Chapter 295

Whoosh.

At that moment, the ground absorbed all the blood and flesh scattered across the battlefield, erasing the stench of death. The filth vanished, and in its place, the earth sprouted budding shoots of asphodel, which quickly grew and blossomed into gray flowers, creating an oddly serene atmosphere amidst the carnage.

It was the authority of Hades. But this wasn’t merely a matter of cleaning up corpses. It was the process of gathering the bodies and souls of the fallen and accepting them into the Underworld. Only after passing through this transition could the dead regain their former bodies.

“If I had just held on a little longer, I could have made it back alive.”

“It can’t be helped. We did our best.”

“Still, the gods promised we would live well in the afterlife, so I guess it’s not too bad. I don’t have any family left behind anyway.”

“You all owe me your lives, so you’d better visit often!”

Some lamented dying just before the battle’s end. Others accepted their fate with resignation. Some, with no lingering attachments to the living world, seemed even more eager for their new existence. And then there were those who, despite being among the dead, still boasted to their surviving comrades.

The living and the dead mingled, laughing and crying together, filling the battlefield with a chaotic yet strangely warm atmosphere.

Leonard watched this scene with a hint of regret. “...So resurrection is out of the question?”

“It is impossible,”

Hades answered firmly, sensing Leonard’s thoughts.

“If the King of Gods, who must uphold the laws of the world, were to violate causality, the repercussions would be catastrophic. It’s not entirely impossible if you rewrite the rules themselves, but the number of trial-and-error failures that would arise from that is beyond imagination.”

“They were warriors who saved the world, even if their sacrifices were unavoidable. I entrust their afterlife to you. Make sure they are treated well.”

“Naturally. I will grant them such prosperity that they wouldn’t want to return to the living world even if they could. Truth be told, I need more manpower to rebuild the Underworld anyway. It’s a mutually beneficial arrangement.”

Though Leonard had restored Hades to his position as the King of the Underworld, it would take at least a century to fully reclaim his divine authority and reconstruct the Underworld.

And with the additional task of reconstructing Tartarus and extracting every ounce of power from Cenn Cruach, Hades had just as much work ahead of him as Leonard.

If the elite fighters of the allied forces helped with the restoration, the process could be accelerated by decades.

“Leonard!”

“You actually did it!”

The Demigods, who had been utterly exhausted from their battle with Balor and unable to move until Leonard’s healing magic restored them, rushed toward him. But as they approached, they instinctively hesitated.

The overwhelming divine presence emanating from Leonard was suffocating. He had fully transcended into godhood. Unlike others who entered the Deification Tier, Leonard had ascended to the Divine Throne itself. His divinity had far surpassed that of lesser gods and was now approaching that of a Great God.

Still, the Demigods’ hesitation lasted only a heartbeat.

“You’ve all done well.”

While the victory over Cenn Cruach was Leonard’s alone, it was the Demigods who had held off Balor and suppressed the battlefield, preventing interference in their duel.

Had they not contained the threat and the enemy interfered before he fully adapted to fighting with his newfound divinity, the chances of victory would have been even more uncertain.

“The fallen warriors will remain in the Underworld. But for now, we should return, shouldn’t we?”

“Yes. We have much to report to Her Majesty.”

The casualties among the allied forces were immense. Even after gathering humanity’s finest warriors and subjecting them to three years of specialized training, nearly seventy percent of the force had perished. In strategic terms, it was practically a loss no different from annihilation.

If not for Leonard’s healing, which saved those on the brink of death, the casualty rate might have reached eighty or even ninety percent. The knights, who had fought with unparalleled bravery, had suffered dearly. The mage corps, who were overwhelmed by enemies attacking from all directions, were similarly devastated.

The power humanity had before this final battle and the power they had now—there was at least a twofold difference.

“Arcadia is now free to relinquish its duty of defending the world. The empire, which has endlessly exhausted its resources fighting Celestials, Demoniacs, Spriggans, and Outer Gods, can finally invest its power into productive endeavors.”

However, with the Divine Throne filled and the laws of the world stabilized, the threats that once endangered all of humanity had been utterly eradicated.

