Chapter 406: Shock and Horror(2)
Chapter 406: Shock and Horror(2)
Volume 29 of Xenon's Biography delivered a profound sense of shock and horror to its vast readership.
If the ending of Volume 27 had been a nail driven into the coffin of the readers' newfound hope, Volume 29 was a sledgehammer smashing that coffin to splinters.
The atmosphere was already thick with anxiety due to certain instigators, and this volume served as a vivid, undeniable confirmation of their worst fears.
Naturally, those who championed the Jin-Lily pairing erupted in a violent backlash. Their reactions were less like mere complaints and more like cries of agony, as if they were coughing up blood.
[One reader, upon finishing the ending, tore the book to shreds while wailing. They screamed that such an ending could never be forgiven...]
Some reacted with fury.
[Unless the author is a demon worshiper, there is no way they would write such a development. We demand that Xenon and the publisher conduct a mandatory re-evaluation...]
Some were in deep denial.
[Looking at Jin's journey so far, this is somewhat understandable, but it's not enough. We need a more definitive description...]
Some offered calm evaluations.
[At most, I thought Jin would be gravely injured by a demon worshiper. But who could have predicted an ending like this? This plot is truly more devilish than a demon's work.]
Some resorted to vitriol.
[If either Xenon or Jin dies in the next volume, I will burn every single copy of Xenon's Biography I have collected.]
And some made absurd threats.
While the reactions were as diverse as the readers themselves, almost everyone was reeling from the impact.
In truth, Xenon's Biography had never been a stranger to tragedy.
First, there was Sacran, who dedicated his entire life to the Demon Clan. His sacrifice provided the catalyst for spreading the word of the demons' nobility.
Second, there was the love between Kair and Elisha, a romance that could never be fulfilled due to the limitations of their lifespans. Their unrequited love gave courage to many.
Third, there was Jin's defeat at the hands of Gluttony. This had been particularly jarring because it followed a side story that depicted the tender past of Jin and Lily.
Furthermore, by revealing the tragic backstories of Wrath, Lust, and Envy, the author had firmly etched their actions into the readers' minds.
Tragedy lingers in the memory because it stirs a complex tide of emotions—a phenomenon often referred to as the "aftermath."
Yet, even with such a despairing plot, there was one specific detail that tortured the readers even more.
[He awakened when he was defeated by Gluttony before. Won't it be the same this time?]
[Not at all. Back then, he was physically intact. This time, he has absorbed the soul of Diabolus. For Lily's sake, he will inevitably be sacrificed.]
[Was it really necessary to absorb the soul by literally eating the body containing Diabolus's soul?]
[That will surely be explained in the next volume. But as for Jin's survival...]
It was the fact that a tiny, microscopic sliver of hope remained. Jin had once had his chest pierced by Gluttony, only to narrowly return to life through an awakening.
Because of this, readers were clinging to the faint hope that this development might follow a similar path.
They argued that tearing apart a couple after showing such a poignant story was something only a demon would do, insisting that the two must end up together.
However, regardless of that hope, the foreshadowing planted throughout the series was beginning to be harvested one by one.
[Jin was always prepared to sacrifice himself for Lily.]
[His love and loyalty: to protect the brightest light even if he must become the foulest darkness.]
[This ending was predestined the moment the stake was driven into Lily's heart.]
[To elevate the work's artistic perfection to its peak, Jin's death is an inevitability.]
Critics, who usually evaluated the work objectively regardless of its popularity, argued that for the sake of the story, Jin had to die.
Ironically, these critics were usually not well-regarded by the general public.
The reason was simple: when Xenon's Biography first exploded in popularity, the critics had done nothing but heap criticism upon it.
Given that most critics were either established traditional authors or philosophers, their initial disdain was understandable.
However, as the "Why Is This Real?" phenomenon occurred repeatedly, their attitudes shifted 180 degrees.
They all eventually accepted it, thinking, 'Ah, he writes like this because he's a prophet or a person from the future.' This allowed them to finally cast aside their prejudices.
[Concerns arise that even the events personally hosted by Xenon may lose momentum due to the ending of Volume 29...]
[Despairing readers are swarming in front of the Maishal Mansion and the publishing house. Unfortunately, Xenon is currently resting at the Academy...]
[Xenon has yet to release any official statement.]
Thus, those who had read Xenon's Biography were currently floundering in a sea of confusion.
The mixture of conflicting emotions was so intense that it gave rise to an unprecedented phenomenon.
[Readers are pleading while clutching at a thread of hope that isn't even there. Scholars have dubbed this new phenomenon 'False Hope'...]
Not only that, but scholars observing this reaction even coined new terminology to describe it.
The amusing part was that "False Hope" was a term Isaac was already very familiar with. Had he seen the newspaper, he likely would have chuckled.
In any case, while most people were experiencing shock and horror at the ending of Volume 29, one of Isaac's acquaintances...
"I'm telling you, he's definitely from the future. Otherwise, there's no way he could write such a despairing development."
His lover, Cecile, was actually quite satisfied with the turn of events. She closed the book quietly, a characteristic, captivating smile playing on her lips.
Leaning back in her chair, she slowly closed her eyes and imagined the ending.
A gray desert littered with corpses that looked as if they had been gnawed on by beasts, and Xenon standing there, frozen in horror at the sight.
