Chapter 1214. The Demon King of Sunset’s Castle, the Final Story (7)

"Pant... pant... Lee Ki-Young... where are you right now?"

"Whoo... haa... Mr. Lee Ki-Young. Where are you? I’ll come find you right now."

Obviously, telling them my situation right now was a terrible idea. I could give them a hint, but the ideal timing was when our emotions were at their peak.

“I’m...” I paused.

"Where are you?"

“I’m somewhere safe,” I added.

"What do you mean, Mr. Lee Ki-Young?"

“I’m at a safe place right now, so you don’t have to come find me. The most important thing right now is the Monarch of Sunset. Rather than wasting your energy on useless things, it’s more important to figure out how to fight him and make preparations for it,” I explained.

"It’s not useless. Securing your safety is the most important thing to do right now."

"How ridiculous... I’m not curious about that. Let me say this again—where are you?"

‘Geez, why is he so stubborn?’

This wasn't the right time to tell them my situation.

It was more satisfying to say it when there was someone they could vent their anger on. It was just as important as helping them awaken, so I wanted to save it, but it seemed like they really wanted to see my situation with their own eyes.

‘Maybe it’s natural for them to react that way.’

The Monarch of Sunset's descent was virtually inescapable, after all. I told them to take care of the rest after realizing that truth, and I had spoken as if we weren’t going to see each other again.

They were probably relieved that we were talking once again, but they couldn’t ignore the anxiety deep in their hearts. It was only natural that they’d question whether I was really okay or if something had happened to me.

“That’s...” I mumbled.

"What?"

“So...” I paused.

I spoke less.

"Mr. Lee Ki-Young... are you really... really... okay? Could you explain the situation in more detail? Or if it’s difficult to tell us, please send us a signal,

" William said, immediately taking the bait.

"Say something! Damn it! Lee Ki-Young! Where are you right now?!"

Woo Hyo-Yeol grumbled, showing that he was clearly annoyed.

‘Perfect.’

It was a tense atmosphere, and I dragged it out as if I were hiding something that I couldn’t possibly say to them. The two were breathing so heavily that they looked like they were going to lose consciousness, and they clearly had no idea what to do.

They became even more anxious the longer it took me to answer.

“Actually... right now...things aren’t looking so good,” I told them.

"What do you mean?"

"Pardon?"

“This isn’t a good time to tell you. I’m sure you have a lot of questions, but it’s really difficult to tell you right now. I-I want to tell you everything as well... but one thing... one thing I can promise you is that... we’ll meet again someday no matter what,” I said.

It was a blatant lie, but a harmless one that was meant to help them.

"Mr. Lee Ki-Young! Just now..."

"You bastard! What the hell are you talking about right now?! Tell me right now! Tell me where you are!"

"What are you saying? What do you mean by we’ll meet again someday..."

"You crazy bastard!"

I couldn’t really hear William's voice, as Woo Hyo-Yeol's roar drowned it out.

The Flower and Fertility Familia, Lim Chae-Ryeong, Nam Goong-Seon, and No Dam-Hye realized that something was wrong. They looked at each other nervously, clearly questioning what I meant by how we would meet again someday.

They were suspicious about why I couldn't tell them my location, and what I meant when I said that things weren't looking so good.

Of course, I couldn’t tell them the truth, for now.

“Listen to me!” I yelled.

"You asshole... did you just yell at—"

“Think about what’s important right now and why the expedition team came to the Demon King of Sunset’s Castle. My safety isn’t what’s important right now! I told you I'm in a safe place, so please! Just prioritize what’s important right now!” I yelled.

"That’s ridiculous... Damn it! Explain yourself before I destroy everything."

‘And what exactly are you going to destroy?’

"Mr. Lee Ki-Young... Mr. Lee Ki-Young!"

“I’m going to die anyway,” I told them.

"Not that crap again!"

“I don’t have a lot of time left. No... maybe I’m already...” I muttered.

"Lee Ki-Young..."

“Now is not the time to focus on me. If we don’t overcome this, it will be the end for Rohen. Do I need to tell you what’s right and wrong, what’s truly important in this situation, and what takes priority right now?” I questioned.

"I don’t need you to..."

“Miss Ha-Yan and Miss Sora... and the rest of the expedition members are still holding out, but I don’t even know how long they’ll last. No, they might have already fallen. Innocent people are getting hurt... and dying as we speak. You two are our only hope,” I said while crying.

"..."

“You two are the only ones... who can stop the Monarch of Sunset,” I added.

As Flower Ki-Young, sacrificing someone else wasn’t an easy task for me. As a young saint with a gentle heart, I would cry even when ordinary soldiers got the smallest injury, so how could I pretend to be fine when so many people were getting injured?

I used the Magnetic Field Position Shifter on Woo Hyo-Yeol and William because I thought it was the best way to save them.

