The Weight of 'Mother'
Selene, the 5★ Scorched Saint, lowered the Wedge Sword of Hellfire with ragged breaths. The blade was smeared with chunks of flesh and blood, and all around her lay the charred remains of thousands upon thousands of Karne's ominous legions. In mere minutes, Selene had slaughtered every servant of Karne that had charged her. Yet this was no victory. Instead, a crushing sense of defeat coursed through her.
“…Haaah.”
She had failed. The Mother of Ill Omens had toyed with Selene and abducted their lord. It was entirely Selene's fault. In the end, she had been unable to protect him.
“……”
Selene's posture crumbled. She sank to the ground, clutching the sword's hilt with white-knuckled force.
“…Foolish wretch…”
She tore at her own hair in self-loathing. Had she not sworn that she would protect her lord even at the cost of her life the next time she faced him? And yet here she was. Because of her mistake, his safety was now in jeopardy. The realization shattered what little composure she had left.
“…That… harlot.”
The tip of her sword turned toward Karne. Selene gazed at the swarming legions of ill omens in the distance. Without her lord, the world held no meaning. She had no reason to go on living. If that was the case, then she would simply burn everything to ash. She had done it once before; it would not be difficult now.
Selene drew forth every last spark of flame within her body.
5★ Scorched Saint Selene casts the skill 「Fallen Flame」.
The brand of scorched flame on her body began to burn white-hot. Fallen Flame—the most destructive of the Scorched Saint's unique skills. A final gambit that could incinerate the entire world by burning her own body. But Selene's flames would never sweep across the world.
“Suicide? I won't stop you, but the timing's a little awkward right now, don't you think?”
At the sudden voice, Selene turned her head. A woman with short, deep-blue hair stood there.
“Mirien.”
The Storm of the North Sea, Mirien, was staring at Selene with a look of utter exasperation.
“…What the hell happened here?”
“Can't you see for yourself?”
“No, I know Actor got kidnapped. What I don't get is why you're standing here like this.”
“Without My Lord, what meaning does this world hold? How can you remain so calm?”
“…Haaah.”
Mirien sighed and flicked her wrist. With nothing more than a simple manifestation of mana, the Wedge Sword of Hellfire flew from Selene's grasp and landed far away—an impossible feat under normal circumstances.
“You're not thinking straight right now. Idiot. Get ahold of yourself.”
Even at Mirien's words, Selene's eyes continued to burn with cold fire. Seeing that, Mirien could only offer a bitter smile.
Did I look like that to Actor, too?
When she had faced Actor in the tower not long ago, she must have looked exactly like Selene did now. Seeing it with her own eyes made it painfully pathetic. She could finally understand why Selene had insulted her so harshly. But Mirien had no time to mock Selene at leisure.
“I'll be blunt. Actor is alive.”
At those words, the flames around Selene began to subside.
“My Lord is…”
“Yeah. If Karne really wanted to kill him, why would she bother kidnapping him in the first place?”
Mirien's left eye was already tracking Actor, who was no longer here.
“Karne's good at hiding her presence, so my magic can't find her. But Actor's still in a human body. Tracking him inside the nest is tricky, but not impossible.”
“…Where? Where is he?! If My Lord is alive, is he safe?”
Selene grabbed the hem of Mirien's cloak and cried out desperately.
“H-Hey, what's with you?! You're gonna tear it!”
Mirien hurriedly straightened her clothes before speaking.
“Don't worry. Actor's alive. I don't know if he's unharmed, but stop whining and pull yourself together. Fix that mess of hair, too. Imagine how pathetic he'd think you look right now.”
“…!”
The moment she heard Actor's name, Selene snapped back to her senses. She retrieved the Wedge Sword of Hellfire that Mirien had sent flying and straightened her disheveled robes. Clearing her throat, she looked at Mirien.
“You must be ashamed of yourself, no?”
“Shut up and just guide the way, you walking spellbook.”
“Like I said, that 'walking spellbook' thing is—”
Mirien started to retort, then shook her head.
“Never mind. If you're back to insulting me, you're fine.”
Mirien smirked, and Selene quietly turned her head away.
5★ Mother of Ill Omens Karne is watching the Ruler 'Actor'.
The Mother of Ill Omens, Karne, narrowed her eyes as she stared at Actor. It was because of the single word that had just left his mouth. He had clearly said it.
—Mother.
It was a title the taciturn Ruler of the Rift had never once used for her before. Karne's black wings trembled ever so slightly. At first, she was taken aback. But the emotion that followed was fury. How dare he, after everything, think he had the right to call her that now?
“…Actor. Are you trying to mock this mother of yours with foolish wordplay?”
