CH 315

If Kim Jin-Woo wanted to, he could put an end to the Usurper.

All he had to do was release the Greed that was screaming to be let out just a little, and her existence itself would be erased without leaving a single trace behind. And his revenge would finally come to an end.

But he couldn’t do that. Even with the prospect of finally completing the revenge he so desperately wanted, he held himself back.

“Why?”

The Usurper was a conspirator and a strategist who had manipulated his entire life and flipped it upside down. He hadn’t even realized the meticulousness of her plans until he found out the truth via the Throne of Truth; thus, he couldn’t understand the reason behind the poorly-executed hostage scenario. And he didn’t want to leave behind even a single doubt before finalizing his revenge.

“You should have known that this was how it was going to turn out, but why did you go to this extent?” Kim Jin-Woo asked.

If the Usurper had approached him without revealing her true identity, he might have reacted with his blind faith and affection toward her, as he had still recalled the last memory of So-Hee sacrificing herself to save him. That would have made so much more sense in terms of her achieving her purpose.

It was incomprehensible to him that the Usurper, who should have already been well aware of all those facts, had dared to reveal her identity and get the Mysteries of the Underworld involved in the matter. Ultimately, her decision had led to her own downfall, and finally left her at his mercy.

“Say it. The only reason I’ve kept you alive thus far is because I want to hear the reason straight from your mouth,” Kim Jin-Woo said.

The motionless Usurper raised her head and replied, “I don’t understand you. You’ve changed so much that you’ve exceeded my expectations. But now, you’re back to being the little Jin-Woo I remember.”

There was no longer any fictitious emotion on her empty face. The kind and gentle facade that she had fabricated, as well as her true insidious and greedy nature, were both gone. She looked like a doll without a soul.

“Don’t confuse curiosity with sympathy, because I no longer harbor such cheap feelings inside me anymore,” Kim Jin-Woo snapped back coldly at the Usurper, while thinking that her indifferent expression was her true identity.

“It’s true that you overcame everything so easily.” The Usurper looked at him for a long moment before finally speaking. “But don’t think I did this on purpose for you. Right now, you seem to expect some kind of special feeling from me toward you. In my eyes, it appears as though you’re still trying to project the image of ‘So-Hee’ you have in your mind on me.”

Kim Jin-Woo was taken aback at how easily he had been seen through by the Usurper. He had assumed that his actions were a result of simply wanting to avoid leaving behind any doubts, but the Usurper had clearly exposed that he was simply being hesitant.

“Is what you want a truth that doesn’t even exist? Or is it the end of an irreversible tragedy, despite everything finally returning to its origin?” The Usurper sat up straight as she continued speaking. “But I can’t grant any of your wishes. I have no intention of dying as the So-Hee you remember, nor do I intend to blabber on any longer just so I can be granted a more satisfying victory.”

As soon as she finished speaking, a terrible energy began to flow from her body. It was so insidious and evil that it evoked an unknown impulse from Kim Jin-Woo.

[Once the source of the most terrifying era in the Underworld, the power of the Immoral Lord has begun to spread.]

[Many Lords and their summons had to die a miserable death during Twilight, and the horrific madness that drove the war has reappeared here.]

[The Nagas’ minds are about to be corrupted.]

[The Einherjar’s minds are about to be corrupted.]

Despite being far away from the two of them, the Nagas began to breathe heavily. The strange heat that emanated from them quickly turned into madness, which then spread contagiously to other nearby Nagas.

Although there were no longer any more enemies left to fight, the way they were gripping their swords and spears made it look as if they were ready to engage in combat at any moment.

[Their strong loyalty to their master and strong bonds with each other are holding them in check, but if this keeps up any longer, the Nagas will start turning against even their own kind.]

The Nagas, who had even denied their own origins of their clan out of loyalty to their master, were barely managing to suppress the spreading madness. However, some of the Einherjar had already begun to turn on their comrades.

If this continued, soon, the battlefield would turn into a slaughterhouse where only blinding murderous intent and madness would rule. The flames of madness and hatred that the Immoral Lord had ignited were deep and insidious.

But nevertheless, Kim Jin-Woo looked quietly at the Usurper.

The Immoral Lord strained her neck, her eyes having turned white. Her fingernails, clad in a terrible curse that could pollute one’s mind and rot one’s body at a simple touch, were raised sharply like claws.

“Is that so?” Kim Jin-Woo let out a heavy sigh as he watched her unusual hand gestures, which seemed oddly slow. He continued, “Is that your decision?”

As soon as he finished speaking, the tips of his fingers that were grabbing the Usurper’s petite hand turned black. A faint energy, simmering like the burned ashes of a dying fire, emerged from Kim Jin-Woo and quickly turned into darkness that enveloped the entire area. In an instant, it devoured the flames of madness that the Immoral Lord had lit.

The Usurper’s power was certainly powerful. In an instant, it had turned thousands of Einherjar against each other, and even the Nagas, who had been thought unshakable in their loyalty, had succumbed to the contagion of madness.

But that was all.

The madness and hatred the Usurper had spread was unable to overcome Kim Jin-Woo’s power of Greed. Despite belatedly making its appearance, Greed had consumed even that madness as well.

“Ah…”

Kim Jin-Woo looked at the tips of his fingers. It felt as if the black stain had grown even bigger than before. And the petite hand he had been holding was no longer in this world.

The Lord of Charity had survived as the last remaining Lord of the Underworld after it had been destroyed at the end of the ancient Twilight. She had reigned as the King of the Underworld for countless years, but now, she had finally met her end as the ‘Immoral Lord’.

