Chapter 1216. The Demon King of Sunset’s Castle, the Final Story (9)

My eyes became blurry, and I couldn't understand what I was seeing right now.

I had no idea why that familiar figure was here.

Saying that I couldn’t believe what I was seeing was the best way to describe my feelings.

I wasn’t denying reality. The sight before me was simply too unrealistic. It was so unrealistic that I couldn’t really understand it. I lifted my head again because I was certain I was seeing things, but the scenery before me didn't change.

I smirked. He barely looked human, and it looked like he had been butchered by a myriad of blades. He was barely intact, and it looked like he was also tormented by flames. No, he had already reached his limits before something even happened.

His skin was nothing but a cover. His body seemed to be infected by a severe plague, and the once-holy vessel was exuding a foul, unbearable stench.

His body was so unbelievably filthy that I wouldn’t dare to touch it.

“You...” I mumbled.

"..."

Despite that, his hands were still clasped.

“This...”

Despite that, his eyes were still faintly shining. He had his hands clasped together beneath some ruins. Naturally, I easily deduced the events that led to his death. He hadn't actually died here. Covered in wounds and looking like he could die at any second, he made his way to this place.

He hadn't asked to be saved. He calmly accepted his death.

I could see traces of him dragging himself to these ruins.

I saw chunks of torn flesh and black bloodstains. Yes, black, not red. It was proof that his insides were already rotten even before he got these injuries.

I knew he was dying, but his condition was even worse than I thought.

‘How...’

How could he even move?

‘How in the world...’

What made him like this?

Naturally, I didn’t get any answer to my question.

He wasn’t strong, and regardless of Lee Ki-Young being a monster, his body was clearly below average.

It was something I could tell without looking at his stats.

He could barely walk, and whenever he lifted something heavy or moved, he would often collapse afterward. Although he always looked like he didn't want any help, the party members would always help him in the end.

How was he able to come here with that body? How did he get here without screaming once or requesting any help? The answer was obvious, and his faintly shimmering eyes told me the answer. It was probably to deliver one last message.

‘Idiot.’

I could feel my head gradually cooling off.

“Damned idiot,” I mumbled.

He became a chunk of meat, and that was all. I witnessed all sorts of death all my life, and this was no different from those deaths. He just suffered a very meaningless death. I used to think that feeling any sort of pity was meaningless, but his eyes were still shining.

He looked like a puppet with all its strings severed, but his eyes were still shining faintly.

“Damn it...” I said. It was meaningless, but I could feel my emotions swirling inside of me. I couldn’t calm down at all. My heart was pounding against my chest, and I couldn’t hear anything around me.

There was no need to get riled up, but I couldn’t help but shout, “You bastard!”

***

‘Look at him.’

"What... is this?"

“...”

"I suggest you explain yourself right now."

‘He’s really upset.’

"H-How can you come back? This is—"

“Mr. Hyo-Yeol, for now—” I [1] started.

"For now? You really think you can say that right now? You’ll come back? You promise? Bullshit! Stop talking nonsense, Lee Ki-Young. How long... do you intend to take me for a fool?"

“This isn’t the time for this. Right now... Mr. William and the Monarch of Sunset are—”

"I don’t care what happens about that dumb fight! You must be thinking that I’m the biggest fool out there, huh?! Why... why?! Why did you not ask for help? Why didn't you tell me that there was no hope for you? Comrades? Friends?

"Did you even think of me as your comrade? What were all the things you said to me? The things you said on that day?!"

‘What the hell did I say?’

"Don’t make me laugh! They were all a bunch of bullshit. Damn it! You just saw me as an idiot..."

“You’re... really upset right now. Give me a chance to explain,” I said.

"Explain? What more do you need to explain? What more do you need to explain?! You bastard! Did you spout all that nonsense about helping me just so you could show me this sight? Did you make a party with me and travel together with me just for this?"

“This isn’t like you, Mr. Hyo-Yeol,” I told him.

I was waiting for him to say that memorable line before saying something.

Obviously, he wasn't embarrassed to say it at all.

"What do you mean I’m not like myself? How dare you say such a thing when you know nothing about me?!"

I expected him to be really upset, but he was more upset than I thought, which shocked me. His face was red, and he was running out of breath.

I obviously wasn’t used to seeing him yelling like this.

‘Were we that close?’

He was so upset that I felt worried. There was a reason I said he wasn’t acting like himself. He was spouting nonsense while yelling, so he really wasn’t acting like his usual self.

He didn’t seem to have the luxury to strike a pose or act arrogantly.

His reaction was pretty shocking, as it was completely different from my expectations. I thought he'd take it lightly and move on.

Unfortunately, he looked anxious.

"You bastard!"

