Desire

War in the Bully Saleh Desert. It didn't take long for the Horse army led by the Demon King, the player led by Emperor Azin of Jinn and Siolence, and the all-out war of the NPC battlefield to end.

Less than half a day later, most of the NPCs and players involved in the war died. Rarely rescued players and NPCs were captured by the Horsemen without escape or logout.

LaQuiz, the commander of the Siolence, was killed before the start of a full-scale massacre. Lachish's end was in vain, not to the extent that he did not match the background of the reigning supreme authority of Siolence, third place. Libera, the former lord of Lebacore who was aiding LaQuiz, left the battlefield at the beginning of the massacre.

Haveth, the fourth rank, quickly surrendered to the Horsemen. You didn't kill her, did you? Haveth is highly regarded by the Horsemen. When the massacre began, Harvest went ahead and hunted players and NPCs.

Among the top rankers, Ajin and Devello, the top rankers, were killed in battle with the Demon King. The real massacre began after the death of two of the best players.

The massacre is over. The Demon King wags his hand over the bloody desert. Far away, Siolence clings to the Jinn and North of Gracia, across the sea by the Demon King's transcendent power. A wealthy pandemonium descends into the deserts of Bulisar. Three continents lead to one, with Pandemonium, the capital of the Magic System.

After the massacre, the Demon King headed for Siolence. There was no genocide, but surrender began with absolute force and horrific violence in the background. Siolence succumbed to the Demon King, and then it was his turn to advance. The defeat of the Emperor and the slaughter of his army. Just a few months ago, the progress I was taking to the fullest phase of my life, and I succumbed to the Demon King in less than a day.

That's how the war ended.

The Demon King wins and the player loses.

“This is too much of a joke. ”

“It was my freedom to judge and act. ”

The Demon King smiles and replies to Gladiolus' muttering. Three stood facing each other in a white space. Gladiolus, creator and newcomer of this game. Noya, a monastery created by Gladiolus, but out of Gladiolus' control. And the Demon King, ruler of the Magic Cube. The Demon King raises his jaw, gazing at the muttered Gladiolus.

“Finish the game or go on. It's up to me to decide. ”

“I don't understand. ”

Noya mutters. He crosses his arms and looks at the Demon King. Three are different. No, not necessarily. Not the Demon King, not Noya. It comes from Gladiolus, the undeniable creator of both.

But that didn't mean that Noya and the Demon King obeyed Gladiolus. In particular, the Demon King was free and fundamentally unique compared to Noya. The Demon King was a creature of Gladiolus himself, and was the final boss to end this‘ game ’that had been going on for years. No one can interfere with how the Demon King behaves. It was the same with Gladiolus, the creator.

“I was able to finish the game. No, I had to finish. But you didn't end it. Noya doesn't know that. ”

Noya frowns and mutters. It was just like Noya said. The war in the Bully Saleh Desert is over. The player loses and the Horseman wins. The three factions that originally existed in First were completely destroyed, and the Empire lost its name. From now on, a new empire will be created around the Pandemonium in the Bully Desert.

In fact, it was not the Demon King's business whether it happened or not. The Mediterranean Invasion and Conquest were a very old dream for the Horsemen, but the Demon King did not feel great joy even though he had achieved it.

The outcome of this war in the beginning is the end of the game. There was no schedule after that. Yes, it would have been the way it was.

“Didn't I tell you? I'm the one who decides. ”

The Demon King replied.

“Instead of finishing the game with the Demon King's victory, I decided it was better to give the Demon King a little more time and see the possibility. ”

“Why do we have to do that? ”

Noya asks. The Demon King shrugs at Noya's question.

“Weren't you taking the player's side? ”

“Noya is not on anyone's side. Whether the player wins this, or the Demon King wins. Either way, it has nothing to do with Noya. ”

Noya sighs and laughs.

“It's just, Noya's not convinced. Give you time to see the possibilities? Yes, you are the Demon King who decides that. But... possibility. Possibility? You mean it exists? ”

“I felt there was a little bit. ”

In response, Noya bursts into laughter.

“You mean you've completed the non-polarity? Oh, come on. That was pretty... unexpected. I didn't think it would be that extreme. ”

“If you had used a saint, the results might have changed. ”

“What I didn't choose was pain. ”

The Demon King shrugs, but does not reply. In the end, Azin didn't want the sacrifice of the saint. Even if you have completed the Achilles' heel, you cannot defeat the Demon King alone. It is too powerless for a stronger one. Even if the completion of the Achilles' heel allowed him to dominate all but the Demon King, he could not prevail in the battle against the most important Demon King.

So Ajin was defeated. It was a natural outcome.

“Entertainment?”

The silent lips of Gladiolus open. He glances at the Demon King. The Demon King's face is obscured by the darkness and can't be seen clearly. However, the Demon King's eyes, which looked blurry beyond the darkness, were the same as Gladiolus'.

