Chapter 386: The End of War
Chapter 386: The End of War
Flashback
“User Kim Soohyun.”
Seraph’s lips, which had been sealed for some time, finally parted. I suppressed a flicker of anxiety, thinking this was finally the end, and quietly waited for her to speak.
After a long, drawn-out pause, Seraph continued in her usual monotone voice.
“I’m not sure what I should say… but I will explain. A User summoned to the Hall Plain possesses a unique essence that distinguishes their soul… In other words, they are the original.”
Seraph’s subsequent answer was a far cry from what I had hoped for. The vague anxiety I’d felt before began to take a more concrete shape, but she was still speaking.
“The essence of a soul can be defined as a unique entity. Therefore, reviving a deceased User… is not a matter of restoring or reconstructing their essence, but of creating a new one.”
“Seraph. What are you talking about right now?”
My voice grew louder, my breath unknowingly turning ragged.
Seraph bit her lip for a moment. Then, without a hint of hesitation, she stated her conclusion.
“The essence of a User before death possesses the properties of an Earthling. However, the essence of a User who dies in the Hall Plain and is then resurrected is no longer recognized as an Earthling, but as a Resident. This means their natures are incompatible and cannot merge.”
“……”
“They are completely different. Because they are different, it cannot be done. The Users you mentioned, User Kim Soohyun, are all Users who died in the Hall Plain… In other words, I am informing you that a request to return that includes them cannot be granted.”
The moment I heard her conclusion, my mind went completely blank. My head, which had been a mess of complicated thoughts just moments ago, felt as if it had been struck by a hammer.
The things I’d dismissed as impossible when I heard them directly from Astaroth were now becoming reality.
“…What did you say?”
My heart sank. Something inside me began to tremble.
Even so, I denied reality. No, I denied Seraph’s words.
It can’t be. No. Even if it’s true, isn’t there another way?
Caught between conflicting emotions, I clung tighter to the fraying thread of hope. I asked again, my voice trembling.
“I must have misheard you, right?”
“I will tell you in advance… It is not that we won’t do it, but that we cannot.”
“No. S-Say it again. That’s not it, right? I just heard you wrong, didn’t I?”
“User Kim Soohyun…”
Seraph, who had closed her eyes, slowly opened them and focused on me. Her light green eyes, fixed on mine, were as calm and serene as ever. But to my fracturing mind, that gaze felt like it was saying, “Your circumstances are none of my concern.”
Swallowing down the feeling that I was about to explode, I barely managed to open my mouth.
No, I was just about to.
“User Kim Soohyun, you have understood my words.”
“You…”
“I would advise you to calm down for now. Your current mental state is becoming extremely unstable. Accordingly, I surmise that you have understood, but are refusing to accept it yourself…”
“Tell me I heard that wrong!”
Seraph’s words hit the mark. Before she could even finish, I screamed. Seraph immediately fell silent.
My throat suddenly felt parched. I took a few deep breaths, then held out the Zero Code, the orb in my hand.
“What are you talking about all of a sudden? I’m not trying to use GP. I’m not making a wish. I was talking about the Zero Code. The Zero Code, which holds omnipotent power.”
“……”
“Seraph? Huh?”
I pleaded with her, my tone bordering on a beg—something I would never normally do. But I didn’t care. This was no time for pride.
I had finally reached the end. I could finally achieve what I had so desperately longed for.
And yet, with just one step left, I was forced to a halt against my will.
I stared at Seraph with desperation in my eyes.
However.
“……”
“Seraph!”
Despite my plea, Seraph showed no reaction. She just continued to gaze at me silently, just as before…
I can’t accept this.
Right. Just as Seraph said, I may have understood, but I could never accept it. Because the moment I accepted her words as truth…
Something I had barely protected with a thread-like grip felt like it would shatter into pieces.
Trying my best to remain composed, I spoke in the calmest voice I could muster.
“Then what should I do? What else do I have to do for my request to be accepted? Do I have to find the First Code now?”
“User Kim Soohyun.”
“Fine. Tell me. I’m listening.”
“…Hah…”
For a moment, Seraph let out a sigh. Then, she slowly parted her lips.
“The two Users you mentioned earlier, Kim Yoohyun and Han Soyoung… are already deceased. Of course, it is possible to resurrect them through various means. You could use the Zero Code, or you could use your accumulated GP to make a wish. But…”
“But? There is no ‘but,’ is there?”
“…In a way, the Zero Code can be seen as a higher-tier version of a wish. As such, the result is ultimately the same. As I explained earlier, once a User has died, they are reset as a Resident upon resurrection. Whether it’s the Zero Code or a wish, the fundamental problem remains unchanged.”
I listened, hoping for something different, but it was the same story as before. Seraph’s unchanging, definitive answer was nothing short of a death sentence to me.
The arm I had extended dropped limply to my side.
Seeing my reaction, Seraph quickly added.
“User Kim Soohyun has never died. There is no issue with your return to Earth.”
“So… you’re telling me to go back alone…?”
“…Although they will have no memory of the Hall Plain, the Users still exist and live on Earth. Even if they are mere copies…”
That was when it happened.
In that instant, I felt the composure I had struggled so hard to maintain shatter into a million pieces.
Shing!
“User Kim Soohyun?”
Seraph’s puzzled voice drifted toward me.
