Konsoon said to Albert,
"You should stay here so you can see it. It's a better way to watch. Do you need anything, Mr. Albert?"
Albert shook his head.
"No, I don't need anything."
"Alright, then."
Konsoon went from there.
Albert looked at him.
"You're leaving? After all, you're the one who owns this place."
Konsoon replied,
"I should be looking from that view."
Konsoon went and sat there, looking at his watch.
The time has come.
Every noble was riding horses.
An umpire was there, holding a blue handkerchief in his hand. He raised it, preparing to signal the beginning.
Albert watched from above.
Konsoon looked toward the field.
Then Freddie approached him.
"Hey, Konsoon. There you are. Can I sit here?"
Konsoon looked at him.
"Sure, you can."
Freddie sat down.
"Thanks for the seat."
He looked toward the field.
"Tell me, what's this game about?"
Konsoon explained,
"The Grand Melee. It's the last man standing. Every noble fights with a sword while riding a horse. However, this game doesn't involve actual violence. The swords are very sensitive. If a sword touches your chest, you're out of the match."
He continued,
"But at the end, if you survive and manage to strike your sword against someone else's chest, you become the winner."
Freddie's eyes widened.
"Wow. Now this looks very interesting."
Konsoon smiled.
"Isn't it?"
Freddie looked at the field.
"This game is very rare, though. Who made it? It looks like a very new concept."
Konsoon calmly replied,
"Actually, me. The noble families wanted to play a game like this. It's been about three years since people started playing it in Rome and other kingdoms. And since it's non-violent, it's become quite popular."
Freddie nodded.
"I see. Now that's very interesting."
Freddie looked at Konsoon's watch.
"I noticed this watch just now."
Konsoon looked at it.
"This? It's a Patek, Philippe & Cie. Queen Victoria's Pendant Watch, No. 4719."
He paused.
"Queen Elizabeth gave this to me through her will."
Freddie looked surprised.
"I see. It looks very expensive, too."
Konsoon smiled.
"Care to take a look?"
He handed the watch to Freddie.
Freddie carefully examined it.
"It looks very good, though."
He continued looking at it.
The clock was moving normally at first.
Then, out of nowhere, its hands began moving incredibly fast.
Freddie's expression changed.
"What's happening?"
Everything around him seemed to be moving.
Konsoon placed his hand on Freddie's shoulder.
"Tell me… how are you feeling?"
He smiled.
Freddie looked at him.
"I'm feeling… light."
He looked back at the watch.
The watch seemed to be turning into a black void—into nothing.
Konsoon calmly replied,
"Well, then… be it."
Freddie froze.
His face became expressionless, almost as though he were hypnotized.
Konsoon stood up and turned toward the stadium.
"This is going to be interesting."
The umpire released his handkerchief.
All the nobles raised their swords.
Albert looked toward the field.
"I hope my people win."
Noble 1, Henry, charged toward another noble.
The other noble dodged his attack.
Everyone watching cheered.
"Wow! This looks good!"
Suddenly, another noble attacked Henry.
Henry dodged.
"This looks interesting."
The battle continued.
Then one of the nobles was struck and fell to the ground.
He wasn't moving.
Henry looked at him.
"Is something wrong with him? Huh?"
Blood began coming from the fallen noble.
Henry's expression changed.
"What?"
He stared at him.
"Is he dead?"
Another noble panicked and tried to run.
But before he could escape, another noble struck him, cutting off his head.
The noble who attacked him smiled.
The crowd in the stadium began panicking.
"What's happening?!"
"They're killing each other!"
"Ahhh!"
Albert was watching from that place. He suddenly turned around.
"What's really happening?"
Konsoon was standing behind him.
"Is something wrong, Mr. Albert Bale?"
Albert looked at him.
"What's this? They're killing each other! Tell Helbert to stop this. He's the one who announced it, right? It should be stopped!"
Konsoon calmly replied,
"Should we have stopped it in the first place?"
Albert hesitated.
"Could it be… you are the one?"
Konsoon smiled faintly.
"Correct."
Albert slowly stepped backward, hesitating.
Konsoon turned his gaze back toward the stadium.
"It's useless to escape from me."
Albert's body suddenly froze.
