Became a tyrant of defense games - Episode 763
763. [Side Story] The last puzzle
The grace period left until Stage 46 is not very long..
Even though I worked hard and beat the previous stages, I only gained a few weeks of time. In fact, you could say that I gained this much time because I worked hard..
After finishing the repairs on the equipment that was being repaired earlier, I made new equipment with the newly acquired magical cores..
Upgrade the overall equipment level of your soldiers. Expanding various water-based artifacts. Conduct training of soldiers.
Hold funerals for the dead, execute a budget for the living, and…….
Hectic and steady, preparing for the next stage.
At the same time, a grand strategy for the true ending was being prepared..
Doo doo doo doo-!
La Mancha, which had been dispatched to the north during the break, returned to the Crossroads again..
There was something like a huge black wedge hanging at the bottom of La Mancha, which is why the only ship on the front line was dispatched..
La Mancha carefully placed the black wedge on the eastern field and the ship landed next to it. I quickly ran there.
“Abama mama!”
After landing, the hatch of La Mancha opened, and the emperor, knights of the royal guard, and magicians poured out..
The emperor wore a prosthetic leg and an eyepatch over his missing eye, but his missing arm was left with its sleeves fluttering around..
“Did you have a good trip??”
As I politely bowed, the emperor walked out with a carefree gait, probably because he had just gotten used to the prosthetic leg, and began to babble..
“Even though his father is such a bastard, he makes him work, like a scary son-in-law..”
“Because it was something only Abama could do..”
“Ehh… … It has been done. Anyway, I brought it as you asked..”
The emperor glanced at the black wedge..
“Everblack body.”
The identity of that black wedge is the condensation of Everblack, the guardian of humanity..
Everblack itself, which remained in New Terra, was moved here to be transplanted to Crossroads..
“Why not move the castle walls from New Terra, the guardian trees, and then the very palace??”
“haha… … Thank you and I'm sorry.”
Of course, if it helps to stop the monsters, I will bring everything, including the palace. This Everblack is enough for now..
The wizards who came down from the ecliptic drove a black wedge into the eastern plains, drew a magic circle, and developed a magic spell... … Before long, the wedge burrowed into the ground, transforming into a giant thorn tree..
“As you may know, Everblack's roots reach into the spirit world. The location here in this world doesn't really mean much. The position of the body of the spirit world does not change..”
The emperor looked at me intently..
“Nevertheless, the reason I asked for a transplant was because... … There must be a reason, son.?”
“That's right.”
While stroking the trunk of the thorn tree, which suddenly gathered strength and spread out to a large extent, I added softly,.
“In order to reach the true ending I thought of, it is absolutely necessary..”
***
Everblack, which was relocated, quickly recovered its functions, and I was able to connect to the spirit world for the first time in a long time..
“You're accompanying me all the way here.?”
The emperor found it absurd, but agreed to my request to accompany him..
“I said it was necessary to protect the empire, so how could I refuse it? We need to take the lead in reforming ourselves. It seems like there has already been a lot of reorganization and renewal..”
Then he flaps one empty sleeve as if showing off..
This guy… … He does that with a solemn expression, so I’m not sure if it’s a joke or an afterthought.…….
“Let’s go, Abama..”
“OK.”
There are many reasons why I moved Everblack's main body..
One of them was the confirmation of the coordinates for entering the spirit world..
It is not difficult to connect to the spirit world by synthesizing Everblack's twigs, but the coordinates of that method are randomly displayed upon entry. In other words, you don't know where you will land in the spirit world..
However, if you connect through the Everblack main body in the real world, you can enter by following Everblack, which is rooted in the spirit world..
My destination - This means that this is the most optimized way to get down to the roots of Everblack..
with a plop……!
Wandering through the torrent of magical power that swirled like a turbid current, the emperor and I, now in a spirit state, swam beneath the spirit world as if we were diving together..
