Chapter 360. The Difference (1)

Claaaang!

A deafening roar split the air.

Two Guillotines collided, the impact shaking the very world around them. A violent shockwave tore through the battlefield, sending rubble and dust flying, but Caron gritted his teeth and glared past the crossed blades.

There, standing opposite him, was himself

.

The figure wasn't some weak doppelganger, nor a mere illusion. It was alive, breathing, radiating power so real that it made Caron's skin crawl.

"Let's end this," the other Caron said coldly. "That's the only way this story gets a happy ending."

A surge of Void's power flowed endlessly down his blade. It was pure, unrestrained, and incomparably stronger than anything Caron himself had ever wielded.

Clang!

The ground trembled as the other Caron stomped, and a massive whirlpool of mana erupted beneath their feet. It was the same form of Maelstrom Caron often used, but this one... This one dwarfed his in sheer destructive force.

Still, Caron didn't falter. He gathered his mana into his shoulders, braced himself, and charged straight through the swirling storm. His Guillotine shot forward like lightning, thrusting deep toward the opponent's chest.

Thud.

But before the strike could pierce flesh...

"Death is too much of a luxury for people like us," the other Caron said softly, almost pitying. "You know that better than anyone."

Fwoosh.

The body vanished, melting into thin air. A heartbeat later, he reappeared behind Caron. It had been a fake, and more conjured clones soon followed.

Caron spun, retreating instantly as he summoned his own copies. In an instant, dozens of Carons filled the battlefield, their blades flashing as they clashed against their counterparts.

Claaang! Clang! Clang!

Fragments of mana exploded outward, scattering through the air. Moonlight and the reflection of a distant sea bled into the chaos, painting the scene in a haunting blue.

"Libre!" Caron shouted.

At once, the Dark Magic Tower Master responded. "Swamp of Mortality!"

The spell he had prepared earlier unleashed itself—turning the cracked, dust-choked ground into a bubbling mire of black sludge.

But it lasted only for a moment as the other Caron smirked faintly and waved his hand.

"The Dark Magic Tower Master, Libre," he said with mock admiration. "This is interesting. I killed that one the moment I saw him. Turns out he wasn't completely useless after all. Maybe I should've kept him alive."

Ssssshhhhhh.

A violet aura spilled from his fingers, spreading like ink through water—and Libre's swamp dissolved instantly. The battlefield fell silent.

Libre's expression twisted in despair as he turned to Caron and whispered, "...The Demon King of Void."

"What?" Caron asked sharply.

"I can feel the Demon King of Void. He isn't merely wielding Void's power!" Libre answered.

For the first time, the ever-calm Libre looked shaken. He was a mage who had once borrowed his mana through a pact with Void itself. There was no reason for him to lie.

"So you're telling me," Caron said slowly, "that's the Demon King of Void standing there?"

"I don't know!" Libre cried. "I really don't know anything anymore! But we have to leave this place now—!"

Before he could finish...

Shhk!

A dark blue blade pierced through Libre's chest from behind.

"Thanks for explaining things for me," the other Caron said. "But that was my line, you damn dark mage. Why'd you steal my fun?"

Stained in hues of shimmering violet, he smiled playfully. His eyes glowed like amethysts as he spread his arms wide toward Caron.

"It's a shame you couldn't protect your friends," the other Caron said. "Still, quite a few survivors are living in that little space, aren't they? I did my best, you know."

His tone, his voice, and his mannerisms... In every way, he was identical to Caron.

Caron clenched his jaw, gripping Guillotine so tightly his knuckles went white. Now he understood why his Guillotine was having a tough time.

"Your Guillotine looks like it wants to come to me right this instant," the other Caron said, his voice low and intoxicating, reverberating through Caron's skull. "Poor thing... Why do you keep tormenting it? How about you hand it over nicely? I'll even promise not to kill you. Believe it or not, I actually need you."

That voice alone was enough to shake Caron's mind to its core. The sheer force behind it was unlike that of any other Demon Kings he'd ever faced. It was overwhelming. Even with just a few words, he felt his will begin to crack.

"I didn't come here to fight," the other Caron went on lightly. "I just came to have a conversation and wanted to make you an offer or two. You'll find it... quite beneficial."

"You call this a conversation and bring that as a gift?" Caron spat, gesturing toward the corpses sprawled across the ground.