He was too busy swearing, and his limbs were shaking.

I didn’t know his exact condition, but I assumed that he was breaking down.

Perhaps he had always been this kind of person. He probably had never made any bonds, as he was afraid of losing people. He was so different from his usual self that I couldn’t help but entertain those thoughts.

‘But it makes sense...’

Since there was something special between us. Although our bond wasn’t as deep as the bond I had with Hyun-Sung, I had still tamed a wolf who only knew how to live in the wild.

I appeared out of nowhere one day. At first, he didn’t know who I was and just thought that I was some annoying guy, but I managed to influence him down to his essence. At times, I would act like his enemy, a rival, a friend, or a comrade.

It was only natural that his indifference turned into interest. The time we spent together was a relatively short time, but those moments were meaningful, as no one was beside him all this time.

I was sure he was unknowingly replaying our memories together.

“I don’t like... people like you.”

It all began with that.

“I came here to help you.”

Our first fateful encounter...

“Heuk... heuuk... It’s all because of me... All of it... heuk... heuuuk...”

Grandpa Bolt's death...

“I’m going to die someday.”

A shocking confession...

“That’s my role.”

And the ending...

Whenever emotions were high, it was only natural for one to reminisce. This was true for Kim Hyun-Sung. As for Woo Hyo-Yeol, I was sure it was true as well.

The time we spent together was pretty short, so it all probably felt like a dream.

Obviously, his emotions changed, and he wasn't used to all these rapid changes.

His emotions came together and transformed into fury as well as longing.

Woo Hyo-Yeol turned to the wall and the ground, pounding them hard to vent his fury.

Meanwhile, William was in a terrible state, but he seemed to be indifferent about it. I needed to drag Woo Hyo-Yeol to the battlefield soon, so I had no choice but to say something.

“T-This was my destiny.”

'I’ll toss in a cliched line.'

“That’s the reason I came here and approached you. This was part of my contract,” I added.

"Don’t make me laugh."

“You already knew that I didn’t have a lot of time left and that I wasn’t going to have a good ending,” I said.

"Yeah, I knew."

I told him myself, so of course he knew that. He also respected my decision, but he probably didn’t know that things would turn out like this.

“You clearly said that you'd respect my decision,” I reminded him.

"I never said that."

“But you didn’t say that you won't,” I argued.

"..."

“There are things in the world... that you can’t do anything about,” I said.

It was time to persuade him.

“And there are things you just have to accept,” I added.

"..."

“I’m happy,” I said.

The twenty-three-year-old Flower Ki-Young was an idiot who only knew how to sacrifice himself.

“I’m really happy that I can help you even in death. I’m really happy that I can fight with you until my final moments. I’m really happy that I can do something for Rohen and that I can be with you for the sake of the light and justice,” I explained.

"B-Bullshit..."

“This is my fate and destiny. I came here just for this moment. I lived a meaningful life. No, even if it wasn’t meaningful, this moment is different. I was going to die soon, anyway. Everyone knew that, and they understood that.

"I managed to save many people with my one, singular life. There’s nothing more joyous than that,” I continued.

"In that case..."

“...”

"Why are you crying?"

Even though I planned this, it was still pretty amazing.

Tears were dripping from the fake golden eyes of the mysterious corpse.

"I asked... why you were crying."

“That... can’t be,” I mumbled.

"What?"

“I’m not sad, and I don’t have any regrets. For me, life was suffering. It was difficult and frightening. It wasn’t just when I was here. Whether it was on Earth or anywhere else, my life has always been hell. Up until now, I was a useless human being. Now... now it’s different. Now... I can become whole,” I explained.

"Could it be that... you actually wanted to live?"

“No, this is it for me. I’m not ashamed for this to be the last moment of my life,” I answered.

"Bullshit!"

“Grandpa... I can finally meet... Grandpa Bolt,” I added.

"There’s no such thing as an afterlife, you idiot."

“I finished my job. I—”

"Tell me that you want to live. Just admit it."

“This... is it for me,” I mumbled.

I wanted to yell out that I wanted to live, but it wasn’t the time for that.

“I already told you,” I paused.

"What?"

“In this world... there are things you can’t do anything about,” I reminded him.

"..."

“This is the will of the light. I decided to... accept this fate,” I told him.

Woo Hyo-Yeol was a rebellious character with a skewed outlook on life. He was a stubborn little rascal, so he would never understand the will of light and the will of justice.

"Don’t... be ridiculous..."

Just then, the black blood oozing out of my corpse wriggled toward him.

‘He’s going to turn dark.’

"Don’t... make... me...laugh..."

‘He’s doing it. He’s doing it.’

"Don’t make me laugh!!"

The darkness engulfed him.

1. Lee Ki-Young’s POV ☜