When I came to my senses, I saw my sword aimed at her. It seemed I had reflexively drawn and pointed it without even realizing. As I watched the tip of the blade tremble slightly, my vision began to blur.
At the same time, memories I had tried to ignore, memories I could never forget, flashed through my mind.
‘So it ended up like this… Hah. Can’t be helped. Anyway, enjoy it while you can. Congratulations, User Kim Soohyun. And my condolences.’
‘What kind of bullshit are you spouting now?’
‘You’ll find out soon enough… that in the end, you were used, too. And that the angels are no different from us.’
‘You crazy bastard. Spouting all sorts of nonsense on the verge of death.’
“User Kim Soohyun, I know what you are thinking. However, this action is highly inappropriate. Even if you were to kill me, the conclusion would remain unchanged.”
“…Seraph. I don’t need any of that. Just answer one thing for me.”
I continued in a low voice. It was so subdued that it surprised even me, like something on the verge of exploding.
Seraph closed her eyes with a sigh and gave a single nod.
‘Is that really so? Huhu.’
‘I don’t have time to trade jokes with you, Astaroth.’
‘Who knows? Hey, Kim Soohyun. Aren’t you curious? About what the Zero Code is? And why you all were dragged to the Hall Plain to fight us for it…?’
‘What does that….’
“I obtained the Zero Code. As a User, I reached the end of the Hall Plain. Right?”
“Yes. That is an accurate fact, beyond any doubt.”
At her immediate reply, I bit my lip. Then, I opened my left hand, revealing the blue orb I was holding.
“Then… what the hell is this?”
“Yes…?”
“Why did I… no. Why did we have to obtain the Zero Code for you? What does this thing mean to you?”
“!”
At that moment, for the first time, a flicker of panic crossed Seraph’s face.
*
While waiting for our turn at the Warp Gate, I happened to look up at the sky. The sun, which had been at its zenith, was now sinking westward, casting a crimson twilight over the city.
I smacked my lips for a moment and counted the remaining people in line. Confirming that Mercenary’s turn was not far off, I turned to my brother, who had been standing beside me.
“Hyung. I think I’ll get going now.”
“Hm? Ah, right. It looks like we’ll be near the end of the line.”
“You should go, too. It’s not good for a Clan Lord to be away for too long.”
“Hmm. That’s true.”
My brother nodded obediently and took a couple of steps back. Then he suddenly placed a hand on my shoulder and spoke in a gentle voice.
“Soohyun.”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you.”
“?”
What is he thanking me for?
As if reading my confused expression, he smiled faintly.
“I heard from the others. They said they all received your help. Thanks to you, the Haemil Clan miraculously suffered no losses. Everyone is incredibly grateful to you.”
“…That’s good to hear.”
So by ‘the others,’ he meant the Haemil Clan members.
“Yeah. If nothing else, I really wanted to tell you that. And…”
“……”
“I’ll be waiting for you to call. Contact me when you’ve sorted out your thoughts. I can wait as long as it takes.”
“…Okay.”
When he said he’d be waiting for my call, he was probably referring to ‘that matter.’ I nodded at once. Since I’d already decided to tell him, I felt there was no reason to hesitate.
After seeing my response, my brother patted my shoulder. With a final, “Stay strong,” he calmly turned away.
I watched his back as he slowly walked away. He hadn’t said much since earlier, simply staying quietly by my side. I suppose it was his way of being considerate.
I let out a long sigh and sank into my thoughts.
The war, which had begun at dawn, came to an end around noon. Time had passed, and it was now on the cusp of evening.
Although we had suffered heavy losses due to the Western Continent’s unexpected gambit, the top priority after a war was to clean up the battlefield and deal with the aftermath. And so, the Users, though still steeped in sorrow, began to move, slowly but diligently.
First, we contacted the southern and northern forces to report the current situation and request support as quickly as possible.
Both regions replied that they would tidy up the cities they had recaptured and send aid immediately. They would likely arrive tonight at the earliest, or tomorrow morning at the latest.
Requesting support was, frankly, unavoidable.
The city of Barbara was in a terrible state, to say nothing of the fields, which were soaked in blood and piled with corpses.
And that wasn’t all. We had to deal with the captured Users from the Western Continent, tally the damages, and manage the Users who had survived inside Barbara.
In short, there was a mountain of work to do.
However, in this situation, it was decided that the West Gate forces—excluding the East, South, and North Gate forces—would be given a few days of standby and maintenance to recover. This was because they had borne the brunt of the damage, facing the onslaught of the Western Continent’s Users.
Although a ‘miracle’ had prevented the situation from becoming the absolute worst… it was a considerate measure, all things considered.
Naturally, the Mercenary Clan was included in this, and we were currently waiting for our turn to use the Warp Gate. There was no reason to linger in the already chaotic city of Barbara.
We were given a total of three days to recover, including today.
After those three days of sorting things out, another meeting would probably be held.
“Next group, please prepare.”
Before I knew it, we were at the front of the line. I considered looking back for a moment but decided against it. Most of the clan members were silent, and I wasn’t in the mood to talk here. Besides, with the line still long behind us, we needed to move as quickly as possible.
We could talk later.
Right. For now, let’s just go back to the clan house.
With that thought, I began walking toward the shimmering blue light of the Warp Gate.