Chapter 258

He left. Without looking back, he flew away and disappeared.

That figure of his back somehow seemed heavy, and perhaps it wasn’t just my imagination.

The Demon King vanished into the darkness once more, but my heart remained heavy. The ground—or perhaps it’s more accurate to call it a glacier here—was still trembling. This ominous prelude sang endlessly, repeating itself without any sign of weakening.

The Polaris Fortress, which seemed like it would collapse at any moment from the heat, didn’t freeze and crumble again thanks to the spirits summoned by the Demon King earlier. But having melted and refrozen, it looked precarious, as if a single touch could bring it down.

“Even with that level of skill, is there really no way?”

The battle—or rather, the spar—between Roka and the Demon King was, in a sense, nothing at all. In that fight, the Demon King showed us all overwhelming prowess. His skill was something none of us, including myself, had ever seen in our lifetimes.

Seeing him, who had already given up, acting as if there was no way to stop the cycle, was beyond shocking—it was terrifying. If even someone as powerful as him had no solution, then it must be something beyond human capability.

[That guy was amazing. You don’t need to be so down. Just landing a hit on him already puts you on par with me, if not above.]

The dragon, now shrunk back to a smaller size, comforted Roka, who had been wearing a gloomy expression. Though it didn’t seem to console her much, from my perspective, she had done more than enough.

[I really saw it this time. I feel pathetic for thinking of him as just a mere creature. I thought even the greatest warriors of our race wouldn’t be able to handle him if they all attacked at once. He had no weaknesses, his resourcefulness was incredible, and his techniques were beyond mastery—they were sublime. I… underestimated the potential of humans.]

He hadn’t been sealed away for centuries, nor had he been idling around. He hadn’t wasted his time chasing power or authority. Most of his time had been spent training. For Roka, who had only held a sword for less than a year, to surpass Grimudo was an even more unbelievable story.

“It’s just a scratch, really. He let me hit him. He could have dodged or defended at the last moment. He wasn’t without options; he just chose to take my attack head-on to test it.”

The girl sighed deeply. It wasn’t regret or frustration. The gap was just too vast. Even if she challenged him ten or twenty times, the result wouldn’t change. Roka knew this well, so she didn’t feel particularly wronged.

She had lost fairly in a fair fight, so she accepted it humbly.

Roka seemed a bit disappointed in her own abilities. Her ears drooped, and her tail lacked energy. She glanced at me, and when our eyes met, she lowered her head weakly, as if ashamed she couldn’t protect me.

At least he didn’t try to annihilate us. If he had, Roka wouldn’t have stood a chance. Even I, who had just been watching, realized that. How much more so for her?

“Even so, all I managed was to give him a scratch. If he had fought seriously, I wouldn’t have lasted more than a moment.”

-Being able to hold out even for a moment is something. There was a time when someone would have just run like a mouse in front of a cat. Reaching that level as a human is already remarkable. It’s just that the comparison was… in many ways, an exception.

“That’s right, Roka. Why are you acting like you did something wrong? You did well. Really well.”

Today, I had to agree with that evil god. As I comforted the exhausted Roka, she seemed to regain a bit of energy, but her expression still showed she hadn’t recovered from the shock.

“Even if you couldn’t beat him now, it doesn’t mean you never will.”

What’s important now is the future. Even though it’s unclear whether we have a future or not, I believed there was still an answer. The Lord, the angels, didn’t guide me to this Arctic for nothing.

If even the Primal Demon King has no answer,

then the answer must lie somewhere beyond.

-Can there even be a “future” if the world is about to end…?

The ominous vibrations grew stronger, and suddenly the ground shook violently. Then it subsided to a trembling. Something that had been asleep stretched and took its first step.

[It’s not the world that’s ending, but humanity. This planet won’t collapse from this. But those living on it are a different story.]

The dragon clicked its tongue and extended its hand, shooting a white beam of light into the air, creating an illusion. The illusion looked down at the ground from a great height, its vision wide and clear.

[It’s not a particularly impressive spell, just the Watcher’s Eye. Still, it’s much clearer than that twisted thing Ardein brought back then.]

Even in this situation, the dragon’s boastful voice could be heard, but no one responded. Everyone just stared blankly at what had risen from the ground.

Something beyond watchtowers or walls, something no one thought would ever move. Something that was supposed to remain on maps for millennia.

The Kalkanmir Mountain Range began to slowly but steadily move south. I knew it immediately. No explanation was needed.

