Chapter 1211. The Demon King of Sunset’s Castle, the Final Story (4)

“Let go of her!!! You bastard!!!” I[1] shouted.

‘Why am I...’

“You bastard! I'm going to kill you!” I continued.

‘Why...

’

“

AAAAH!

” I yelled.

I reached out with my hand, but I was getting farther and farther away from her. The dragon that snatched me away seemed desperate to get as far away as possible from the Monarch of Sunse, and it even left its rider behind.

The knight collapsed weakly to the ground, and a sudden inferno erupted in my head at the sight.

I couldn’t think straight. I lost control of my emotions, and I screamed frantically, “You bastard! Y-You! I’ll tear you to pieces! Let go of her!”

Naturally, our eyes met.

Kim Hyun-Sung gnashed his teeth and tried to come after me, but the knight got up and stopped him. He was clearly confused because there was hesitation in his movements. I couldn’t understand why he reacted that way, but I eventually figured it out.

What bothered him was that someone resembling Lee Ki-Young was showing hostility toward him.

“Do it... do it! You coward! You useless bastard! Do it! I said Do it! You miserable jerk! Do the same thing you did to me! Kill her!” I yelled.

Obviously, I made comments that would hurt Kim Hyun-Sung the most. “You selfish jerk! You only care about yourself... you’re an incompetent... dirty... piece of trash! You murderer!” I added.

“

Ah... ah...

”

In the end, doubt filled his eyes. Without saying anything, Kim Hyun-Sung stopped moving, and then he took two steps back. I decided to continue talking when I saw his shocked face.

“You—”

Swoosh!

“You stupid lizard! Let... go of me,” I said.

The massive dragon created a hole in the ground and plummeted toward it. I could no longer see Kim Hyun-Sung or Jo Hye-Jin. All I could hear were explosions from Sora and Jung Ha-Yan’s spells.

The explosions told me that the battle was still ongoing.

Kaboooooooom!

“...”

“I said, let go!” I yelled.

I didn’t know what was happening because the dragon destroyed the floor of the Demon King’s Castle and plunged below it. I was trembling like an aspen tree as the debris pelted me. The scenery before me was changing fast, and the stupid dragon was moving mindlessly, so I had no idea where I was headed.

Naturally, I realized that the dragon was trying to ensure that we wouldn't get tracked down. We had yet ot leave the Demon King’s Castle, after all. I didn’t know where it was headed, but the dragon wasn’t planning on leaving the castle.

‘Where is it going?’

I came back to my senses as I pondered that question.

Crash! Thud! Boom!

“Damn it,” I muttered.

This stupid lizard was moving up and down, making it feel like I was riding a rollercoaster. Whenever the cold wind, debris, and dust landed on me, my burning head would cool down. The crazy lizard also shoved its face straight into a bath—no, the waterway, so my head actually felt cold.

“

Hmph!

”

Splash!

My head was dunked in cold water.

Crack! Crack! Craaack!

“Stop, you idiot. Stop! I got it, so stop already!” I shouted.

Boom.

The dragon landed at a place that was difficult for me to identify.

“

Hawoo... hawoo...

”

‘Are we still inside the Demon King’s Castle?’

It was dark, so I couldn’t really see anything. I thought we were underground somewhere, but we flew around so much that it wasn’t easy to pinpoint our location. The stupid dragon kept destroying things on the way here, so this place was practically a ruin. There was debris everywhere, and I was amazed that the castle hadn't crumbled down yet.

‘The Shadow Corridor?’

There were numerous fragments of flickering shadows, so I assumed that we were in the Shadow Corridor, but I wasn’t even sure about that. These shadows could have fallen from somewhere, or the lizard could have brought them here.

I reached out slowly, and the shadows gathered on me as if they had a will of their own. If this lizard’s goal was to buy time, then this wasn’t such a bad decision. Of course, I didn’t think it was going to be very effective, but it was better than nothing.

Putting aside whether hiding was really meaningful or not, obtaining a shield to protect myself wasn't a bad idea at all.

“You,” I said.

Naturally, I slowly looked at the dragon that dragged me here.

And that was when I noticed the dragon turning into stone. Moments later, it became a lifeless statue... and dispersed into the air as if it had completed its mission. Unlike before, I could no longer feel the inferno in my head. I looked at the dragon indifferently.

‘A barrier? A spell?’

I had no idea how the lizard was made, but part of its components seemed to have been designed with me in mind, and I had a good idea whose plan it was.

It was either Lee Ji-Hye or Lee Ki-Young's plan. Based on the situation, Dummy Hye-Jin had to have come here before me, so they had to have prepared this in advance while thinking about the worst-case scenario.

‘Damn it...’

My hands were shaking, and I thought I had calmed down by now, but when I felt upset again upon recalling

her

. Strange puzzle pieces seemed to be falling into place in my mind, and many thoughts popped up into my head.

