Levanthia was carrying Bardray’s child.

The specter was shaken to his core by the revelation.

“[She… is bearing my child…]”

“You didn’t know?”

“[…No, I didn’t.]” The specter’s voice quivered.

“[I spent my time journeying to fulfill the prophecy, never once returning to the imperial capital. I never saw Levanthia again. And by the time I returned…]”

By then, the Demon King had already ravaged the empire.

“[I… I…]”

The specter swallowed his grief.

He had come to accept the world’s end, having resigned himself to his fate.

Yet, his emotions now churned wildly, a tempest raging within him.

“[Just… Just give me a moment, please,]” he managed to say, his voice barely above a whisper.

With that, the specter’s presence faded, not banished by divine intervention, but by his own will.

For the first time in a long while, Taesan was left alone.

The God of Regret indeed—a trial befitting the realm of remorse.

The specter’s existence was secured by a pact with a wizard. This pact allowed him, even in death, to linger as a spirit within the labyrinth.

The specter’s purpose was to encounter adventurers, bestow quests, offer rewards, and, ultimately, fulfill his own wish.

And that wish, the reason he had bound himself as a spirit, was vengeance—to see the Guides of Sin brought to ruin.

Thus, once Taesan defeated them, the specter would vanish, his existence as a spirit finally ending.

Taesan could do nothing to alter this fate, bound as it was by the pact between the specter and the wizard.

Though he could sense the specter’s lingering presence, Taesan left him undisturbed. There was nothing he could do to ease the specter’s anguish, so he waited for his companion to sort through his turmoil alone.

Meanwhile, time continued its unyielding march.

People threw themselves into training, steeling themselves for the approaching battle.

Taesan examined his sword, which had grown in power as he fulfilled the prophecy.

---

**[Caberte’s Relic: Sword of the Ancestral Bloodline]**

**[Relic of a world that has since perished, claiming the lives of many royals.]**

- **Attack Power: +500**
- **+150 Attack Power against all enemies**
- **Fulfilling the world’s prophecy has imbued the sword with the power to strike down the being who brings ruin—the Demon King. The sword now holds the strength to challenge and defeat the Demon King.**

---

Its raw attack power had risen by 200, and it now possessed a new special effect.

Taesan could sense a fierce energy within the relic, more akin to a determined will to oppose annihilation than mere strength.

However, he suspected that the true extent of its power would reveal itself only upon meeting the Demon King.

But the Demon King remained unseen.

Bored with waiting idly, Taesan moved about, exploring various places across the world.

He wasn’t simply sightseeing; he was searching for places where he might fulfill the conditions to acquire new skills.

Taesan had acquired many skills, some he hadn’t managed to obtain in his previous life.

Yet he had still not recovered all his former abilities.

There were still core skills left—Copy, Minor Time Freeze, Multiply, Designated Skill Reset, and Essence Strike among them.

The Essence Strike skill was manageable. By mastering both the Essence Perception and Vital Point Identification skills to 100% proficiency, he could unlock it once again. While challenging, the prerequisites weren’t unreasonable.

However, the other skills were a different story.

Particularly challenging were Copy, Minor Time Freeze, Multiply, and Designated Skill Reset—four skills with especially steep requirements.

Even Taesan, who had managed to acquire an array of abilities, doubted he could replicate the extreme conditions, sheer luck, and split-second decisions that had once led him to obtain them.

“Nothing here.”

After traveling halfway around the world, Taesan abandoned his search. As he had suspected, there were no locations suitable for acquiring skills in this phantom world.

The best option now was to continue descending the labyrinth, scouring each floor for places where skills could be acquired.

If what Itaeyon had told him was true, and those floors still existed, there was a possibility he might reacquire some of his skills.

Returning to the imperial capital, Taesan quietly contemplated strategies for skill acquisition.

During this time, the specter remained hidden.

A week passed before it happened.

---

“It’s a commotion out there.”

Inside his palace, a king clicked his tongue in irritation.

For days, envoys from the empire had beseeched him to join forces against the approaching Demon King to prevent the world’s destruction.

But the elderly ruler of the kingdom dismissed their pleas.

“There is no such thing as a Demon King in this world,” he scoffed.

The Demon King, he believed, was a relic of ancient legends. A being of myth couldn’t descend upon this world to destroy it. Such a thing was inconceivable.

The king saw it as nothing more than the empire’s fabrication, a ploy to consolidate power. Thus, he refused all requests for cooperation.

Even as citizens grew anxious, some even fleeing the kingdom, his mind remained unchanged.

“Y-your Majesty!”

The door burst open, and the captain of the knights entered with a troubled expression.

“At… At the kingdom’s gate, someone has appeared.”

“Take me to them.”

The king scowled, following the knight outside.

At the kingdom’s entrance stood a man—a young man.

His skin was ghostly pale, devoid of any trace of blood. Clad in black, he held an enormous sword.

An aura of malevolence emanated from him, so potent that the soldiers quaked with fear. But the king remained unfazed.

“The empire has gone to great lengths,” he sneered.

In his eyes, this man was merely a pawn sent by the empire to stir up fear. He was certain of it.

“Kill him. Display his head at the palace gates. That should dissuade the empire from meddling further.”

“Yes… y-yes…”

The soldiers approached the man hesitantly.

Despite the spears pointed at him, the pale man stood in a daze.

“Why am I here?” he murmured softly, his voice reaching the soldiers’ ears.

“I thought… I had already destroyed this place.”

The soldiers recoiled as his empty gaze fell upon them.

“Uh…”

They couldn’t bring themselves to approach any closer. Annoyed, the king shouted, “What are you waiting for? Strike him!”

