Chapter 807

It wasn't just Dustia.

The regressors of each generation who inherited the curse from the Goddess were all trapped here inside Everblack.

This was the divine punishment that the clan received for stealing the magical fire.

Even after death, they were trapped in this spirit realm, forced to watch as their descendants repeated their lives — an eternal curse of regression for the entire clan.

"Won't you help us?"

Dustia asked once more.

The Goddess let out a long sigh. She murmured softly:

"For our human race that lived as slaves… to live at least like proper humans. That's why I planted this tree."

The Goddess looked up at the roots of the massive thorn tree she had planted herself, which was now burning itself to provide warmth.

"And now you're saying we should get rid of this tree?"

"If this tree disappears, Mother, you can be freed. You won't need to sacrifice yourself eternally burning like this."

"I would be free, but!"

The Goddess shook her head.

"Our descendants, all of humanity, will now shiver in eternal cold."

"…"

"Without the light of magical fire… the next harsh millennium will begin. Even so…"

"It's because that's what's necessary for the next generation," Dustia said with conviction.

"It's because that's what's truly necessary for humanity… no, for the entire world."

The Goddess blinked in surprise.

Dustia turned her head to look at her son leading the battle against the Outer Gods.

"Just as a child grows into an adult. Just as independence comes when childhood ends…"

In the mother's memories, he was still a small, young boy.

Her son, who had somehow grown so big without her noticing.

"The time for maturity has come, both for our humanity and for this world."

"Time for maturity…?"

"The time to stand on one's own strength, not power given from outside."

The time to move beyond the one-sided help given by parents and live solely on one's own strength.

It was bound to come someday.

"I understand it pains you, Mother."

"…"

"What parent wouldn't? Whose heart wouldn't be torn watching their child's back as they venture alone into the wilderness?"

Dustia spoke emphatically.

"But we must let them go."

"…"

"Just as parents can't care for their children forever, this tree can't last eternally either."

The magical lighthouse, planted by the will of the Outer Gods, spreading the power of the outside world into this world.

Thanks to the magical power this tree drew up, humanity prospered for the past millennium.

But that power was ultimately external. Not created by this world itself.

It must be outgrown someday.

"The child who leaves their parents' hands and departs alone into the wilderness will surely be cold. Surely suffer. But."

Dustia smiled faintly.

"Becoming an adult is inherently such a thing, isn't it?"

Even if cold, even if painful.

Doing today's work while chewing dirt and swallowing dust.

It is through this process that a child finally becomes an adult.

Only through this process can one truly become an adult.

"…"

Before the Goddess who couldn't continue speaking, the spirit of another regressor appeared this time.

It was her own son, born to the Goddess herself, who had been burned at the stake with her.

"Mother, that child fighting out there right now… that's the one."

The son whispered, looking at Ash catching his breath while leaning on his flag outside.

"The child I told you about then, who would sever and change this very world that discriminates and enslaves based on power and race…"

"…"

"At first glance, that child's actions may seem reckless and foolish. But such a reckless and foolish path is in fact what leads the world to the next era…"

The son smiled.

"You showed us that yourself, Mother."

By now, all the other regressors of the clan had appeared and stood before the Goddess.

The Goddess wept as she looked over her descendants connected to her, who had shared in the eternal punishment.

"Just as Mother gladly sacrificed herself for us and our descendants."

The son reached out his hand towards the Goddess's burning hand.

"Now please send us off with a glad heart. Please accept it with a glad heart."

At the same time, the regressors reached out their hands towards each other's hands.

"The maturity of our descendants. The… independence of our child."

The flames that had been burning the Goddess spread to the son's body through his hand.

The regressors endured the pain of their bodies burning as they willingly connected the flames, holding hands in a line reaching towards the sky. At the end of the joined hands, Dustia stretched her hand towards the heavens.

The tip of Everblack's roots touched her hand.

And.

Whoosh-

Through the flames, will was transmitted.

"My Everblack,"

The Goddess whispered, swallowing her tears.

"My… giving thorn tree."

As fire spread through the entire root system, the voice of the Goddess who had planted, warmed, and guarded the tree for the past millennium was conveyed to the tree.

"Even now, worried about people, pitying those who would shiver in the cold without you, you can't bring yourself to remove your trunk."