“I just want to see the possibilities. ”

“What possibilities? ”

“Human.”

“You speak like a god. ”

“There's no reason not to. I'm on your side, too. ”

Gladiolus chuckles in response to the Demon King.

“So, what are you going to do? ”

Gladiolus asked again. The Demon King waved his hand. As the space cracks and splits, you see a huge chunk of ice.

“You're a stench.”

Noya flinches. Inside the giant chunk of ice, three women are frozen with their eyes closed. Raw snow, Persian, and Camila. Back then, in the Bull 's-eye desert. The Demon King took the three to Azin. I stopped and sealed their time without killing them. After that, I killed Azin and Devello and ended the war. That was the Demon King's choice.

“You want a rat in a corner biting a cat? ”

The Demon King did not answer Noya's question. Gladiolus glances at the three sealed women in the ice, groaning and laughing.

“It is impossible to win a battle with the Demon King without the death of a saint. Even if I have completed the non-polarity... I have lost once. Rather, I'm more desperate. ”

“Then there's nothing we can do. ”

The Demon King opened his mouth.

“If you give up in despair, you can't help it. But... if you're desperate and you're looking for answers... That's a possibility, too. ”

“Are you willing to give me a trial? ”

“Why? That's what God would have done, too. You're rotten to the bone anyway. It can't be bad for you, either. ”

Gladiolus laughs. Noya still looks frustrated, but doesn't speak out. There's nothing Noya can do about this. Noya's role is to convey her determination and innocence to players everywhere. Noya has no right to end this game or to interfere in the ways of the Demon King.

“The time allowed for humans is short. ”

Noya mutters.

"You have 100 years to live as a human being, and even if you keep First as a game for 100 years, your growth is already limited. Even if Noya teaches all players to be non-violent, it is not possible for them to win against the Horsemen or the Demon King. There is no victory for players without the death of a saint. Even the transcendents cannot interfere with this rule. ”

“That's the way to think. ”

The Demon King smiled and said.

“This world is not real. It's a game. It's a very, very good game for players. If we change our mindset and goals... maybe we can come up with a different answer. ”

“You think he can do that? ”

Noya asks. Noya shakes her hand. The white space was fluttering and a completely different landscape was illuminated. The landscape reflected was not the world in the game. The reality, the mess. A man crouches down in a room full of garbage and smells.

“Do you think he can overcome despair? Noya's negative. That's the way it is. If an unhappy man becomes happy, and he loses it again... even more despair. He's broken.”

Noya's voice said that was filled with a little joy. Noya's words were not wrong.

Ajin is broken.

I don't know how long it's been. Then he died by the Demon King in the desert. Asin, forced to log out, screams at his shadow several times in reality. Until the nails snap and the blood bleeds. You scratch at the ground with your shadow. No response, no response. The same was true when I entered the capsule after the death penalty was over. The shadow space that was always accessible was blocked, and there was no answer to the call.

Everything was taken away.

I didn't want to admit it, but I eventually accepted it. There was no trace of Raw Snow, Persian or Camille left beside Azin. Things he valued and didn't want to lose. Even though they had made Ajin now, the characters who had had had such a profound impact on Ajin disappeared. It's not gone. The Demon King snatched them from Azin's sight.

I wanted to die.

It was the first feeling of loss and despair. Pain was unfamiliar with these kinds of feelings, and I didn't know how to react. I think I'm going crazy. I think I'm going crazy. Even though he thought he was dying every day, he wanted to die, and he couldn't really die on that subject. If he dies, he dies.

What about Raw Snow? Persian? Camilla? What about them? I didn't want to know. I was afraid of it. I had to come back because it was taken away. It knows. The Demon King has defeated you in spite of your aggressiveness. The battle against the Demon King was unilateral, even though it was a triumph. What was lacking? Because there was no death of a saint? I can't see the answer. Even though I wanted to bring back what was stolen, I don't know how.

I mean...

This is how it is.

I feel like I'm dying every day and I don't really want to die. When I am hungry and thirsty, I lie down in a room full of garbage with minimal eating. I think so. All this time. Memories I spent with her. I felt happy. Loss and despair that I feel again. And so on, every day. It was like a dream, and it was a horrible nightmare. I felt like I was running in the dark. No... maybe he's crawling, not running. Maybe he just sits there motionless.

Bang, bang.

Someone knocks. In a confused mind, he hears the sound. I didn't... think I'd open the door. I didn't. I didn't want to move. That was it.

When the knocking stopped. Ajin's mind had already gone elsewhere. In the disgusting feeling of affluence, pain felt vomiting. He stumbles and rises to his feet, and Azin heads to the bathroom. It was to vomit.

The door opens with a rattling sound. The door must have been locked. Ajin stares at the front door dazed.

There was a strange figure standing there.

“Hello.”

It was Devello.