CH 162

‘This is… Is it real?’

In the space filled with only darkness, Rixus thought quietly.

The next moment…

A dazzling light poured into his vision,

Even ‘doubts’ and ‘thoughts’ were burned.

Hearing reacted earlier than eyes.

“…Uh-huh.”

It was a brief moan, but it was immediately recognized. Berylia, it was her voice.

Rixus quickly opened his eyes. And he was surprised.

“!”

Berylia’s appearance was disastrous. Torn clothes everywhere.

Blood-soaked hair.

She was trembling with fear and weeping.

“…Berylia.”

Rixxus knew her well, but this Berylia was staring at him as if he was a stranger.

She asked, sharpening her teeth like a cat. Her eyes were full of boundaries.

“Are you here to kill me too?”

He could feel the pathetic heart, trying to defend herself somehow despite shaking in fear. 

‘…First life.’

Right away, he realized.

He didn’t know why, but he was back to their first life.

This instance… It was before he had harmed Berylia 7 times.

“….…”

Tears slowly welled up in the corners of Rixus’ eyes.

There was only one moment in his life that he deeply regretted.

How he harmed Berylia with his own hands.

He who killed her further at the end of her life by speaking harsh words to her who had lived her lonely and desperate life.

Every time Rixus remembered that moment, and every time he chewed it over and over again, it felt like his heart was being pierced by that sword.

He struggled and regretted it.

He didn’t express it to Berylia that he had thrown her life into hell, but… He always held it deep in his heart.

‘If only I could get it back.’

If he could make her live a warm life that filled her loneliness instead of the seven lives that were tainted with the fear of death.

He would do anything.

Even if it required him to be lonely instead of her, to die many times instead, and to suffer a thousand times more… 

He would be happy to do that.

But it had returned like a lie to the past.

“…….”

Berylia seemed bewildered at the man staring at her with tears in her eyes.

Still, alertness was not pushed back.

“…You want to kill me too.”

“No.”

Rixus answered swiftly and lowered her sword.

Then he walked over to the trembling woman covered with her own blood, and hugged her in one breath.

“No…”

Rixus gently stroked her back in his arms countless times.

As he often did with his wife.

“I’m here to save you.”

“…Ah.”

Berylia trembled as if in embarrassment, and she appeared relieved with a tearful look.

Toulouse’s ‘Illusion’.

It did not directly destroy people.

However, it sent the person back to the most regretful moment, giving him or her the chance to change things.

It let the person slowly sink in that illusion.

It was like having a beautiful dream all night and then dying.

“Let’s go, Berylia.”

Rixus fixed his sword and went out of the temple with Berylia.

Since then, a lot has changed.

Rixus took the lead in resolving the world’s misunderstandings about the oracle, and allowed Berylia to live fully.

It was not an easy process, but…

When it came to ‘Berylia’, the nobles could not easily react after learning that the crown prince would do anything and act harshly, even with force.

The day when all the controversy about Berylia officially ended.

Rixus proposed to her, taking out a ring in the lavender-filled forest.

“Will you marry me?”

Without any pain…

“I want to live by your side for the rest of my life, just for you.”

He just wanted to make her happy in the future.

“…Rixus.”

Berylia hugged him with tears in her eyes. True happiness filled her face.

Since then, the two of them did everything together and went everywhere together.

They took care of the state affairs of Spinel and Aktoum, and if they were very tired, they would take a few days off schedule and travel.

To a desert full of stars in the sky.

To a beautiful sea where one could hear the song of a mermaid.

In the spring, they shared a kiss in the garden of Aktoum, which was full of flowers.

These were perfect times with a loved one.

“Rixus, I… I have news for you today.”

“Tell me.”

Berylia fell into his arms and whispered softly.

“I have your child.”

That day, Rixus became the happiest man ever.

A boy was born.

A baby who looked exactly like Berylia and Rixus.

When the baby held his index finger in his small, chubby hand, and when the baby babbled in his arms, he felt like he had the whole world.

His heart was pounding hard every day.

Among them, what made him really happy was that the shadow of Berylia was lifted.

The painful shadow that had been darkened by her seven deaths could not be seen.

In his past life, even when she was happy, the wounds that he could see from moment to moment… Of course, they were not present anymore.

