376 The End of a Historical Chapter and a Hero's Tale

My sense of balance became strange; the ground seemed to shake as the world spun around me.

Dekan felt his body floating, then he plunged into the deep sea.

He instinctively wanted to control his body to find any object, even if it meant grabbing and struggling.

However, among his fluctuating senses, he could not perceive anything except the cold.

I can't move it no matter what I do.

Until the threads that were mending his fragmented consciousness finally snapped, as if stretched too tight.

Suddenly, the field of vision darkened, and everything was plunged into darkness.

Long, long ago, in a time when there were far fewer stars in the world than there are now.

The gods of good order and light, and of evil chaos and darkness, have not yet become legends.

[Defeating and crushing gods who oppose their existence seems to be their sole purpose in life, and their way of proving their existence.]

[But later, the interplay and mutual restraint between their powers made it impossible for any one to destroy the others. They gradually grew tired and decided not to fight to the death, but to decide the outcome through a game.]

[It started with dice. Later, it expanded to include a board and cards. In the end, no matter how complex the game became, it seemed to repeat endlessly, with no clear winner or loser.]

[Soon, the gods grew tired of these simple games.]

[So they began to share their power with this game, creating all sorts of living creatures and the worlds they inhabited, as new pieces and a new chessboard.]

What the gods didn't anticipate was that the game was far more interesting than they had imagined. They began to revel in the drama, the arias, the heroic poems...

[Over time, even the gods became infected by the stories and emotions of these beings, and could no longer maintain their agreed-upon stance of absolute detachment. Starting with the first one, the gods followed suit, one after another, without restraint.]

[So they started fighting again...]

This time, their battle was more perilous than ever before, a relentless fight undertaken to protect or destroy these beings.

[What the gods couldn't have foreseen was that these beings, born miraculously with their combined powers, possessed the ability to kill them.]

[Perhaps the gods have finally found an opportunity to determine a victor, or perhaps they are no longer pursuing victory based on their own instincts.]

Humans, dragons, elves, vampires, dwarves, giants, demons... each chose their own gods and allies, and the creatures of the earth and the gods of the heavens clashed in a chaotic battle.

[... until countless ages passed, leaving only one lonely and benevolent god.]

She was the last survivor, and the winner of this game.

[Looking at this world riddled with holes and the countless corpses strewn across the land, she shed tears of sorrow.]

[In the end, she used her remaining power to repair the world as much as possible, and her own existence gradually disappeared from this world...]

[She also became the creator goddess revered by later generations of beings...]

For some reason, Dekan's mind was completely blank.

But I couldn't help but think of the mythological stories recorded in the scriptures of the orthodox Holy Rite Church in the Holy Kingdom.

It kept recurring in my thoughts, lingering there.

Am I dead?

The answer is no.

The fact that you can still think about this problem proves that you still exist.

Where are we now?

He didn't know.

As if he had returned to a primal state where all five senses were lost, he could not discern any information.

But a strange intuition told him that he was in a place that perhaps no ordinary person should ever come to in their entire life, a place intricately connected to myths and legends...

Therefore, an instinct etched into his soul made him think of these things.

Sudden.

First, a tiny, flickering light appeared, then gradually grew brighter and brighter.

From the moment vision returned, all other senses returned in an instant as well.

When he came to his senses, Dekan found himself under a sky filled with phosphorescent, shimmering stars.

The sight before him stunned him.

On the seemingly boundless and dimly lit lake, the long road stretches to the horizon.

On the other side of the sky, it shone with dazzling light like stars.

It felt like a dream, yet it didn't seem like a dream.

Because in dreams, one is less likely to have such a clear mind to doubt the reality of one's perceptions in the first instant.

"...?"

After looking around, Dekan noticed something.

His hands felt inexplicably light; when he raised his palm, they even seemed somewhat transparent, as if starlight could be seen through them.

This feeling is almost like being possessed by a spirit...

Or rather, it's actually a spirit!

So, did he perish together with the Goddess of Life Sisina, in that battle just now?

Dekan tried to understand the current situation.

Finally, within the [Illusion Barrier], after Sisina, unable to endure the torment of 4,800 times the intensity of pain, chose to commit suicide, Dekan, in a hazy state of consciousness, saw information indicating that mission objective 3 had been successfully completed.

