Chapter 120

So she understood his feelings, but she still couldn’t understand why he made this situation.

“I understand your grief, Masetike. But not everyone chooses such extreme actions as you have. So, Masetike, let’s stop this.”  

There was still a chance. They needed to stop the dark sorcerer before he fully regained a physical body.  

There was no need for everyone to walk the path of destruction.  

“There’s no reason to destroy the world. So, please…”  

“Ah, it’s not just because of that. The dark sorcerer made me a promise. He said if I brought him back, he would resurrect my family. And he promised to k*ll those I loathe.”  

“……”  

Shaterian was momentarily speechless at the mention of resurrecting his deceased family.  

After a brief pause, she carefully chose her words.  

“…Do you truly believe the family you resurrect will be the same as before?”  

“……”  

Masetike’s gaze turned cold.  

“The family you bring back won’t awaken in their original bodies, so they’ll look different. And how can you be sure that the souls resurrected are truly your family? Souls like theirs are ordinary—they usually reincarnate repeatedly.”  

Just like me.  

“They may have already been reincarnated, living in this life with new families and no memories of their past.”  

Masetike’s eyes trembled slightly, as though the idea of his family being reincarnated unsettled him.  

“You… what do you know?”  

“You already suspect it, don’t you? You know I’m a reincarnator, and that I’ve had a bad connection with the dark sorcerer in a previous life.”  

The dark sorcerer, who had been killed years ago by Eched, who was then a Divine Beast. And the twisted fate that bound them all.  

“And even if your family were resurrected, do you think they’d thank you for it? Souls brought back in such a way wouldn’t have another chance at reincarnation. It defies the natural order of the world.”  

“Stop…”  

“So, Masetike, don’t—”  

“Stop!”  

With a shout, something flew past Shaterian’s cheek, grazing her. She felt blood trickling down her face.  

Masetike, faced with the painful truth, writhed in anguish.  

The dark magic around him intensified, and the magic circle beneath his feet began to glow.  

“This conversation is over.”  

“If the dark sorcerer awakens, he won’t waste time resurrecting your family. He’ll be too busy destroying the world.”  

“Is that so? But you said the resurrected family might not even be mine. In that case… the world deserves to end.”  

“Masetike!”  

Shaterian wanted to stop him, but her body wouldn’t move. The dark magic filling the altar constricted her breathing.  

“This is the end. Everything will end here.”  

“There must be another way.”  

“Another way? There’s no such thing. Unless… you k*ll this loathsome man with your own hands, maybe I’ll feel a little better.”  

K*ll Eched with my own hands?  

Shaterian turned her pale face toward Eched, who lay collapsed on the ground.  

“This is your last chance. End his life with your own hands right now.”  

Masetike’s tone was as if he were doing her a favor.  

“Honestly, aren’t you tired of it too? Dying and reincarnating over and over again. So, end it here and now.”  

Hurry.  

Her body, which had refused to move, was now being pushed closer to Masetike by the dark magic.  

A voice whispered incessantly in her ear, urging her to k*ll Eched.  

It was deafening, maddening…  

The chaos brought confusion.  

Her grip on her sword tightened involuntarily, as though she might actually strike Eched down.  

She didn’t want to do this, but her body wasn’t listening. Her hand rose into the air.  

‘Dark magic bewitches people.’ 

Orgon’s warning from long ago echoed in her mind.  

Shaterian quickly scanned her surroundings, searching for a way to break free from the dark magic.  

‘Redirect your will.’  

She redirected the descending blade meant for Eched and drove it into her own thigh.  

Drip, drip.  

Blood dripped from her wound, forming spots on the magic circle below.  

“Ugh… It hurts so bad….”

She had only intended to inflict a small wound to break the spell, but her body, acting against her will, had driven the blade too deeply.  

Still, it was enough to free her from the control of the dark magic.  

“You’re reckless…”  

“And you’re an idiot for making such a choice.”  

There was no need for further words.  

The magic circle was moments away from fully activating.  

Shaterian had only a few minutes to take down Masetike and destroy the magic circle.  

The clash of divine power and dark magic created a deafening roar.  

Though they seemed similar, the two forces were fundamentally different. Between the two, divine power proved superior.  

The raging dark magic was purified by the World Tree’s sacred blade. As she infused more divine power, the purification process accelerated.  

“Why!”  

Masetike shouted in rage.  

“How can you just stand by while the world is being destroyed?”

There was too much in this world that Shaterian wanted to protect.  

