Chapter 128: Chapter 128

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Translator: Vine

Chapter Title: The Beacon

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My vision blurred.

A ringing echoed in my ears.

My body ached all over.

'Snap out of it.'

I barely managed to shake myself awake.

The moment my eyes opened, I felt a heavy weight pressing down on me.

I quickly lifted my arms and pushed away whatever was crushing me.

*Clatter—*

With that, fragments of the shattered sky tumbled down.

The sky itself was broken, like glass.

I shook my head from side to side, and my vision began to clear.

Thankfully, my body was fine.

Thanks to my Steel Body, I don't get hurt by most impacts.

But the others weren't like me.

I quickly scanned my surroundings.

Soon, I spotted Granthoni, whom I had shielded, below me.

I quickly cleared away the fragments of the sky and slung Granthoni over my shoulder.

"Sharin! Eve! Vinesha!"

I shouted their names from beneath the shattered sky fragments.

But there was no sign of the three of them anywhere.

All three of them were capable.

I didn't think anything bad would have happened.

Still, it seemed the sky collapsing had swept them quite far away.

*Thump—*

At that moment, a massive presence was felt through the cracks in the shattered sky.

I looked up at the sky and saw a single, enormous eye.

It was the Ghoul Lord.

The moment the Ghoul Lord spotted me, it thrust its hand through the cracks in the shattered sky.

*Rumble, rumble, rumble!*

It was chasing after Granthoni's body again.

I had no choice but to start sprinting, Granthoni still slung over my shoulder.

Undeterred by my full-speed sprint, the Ghoul Lord relentlessly pursued me.

In the end, I had to raise my ring toward the sky once more.

This was the fourth shot.

Come, Lightning Caller.

*KABOOM!*

The lightning that poured from the sky struck the Ghoul Lord's hand directly.

Its hand, scorched pure white, halted its movement.

But the Ghoul Lord had already been hit by the Lightning Caller several times.

It wasn't planning on just reaching out its hand.

*Thump-thump-thump-thump!*

Suddenly, countless footsteps echoed from behind me.

I saw ghosts, sprinting at full speed, chasing after me.

Possessed by the Ghoul Lord's power, they chased me like mad.

They were truly relentless in their pursuit.

If Eve, who was afraid of ghosts, had seen this, she would have fainted from shock.

The Ghoul Lord was a problem, but with the ghosts too, it was driving me crazy.

*Clack—*

At that moment, I heard Granthoni's teeth clatter together.

Hearing this, my eyes snapped open.

That wasn't the sound of me running.

It was proof that Granthoni was trying to find his way back to his own body.

If he lost his way here, Granthoni would drift even further away.

I couldn't miss this opportunity.

However, without Eve's Azure Flame, Granthoni couldn't return.

It was impossible to find one's way in a vast ocean without a lighthouse.

If things continued like this, Granthoni would eventually fail to find his way and be devoured by the Ghoul Lord.

If that happened, the world would be over.

I had to find Eve immediately.

But I had no idea how far she'd been swept away by the collapsing sky.

I couldn't leave Granthoni unattended when I didn't know when I'd find her.

I bit my lip hard.

If that was the case, I only had one option left.

'I'll be the beacon, then.'

The Fire Dragon's Magic Imprint, etched into my body, slowly began to bloom.

A scorching heat radiated from my entire body.

The Fire Dragon's Magic Imprint was an imprint I had learned to suppress the remnants of the Ancient Dragon.

I had never used the Fire Dragon's Magic Imprint on its own.

But the Fire Dragon's Magic Imprint alone wasn't enough to replace the beacon.

So, I would add one more thing.

The synergy of mystery and magic imprints.

My Steel Body began to react with the Fire Dragon's magic.

Along with that, an explosive heat surged out.

Scales began to sprout all over my face.

I focused the heat inward, so it wouldn't affect Granthoni's body.

I was acting as a beacon.

There was no need to emit flames outwards.

At that moment, yet another power began to react.

That day, when I received the remnants of the Ancient Dragon from Nikita.

The remnants of the Flame of Fire that had deeply resided within me.

The Remnants of the Flame of Fire created an unexpected synergy with the Fire Dragon's magic that had surged inward.

The flames within me grew uncontrollably large.

It was a welcome sight, in fact.

The brighter the beacon, the more clearly Granthoni would see the way.

"Granthoni!"

I shouted his name, engulfed in flames.

"I know this world is worthless to you without Musika!"

Granthoni's world had ended the day Musika and his master died.

But I didn't want Granthoni's life to end like this.

"Still, you have to live!"

A hollow life, having lost everything.

