Chapter 419 - Return To No Return

It had been a long time.

Finally, I made it here.

BOOOOOM

"Kuhuk..."

I stood alone on the shattered battlefield, on the collapsed ground.

Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud

And I was gritting my teeth, blocking the Sun God's divine energy beam with my entire body.

With the sticky black power rising from beneath my feet, I prevented the solar beam that had already pierced through my body from advancing any further.

Stained with black power, bleeding the same colored blood. Gritting my teeth as I looked up at the Sun God who continued firing energy blasts at me.

As I somehow managed to hold my ground against the force pushing me back, gripping the beam piercing my stomach with my darkness-stained hands.

...Up in that orange sky, the Sun God with his silver hair flowing, dressed in white.

After frowning at my sudden intrusion, he continued using his energy wave and shouted at me with a crazed voice and a seemingly delighted smile.

"Hahaha!!! Haha, no. Who is this? ...Aren't you one of those damned Star apostles? Hahaha!!"

"Kuluk... hahaha. Hello, I'm Egostic."

"Yes, yes... I know you well. You're the one who foiled all my plans, right?"

He smiled wickedly as he said that.

...But his smile had a spine-chilling quality that made me shudder. It contained not joy, but pure hatred.

Well, obviously, right? He's still smiling while trying to kill me with his solar death beam.

Regardless of my irreverent thoughts, the Sun God continued speaking as if amused.

"Yes, yes... I was planning to kill you next anyway. Thank you for coming early, child of the Stars."

"Then, just like this."

As he said that, he clenched the fist of the hand he was still extending toward me and said:

"Die."

BOOOOOOOM

"Kheuk..."

Wheeeeee- BOOOOOM-

With tremendous light, the thick solar destruction beam crashed into me with even greater force, as if piercing through my body.

Even as I was pushed back, I continued to block it until the end using the black energy surrounding my body.

Along with that came a spectacular light show as my black power clashed with his gray power.

As blood flowed from my mouth, my ears rang, and my vision blurred.

From behind me, a voice with a cracked tone:

"...Egostic, ple... ase. Stop, stop it..."

Despite sounding like she was about to collapse, that tearful voice.

I just painfully smiled and told Stardust, who was collapsed behind me trying desperately to get up.

"..Don't, kweek. Haa.. haha. Don't worry, Stardust."

I have a plan.

With that thought, I.

While persistently withstanding the energy blast that continued to fire at me.

"...Hmm."

Toward the Sun God before me, who was starting to look puzzled that I was still receiving his destruction beam without collapsing.

Still maintaining my smile, with black blood flowing from the corner of my mouth, I said:

"Hey. Sun God, kuluk. Helios. Whatever you are, you."

"...Haha. 'You'? Have you finally gone mad?"

"Yeah. Right. I'm crazy. But, kuluk. You know... Do you know why I've... stubbornly persisted... and survived until now?"

It's because of you.

"It was to... kuluk, kuluk. To send you... alone away from this world, that I... went through all that. Trouble. Bastard."

"...You talkative bug. So what are you going to do about it?"

As I persistently withstood his attack while speaking, he frowned and applied more force.

Looking at the Sun God, I.

Painfully pulled up the corners of my mouth and spat out words.

"What am I going to do?"

"...I'm going to remove you, right here with my own hands."

Now.

As I said those words.

Crackle-crackle-crackle-

I began to firmly grip the Sun God's energy beam that I was holding and blocking with my hands.

Instantly, black sticky tendrils began to entangle that beam.

'Hiss...'

...Of course.

At the same time, I could feel it.

My life force being rapidly drained into this black starlight.

...But, since I had already prepared myself.

I was no longer afraid.

"...Ha. You, what kind of trick are you...!"

Black starlight tendrils, like bizarre vines, climbing up the pure solar energy beam the Sun God was firing at me.

He released his hand from the solar beam in surprise at those black spider web-like things fiercely pursuing him, but it was already too late.

Whoooosh

Whoooooosh

Those black energies completely surrounded the Sun God, like giant black spider webs catching trapped prey. Like countless black hands capturing an intruder.

Like some divine vengeful spirit that would never let him go.

"What is this... Let go!!! This damn, the power of such past ghosts...! Aaaaargh!!"

Now completely abandoning his attack on me, he focused on trying to remove the black star power clinging to his body.

Meanwhile, I continued to grit my teeth and pour all my strength into it. The power of the black star. ...The third power I finally awakened at the final chapter.

I continued to pour this black star power that attacks the opponent at the cost of my life.

"Huaaaaaaah!!!"

Boom-boom-boom-boom

"Kuaaaaa!! You, insect-like creatures... I!!! I, Helios, creator of heaven and earth and ruler of the universe, will fall to such power of a dead god... it seems..."

As desperately as I was attacking, he was causing explosions trying to shake off the black powers surrounding him, with behavior unbelievable for a god.

...But then. Somehow. His power visibly drained more and more as time passed.

Finally.

"How dare!!! How dare!!! To me, who created this world, you mere creations!!! Kuh... you mere creations to pro... kuhek. Protect..."

"Do you think this world will be fine just because I don't touch it!!! Anyway... among yourselves... self-destruct...'"

"Damn... damn it. You're really going to, annihilate me..."

"Ah..."

Rumble-rumble-rumble-rumble

Finally.

Deep darkness burrowed into the Sun God's body like it was destroying him, and then white lights began to leak from his body like a flash grenade about to explode.

...Finally, the Sun God, sensing his end.

Without looking at me who directly defeated him, or at Stardust.

With a blank gaze, looking up at the sky where the sun was beginning to set.

In his final moment, he simply muttered these words quietly.

"Siders. Why..."

And so.

Whoooooosh

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

With an incredible explosion sound unlike anything heard before.