However, this thought came to mind from time to time and tormented Rixus.

‘Can I really be forgiven for this? I gave her… all those wounds.’

Then one spring night.

Berylia was in his arms, and she said just before going to sleep.

“Rixus, I’m so happy…”

A languid and slender whisper grabbed his heart.

A precious woman who he could give anything if she wanted to, dug into his arms and asked happily.

“Will you stay here forever, by my side?”

“….…”

Forever, in a place where this pain didn’t exist… 

“With me and my child.”

Rixus caressed her cheek. It was hard to let go of this little hand. Enough to die.

“Berylia…”

He closed his eyes as if crushing them, and apologized to her with the feeling of tearing a part of his flesh away.

“Sorry.”

“…Huh? What do you mean?”

“I don’t want to live blindly.”

His blue-violet eyes looked at her as if she was his life.

“I don’t want to live like I don’t know your wounds.”

Even if he regretted it with trembling, even if it hurt to struggle… It had already happened.

The scars that deeply penetrated her life were definitely her own, and the shadows that occasionally appeared on her face were also her own.

Her shadow and pain, he would bear it until the end and pay it back by her side.

That was the only way of atonement that Rixus knew.

It was his way of loving her, who was as precious as his own life.

Here and in the other world, she was still hurt.

Really, Berylia.

So, let’s break this beautiful, sadder dream now… It was time for him to return to her.

“Rixus?”

He bit his lip as if crushing it, and raised his sword in one motion.

Then he slashed the bed with a single strike.

“!”

In an instant, the bed slowly crumbled, and black feathers began to flutter like petals in the wind.

Like a midsummer night’s ephemeral dream, the perfect and beautifully woven world fell apart.

The few years in ‘phantom magic’ were a fleeting moment of reality.

“!”

As soon as Rixus’ opened his eyes, Johann’s sword flashed in front of his nose.

Bang!

When he stopped the sword that was about to slice his head, Johann, in a panic, widened his eyes as if he couldn’t believe it.

He said, stuttering.

“What… how? How could this…?”

Chi-jijikjik, chi-jijikjik!

The condensed purple sword and black magic created sparks and flashed like lightning.

Rixus drove him away with a thunderous cry.

The atmosphere roared.

Kuung!

* * *

“Oh… my God.”

Arriving underground following the heart, I found that monsters were constantly jumping out of the ‘Black Fountain’.

It was only then that I realized why the Imperial Palace was covered with low-level demons.

“Eos.”

Dun—

Immediately I uttered a spell and put a thick ice barrier around the Black Fountain.

Badump, badump.

Then, the heartbeat grew even stronger.

‘Where is it? Where are you hiding, Johann’s heart piece.’

I focused all my attention on my hearing.

However, it was difficult to find the exact location because it was ringing through the entire basement.

‘You’re resonating with Johann.’

Because it was his only remaining humanity, a part of his fragile body… 

Badump, badump, badump.

The sound of my heart pounded in my ear, as if seducing.

My pulse was beating equally wildly as if assimilating with it.

I struggled to catch my breath… With a sharp gaze, I looked for a place to hide underground.

Right then.

“!”

The earth’s axis shook violently, and the whole underground vibrated as if it was about to collapse. My body wobbled like a piece of boat on the waves.

Tutu-tuk-! Broken stones fell from the ceiling, and a marble statue was torn in half.

‘…I don’t have much time.’

I intuitively realized.

That a monster that couldn’t be handled had appeared on earth right now.

I nervously squeezed my trembling hands.

At this moment, the fate of too many people was in my hands.

I felt weighed down by that enormous responsibility.

My chest was burning, my heart was shriveling, and I was choking on my breath.

At that moment, Rixus’s voice rang in my ear.

“I’m not dying.”

Recalling that confident voice, I slowly opened my eyes.

No… Rixus, no.

‘It’s not that you won’t die.’

‘I will never, ever, let you die.’

The strong will burned like a flame, holding onto my shaking heart and supporting me.

Then I felt the black magic flowing like a wave from my hand.

“!”

The power of Toulouse.

‘Ah, this is…!’

This was the power of Johann that I intuitively noticed right before he emitted the black light from the battlefield.

It was clear that the power was flowing through my body, even slightly.

Tutu-tuk, tu-tuk—

I slowly closed my eyes as the temple began to crumble.

