Chapter 48: Beyond the Limits of Mortality
Chapter 48: Beyond the Limits of Mortality
---
The Throne of a Conqueror
Ten million years.
That's how long it's been.
I lean back against the obsidian throne, fingers drumming idly on its cold surface. The once-imposing structure, carved from black stone and veined with crimson energy, now feels… insignificant.
A mere chair.
The weight of the book still rests on my lap, its ancient leather binding cracked, the once-indecipherable text now as familiar to me as my own thoughts.
I've memorized every word. Mastered every technique.
This throne, this temple, this battlefield—they were everything to me for eons.
Now?
They mean nothing.
---
The Endless Cycle of Slaughter
A familiar growl echoes through the chamber.
Another greater demon respawns. Its hulking frame emerges from the shadows, claws clicking against the stone floor. Thick muscles ripple beneath its scarred, armor-like hide. Its molten eyes lock onto me, filled with instinctual rage.
I sigh.
"Again?"
The beast lunges. Its speed is impressive—to something weaker.
I don't move.
A massive claw swings toward my head, aiming to rip it clean off. I don't even blink.
CRACK.
The demon's wrist shatters on impact with my skin.
A strangled howl erupts from its throat, confusion twisting its features. The beast stumbles back, clutching its ruined limb.
I finally move.
One step.
I appear in front of it before it even realizes what's happening.
I don't need my axe.
One punch.
That's all it takes.
My fist slams into its chest. The impact doesn't just break bones—it erases them. The shockwave splits the air, ripples through the chamber, shatters stone.
The demon explodes into nothingness.
Its molten blood splashes against the walls, sizzling. A moment later, the temple begins its usual process—resetting, reviving, preparing a new opponent.
I exhale, staring at my bloodstained knuckles.
"...Pathetic."
This isn't a fight.
This isn't even training anymore.
---
The Thrill Has Faded
At first, each battle mattered.
Every demon I fought, every technique I learned, every wound I endured—they all had meaning.
But now?
Now, I fight without thinking.
I kill without effort.
The **greater demons, the legendary creatures, the apex predators of this realm—**they fall like insects beneath my fists.
Even my instincts, once sharpened by sheer desperation, are dull with boredom.
How long has it been since I actually struggled? Since I felt pain? Since I felt… anything?
My grip tightens around the edge of the throne.
I glance at the shattered remains of the latest demon, watching as its body fades into the abyss.
Once, these creatures made me bleed. Now, they can't even scratch me.
Once, this temple was a place of suffering. Now, it's just a graveyard.
A graveyard where I am the only one left standing.
---
The Final Realization
I rise from the throne, dusting off my tattered cloak. My boots crunch against the cracked stone floor, a floor that has been stained with the blood of countless enemies.
For ten million years, this place was my world.
But I've outgrown it.
The book—the same book that once held **secrets beyond human comprehension—**is nothing more than an instruction manual I no longer need.
I toss it back onto the throne.
If I forget something, I'll remember it again.
If I need to revisit a technique, my body already knows the motions.
This book was my guide.
But I no longer need guidance.
I no longer need anything from this place.
---
A World That No Longer Matters
Stepping toward the exit, I glance over my shoulder one last time.
The temple is silent. It feels different now.
Not because it has changed.
But because I have.
This place was never meant to be a home. It was a cage.
A cage I was too weak to escape from.
But I'm not weak anymore.
I have nothing left to learn here.
No new enemies. No greater battles. Nothing to challenge me.
I step through the ruined archway, leaving behind the obsidian throne, the shattered battlefield, and the book that once dictated my entire existence.
As I walk away, the final remnants of the past fade into silence.
The temple does not call me back.
Because it knows—
I'm never coming back.
---
Into the Unknown
The outside world greets me like an old memory.
Crimson skies. Endless wastelands. The distant howls of creatures lurking beyond the ruins.
The same Hell I've always known.
But this time… it feels different.
Not because the world has changed—
But because I am no longer the same person who first crawled into that temple.
For the first time in ten million years, I have no clear goal.
No enemy waiting to be killed.
No book guiding my next move.
I am truly, utterly free.
I inhale deeply, filling my lungs with the stench of fire and blood.
"Let's see what else Hell has to offer."
And then, without hesitation—
I walk forward.
Toward whatever comes next.