With a massive explosion of light that whitened the world, the god who created this world, the Sun God, burst into light and disappeared.

And so finally.

...The long, long battle with the Sun God came to an end.

Finally, after progressing through all the stories in the original work. I succeeded in defeating the final enemy.

So...

"Kuhuk...."

Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud

Now, it's over.

Thump.

"Haa... kuhuk... kuuuuuuuuuk."

Cough-cough-cough.

On the ground devastated by battle.

Kneeling there, I then vomited black blood from inside.

As if spitting out all the blood in my body. Continuously.

...Haha. Shit. It seems like I don't even have any more blood to spit out with the hole already in my stomach.

And then.

"Hweek... Egostic, no... Egostic. Egostic!"

Tap.

Has she finally come to her senses?

After expelling all the black blood from my body, just as I was about to collapse.

At that moment, as someone seemed to be barely running toward me from behind.

I felt my head resting on something soft.

"Haa, haa, Ms. Stardust..."

"No. Egostic... no..."

...Perhaps, with my body leaning against some part of her body.

Barely opening my closing eyes, what I saw was Stardust looking at me with tears in her eyes, as if she couldn't believe it.

...Yes. Perhaps, with her super intuition, she could feel it.

That I am now in a state where recovery is absolutely impossible.

That my body is on the verge of disintegration after I devoted everything to pouring out the power of the stars at the end.

That's why she's making such an expression.

"Haha... kuluk."

"No... don't speak, hweek... no. This can't, this can't be... no..."

The sky where the sun had completely set, with little orange light remaining.

On the half-destroyed plain, feeling the cool night air... as I slowly felt my life fading away. I looked up at Stardust who was looking down at me.

Come to think of it, there was a similar situation before.

Back then, Stardust was the one collapsed, and I was supporting her, telling her it was okay.

I think it was right after the first terrorist attack, during the train terror incident.

'Yes, Stardust. You did well. In a way I couldn't imagine. I never expected you to save everyone in that way. It's your victory. I'll be going now, so rest well.'

'...Haha. How many years ago was that already.'

Lying blankly in Stardust's arms, with fading consciousness, I thought about that.

Then, looking up at the setting sky, I unconsciously recalled the past years.

It's been almost 10 years since I fell into this world.

Finally, I've come this far.

In the end, I protected Stardust and the world, and defeated the final boss.

...Actually.

If asked whether I lived an excellent life in this world - I had doubts.

After being forcibly dragged into this world by a god, in a state where I had almost given up on life. It was more for Stardust, whom I loved the most, rather than for a world I wasn't even born in, that I came this far.

But still. In that process.

Seo-eun, Ms. Su-bin, Ha-yul, Cha-yoon, Lee Seol-ah, Choi Se-hee, Eun-wol, Seo Ja-young, Death Knight, Ariel, Katana, Li Xiaopeng, Atlas, Celeste, and others... forming bonds with various people.

And.

[Mangostick! Mangostick! Mangostick! Mangostick!]

'Ha...'

...For some reason, while laughing hollowly at people who liked me excessively.

Because of them.

In the end, I couldn't deny that I had become attached to this world.

As I was thinking about that.

...Only then did I see our Ego-stream members floating on one side through my half-broken mask.

[Wow. Finally, finally that fucking rain stopped!!! We won, right? We did win, right? Yahoo! Where's Da-in!! We need to celebrate!]

Now that the Sun God had disappeared and the invasion had ended, Choi Se-hee was purely rejoicing. The screen was crackling and barely visible due to damage. Fortunately, it seems she hasn't heard about my situation yet.

And, while the rest of the screens were broken and not visible. I could see Seo-eun's screen.

[Haa... haa... Finally over!!! Oppa, are you watching? Oppa? ...Wait.]

After rejoicing in another robot, suddenly her expression hardened as she saw something..

[Oppa. No. It can't be. Oppa? Wait a minute. What is this.]

...And as she urgently turned her gaze, the moment her eyes met the camera filming her.

Pop.

Finally, the screen went completely dark.

'....'

Everyone will be able to... manage well without me, right?

...Yes. They'll definitely live well. Above all, they have each other. They'll probably support and comfort each other, and soon forget about someone like me and live well. Yes. That's definitely what will happen. They're all young too.

So, our Ego-stream is... never mind...

'.....'

...Yes. My eyes keep closing.

I haven't even said goodbye yet. Haha... that's not good.

Where was I... Right.

And, most importantly...

"...Haha. S, Stardust..."

My hero. My archenemy.

The goal of my life.

Stardust, Shin Ha-ru.

Thanks to her, I was able to come this far.

Thanks to her, I was able to live with a sense of fulfillment in another world.

So.

"No... please... why... why, hweek, no..."

Don't make that expression.

Even if I leave, the Stardust I know... who has overcome any crisis and despair steadfastly... will surely rise again and live happily even after I'm gone.

Yes. That will definitely happen.

I could leave without regrets.

"...."

This is probably my end.

As someone who knew everything about this world. ...I knew.

That there would be no way for me to return.

That this was, in the true sense, my final farewell.

"No..."

"....S."

Stardust. Ha-ru.

I wanted to convey these last words, but it seems difficult.

Looking at Ha-ru's increasingly blurry face.

I conveyed... my final greeting to her, which she wouldn't hear.

'Stardust.'

Please.

...Be happy, until the very end.

'Haha...'

To be able to depart in the arms of the person I love most, even at the end...

Really. A blessing... indeed.....

With that thought, I lay down completely.

"......"

"Egostic? No. Da-in, hweek. No, no. No no no. This can't be....!!! Please..."

"......"

"......"

"Please... if you go like this... I..."

"......"

"...Da-in."

"......"

......

I closed my eyes.