[Extraneous Chapter – Final Battle [4]
[58]
“…”
Luna approaches.
Ropheiren greets Luna with a faint smile.
Hayden also straightens his posture and respectfully welcomes Luna.
Luna coldly passes by the two of them, then gazes into the empty air to confirm whether Delun has been securely subdued.
“…”
The god of gambling is enraged.
The passion emanating from the blacksmith’s sword resounds through the empty void.
For Luna, it was an extremely difficult task to completely incapacitate the apostle of a transcendental being without killing him.
At least, she managed to act preemptively before the transcendent being could meddle, successfully confining Delun in a rift of space.
Of course, this was only a temporary measure. The time during which Delun could be contained was limited, and the moment the seal broke, the transcendent being would surely try to fully control Delun’s mind.
If that happened, retrieving Delun would become impossible, meaning he would have to be killed.
“…”
Tsuzuk-jik!
Luna constructs another barrier centered around the empty space where Delun disappeared, then conceals the five visible magic circles.
After everything was completely finished,
Ropheiren waited for Luna’s next command.
In truth, the current situation wasn’t positive.
The main reason Luna summoned Ropheiren from Phillip’s County was because there were almost no trustworthy individuals left nearby.
Since the Demon King’s seal, the Empire had suffered repeated defeats for nearly two years.
Due to these continuous losses, controlling the continent’s forces became much more difficult than in the past.
As the potential annihilation of the continent became increasingly visible, traitorous fanatics who believed in the apocalypse also began to emerge.
Because these fanatics kept attacking unpredictably from behind, distrust and hatred among the people of the continent grew day by day.
In a situation where mutual reliance and unity would already be difficult, divisions and conflicts only increased.
The mental fatigue endured by the people of the continent during this tough period seemed to have reached its limit.
‘If the Obelisk falls, it will be the end.’
To countless inhabitants of the continent, the Obelisk was nothing less than a ‘hope’.
Moreover, the Obelisk mediated the Demon King’s seal, served as the control tower of the White Tower, and held the data of the cosmic map.
If the Obelisk were to fall, the Empire would no longer be able to maintain any semblance of national order and would collapse.
Of course, before the situation deteriorated to that extent, Ropheiren and Hayden firmly believed that Luna would appropriately improve the battlefield conditions.
Luna must have already completed a plan to turn this crisis into an opportunity and reverse the situation.
‘She must have a trump card.’
Ropheiren and Hayden expected that Luna might now share the solution to the current situation.
However, contrary to their expectations,
Luna turned around after leaving only a brief instruction.
“…Finish off the matters I instructed you to handle earlier.”
With those words, Luna disappeared from their sight.
Ropheiren and Hayden were momentarily bewildered but soon regained their composure.
There was no need to rush. When the time came, Luna would undoubtedly give further instructions.
Ropheiren and Hayden exchanged glances once, then each headed in different directions.
*
Lea found the throne.
Not her own permitted throne, but the one where her older brother sat.
As Lea passed through the corridor and approached the throne, her brother, who had been asleep for a long time, greeted her unchanged.
“…”
Lea carefully observed her brother’s appearance. There was still no change.
Years ago, Luna separated part of the system of the throne from the Imperial Capital to keep Ray safe.
Thanks to that, even if problems occurred with the Imperial Capital or the mana veins of the capital city, Ray remained peacefully asleep, just as he had been in the past.
Lea visited her brother about once a week.
Every time she came here, guilt and gloom churned in her chest, yet she couldn’t ignore those feelings.
Looking at her brother, Lea felt wounded but also gained solace to the same degree.
“…”
She wanted to say something, but every time she came here, she ended up mute.
As Lea quietly gazed at Ray as usual, she suddenly sensed a presence and turned around.
“…!”
Luna was approaching.
Lea looked at Luna, whose appearance hadn’t changed much over the past few years, and swallowed hard.
Today, she asked a question she usually hesitated to ask.
“Can you… save my older brother…?”
Anyone could see that Ray was merely preserved in death.
It looked like they were storing the corpse of someone who had already died in an ice coffin.
Even those who loved Ray were often skeptical about his return.
That’s why occasionally Lea would ask Luna if she could save her brother.
And every time, Luna briefly nodded in response.
To Lea, that short nod felt like comfort.
But today, instead of nodding, Luna countered her question.
“If I couldn’t save Ray…”
“…?”
“Why would I have bothered to take care of His Majesty?”
For the first time in a long while, Lea felt overt hostility from Luna.
Lea was momentarily confused but then accepted it with a sorrowful smile.
Once, she thought it was unfair, but now Lea could understand and accept Luna’s hostility.
