Chapter 848: The Last (81)
She looked way too serious about this.
“Gosh, Lee Jihye. Lee… gosh… really! This was mean. Really… too mean.”
—Please… Please… Kill me… once again…
-…
Even the demon rejected that. It wasn’t unreasonable to question whether she was really human or not.
If she had died, I would have done something similar, but I had to think hard about whether it was necessary to push humans to that extent.
This was simply over-the-top cruelty.
‘What the hell are you aiming for?’
Actually…
If I thought about it, it was obvious. There was no need to ask any questions.
Kim Hyunsung’s ruin.
Destruction to the point where recovery was impossible.
It seemed that she was building up to crippling him so he could not raise his sword again.
She could also film the scene where Kim Hyunsung cut through Lee Kiyoung’s throat again and show it on the continent. I could tell people like Cha Hee-ra or Jung Hayan, but she was probably hoping for him to feel pain from the act itself.
If he stabbed me again, maybe…
“It would be over.”
The situation would explode like a fuse had blown. I could guarantee that he wouldn’t be able to function normally.
He had already sacrificed a lot to rebuild his broken mind. If he collapsed again, I wasn’t sure he would be able to recover from it.
As expected, his eyes were flicking around frantically. He seemed confused about what he had heard, but the event’s content hadn’t changed. What was important was legitimacy, the justification for why Kim Hyunsung had to kill Lee Kiyoung once again.
Although it was different from the previous event so far, if the big picture was set as the war with outer beings, there was a high probability of becoming a key.
—There’s not… much time left, Hyunsung.
-…
—Until they come back again…
-…
—They’ll be back. With a stronger and more fearsome appearance, it will be impossible to stop the Day of the Prophecy. Only my death… can stop them from reaching this place.
“So cliché.”
—That’s… the only way to get through this crisis. All I can do is stop them with my blood.
“Right. You have to act like that. Even I would have done it like that.”
It was a cliché seen only in classic fantasy: the sacrifice of a saint to prevent the destruction of the world.
Of course, I wouldn’t use such a devilish trick, but if I did, I’d use it like that since it was dramatic.
I didn’t know whether it was true that outer gods would come again, but that part wasn’t important.
What was important was that Kim Hyunsung had to make a choice. That meant that although he was indecisive, he had to weigh the life of his close friend against the continent.
Of course, it wasn’t his real friend or anything, but it seemed that the bastard already thought that Rag Kiyoung was Lee Kiyoung.
—Please.
-N-No way…
—…
-That’s absurd…
‘What’s absurd? This is the event.’
-I… I will not allow it.
‘I mean, it doesn’t matter if you allow it or not. You have to kill me. What will you do if you don’t allow it? And he’s Rag Kiyoung. He’s not real.’
—But…
-There must be another way.
—There is no other way.
If there was one thing Jihye had overlooked, it was that I was connected to Kim Hyunsung. It was possible to communicate directly, but…
“He is not really… the Sunset Swordsman. He is…”
However, I didn’t know if it was right to tell him to cut him. At this point, was it the right choice to tell him to kill Rag Kiyoung?
‘Fuck.’
If I said that he wasn’t real and explained the circumstances, would he listen?
Would it be right to tell him to do what he regretted having done before?
Although he was the lovely regressor, he looked lousy. It looked like he would break down at any moment or perhaps already was broken.
I didn’t know if the act of cutting itself would be possible in the first place. He was already in a state where he couldn’t hurt anyone.
His arms were shaking, and he couldn’t even hold his sword properly. He was probably reminded of the strange, cold touch. He might be remembering the time when he pierced my stomach.
As I looked at his eyes, which were still fluttering, I saw I was probably right.
‘This is fucking bad. Gosh.’
It felt like I couldn’t choose between the two options, so I was rather annoyed.
‘This is a checkmate.’
It was too subtle.
‘If the dungeon really releases outer beings or those equivalent to them…’
“Can he stop it?”
I couldn’t be sure. No, it was probably impossible.
It had been the same in the State Revolution, Demon Summoner, and Plaguelord, but I thought this system was quite subtle.
The number of people who could participate in the quest had already been dictated and couldn’t be changed. It was rather scary because it was so simple.
As always, this kind of dungeon design or event design had a big return in exchange for a big risk.