The Goddess whispered tenderly.

"It's alright."

Thump…

The roots of the tree, which hadn't moved at all until now, twisted faintly.

"People are strong, so they'll sprout new fires on their own even without us. So, you can rest now."

Caressing the roots of the tree that had shared in the eternal punishment through their joined hands.

The Goddess wept and laughed.

"You've worked so hard for endless ages."

Towards the tree, the Goddess did not command.

"Let's go rest."

She simply spoke with all her heart.

"Let's go to sleep, together…"

And.

Rumble…!

Everblack's roots began to violently shake.

Rumble…!

"…!"

I looked towards Everblack, which was moving on its own.

Humanity's guardian tree began to rise, creating huge cracks around it. At the same time, it started detaching the part of its trunk that connected the spirit realm and the mortal world.

"We've succeeded…!"

Everyone in the fortress watching this scene cheered. I too let out a sigh of relief.

As Everblack removed its trunk and roots, the spirit realm began to close rapidly.

But that wasn't all.

Rumble…!

The massive tree, while moving away from the spirit realm's passage, began to use its freed trunk and roots to… block the Outer Gods' attacks with its own body.

"This is…"

The tree was trying to protect us of its own will.

Even as its body was crushed and shattered before the Outer Gods' attacks, it struggled with all its might to help us somehow, regardless.

"…"

Until now, I had seen the guardian trees simply as objects that needed to be eliminated.

I thought they were close to mere mechanical devices planted by the Outer Gods. So I was willing to burn and destroy them.

But that wasn't the case.

This tree had only wanted to help people, right up to the very end.

"Thank you."

I gritted my teeth as I watched Everblack supporting us with all its strength.

"Thank you…"

As Everblack completely withdrew its body from between the mortal world and spirit realm.

Just as the spirit realm itself was about to start closing in earnest.

Thump!

The hands of the Outer Gods pouring from the sky began to join together, eventually creating an unprecedentedly massive hand…

Crack!

It forcibly grasped the closing sky of the spirit realm.

"…?!"

The giant hand endured, even as its grip was torn and exploded.

And in turn, it began to forcibly open the sky of the spirit realm — the passage connecting to the other world.

"What is this…! This is impossible-"

The blood-red gaze of the Outer Gods focused on Salome, who was groaning in dismay at this sight.

Boom!

Perhaps unprepared to absorb it, Salome screamed as she was battered by the formless attack.

"Kyaaaa!"

"Salome!"

Salome fell.

Following that, as the spirit realm's passage was forcibly expanded as if being torn apart — all of the Outer Gods' attacks intensified.

Besides the giant hand, countless other fingers rained down like a bombardment.Thê sourc𝗲 of this conte/nt n/o/v/(𝒆l)bi((n))

The race gods fighting atop the fortress couldn't withstand it, and were crushed one by one under the falling fingertips.

"Ugh!"

"Is this their true power…?!"

Lark's sword broke, and all of Fernandez's spells being chanted were forcibly extinguished.

Though the two brothers tried to continue resisting even in that state-

Crash!

Dozens, hundreds of fingers poured down, and finally the 'Final Ark' was torn to shreds and fell.

"Lark, Fernandez! No…!"

Beside them, La Mancha, who had been performing evasive maneuvers, was caught by another Outer God's hand and thrown to the ground.

Boom!

Hurled beyond the transparent sea of the spirit realm, La Mancha sank just like that.

"Father! Glory Knights!"

There was no time to worry. An enormous number of fingers were pouring down above my head as well.

I gritted my teeth and raised my flag to lift the fortress.

But my magic fortress merely crumbled like sand under the fingertips of the Outer Gods.

"Ash!"

Just then, four red dragons flew in and formed a formation above my head, simultaneously breathing fire towards the sky.

Roar!

The breaths spewed by the four dragons — Dusk Bringer, Dawn Bringer, Day Bringer, and Dusk Bringer again — combined into one and set the sky ablaze.

But the fingers that had momentarily hesitated soon began to fall again, piercing even through those flames.

Thud! Thud! Thud-!

Everblack desperately extended its trunk and roots to try to stop those attacks, but the hands ruthlessly and mercilessly tore away such efforts of the tree.

"Player-!"

Another strained voice called out from afar.