So this time, the ninth-tier Shadow World should be successfully completed.

None of the three missions in the Shadow World require the challenger to be the last one standing.

Dekan, who was blessed by the Goddess of Reincarnation and Fate and fate from the beginning, will remain in a ghostly state until the end of the Shadow World if he dies there.

So, in theory, he only needs to wait until the Shadow World ends.

But where is this?

The only thing Dekan couldn't understand was that after his and Lunn's pyrrhic victory, the Illusion Barrier should have been dispelled.

Even as a ghost, he should still be in the Holy Capital's palace.

"..."

"On the other hand, I really miss this place."

Dekan looked around again, and for some reason his gaze was suddenly drawn to the picture-perfect starry sky. He couldn't help but look up and murmur in awe.

There's this strange feeling, like I've been here before...

"Yes!"

Thinking about it this way, Dekan realized that if Delois had made the same choice as him back then...

He sacrificed himself to protect the Holy Kingdom and his friends.

It's highly likely that Delois visited this place even after his death.

Dekan wanted to observe this beautiful, almost otherworldly place of death a little longer.

The dark water beneath my feet, reflecting the starry sky above, gradually revealed a blurry light.

Appearing behind Dekan, drawing closer.

Dekan immediately turned back.

All that could be seen was a figure carrying a lantern.

She wore a long robe, and a hood covered her eyes.

Surprised.

Without much thought, Dekan already knew who it was.

"Goddess Tike..."

Dekan bowed slightly, performing a priestly salute to the Goddess.

Although he didn't know if it was appropriate for him to consider himself a priest, since he had always been guided and favored by the Goddess, and had been blessed with protection, he should be considered her priest.

[...]

The Goddess did not respond to Dekan.

However, Dekan could probably sense that if the other party didn't deny it, then they were right.

This familiar feeling of understanding the other person's attitude without needing to say a word made Dekan suddenly pause in his thoughts.

Unbeknownst to him, a scene that seemed to have been seen before was resurfacing in his mind.

He had indeed been under this starry sky before! Guided by this Goddess.

After Dekan had sorted out his thoughts, the Goddess turned around and walked in the direction where she had just appeared.

However, before Dekan could even ask his question, he had already started walking.

This unconditional trust seems to transcend reason.

"My Goddess, should I follow you?"

[...]

The other party seemed to be a taciturn deity.

Or perhaps he knows that without needing to say anything more Dekan will naturally understand everything.

She just kept walking forward.

Dekan followed behind her without saying another word.

He didn't sense any indifference from her; on the contrary, her steps, as if confirming and considering whether he could keep up, were full of care and affection.

During this quiet period of progress, Dekan made an unintentional discovery.

Floating in the distant night sky are not stars, but a world that seems to contain countless universes, countless stars and planets, like a star map on a giant celestial globe, slowly moving and evolving.

Dekan was certain that his mental strength had become stronger.

Perhaps it was the expanded perception resulting from the liberation from the shackles of the body that allowed him to see everything clearly.

Occasionally, tiny, luminous sparks would drift between galaxies that were close together, before disappearing into the galaxies on the other side.

The light was clearly very faint, yet for some reason, it didn't make Dekan feel ethereal or illusory; instead, it gave him a powerful feeling.

"That is..."

Dekan seemed to be talking to himself, his gaze fixed on the distant starry sky, somewhat dazed.

Even now, the Goddess has not answered any of his words.

He still blurted it out unintentionally.

The transmigration of the soul is both destiny and reincarnation.

The Goddess answered.

But for some reason, Dekan wasn't surprised.

He had a feeling that the other person would answer him this time.

"So this is how the soul... wanders and transmigrates."

Dekan looked up at the starry sky and saw dazzling little sparks drifting out from one world.

Light and airy, as if it might go out at any moment, yet full of pulse, it flickers as it flies towards another world.

The countless worlds, like the starry sky, and the countless souls that traverse life and death within them, are like the beating of a heart.

It flows repeatedly and continuously.

Each spark seems like a blessing from heaven, flowing ceaselessly like time, until they converge and surge forward on the dazzling starlight, reaching the horizon and even further.

Dekan thought it was a scene so beautiful it made his heart skip a beat.

But more than amazement, there was a sense of nostalgia.

"My Goddess, is this our second meeting?"

