The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage-Chapter 332

3.

Dragging his tired body out of the capsule, Seong let out a familiar sigh.

“Phew...”

The final scenario had been more depressing than expected.

It seemed even Seong had been affected by it.

And how could he not?

After all, it was the story of Hindel and Helena.

He already knew it was a tragedy.

That’s why, more than usual, Seong felt mentally drained and tried to loosen up his body a bit.

It felt like an entire day had passed on edge.

He had fought the baron and gone through all kinds of events.

Not knowing how long he had to endure this wore him down.

Being constantly on alert for anyone approaching him had severely drained his stamina.

And since Seong had been listening to all the reports from his subordinates as well...

Of course, he was exhausted.

‘Will it end sometime tomorrow?’

He shook his head at the thought, already weighed down by fatigue.

He still didn’t know exactly what had happened to Hindel.

Although he had access to Hindel’s memories, the ones from that time were far too painful and agonizing.

They were barely visible—no, not even accessible.

Well, considering that one can live for centuries even without transcendence...

If Seong were to absorb all those vast memories at once, his brain might not survive the overload.

So it was only natural.

‘Anyway, this scenario is going to be grim.’

Thinking he’d need to spend a lot of emotional energy, he went out to the living room to have dinner with his family.

He had hung out with his friends yesterday.

Now, after spending cheerful time with his family again...

Thankfully, he was able to recover emotionally rather quickly.

He realized that getting too deeply immersed wasn’t always a good thing.

With a thought to keep things in moderation, he drifted off to sleep.

The next morning.

As usual, Seong followed his routine—woke up, went running, had breakfast, and logged into Eternal World.

There was nothing special that day either.

Occasionally, knights got a bit too close...

But Will, who had always been quick-witted since he was young, skillfully redirected the knights each time.

Thanks to that, nothing happened.

Another day passed like that.

Though the knights had come near, it had been uneventful.

But the next day...

For some reason, Seong had a strong feeling that today would be a day of reckoning.

It made sense «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» time-wise.

More and more transcendent beings had been appearing nearby.

It was at the point where being discovered was inevitable.

Sunday morning dawned.

And as always, Seong went through his morning routine—

But there was something different about his resolve.

Seeing Seong’s stiff expression...

Neither his parents nor his older sister Yu Mina disturbed him during breakfast.

And then—

“Thanks for the meal.”

With that firm statement, Seong cleared his dishes and went straight to his room.

Seeing this, his mother, Lee Na-gyeong, asked Yu Mina,

“Seong doesn’t have anything going on... right?”

Her question hinted at a little concern.

Yu Mina chuckled and replied,

“He’s probably just way too immersed. Not necessarily a bad thing.”

“Is that so?”

“Ahem... well, I’m sure Seong knows what he’s doing.”

Their father, Yoo Gwang-jin, also offered his reassurance.

But Lee Na-gyeong still muttered with worry in her voice,

“I don’t know what’s going on, but I hope everything turns out alright...”

With that, she quietly sent her support to her son.

Surrounded by his family’s support, Seong quickly brushed off the now-annoying welcome screen and logged in.

Barbaros was already waiting.

They were in the scenario book, after all.

Time was frozen, and as Seong logged in—

“It’s started right away.”

Barbaros said, and Seong nodded in agreement.

Then, without realizing it, Seong looked up at the sky.

Unlike usual, it wasn’t a bright morning sky—but a dark, night sky.

For some reason, the darkness above gave off a foreboding feeling, and Seong’s expression tightened.

Barbaros felt the same.

“Time skipped a bit here and there... but to log off and have it pause in the middle of the night like this...”

“Yes. That’s what it seems like.”

Seong nodded as if agreeing with Barbaros.

Sensing that the end had come, Barbaros checked his grimoire with a tense expression.

Making sure everything was in place before casting magic.

This was essentially the final chapter.

They had already vowed to give it their all.

They couldn't change the past—

But at least this scenario, they might be able to.

With that hope, the two of them steeled their resolve.

Then—

“...Something’s wrong.”

Will approached, also sensing that something was off.

Seong felt it too—something had begun.

His body wasn’t entirely frozen, but he couldn’t move even a step outside Helena’s barrier.

As that sense of foreboding surged—

Could it be?

“Seong-nim...”

“......”

Barbaros’s voice called out, but Seong couldn’t respond.

He knew all too well what this phenomenon was.

And then, chaos condensed in the air and took shape.

A familiar voice echoed from behind them.

“...The order is to stand by and watch from here.”

“......”

No one asked whose order it was.

It was obvious.

Seong wanted to ask if that was okay—

But he didn’t have the chance.

At that moment, someone appeared outside the barrier, and the gateway to the demon realm opened in the sky, filled with horrific, agonizing screams.

The sky cracked open like glass, and from that rift, Helena descended.

As she did, vibrant flowers fluttered in the air, and overwhelming demonic energy radiated around them.

It was inevitable, with the gateway to the demon realm open.

But all that demonic energy was absorbed into Helena’s aura and sent back into the demon realm.

Instead, each flower around them blossomed vividly, radiating life.

Meanwhile, from another rift spilling gloomy galactic starlight, the hero appeared.

And with his arrival, all the flowers and grass that had just bloomed began to wither and die.

It was as if the Demon King and the Hero had switched roles.