In other words, I decided to abandon the remaining troops in exchange for their safety.

Obviously, I was aware that the injured and my comrades were going to get killed.

I knew the battle would be impossible without William and Woo Hyo-Yeol, so I had no other choice. I chose the most reasonable decision while holding back my tears and enduring the pain in my heart.

“D-Do you know how I felt...” I mumbled.

My tearful outcry was the only thing that could seal their lips.

“Do you know how I felt when...” I paused.

‘When I abandoned them?’

My tears were more than enough to make the parrots stop asking where I was.

"I’m sure... they understand how you feel as well, Mr. Lee Ki-Young."

“No, I’m sure they resented me,” I argued.

"..."

“I’m sure they questioned why I didn’t come to save them and why I abandoned them... I’m certain... they’re resenting me,” I said.

"That’s not true."

Woo Hyo-Yeol finally became silent, and William calmly talked to me.

Woo Hyo-Yeol had no idea how to comfort other people, and he tended to go silent during sensitive topics like this, so I knew that he would go silent. As expected, he kicked the ground in front of him to vent out his anger, but that was all he could do.

William continued comforting me, but I wasn’t really listening because the most important thing here was to give them time to recover their HP.

The Park-Ki-Ri sibling raid ended faster than I thought, but they lost a huge chunk of their HP. No matter how thorough their preparations were, victory was still uncertain, so we had to consider even the smallest variable.

Their injuries were almost fully healed, but they were still exhausted.

Letting them rest, even for a little bit, was really important here.

‘Their stats have increased.’

There was no need for them to switch items as well.

Their way of farming experience points was nearly perfect.

Some time later...

"I still... can’t... understand it. Until you explain yourself..."

“It’s not easy to explain, and I know it’s hard to understand, but...” I paused.

"But still..."

“But I wasn't lying when I said that we’ll see each other again someday,” I continued.

I was lying.

“I also hope that happens,” I added.

“Could you... Could you please trust me just this once?” I begged.

"..."

“...”

"..."

"What... do you want me to do?"

“Examine yourself. Identify which stats of yours have increased and which stats you can improve with the coins you earned from the battle just now. Restoring your HP is also a great bonus,” I answered.

"..."

“You’ll run into him soon,” I warned them.

I was sure of it because the loud thuds coming from above had disappeared.

It meant that the battle between Jung Ha-Yan and Kim Hyun-Sung had either reached a lull or had ended. If it was the latter, then this place was Kim Hyun-Sung’s next destination. If he couldn't find me, then...

‘He’ll head up immediately.’

I was sure he’d run into William and Woo Hyo-Yeol.

I didn’t know Kim Hyun-Sung’s exact condition, but it was clear that he was still hesitating. I wasn’t sure if it was because of the mental shock, but this was an advantageous situation for me.

Of course, it wouldn't take him ages to pull himself together because Kim Hyun-Sung had a clear objective.

‘Ten minutes?’

'Or maybe five. It’s even better if I’m able to buy a little more time. And then...'

“He’s moving,” I said.

"What?"

The sun was setting once again.

“Please move to the location I indicated. The Monarch of Sunset has started moving,” I instructed them.

"Damn it..."

"Okay, Mr. Lee Ki-Young."

William nodded while Woo Hyo-Yeol cursed as if he disliked the situation. The two ran at the same time, and they were running through a hallway that was somehow intact.

As expected, William and Woo Hyo-Yeol weren't that far from each other.

‘That’s why I kept telling you to do it ahead of time.’

Woo Hyo-Yeol was putting on his equipment while running. Whether he was trying to find items to buy with his coins or was looking for something like enhancement potions, he looked even more distracted than William.

I could see anxiety in their eyes. Were they imagining the first time they saw the Monarch of Sunset? Were they recalling the despair, fear, terror, and awe they felt back then?

“You two are strong,” I encouraged them.

"Right..."

"Tch..."

“I’m sure you two will overcome this,” I added.

"Okay."

"Don’t say such obvious things."

“Believe in yourself,” I said.

"..."

“...”

Right after...

Kabooooooooom!

The Monarch of Sunset soared upward. He didn’t look any different from earlier, and he still looked mentally unstable.

When Woo Hyo-Yeol and William looked up at him again, the Monarch of Sunset’s eyes quavered.

Was he seeing the results of their sudden growth? Or was it because he was staring at the only pests capable of defeating him? None of those were correct. His eyes landed on the eyes of both Woo Hyo-Yeol and William.

Unlike his own eyes, which were no longer shining, theirs were glowing faintly.

"..."

"Who... are you?"

“Prepare to fight,” I instructed.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Who the hell are you... you... you! You bastards?!"

Booooooooooom!

A wave of sunset pervaded my line of sight.

I got up because there was one more ingredient that was needed to make the scene a bit more intense.

‘I need to make a corpse.’

Obviously, it would be Flower Ki-Young’s corpse.