Dekan asked, as if confirming something with Goddess.

[...]

After taking a few more steps, the Goddess Tike stopped, showing no intention of leading Dekan forward.

She gently raised her hand and pointed in a direction.

It was as if it were suggesting that the answer was right there.

Dekan looked in the direction the Goddess pointed.

The next second.

It was as if the lights had suddenly illuminated the night sky, only to abruptly go out and dim again.

When vision returned.

Dekan saw that he and the Goddess were both standing in darkness.

But unlike the previous world where the dim sky was dotted with bright stars.

This place, with its darkness and the sound of rain, was all too familiar to Dekan.

He returned to the darkness of that Holy Capital.

Moreover, this was after he and Lunn had finished their battle against Sisina!

Two figures lay on the ruins of the distant palace.

The Saintess of Light has arrived. She should have been waiting outside the Illusion Barrier, waiting for Lunn and his powerful enemy to settle their score.

At this moment, she is desperately trying to rescue and calling out to Lunn.

She was quite certain that Lunn was not dead; he had ended the fight before his life was nearly over.

However, his condition was too abnormal. It seemed that the magic circuits that had been built up in his body for a long time were being forcibly twisted by a rule that was beyond reason. In order to adapt to this extreme change, Lunn fell into a coma-like sleep and could not be woken up no matter how hard he was called.

The creature lying on the other side of the ground was not human.

It was a being that would never dare to appear here—a demon!

In his half-open eyes, the golden demonic pupils seemed to be almost extinguished.

The knights around him were extremely vigilant, surrounding him at a distance.

Even a demon on the verge of death.

Many officers also harbored strong hostility towards the demon race.

But they still dared not act rashly against it.

Because they all knew what it meant for a gray-haired, golden-eyed demon to suddenly appear in the Holy Capital, a demon that defied all logic!

Like two figures detached from the rest of the world, standing between the figures in the Holy Capital Palace.

Dekan was astonished to witness this dilapidated scene.

He and the Goddess Tike were both in the ruins of the palace, yet it seemed that no one had discovered them.

It wasn't until Dekan tried to touch the knight beside him, and his hand passed right through the knight, that he realized they were now in a spectator mode.

The Goddess Tike and Dekan in his ghost form would not be seen by anyone present.

But they are like beings from another dimension, unable to influence or interfere with anything that happens in this world.

"Delois, is he still alive?"

After careful observation, Dekan finally became certain that the person lying on the ground was indeed Delois had completed his final mission.

What Dekan found somewhat unbelievable was that, unlike Dekan who died immediately when the goddess of life Sisina, dissipated, Delois seemed to be able to live a little longer.

He was slightly better than you are now back then.

She responded with that idea.

After that, the Goddess Tike continued to gaze in the direction of Delois and Lunn.

Dekan understood the Goddess's meaning and quietly watched what would happen next in the Holy Kingdom.

What they are seeing now is no longer Shadow World, but a reenactment of real history.

Because Dekan successfully reached the finish line in Delois.

Next comes the end of Delois's long journey.

On the ruins in the distance.

The knights were still cautiously surrounding the figure who seemed to have no chance of fighting anymore.

They knew that as soldiers of the Holy Kingdom, they should step forward at this moment.

But their feet instinctively wanted to retreat; their eyes were filled with anger and fear, and they dared not look away from that figure.

The God of Life turned to dust after his death, leaving no trace in this world.

When this terrible battle ended, only the battered and bruised Lunn and Delois emerged from the Phantom Barrier.

In the eyes of any officer, it was all the Demon King Delois who came to the Holy Capital, taking advantage of the Holy Emperor Lunn's injury to try to kill him, and in the end, they fought to the death!

It seems the outcome was a stroke of luck amidst misfortune; despite holding back, Lunn ultimately defeated the Demon King!

"Call..."

The Saintess of Light stopped healing Lunn and then enveloped Lunn in protective magic.

Then, with a complicated expression, he looked in the direction of Delois.

With her expertise in healing, she was certain that Lunn would wake up naturally.

The most pressing issue now is that demon in the distance, who shouldn't be here at all, neither morally nor logically.

Even now, Ludwig is still reeling from the shock of discovering that the last of the three dukes was none other than the Demon King Delois.