Despite the royal command, the soldiers remained rooted in place, paralyzed by a primal terror beyond the king’s understanding.

The man observed them, nodding to himself.

“This place… It’s a mere illusion.”

Somehow, he instinctively understood.

The tasks assigned to him were completed.

In other words, this was a fabrication, created by some external force.

“My purpose remains unchanged.”

As he muttered, the oppressive aura surrounding him intensified, and the soldiers’ faces turned deathly pale.

“Aaaaah!” One soldier, unable to bear the terror, thrust his spear with eyes clenched shut.

The spear touched the darkness surrounding the man and vanished.

“Oh…”

The soldier himself was swallowed by the darkness, disappearing without a trace. The king staggered backward in horror.

“How dare you harm my soldiers! Empire’s lackey! I will not stand idly by!”

“Silence.”

The man’s voice was quiet. But the darkness began spreading.

“No… Noooo!”

Darkness consumed the entire kingdom.

The soldiers panicked, unable to resist.

“Now, silence shall rule,” he whispered as the darkness surged forth.

The ancient walls, the grand palace, the lively towns—all of it vanished into the shadows.

The darkness swallowed every trace of life, leaving only an eerie stillness as the Demon King continued his march.

---

The Demon King had arrived.

Rumors spread swiftly of a neighboring kingdom that had fallen, wiped from existence. His creatures moved quickly, trampling all that lay in their path.

The empire mobilized in response, joined by kingdoms that had agreed to the alliance.

Knights and soldiers gathered from various nations.

And the Demon King pressed onward.

Leaving a trail of thick, oppressive darkness, he made no effort to conceal his movements. Everyone knew where he was.

In times like these, fools who lacked self-awareness often emerged.

“Demon King! I am the hero who will defeat you! Prepare to meet your end at my sword!”

A young man shouted boldly before the Demon King. With a careless wave of his hand, the Demon King unleashed a wave of darkness.

The young man charged forward with a battle cry but vanished the instant he touched the shadow.

The Demon King arrived at another fortress.

The commotion within reached his ears. This kingdom, like the one before, had dismissed reports of his appearance as mere rumors and refused the empire’s alliance.

They were unprepared for battle. Panic-stricken soldiers scrambled in terror, desperate to flee.

“You are hardly worth my attention.”

The darkness surged, spreading like ink.

It rose up, consuming the kingdom.

Terror, dread, and everything in between dissolved, all becoming part of the Demon King.

Disappointed, he walked through the desolate ruins he had left behind.

“You are truly fools.”

Despite the warning of impending doom, despite the necessity of unity to thwart the world’s end, they had done nothing.

Even with the threat of a colossal enemy looming over them, they clung to their pride and self-interest, refusing cooperation for petty gains.

Such foolish creatures.

The Demon

 King shook his head in disdain.

“I had hoped for something different… but it’s all the same.”

Even in this fabricated world, they remained mired in their ignorance.

The Demon King resumed his march to extinguish the world.

---

Reaching yet another fortress, he was about to unleash his power when he paused.

Within the walls, he sensed fear and dread.

But they did not yield.

Organized in crude lines, gripping their weapons, they suppressed their terror, prepared to face him.

The Demon King withdrew his darkness, stepping toward the fortress gate.

“Everyone! Fire! For the world!”

With a resolute cry, arrows and stones rained down. Boiling oil was poured over him.

The shadows surrounding the Demon King rose, swallowing every attack.

Despite their failure to harm him, the defenders did not falter. They attacked with unyielding determination.

The Demon King quietly observed them, hand reaching for his sword.

In his past conquest, he had never needed to draw his blade. He hadn’t thought the world worthy of it.

But now, it was different.

He drew his sword, slashing through the air.

With a thunderous crash, the walls split, and the Demon King advanced.

“Kill him!”

“For the world!”

The soldiers charged, spears pointed at the Demon King.

Unlike the hopeless desperation of the first kingdom, these men risked their lives with purpose, a will to fight.

A faint smile appeared on the Demon King’s lips.

He cut down the soldiers as he advanced, yet they did not waver in the face of overwhelming power.

When he reached the throne room, he found a man waiting—a king, weary yet resolute, sword in hand.

“You are… the Demon King… a monster,” the king said.

“You will die.”

“It matters not. I have come here, knowing my life was forfeit.”

The Demon King’s arrival had been swifter than anticipated, catching the world unprepared.

This kingdom had willingly chosen to stand as a sacrificial barrier to give humanity time to assemble.

“Even if I die here today, humanity will triumph over you!”

With a final, unwavering belief, the king charged.

The Demon King smiled faintly as he swung his sword.

The king’s fallen face held nothing but faith in their ultimate victory.

“Something has changed.”

The Demon King sheathed his blade and murmured to himself.

In the past, when he had brought ruin to this world, there had been those who stood against him.

But they had never truly understood him. They thought him merely a powerful foe, believing they could defeat him by strength alone.

This time, however, was different.

These people knew what he was. Yet, they believed, without a shadow of doubt, that they could win.

The Demon King’s smile deepened.

He was the Demon King.

An instrument of annihilation.

His purpose was not just to end the world.

He longed to see the world’s will.

To see them united, placing their faith in a hero, standing together to oppose him. To witness them face extinction with resolve—this was the hope within his destructive purpose.

“I acknowledge your resolve. But I am the Demon King.”

It was his duty to crush that resolve and bring ruin.

The Demon King stamped his foot, and twisted forms began to emerge from the darkness.

A chorus of unearthly voices rang out.

In a torrent of chaos, a monstrous army emerged. Some creatures towered like mountains, while others were no larger than insects.

All of them were under the Demon King’s command.

And with a dreadful unity, they surged forth to devastate the world.