"Ah, them?" the other Caron asked with a mock tilt of his head. "If you'd like, I can spare your comrades. Even now, after all this, you still cling to that little thing called compassion. How fascinating and strange

.

It almost makes me doubt you being myself."

He drove his Guillotine into the ground. Mana burst forth from the blade, spreading like poison through the cracked ground beneath their feet.

"Words won't convince you," the other Caron said. "So allow me to show you something instead—just a glimpse of my memories."

The moment he spoke, light exploded.

Fwaaash!

Violet washed over Caron's vision, and scenes—fragmented, surreal, alive—began to unfold before him like a painting torn open.

"It's mind manipulation! Oath-bearer! Resist it!" Gratia shouted beside him.

She called upon her draconic incantation, trying to dispel the illusion, but a stronger draconic incantation cut her off.

"Gratia, it is fate. Stay still," the Dragon Lord interrupted. His draconic incantation bound her in place, her struggles freezing in midair.

And then the memories began to bleed into Caron's mind. Time blurred.

When his senses finally returned...

"...You mad bastard," Caron hissed, his voice raw.

He clenched his fist until blood ran down his palm, his eyes locked on the violet Caron before him. The visions crawling inside his mind made him want to vomit.

He wondered if he could even call it a memory. It was a nightmare.

In that world, the new Demon King of Void—himself—had destroyed everything. Under his command, demons and demonic monsters swept across the continent, leaving behind only blood and screams.

The other Caron spoke softly, almost tenderly. "Tell me, what do you think remains at the end of revenge? When your vengeance ends, do you think your hatred will die with it? You've lived your whole life burning with rage—do you really believe you could ever live free of it? You think you could destroy the Demon King of Void with nothing but that feeble resolve?"

His voice echoed in Caron's ears, dripping like venom as he continued, "You already know, don't you? The Demon King of Void was pure malice incarnate—something no blade could cut, no power could end. So do you know how I completed my revenge?"

Caron's jaw tightened.

"I accepted it. I took that malice into myself. That way, the Demon King I knew ceased to exist," the other Caron added, eyes glittering with madness.

The weight of his power pressed down so heavily that Caron could hardly move. Even standing felt impossible.

And in no time, the other Caron was already standing right in front of him, smiling kindly and offering a hand.

"You understand me, don't you?" the other Caron asked. "So hand me your power. If you do, I'll wield Void more perfectly—and your world will remain safe."

Caron stared into the violet eyes. Then, quietly, he asked, "I'm not the first, am I?"

"Quick on the uptake. As expected of me," the other Caron remarked with a flicker of amusement across his face.

"How many came before me?" Caron asked.

The question made the other Caron pause for a moment, then he replied, "The number doesn't matter. Only you and I ever reached the Core of Sin. Even for us, it's rare to make it this far. That's why I'm giving you a chance—to find a better ending than I did. Don't you think you deserve that much?"

Caron gave a dry, bitter laugh.

And without a word—he swung.

Schk!

Guillotine cleaved through his opponent's neck. The head hit the ground with a dull thud and rolled away, still wearing that amused smile.

Even decapitated, the voice continued, faint and mocking, "Foolish thing. If you'd just accepted my offer, your world could've been perfect. But fine—if you won't give it, I'll take it by force."

Shadows rippled outward. The other Caron's body split and multiplied—dozens, then hundreds, surrounding him in every direction. Hundreds of Guillotines shimmered with killing light, all ready to descend.

Then suddenly...

Craaaack!

Booooooom!

A blinding radiance ripped through the darkness.

Caron blinked against the flash, and then a voice—familiar, gruff, and unmistakably irritated—rang in his ears.

"That's what happens when you run off alone," the voice said.

"...Halo?" Caron breathed.

The old knight stepped forward, white hair flying in the radiant wind.

"What kind of grandfather lets his grandson march off to die alone?" Halo said with a smile. "We figured you'd try to stop us if we told you, so we came in secret."

Halo stood tall before Caron, clad in gleaming azure armor, wielding his sword Gram.

"Everyone," he said, raising his blade high. "Let's begin."

"What kind of madness is this—" Caron started, but his words were drowned beneath the roar.

Fwoooosh!

A storm of holy light tore open the shadows, and thousands of knights charged into battle.

