On the eleventh stage, when I had Sarbas Aegim, the NPC general, kill me, I witnessed his trauma. He stood among many other people, screaming.
—I pity you. You don’t see humans as people.
No one knew exactly why, when, and where that being showed up from. Its existence didn’t need other people’s understanding.
—You’re born as humans and yet you devour the lives of other humans. Do you try to console yourselves by claiming that this is the fate of all humans? I call that animal karma. I don’t see a reason why I shouldn’t butcher animals today.
However, red rain, the rain of nightmares, poured down whenever that being showed up. A river of blood soon flowed across the lands.
“It’s the rain again...”
“Run to the land where the rain doesn’t follow!”
Small countries in remote regions fell first. Next were bigger countries formed by the unions of those small countries. This led to the silent fall of more small countries, those that had been relying on the bigger countries to be their walls.
The history of mankind was reaching its end as one nation fell after another. Every time a country fell, the land of humans got smaller. Yet the red rain continued.
“Find a place where it doesn’t rain...”
“It’s the end. The end of the world.”
The rain poured down.
“Dear goddess, please don’t abandon us...”
And it never stopped. What little land humankind could claim as their own grew smaller and smaller—the history of man was on its last page. Historians carefully sharpened their old quills. They had accepted their fate; the last thing they would write would be, “Thus, humanity has fallen.”
Only one empire remained on the continent.
—You pitiful humans, let your malice consume you.
The master of nightmares. The king of all monsters. The last historians named the being “The Demon King”.
Rain poured down, but the sky was lit as bright as day. The light from my holy sword pierced the red clouds, leaving clear skies wherever it shone.
The soldiers, their faces covered in blood rain, turned their eyes to the sky when they realized that the rain had stopped.
Not all of the rain stopped. The downpour only stopped where the holy sword’s light reached, buying them a short reprieve.
“The goddess protects the empire!”
However, sometimes a little thing was enough for people, especially for those who were already left with very little. To the people of the empire, their country was the pitiful scraps of what used to be an entire world. They were living the last page of their history.
The soldiers, generals, low-level civil servants, high-ranking officials... Everyone in the empire knew this fact. That was why no NPCs could be seen in the audience chamber. The empire’s prime minister had given up on the nation’s affairs. The grand general gave up on the military. The Imperial Guards no longer protected the empire. The Imperial Knights didn’t uphold their duties.
Everyone had abandoned the empire—and that was probably why the Tower chose it as the eleventh stage. Just how the abandoned children were placed in a certain mansion on the tenth floor.
“Rise!” the Black Witch shouted.
One after another, the soldiers staggered to their feet. Some soldiers on the walls and their spears; others grabbed their comrades’ hands and helped them up.
The Black Witch told them to become the empire’s last wall. Yes, they would be the walls; just like how the Demon King’s voice passed through the empire’s wall, the Black Witch’s words reached all of the empire’s soldiers.
“Our prime minister is here! She’s with us!”
“The first emperor’s sword protects us!”
Every man returned to his position. The empire’s walls stood. As the soldiers returned to their duties, spears, swords, and other weapons were returned to their hands.
“You’re disgracing yourselves in front of the prime minister!”
Aides walked around and slapped the empire’s soldiers until they came to their senses. They adjusted their helmets; blood dripped off of the rims, but it couldn’t block their vision anymore. The soldiers looked toward the enemies with clear eyes.
“Phew...” The Black Witch sighed quietly and allowed her black aura to gradually subside. A few drops of sweat dotted her forehead along with the red drops of rain.
“...What?” The Black Witch looked at me. “Is it your first time seeing a Ukrainian giving a speech?”
“My country has had many dictators.” The Black Witch’s lips rose slightly. It took me a moment to realize that she was smiling. “I hate dictators, but there is something to learn from them. They give great speeches.”
The Black Witch’s lips dropped. “...It’s nothing,” she said, her expression blank again.
What? I had no idea what she was trying to say.
—I think she’s just embarrassed that her archaic joke didn’t work, the Guardian interjected.
Huh? That was a joke?
—I don’t know. It sounded like it, when you respond like that... Forget it. Zombie, don’t ever think about joining a company and sucking up to your boss. Just be a Hunter like you are right now. Okay?
Although I still didn’t understand what it meant, one thing was clear: the Black Witch’s speech had given our allies a solid start for this battle.
“What are you going to do from now on, Mr. Kim? I believe we should hold the walls.”
“You’re right.” I glared at the red horizon.
Countless monsters surrounded the Demon King. The Black Witch could bring me to the Demon King with her Class S Skill—however, there was no guarantee that the Demon King would be the one who would kill me. We would be mobbed by monsters in no time, and both of us were going to die. I had to find a way to be alone with the Demon King.
“We have to bring the Hunters up while the soldier NPCs can still hold out. Then we’ll be able to fight on equal terms. Once the Demon King sends in more monsters to breach the wall...”
“Please teleport me to the Demon King.”
The Black Witch stared at me. “You’re going to assassinate it.”
“Are you planning to die?”
It was a reasonable question. I was still only a Class E Hunter. Although I didn’t have an exact measure of how strong the Demon King was, this world wouldn’t be on the brink of doom if the Demon King could lose its head to a Class E Hunter. Overwhelmed, inadequate... No words would be enough to fully describe how much of a disadvantage I was facing.
