Chapter 266
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 266
Chapter Title: 74. When the Night is Long, Dreams are Deep (5)
A searing pain that felt like it would burn my chest to ashes came crashing over me.
I rolled my eyes back until they showed white.
"Your Highness! Your Highness!"
"Nooooooo!"
The screams of my beloved ones echoed in my ears.
"You...!"
"...Ple...ase...!"
Even those faded away into the distance.
My consciousness grew distant.
A shrill ringing pierced my eardrums like they were being torn apart.
The sky crumbled, and the earth surged upward.
As heaven and earth flipped endlessly, I began to plummet downward.
Down, and further down.
Splash.
A hallucination rang out.
A bone-chilling cold swept over me.
That dreadful chill froze even the agony that had felt like it would incinerate my chest.
In my hazy consciousness, I thought.
I had been through something just like this before.
It was exactly like that day when I first glimpsed my memories of my past life.
And yet, not quite the same.
The memories of my past life had come upon me suddenly, but today's events were something I had brought upon myself.
That day had only been a brush with death, a peek beyond the boundary.
But now, I had crossed it completely.
Because I was dead.
I looked down.
The abyss-like darkness I had seen once before yawned wide, waiting for me.
I looked up again.
A foggy world, like peering up at the frozen surface of a lake in midwinter.
I stared blankly at the surface as I sank endlessly.
Then, at some point, a horrific pain struck.
Would it feel like this if my flesh were shredded?
If every bone in my body shattered?
If my organs all burned away?
The excruciating torment made my consciousness feel like it would shatter.
Perhaps that would have been better.
It would have hurt less.
But the pain relentlessly dragged me back to awareness.
All I could do was flail helplessly as I sank without end.
Cold.
My body felt like it was burning from the inside, yet my soul was freezing solid.
My fragmented soul clashed and pierced against itself, breaking into even finer pieces.
And in that shattered state, it began to harden slowly.
Fearful.
I couldn't reassemble my finely shattered soul.
It felt like it would turn to dust and scatter, leaving nothing behind.
Terror gripped me.
But I knew.
The time granted to me was running out.
The end allotted to me was approaching.
There was still nothing I could do.
Struggling changed nothing.
Turning away wouldn't stop the moment of annihilation from coming.
I simply waited.
Writhing in agony.
Shivering in the cold.
Trembling in fear.
Fragmenting and freezing over and over.
Awaiting oblivion.
It was a horrific stretch of time, even for me, who had existed for countless ages.
Far too cruel for a handful of shattered soul fragments to endure.
And yet, despite it all.
Heh.
I laughed.
Faces flooded my mind.
Arwen, Adelia, Vincent, Kals, Bernard.
My knights, whom I loved.
My uncle, Jordan, the knights and rangers of Winter Castle.
Gunne, Gionne, and the Sword Princesses.
Ophelia, Agnes.
The people I cherished.
The King, Maximilian, Villepeldt, Siolin, Doris.
And countless others.
Just thinking of their faces brought a smile.
It had been so much fun.
Hating, loving. Fighting, understanding.
It was probably just a fleeting moment in my long life.
But at the same time, the most intense one.
If someone asked later, I could say with confidence.
It was short, but enjoyable. I lived well because of them.
I chuckled softly.
A gruff voice came from somewhere.
It was Agnes.
I'm worried.
The faces of my dear ones, pale with shock as they watched my final moments. I couldn't forget them.
Whether thoughtful Arwen would blame herself for contributing to my death.
Whether timid Adelia would cry alone in fear without me.
Whether steadfast Vincent would grieve over losing me after his uncle.
Whether duty-bound Kals would sink into needless despair.
Whether that fool Ilai would have his dreams shattered because of me.
And whether those left behind would suffer because of me. The worry was unbearable.
I know. Me too.
Irritation laced her tone, but deep pity seeped through.
Her warm insult made me laugh despite myself.
Thank you, Agnes.
Agnes didn't reply. Nor did she speak to me again.
But I could feel her still watching over me.
Probably to stay with me until the end.
Lest I vanish alone in loneliness.
So I could forget even a little of the fear and pain of oblivion.
Thanks to her, I could await my end with a somewhat eased mind.
Or so I thought.
But no.
In this space where I couldn't tell up from down.
From the abyss below that had yawned wide, a thick darkness surged forth.
I had never seen it directly before, but I knew what it was.
The Soul Devourer.
The true form of the authority that, back when I wielded the sword, devoured the souls offered as tribute without leaving a trace.
That ravenous beast licked its chops at my finely shattered soul drifting down.
The moment I saw it, the terror of annihilation I had momentarily forgotten reared its head again.
Horrific pain began to dominate me once more.
I didn't struggle.
I clutched the still-intact fragments of my soul and glared at it.
If I was to be devoured anyway, I would stare into its maw with eyes wide open. So my end wouldn't be pathetic and wretched.
It circled me.
As if waiting for my soul to break into bite-sized pieces.
