Chapter 417:

Chapter 417:

When Kang Hye-rim looked at her with an emotionless gaze.

For a moment, Kwon Jia felt as if the room had become darker, wondering if it was just her imagination.

The touch of the air against her skin felt chilling.

‘For me, someone who controls 666 beasts, to feel such a cold darkness.’

However, there was no need to be intimidated.

"Why? Did I hit the nail on the head too well? That look in your eyes is fierce. You seem ready to swing your sword at any moment."

"......"

"Or maybe, you want to settle that unfinished match of ours... here and now?"

At the mention of that previous match, Kang Hye-rim’s body gave a slight shudder.

She hadn’t told Yu-hyun, but Kwon Jia had fought Kang Hye-rim, the Black Thunder Lord, just once before.

It happened when Kwon Jia went to see her alone, harboring a faint hope that maybe a conversation could resolve things.

‘What a foolish act that was.’

Hadn’t she learned from countless regressions that a changed person never changes back?

Trusting in ease, and deceived by a faint hope, she’d lost over a hundred lives.

Though she regretted it deeply, she had vowed, again and again, never to make the same mistake.

But, the nature of this cursed personality—what was it, exactly?

Before meeting Yu-hyun, her edge had been honed to the limit, so she hadn’t let herself falter.

But this time, she couldn’t hold back.

‘I really am going soft.’

In the end, to Kwon Jia, Kang Hye-rim was still a precious comrade, and she believed it was necessary to restore her to her former self.

So, she went to see her, but a fight was unavoidable.

Back then, Kwon Jia thought she had to kill Kang Hye-rim.

The twisted Black Thunder Lord was no longer the Sword Queen, Kang Hye-rim, she once knew.

She tried to kill her, but... she couldn’t.

The bond of camaraderie she thought she’d forgotten clung to her, holding her back, and Kwon Jia ended up suffering a serious injury and was forced to retreat.

What she couldn’t accomplish back then, Yu-hyun eventually took care of.

“Unfortunately for you, I’m quite different from how I was back then.”

A purple wolf’s form rose behind Kwon Jia.

And that wasn’t all.

Around her, black mud rippled, transforming repeatedly into the shapes of countless beasts, only to collapse.

After her defeat back then, Kwon Jia realized she needed even more power and had taken on not only Fenrir’s strength but also the power of the beast of the Apocalypse.

With just these two powers, she was confident she wouldn’t lose, no matter if her opponent was a first-generation Divine Spirit.

Of course, there was a high chance she’d become a public enemy of the hybrid realm if they discovered her using this power, and one day, this power might consume her.

But for now, nothing could suit her more than this.

Above all.

She had vowed never to place that burden on that man’s shoulders again.

Even if her opponent was an old comrade, she was prepared to dirty her own hands.

"So, what will you do?"

For a while, the two continued to stare at each other.

Kwon Jia clenched her fist tightly, careful not to let it show.

It wasn’t as if she wanted to fight either.

She knew that if they fought here, one of them would inevitably die.

And if one of them died, it would ultimately lead to ruin.

Knowing this, Kwon Jia felt tense.

Whoosh.

"......"

Kang Hye-rim turned her head away from Kwon Jia.

That act, as if a child was sulking and refusing to respond, made Kwon Jia suddenly feel her tension dissipate.

I see. So, that’s your answer.

Kwon Jia felt a sense of relief as she stood up.

“At the very least, I know you won’t go back to the way you used to be. But... one day, you’ll have to make a choice. The sins of the past never disappear.”

With those words, Kwon Jia left.

Once again alone, Kang Hye-rim sat blankly, wrapped in her blanket.

* * *

After finishing his conversation with Oello, Yu-hyun reunited with those waiting for him outside the forest.

Three familiar faces. The oddity of them being his former colleagues made Yu-hyun unable to hold back a smile.

“It’s been a while, everyone.”

“You...!”

The one who reacted the most passionately upon seeing Yu-hyun was Alisha.

Within the Celestial Corporation, she had worn a suit, but now she was dressed in a uniform, which suited her quite well.

“What in the world were you doing, cutting off all contact...!”

“Alisha, please. Stop it. Yu-hyun might feel uncomfortable.”

“Yu-hyun?”

Celine stepped in to restrain Alisha.

But Yu-hyun was rather taken aback by the title Celine used to address him.

Celine answered with an expressionless face.

“What? Do you miss being called ‘senior’?”

“Well, not really. Since the company’s gone, it’d be a bit strange to call me that now. I’m just not used to it yet.”