“And even though I have memories of a past life, I cherish this world so much. Shouldn’t you, who only have memories of this life, care for it even more?”

The pain in her thigh, combined with the release of divine power, left her breathless.  

Crash!  

Masetike attacked furiously, as if to silence her.  

“It’s a great relief that you’re not a knight.”

Masetike’s movements were clumsy, like someone who had never fought before. His flawed techniques left plenty of openings for Shaterian, a skilled fighter, to exploit.  

Her blade cut through the dark magic and struck Masetike’s chest.  

With a heavy thud, something was pierced, and the dark magic dissipated as Masetike collapsed to the ground.  

Fortunately, the ritual required an immense amount of energy to succeed. Otherwise, the dark sorcerer’s soul might have been awakened.  

Shaterian drove the World Tree’s sacred blade into the ground.  

Divine power flowed into the dark magic-infused floor, beginning the purification process.  

As her divine power drained from her body, her breathing grew labored.  

Blood flowed from her nose, and a strange sensation spread through her body as though all her senses were expanding. Her vision began to blur.  

She forced herself to stay conscious. It was too early to collapse.  

“No… no…!”  

With a desperate cry, all the dark magic scattered around was absorbed into Masetike.  

The concentration of dark magic.  

A massive explosion shook the air, and the sky trembled.  

“Masetike!”  

The air turned icy cold.  

“Ah… another failure. You always interfere with me. Pointlessly.”

Masetike, or rather, the dark sorcerer who had taken over his body, rose with a hollow laugh.  

“Shut up. Don’t you think you’re the one interfering with us?”  

It was the dark sorcerer who had exposed ordinary people to such danger.  

The dark sorcerer let out a hearty laugh before coughing up blood.  

“Yes. There will be another chance. If I completely k*ll him this time, the next world will be much easier.”

The dark sorcerer’s gaze shifted to Eched, who lay unconscious.  

“No…!”  

Shaterian threw herself between them. She couldn’t let Eched die like this.  

The dark magic pierced her heart. At the same time, the World Tree’s sacred blade pierced the dark sorcerer’s heart.  

The crimson blood from both of them pooled on the ground.  

“Ugh… gugh…!”  

The dark sorcerer writhed in agony as the sacred blade purified him. Despite her blurred vision, Shaterian refused to release her grip on the sword’s hilt.  

This was her final act of defiance. She poured the last of her divine power into the blade to ensure the dark sorcerer’s complete annihilation.  

“This… is… the end…”  

The dark sorcerer collapsed backward, disintegrating into ashes.  

Rumble—!  

Dust rose as the ceiling shook. Or was it her body trembling?  

Shaterian could no longer hold on and collapsed.  

She lay next to Eched, who remained unconscious, and reached out to hold his hand.  

“E… ched…”

Eched was vulnerable to dark magic. Shaterian used the last of her soul to channel divine power into him. Her body was already dying, so it didn’t matter as long as Eched survived.  

‘Remember this one thing: only that child can end the punishment, but only you can end the situation.’

The Goddess had foreseen this moment.  

Her death would correct the twisted timeline.  

The endless cycle of reincarnation.  

The Divine Beast who had deeply influenced her death.  

By fully embracing her death, she could finally break free from this vicious cycle.

Slowly, Eched’s eyes fluttered open. Lying face-to-face with him, she managed a faint smile.

Eched’s eyes wavered. Despite having been unconscious for so long, he suddenly sat up and pulled her into his arms.  

“Why… why is this happening…!”  

Eched, you’re hurting me. And your shouting is making me dizzy.  

Still, she was grateful. She could see his face one last time before leaving.  

‘Don’t cry…’  

Eched’s tears fell onto her face. She wanted to wipe them away, but her hands wouldn’t move.  

“Say it. Tell me to save you this time too.”

‘No.’ 

“Beg me. Tell me you want to live… that you want me to save you!”  

‘No. Not this time.’  

“Say it, Shaterian. Please!”  

‘I’m sorry.’ 

“I… I…”  

“Promise…”  

You can’t save me. If you save me, you’ll have to repeat this vicious cycle again.

Ah, I really have no strength left.  

The word “promise” became her final breath.  

Dying wasn’t as painful as she had expected. It felt like drifting into a faint haze, accompanied by the vague realization that everything was ending.  

If there is a next life…  

I’ll find you first. I’ll come to you.  

The day she closed her eyes was, coincidentally, the same day the original Shaterian in the story had died.