Chapter 262

When Emperor Harmail revealed herself and caused a continent-wide demonophobia,


when the Citadel suffered severe damage from a volcanic eruption caused by a monster,


when the elves were annihilated in an instant and rumors spread that the Death God would rise and conquer the continent,


even when the once-stable ground began to shake at some point,

people were shocked, but only for a moment. Humans are creatures of adaptation. Everyone thought this crisis would be no different from the previous ones. They believed it would briefly shock the world and then fade back into history. Deep down, everyone had this thought:

‘Surely, the world won’t really end, right?’

Even the lunatics running around shouting that the world would end tomorrow had a tiny bit of that thought.

If they truly believed the world was ending, they wouldn’t have a reason to go around inciting others. They’d be too busy pondering how to spend their final moments meaningfully.

But this time,


really,


truly,


everyone began to accept that the world was ending.

When Ardein von Illumina set foot on the Capital’s soil again, the streets were already empty. Not a single soul remained. It was eerily quiet, as if time had stopped.

Not even those who used to shout about the world’s end could be found.

When a truth is universally acknowledged and accepted, no one needs to shout about it. Who would care if someone yelled, “Water flows downhill!” or “The sun rises in the east!”?

Once a fact becomes an undeniable truth, those who go around spreading it just look foolish.

The Capital felt as if time had frozen. There was no sign of life. The bustling square where the gate once stood was now deserted, and even the beastmen who emerged from it looked around in confusion.

The towering, magnificent buildings were still there, but the absence of people was shocking. The buildings were intact, but had everyone just… died? Worried, the princess hurried to the Imperial Palace. During the days she spent dealing with the chaos in the Beastman Kingdom, who knew what had happened in the Capital?

“Princess Ardein, you’ve returned. *Cough*!”

Though not a high-ranking official, he was trusted by the royal family.


The man, who served as the palace gatekeeper, sat slumped with a bottle of alcohol in hand, greeting her with a dazed expression.

His usual stern and disciplined demeanor was gone, and his disheveled appearance alone signaled that something was wrong. Though not exceptionally skilled, he was deeply loyal and had served for so long that even the royals occasionally greeted him.

“You shouldn’t have returned. You should have given His Majesty hope. Even if it was just a faint hope, at least he could have held onto it…”


“What on earth happened, old man? Speak clearly.”


“Nothing happened. Everyone just realized what’s coming. Everything will begin now. Your Highness, the Empire has fallen.”

The man, who usually bowed deeply to the royals, merely staggered aside. The corridor beyond was dark.

The Imperial Palace, where all the nation’s power was concentrated, had lost its former glory. The corridors were eerily silent, and Ardein couldn’t help but shiver.

Back in the past,


not so long ago,


when she was half-imprisoned in a small room, sick and ruined,


visited only by two maids, the scent of that room now permeated the entire palace.

Perhaps meeting that priest, being healed by a divine miracle, and embarking on all those adventures were just a dream she had while dying on an old bed.

The thought crept up on her, so alien was this place. The palace she knew was never like this.

“Princess Ardein.”

When someone placed a hand on her shoulder and spoke, the princess nearly fainted from shock. Even a Master is human, and like all humans, emotional fluctuations greatly affect their abilities.

If her mind was distracted, even a Master’s sharp senses would dull. But no matter what, their fundamental skills remain.

Though she was off guard, the fact that someone could touch her shoulder without her sensing it meant the other person was no ordinary foe. Turning around cautiously, she saw a woman with an enigmatic expression examining her.

“You must be her. A golden-haired woman who’s a Master—there’s no one else but Princess Ardein.”


“Who are you?”


“I’m Saint Sestine of the Hilrae Church.”

The woman chuckled. Though they’d never met, her attire was that of an ordinary priest. She had discarded the elegant robes and mysterious veil of a saint, so she was used to such questions.

Even those who had seen her often would doubt if she was truly Saint Sestine. It would be stranger if Princess Ardein believed her outright. Of course, the princess remained skeptical. Was this woman really the renowned saint of the Hilrae Church?

“Now that I’ve lost my purpose and returned to being a mere commoner, the title of saint is too much for me.”

The Saint Sestine she knew was never this gentle. Though they’d never met, rumors had reached her through various channels.

One of the three saints of the Church Country, Sestine was said to be beautiful and graceful on the outside but filled with venom within. If the rumors were true, this woman was dark inside.

She would never say such things herself. Regardless, the saint remained unshaken. She had nothing to hide. She had no intention of deceiving or exploiting the princess, so she had no fear of how the princess viewed her.

“The bridge between humans and gods is no longer needed in this era…”

With those cryptic words, she slowly walked away. The princess, who had been on guard, felt more embarrassed than threatened. She scratched her head, having considered drawing her sword.

For a brief moment, she wondered if the Church Country had returned to its old ways and was plotting against the palace again. But then she realized that if that were the case, the palace gates would be guarded by Holy Knights.

“What’s going on here? It doesn’t seem safe at all.”

This time, fully alert, she noticed the approach in time. She wasn’t startled when a wolf appeared at the end of the corridor, trotting toward her.

“How did you get in here?”


“I showed the guard outside a token from the Noble Council, and he just let me in.”

Self-proclaimed Wolf King, acting Beast King, and an Imperial Baron—Kisea had the right to enter the palace due to her title.

The princess sighed inwardly. Anyone could enter the palace now… She shook her head, dismissing the thought. She kept forgetting Kisea was part of the nobility.

Moreover, as the acting Beast King, she had sufficient credentials to meet the Emperor. Though in a few days, she’d be a king without a kingdom.

The Kalkanmir Mountain Range would reach the Eastern Plains within a week at most.

The living mountain was unstoppable. As humans, all they could do was flee, and even succeeding in that was a stroke of luck.

“Anyway, if I’m to live on Imperial soil, I’ll need to speak with His Majesty. I’ve met him once before, and now I’m the Beast King. A monarch meeting a monarch is only natural.”

Seeing Kisea, who had fled yet still clung to her territory, title, and status, Ardein pouted inwardly. Though she herself had been quite the opportunist in her youth, she couldn’t hold a candle to Kisea.

Still, Kisea’s arrival was helpful. In the strangely empty palace, Kisea’s nose proved invaluable. Sniffing the air, she led Ardein to where people were. In the maze-like palace, the wolf’s utility was unmatched.

“Mother!”

They arrived at one of the palace’s detached residences, far from the Rose Palace where the Empress usually resided. There, a woman in plain white mourning clothes sat alone, tears streaming down her face.

Dressed not in the jewel-encrusted robes of an Empress but in the simple white garments of a commoner, the elderly woman was none other than the Empress, the mother of the nation. Yet now, she stifled her sobs, wiping her tears with a handkerchief.

“My child…”

She was slightly startled by her daughter’s voice but quickly composed herself. With a heartbroken expression, tears still falling, she spoke in a trembling voice.

“The Empire… this Empire has fallen in our generation!”

The Death God’s relentless march had halted.

To face what had risen from the earth behind them.

Trampling the once-invincible army of the Death God, another mass of flesh advanced toward the Empire.

Not as large as the Kalkanmir Mountain Range, but still formidable enough for humans to face.

“My child, don’t be too shocked. What must happen… will always happen.”

When not just one, but many such calamities struck the Empire,


only then did everyone realize the situation was beyond their control.

The last vestiges of common sense vanished, and despair engulfed the world.

The end had finally become reality.