“You’ll get used to it quickly.”

At Celine’s firm, almost matter-of-fact tone, Yu-hyun could only let out a faint, helpless laugh.

His gaze turned to Celestina, who stood with her arms crossed, waiting for him to address her.

The Teller Yu-hyun was gone.

He was human now.

And there was only one way a Teller could become human.

The Horizon of Stories. That ultimate realm a Teller who had risen to the rank of a Divine Spirit could reach.

Yu-hyun had made a different choice at that peak.

“Hang in there.”

“Of course, Celestina. Next time we meet... let’s have a good meal together.”

After bidding farewell to his old companions, Yu-hyun turned to leave.

Alisha and Celine seemed slightly regretful, but they had to move on when Oello joined them.

As Oello and his colleagues departed in a golden carriage, someone approached Yu-hyun, as if waiting for this moment.

“Merlin.”

Archmage Merlin of the Great Army of Mabinogion.

He stroked his beard while watching the golden carriage fade into the distance.

“I wonder if I interfered with your reunion.”

“No, there’s no need for concern.”

“Is that so?”

“But Merlin, are you okay? Using teleportation magic so excessively must have drained your mana.”

“Well, a little rest, and I’ll be fine. I’m the strongest mage of Camelot, after all, so there’s no need to worry.”

“That’s a relief.”

“I came here to personally thank you. Thank you for helping Camelot and Arthur.”

At Merlin’s unexpected gratitude, Yu-hyun smiled gently and shook his head.

“I didn’t do much.”

“Just by receiving that sword, you’ve done so much.”

Yu-hyun thought of Excalibur, which Arthur had entrusted to him.

At the end, Arthur had gifted him the strongest sword to aid his journey.

Excalibur, a legendary weapon famous even in the hybrid realm.

The sword that raised Arthur Pendragon’s name to the rank of the strongest knight was Excalibur.

However, Yu-hyun didn’t see it merely as a gift.

Considering what lay ahead, it felt more like a significant down payment, one he couldn’t return.

“I had similar thoughts, so I didn’t bother refusing.”

“What did you do with Excalibur?”

“Oh, that?”

Yu-hyun transformed Baekryun in his hand directly into Excalibur.

“Here it is.”

“That sword...”

“It inherited Excalibur’s story. Oh, was that not okay?”

Baekryun absorbed Excalibur’s entire story with [Story Absorption].

Given Excalibur’s symbolic significance, it wasn’t surprising if eyes would pop at this.

But Merlin shook his head.

“Once that sword was in your hands, it became yours. I have no right to question how you use it. More than that, it’s an intriguing sword. Though on par with Excalibur in myth, its potential is even greater. Could a human have created such a thing?”

Perhaps the Salio Empire faced annihilation at the hands of the Shrine because they created such a fearsome weapon.

Yu-hyun agreed with that.

Though both were mythic items, the Salio longsword absorbed Excalibur’s story and integrated it.

This gave Baekryun a wealth of stories far surpassing that of any ordinary weapon.

While the true soul within Baekryun no longer existed, the sword’s performance remained unchanged.

“What will you do now, Merlin?”

“Well... for now, I’ll find a temporary residence for Camelot’s people. There are many places to stay within the Great Army, so that shouldn’t be an issue.”

“What’s important...”

“Yes. It’s what happens afterward.”

Camelot was gone.

And the ones who destroyed it were the Shrine, whom even the Great Army couldn’t touch.

The citizens were despairing and fearful, but that wasn’t all.

They had all seen Arthur’s final words and sacrifice.

No one in Camelot missed it.

And beyond sorrow, some had a spark of fire ignited in their hearts.

Merlin was no exception.

“You’re going to fight.”

“It’s what the king wanted. Don’t worry. This isn’t something anyone’s forcing us to do. Everyone made this choice of their own will.”

Seeing Merlin’s unwavering gaze, Yu-hyun couldn’t help but feel the depth of their resolve.

“I look forward to standing on the same battlefield someday.”

“Yes.”

Undoubtedly, that day would come soon.

Merlin left, and the next person to approach Yu-hyun was an unexpected figure.

“Are you the human Kang Yu-hyun, entrusted with my father’s sword?”

“You are...”

Yu-hyun trailed off as he looked at the man.

A man who resembled King Arthur yet had ash-gray hair like the witch Morgan.

Mordred.

The son of King Arthur and his sin.

The knight of betrayal had come to find Yu-hyun.