“…I understand. I trust you.”
“Your Majesty.”
“Yes…?”
“I despise your fate.”
It’s not Lea herself that Luna despises—it’s her fate.
Luna made that distinction.
Lea was born with a destiny that led Ray to his death.
A destiny that caused Ray to give up so much and eventually meet a painful and bitter end.
And Lea’s fate intersected with Luna’s.
An unchangeable turning point of fate.
That was Lea.
“So don’t pity yourself.”
As Luna walked past Lea and approached the sleeping Ray, she continued speaking, recalling that day when Ray repeatedly apologized regretfully but ultimately couldn’t undo his choice.
“Take pride in the fact that Ray chose you. It means you were incredibly precious to him.”
Standing at the foot of the stairs leading to the throne, Luna turned to look at Lea.
Lea, struggling to find words, watched as Luna gave her a calm smile.
“Go prepare yourself. The end of this war is approaching.”
“…What about you? What will you do now, sister?”
It was a worried question.
However, Luna’s answer deviated significantly from Lea’s expectations.
“I’m going to rest… here.”
“…Yes?”
Lea, asking blankly, was met with Luna’s steady gaze.
Spearra would soon launch simultaneous attacks.
Even Spearra wouldn’t want to confront both Luna and Johanna simultaneously.
Based on the exposed power of Luna alone, even if one assumed a combined attack from Luna and Johanna, Spearra should still have the upper hand…
But Spearra was now wary that Luna might be hiding her true strength.
Thus, Spearra inevitably had to launch simultaneous attacks to separate either Luna or Johanna to other battlefields.
Simultaneous attacks would begin across key locations of the continent, including the Imperial Capital, forcing the Empire to respond.
To continue the war, abandoning key locations was not an option.
They had already lost many vital areas; they couldn’t afford further losses.
“…”
This was a very complex and difficult situation for the Empire.
Firstly, the Obelisk had to be defended at all costs.
The attacks on key locations across the continent had to be repelled.
There were traitorous fanatics lurking in the shadows, the morale of the troops was grim, and the tide of the war had long since turned against them.
Determining the priority and allocation of forces to achieve the best outcome was difficult.
During this time, Luna handed the defense of the Obelisk to Johanna.
The imperial high command believed that while Johanna delayed Spearra, Luna would defend against the simultaneous attacks and later support Johanna.
However, that was their misconception.
“Lea, until now, I’ve tried my best to minimize sacrifices and achieve the best possible results.”
As Ray had requested.
“So for the last time… I intend to make a selfish choice.”
Turning her back to Lea, Luna stepped onto the staircase leading to the throne.
“For the last time, I wish to stay by his side.”
Luna began ascending the steps.
This wasn’t purely a selfish decision.
Already, the celestial beings beyond the stars were suspicious of Luna’s rapid growth.
Though they weren’t certain yet, they were still hesitating, mutually wary. But the situation could change drastically at any moment.
Especially since Luna had acted preemptively by sealing Delun, which could trigger a drastic change in circumstances.
If things worsened, it might take several years or even decades to adapt.
Therefore, Luna decided to disconnect from the outside world and focus ‘completely’ here.
Before the situation changes drastically, to climb the final steps and bring closure.
Of course… that might be an excuse.
She could have lent some help to those dying across the continent, but Luna completely withdrew from the war.
While Luna disconnected from the outside world, the decisive battle would soon erupt, bringing many deaths.
Some of Ray’s cherished ones might be swept into the final battle and lose their lives.
Still, Luna chose to withdraw from the war… and spend time with Ray.
This brief date was Luna’s final selfishness.
“…”
Lea couldn’t fully grasp Luna’s intentions.
Still, not wanting to interfere, Lea slowly stepped back.
As she continued retreating, she instinctively asked Luna with difficulty.
“Will we… meet again?”
Luna smiled as she looked at Lea.
Immediately afterward, the door leading to the throne closed.
*
Confusion, fear, excitement.
The passions of humanity heating the battlefield began to subtly permeate the air.
Johanna stood up, sensing the arrival of the decisive moment.
A single circle of light shone faintly around Johanna’s heart.
Meanwhile, Spearra also rose, watching the Obelisk where Johanna awaited from afar.
“She isn’t moving…?”
Luna remained stationary in the Imperial Capital.
Despite the situation not warranting inaction, Luna stayed silent in the capital, not interfering in the battles across the continent.
“Is she focusing solely on me?”
Spearra smirked.
If Luna had abandoned all key locations to intercept Spearra, Spearra could have retreated without unnecessary risk and still achieved significant results.
Nevertheless, Spearra gripped the Sacred Sword and took a step forward.
