Solo Swordmaster - Chapter 1109
“You don’t have to ask me for my opinion. I will follow you wherever you go.”
# Side Story 78. The Beginning and End of Everything (1)
* * *
He felt tired.
As if he had not slept in a thousand years.
He felt lonely.
As if he had been alone for a thousand years.
He felt empty.
As if a thousand years had been meaningless.
It was nothing new.
It was an emotion he had felt many times since the distant past, after he lost his master, was sentenced to death, and became the guardian deity of mankind.
Yes, that’s right.
To be honest.
Despite having protected humanity for so long, there were not many times when he felt rewarded.
When he defeated the Sword Demon after a life-threatening battle that lasted seven days, someone resented him for being the Sword Demon’s priest.
When he prevented a disaster that could have wiped out an entire continent, someone blamed him for not helping sooner.
When he struck down his disciple who had gone berserk and crossed the line, there was a country that held him responsible for not teaching him properly.
When he stopped the Chilryonghoe’s movements, there were those who were angry that they did not receive wealth in exchange for peace.
Of course, it was not always like that.
There were those who were purely grateful.
There were those who showed him kindness.
There were relationships that lasted a lifetime.
Enough to make him occasionally feel satisfied with himself, thinking that he had done well to protect humanity.
But only occasionally.
As decades turned into centuries, and people began to take his protection of the world for granted, resentment grew more than gratitude.
And even the good relationships he had rarely made changed over time, became ugly, or ended with death.
He, too, grew weary, little by little.
Like water dripping through rock.
Like wind eroding a cliff.
The passage of hundreds of years was heavy and harsh enough to wear down even a will that was harder than steel.
Nevertheless, he continued to protect the world.
Silently.
Calmly.
Quietly.
Even if the whole world ignored him, even if his wealth and honor were taken away, even if no one looked at him.
Rather than becoming angry or empty about it, he simply continued to believe in humans and protect the world, like a rolling wheel.
However…….
“Any place will do. If you take care of the transportation, my clan will take care of the rest.”
The blue-haired knight, old-fashioned yet perfectly upright, supported his efforts to protect humanity.
“You don’t have to ask for my opinion. I will just follow whatever you want.”
The red-haired pharaoh, who believed that life was a constant struggle, understood his desire as a swordsman to fight against strong opponents.
“Don’t worry about formalities. After all, the gods and religions are all over the place. What matters is your heart.”
The white-haired prophet, who looked only to the future, envied his strength, as he could choose even the future because he could unravel destiny.
“Honestly, I don’t really care about the timing? I’m more interested in my brother’s teacher?”
The silver-haired dictator, who had lived in a twisted time, sympathized with his madness that did not crumble even after living for eternity.
“It’s good to be mindful, but don’t overdo it. Even for you, worrying too much is not good for your health.”
The green-haired councilman, who had always pushed everyone away, removed the thorns he had put up and shared his loneliness with him.
“Don’t worry about the money. I’ll pay for everything.”
The blonde beauty, who was more arrogant and perfect than anyone else, showed her honest sincerity only in front of him and relieved his burden.
“I think a year would be enough time. Of course, the more time you have to prepare, the better, but that would also mean more unnecessary waste.”
The black-haired librarian, who no one believed, reminded him of the joy of being trusted and making sacrifices.
“……It’s a bit difficult. Honestly, I’ve never imagined it before.”
The platinum-blonde saintess, who had gone mad and fallen, tried to soothe the wounds she had given him by giving up the country and asking for forgiveness.
“Question. Do you really have to do that?”
The most innocent and simple Indian girl reminded him of purity with her instinctive and naive passion.
“This concubine only wishes that Your Highness does not become a ruin.”
The silver-haired disciple whom he had saved made him realize his affection with her pure and noble heart that never asked for anything in return.
“Anyway, my sisters are being too modest. While we’re at it, let’s do it as grandly as possible! Let’s just set it for 9 nights and 10 days……! Bam!”
The always cheerful bluebird gave him themargin to take things lightly in any situation by staying by his side.
The always cheerful blue bird, staying by his side, provided him with the leisure to take things lightly in any situation. And a strange energy, more familiar than the power of the stars, was making itself known to him.
“Your Majesty, you give me more happiness than I deserve, accepting the proposal despite your own embarrassment.”
And then…
*[…Damn bastard.]*
The master he had revered all his life, proved with both body and soul that the path he had walked so far had not been in vain.
That’s right.
Because they were there.
Thanks to them, his world, which had been dry for a long time, suddenly became rich and beautiful again.
And then…
* * *
“….”
The moment he opened his eyes.
What he saw was light.
Incredibly subtle, bright, empty yet full.
Higher than the sky but without above or below, endlessly vast yet unable to go anywhere, more vivid than reality yet everything was ambiguous.
Truly filled with contradictions.
Yet without discomfort.
The moment he saw that space.
Naturally, he realized.
-This is a dream.
And he understood.
