Chapter 596

Chapter 596

Boom!

After catching the corpse of the King of Flies on Geronimo's back,

As Kellibey, standing at the hatch entrance, operated the button, the halted propellers of Geronimo closed upwards, clutching the body of the King of Flies.

Thunk-!

In that state, Geronimo flew low to the ground, as if being dragged along.

The thrusters, pointing downward to lift the ship and the monster of equal weight, exploded with fierce flames and smoke as if bursting out.

Without the lift provided by the propellers, Geronimo remained afloat solely through the output of its overdriven magic power.

Already, just this was enough to put the magic power engine in a state like a time bomb about to explode, and the flight balance of the ship, already ruined, was deteriorating by the second.

And now, with the added weight of the giant atop it,

The overly stressed hull twisted and screamed. The flimsy outer armor and parts fell off, showering the rear. Explosions erupted repeatedly from the overheated magic power engine.

But it does not stop.

"Ha ha ha...!"

Inside the ship, racing towards death, Kellibey burst into laughter.

Carrying a bomb that could blow up an entire city.

Where could there be a more spectacular death?

After laughing heartily, Kellibey screamed from the hatch entrance towards the inside of the ship.

"Alright, let's go! My son! To the end of the world!"

"..."

"I've been a worthless father who lived as he pleased, abandoning you all, but let's be together at the end!"

With a face glistening with blood and sweat, Kellibey smiled.

"..."

Sitting in the cockpit, Kellison briefly stared at his father in a daze.

"I don't want to."

"What?"

Thud!

He operated one of the buttons in the cockpit.

Suddenly, the hatch opened wide, and at the same time, Kellison pulled Geronimo's booster.

"Woahhh?!"

Kellibey, unable to cope with the sudden change in speed, was flung out of the ship.

Rolling messily over the southern sand plain, Kellibey, with blood oozing from his forehead, barely managed to stand up.

"Kuh, Kellison, you unfilial son! What are you doing..."

Whizz- Thump!

Next to Kellibey, who couldn't finish his words, an emergency lifeboat from Geronimo fell. It was the last lifeboat on the ship, ejected by Kellison.

Father.

Geronimo was rapidly distancing itself.

Among all the fathers in this world, you were the worst.

Only Kellison's sullen voice echoed through the communication.

But... You are the best blacksmith, and the best miner.

"No, Kellison! At least at the end, together...!"

This front, this world, still needs you, Father.

Thunk-!

The overdriven magic power engine forcibly propelled the ship forward, barely touching the ground. Unable to bear the weight, the thrusters deployed downwards exploded one after another.

But Kellison calmly left his words as he increased the speed.

Survive. And please take care of our race... no, this world.

"Kellison, no, Kellison...!"

Chasing after Geronimo, Kellibey fell grotesquely to the ground.

In the cockpit, Kellison, now far away, smirked at the sight of his father.

Stubbornly not touching the ground and flying low, the bottom of the hull finally hit the ground.

As flames, smoke, and sand dust rose, Geronimo left the southern plain and entered the forest, simultaneously.

Crackle-

Like a flame burning down a fuse, the self-destruct magic gathered at the center of the King of Flies's chest.

"Ah."

Kellison murmured for the last time.

"The first tunnel father gave me, it was really cozy..."

The small cave of his childhood suddenly overlapped with the narrow cockpit of the ship.

The young face of his father handing over the key to the cave door to his small hand...

Kellison closed his eyes.

The gathered flames touched the King of Flies's core.

In the next moment, the whole world was enveloped in white light.

***

I swallowed my breath.

In the pitch-black night. Far south, a dazzling light erupted.

For a moment, there was no sound at all.

More than half of her body had merged with the tree and burrowed into the ground... She was dying like that.

An immortal elf, and among them, a legitimate successor of the Elf Royal Family.

She had sacrificed all her vitality, blessings, and future to protect Crossroad.

"Our race, no..."

Skuld exhaled a long breath and slowly closed her eyes.

"Please... take care of this world..."

"...Skuld?"

Verdandi murmured in disbelief.

"No, no, no... please..."

Verdandi hugged Skuld tightly, showering her sister's forehead with kisses.

"It's my fault, I was wrong. So come back... I'll never leave you again, please..."

Eventually, Verdandi burst into tears.

"Don't leave me alone..."

No other sound was heard in the area but the weeping of the Elf Princess.

Heroes and soldiers, bloodied all over, stood solemnly facing the southern wall. Then, one by one, they bowed their heads in that direction.

"..."

I leaned on Evangeline's shoulder, looking around with a vacant face.

Crossroad, caught in the aftermath of the explosion, was devastated from the southern wall, with the entire south side of the city turned into ruins. There was not a single intact building, not a single remaining tower.

Everything was scorched.

Is this... victory?

Is this the price of survival?

'How many have died?'

How many lives have been sacrificed...

For me to be alive here, now?

'No...!'

I shook my dazed head, setting aside the boiling guilt for a moment.

Because I know.

Those who gave their lives for this front line would not want me to think this way.

They hoped their sacrifice would sustain this front line, that their dear comrades would join forces and move forward... knowing they threw their lives away like dogs for that.

So, I tried to give hope to everyone in any way I could. As the one responsible for leading everyone out of this mess, I tried to organize the situation and allow everyone to rest for a moment.

And then-

Whooosh!

That's when it happened.

Behind me, in the air, magical particles swirled with an ominous sound.

"..."

I clenched my teeth and turned towards the waves of those blue-glowing magical particles.

Flash-!

And... a 'door' opened.

It was a massive teleport gate.

Creeeak!

And, opening that huge door with both hands-

"My wish... is not something as trivial as a nightmare...!"

A figure made of flies, a woman's shape, appeared.

It was White Night, who had been forcibly teleported somewhere during the civil war with the King of Flies using teleportation.

"...Huh."

I muttered in disbelief.

"This is really too much, seriously."

"I was originally a resident of this world! The Demon King didn't resurrect me, but merely took me under his wing!"

White Night, with her eerie figure made of flies, flashed her compound eyes and shouted.

"So, even if I'm swept away to the Oblivion's Beyond, I can eventually find my way back to this world...!"

With each of her proclamations, flies combined with darkness from another dimension spread in all directions, covering the dark night sky in glittering colors.

Heroes and soldiers instinctively gripped their weapons and looked up at the sky. But everyone felt it. I did too.

This is...

"...Where did the King of Flies go? Don't tell me, he's already dead?"

...the end.

"Then I can declare it for sure."

From the spot where the King of Flies had fallen and frozen, White Night picked up something.

It was the scepter.

With the giant fly's hand holding the tiny scepter as if it was precious, White Night laughed madly.

"Now, I am the new King of Flies...!"

It was game over.

--TL Notes--

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