Walking step by step along the trail of blood, only to find Jin—transformed beyond recognition.
His frame had grown bloated from Diabolus's soul, and his mouth was smeared with the blood and flesh of the demon worshipers he hadn't finished consuming.
To think that all of this was for the sake of Lily's recovery... what a devoted knight.
‘I’ve encountered countless tragedies in my time, but... nothing like this.’
Cecile wasn't just referring to the tragedies within Xenon's Biography. She was exactly 106 years old.
Before the appearance of Xenon's Biography, she had encountered every tragedy a demon could possibly face.
Of course, she hadn't experienced them all personally, but as a member of the royalty, she had heard a vast number of rumors.
Stories of a demon who went on a journey only to be turned into a devil by an unfortunate incident and subsequently subjugated. Stories of demons betrayed by those they trusted simply because of their race.
And even stories of those who lost their beloved partners right before their eyes for the sole crime of being a demon.
She had encountered many tragedies, but they were mere trifles compared to the ending of Volume 29. What made it even more malicious was that it left a lingering possibility.
If the plot point about Jin being defeated by Gluttony and then resurrecting didn't exist, people would have firmly believed that Jin was dead.
But because that hope had been planted beforehand, the author was able to toy with the readers' hearts, lifting them up only to drop them again.
‘And he still claims he’s not from the future? That’s impossible. Absolutely impossible.’
Unless one had seen or experienced it firsthand, one could not write such a despairing development. It was utterly impossible.
She had already been convinced that Isaac had come from another world—a parallel world of sorts. This volume had finally sealed that conviction.
She wondered what the next development would be. Just imagining it made Cecile's heart flutter, and she hugged the book tightly to her chest.
Perhaps because she hugged it so firmly, her ample bosom was pressed flat in a pleasing manner. That simple action alone caused an alluring sensuality to radiate from her.
Between the stress of purging the nobles connected to the demon worshipers one by one and the inability to see Isaac, her sexual desire was steadily accumulating on its own.
‘Should I go visit him? No. Let’s wait until the break. He’s at the Imperial Palace anyway, so it would be hard to meet.’
Through Gartz's reports, she was already aware that Isaac had fled to the Imperial Palace.
He must have fled there to prepare for exactly this kind of situation. Since he had sought refuge in Helium last time, this much was easy to guess.
Even Anna, Isaac's mother and her own mother-in-law, would find it a bit bothersome to head to the Imperial Palace.
In the case of Helium, she'd had Gartz's help and it had been half-joking, but the Imperial Palace would involve lengthy procedures.
‘When we meet, I’ll have to have a long, deep talk with him. And while I’m at it, I’ll ask him what kind of world he came from.’
She sincerely wanted to hear what his world was like. Just what kind of world was it that allowed him to write such tragic narratives?
At the same time, she felt a sense of caution. If he had truly experienced all these tragedies, he might look fine on the outside, but his soul would be covered in countless scars.
‘Is that why he keeps bringing women into his life without even realizing it?’
There were research results suggesting that interaction with the opposite sex warms the heart, so it wasn't complete nonsense.
While he was able to bring in many women because he had the ability and power to do so, in reality, he was the one who had chosen them.
"Haa..."
Cecile let out a feverish breath as her imagination ran wild regarding Isaac.
Perhaps it was because her dark cycle was approaching, or perhaps it was because of everything that had built up, but just the thought of him made her feel damp below.
She was the one with succubus blood, but she wondered if Isaac was actually the incubus.
That would explain how he could repeatedly toy with people's hearts and, furthermore, enchant so many women.
‘Though that’s just a joke.’
If he were a real demon, it would have been impossible for him to receive divine power in the first place. It was merely a metaphor.
Cecile quickly pushed away the lust that had nearly taken over her mind. She couldn't do that sort of thing here, so she needed to maintain her composure.
Demons were generally not easily swayed by desire, so this much was easy for her. If Isaac had been in front of her, she might have been consumed by desire, but fortunately, he wasn't.
Eventually, she shook her head vigorously and carefully placed Volume 29 of Xenon's Biography on her desk.
She had only taken a brief break; there was still a mountain of work left to do.
‘I hope the break comes soon. I’m going to release everything I haven't been able to.’
Thus, there were cases like Cecile, where the ending of Volume 29 led to a certain misunderstanding...
"...How truly tragic. Just what kind of life have you lived?"
And then there was Arwen, who had fallen into a similar misunderstanding and felt genuine pity for Isaac.
As someone who also firmly believed Isaac was from the future, the thought that he had personally experienced such an ending made her heart ache.
That aside, her desire to see Isaac's face was no different from Cecile's. She let out a deep sigh and quietly closed the book.
She then looked up at the darkening sky outside the window and whispered softly.
"Just what kind of world... is filled with such tragedies? I am truly glad that such a world has not come to pass."
Arwen felt both relief and sorrow. And finally...
"What do you think? The rumors we spread to incite the public are starting to become reality."
"...Even I didn't expect this. What a vicious fellow. I should take a page out of his book."
"Is a demon worshiper allowed to say that? You're the vicious ones."
"We merely have quantity. In terms of concentration, we fall far short of this ending."
Someone was genuinely impressed.