"I can stop you at any time. Your mere human body is nothing compared to my power."
Albert said, "What did you—?"
Konsoon raised his hand.
Albert suddenly flew backward and came behind Konsoon.
Konsoon made Albert look toward the stadium.
"See?"
Konsoon pointed toward the field.
"Look at how they're killing each other. As the chaos grows, these nobles are falling over each other. Do you see the fear of the nobility?"
"The crowds from every kingdom are here. Even mine. And you're seeing them run, but the nobles are still on the field, fighting each other. They're killing each other just to save their own lives."
Konsoon smiled.
"Do you see what cruelty is? They can't escape cruelty."
Konsoon said,
"The fall of the nobles… they are destroying each other. Right now, do you see that noble with the long hair? He is one of my allies."
Albert looked at him.
"You did this because you want to take Queen Victoria's place, right?"
Konsoon smiled.
"I have something bigger in my mind than that. But you can think whatever you want."
Konsoon raised his hand slightly. A small knife appeared in his hand.
"Anyways, let me finish this by ending your life."
He attacked Albert, and Albert fell to the ground, injured and struggling.
Konsoon looked at his bloodied hand and calmly wiped it with his handkerchief.
"As I can't use my magic here…" He smiled. "But I can still use a little of it. Truly, those monarchs can sense it, but they didn't."
Albert's father's servant suddenly arrived and saw what had happened.
"Oh my God! What did you do to my lord Albert?!"
He looked at Konsoon.
"Lord Konsoon!"
Konsoon smiled.
"Me? I did nothing at all."
The servant stepped backward.
Konsoon looked at him.
"Are you trying to betray me?"
The servant suddenly turned and tried to run.
"Mr. Sajak Jones!"
Out of nowhere, Konsoon grabbed Sajak's fist and stopped him.
Konsoon held him firmly.
"When you wake up, your only option will be to blame yourself."
Sajak suddenly fell unconscious.
Sergey was looking from the top.
Then he jumped down.
Sergey looked at the guards and killed them.
Scene shifted to the long-haired noble.
Suddenly, he jumped toward the magicians and killed them. He smiled.
The monarchs heard the voices.
One of them came out and said,
"What's happening?"
He saw the nobles being killed on the field. He saw Henry's corpse and looked around.
Then they attacked the long-haired noble.
The long-haired noble was attacked and got slightly injured, but he smiled.
Then he attacked the monarch's right hand, and the monarch died.
Another monarch created a barrier.
The long-haired noble was stabbed.
The monarch said,
"Tell me. Do you really think you can beat us? I don't think you're one of the nobles here. And you're fighting monarchs. You can't beat us."
Suddenly, it was revealed that it was only a clone.
They looked shocked.
"What?"
The long-haired man attacked them again and killed one of them.
The tall monarch shouted,
"You bastard!"
He swung his hand, and flames engulfed the long-haired noble.
The long-haired noble was damaged, but he suddenly attacked the monarch again.
Scene shifted to Sergey.
Sergey had killed all the guards.
He looked toward Helbert.
"Interesting… to think of his puppet moving like this."
Many guards suddenly arrived.
Then a bald-faced monarch appeared.
"I know someone is here. Tell me, who did this? Who is the real culprit here? Who did this?"
Sergey's mask shone.
His puppet's head turned toward the bald monarch.
"Hmm… interesting to say. But I can't tell you. It's a secret."
He made a strange pose.
Scene shifted.
Konsoon was slowly walking and looking toward the stadium, watching the chaos.
Konsoon had his hand on his chest.
"Deliberately… I am seeing the world return to its original form."
He slowly walked toward Freddie.
Freddie remained frozen in the same position.
Freddie's POV
Freddie found himself in an empty, dark place.
He looked around.
"Nothing… What even am I feeling? Nothing? Is this death? Or is there no world after death? No heavens?"
He felt very light, as if he were floating.
In reality, his body remained completely frozen, but his mind was experiencing something entirely different.
Scene shifted.
The long-haired man hadn't killed the tall monarch, but the monarch was injured. The long-haired man had a serious expression as he began walking away.
"Wait! Where do you think you're going?"
The long-haired man didn't even reply.
He simply faded away.