Slither.
Where the darkness passed, thick shadows remained. After circling me several times, my surroundings were engulfed in pitch-black darkness.
Creep.
The darkness drew closer bit by bit.
Gobbling up the soul fragments spilling from my body greedily.
Even swallowing Agnes's voice.
Thus, it finally reached me.
My vision turned black.
All I could see was darkness, and more darkness.
The darkness was so thick and deep that nothing was visible.
Not even the faces of my dear ones I had been mulling over until the very last.
I realized.
That I was truly alone at last.
I sensed.
The moment of annihilation was imminent.
And that moment was more horrific than I had imagined.
Lonely. Terrifying.
From the darkness came the sound of something being crunched and chewed viciously.
Whether it was a hallucination born of my fear, or a real sound, I couldn't tell.
One thing was certain: it wouldn't be satisfied with mere crumbs.
And on the table of that insatiable beast, the last course would be the remaining fragments of my soul that hadn't scattered.
Suddenly, I realized.
The true nature of that ravenous beast I had wielded in the past.
It was likely the most formidable foe I had ever felled—one so tenacious and resilient that even after incalculable time in this horrific world, it hadn't dispersed. Pure malice itself.
I saw it. It saw me.
With eyes full of anticipation and malice, it waited for me to shatter further.
And finally, the moment it awaited arrived.
Two soul fragments detached from my body.
In the horrific sense of loss and helplessness, I stared blankly at them.
A large fragment shining brilliantly even in the darkness.
And a small, pathetic one glowing faintly in comparison.
The moment I saw them, I knew.
The large one was my past life. The small one was the fleeting life I had lived as Idrian Leonberger.
The darkness yawned wide.
Ah...
Seeing it, I thrashed madly.
I reached out desperately.
And grasped.
The smaller soul fragment—the me who had lived as Idrian Leonberger.
I clutched the soul fragment in my hand tightly to my chest.
I curled up.
Awaiting the annihilation's pain soon to come.
The beast's maw gaped wide.
I closed my eyes.
Embracing the remaining fragment of my soul even tighter.
Farewell.
In my heart, I bid goodbye to those I loved.
But the expected pain of annihilation didn't come.
Kraaaaa!
Instead, a scream of agony rang out.
I opened my eyes again.
And saw.
A golden soul shining brilliantly before me.
I stared blankly at the formless mass of light.
Agnes spoke to me gruffly.
Why.
What debt.
The unexpected answer felt like a blow to the back of my head.
Then I cried out in alarm.
Get back. That darkness ahead is too much for you now, with only your soul remaining.
I shouted again.
Get back.
Her scolding words belied a tone that clearly admired me.
I thrashed.
If I could, I wanted to push her away.
So she wouldn't get caught up. So that shining soul wouldn't fade before the overwhelming darkness it couldn't resist.
But in my current state, so small and feeble, all I could do was scream.
Though it was just formless light, I could almost see Agnes scratching her ear in annoyance.
I kept calling out to Agnes.
I cried out desperately. This isn't just death. It's complete annihilation, without even a chance at reincarnation.
Before Agnes could finish, a horrific roar echoed.
At the same time, her soul began to shine even more brilliantly.
No sooner had she spoken than the darkness lunged.
A brilliant golden flash blazed, repelling the darkness.
A fight with an obvious end.
Agnes! Ann!
I called her desperately, thrashing to stand by her side.
But my already damaged soul couldn't even move forward.
The golden brilliance began to flicker unsteadily.
The darkness rampaged more fiercely.
Fragments of the great soul scattered in all directions.
Even as her soul chipped away, Agnes didn't retreat.
Just as she hadn't in life.
But the outcome was decided from the start.
The darkness, fattened on the souls I had fed it over time, was absolute in this space.
I shouted over and over for Agnes to retreat, even now.
But she kept fighting, growing smaller and smaller.
Ah, no!
Agnes turned to me.
At her warm voice, I gritted my teeth.
I gripped the small fragment in my hand tightly.
The most precious moment I had vowed to carry with me to the end.
To burn that fragment at least and push it beyond the darkness's domain.
At that moment, a miracle occurred.
A brilliant white flash erupted before the darkness.
My old friend, the founder of Leonberger Kingdom, the Dragon Slayer.
Right beside him, a golden glow gathered.
The same gold, but more worldly than Agnes's.
The Mercenary King's soul.
And beside him, countless lights bloomed.
A cacophony of voices filled the space.
All familiar, all dearly missed.
They were the souls of the great knights who had fought alongside me in the past.
The Dragon Slayer turned to me.
At the Dragon Slayer's words, the other souls jeered.
A sharp shout silenced the nonstop chatter of the souls.
It was Agnes.
She was shining brilliantly again, as she had when she first appeared before me.
The souls began to emit radiant lights of various hues.
And the golden glow shining more brilliantly than any stepped forward.
The army of brilliant light surged toward the darkness.