Chapter: 265

On a day when everyone in the city was busy dealing with the aftermath of the disappearance of the barrier…

The phenomenon occurred quite suddenly.

– Kkiing… kkiing…
– Shaaaa!!!

“What, what’s happening? The animals…”
“Why are they acting like this all of a sudden…?”

Animals in the zoo began to panic in a collective display of anxiety.

Clang.

“Whoa?! Are you okay? Wait a second, you shouldn’t step on the glass shards on the floor… By the way, what’s going on? You dropped a cup all of a sudden… What’s wrong with you? Your hands are shaking like crazy!”

“Ah, no, it’s just that my body started shaking uncontrollably… What the heck is going on…”

Sudden, unusual symptoms such as stiffening or trembling appeared in several people.

To ordinary citizens, it would have been incomprehensible why such a thing would happen without any warning.

However, the superhumans, who possessed senses far superior to an average person…

The heroes instinctively felt something was wrong.

“What the hell… What’s happening…?”
“I’ve got a cold sweat for no reason… Why does it feel so uneasy…?”

They could sense, through the thickening air, that something bad was indeed happening.

Yet, they too could not identify the root cause of the anxiety.

Only two people in the city were able to discern the exact details.

“Miss Eve…! Could it be…!”

The Witch of Rage, Scarlet Evande.

[…Yes, Evande. I sensed it too.]

The Witch of Jealousy, Eve.

[…It seems the Resurrection has indeed occurred.]

Just moments ago, they had sensed a colossal presence appearing from a distance and confirmed through communication that an inevitable event they should have been prevented from occurring had come to fruition.

And as they sat in brief despair over this revelation…

“I…”
[Ha…]

Both closed their eyes tightly and sighed in unison.

The resurrection of the Witch of Gluttony was merely an omen of misfortune that would befall them, and they both realized that true calamity had not yet reached them.

“…We need to inform the people, don’t we?”
[That would be wise. There isn’t much time.]

The problem was that the day of this misfortune was fast approaching.

As witches, they could feel it.

The presence they had sensed from afar had begun to move towards the city just prior.

[It’s coming, the Witch of Gluttony.]

A catastrophe was nearing.

—

“I understand. The Witch of Gluttony is heading this way.”
“Then I need to inform my subordinates to prepare for an all-out war.”

The Witch of Gluttony had been revived and was quickly approaching their location.

Upon receiving this news from Eve and myself, Leon, Natalia, and Captain Martina of the Astraphe nodded solemnly.

Realizing they needed to prepare for a confrontation with the witch, the captains sprang into action.

They were already busy with the ongoing evacuation of citizens, their frantic pace further intensifying.

Seeing them, I held back my urge to speak and ended the communication that had been conducted via video.

Just then, Eve’s voice came through as if wondering if anything was wrong.

[Evande, is something the matter? You don’t look well.]

I replied to Eve, who seemed concerned, with a fraught expression.

“…It’s just that everyone seems so calm about fighting the Witch of Gluttony, and I’m worried.”

I said this while recalling the captains’ previous reactions.

Although they appeared tense, they didn’t seem frightened.

I found it difficult to interpret their reactions and thus responded in that manner, and Eve, understanding my predicament, gave a faint smile and asked:

[Are you afraid of fighting the Witch of Gluttony?]

“…To be honest, yes. How could I not be afraid? We have to fight something like that.”

I nodded in agreement to her question and answered.

Truthfully, I was scared.

Ever since learning that the Witch of Gluttony had resurrected and was approaching this area, my body had been trembling uncontrollably.

This was making me feel a stronger sense of dissonance.

How could it be possible to learn that I would need to fight the Witch of Gluttony and still manage to not shake?

From another’s perspective, it made sense.

If one simply pondered, our force would include two witches.

The Witch of Gluttony was someone humanity had once defeated, and with two witches on our side, it would seem reasonable that we’d stand a good chance again.

However, they wouldn’t realize how naive that thought was.

When I read the original story’s depiction of the Witch of Gluttony, I had thought, “Did we really win against that?”

The original portrayal of the Witch of Gluttony made her seem staggeringly powerful, to the point where it felt like a continuity error to suggest she could be defeated.

And now that I could feel the aura she emanated, my thought had shifted from, “Did we really win against that?” to “…Do we really have to fight that?”

Is she not the same witch? That’s nonsense.

To refer to her as the same witch feels too far-fetched. She’s an entity far beyond the norm.