Thinking from Jihye’s point of view, if the risk was to cut my clone’s throat, I couldn’t imagine how big the reward she’d get in return would be.
It had to have been the condition she created in the first place. Even if Kim Hyunsung cut the rag’s throat, the winner would be…
‘Jihye.’
Of course, from my perspective, the best option was for Kim Hyunsung to kill him.
The last thing I wanted was the outer beings being summoned again.
I wasn’t scared to fight them again, but with them involved, the number of possible outcomes was terrifying.
I wanted to avoid the possibility of losing someone again.
I didn’t want that kind of thing to happen.
—Please stop the continent from being destroyed, Hyunsung. Please save the continent… once again.
‘If it were Lee Kiyoung, he wouldn’t say such a thing.’
-…
—I know it’s hard. I know that I shouldn’t ask you this. It must be hard. You don’t want to do it, but…
If he were the real one, he wouldn’t give his responsibility to others. He wouldn’t ask me to save the continent or prevent its destruction.
However, the present Kim Hyunsung didn’t seem to have come to his senses enough to understand that.
He couldn’t feel anything more than confusion. He was scared. He feared that the worst would come, that he would have my blood on his hands.
—It’s not painful, Hyunsung. I won’t feel the pain. I’m sorry for forcing you to do this, but… please, protect this scenery.
-…
—So… please.
‘It’s annoying. So annoying.’
What the hell was that in the first place?
‘What are you?’
If Lee Kiyoung of the State Revolution was a simple NPC, and Lee Kiyoung of the Plaguelord was a character based on a dummy, I didn’t know what to call the one before me right now.
He didn’t feel like the plague trash, but he seemed to be thinking and acting independently.
He was weeping, appealing to his emotions, and desperately trying to drag Kim Hyunsung to his side. What was certain was…
‘He’s not just an NPC.’
Perhaps…
‘Is that Jihye?’
It was just a hypothesis, but it didn’t feel strange to think that he was the NPC Jihye was playing. It didn’t look like she was directly inside the doll, but there was a high probability that she was controlling it from afar.
The look I saw on my clone for the first time felt out of place.
‘Someone is passing it on.’
If it wasn’t her, it had to be one of the brigade’s guys. It might be difficult to find their whereabouts, but the feeling was certain.
I patted my thigh.
Although the correct answer did not come out, I felt the need to turn the table prepared by Jihye. I had no choice but to speak once again to Kim Hyunsung, who still looked stunned.
“Pass the sword.”
-…
“Pass the sword, Hyunsung.”
- Kiyoung… Kiyoung? Huh? Huh…
—Please. Hyunsung…
-Kiyoung? Kiyoung… I…
“Gosh, just give him the sword, you moron!”
-Huh?
“Pass him the sword! Pass him the sword! Pass him the sword! Give him the sword! Give him the sword! Give him the sword quickly before I make you throw it away, you bastard!”
-Ah…
“Hurry up, you moron!”
-Yes… Yes!
Even though he was stunned, he pulled out the weapon I had given him and handed it over to Rag Kiyoung. It seemed that his subconscious had taken control of him.
‘I think it’s possible.’
If that NPC was a puppet, it might be possible for me to use it.
The body had been made with me as its base in the first place, and Jihye and the scum of the brigade used it, so why couldn’t I? He’d said he didn’t feel any pain… since he wasn’t a living being, the cost of an advent could also be minimized.
I couldn’t guarantee how long the body would hold up, but at least I’d be able to die from Kim Hyunsung.
“You wouldn’t have thought of this, Jihye.”
It felt like my body was falling from the sky.
It was a feeling I had felt once, but it wasn’t particularly pleasant.
The diminishing senses were the most displeasing of all.
However, I had to laugh. I didn’t want to see her like this, but we would be meeting after a long time. That was what mattered.
Booooooooooooooooooom!!
The stupid regressor looked at the scene, blinking like an idiot. I didn’t know if he had realized what had changed, but tears were constantly falling from his golden eyes as he looked at me.
He bit his lip and lowered his head slightly. Tears continued to flow down his chin.
I couldn’t concentrate properly with the sound of his crying, but Kim Hyunsung still couldn’t look at me properly.
“Long time no see, Hyunsung.”
“Yeah… long time no see. Sniff… Really… it’s been a really long time, Kiyoung.”
He smiled widely.
I was sure that he would cry soon.