Karne's tone remained gentle, but the anger beneath it was unmistakable. She had been betrayed twice already; a third time would not be tolerated. The abandoned goddess fixed the ruler she had once served with a frigid gaze. Yet even under that menacing stare, Actor's expression did not waver.
“No. I meant it. I have never once abandoned you, Mother.”
Before she could even point out the sudden shift to formal speech, Actor continued with a resolute look.
“Please hear me out, Mother. I can explain everything.”
“…Actor.”
“You can at least listen to what I have to say. I trust you, Mother.”
“Stop calling me—”
Actor cut her off.
“I know you are still kind, and that you care for me. Before you tried to end the world, you went to the trouble of placing me somewhere safe, didn't you?”
That struck home. Karne had abducted Actor precisely because she could not bear to see him buried and killed by her legions.
“In short, I wish to serve you once more, Mother.”
“It's too late, my child.”
“It isn't.”
“Just because you call me Mother again doesn't change anything. …This mother of yours has already been cast aside twice, and the curse of ill omens will devour everyone.”
Karne had already given up on everything. Gathering her servants and blanketing the world with black feathers was nothing more than a final struggle. Actor seemed to know this well.
“Mother, I intend to become the Absolute Ruler.”
“…I expected as much.”
“For that purpose, I was the first to discard my immortal body. As you can see, I am speaking to you now as a human.”
“…You chose mortality of your own will.”
“Yes.”
Actor gave a bitter smile. A divine being reduced to a mortal. As the former Mother of All Things and a goddess herself, Karne could understand the weight of that choice.
“But I do not believe it was in vain. Now you can touch me, Mother, and I can touch you in return.”
At those words, Karne's hand slowly reached out, as if drawn by a spell, and brushed against Actor's face. The gentle sensation led her to a single conclusion.
“Actor… Don't tell me you abandoned all of us because…”
“Yes. The path to becoming the Absolute Ruler is inevitably a lonely one. I knew I would bring misfortune to everyone someday, so I decided to leave them all behind.”
Actor explained it plainly, his voice steady and unwavering.
“That is why I never intended to abandon you, Mother. I simply couldn't bring myself to explain it beforehand… because as your child, I didn't want to see the sadness on your face.”
“……”
Karne fell silent. But in her mind, she kept repeating a single word.
Mother…
How long had it been since anyone had called her that? Many children had followed her before. The lives born from her hands had all worshipped and pledged their loyalty to her. They had all called her Mother—except for one. The man standing before her now. And that very man was calling her Mother again.
“……”
At first, she had been confused. Why now, after all this time? He must have known how thoroughly that word could break her. Was he trying to deceive her again? Karne's black wings trembled violently. Once, those wings had embraced countless children; now they carried only death. Even so, something deep in her chest ached. Faintly, ever so faintly.
If Actor was truly sincere… No, had he ever lied to her before? A crack formed in her hollow heart.
“…This mother of yours…”
Karne's trembling lips parted.
“I may not have given birth to you… but even so… I truly thought of you as my own child.”
“You still do, don't you?”
“…Yes. I can't deny it.”
“And I think of you as my mother, Karne.”
Actor called her Mother once more. And this time, the possibility that it might not be a lie shook her heart with cruel force.
A brief silence passed. As Karne lingered in the haze of nostalgia, Actor spoke again.
“I cast everything aside with the resolve to become the Absolute Ruler. And now, I wish to reclaim it all. That is why I came all this way to find you, Mother.”
“Actor.”
“Yes. As you expected, those who walk beside me will never find happiness.”
“…Even so.”
“Yes. Even so, I need you, Mother.”
“……”
“Will you be my mother once more?”
Karne gave a bitter smile. To hear those words from the one who had left her. From the child who had abandoned her most cruelly. It tore at her heart. She should think of it as deception. She had to believe it was a lie. Otherwise, she would waver. But—
“How unfair. If you say it like that, how could I possibly refuse?”
A single word—Mother. That one phrase had become a blade that could either deny or affirm her, carving into her heart. In the end, she could not hide her true nature. She placed a hand over her chest. It almost felt as though a faint light had returned to the corrupted source of life within her.
Actor pressed the question like a wedge.
“Mother, will you come with me?”
“…Very well.”
Karne's black wings folded quietly. The veil that had surrounded them vanished as if it had never existed.
Progress has been updated.
5★ Mother of Ill Omens Karne has pledged her loyalty to you.
Congratulations, Ruler 'Actor'. You have cleared the dungeon 「Nest of Ill Omens」.
Reward: 2000 Exp / 5★ Mother of Ill Omens Karne
“…So this actually worked.”