“Living is like walking up and down a street. My footsteps are constantly moving toward ‘tomorrow’, but my eyes have always looked only at the path I’ve walked on. Of course, stupidly, I was unable to look forward toward the future.”

Despite the terrible pain of slowly being disintegrated out of existence, the Usurper looked calmer than ever. As if recalling a strange sense of relief that was visible on her weary face, she smiled softly as if reliving the past in her final moments.

“But Jin-Woo… My little Jin-Woo…”

Contrary to what she had said, she seemed to gracefully welcome her death.

“At the very least, you should look forward. Instead of living in the past, live in the present and dream of tomorrow.”

What the hell was it that she had wished for? Had she wished to become Night herself and destroy the world with her own hands? Or was it something completely different? Kim Jin-Woo couldn’t figure it out. She had refused to elaborate until the very end, and eventually, she no longer could.

“So-Hee…”

As a complicated mix of feelings filled his mind, Kim Jin-Woo repeatedly called out the name he had used for her in the past. The warmth of her vanished hand was no longer, and all he felt was a handful of cold air at his fingertips.

“Master!”

Dominique ran toward him belatedly; she was crying for some reason. It must have been because Kim Jin-Woo’s feelings of sympathy had been conveyed to her through their communion of thoughts.

“What did she really want in the end? What were her final thoughts…?”

Kim Jin-Woo looked blankly into the air and continued speaking to himself without looking back at Dominique.

“Was it I who killed her, or was it herself?”

He felt deeply conflicted.

“And why didn’t she prepare another plan?”

“She set two traps for you, Master. One for Master, the Tyrant of the Underworld and the Lord of Greed. And another for Master, the Terran. And yet, both failed,” Dominique explained.

She continued, saying that all the hardships and difficulties he had faced leading up to this day were all traps the Usurper had prepared for him, but because he was able to overcome them all, he had been able to emerge victorious.

“Is that so? Did she die because she was weaker than me?” Kim Jin-Woo mused.

“That’s all there is to it, Master,” Dominique answered.

Kim Jin-Woo looked back and muttered, “I see. It seems the last hint of whim she showed me in her final moments shook me up a little.”

It was difficult for Kim Jin-Woo to immediately brush away the remnants of those complicated emotions. After all, the influence and impact the Usurper had had on his life wasn’t negligible in the slightest.

But now wasn’t the time for him to be wrapped up in his own thoughts and emotions. There was still work to be done.

He still had to face the source of the divine will that governed the Mysteries of the Underworld—the huge ash tree that was the foundation of the Underworld itself. That was the main reason why he was here.

“But before that...” Kim Jin-Woo began. Having regained the usual color in his face, he turned to face his summons and continued, “Savoring this victory should be our priority.”

The Einherjar and the Nagas, who had been waiting with bated breath, cried out belatedly at their master’s declaration of victory.

“So it’s finally come to this,” Kim Jin-Woo remarked. While the Nagas and Einherjar busied themselves by cleaning up the battlefield, he went to talk to Yoon-Hee.

Yoon-Hee updated him about the situation on the surface, which was in the midst of preparing for war, and explained that they were already prepared to dispatch explorers into the Underworld.

“It’ll take one month at the shortest, and six months at the longest. That’s how much time the Underworld has to prepare to face off against the surface.”

Many labyrinths had collapsed due to the Restorations, and the surviving labyrinths had suffered greatly from the Reapers’ constant attacks. It definitely wouldn’t be easy to defend against a full-scale invasion by the surface.

In addition, the topography of the Underworld had changed to favor the Terrans’ navigation; thus, the impending war seemed highly unfavorable for the Underworld.

“I understand. Let’s figure things out as they happen. As for the rest of our conversation, let’s continue next time,” Kim Jin-Woo said.

“As Master wills.” Yoon-Hee bowed her head and retreated.

Afterward, however, Angela came forward and called out, “Master.”

In her hand was the Wish Stone that Kim Jin-Woo had never been able to touch because of his vigilance about Night. He accepted the small stone as she handed it to him without speaking a word.

[Night’s craving grows. Even the Mystic Parasite is drooling.]

Despite being sealed in the body of the Mystic Parasite, Night began to kick up a fuss. The amount of effort it was putting in to obtain the Wish Stone was almost commendable.

However, the Mystic Parasite was located in his right hand, while the Wish Stone was in his left. Unless he intentionally did so, his right hand would never come into contact with his left.

[At first glance, the Wish Stone does not look too different from a top-grade down gem, but this little stone is so valuable that it cannot be compared to something as ordinary as a down gem.]

[This unique treasure of the Underworld is filled with the aspirations and desires accumulated over eons, and has finally reached you through the True Blood Lord after wandering the Underworld for a long time.]

[Originally, the Wish Stone was supposed to be filled with only the purest desires of the Underworld, but it was corrupted by the Terrans. No one knows if this is a good thing or a bad thing.]

[In any case, the value of this treasure will not change.]

[You were finally able to obtain the Wish Stone—the stone of desires that grants wishes.]

Messages he had seen before once again filled his eyes, followed by a string of completely new messages.

[It would be foolish to consume the Wish Stone when it contains endless possibilities.]

[The reward you will get just by returning the Wish Stone to its original place is incomparable to the temporary gratification you would obtain.]

[If you are recognized as the owner of the Wish Stone, you may obtain an even bigger reward.]

[Do you wish to put the Wish Stone back where it originally came from?]