-This is not a dream.
While firmly believing in these two contradictory premises at the same time, he did not feel confused.
Anything is possible in dreams.
To him, who had grasped even a fraction of the sword that cuts through dreams and reality, this was not surprising.
But it was a new experience.
He did not just intuit that this was not a natural dream, but a space artificially created by someone.
From this light.
And from the space.
Because he felt a strange familiarity.
Exactly…
“…Labyrinth of the Stars?”
At the end of the war.
A trap created by the Thrones in the rifts of time and space.
The labyrinth they had created by combining the power of many stars into one to stop him was truly terrifying.
In fact, if it weren’t for Yunakyung’s sacrifice, Limon would have been stuck there for quite some time.
And as Limon saw it.
This place was similar to the Labyrinth of the Stars.
In the fact that it was made with the power of the stars, and in the sense of a strange distortion of space and time.
“No, this is… more like a Star Palace than a Labyrinth of the Stars.”
Nevertheless.
Limon did not feel a sense of danger.
Unlike the Labyrinth of the Stars, where the intent to kill him permeated every corner, here he felt a natural grandeur and magnificence.
And a strangely familiar energy, even more so than the power of the stars, was informing him.
This place was not dangerous.
Especially not to him.
Just as Limon narrowed his eyes and focused his senses to identify the strange energy,
[…….]
Creepy.
“……!”
The light that filled the space.
From far, far beyond.
A gaze.
Was directed at him.
It did nothing.
It simply watched silently.
And yet, the gaze felt as heavy as staring directly at the sun, and for a moment, a strange expression crossed his face.
Limon slowly turned his head.
To meet the gaze that was looking at him from beyond the vast time and space that could contain several worlds.
Snap.
The moment the two gazes met.
He was no longer in the space filled with only light.
Without moving, he had transcended all distances and distortions and reached the source of the gaze.
“……!”
And…….
Limon saw it.
The source of the brilliant yet soft light that filled the space.
The mastermind behind the End War, which he had barely managed to defeat even after using the Gore Blade with theGu Wuof dying with it.
The embodiment of them, the world, and the law itself, surpassing even the constellations formed by the gathering of numerous stars, emitting an overwhelming starlight…….
……The remains of countless stars.
No, to be precise, corpses.
Broken, slashed, torn.
Despite being made of dim starlight, one could tell at a glance that they were already dead.
A throne large enough to hold the entire universe, made up of the remains of countless constellations, perhaps tens of thousands or hundreds of millions.
No, a seat that could truly be called a constellation(constellation) given that its material was made of stars.
But at this moment.
What disturbed Limon was not the throne.
It was because of the owner of the gaze looking down at him from the small throne that could only accommodate one person despite its enormous size.
“……I see.”
And finally.
Limon realized.
“So that’s what it was.”
From what this space was.
Why he was here.
And who the owner of the throne was.
What he realized was not such an obvious fact.
It was about something much more important, something old, and something he definitely needed to know.
“I’ve had a long-standing question.”
[…….]
“Why and how could I have returned?”
He remembered.
Not so long ago.
But it felt distant.
His memories of when everything fell apart, and Yunagyeong died.
Back then, Limon rejected the offer of a contract from the Holy See, managed to gain some of its power, and returned to the past.
It was only a few days ago, but…
Because those memories existed, he eventually went to see Lichingwi and accepted her proposal.
In a sense, that was perhaps the most crucial turning point, the pivotal moment when his and the world’s fate changed.
That’s why.
How he could return.
The reason Limon had been curious about continued to puzzle him.
It couldn’t be because the power of the stars surged, as he couldn’t use the power of return afterwards.
After everything was over, upon hearing the truth from Lichingwi, he thought it might have been a coincidence that happened while she was returning.
“But it was just a mistake.”
He realized it now.
His most significant misconception.
All his deductions were wrong.
Because…
“I never actually returned in the first place.”
[…]
“Just along with the power of the stars, I merely received a fragment of those memories.”
Yes, that’s right.
Falling into a trap.
Losing Yunagyeong.
Breaking the attackers’ necks.
For him, in fact, all of it was something he experienced for the first time.
It was just a misconception caused by dreams more vivid than premonitions and the power of the stars he unexpectedly gained.
In the past, he wouldn’t have thought such absurd things were possible.
But to Lichingwi.
And through Jandark.
Limon, who had experienced the events through the ‘dreams,’ could easily accept that fact.
Once he realized that, it was too easy for him to figure out who had passed on the memories of the future along with the power of the stars, as the main person was right in front of his eyes.
“Isn’t that right?”
[…]
Draped in brilliant starlight, seated on a throne made of stars, a being who had become a star itself.
Cutting through all the stars.
Consuming that curse.
Ultimately, becoming a transcendent being who turned into a star.
“The monster that I have become.”
With hair as faded as a burnt-out star and bright golden eyes as dazzling as a new star…
– Limone Asphelder, the one-armed.