Meanwhile, many of the crows returned to their homes, leaving the hallway behind.
Several corpses remained, but there were fewer ordinary humans among them. The kings were unharmed, while the nobles on the stadium field had all died.
Scene shifted to Sergey.
The bald monarch was lying on the ground, and all the guards around him were dead.
Sergey's puppet was covered in blood.
"Well, it seems like you're all dead. Finally, by me. Now it's going to be you, brave monarch."
Sergey took out his knife.
"An eye for an eye… to make these solutions solved."
Helbert watched.
The bald monarch screamed.
"AHHH!"
Sergey looked at him.
"Well, I guess I got my eye for an eye. That's what I love to collect, and that's what I believe in: an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth."
Sergey's hand was covered in blood.
The bald monarch held his right eye and screamed.
Suddenly, a string appeared and wrapped around Helbert's hand.
It took the knife from Sergey and struck the monarch.
The monarch looked shocked.
"What…?"
He died.
Sergey stared at him.
"Oh no… What have you done? You killed our own ally! This couldn't have been me."
He raised both hands.
"Or… was it me?"
One of his fingers was connected to a string.
"Anyways, I'll keep going."
Sergey vanished through the door.
Helbert remained there, staring after him.
"That masked man… Who is he? Why did he do that?"
Helbert looked around.
"I want to leave… but I feel like I committed this crime."
And then Sergey looked toward the sun, holding the right eye in his blood-covered hand.
Scene shifted to Konsoon.
Victor was standing behind him, and the long-haired man was there as well.
Konsoon said,
"You can turn yourself back into your original form, Remji."
The long-haired man returned to his original form.
Konsoon stood there and said,
"Everything is set. All the evidence has vanished, and the burden is on them."
He looked at the sun.
Scene shifted.
Someone touched Freddie's shoulder.
"Why? Wake up."
The sun was shining brightly.
Freddie opened his eyes.
"What?"
His vision cleared.
It was Konsoon.
Freddie looked confused.
"Was I asleep?"
Konsoon had a serious expression.
"Yeah, you can say that. But look around yourself. Things are intense here."
Freddie looked around. He was slightly injured.
"How did this happen? I don't even remember anything from last time."
His eyes fell on the golden watch on Konsoon's chest again.
Konsoon said,
"Someone from the Luciferism group tried to kill you."
"What? Luciferism? Is that some kind of angel group?"
Konsoon looked at him.
"Don't push yourself. This is going to be intense. They injured you with some high-level spells. However, I would say Helbert and the others are among the suspects."
Konsoon looked at Freddie with a serious expression.
"And the sad part is… your father has passed away."
Freddie froze.
"What? My father… passed away?"
Konsoon nodded.
"Yeah."
Scene shifted.
Sajak was being held by the guards.
He slowly woke up.
"Where am I?"
A man was sitting in a chair in front of him.
"You are in royal custody."
"Why am I here?"
The man looked at him.
"That's what we're here to ask. Why did you kill Albert Bale?"
"What?"
One of the guards grabbed Sajak's hand tightly and slammed it onto the table.
"Easy. We should be asking him questions about what happened. The rest will be left to our court."
Sajak looked confused.
"I didn't do anything!"
He paused.
"I… I don't remember anything at all."
The man stared at him.
"You don't remember what happened?"
Sajak shook his head.
"I don't remember anything at all. I don't know what really happened."
The man narrowed his eyes.
"Are you lying?"
Sajak replied,
"I'm not."
Scene shifted to Tai Yang.
He had been training for three days.
His mana control had improved significantly, and even his physical condition looked much better. He looked at himself, noticing the progress he had made.
His wooden sword had broken many times during his training.
Ren looked at him.
"I guess you look good enough now."
Tai smiled.
"Yeah."
Ren looked at his wooden sword. It had been cut 18 times by Tai during their training.
Ren said,
"Tell me, how are you able to control your body like this now?"
Tai didn't answer.
He picked up his wooden sword.
Ren also took his wooden sword.
Both of them attacked each other at the same time.
BOOM!
The impact exploded between them.
Ren was shocked.
Smoke covered his hand.
Tai Yang stood there, his wooden sword still intact.
Ren looked at his smoking hand.