Although Ludwig knew—even though she still had countless doubts in her mind—her intuition told her that she should save Delois first.

But Delois was beyond saving.

Not only had his physical vitality vanished, but his soul had also long been shattered.

Ludwig, who was familiar with Lunn's methods, felt that the injury Delois had sustained was not something Lunn could have done.

It's more like a formidable enemy is simultaneously confronting both Lunn and Delois.

So everything... was moving in the direction Delois had previously told her.

Perhaps in this world, or beyond, there truly exists a group of terrifying, god-like beings, coveting something.

Ludwig shook his head violently again.

Whether they are Holy Kingdom or demons from the Demon Realm, they all share a common sense: never easily believe a single word from Delois.

Although he never lies, every truth he speaks could be a trap.

What troubles Ludwig even more is that Delois's ability to persevere with a willpower that is beyond human comprehension can be described as a miracle.

For Delois at this moment, death would be a relief.

But we don't know why he's still struggling to hold on to his last breath.

Delois, who is dying.

No non-commissioned officer dared to approach him.

It wasn't because he was a demon king, nor because of his infamous reputation.

All of this was because people sensed the terrifying willpower emanating from him, which could even be described as a kind of obsession!

Even the powerful figures from the Holy Kingdom, who were filled with hostility towards him, couldn't help but feel a chill.

What exactly drove him to the Holy Capital, and what does he still want to do now?

--Until the answer is revealed, the knights are unwilling to test this demon with so many Terror legends.

Even if the Demon King Delois suddenly had a resurgence of his powers and stood up to kill everyone, no one would be surprised!

"..."

And all of this was observed by Delois.

He found it somewhat absurd and laughable.

But he didn't care that he was misunderstood.

That's good.

The people of the Holy Kingdom must remain vigilant against demons.

The essence of evil is still that of the evil camp; it's just that a few of them truly understand kindness and human nature.

How history will write or record this battle is no longer important to Delois.

The only important thing is that Lunn survived, and if Lunn needs him, the most vicious and evil demon king, to become a stepping stone for the Holy Emperor to consolidate his unparalleled imperial power, he is willing to be this defeated demon king.

The general trend of the world is like a natural cycle.

What is divided for a long time will unite, and what is united for a long time will divide.

So many years have passed since the turmoil between the Holy Kingdom and the Demon Realm, and Lunn has grown old.

As the ambitions of the Holy Kingdom grew, Lunn eventually needed some new achievements to deter and lead this Holy Kingdom, which was increasingly heading towards fragmentation.

The real crisis may not have arrived yet. The Holy Kingdom cannot afford internal strife. It needs an absolute strongman, a strongman who can win the hearts of humans with their complex minds, and unite the Holy Kingdom into a cohesive force.

But contradictions always exist.

For some reason, Delois remembered what Clodia had said to him before she died.

That contradictory statement—"both wishing him to achieve his desires and, out of selfishness, hoping he would never understand human nature."

Given his consistently absolute rationality, Delois should now only wish for Lunn to take another step forward on his path to becoming a legendary hero.

But he couldn't deny that he hoped Lunn would act foolishly, that he would reveal to the world the absurd yet real friendship between the Demon King and the Emperor...

From a purely pros and cons-based and rational perspective, Lunn shouldn't have revealed the truth.

However, perhaps because the premonition of impending death was particularly strong, Delois always felt that Lunn would do something foolish.

After all, Lunn has always been that silly and stubborn guy.

Suddenly, it was as if he realized something.

It was only now that Delois realized that some things were not premonitions.

Rather, it is a judgment made only after one has truly understood people's hearts and truly understood one's friends.

I don't know whether to be angry and helpless towards Lunn, or to smile with relief.

What Lunn will do is a matter for after the Demon King dies.

It has nothing to do with him anymore.

It's alright now.

Maintaining consciousness seemed to alleviate the pain in his body, or perhaps make him more numb.

Delois is still waiting.

Because he knew that, in the very end, he still had a small part of his mission left undone.

Or perhaps it shouldn't be called a mission, but rather a responsibility.

It was as if two tiny sparks had met before the birth of all things in the world.

They have been able to sense each other for a very long time.

Just like now.

Delois, who had lost track of how much real time had passed, finally sensed that he had arrived.

And so, I don't know where the strength came from.