In the strange atmosphere where good and evil seemed reversed, the masters of the Magic Tower and the knights who had reached transcendence began to gather.

When countless humans had gathered behind Hindel...

No one stood beside Helena.

Her subordinates stayed behind in the barrier Helena had created, watching over her.

Because that was her command.

Even as ominous and sacrilegious thoughts bloomed—

They only watched Helena.

Because they believed in and adored their master.

But the ones behind the hero were different.

They had gathered, calculating personal gain, greed, and losses.

Helena’s eyes, gazing at them, were icy cold.

“A hero... have you come to bother me again? What do you want this time?”

Despite having just slain two of the three Grand Dukes of the demon realm, her voice was calm.

But Seong could feel it.

That sorrowful, weary tone beneath her calmness.

The hero standing against her also raised his sword with hollow eyes.

And he muttered,

“If you didn’t exist... no—if I could just get rid of you, this would all be over.”

There he stood—not a hero, but just a man, utterly worn out and hopeless.

Drenched in fatigue and despair, the man pointed his sword at Helena, and Helena turned her gaze past him.

At those who stared at the hero with greed.

Among them, only two pairs of eyes looked at the hero with concern.

“The Saint and the Elf Archer, huh. You couldn’t stop him, could you?”

Her words were soft.

The Saint, Adeline, and the Elf Archer, Lyiaden, simply gazed at Hindel silently—and with just those looks, Helena nodded as if she understood.

And then—

“I’m so tired of all this.”

She had lived like this for hundreds, maybe thousands of years—perhaps even longer.

But the world had not changed.

In fact, it had become even uglier.

Sure, she could change the world.

But what would be the point of changing it through her own will?

With that one conviction, she had lived a life close to seclusion.

“But maybe... I was wrong.”

Even if she were a transcendent, Helena was still human.

To be hated and tormented like this by other humans...

“...Maybe I should just erase everything.”

That one sentence—

Was all it took for the world to start shifting to her will.

The world trembled.

Yet no sound was heard.

As if the world itself were ending, the sky collapsed.

Literally shattered—space twisted and collapsed in chaos.

The concepts of up and down vanished.

In this world where one couldn’t tell sky from ground—

The sky melted, and the earth disappeared.

Even light vanished in this flickering, dying world.

And in between—

Humans began to disintegrate like dust.

But then—

Helena shook her head.

“Even if I did that... what would it change?”

With just her simple denial—

The world, which had been on the verge of vanishing, returned to normal.

The masters of the Magic Tower, who had witnessed the phenomenon, collapsed like fools, while the knights who experienced it drew their swords and stabbed their own hearts.

Madness spread—chaos and confusion engulfed them.

In that frenzy where nothing could survive...

Even Gjorden, the Sword Saint, swung his blade at his own neck, his decapitated body writhing on the ground as it grew cold.

With a single act of will, Helena had annihilated every enemy.

And yet, those of good heart remained unscathed—even after witnessing it.

Because she didn’t wish them harmed.

Even Hindel’s party wasn’t an exception.

Despite the madness, they endured.

Perhaps because they were the hero’s companions?

Maybe.

“You’ve given up too, haven’t you?”

“...Yeah.”

“I see...”

To Helena’s words, Hindel responded weakly, and Helena nodded in understanding.

“You want one last battle, don’t you?”

“......”

Hindel didn’t answer, but his will remained firm.

His sword, held by hands drained of life and will to go on—

Began to shine.

As if burning away the last of his life, starlight clung to the blade.

Everything that had been dark until now seemed to exist only for this moment—the light engulfed him, burning brightly.

The galactic radiance blazed like a morning star—yet it felt mournful, as if burning away life itself.

Even if it appeared noble—it was a sorrowful light that soared upward.

Burning away everything, all for one goal—

The sorrowful light of a life being consumed reached the resplendent darkness.

But that was all.

The brilliant darkness dismissed it with a mere gesture, extinguishing the sorrowful light.

The sword, now devoid of light, fell.

It looked too feeble to fight back again.

That sword, so desperate to throw itself at the darkness—

At the moment the darkness moved to break it...

Other sorrows gathered around the sword.

The warm light of the Saint and the comforting, earth-like presence of the Elf Archer.

They stood before the sword to drive away the darkness.

But neither the warm light nor the soft earth could resist it.

Their efforts collapsed, and both fell.

Hindel’s hand, clutching the sword, trembled.

Even the resplendent darkness seemed to waver slightly at the warmth and comfort they offered.

Helena, the one who embodied the glorious darkness, slowly lifted her head.

Gone was her proud and graceful expression—

Only sorrow and regret remained.

Looking around, Helena murmured,

“Don’t live like I did.”

Like a mother ashamed of her sins before her children.

With that, she smiled softly and turned away.

As if seeing a mother’s final farewell, her subordinates—

No, her children—shed tears of blood.

Some tried to rush out.

Others wanted to punish those cruel beings.

And some screamed, unable to bear witnessing their mother’s final moments.

But amidst all that...

The eldest quietly held them back, crying tears of blood.

So they wouldn’t stop their mother’s will.

And he said,

“This is our mother’s final gift—she who once embraced us.”

At the voice of the Black Star—

Even as tears of blood burst from them all, they silently watched.

And so Helena—the radiant darkness—approached the hero Hindel, who still held his sword.

And offered him her heart.

Squelch.

A cruel sound echoed—a sound destined to happen in this world.