Unbelievable Trick

"Protect yourselves!"

A terrified official shouted.

They believed this was the end.

A quiet acceptance settled over everyone who witnessed it.

"This is it..."

Someone whispered, eyes fixed on the monitor in the dimly lit room.

What they saw was the white orb sinking into the ground.

The girl who dropped it simply turned around and walked away as if nothing had happened.

But when she was just a meter away, the ground began to turn completely white—like snow.

Not just the ground—the buildings, the air itself, everything was overtaken by an unnatural whiteness.

It spread fast.

Anything it touched became a white void, stripped of all physical existence.

No form, no substance—only the impression of what once was.

Reality itself began to distort.

The world twisted into indescribable images.

People inside buildings didn't even realize they were vanishing, becoming part of the void.

From afar, King Dan stood, clinging to hope.

"What the heck... I thought she was only on par with Anon. I should've used her while I had the chance."

Regret echoed in his heart, though he spoke like it didn't matter.

"Still... I'm the king. It's my burden to protect my people—even if it's impossible!"

He unsheathed his sword and raised it, trying to connect to the girl.

But even the energy threads from his sword began to fade in the spreading white.

This whiteness wasn't light or darkness—it was the erasure of reality itself.

"It's... useless!"

He cried.

"So many regrets. Damn it... I should've married someone. Taken a break from this duty."

He shouted in frustration.

Regret consumed him.

Meanwhile, the Warlord Robots stood motionless—their link to their controller severed by the orb's effect.

They encircled Anon's crumbling body.

Anon hadn't yet reformed—his soul was still resisting the many wills trying to take control of his body.

"This is too much for me to handle!"

The king exclaimed, frantically sending threads from his sword again and again, but the orb drew closer.

Everything in its path turned to a blank canvas.

"Maybe... maybe luck will come to me and let me undo this..."

But hope felt further than ever—delusion was all he had left.

"I can do it!"

He said.

"No, I can't!"

He yelled.

His mind flickered between madness and hope.

He wanted to run, but his duty as king held him in place.

Then the white void reached him.

His hands dissolved.

He couldn't move, as if he were being pulled into it.

"Nooooo!"

He screamed.

He cried like a child, overwhelmed by fear.

Then finally, he was swallowed.

The world shattered in less than a minute.

The orb's expansion accelerated by the second.

And the girl who caused it?

Gone.

---

Human decisions always seem right at first, as long as they lead to good results.

But once things go wrong, they abandon them.

Or so they claim.

In truth, humans don't let go—they just try again, chasing the first success and ignoring the consequences.

They are ambitious and lazy.

They trust only when they are trusted.

They act kind to strangers but hurt those closest to them.

This is reality.

Power and knowledge are mere tools they wield in the name of justice—yet they die filled with regret.

The powerless and the powerful are divided, yet they both search for happiness.

They cry, they feel envy, sadness, and hate...

But none of it makes them better.

Maybe—just maybe—there's someone out there who isn't like that.

Someone who doesn't regret the past.

But if that person exists...

Then they aren't human.

---

"Hello?"

"Are you still there, old man?"

A familiar voice.

"Who's there?"

"Am I... still alive?"

He laughed nervously.

"Hah... That's impossible. Impossible..."

His voice echoed.

But he could still feel his body.

"Oh... this is a weird flashback."

He chuckled.

"Should I try opening my eyes, even if it's fake?"

Another voice answered.

"Hey, you there, uncle—this weirdo is talking to himself!"

A kid's voice.

"Insolent brat! Our king is not a weirdo!"

An angry voice.

"He is though! Just listen to him!"

"What is this...? A dream?"

He was confused.

"So dark... I must've been swallowed. Maybe now I'm a ghost without a torso."

He opened his imaginary eyes.

And what he saw—

Anon standing above him, while he lay on the ground outside Grandeul Jail.

"Wh-What the hell kind of dream was that?!"

He shouted, crawling back.

Anon turned, a dark smile on his face.

"Old man, our fight is a draw."

"What? I saw everything—from the beginning to the end of my life!"

He panicked.

Anon explained:

"From the moment you slashed me... I chanted my favorite trick. A technique that traps enemies in a simulation—of the present and future—until they die."

"So... everything I experienced was just a dream?"

He couldn't believe it. Everything had felt real—the emotions, the sights, even the pain.

"Yeah, all of it was real—in your mind. A simulation. But it shows what would have happened if you'd truly beaten me.

I don't know exactly what you saw... but I enjoyed watching your reactions while you slept.

You cried and mumbled weird stuff!"

"So I'm truly alive..."

He squatted, tears streaming down his face.

"Then I'll do better. I won't make the same mistakes again."

He stood, a new resolve in his heart.

But as he approached Anon—

"Damn! You're dense, old man! I never said it was just a dream. It was a simulation—a real one! That version of you really died. In a parallel reality."

Even so, the king smiled.

"That's fine. If I don't do what that version did, I can avoid that fate.

Thanks to that other me... though I do feel bad for how badly he messed up."

"Dad!"

Anon yelled.

"I found the dumbest king ever! You said kings are wise—this one's worse than a corpse!"

He turned and walked into Grandeul Jail.

Before disappearing, Anon spoke again:

"You have three days to give an honest answer for why you ran that experiment on those old fools.

Your life—and your people—depend on it."

---

The king laughed.

"Unbelievable... He really is human.

I thought he didn't have full control of his power yet.

But he does.

And unlike the others, his god-like power didn't rob him of his emotions or conscience."

Then he noticed the System Command Manager—an old man with a face carved by time.

"Hey, old man—did you open the sp—"

The old man interrupted:

"They planned to, my king. But I stopped them.

You don't need to worry."

He knelt.

And at that moment, the king knew—he had been right to promote this man.

Not just an official, but a friend who had followed him since the beginning.

They had fought side by side, built their nation together, and earned each other's trust.

The king walked over, placed a hand on his shoulder, and smiled.

"You've done well, my friend.

I'm sorry for doubting you."

"You don't need to apologize, my king.

I'm happy to know you still see me as your friend."

---

Back inside Grandeul Jail, Anon wandered.

"Oh no! Where am I now?"

He shouted.

He barely remembered the place—only that he met the king here and fell asleep during his story.

"This place is impossible to follow..."

He muttered.

---

And as everything returned to what it was...

The lives Anon took will one day haunt him.

His actions now may become regrets later.

But the words of someone still echo in him—words that give him strength.

"Never regret."