***

Caron couldn't make sense of what was happening. The expedition wasn't supposed to enter until later, so he wondered what in the world this was.

"Those lunatics. Those damn lunatics," he muttered.

Hundreds of Caron's doppelgangers stood facing off against the expedition's knights. And that wasn't all...

"My Lord, the Demon King!"

"We shall protect You with our lives!"

From beyond the shattered barrier erected by the other Caron, the Demon King of Void, fanatical demons were pouring in endlessly. The barrier formed by the other Caron's Guillotine was already half destroyed.

And at the center of it all was Seria.

"When this is over," Seria said coldly, spreading her eight wings, "You'd better be ready to pay for knocking me unconscious."

She stood proudly in midair, surrounded by a host of angels who joined her in suppressing the power of Void.

Thanks to their holy aura of resistance, the energy of Void that was clawing into Caron's mind finally began to subside.

"I really didn't expect to get stabbed in the back like this," Caron murmured under his breath.

Thwack!

Halo smacked him on the head with the flat of his sword before saying, "Just explain this. Why the hell are you standing over there looking like an idiot?"

"It's a long story," Caron answered.

"Shut up and make it short," Halo demanded.

"Well... Let's just say that's another me. Apparently, it's a version of me that absorbed the Demon King of Void," Caron replied.

"You crazy bastard

,

" Halo said flatly. "I knew you'd pull some nonsense like this one day. First, you gobbled up the other Demon Kings' power, and now the Demon King of Void too? You pathetic bastard."

Thwack!

Halo struck Caron again for good measure before unleashing his mana in full.

Whoosh!

Brilliant blue light flared around him, shaking the air. He asked, "So, what did your future self say?"

"He told me to merge with him and said he'd give me this world," Caron answered.

"Were you tempted?" Halo asked.

"A little?" Caron replied with a smirk.

"Sounds like you're already brainwashed. Hold still a second—maybe I can fix it by stabbing you through the skull," Halo said.

As the two exchanged their usual banter-filled

greetings, the other Caron watched them with bright, amused eyes. Neither he nor his countless duplicates made a move toward the knights.

"The more guests, the better," the other Caron said lightly. "Seems I'll be hosting a splendid banquet in my city tonight."

Halo gave him a deadpan look and remarked, "That one's definitely dumber than you. He's trying too hard to sound cool. Tell me, are you destined to be this much of an idiot in the future?"

"This is your first time stepping into the Core of Sin, isn't it, Halo?" the other Caron replied. "At what point did our worlds diverge, I wonder?"

𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

"You talk as if you lived a completely different life," Halo shot back.

"My world and yours are different," the other Caron answered.

"In your world," Halo asked evenly, "How did I die?"

"By my hand, of course," the other Caron replied. "I killed you myself and absorbed your mana."

Halo snorted and said, "You've got the filial piety of a rock. But sure, that attitude proves you're Caron all right. I'll give you that."

While Caron stood there still trying to process everything, Halo didn't back down an inch, meeting every word of his opponent head-on.

He gripped his sword, Gram, and glanced sideways at Caron while saying, "Just imagining more than one of you existing makes me sick. You're responsible for this."

"What's that supposed to mean? You're my grandfather. Act like one and take responsibility for your grandson," Caron replied.

"Oh, so now I'm your grandfather? Weren't you telling me to call you my ancestor before?" Halo asked.

"For now, I'll stick with being your grandson," Caron answered with a smirk.

The banter almost made it feel as if they'd gone back in time—like nothing had changed.

But apparently, something in their exchange had struck a nerve. The other Caron's expression twisted sharply.

"Such a loving grandfather-grandson pair," he said with a sneer. "Anyone would think you were friends. My grandfather was a self-righteous bore and tried to lecture me so often. I got so annoyed trying to persuade him that I got tired of it and just killed him."

Caron lazily picked at his ear and asked, "What's wrong with treating a friend like a friend?"

"Halo Leston being friendly enough to be friends with his grandson? He's not the type to be like that..." the other Caron trailed off.

"A friend in a previous life is still a friend in this one," Caron said.

"Halo Leston was Rael Leston's friend? What are you talking about? There was no Halo Leston in our previous lives," the other Caron asked.

The moment those words left his mouth...

"...What did you just say?" Caron asked, his brow furrowing.