Though my life couldn't compare to Granthoni's, I'd found that living was still better, simply by living.

"It's too unfair to die like this! Your master and Musika wouldn't want you to die like this either!"

So, I wished for Granthoni to return.

If it were Musika and his master, whom he loved, they would surely tell him the same.

Knowing this, even the Granthoni from the game had turned back on his own accord that day he faced Musika.

Granthoni's body began to tremble even more violently.

It was proof that he was finding his way here.

*Whoosh!*

Then, a fierce blue flame soared into the sky in the distance.

My eyes widened at the sight.

It was Eve.

Eve was there.

'Is she with Vinesha?'

I couldn't tell.

But if it was Vinesha, she would surely be able to persuade Granthoni.

She was the only one who could bring Musika back.

At that moment, Granthoni's reaction became violent.

I realized what this reaction signified.

'He did it.'

The flames on my body burned even more intensely.

Each of our efforts connected into a single light.

A halo of light, imbued with everyone's efforts, began to unfold before my eyes.

Then, I felt another flame, carrying a warm aura, from somewhere.

It was a flame so warm it brought a pang of longing.

The instant my eyes darted in that direction.

*CRASH!*

The sky I was running under began to collapse once more.

That Ghoul Lord, it was annoyingly persistent in collapsing the sky.

I just wanted to stand on top of the sky.

*Whoosh!*

At that moment, a gust of wind swept through.

When I lifted my head, there was a girl with flowing indigo hair.

Her eyes glowed fiercely, embroidered with the Milky Way.

The staff clutched in her hand was aimed at the collapsing sky.

Accordingly, a massive flow of magical power surged around her.

Sharin Sazaris.

She was there.

"I've adapted now, you see."

She declared, her clothes disheveled from being caught in the collapsing sky.

"I can deliver full output."

With that, magic surged from Sharin's staff.

A light, dyed in five brilliant colors, bared its teeth at the sky.

*KABOOM!*

The searing light that poured forth swept away everything.

The immense light was so powerful it momentarily blinded even my hastily closed eyes.

As my vision returned, I stepped forward and saw Sharin, fluttering in the distant gale.

The staff in her hand shattered into pieces and vanished.

Along with it, the collapsing sky disappeared, revealing the world beyond the heavens.

A genius born once in a millennium.

Her magic was powerful enough to reach even the Ghoul Lord.

As expected, she was the greatest force I trusted most.

The fickle one certainly pulled off a big one today.

Sharin immediately cast magic at the vengeful spirits chasing me from behind.

Her staff was consumed with each cast, but Sharin poured out her magic without hesitation.

Within the bursting streaks of light, Granthoni's body trembled even more violently.

He was almost there.

He was clearly navigating the final path, following the beacon.

My hand was raised towards the sky.

This was the last shot.

Come, Lightning Caller!

A pure white flash of lightning poured down onto me.

*CRACKLE!*

Granthoni was also caught in the lightning, but I hoped he would endure it with sheer will.

The lightning spread throughout my entire body, activating another magic imprint.

Magic Imprint: Thunder Seizer

The flames of the fire demon that enveloped my body swallowed the goddess's lightning.

Soon, the lightning seeped into me through my Steel Body.

A storm of immense power raged.

My entire body was dyed with the light of blue lightning.

Heavenly Dragon Transformation

The lightning that coursed through my entire body roared toward the sky.

My voice, imbued with my last ounce of strength, called out to Granthoni.

*Thud!*

At that moment, Granthoni's body stiffened as if struck by lightning.

Soon, his entire body creaked, and then breath escaped from Granthoni's skull.

"H-hehehe. Hanun."

Soon after, Granthoni's distinctive laugh echoed.

He had returned.

"At this rate, weren't you really trying to send me off?"

Granthoni said, his body stiff from being caught in the Lightning Caller.

"You cast all sorts of soul magic on your body before your soul left, didn't you?"

That was also why I could use the Lightning Caller without hesitation.

"Hehehehehe, you're quick on the uptake! Just like my soulmate!"

Before I knew it, I had become his soulmate.

"Granthoni, Musika is…"

Hearing my question, Granthoni slowly lifted his head.

"Vinesha Noona brought her."

Vinesha Noona.

Granthoni's way of addressing her had changed from before.

Granthoni gripped my collar tightly.

"Hanun, you helped me, didn't you?"

His clown-like behavior had been a rebellion to shake off his painful life.

But now, Granthoni no longer needed to do that.

Because he had regained everything he wanted to find today.

In the scenario, Granthoni was always given only two choices.

To spend his entire life with Musika inside the Ghoul Lord,

or to send Musika away and close the Otherworld.