For the first time in millennia, there was no longer a need to struggle merely to survive. They had reclaimed the right to look beyond the present and dream of the future.

The Demigods’ expressions turned dazed as they processed what Leonard was saying. For nearly a thousand years, both the Cardenas and the Wickelines had fought relentlessly to protect the world. And now, they were freed from that endless struggle. The emotions that welled up within them were too complex to put into words.

“Let’s return. We have a lot of work ahead of us.”

As if reading their thoughts, Leonard smiled and opened a dimensional gate leading back to the Middle Realm. The Hell Gate—no, the Gate of the Underworld—was now a law that only Leonard and Hades could control. They could open and close it at will, from anywhere.

Leonard exchanged a brief glance with the Demigods before raising his voice, “Let the march home begin! We return to Arcadia, to the Middle Realm we have fought to protect! Sing our victory!”

And so, with an unprecedented triumph to their names, the allied forces began their march home.

* * *

“I’m the so-called ‘Sun of the Empire,’ yet it’s ridiculous how I can’t even move or do as I please,” Laila muttered, unable to fully conceal her tension.

She had remained at Outpost 7, where she sent off the allied forces. She stood before the dimensional gate. Ordinarily, she was unable to leave the imperial palace, as she was bound to safeguard the empire. And now, even in this final battle, she had been unable to stand alongside the allied forces.

Despite being the “One Beloved by the World,” she sometimes felt more like a prisoner, shackled by her role. All she could do was wait. Wait for the warriors who had thrown their lives into battle to protect humanity. Wait for the retainers of Arcadia, who had served for a thousand years.

Time seemed to stretch endlessly and then snap back like a lightning strike.

“...Hm?”

She wasn’t sure how long she had been standing there, staring at the dimensional gate’s shimmering surface, when it suddenly trembled. Anyone could tell something unusual was occurring.

The ministers standing around Laila tensed instinctively, wary of anything that might provoke her. If something other than the allied forces emerged—if monsters came through instead—then it would mean humanity had lost. And that would be the end of everything.

Flash.

Without warning, the Hell Gate, which had existed since before the founding of the Arcadian Empire, simply vanished. It didn’t seem forcibly shut or destroyed. Rather, it felt as if someone who had control over it had consciously decided to close it.

“...What?”

The same bewilderment that filled Laila’s heart was mirrored in the expressions of the ministers.

“It disappeared? Why? The severing of the connection to the Demonic Realm should have only happened if humanity won... No, regardless of the outcome, there’s no reason for the gate to just close. Did the battle’s aftershocks interfere with it?”

Even if she was not a Demigod, she was a Grand Magus, but she struggled to analyze what had happened. No matter how much she thought about it, there was no clear answer. The magic and knowledge related to dimensions were inherently too complex, with many aspects still shrouded in mystery. Laila kept her eyes wide open, sharply scanning her surroundings.

Whoosh.

A flash of iridescent light shimmered where the Hell Gate had vanished, and like a single vertical slash of a blade, a long, cleanly cut dimensional rift formed once more.

Laila’s eyes glimmered with renewed hope. Unlike before, there was no ominous aura, no sense of instability. From the edges inward, everything about this gate was precise, stable, and complete.

If that was the case...

Step. Step.

Someone walked out from the dimensional rift. Bathed in the radiance swirling behind them, their face and form were obscured, but Laila quickly sensed something unusual. It wasn’t simply that she couldn’t see the figure—something in her instincts screamed that she shouldn’t even try to gaze upon them too carelessly.

This is not comparable with the likes of a Demigod... This presence feels like a god?!

Reaching her conclusion in a heartbeat, Laila rose from her throne and moved toward the approaching figure. The stunned retainers, paralyzed by the overwhelming aura, could do nothing to stop her. They could only watch the Empress’s back as she advanced, determined to meet the figure head-on.

Soon, the distance between the Empress of Arcadia and this mysterious being narrowed to less than ten meters. Even with a lifetime of experience as the ruler of a great empire weighing on her shoulders, it offered no help now. Her very instincts, down to the core of her being, urged her to submit.

