Chapter 368: The King Who Kills Others, The God Who Kills Himself (End) |
The ceiling commanded by the Golden Lord descended upon Peru.
Just as death was about to claim her, the ceiling and floor paused for the briefest moment.
In the Golden Palace, which moved according to the will of the Golden Lord, this could mean only one thing.
The Golden Lord hesitated.
He saw something in Peru’s dying form.
Though he recognized it, he couldn’t articulate the feeling clearly.
Even his original self, Demo, had failed to comprehend humanity fully.
Expecting the Golden Lord, a homunculus created for the reconstruction of the Golden Empire, to grasp human emotions was unreasonable.
Still, let me translate it into words for him.
If the Golden Lord was created in the likeness of humanity, he must be the same.
“Feeling some resistance, aren’t you?”
Unique Magic, Finality of Gold.
I used it like a card to slice through the palace’s walls.
The previously impenetrable fortress crumbled as though they were made of sand.
It was only possible because of the palace’s connection to the Golden Lord and the fusion of Peru’s and his powers.
For a moment, I felt a shiver as I wielded the forces of both creation and destruction at the same time. I cleaved through the Golden Lord’s domain, entering deep enough to confront him directly.
“Even if it is a filthy and broken land, she loves it, acts for it, and now, abandoned by the ‘King’ she revered, she faces death. Doesn’t that remind you of someone?”
The reason the Golden Lord couldn’t bring himself to kill Peru was simple.
In her pitiful state, she resembled the original version of himself—betrayed and left to die by the one he trusted and served.
He felt a sense of camaraderie.
The ceiling and floor trembled ominously and the Golden Lord faltered as if malfunctioning.
His voice dragged like a broken machine. After a long pause, he muttered an excuse.
[…It is different.]
“How is it different?”
[This land is not the Golden Empire. I am not her king. Her situation differs from mine in too many ways….]
Of course.
She wasn’t a regressor, so the circumstances could never be identical.
If they were the same, it would only lead to the same outcome.
However identifying differences implies that there are also similarities.
Even if he didn’t want to, he couldn’t help but notice the parallels.
And once seen, they would only become harder to ignore.
“That’s a reasonable point. Would you like to know another difference?”
[What is it?]
“The difference is that this time, the one making the choice is not Elric but you.”
Having experienced it once, he should be more adept now.
There’s a reason why experience is so highly valued.
What choice would he make in this situation?
“You were once betrayed and suffered in hell. You drowned in endless guilt. Even death was no refuge and you were tormented endlessly even beyond the grave, but in truth, that was the country’s fault, not yours. You were sacrificed for the greater good.”
Even with the powers of the Golden Lord and Peru’s Unique Magic at my disposal, my limited mana could only affect a small range, such as a single card’s reach.
After much effort, I finally reached the same floor as Peru.
I trudged down the dark hallway, stopping just a few steps away from her.
Keeping a cautious distance to avoid being affected by the power of Wither, I shouted to the Golden Lord.
“It’s unfair to only be on the receiving end, isn’t it? That’s why I’ve recreated this situation. Now, you’re the one abandoning someone for the sake of your nation!”
Peru’s labored breaths slowed.
Her life seemed on the verge of ending.
Standing before her, I pressed the Golden Lord to make a choice.
“Decide what you’ll bring with you into the new nation you’re building—and what you’ll leave behind.”
Letting Peru die would affirm the death that had once come for him.
Saving her would suggest a willingness to compromise.
What choice would the Golden Lord make?
The deliberation didn’t take long.
It couldn’t.
Peru’s life was like a burning fuse, and the decision had to be made before it ran out.
- Clang.
A bell rang.
Smiling, I looked down the hallway, where a light was approaching.
The Golden Lord was walking toward us, holding the Golden Bell.
Even as a Divine who used the lives of others as materials, he couldn’t deny himself.
The moment he saw his reflection in Peru, the outcome was inevitable.
Abandoning her would mean affirming the betrayal he once suffered in the Golden Empire.
The Golden Lord crossed the hallway in an instant.
Placing the Golden Bell beside Peru, he knelt by her side.
Alchemical light shimmered over her dying body.
Peru’s hands and feet, blackened by the power of Wither, were beyond saving.
Her perforated lungs could no longer function properly.
Amputation would have been the only option—but the Golden Lord had long mastered the mechanical structure of the human body.
Instead, he replaced them with something else..
His homunculi might have lacked something crucial, but functionally, they surpassed human capabilities.
The autonomous homunculus, the Golden Lord himself, was proof of his majesty.
As long as his mind willed it, his creations could rival genuine humans.
Using alchemy, the Golden Lord restored Peru’s shattered body.
It was as though he were asserting that humans were no different from machines.
“…Ah, urgh.”
That assertion was proven when Peru opened her eyes.
Gasping for breath, she looked at her King.
“…My Lord.”
[Do not misunderstand. My intent to rebuild the Golden Empire remains unchanged. I’ve only preserved your life.]
The Golden Lord gazed down at Peru with cold eyes.
[The rebuilt Golden Empire will need someone to convey my will beyond its walls. With the Dominarch gone, you will take his place.]
“…Sir… Hector…”
[You must obey. Alchemy is the power of transformation. Having replaced parts of your body, you won’t be able to stay outside the Golden Palace for long.]
With parts of her body replaced by external materials, Peru was now a machine requiring adjustment.
She would have to remain by the Golden Lord’s side forever.
But Peru didn’t fear him.
Still dazed, she grabbed the Golden Lord’s hand.
“…Thank you… for your kindness. It may be shameless of me, having received your mercy…”
She wasn’t holding his hand to dissolve it with Wither.
Peru placed her hand on his and pleaded.
“…But could you extend this kindness to others as well?”
[That is impossible. The Golden Empire will be rebuilt.]
His voice was firm.
But in saving Peru, he had left room for compromise.
Peru, sensing this, pressed further, even without fully realizing it.
“…If you could grant a place in the Golden Empire for others…”
[They are not citizens of the Golden Empire.]
“…They’ve lived on the old Golden Empire’s land. They’re the children of its former citizens. Instead of metallurgy, they survive on alchemy now… but they’re no different.”
[There is a difference. They are not of the Golden Empire.]
His cold, definitive reply repeated several times.
Struggling to breathe, Peru asked one final question.
“…If there’s no one in the land, how can it be a nation?”
[I don’t need them. I will create one.]
“…A nation filled with homunculi… Is that truly the Golden Empire? What is the Golden Empire?”
[The Golden Empire is…]
The Golden Lord began to answer but suddenly fell silent.
A confused expression crossed the face of the one who had once reached enlightenment and achieved Divinity.
The Golden Empire he envisioned was a utopia—a land where diligent homunculi cultivated beautiful grounds.
To that end, he moved directly to annihilate the Dholes and alchemize the entire Fallen Dominion into a nation that would prosper forever.
But now, hearing Peru’s question, he faced a fundamental doubt.
What, exactly, is the Golden Empire?
“The Golden Empire? It’s an illusion, of course.”
I did encourage him, nudging him to create the Golden Empire.
I may have pushed him a little, but without attempting it, how would anyone know it was impossible?
You have to try to even realize that much.
“Humans have a tendency to cling to things they don’t truly understand. Not just abstract concepts like faith or morality, but even the idea of a nation. They define it arbitrarily, never having truly seen it for what it is or grasping what it means. No matter how much a beast dreams of an ideal, in the end, it’s still an illusion.”
The Golden Lord, consumed by doubt, sought answers from me.
[The Golden Empire is not an illusion. It existed.]
“Because you believed in it, I couldn’t help but cheer you on—even though I knew it was a dream doomed to fail.”
As I’ve said before, even the Golden Lord doesn’t truly understand what the Golden Empire is.
He wandered the land, endlessly creating and fixing it without knowing what he was building.
His greatest flaw stemmed from this ignorance.
Even the Golden Lord, who attained one of the greatest truths and became a Divine, remains trapped in the grand delusion crafted by the Saintess of Origin.
“Let me ask again. Have you seen everything from the Golden Empire? Have you gazed upon all its lands and facilities? Have you met every one of its people? Do you truly understand how it functioned?”
[One does not need to see everything to create. Understanding the overarching principles is enough.]
“Don’t delude yourself. The truth you’ve uncovered is but one of nature’s great truths. Do you think that the truth is the same as the human-made concept of a nation? Absolutely not! Humans—mere beasts—crafted it haphazardly. How can something so flawed and crude have a universal principle? Your so-called Golden Empire?”
With a mocking tone, I continued, “You’ve simply named the time when you were happiest as the Golden Empire, forever idolizing and yearning for it.”
If you’re a beast, think like one.
But the Golden Lord, attempting to think greater, stumbled into a delusion.
“It’s a box where you pour all your emotions—nostalgia, happiness, love, friendship. You label all the good times in your life as the Golden Empire and store them inside. Then, you shove all the bad memories and painful experiences into another box, calling them guilt, responsibility, or the Fallen Dominion. You stand there, watching the beautiful time capsule named the Golden Empire and long for it. Then, you confuse that longing with reality.”
Even though he had realized a great truth, he was still human.
Anything created by humans is imperfect because humans themselves are imperfect.
Even the artifacts crafted from his profound understanding are tainted by human delusions.
“What you truly yearn for is the happiness of the past. As if by rebuilding the Golden Empire will bring it back.”
Pitiful, really.
Yet it won’t ever return.
“The Golden Empire is gone. King Elric, its people, and its identity are no more. Some of it, you destroyed yourself. Alchemy has rendered metallurgy, which once sustained the Golden Empire, obsolete. It won’t return to what it once was.”
What’s lost cannot be regained.
The only thing left for the Golden Lord is to find new happiness.
It’s better than clinging to an imitation of King Elric or seeking solace in a hollow facsimile of her presence.
That’s nothing more than burning memories of joy as fuel to warm oneself.
Like the little match girl’s fire, it might seem warm but will vanish like a mirage.
“Let go of your illusions and return to reality. Look at what’s in front of you. Listen to what’s being said nearby. Pay attention to the humans standing by your side.”
The Golden Lord heeded my words.
The Primarchs—those who advanced alchemy, his disciples, and among the few who could communicate with him.
Peru, having given her all, finally reached the Golden Lord.
When his disciples came, the Golden Lord gifted them Juggernauts—artifacts designed to maximize their abilities, laden with aspirations, offered without any demand for recompense.
What did those gifts mean?
Was it simply an imitation of King Elric?
Or did he, too, find some joy in the act?
Unspoken questions bring no answers.
Perhaps the Golden Lord, so far above all others, welcomed those with whom he could share even fragments of understanding.
[…I think I understand a little why Her Majesty kept disciples.]
With a wistful murmur, the Golden Lord took action.
I couldn’t read his thoughts, so I didn’t know exactly what he did.
But when I came to, everything around us was collapsing.
The Golden Palace crumbled like a waterfall, its remnants cascading to the ground.
The world seemed to be falling apart.
As I was buried beneath the ruins, I screamed internally.
Ah, how frustrating it is to be unable to read the mind.
***
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