Last Shine of Light

His character was the main Hero, clad in magnificent divine armor that gleamed with a radiant glow. The intricate designs etched into the metal depicted ancient symbols of protection and strength. In one hand, he wielded a majestic divine shield, adorned with a striking emblem that seemed to pulse with celestial energy. In his other hand, he grasped the sword of light, its blade shimmering like a beacon, ready to strike down darkness and evil. Every piece of equipment is specially prepared to fight against the goddess.

With a voice as frigid as ice and devoid of emotions, the Goddess commanded, "Come forth, serve thy master, OPEN THE GATES OF THE ENDLESS ABYSS." As she spoke, her arms ascended gracefully towards the heavens, framed by an aura of authority. Her figure was shrouded in a dark, sinuous veil that writhed and shifted as though it possessed a will of its own. That veil granted her complete immunity against everything.

In an instant, the vivid blue sky of the game world transformed into a deep, inky night, cloaked in shadows. Responding to the haunting call of the goddess, massive gates of eternal darkness creaked open, unleashing a grotesque swarm of countless creatures. Their forms were twisted and monstrous, crawling and slithering down towards the mortal plane, ready to sow chaos and despair.

"Here it comes the world-ending skill. Though using it also starts the removal of the veil that grants complete immunity" declared, his voice eerily calm against the building tension. Patience was key; he waited for the perfect moment to execute the final skill of his character.

He had died multiple times from this skill, which was a special ability created by the divine authority of the Goddess. With a wave of her celestial hand, she summoned forth the endless abyss, a haunting expanse that resided in the innermost layer of Hell, bringing its dark essence into the mortal realm. This skill is relentless and cannot be halted once initiated; the gates tethering this dark abyss are indestructible, unyielding to any force, and the veil over the Goddess's power has yet to be lifted.

A hideous creature with a voracious appetite for devastation was hidden under a veil of unending darkness that enveloped the planet, thick and menacing like a whirling mist. Its evil aim, which promised anarchy and sorrow, reverberated through the icy air. Staring into the darkness, the hero remained still.

Even though the man was mindful that the game would end the moment a single inch of mist touched the world's ground, he waited for the ideal moment.

That's why he had calculated everything for this fight—the location far away from the mountains ensuring that the mist wouldn't creep up to their towering heights, the durability of his gear, and his HP and MP points were the final piece of his calculation. Every calculation for a single precise second.

A single second, a fleeting moment, where everything would hinge on the tiniest of margins. The second is when the mist will just be a meter away from the floor and the precise instant when the veil of the goddess that granted complete immunity will be removed.

TAC!!!! The man pressed ten keys using all of his fingers.

"TABOO ACT: LAST SHINE OF LIGHT" shouted the main protagonist as he raised his sword into the air and a bright beam of light emanated from his entire body which illuminated the entire world which was about to be consumed by darkness.

Even his UHD Screen went white for a single second but then shuttering noise, like the clicking of a camera in rapid succession, began to pulse from the speakers.

The man had pressed the shortcut keys for screenshots and the computer was now processing his commands by taking multiple screenshots per second.

Soon, the blinding white screen began to fade, and with a subtle shift, a small cutscene started playing. His main character was nowhere to be seen instead only the goddess remained. A quarter of her body remained intact after taking the Taboo Act head-on, but that was also rapidly disintegrating into dust as if time itself was erasing her.

"If only I could achieve my freedom…" A cold, monotonous voice escaped from the goddess's lips, hollow and distant.

BEST PERFECT END—

The man didn't even wait for the ending message to pop up and shut the game as the perfect ending was never the reason why he had spent those years playing the game. This was his 6th time achieving this ending.

For most players, this might have been the climax, the culmination of a heroic journey. But for him, it was about a moment far smaller but infinitely more elusive. The bare minimum, the smallest fragment of a face, a glimpse of the goddess without the veil.

His mouse moves through the desktop to open the folder where the screenshots are being saved. Upon opening the folder, he saw that the total number of screenshots taken was 294 even though the cutscene lasted not more than 4 seconds. This was only possible because of his high-end setup.

In just a single minute, the man sifted through all 294 screenshots, his eyes scanning each image with precision as if obsessed. He hoped that there was a single picture that caught a clear glimpse of her beautiful face. He knew, deep down, that capturing a picture of her entire face was impossible as the abyss blocked her view during the last phase, the game's design had ensured it. While the cutscene only showed a mere quarter.

BANG!!

"NOT THIS TIME AS WELL!" the man shouted; his voice hoarse with frustration as he slammed his fist on the table. Shaking the monitor.

He sprang up from his seat and rushed into the kitchen. Opening the fridge, he took out a can of beer and went back to his seat.

GULP!

GULP!

Chugging about half of the beer can in a single go, the man slammed the can down on the desk, the hollow sound echoing in the quiet room.

"This is the sixth time. Just why? Just why can't I get a single perfect look at that beautiful face."

The man opened the community and started scrolling through the trending posts. The most trending one was the speedrun of 12: 30: 59, followed by Who is more beautiful Lilith or Beast Princess of the Moon?

"Ha! These guys still care about that unknown privilege. I nearly forgot something like that existed. As for Lilith or Beast Princess, both are nowhere near my goddess." Said the man as he let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes.