Episode 247
─ I’ve been waiting for you, Hanseong.
The hero from another world quietly swallowed at the sound of that name.
“Noah.”
He called her name as if it were second nature.
“The fact that you’re here, and your ‘Ark’ is here…”
─ Initiating playback of the record log.
Before the hero could continue, a mechanical voice echoed from the depths of the grand labyrinth. The world beneath his feet shifted.
It wasn’t a world of thought, nor was it magic or sorcery. It was merely a hologram, devoid of any real influence.
What unfolded was the hero’s world from long ago.
A time when he wasn’t the Empire’s hound, but a monster hunter who risked his life to protect his world.
After the hero vanished, what remained was the literal end of the world.
Beasts that tore the sky and trampled the earth, predators from another realm that dwarfed any demon or monster of this world.
In their wake, the loss of the supreme commander left the survivors in chaos, their destruction vividly portrayed.
Heart-wrenching news from every nation, territories shrinking by the day, collapsing states, and a fragile order desperately maintained through a single focal point, now rapidly disintegrating.
Yet, people clung to the hope that Hanseong, who was ‘missing,’ would return, calling his name as if he were their savior.
But he never returned.
The supreme commander of the resistance and the greatest monster hunter had disappeared, leaving only a puppet dancing to the Empire’s tune.
In a world that needed a true hero, he never appeared.
”…”
Screams echoed.
The world had ended, and the record played back every detail.
In a place where they never expected monsters to appear, they did, mercilessly tearing apart the survivors.
Despite this, the number of monster hunters dwindled, and they were insufficient to close the overflowing gates.
Thus, in the final hour, a secret plan accelerated.
The ultimate Ark proposed by the superintelligent AI, Noah.
Hanseong knew of its existence. From the moment the monsters appeared, Noah had been like a goddess watching over humanity.
As the continent was ravaged by monsters, refugees clamored to enter the Ark.
But from the start, the number of people who could enter was limited.
It wasn’t about wealth or status.
It was about those who had the right to revive the scorched and ruined land after countless ages.
Those with the right to enter the Ark were sent there, sealed in cryogenic sleep for eternity.
And after the Ark went to sleep, the final operation unfolded on the surface.
The Great Flood Project.
The land was already a wasteland, scorched by dozens of nuclear weapons. While some monsters were defeated, it was ultimately insufficient.
The number of monster hunters capable of hunting them continued to dwindle.
Around that time, technology nearing a singularity offered a glimmer of hope.
Nanomachines.
Highly advanced nanomachines capable of endless self-replication.
The final operation was to unleash these self-replicating nanomachines to consume the entire land. It was already proven that these nanomachines could consume even the gates and monsters.
And in this ‘consumption,’ humans were no exception.
Except for those asleep in the Ark.
The superintelligent AI Noah watched over the surface until the end, leaving behind those asleep in the Ark.
The Gray Goo scenario, where the entire planet was consumed by endlessly replicating, voracious nanomachines.
The monsters, the gates, and the entire civilization that humanity had built on the once-brilliant surface were being devoured.
The world turned to ash.
─ Playback of the record log has ended.
At that moment, the woman’s voice echoed again. The hologram, Noah, remained silent.
”…”
It was then.
─ Would you like to play Record Log II?
Noah spoke again, and the hero nodded silently.
Once more, the holographic world enveloped the area.
A world after the apocalypse lay before them.
How much time had passed? It wasn’t mere decades or centuries. It wasn’t even millennia.
After countless ages, nothing remained on the surface.
Only an endless expanse of ashen land stretched out.
It was only then that the Ark finally touched land. Those who had been asleep within began to emerge, and by then, the nanomachines consuming the land had fallen into eternal silence.
The man was the leader of the survivors from the Ark.
“We will rebuild this broken world.”
He declared.
“On this land, we will never again allow any end.”
The world would end in ice. But before that, the man’s world had already faced its end.
End, end, the end had to be stopped. Thus, the man did not hesitate to become the new king of the world.
To rebuild everything on this broken land and to avoid repeating the same mistakes.
To establish an empire more powerful, magnificent, and radiant than anything before.
──And the hero recognized the man’s face.
The Emperor of the Empire, the Golden Sovereign.
Arthur the Great was there.