Tai smiled.
"Like this."
Ren said,
"You look good enough. However, this was better than the previous one."
He raised his hand.
"I order you to have leaves around you."
Tai Yang nodded.
"Alright."
Leaves formed around him.
Scene shifted.
One day later.
Albert's funeral was taking place.
A priest stood at the front while Konsoon sat in one of the traditional benches. Freddie was sitting there as well.
Albert's body rested inside a wooden coffin.
The priest began speaking:
"Citizens of this great London, a heavy darkness has fallen upon our streets! The Almighty has called home our honorable and noble leader.
"Look upon his cold, silent form before us. Let it be a reminder to every soul in this room that our time on Earth is a fleeting shadow, and judgment awaits us all!
"Our departed Mayor, Albert Bale, was a fortress of righteousness. He did not succumb to the sins of greed; instead, he clothed the poor, defended the weak, and executed his civic duties with the fear of God in his heart.
"Let his name be engraved in the immortal history of our town, and may we strive to live with the same Christian honor before we, too, are returned to the dust."
Everyone was crying.
Except Freddie and Konsoon.
Konsoon was smiling.
Scene shifted.
Albert's grave was being buried. Dirt was placed over the grave as everyone stood around in silence.
Konsoon and Freddie were among the last to leave. Freddie placed some dirt over the grave with his hand.
Everyone remained silent. Some were mourning, while others slowly began to leave.
Scene shifted.
Konsoon sat by the window, slowly stirring his spoon around his cup before taking a sip of tea.
"You should sip some tea too."
Freddie looked at the tea on the table.
"It might ease your mind."
Freddie picked up the tea and took a sip.
Konsoon looked at him.
"I might feel bad for you, I would say. Your father wasn't always kind to you, but I would say that, for you, he was at least a good person who took care of you."
Freddie smiled slightly.
"Well, you read my mind, huh?"
Konsoon smiled.
"You don't look like an open book to me right now. But I would say you have lots of things in common that people can read."
Freddie smiled gently.
"You think so?"
"Yeah."
Freddie looked down.
"After his death, I would say I need to move on."
Konsoon remained quiet for a moment.
"Well, death is something you can't really deny. But the most cruel thing about death is losing yourself and the others you feel close to. You lose your body and walk into the abyss as if you never even existed.
"And then there are those who care about you. They mourn for you, but eventually, they move on. They return to their work again. The mourning slowly vanishes…
"And sometimes, it vanishes forever."
Freddie said,
"I guess you're right. I shouldn't really keep overreacting about it. But I guess I need some time."
He paused.
"Tell me… have you ever lost anyone close to you?"
Konsoon looked toward the window.
"Many of them. However, I never really mourned them."
Rain began to fall again.
Konsoon looked up. From the window, the rain could be seen falling outside.
"I have had many people around me, but I actually never saw them as equals to me."
Freddie looked at him.
"I see. Sometimes you feel very superior, but sometimes you feel very odd… almost cold. But tell me, has there ever been someone who was truly close to you?"
Konsoon was silent for a moment.
"There have been a lot of them. But it depends on what you mean by 'close.' Do you mean my right hands? Or my odd colleagues who have already passed away?"
Freddie hesitated.
"Are we friends?"
He finally asked,
"Are we friends?"
Konsoon looked at him.
"Friends?"
He paused.
"Someone who is close to you through the meaning of friendship. It is a bond where you have responsibilities toward one another, and you fulfill those responsibilities. You can do anything for that bond."
Konsoon looked toward the rain again.
"However, I really lack the ability to make friends. Even though I understand how teamwork works—I have spent my entire life working with teams—I have never had someone I truly felt that way about."
He lowered his gaze.
"I understand everyone. But a friendship bond is something that makes me anxious… something I can't deny."
Freddie said,
"You lack friends, huh?"
Before Konsoon could answer, Victor opened the door.
"My lord, it's time to go."
Konsoon smiled.
Scene shifted.
Konsoon was inside his horse-drawn carriage again, sitting quietly as the coachman led the horses toward Konsoon's residence.
They crossed the barrier and entered the magic world once again.
Scene shifted.
Freddie was walking away, with his servant following behind him.