In the spirit world, the emperor's eyes, arms, and legs were all intact..
I looked to see what it was like, and it didn't look much different compared to before, but instead, there was a red fire and a black fire in my chest, slowly rotating..
And above my head, a silver crown-like halo floats..
“…….”
I decided not to think too much about it. Think of it as a skin that comes with a power-up.…….
I flew through the sky full of aurora, where colorful curtains of light unfolded, and swam in the air for a while before delving into the spirit world below..
Everblack's trunk and roots stretched from the edge of the sky in the spirit world to the bottom of the earth, and the Emperor and I slowly glided down along these roots..
So, after a long time, we reached the end of the root..
Shoot ahhh…….
The scenery of the spirit world has not changed at all compared to my previous visit..
The appearance of a pure white beach with colorless, transparent sea water rushing in..
“I've been imprisoned here for quite some time..”
The emperor seemed to have extraordinary emotions upon returning to the scene of the Lishen Battle, where he fought all his life..
“It's amazing that this place, which I always thought was a battlefield, can be so peaceful..”
“…….”
I looked towards the sea.
There, four giants stood still like stone statues, looking down at us..
Guardian deity of different races, Isin (異神)).
Currently, he is a representative deity of different races who is lending strength to our World Defense Front..
In the past, they used to fight with the emperor to the death, but now they just look at us with inorganic gaze..
“So, why did you come here??”
The emperor looked around and asked me.
“Because there is some business to be done in this empty space between life and death.?”
“This way.”
I led the way beneath the long thorns of the Everblack..
And when I got there, she was still there.
The ends of black thorn branches woven like a net.
At the end, her entire body was tied and hanging..
Blood continued to flow from various parts of her body that had been pierced by thorns, and the blood that flowed down fell and set her body on fire..
Bleeding from the wound. Burning alive at the same time.
In this way, it functions as living firewood that supplies heat to the thorn tree.…….
She, the goddess, still had a calm face.
“long time no see.”
I showed courtesy..
“Goddess.”
“Hehehe. It wasn't that long by my standards, but yeah. It’s been a while since I last saw you. ash.”
The goddess turned her head and smiled softly at the emperor who followed me..
“And Traha too.”
I looked back at the emperor. It was thought that the emperor would also show respect to the goddess..
“…….”
However, the emperor did not show any reaction, and looked around coldly at this space that was bordered by the stems and roots of thorn trees that fell from the sky..
I asked, feeling a little puzzled..
“Abama? Don't you say hello to the goddess?”
“……What on earth were you talking about a moment ago??”
The emperor frowned and looked straight at me..
“There's nothing here.”
“……?!”
I turned around again.
The burning woman definitely exists there. With a slightly sadder smile.
“Can't you see the goddess, Abama??”
“What do you mean by goddess, Ash?.”
“Are you saying that you can't see the burning woman tied up in the air over there??”
“I don't see fire or women in my eyes..”
The emperor shook his head slightly..
“All I see is empty and cold nothingness..”
***
The emperor left the space. Standing alone in front of the goddess, I cautiously asked.
“Why can't my mom see you??”
“Hehehe. ash. It's the opposite.”
The burning woman laughed bitterly.
“Not everyone in the world can observe me. Because I am a ‘non-existence’. Because I was imprisoned under those conditions. So no one can find me or touch me. you are special.”
“If so, why do I……?”
“I told you before. Dustia is my descendant. And so do you, who inherited Dustia's blood..”
I thought of my mother, Dustia, and the curse of kinship that passed down to me from her..
“Curse of return... … Well then, that couldn't be it.”
“okay. It started with me. The curse I received in the distant past in exchange for my wish coming true... … It has been passed down from generation to generation..”
The goddess looked apologetic..
“Because of that curse, all of my descendants met a difficult fate. I'm really sorry about that..”
“…….”
“But at the end of all the tangled threads of fate, you were born, and you came to meet me, who was forgotten by everyone... … This may be selfish, but I'm a little happy..”