Perhaps this was his last bit of strength.

To everyone's astonishment, Delois, with an astonishing willpower, propelled his lifeless body to its feet, swaying unsteadily.

Immediately, all the officers were startled by this sudden turn of events and gripped their weapons tightly!

They were even prepared at any moment to fight the Demon King to the death and send him to the underworld!

"Demon King...!!"

Just when some sergeants were prepared to sacrifice themselves, either to become corpses or to become heroes.

"Everyone! Don't move, back up and spread out!"

Ludwig's resounding command reached everyone's ears.

The next second, when she faced the surprised or questioning gazes of the sergeants, she responded with only a resolute look.

She knew better than anyone else present that there was no need to attack Delois; he would be dead soon enough.

Perhaps, compared to Delois, she ultimately preferred to believe the honorary duke who didn't seem like an enemy at all, or perhaps she knew that if she thwarted Delois's small wish that she had endured so much to achieve, her conscience would be guilty for the rest of her life.

She didn't want to have any regrets, so even at the risk of committing a crime, she chose to act according to her own judgment.

And so, Delois staggered a few steps.

He was faced with the Holy Kingdom knights, who seemed to have been parted and were gradually making way for him.

Wherever his gaze fell, the Holy Kingdom would naturally step back.

All the Holy Kingdom Knights stood on either side, watching Delois drag his battered body forward step by step, leaving a deep trail of blood on the ground.

It was as if every step he took without falling was a miracle!

It's unclear whether it was an instinctive awe of the powerful Demon King, or a maddening infatuation with him.

Some knights even felt an urge to express their respect to him.

It seems that it doesn't matter what race or faction this demon is.

This sheer willpower alone was enough to send shivers down the spines of the powerful figures from the Holy Kingdom who witnessed it.

Gradually, Delois's purpose became clear to people.

Delois finally stopped in his tracks.

He faced the entrance to the palace, his face covered in blood, yet he wore a childlike, innocent smile.

It was a kind of bravado, as if she was putting on a brave face to keep her family from worrying.

His eyes also held a sense of relief, as if he had completed all his missions and could finally go home.

At that moment, a slender figure appeared in the distance, which he was facing.

The figure, with tears welling in her eyes, approached him anxiously and tremblingly, as if afraid he would shatter at any moment.

"Brother... you won again, didn't you? I knew you'd win big..."

Talomati arrived in front of Delois in no time, wanting to reach out and help her brother.

She had never seen her brother covered in wounds, nor had she ever imagined it in her mind; it was a Terror sight for her.

The next second, Delois collapsed onto her outstretched arm, as if she had finally given up.

"Talomati, let's go home..."

Accompanied by Delois's tired voice, the moment she touched her brother, she only felt that Delois was very light.

Like a floating leaf.

She had no idea where his body, which was practically an empty shell, got the strength to pretend he could still walk towards her, as if trying to put on a brave face.

Until Talomati gently lifted his brother up and carefully helped him sit on the ground, while he supported his back.

This seemed to make him feel a little better.

But at this moment, an overwhelming sense of despair had swept over Talomati like a tidal wave.

The moment she touched her brother, she knew.

Her brother suffered a soul injury that she could not even imagine.

"Delois...? Are you trying to fool me again? I... I won't be fooled by you anymore."

Talomati said, his voice trembling.

She seemed somewhat agitated. Talomati Delois he were deceived by him again, was now praying to some god to make Delois's current behavior a lie.

Finally, after a period of helplessness, she stopped hiding her despair and could only fix her gaze on her brother.

Aside from looking at Delois, she couldn't think of anyone else who could help her.

"If you ever don't know who to ask for help, or if there's no one who can help you, pray to the Goddess of Reincarnation and Fate... She loves every living being in this world equally..."

Delois spoke in an extremely weak voice.

He seemed to understand Talomati's thoughts in an instant.

"I don't want to pray to the gods. I'm a demon; I don't want to understand so many complicated things!"

It was rare for Talomati to express his emotions so intensely.

This reaction from Talomati surprised Delois, and a faint smile crept across his face, though he didn't let his expression change.

They really are siblings.

This stubborn look made Delois feel like he was looking at himself in a mirror.

Delois gently raised his fingers, as if wanting to reach out and wipe away Talomati's tears.