For a moment, Freddie remembered their previous meeting.
Konsoon was leaving.
"Tell me… will we ever meet again?"
Konsoon smiled.
"When the time comes, we definitely will. But for now, I am certain."
Freddie looked confused.
"Certain about what?"
"The meeting. When we meet again, will you welcome me as your guest… or as an intruder?"
Freddie smiled.
"A guest, I would assume."
Konsoon continued walking toward his horse-drawn carriage.
"I would welcome you into my land whenever you wish."
He smiled.
Freddie watched him leave.
"See you…"
Konsoon stopped for a moment.
"You know, people speak about objective certainty. But what does it actually mean? What does it feel like to possess it?"
Freddie looked down at his hands.
"Objective certainty… huh?"
The scene shifted to Tai Yang.
He dodged the leaves as Ren attacked him. This time, Tai Yang had a real sword in his hand.
Ren said,
"Only one day has passed, and I'm shocked that you're already able to dodge my attacks."
Tai Yang smiled.
"Because I'm special."
Ren looked at him.
"Oh, really? I don't think so."
Tai Yang grinned.
"I guess I'm going to break that ego of yours, Mr. Strongest."
Ren looked confused.
"Hey, when did I say I'm the strongest?"
The moment was surprisingly funny.
Tai Yang suddenly moved at incredible speed.
In an instant, his sword was near Ren's neck.
Ren's expression changed.
"You're too fast."
Hiroshi, who had been watching from behind, spoke.
"Well done, Tai Yang."
He looked impressed.
"It's good to see how much you've improved. You've finally reached a decent level."
He paused.
"But I would still say that Ren wasn't using his full power."
Tai Yang looked at Ren.
"Now that's crazy."
Hiroshi said,
"But I would say you've become good enough to at least overcome goblins and many other creatures."
Tai Yang looked at him.
"I thought I had become very strong, but… yeah."
Hiroshi then said,
"A new mission has arrived."
Tai Yang nodded.
"Well, alright."
Scene shifted.
Tai Yang headed toward the location of the mission.
Hiroshi had mentioned the Bear-Headed Humans again, along with their classification, C-2, or whatever their specific designation was.
Tai Yang looked ahead.
"I'll beat them this time and finish this."
He soon spotted the Bear-Headed Humans again.
Tai Yang drew his sword and pointed it toward them.
"Bring it on!"
He suddenly moved at incredible speed.
The Bear-Headed Humans' reactions were too slow.
Tai Yang closed the distance and struck one of them with a powerful punch.
The Bear-Headed Human was sent backward.
Tai Yang looked at his fist.
"Now I see it. My training really did improve me a lot."
Tai Yang swung his sword.
A burst of blue energy emerged from the blade and struck the Bear-Headed Human, causing it to vanish.
Tai Yang looked at his sword.
"I don't know… should I name this attack?"
He shrugged.
"Anyways, I should focus on my mission."
More C-2 Bear-Headed Humans appeared.
Tai Yang didn't even use his full power. He simply dodged their attacks, swung his sword, and defeated them.
"Piece of cake."
He had already defeated half of them when he noticed Kurno destroying some of them as well.
Tai Yang looked surprised.
"How did she get here?"
He looked toward her.
"Hey, you're here."
Tai Yang finished off the last Bear-Headed Human near him.
Kurno's eyes began glowing. She raised her hand and then lowered her sword.
Tai Yang looked at her.
"Guess there's no reply. Should I help? I mean, it's all good. I don't see any problem."
Kurno looked toward him.
"I order you to throw water."
"What?"
Water suddenly rushed toward Tai Yang at incredible speed.
Tai Yang quickly dodged it.
"Guess that was unexpected."
Kurno's spell continued moving toward him.
Tai Yang looked at her.
"Is she coming toward me?"
Kurno rushed forward.
Their swords clashed.
Tai Yang dodged her strike and swung his own sword.
Both of them moved at incredible speed.
Tai Yang narrowed his eyes.
"Not this time."
Kurno began preparing another chant, but Tai Yang immediately swung his sword.
Kurno was forced backward.
Tai Yang looked at Kurno.
"Guess this is because it's you again."
He smiled.
"But again, I'll win this match this time."
The screen faded away.