And yet, she stood tall, meeting the figure’s gaze without wavering.

“I, Leonard of the House of Cardenas, greet Your Imperial Majesty.”

The moment the figure knelt on one knee, the dazzling light concealing his features faded to reveal his face.

It was Leonard, the man the Archduke of Sword Declan once appointed as successor and the one heralded as the final trump card of the desperate allied forces. He was the sole individual worthy to ascend the vacant Divine Throne.

“...So it was you.”

Only then did Laila understand why she hadn’t been able to look directly at him. If she was “One Beloved by the World,” then she now stood before “One Who Rules the World.” He was the person who could actively rule over the world, unlike her, who was merely the recipient of the world’s unilateral favor.

The difference was stark and undeniable—a clear hierarchy had been established. Recognizing this, Laila moved to kneel before Leonard as a mortal before a god. Or at least, that was her intent.

“Forgive me for the discourtesy.”

Before she could lower herself, Leonard stepped forward, gently placing his hands on her shoulders, preventing her from bowing. This transcendental figure, newly returned to the world, spoke with the same politeness as before.

𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

“Your Majesty, your position was secured by Arcadia’s blood and sacrifice. Please do not allow it to be demeaned. Not even by me.”

Laila blinked, almost as if she’d been struck. The world itself should be kneeling at his feet simply for reaching the Deification Tier, especially now that he had claimed the Divine Throne. Yet here he stood, still speaking as a retainer of the empire.

She retorted, “You are a god now. And you would still uphold the rites of a retainer?"

“Didn’t Ancestor Cardenas herself do the same?” Leonard replied calmly.

“Haha... You say it so lightly. I suppose I can’t argue with that.”

Laila chuckled softly, any lingering doubt dissolving.

Still, since he’d brought up Ancestor Cardenas and the Founding Emperor, she couldn’t resist teasing, “Hmm? Bringing up the story of Ancestor Cardenas and the Founding Emperor, could it be you’re thinking of starting a family with me? Proposing marriage right after taking the Divine Throne—how bold of you!"

“Your Majesty...”

“Even after ascending to the highest peak, you’re still the same. I suppose you can’t handle all this formality without a little humor, can you?”

Offering a light-hearted jab as a sovereign to a subordinate, Laila then turned her gaze to the returning forces appearing beyond Leonard. Dozens, hundreds, thousands. They were noticeably fewer than when they had first departed, and she couldn’t fully mask the sorrow in her eyes.

Careful not to let them catch on, she composed herself again, donning her imperial mask. This was the triumphant return of the heroes who had saved the world. Mourning the fallen could wait until afterward.

“One major worry is behind us now... but there’s still much to do.”

The world they would face from this day forward would be unlike any before. It would be something that felt alien, starting from their very direction itself. The era where survival depended solely on battling external threats was over.

“Well, just for today, let’s set aside our worries and smile. A thousand years have passed; it’s time for a new millennium to begin. The empire, and our purpose, are ready to be reborn. I’ll endure any labor pains necessary.”

Spreading her arms wide, Laila welcomed the allied forces returning through the dimensional rift with a confident grin.

The Celestials who tried to trample them from the skies; the Demoniacs who invaded from the depths; the Spriggans who lost themselves to madness, forgetting their former glory; the Outer Gods who sought to conquer their world from beyond the dimensions; and the Void Deities who schemed in the shadows, longing to restore their fallen age.

There was no longer any need to fear them. A new guardian, descended in the form of a god, now stood to protect humanity.

“Where the path leads, I may not yet know. But even if we wander a bit... it’s no matter. In the end, we’ll arrive at a better, truer place.”

“...And why are you so sure of that?” Leonard asked, curious about her unwavering faith.

Laila simply smiled, bold as ever. That question, at least, she could answer without hesitation.

“Because that’s who we are—humanity!”

Empress Laila and the Sword God Leonard. The two walked forward together, their shadows intertwining before separating again. Not as ruler and subject. Not merely as god and mortal. But as companions.

From the God-Slaying War to the age of the dragons, at last, it was the moment for the dawn of humanity’s era. In its truest sense, that new era began today.