Like someone who sat in the ‘eye of the storm’ and meditated in silence amid a raging storm.

I focused all my attention on this power.

Badump, badump… kung, kung kung!

As if in response to that power, the heart beat even more intensely.

Bang, one part of the basement collapsed and there was a roar.

I crushed my lips so hard that blood gushed out of it.

I could feel the power of Toulouse flowing through my body and resonating with my heart.

After a while…

Something from the ‘Black Fountain’ came to mind.

“!”

I widened my eyes and looked at it.

Among the monsters trapped in the ice, half of a glowing-red heart caught my eye clearly.

There was no room for hesitation or excitement.

I explodingly unleashed my powers and shot powerful icy spikes at the heart.

Badump, badump, badump.

Puk…!

The heart spurted out red blood like crazy.

* * *

Johann was facing a terrible crisis.

He was on the verge of being pierced like a skewer by Rixus’ sword.

He barely blocked the intense purple sword with his hands, but… He could see the strength in his hand slowly loosening.

He exchanged fatal blows with Rixus several times. But even though the monster in front of him was covered in blood, his fighting spirit was not broken.

Even a monster was not enough to stop Rixus from running wild.

“Ha… Ugh.”

Toulouse’s power rushed to heal the fatal wound, but he couldn’t handle the speed at which his body collapsed.

“Shit.”

Cries and hot blood flowed nonstop from his mouth… It was hard to even straighten his head, so Johann looked up at the sky.

In the intense noon sun, the wings of Phenicalus were slowly falling like dark clouds.

Soon the sun… It was completely eaten by its wings.

《Tomorrow at noon, the sun in the sky will disappear.》

At that moment, hot-red anger and ferocious power erupted from the corners of Rixus’ eyes.

His strong heart and deep fighting spirit, which could not be stopped even with black magic spells, swelled in his heart and blood vessels with high will.

A furious purple aura slowly began to condense from his body.

That moment…

Just as explosive growth occured from a single seed, golden light poured from the condensed aura and filled the earth in a dazzling brilliance.

Beyond the Sword Master…

A new level.

It was the birth of ‘Bizen’.

“…Ah….”

Before the blinding light, Johann felt he had to run away.

But he couldn’t.

Pak- Jiiiiiik—

Ice rose from his chest and bound his whole body.

The cold, explosive power of Berylia was felt all over his body.

“Ah, ah ah ah ahhhhhhh!”

With a chilling sensation in his heart, Johann let out a painful scream like a demon being sucked into hell.

Severing that breath completely, Rixus delivered the final blow.

Dun!

In an instant, the earth shook and an intense blinding golden light lit up the world like the sun.

《A new sun will rise on the earth.》

“!”

At the edge of death, Johann finally realized the true meaning of the oracle, and slowly oxidized.

And for a while… 

The whole world stopped.

The monsters that touched the golden color slowly shattered and oxidized into black fragments, just like their master did.

The monsters that exposed their teeth to bite off the necks of the elite soldiers, the monsters that raised their huge feet to trample the ghost army,

And, even the huge Phenicalus that drove everyone into fear.

When everything disappeared into ashes and the noon sun warmed the earth again.

Someone then shouted.

“…We won. We won.”

Suddenly, a loud cheer with enough force to shake the earth erupted.

Everyone was so overwhelmed that they cried, laughed, and hugged each other in disbelief.

The deer hiding behind a large rock to avoid the black light raised its head with its eyes shining.

In the village, the people who hid from the monsters burst into tears of relief and embraced their precious family.

“……”

Rixus looked up at the noonday sun, bloodied.

There was only one face he wanted to see at this moment.

It was then.

“…Rixus.”

The voice of his sweet lover was heard riding on the wind.

Rixus looked up, and there she stood, smiling in the bright sunlight.

Berylia jumped up at once and put herself in Rixus’ arms.

Feeling the precious body temperature in his arms, Rixus exhaled as if he had finally come to life.

“Berylia…”

He hugged her like he would never let her go.

Berylia closed her eyes as she was held in his arms. Tears welled up in her eyes.

It felt like his heart was melting with relief.

“It’s all over, now it’s all…”

Rixus cupped Berylia’s cheek, smiled together and whispered.

“No, it’s a new beginning.”