Her presence alone could intimidate others, and the mere thought of having to fight her can instill despair even within fellow witches.

People do not know.

—

“…Earlier, I almost asked if we were really going to fight.”

When I said that, Eve looked at me with a bittersweet expression.

[…But there is no other method aside from fighting, is there?]

“…Well, there is fleeing, I suppose.”

In the original work, they had chosen to abandon the city and flee from the Witch of Gluttony.

However, to my response, Eve murmured, as if genuinely questioning whether I believed that.

[Fleeing… where? For how long?]

“…”

I couldn’t find the words in response to her question.

Despite expressing that thought, I knew that fleeing was not truly a viable option.

There is a phrase from some comics: “There is no paradise where you flee.”

In this world, it’s even more true.

Even if you abandon the city, the outside is filled with the ruins of magic where no one can survive.

While there is a clean area without magic due to the World Tree in the north, if the Witch of Gluttony invades, it would soon be enveloped in magic again, making it meaningless.

Fleeing, fleeing…

In the original work, they managed to protect the people from the magic using Sylvia’s powers and Yoon Si-woo’s Holy Sword of Humility while they escaped from the Witch of Gluttony, but even that had its limits.

Living a life of constant fleeing, lacking proper food and rest, the weaker individuals, like children and the elderly, gradually perished one by one.

Ultimately, when there was no one left to defend, Yoon Si-woo and Sylvia fought a last battle against the Witch of Gluttony for their lives.

And they lost. Utterly.

What awaited them at the end of their flight was annihilation.

I knew this.

Furthermore, not many are aware, but that original line has an additional implication.

The place you flee to is still a battlefield.

In the end, if we have no choice but to fight, we must do so to protect the only paradise that remains to us.

I knew that too.

Because I understood better than anyone, I had remained silent moments before.

Informing the others of the Witch of Gluttony’s terror, that dismal reality would not serve as a warning; it would only serve to dampen their spirits.

Despair robs people of their will to fight.

In order not to steal away the hope that we could win…

In order to preserve that slim chance of hope that we might indeed be able to win…

Both the reality-versed Eve and myself had to keep our mouths shut and endure our despair alone.

Having finished the conversation with Eve, I headed towards the room where Yoon Si-woo was sleeping.

Yoon Si-woo was sleeping as if he had no idea what was happening.

He was the hope of humanity, who should have been at the forefront of fighting against despair.

In trying to protect me…

Therefore, it was only natural that I should assume the role that Yoon Si-woo was meant to fulfill.

Had I not promised him?

That I would definitely protect you and the world you inhabit.

Thinking this, I took his hand as he slept.

And then I let out a laugh.

“Seriously, this is insane…”

Seeing our connected hands shaking uncontrollably, I mocked myself.

Who said this?

What matters is an unyielding heart.

But even after promising Yoon Si-woo, keeping my own spirit from breaking was a struggle.

“Can I really do this…?”

Thus, I asked Yoon Si-woo, trying to bolster my waning spirit.

If he told me that I could do it, I believed I could find a way to endure.

“Please answer me…”

But naturally, Yoon Si-woo did not provide a response.

The task of fortifying my spirit fell solely to me.

Alas, while I endured to keep my heart from breaking, time slipped away uncontrollably.

Eventually, that day arrived.

—

At the dim dawn where the sun began to rise, numerous heroes stood lined up at the southern boundary region’s front line.

I was there, quietly standing amidst them, my trembling body held in check as I closed my eyes.

At that moment,

“…Huh.”

Someone uttered a voice laced with surprise.

I opened my eyes at that startled voice.

With that shocking voice as the last note, the surroundings were filled with an overwhelming silence.

Even with so many people present, the sheer number creating a noise, everyone held their breath, creating an eerie silence that suggested something foreboding.

Everyone felt it, I suppose.

The feeling of a prey standing before a predator.

—

Far off, where the sun began to rise and the darkness retreated, a black dot suddenly appeared in the center of the horizon.

That singular black spot, akin to ink, that fell within the dawn encroached upon the morning.

Soon, it began to spread gradually as if painting the morning.

Pushing away the dawn, night approached.

As I witnessed this scene, which felt like the natural order was reversing,

I swallowed hard and mumbled softly.

“…It’s coming.”

And right after.

– ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■!!!!!!!!!!!!

The roaring sound, sending a shiver across my skin, announced the arrival of the end in this