaahhh--!!"

A spear falls from the sky and pierces directly into the creature’s back.

"Truly tenacious."

It had been a brutal fight. The intensity and lack of hesitation were such that this was no simple battle.

"No matter that it wasn't the direct descent."

Even if it wasn’t the main body that came, Taechon never expected to have to use such a method. If his true body had arrived, as this remark implies, it would have been much easier, but that was impossible.

"Mangye would never allow that."

The true master of this land would never permit it. Taechon had thought so until now.

"Strange."

Taechon spat out words and looked up at the sky.

It was truly strange.

"Why no reaction?"

A crimson aurora entered his sight. It was night now.

The moon had risen, and even the domain Taechon had spread was now gone.

"Why does it not come?"

Such a fierce battle.

Not just any fight, but a battle of the master class. Yet, Mangye had not come.

"I see now."

Having come this far, Taechon realized.

"Ah, I see."

Taechon laughed.

Mangye hadn’t not come.

"They simply cannot come, can they?"

They could not come now.

Even with such a divine aura emanating, either they hadn’t sensed it or, even if they had, they couldn’t move.

One of these two possibilities, and either way, this was not an unfavorable situation for Taechon.

Moreover, when considering why Mangye couldn’t move.

"Could it be because of you? That’s what I think. What do you think?"

"...Grurrrr--!!!"

At Taechon’s words, the monster let out a cry. Taechon believed the reason Mangye couldn’t move was this.

"Even if incomplete, there’s no way I wouldn’t know."

Inside the monster’s body.

The unimaginable power it harbored.

From this vast land, a tremendous force emanated from the center where all life converged.

The grand power bestowed by the vast world, two forces alone.

One of those powers was emanating from this unknown creature’s body.

It was truly puzzling.

"What could it be?"

It looked like the Dragon Lord. A power reminiscent of the arrogant ancient master that Mangye erased.

"How...?"

That form was the primordial form Mangye originally possessed. How could two powers be mixed together like this?

Even more puzzling, it was strange that this mix was maintained.

"What is it you’ve done?"

What could Mangye have been planning?

As the thought crossed his mind, Taechon shook his head.

"It doesn’t matter."

It didn’t matter, whatever it was. After all,

"I’ll just take it for myself."

If Mangye couldn’t move, then it was the optimal situation.

Whatever intention they had, it didn’t matter. As long as Taechon got what was in front of him, that was enough.

Crack.

Taechon’s broken body began to regenerate.

The speed was significantly slower, but it wasn’t entirely impossible.

"Time is running short."

Due to the degradation of his physical form, the time he had to descend was now reduced.

He needed to finish this quickly.

Thinking so, Taechon reached out towards the monster.

In that moment.

Crack—!!!

"..."

Taechon pulled back.

A sharp energy passed through in front of the monster.

Sensing it, Taechon looked towards a certain direction.

"Ah, I forgot for a moment."

A fact he had forgotten, while focusing on the battle with the creature.

"Yes, you too were here."

This wasn’t the only presence around.

The figure that sent the sword aura. The woman with black hair was now watching Taechon.

Seeing her, Taechon spoke.

"Now is not the time for such things. Before doing something pointless, shall I show mercy first? Do you wish to fight?"

With Taechon’s words, the wind began to blow.

Whoosh.

The woman, who had been far away, was suddenly standing before the monster, facing Taechon.

"Mercy?"

She tilted her head as though she couldn’t understand the words.

"You’re wrapping up your impatience as if begging. How disgraceful."

"..."

At those words, Taechon silently stared at the woman.

Just like the monster, she was the same.

"What are you?"

This was a fundamental question.

What was that?

At first, he thought it was merely the leftover of a Dragon Lord. Or perhaps a chunk of lost power. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

That’s how he saw it.

"What is she wearing?"

But no.

She was not just wearing that.

If that wasn’t the case, such a feeling couldn’t arise.

"What is it...?"

"Regret."

"What?"

The woman answered.

Her response to what she was wearing.

"You, do you know what remains when endless time mixes with hope?"

After a long period of contemplation, the answer she reached was clear.

"The answer is regret."

Regret.

The unachievable, the unattainable.

The endless desire for something.

She called it regret.

Or sometimes, she referred to it as love.