But he simply didn't have the strength to move anymore.

Every tiny movement was observed by Talomati.

She quickly grabbed her brother's hand and held it tightly.

She finally realized that every word her brother spoke now might be his last.

I shouldn't have said anything so capricious; I should have reassured him more.

Just now.

She seemed to finally understand why Delois had started to pray devoutly to the Goddess Tike, the deity of goodness and order, after Clodia's death.

Because when he died holding Clodia, he must have felt just as powerless and helpless.

The downside of having a very close sibling relationship is that you can quickly figure out what the other person is thinking.

Their shared sorrow was contagious, causing each other even greater pain.

"Throughout my life, I have never harmed any kind person, nor have I ever owed anyone anything..."

Delois's eyes flashed like a revolving lantern, and he began to murmur as if in a dream.

But then, as if remembering something, tears finally streamed down his face.

"But the one thing I've wronged is my sister... the hurt I caused her, the time in the Holy Kingdom... and now..."

"I just can't... I just can't pay it back..."

Delois's voice trembled and rose and fell, like someone who was about to freeze to death in the freezing snow.

"I don't blame you, I don't blame you..."

Talomati gripped Delois's cold, limp hand, pressing it against her cheek as if trying to give him even the slightest warmth, but only her tears soaked Delois's increasingly cold hand.

Right at the very end.

"You are my proudest little sister, always have been..."

"The Demon Realm is now in your hands..."

Delois gripped Talomati's hand as if using the last of his strength.

He only understood his sister's long-standing inner conflict after he returned to the Demon Realm and reconciled with her.

It turns out that the younger sister had always thought that her brother was the better one among the twins, and that she was inferior to him because she was just a nobody.

Her greatest wish has always been to gain the same power as her brother.

This was the only compensation he could offer Talomati.

Actually, that's not the case...

Delois seemed to have stopped breathing; his words became fragmented and even the logic of his sentences began to jump around.

But he believed Talomati could understand.

"Actually, I've always envied you since I was little... I genuinely feel that you, as my younger sister, are more perfect... and I'm just an extra born for you..."

Only now did Delois reveal his true feelings.

He no longer resembles the demon king who maintained an impeccable and imposing presence.

Finally, as if his words had softened, he transformed into a vulnerable human boy.

"So... Talomati... don't forget me..."

Even after I'm gone...

"I will always be by your side... protecting you..."

Delois's last words grew fainter and fainter until they could no longer be heard.

A strange magic seemed to have altered the aura emanating from Talomati.

This is Delois's last forbidden magic in this life.

It is also the supreme demonic magic of the Devil King Tomb, which took a new form under Delois's use.

He would not seal his Magic Power and soul in the Devil King Tomb as well.

Instead, he sacrificed everything he had to his sister, whose soul shared the same origin as his own!

"... elder brother?"

As the last vestige of life in Delois dissipated, so too did the life force within him vanish.

Talomati stood there, tears streaming down his face, his voice trembling.

They seemed to be pitiful demons cursed by the gods.

In the process of realizing the wish that he had pursued throughout his life, what he truly experienced was the most painful experience of his life.

Even though Talomati hasn't been able to accept the reality before him.

The strange Magic Power that had suddenly appeared within her, and the spells that she had inexplicably come to understand—spells that should have belonged only to Delois —all told her what had happened.

But she still refused to believe it; she always felt that her brother in her arms could wake up again.

His sleep must only be temporary.

Until she noticed that her pupils, reflected on the black water, had turned the same gold as her brother's.

She screamed in despair.

The officers hesitated, unsure whether they should do anything about this ninth-tier demon whose emotions had become frighteningly unstable.

Originally, the only one present capable of dealing with a ninth-tier demon was the Saintess of Light, Ludwig.

But now it seems that it's not just her emotions that are in danger.

The incredible changes that just happened to her all seemed to indicate that this ninth-tier great demon— Talomati, the Protector—had obtained all the power of the Demon King Delois!

If war breaks out, they may not only face a Demon King, but also a final-stage Demon King even more Terror than the original Demon King Delois.

However, Talomati seemed completely oblivious to them.

After a period of venting, things seemed to return to calm.

She silently picked up her brother's body and began walking out of the palace.

The officers of the Holy Kingdom felt caught in a dilemma.