[I’m sorry, Sub Guild Master.]

[...]

[I’m sorry.]

[...]

[You’re already aware, right? You know that this place is going to collapse someday. Someone had to do it, and I just thought it was the right opportunity. I wasn’t trying to ignore your input... I just wanted to do something. You already sacrificed many things for this small place and for us.]

[...]

[It’s all thanks to you that we’re able to be free. Relying on you any more than we already have is...]

[Go away. I’ve lost respect for you.]

They were small conflicts and stories tied to them. They were all stories I had anticipated, but of course, there was a difference between imagining them and actually experiencing them.

[Sub Guild Master, the truth is...]

[...]

[Actually, I’ll tell you when I return.]

[S-Sub Guild Master! Actually...]

[...]

[No... Ki-Young... I... I... you...]

[...]

[I think.]

The last memory I had of her was seeing her being sucked awy by something. The only difference between these scenes and the scenes I had obtained from

that sea

was that the emotions in these scenes were extremely vivid.

Besides that, I recalled other scenes. I saw myself sharing trivial, everyday conversations with her, and the events that happened when the continent became a dungeon. The majority of these memories were related to Dummy Hye-Jin, and they were extremely vivid as if I were the one who experienced them.

While stories that involved Dummy Hye-Jin popped up in my head, I questioned how I forgot them in the first place.

“Damn.”

My memories as Lee Ki-Young were still there, and those memories were clashing against these new memories. I was angry at Kim Hyun-Sung, but a trace of longing was welling up in my heart. It was the same for the memories with Dummy Hye-Jin.

‘Were you two dating while you were there?’

A trivial thought like that popped into my head, but at the same time, I was immersed in that childish fantasy. It seemed like she had no romantic feelings towards me, but the affection I felt toward her refused to leave my mind.

‘That’s gross.’

Jo Hye-Jin would definitely think the same way if she could see these scenes. Goosebumps covered my left arm when I imagined Dummy Ki-Young and Dummy Hye-Jin looking at each other and kissing in real-time.

I kept telling myself that it was wiser to let Lee Ki-Young inside me take the lead, but I couldn’t stop thinking about Dummy Hye-Jin, despite knowing that it would be better if I stopped thinking about her.

‘Damn it...’

I couldn't stop recalling those memories.

[Ki-Young.]

‘...’

[I didn’t cry!

Ah!

I didn’t cry!]

‘...’

[Sub guild master... I don’t mean anything by it... but do you have plans today?]

‘...’

[Ki-Young, thanks, and I’m sorry.]

I felt like I knew why they went crazy.

“Damn it... damn it,” I mumbled.

The one who cursed at Kim Hyun-Sung earlier clearly wasn't Lee Ki-Young. Back then, I was sure that I wasn’t myself. I lost composure because I couldn’t control my anger toward him.

All I could see was Dummy Hye-Jin, and the only thing I could think about was saving her. Looking back at myself, even I thought that I was being emotional... If I had thought a little more rationally, I would have known that she would never die.

Even if the spear-wielding knight disappeared, it would only be her physical body. Dummy Hye-Jin wouldn't disappear, as I could just recover her data. It was only for a moment, but back then, I was sure Dummy Ki-Young was in control of herself.

‘Maybe it’s working now.’

Could I be assimilating the memories left in Lee Ki-Young? Assuming that there was a limit to the amount of memories or data that the soul inside this body could hold, this hypothesis was reasonable.

I was sure that I was forgetting Lee Ki-Young’s memories to recall the memories I had made in the Dummy World. The complete demise of Lee Ki-Young's ego was getting closer and closer as I kept recalling more memories in the Dummy World.

Obviously, I had no idea whether I ought to be happy or afraid. I wanted to be Lee Ki-Young, but I wanted to be Flower Ki-Young as well.

This was something I couldn't have imagined a few days ago. My anger toward Kim Hyun-Sung, my affection toward the spear-wielding knight, and my resentment toward my creators—Lee Ki-Young and Lee Ji-Hye.

My beliefs about Rohen, including William and Woo Hyo-Yeol as well as my values...

I seemed to be losing them with each passing second.

“Shit... shiiit...” I cursed.

I was instantly filled with fear and terror.

“

Whoo... whoo...

”

I was confused. If I had no idea that my actions were meaningless, I would’ve rolled on the ground while clutching my head.

'Who am I? Who could I be?'

I knew it wasn’t the time to search for myself, but it was important to ask myself those questions.

“I need to get back Hye-Jin...”

That was the first thing that popped into my head.

“I have to save Hye-Jin,” I said.

Some objectives popped up in my head.

“Return...” I mumbled.

[I’ll return no matter what.]

“To the place I have to be...” I said.

[I’ll be waiting.]

“I have to go back,” I added.

[...]

“I... have to go back...” I mumbled without realizing it. “I have to go back... to where everyone is...”

1. Lee Ki-Young’s POV ☜