No one on the continent could stop it. Nothing could block that southward-moving mountain range. Even if the heavens rained down lightning in anger, it would be useless against that mass.

[And now it’s clear, you guys are screwed.]

-Wait, why “you guys”? Do you think you’re an exception?

[Of course I am. If something like that starts roaming the ground, I can just flee to the sea of stars and take a nap. I’ll be bored without company for a while, though.]

Even the dragon didn’t dare to say it could stop it. That’s how impossible it was. I’ve never seen the Death God in person, so I can’t say for sure, but I doubt even it would have a solution.

The Empire’s power. The Magic Tower’s prowess. The Imperial Palace’s Masters. Harmail and her demon soldiers, now allied with the Empire. Even with all that, the most they could do is chip away at that mountain range a little.

-…It’s over. It’s all over. That guy was right. How are we supposed to handle that? The Three Divine Gods? I know them well. They definitely don’t have the power to stop that. And it’s not like there’s only one of those things. We’re already… finished.

[You guys, not us. Don’t drag me into this.]

-I’m in a bad mood, so shut up for a bit. If this is how it ends, what was the point of struggling all this time? Knowing it would end like this makes everything feel so empty.

It’s just a mountain range moving.

But all the prowess the Demon King showed has faded from my mind, replaced by the overwhelming mass of that symbol. Its mere movement is despair.

People can run away if something like that approaches. Whether they can escape to the end depends on luck, but at least they can flee from immediate danger.

On the other hand, gods have nowhere to run. It’s Oberta’s followers who will face the end on that land. Even if they abandon their followers and flee, what kind of end awaits a god whose faith has been severed?

When the continent was full of people, abandoning old followers and gaining new ones wasn’t hard. The divine power accumulated over time would make it easy.

But in a world ravaged by something like that, will there even be beings with the intellect to worship? It’s hard not to be pessimistic. That’s why the evil god is so despondent.

Even if you abandon your followers and flee, the result is the same.

Staying here until the end won’t bring any light either.

Either way, it’s the end. She seemed to have already given up.

-It’s not even humans but flesh monsters that will end us. All the effort I put into becoming one of the Five Great Gods of the continent feels wasted. If I knew it would end like this, I wouldn’t have done all those terrible things.

-I should have just met a good person, gotten married, started a family, had kids, grew old, and died an ordinary death. Becoming a god and extending my lifespan just led to this. It’s so hollow, truly hollow. Kid, do you understand this emptiness? This futility?

-Someone’s whole life feels negated, and here you are, sighing like the world is ending… Well, it really is ending.

Thanks to that, the atmosphere grew even heavier. But the evil god’s half-hearted comfort seemed to have lifted Roka’s spirits a bit. Maybe the fact that there’s always a lower bottom was some consolation…

“If that’s how you feel, why not join me in one last struggle?”

-What are you talking about?

“Let’s go to one more place. I don’t know if what’s there is truly hope, but…”

I took out a candle and lit it. Watching the flame flicker, I couldn’t help but smile. They say when you’re confident about something, everything around you seems to support your belief.

The candle tilted slightly, pointing north. Maybe it was because I wanted it to. This wasn’t a sacred candle from a sanctuary, just one I lit myself. There was no divine revelation.

“Let’s go to the North Pole.”

But then I remembered, we’re already in the Arctic.

The coldest place in the world, where the most frigid winds blow.

Yet, the match flame didn’t go out, and the candle burned steadily despite the freezing wind.

Seeing that, I felt that He hadn’t left me yet. There’s still something I need to do. And if that’s true, then I have nothing to fear.

-Well, if you want to go. It’s already over anyway, so let’s go.

Though our thoughts were different, she also had no fear. Those with nothing left to lose don’t hesitate to take risks. Normally, Oberta, the embodiment of self-preservation, wouldn’t have accepted such a proposal, but this wasn’t normal.

-It’s my first time going somewhere with a man, and of all places, the North Pole. What a great tourist spot. Are we going to freeze to death together?

“Stop talking nonsense.”

-Right, a god and a saint. A tragic love story. And a lonely dragon. Let’s all go. Let’s go and freeze to death cleanly instead of seeing more terrible things. Freezing to the soul and vanishing is better than living miserably.

Yanid frowned at Oberta’s words, then nodded in agreement.

“Well, at least dying like that would cure my resentment.”

Yanid forced a laugh and shook her head.

“I’ve got so much anger inside me because of certain people. I want to die somewhere colder. Let’s go, to the North Pole.”

The evil god and the dragon flinched, avoiding the girl’s gaze.