If we let the Demon King walk out of the Holy Capital Palace like this today...

What will become of the dignity of their Holy Kingdom, and the dignity of its Holy Kingdom?!

The only one who can represent the Holy Kingdom now is Ludwig, the Saintess of Light, who has remained silent since earlier.

Finally, as if remaining silent would mean letting Talomati go, Ludwig gritted his teeth and shouted out:

"Talomati! What on earth is going on...?"

Talomati paused slightly, then continued walking.

"I have no idea."

She may have responded to her words out of Ludwig's previous goodwill, but Talomati's voice had lost all its vitality.

"And what about you? What are your plans?"

Ludwig pressed on.

Without a doubt, Talomati is now the new Demon King of the Demon Realm.

Every decision she makes, every move she takes, will affect the world.

"I."

Talomati had intended to respond to Ludwig in a rather cold tone, as the current situation was not a good time to negotiate with the Holy Kingdom.

--Because she felt her mind was completely blank, and she couldn't think clearly about anything.

But at that moment, she suddenly realized the heavy burden and responsibility that should not have been on her shoulders, and she also remembered her brother's last entrustment of trust to her.

"I will not harm the Holy Kingdom. I swear to the Goddess of Reincarnation and Fate."

"As for the current situation, I'm just as confused as you are. We'll all have the answers when Lunn wakes up, so please don't ask me anymore."

"Right now, all I know is that I want to take my brother home..."

Talomati's voice finally choked with emotion.

This revealed the truth that she wasn't as tough as she seemed.

At this moment, in the eyes of any Holy Kingdom officer, she did not resemble a demon king at all.

They don't even deserve to be called demons.

She was just a young girl who had lost her brother.

That's all.

"Ugh, what's wrong with you demons one by one?"

Ludwig clutched his head in anguish, ruffling his smooth hair, and complained bitterly with deep inner turmoil.

After letting Talomati continue walking for a while, Ludwig seemed to have finally made a decision.

"Everyone is forbidden to divulge the events that occurred in the palace today! Until His Majesty Lunn awakens. Do not obstruct Demon King Talomati. I will inform the other lords on the path to the Demon Realm."

Even though Ludwig knew that such an order wouldn't silence everyone.

But at least it won't allow the powerful and wealthy to cause trouble immediately, or alarm the other ninth-tier experts.

"Thanks."

Talomati uttered those words as if reciting them silently.

Holding her brother's body, her figure gradually disappeared into the darkness behind the main gate of the palace.

Dekan witnessed Delois's final moments in silence.

He roughly understood the significance of the Goddess letting him witness this scene.

After his death, Delois was likely summoned by the Goddess Tike and, together with Goddess Tike, witnessed the end of the Holy Kingdom.

The Goddess Tike simply hoped that, even though Dekan was living a new life, he could still witness some of his important memories.

In the end, Lunn survived, and he will surely pardon Ray, Morpheus will die peacefully of old age instead of from illness.

Talomati will return to the Demon Realm and become the new Demon King.

He is a supreme demon king who surpasses Delois, truly omnipotent and invincible.

But even without watching any further, Dekan already knew the final outcome.

Because that was Master had told him from the very beginning—about her fate.

More than a decade after Delois's death.

The powerful figures from both the Demon Realm and the Holy Kingdom were defeated in the tenth-tier Shadow World [Heaven-Piercing World-Destroying Battlefield].

The reason why the Demon Realm was destroyed and turned into a plague-ridden land where all living beings are extinct in the mortal world is the calamity caused by the failure of the Tenth-Order Shadow World.

The Holy Kingdom, having lost its central leadership, disintegrated. The strategically important northern region, primarily the territory of Clan Territory, became the precursor to the Salon Empire. Other Holy Kingdom lords became kings, splitting the kingdom into numerous smaller kingdoms.

And so it ended.

A glorious era of the Holy Kingdom and Demon Realms.

The curtain has finally fallen.

******

Author's Note:

Volume 6 is finished! Doesn't it feel like a grand finale? Actually, starting from Volume 5, each major chapter felt like an ending.

Tomorrow I'll start the final volume, volume seven! The plot holes should be mostly filled by now! If I write quickly, I might be able to finish it in about ten days with extra chapters, and then start the free side stories! But seriously, my sleep schedule has become Underworld again...