Chapter 170

Episode 170:

The five human lords pulled the triggers of their pistols, their skulls exploded, and their brains scattered.

That was it.

A cold silence fell, and the bodies of those in power collapsed. A faint smoke rose along the mouth of the pistol that slipped from their hands.

Lord of Heroes and Player Kang Yu

-seong looked at them in silence.

With an expression that doesn't even have a trace of Kim Jong-un.

After a moment of silence, a message emerged.

[The overlord has been defeated!]

[The human lord has been defeated!]

[The season boss of The Endless Labyrinth has been defeated

!]

[The season ends!]

There are no easy-to-understand loot or rewards.

Season Boss.

There is no reason to become stronger after defeating the season boss. Even if compensation is given, it will only be for ‘next season’.

At the same time, it was not a shooting star that did not know the meaning behind those words.

It was right then.

[“Player Kang Yoo-seong.”]

A voice was heard. It was a voice that came without even a trace. When I turned my head, there was a monarch wearing deep black robes. He was the lord of the game.

[“Lord of heroes and monarch above monarchs.”]

[The Lord of the Game solemnly calls you!]

“You have won.”]

“...Then is this all over?”

Yoosung smiled bitterly at those words and asked back.

[....]

[The Lord of the Game maintains a significant silence.]

There was no clear answer. There was just an unidentifiable mockery continuing beneath the robe.

ridicule? The moment I thought that, I realized that his emotions were not as easy to understand as he thought.

And then the Lord of the Game took off his hood and lowered it without a word. The shadow beneath the face disappeared.

There was a very familiar female face there.

“Congratulations, Yoosung.”

A familiar voice was heard. That's why Yooseong took a deep breath in front of that voice.

Why...

there was a face there that I could never forget. And I was able to realize it at the same time.

[“I watched you as many masks as there were on your face.”]

At those words, Yoosung silently moved his hand towards his face.

“You don’t seem to get along very well with the Clown Lord.”

And when he asked in a casual manner, the game's lord and ‘Maria'

put on her hood again.

“We and they... have seen things that you and ‘she’ could not even imagine.”]

When the Lord of the Game opened his mouth again, Yoosung was able to intuit.

Just as there were ‘broken heroes' who did the same thing over and over again over countless years, the player with the name of a saint was no exception.

At the same time, just like the thousandth shooting star, the thousandth Mary and the ‘Mary in front of you’ are different beings.

“Who are you'?”

“They are true human saints.”]

Maria, who called herself the monarch of the game and a human saint, answered.

“Why have you been silent to me until now?”

“Because that’s the rule.”]

The Lord of the Game answered, and Yoo Seong smiled bitterly at those words.

“That was only possible because you were a hero who abandoned humanity.”]

Maria answered.

“But any empty sword you have, Mr. Yoosung, will be meaningless in front of your star.”] It

is not meaningless.

“You can never abandon me, Mr. Yoosung.”]

Kaaang

, it was just as he said.

The sword of the Shadow Heavenly Demons that was supposed to be swung was swung by the Void Sword that contained the last herbivorous spirit of the Heavenly Demons. Nevertheless, he could not escape from the chains that Maria had spread.

Because I couldn't call it.

As she said, denying her existence and meaning and wielding the sword of emptiness was the same as denying Mary's very existence.

And I couldn't.

Ad Astra (Toward the Stars).

I remembered the night I spent with Maria that night.

Maria pulled the back of Yoo Seong's neck with both her arms, and the cold moonlight was pouring down behind her.

The stars in the night sky were shining so close that you could reach them with your arms outstretched.

It's so close that I wonder if I could stretch out my arms and grab the moon and stars hanging in the night sky.

She was a shooting star.

“The game is over, saint.” That is why the King of Heroes answered.

“The human monarch has fallen, and there is no longer any need for me or the saint to sacrifice for them. “Please step aside.”

“Yes, you know very well.”]

The Lord of Games laughed.

After laughing, Maria asked back.

“But why... are you willing to bear this pain for the humans?”]

Looking at the vacant position of Overlord that the Lord of Heroes is about to head to.

“Not for them.”

Yoosung shook his head.

“It’s for the heroes and saints who haven’t been saved yet.”

[“....”]

Maria remained silent again at Yoosung’s words. It was a very bitter silence. That's why Yooseong continued speaking.

“There is no reason why the saint should suffer alone for the sake of humans

.

[“I am not the girl you know.”]

Yoosung remained silent in response to Maria’s answer.

“The you we loved is not the you in front of me.”]

Likewise, what she loved

was not the thousandth shooting star in front of her right now.

“The heroes who became your mask and fell, repeating the same thing endlessly and being broken. “We made love with them.”]

Maria said and Yoosung did not answer.

The clown monarch fell by his own hand, and the human saint was still by his side as he repeated the same thing endlessly.

Heroes and saints who make endless sacrifices only for humans.

I felt like I could understand her, even if only vaguely.

That's why I didn't want to leave like this even more.

No, I couldn't back out.

“Do you blame me?”

It was he who put an end to the 999 broken heroes for the thousandth time.

“They were waiting more than anyone else to fall at the hands of a true hero.”]

Maria answered sadly.

“And I just hope you don’t keep making such foolish decisions.”]

“What decision do you say I made?”

Yooseong asked back, and Maria answered with a sad smile.

[“You’re still trying to be a hero.”]