“I’m planning to win,” I answered. But death didn’t mean defeat to me. It merely was a step on the stairway to victory. “I have a card up my sleeve too. Trust me.”
The Black Witch sighed. “Yes, like you said, all Hunters have their secrets. I hope your secret weapon is sharp enough to work on that boss monster.”
—You’re ridiculous, Goddess. Even your frantic last-ditch efforts are puny. Light, huh? Your people won’t be able to reap the fruit of tomorrow, so what is the use of your light on them? Have all these years coddling your pitiful people made you as weak as them?
—I’ll show them light too.
A deafening sound rattled the capital city.
The Black Witch and I didn’t let our guard down. Our eyes were on the Demon King the whole time, so we knew what the sound was coming from.
On the horizon, the Demon King slowly swung its sword. The blade slowed down the space around it, as if the Demon King was cutting through time. However, what the Demon King was actually cutting was the sky. The Demon King’s strike was like a red laser beam aimed precisely at the gates.
With a loud explosion, a storm blew over the entire area, enshrouding the area in dust. The Black Witch and I instinctively closed our eyes. Through the thick cloud of dust, I could hear the soldiers’ screams, followed by stone crumbling.
After a moment, the storm subsided a little. We immediately turned in the direction of the screams. The remaining dust prickled my eyes painfully, but I was too shocked to notice.
The Black Witch coughed several times.
“...Did the Demon King really get weakened?” she whispered.
The gates were shattered.
—You pitiful things, the Demon King sneered. Its mocking laughter shook the ground and the sky, slowly blending with the rising dust cloud. The red rain continued to fall.
—Do you still think you’re the empire?
The gates weren’t the only thing that had fallen. The laser beam had cut straight through the gates and kept going, reducing the streets and the buildings lined up behind them to rubble, and ultimately, the soaring spires of the palace at the far end of the city were caught in the laser beam as well.
A part of the palace collapsed. Like a ship that hit an iceberg, the ornate palace tipped over and slowly crumbled.
[The deceased hero was not the Demon King’s underling.]
My ears rang. I could hear the sound of the imperial palace breaking apart in the distance, while death was announced in my ear.
The Black Witch and I exchanged glances.
“...The audience chamber was there,” the Black Witch said first. “The Sword Star, Inquisitor, and the Viper probably aren’t there because they’re leading the knights, guards, and officers. You asked the Paladin to search for the emperor, so she’ll be busy doing that. That leaves...”
The Countess, but she wasn’t the traitor.
“...You shouldn’t have died first, you heartless girl,” the Black Witch muttered to herself.
She didn’t dwell on it. Instead of giving a long goodbye, she shook her head several times. I assumed that it was her own way of moving past her friend’s death.
“Black Dragon Master, if Miss Countess actually died, then the outside world...”
“Let’s...let’s focus on the matter at hand,” the Black Witch quietly answered. The second strongest Hunter in the Tower just glared at the prey on the horizon. “Even the Demon King won’t be able to keep using attacks like that. Mr. Kim, hold the breach with me.”
The behavior of the red dots on the mini map had changed. Unlike their movements before, which resembled an ocean wave, the red dots were now traveling in a line that led directly to the opening the laser beam had just blown open. Their formation was sharp as a spear. It looked like the monster army was trying to break through.
“Yes, I think that’s the best course of action.” I grabbed the Black Witch’s hand.
She nodded. “Teleport.”
We headed into the breach.
The monsters were a lot closer now. Goblins, orcs, skeletons...all sorts of monsters came running toward us, howling like animals. The archers atop the ramparts released their arrows, but it was far from enough to stop the red tide. We had around two minutes before the first wave arrived.
—Zombie, one minute will do. No, it doesn’t matter if you manage for only thirty seconds, the Guardian said.
Hundreds of monsters emerged from the cloud of dust. However, a hundredfold more monsters were approaching, creating new clouds of dust.
—Hold out on your own. In order to win this war, you need to become their hope.
No ally stood in my way. I was alone on the front line.
—Hold out on your own. It doesn’t matter if it’s only for thirty seconds. It’s important to show them that you can stop those monsters on your own. A hero isn’t someone who survives for thirty years; it’s the person who gives thirty seconds when everyone needs them.
I dropped my backpack on the floor.
I pulled out a bottle from my backpack. It contained the elixir made by the Chemist, who would be known as the Master Alchemist in the future.
One sip, two sips, three sips... I poured the entire elixir down my throat.
—I promised sword lessons until we reached the twentieth floor, didn’t I? It’s a little early, but it’s time for a practice session.
My heart hammered against my chest.
—Place your back foot at a slight angle.
It beat in one-second intervals.
—Put pressure on your front foot.
My heartbeat became faster.
—Two goblins are at the very front. Their innate eyesight is already bad, but they’re squinting because of the dust clouds. When their vision is obstructed, creatures instinctively swing their swords wide. They’re trying to get a lucky hit, not worrying about where their enemy is. Thrust your sword before they swing their weapons.
My heartbeat grew faster over time, but one second became slower and slower.
—All your holy sword does is shine, but it’s perfect to temporarily blind your enemies. One second on an absolute measure doesn’t matter, but in a fight, it’s one second on their relative scale. Take away their vision and you take one second from your enemies.
That was how one second for me became a little quicker than my heart.
My sword would be faster than one second.
—Let’s go, partner. The Guardian stood right next to me. It’s time to be a hero.