I had one question and asked carefully..
“I think you were communicating with Ader... … How did you talk to that guy??”
“Because that child made the same choice as me. So we were able to connect with each other.”
Ader also made the same choice as the goddess.?
I wanted to ask more, but the goddess didn't seem to want to talk about Ader..
“I want to hear Ader's story. I don't think I can talk about that child's decision carelessly..”
“…….”
“Instead, I'll tell you anything else. Because now you too are qualified to do so..”
The goddess smiled kindly..
“What concerns have you come to me today, my distant descendant??”
I took a small breath and looked straight up at the goddess..
“Would you please tell me your story, goddess??”
The reason she was imprisoned here like this, something I didn't hear last time..
- In return for bringing fire to mankind. And in return for keeping that fire going. I decided to be punished by burning my body for eternity..
Why the world is like this now.
The goddess is strongly involved in it..
I was convinced that the goddess was the last puzzle I could lay my hands on..
The goddess tilted her head to the side..
“It doesn't matter to me, but it would be a long and boring story, right? Aren't you very busy??”
“It is absolutely necessary, and above all,…….”
I smiled slyly and sat down comfortably in front of the goddess..
“What could be more enjoyable than hearing grandchildren talk about their grandmother??”
In the midst of the flames, the goddess smiled with her eyes wide open..
“This guy is so cute…….”
And the goddess slowly opened her mouth and began to talk..
The distant past,
A story about a thief who stole magic fire and brought it to the human world.…….
***
After hearing the whole story, I got out from under Everblack's roots..
The emperor was standing on the beach and talking about various things with the gods. Last time, I felt strange seeing people who were fighting to the death talking to each other so calmly..
“Are you done with your business, Ash??”
“yes.”
“Okay, then let's go back soon. It seems like quite a long time has passed already..”
After saying goodbye to the gods, the emperor took the lead and soared into the air along the thorn tree trunk..
Breathtaking magical turbulence struck in front of us like a whip and shook our course, but Everblack led the way and we followed the lighthouse's instructions and emerged safely toward reality..
As I was returning to reality,.
“……ash.”
“yes.”
“Was there really a goddess there??”
“That's right.”
The emperor hesitated for a moment and then cautiously asked:.
“Is Dustia also involved??”
“…….”
I nodded slightly..
“yes.”
“Yeah, I see.…….”
The emperor hesitated for a moment and swallowed his words before letting out a long breath..
“ash. I was not a good husband..”
“…….”
“But I want to be a good father..”
I chuckled..
“You are already a good enough father..”
“…….”
The emperor glanced back at me with two beautiful eyes whose intentions I could not tell..
The next moment, his face suddenly aged, and an eyepatch covered one of his eyes. One of his strong arms and one leg disappeared, turning into an empty sleeve and prosthetic leg..
Shoot ahhh……!
I left the spirit world and returned to reality..
As soon as he returned next to Everblack, the waiting troops immediately bowed down and greeted the emperor..
“Long live the great emperor! I recognize the supremacy of the empire.!”
“Congratulations on your safe return, Your Majesty.!”
The emperor accepted the salute with a light gesture..
“okay. We've been in there for days?”
“A week is coming, Your Majesty.!”
I, who was walking while supporting the emperor, was startled. It's been a week already?
Lucas, who was waiting with the other knights, nodded heavily at me..
“……The next monster army invasion will begin soon, my lord..”
“What I have been instructed so far is?”
“We have prepared everything carefully..”
Lucas smiled slightly and winked..
“Have you had any success with what you have been doing??”
“okay.”
I looked back at Everblack, which had expanded in all directions over the past week and had become huge, and muttered softly..
“I've definitely got the last puzzle..”
And also confirmed.
The path of attack that I will walk.
I will be resented by all mankind as the world's worst tyrant, but I am the only one... … The road to the true ending.
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