Neither of those options was close to happiness for Granthoni.

So, I changed it.

Granthoni, Vinesha, and Musika.

I changed the ending of Act 4, Scene 5.

Even if this world strayed from the main storyline, it was fine.

I just had to forcefully guide it back to the main storyline.

It was something I had sworn to do since the day I saved Nikita.

"Thank you."

And my resolve bore fruit.

Granthoni didn't ask how I knew or how I could help.

He simply conveyed his gratitude, contained within suppressed emotions.

Granthoni's world had changed.

Musika's and Vinesha's worlds would also change.

A world beyond the main storyline.

A world after the bad ending unfolded.

I bit my lip hard, a surge of emotion welling up in my chest.

Even if my worn-out love for this world meant I could no longer love it,

for now, I still wished for this world to reach the happiest possible ending.

That was enough for me to keep going.

"If you're grateful, buy me dinner next time."

"My wallet's going to be empty."

Granthoni clacked his teeth together and laughed.

"More importantly, getting out of here first, right?"

My eyes landed on the Ghoul Lord, still chasing us.

After Granthoni, Musika had been taken too.

The Ghoul Lord was now unreservedly trying to unleash its full power.

The Ghoul Lord's body forced its way through the sky, descending.

"Don't worry."

At that moment, Granthoni sat up on my back.

As he spread his hands out to both sides, the colors around Granthoni began to shift.

"The Otherworld is my playground."

The Otherworlder.

Granthoni's unique trait began to unleash its power.

"Hanun Airley!"

In the distance, I saw Eve rushing towards us, carrying Vinesha on her back.

The surroundings grew dark.

My gaze landed on the sky.

Soon, I saw the Ghoul Lord, thrusting all its arms through the sky.

The Ghoul Lord had ninety-nine arms.

The arms poured out, tearing through the cramped sky.

The Ghoul Lord took a risk and acted, trying to seize us.

At that moment, black rays of light split into multiple strands and surged from the torn sky.

They were beams of destruction, capable of annihilating even souls upon contact.

Just before the destructive rays, fired to obliterate the area, reached us, Sharin stood in front of them.

Sharin's light magic, imbued with her maximum output, exploded forth.

*BOOM!*

The deafening roar swept through the surroundings, and my body reeled.

But I kicked off the ground, which was cracked as if by an earthquake, and ran like mad.

Beside me, I saw Eve, who had arrived carrying Vinesha.

"Eve, catch!"

I threw Granthoni towards the approaching Eve.

Granthoni flew weakly through the air, and Eve barely managed to catch him.

Meanwhile, I kicked off the ground with all my might.

The magic imprint activated on my soles exploded with maximum output.

Magic Imprint: Great Blast

With a feeling like my feet would fly off, my body shot up into the sky.

Through the smoke of the exploded light magic, I saw indigo hair.

Sharin, who had blocked the destructive rays, was falling, her magic almost completely depleted.

I stretched out my arm, snatched Sharin, and held her tightly in my embrace.

"Husbaand."

Sharin opened her tired eyes and looked at me.

"You did well."

I smiled and praised Sharin.

Sharin stared blankly up at me, then gave a languid smile and clutched tightly onto my body.

"I knooow."

Carrying Sharin, I activated magic imprints in succession as I fell downward.

In the meantime, the Ghoul Lord's arms filled everything around us.

The surroundings were filled with the Ghoul Lord's hands.

The sky and the horizon, everything was covered by the Ghoul Lord's hands.

No.

It was still too far to reach Granthoni.

A little more.

I needed just a little more time.

Just as I thought that,

I felt the flame, imbued with that warm aura from earlier, once again.

*Flash!*

A flame, carrying a reddish flash, instantly spread throughout the entire Otherworld.

At the same time, the Ghoul Lord's hands, descending from the sky, paused for a brief moment.

My eyes slowly widened.

It was because I knew what that flame was.

'Lucas.'

Was that you?

But there was no time to confirm it.

*CRASH!*

The moment I fell, holding Sharin in my arms.

"Granthoni!"

"Oh!"

Granthoni clapped his widely spread hands together.

My gaze landed on the Otherworld.

There was no sign of Lucas anywhere.

Only the warmth of the flame of fighting spirit was clearly felt.

I bit my lip hard.

If the day ever came when I could talk to you,

I wanted to tell you that I had protected the world without regret.

Because Lucas, you were a hero to me.

*Clap—*

With the resounding clap, our location changed.

It was a forest, located a short distance from Jerion Academy.

Everyone, including me, stood still in silence.

We were all a mess, but one thing was certain.

"…We're alive."

With my words, everyone collapsed to the ground.