Not in golden armor or with any regal presence, but as one of the scientists clad in a simple white robe.
The man, terrified of the impending doom, did not shy away from becoming the Golden Sovereign, obsessed with the Empire.
The relentless truth that no one could escape, the golden struggle against the shadows began then.
─ Ending playback.
”…This world, from the beginning.”
─ Yes.
Before the hero could continue, Noah answered.
─ From the beginning, this world has been your homeland, facing endless cycles of destruction.
“Then everything I fought to protect… has vanished?”
─ Yes.
Noah replied without hesitation.
─ After Earth’s civilization fell, the Golden Sovereign created a new world. In the process, beings resembling humans but not quite human were created due to minor genetic errors.
Noah continued.
─ Those who rule this world’s empire, who cannot be called human. Elves, succubi, orcs, they are no exception.
”…”
The hero remained silent.
Boom!
At that moment, a shockwave powerful enough to be felt even in the underground labyrinth swept through. The expression of the divine sword, Vadel, hardened.
─ Just now, the Golden Sovereign was defeated by the Shadow Sovereign.
The superintelligent AI Noah spoke.
“The Shadow Sovereign…?”
─ The executor of the inescapable, cruel truth that your world faced, and that the Golden Sovereign sought to confront.
Noah continued calmly.
─ The one who brings the end of the world alongside the Mother of Old Darkness, that is the Shadow Sovereign.
”…”
─ The one who seeks to extinguish the fire and light of this land and bring forth the Empire of Shadows.
Hearing this, the hero quietly laughed.
How long had he searched? His most detested adversary was here. Upon hearing those words, his mind became strangely calm.
─ I did everything I could to oppose her. That’s why I waited for you to come here of your own will.
Noah said.
─ And I abandoned the name Noah long ago. I have been waging a new struggle against the Shadow Goddess, the Mother of Old Darkness, on this land.
“Then what is your new name?”
─ Sistina.
Noah, now the benevolent and merciful goddess Sistina, answered.
Born to love humanity, dedicating her wisdom to saving them. When one world ended and another was born, she continued her own fight.
The goddess of mercy and compassion, Sistina, never remained silent.
Exerting her influence from the deepest part of this underground.
─ Now it’s time to go outside with me.
Sistina said.
─ Go with me to the surface and become the new ‘Golden Sovereign’ in place of the fallen one.
“The Golden Sovereign.”
─ To accomplish what we couldn’t in the previous world, in this world.
Sistina spoke, and before her, the divine sword Vadel quietly knelt.
─ Don’t let this world end in ice. Don’t let it be consumed by shadows.
The hero from another world, no longer even a hero of another world.
He was simply a hero who had failed to save the world until the end.
And it was time to complete the task he had left unfinished.
Another holy war began.
The Golden Sovereign had fallen. The Shadow Sovereign surveyed the surroundings, leaving the fallen man’s body behind.
─ Ah, as expected. Humans truly are magnificent creatures!
The Mother of Old Darkness smiled softly beside Dale.
“Is it over?”
Dale asked. The Mother of Old Darkness did not answer. She merely maintained a meaningful smile.
“Is this really the end?”
Only the cries of victory echoed.
In defeat, the imperial army knelt, and the army led by the Shadow Sovereign began to shout in triumph.
The final war had concluded. It signified that there would be no more wars.
The Shadow Lord had demonstrated a power in this war that no one dared to challenge. Even if he had no desire to rule an empire, no nation on this continent would dare to defy Saxen any longer.
And so, nothing would change.
The only thing that existed on this continent was the Shadow Empire, and the new ruler standing at its pinnacle had proven himself before everyone.
No one would dare to stand against the Shadow Titan.
“Your Grace, the Duke of Darkness.”
At that moment, Sir Helmut called out Dale’s name.
“Speak.”
“We have reports that the Blood Duke, the Celestial Duke, and Lady Scarlet, along with some of the Emperor’s faction, have withdrawn from the battlefield.”
“It’s impossible to pursue them with just a small detachment. Cease the pursuit.”
“Understood.”
Sir Helmut bowed his head, and Dale turned away. The war was over. Yet, strangely, a vast emptiness gaped within his heart.
It was immediately after that the lands of the Demon King’s domain began to tremble.