Looking that way, it was the Demon King who had been single-handedly blocking the Outer Gods' 'blinking' by spreading a veil of darkness since the start of the battle.

Though he had always seemed relaxed and strong, now his entire body was in tatters. Even at this moment, the Demon King's shadow-like body was repeatedly exploding into pieces and reassembling every time the Outer Gods blinked.

"At this rate, even I won't be able to completely close the spirit realm!"

The Demon King shouted in an unprecedentedly urgent voice.

"When will that 'secret final shot' be ready…?!"

Blood from a wound on my forehead, which had somehow injured even my spirit body, trickled down to my chin.

Wiping it away with the back of my hand, I grinned.

"Just hold on a little longer. I'll definitely do it."

I believed.

"That man who wants the true ending more than anyone… that damn previous Player."

My accomplice who has been fighting eternally before me.

"He'll definitely give those Outer Gods one hell of a blow…!"

Mortal World.

Crossroad. In front of the city gates.

"…"

The 'Sleepless Lake Princess' stood still, looking around.

The area was completely devastated.

The city walls made of black dragon scales and bones were all crushed, and the siege weapons placed on them were all destroyed.

The humans who once blocked her advance against the master of nightmares, wrapped in golden auras.

Now not a single one could stand on two legs.

All were bleeding, clutching their wounds, struggling to breathe.

Though they still glared at her with eyes full of will, that was all.

The battle was over.

"…"

Crackle, crackle…

As the connection between the spirit realm and mortal world weakened, the puppet strings of the Outer Gods controlling the 'Sleepless Lake Princess' kept flickering.

And each time the connection weakened like this, something inside the 'Sleepless Lake Princess' kept moving.

The 'Sleepless Lake Princess' couldn't understand why they were still breathing.

Why she kept pulling back the tip of her sword at the critical moment.

How she somehow didn't want to kill these people, this city.

She was the master of nightmares. Just a collection of monsters that crawled out from under that black lake.

Just a tool to kill people and destroy the world.

As the Outer Gods' connection weakened, something inside her kept interfering.

"…"

Hazy memories… flashed through her mind.

The day she first met them at the entrance of the Lake Kingdom.

The day she first sold them items.

The day they fought monsters shoulder to shoulder.

The days they defeated wolves, snakes, dragons together.

The day they shared drinks and talked about dreams for the future.

Ah, and…

The night of a party where they held hands and danced.

"…"

Under the burnt veil, the woman's lips moved hesitatingly.

"What…"

For the first time in countless playthroughs.

The queen of monsters opened her mouth to speak to the people.

"What… was I to you?"

After a moment of silence.

Those who had fallen began to speak one by one.

The dwarf said:

"A friend."

The elf said:

"A guiding light."

The young knight with a broken shield tied to his bloodied arm said:

"Big sister."

The blonde knight still gripping his sword of light said:

"Comrade."

Under the veil, the 'Sleepless Lake Princess's' eyes widened.

It was then.

Crackle!

The Outer Gods forcibly expanded the passage in the spirit realm, and as a result, their gaze towards the mortal world also intensified.

The black gaze connected to the 'Sleepless Lake Princess' became clearer than ever before. The Outer Gods injected an unprecedentedly intense will to ensure they didn't lose control over her for even a moment.

Now the gaze wrapped around the 'Sleepless Lake Princess's' body was almost visible like black spider webs.

The delusions clouding the master of nightmares were forcibly deleted. She once again became a complete puppet of the Outer Gods.

The trembling in her fingertips disappeared. The master of nightmares slowly raised her sword of darkness, aiming it at the people who were still trying to stop her despite having fallen.

Step. Step. Step…

It was then.

In this place where no one could stand, someone's footsteps echoed.

From inside the city, through the collapsed gates, right up to the tip of the sword aimed by the master of nightmares.

Everyone turned their gaze towards the one slowly walking out.

It was Aider who appeared.

The lord's advisor in old formal attire slowly took off his glasses.

As the thick glasses disappeared, his old, old gray eyes were revealed.

Gazing calmly at the 'Sleepless Lake Princess' with that sunken, ancient gaze, Aider opened his mouth.

"And…"

With a faint, shy smile.

To confess without hiding what she had been to him.

"A secret love."