I Became The Tyrant Of A Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 462

The opened door revealed a space densely packed with black thorn bushes.

The entire interior of the palace seemed to be in this state. Damian shook his head, peering inside.

“At this rate, we won’t be able to get in…”

“Let’s see.”

I reached my hand inside. Then,

Swish….

The thorn bushes that touched my hand simultaneously recoiled, creating a path.

Is it because I am also a guardian of the Empire? It seems they sensed my qualification and opened the way.

As I slowly stepped inside, the thorn bushes that had cleared a path for me closed in again behind me, intertwining to block the way.

“…Looks like I have to go alone from here.”

I nodded to my companions, who were looking at me with tense faces.

“Guard the entrance well.”

Once I resolve the situation, I will need to come back out this way. My companions will have to wait for my return here.

Waaaaaa-!

It was then. From all directions, the forces of Fernandes belatedly began to swarm in.

“We will await your return, Your Highness.”

Damian shouted, drawing his magic gun and aiming it at the enemies.

“Please return safely!”

Kuilan and Verdandi also raised their respective weapons, and Kraken roared menacingly, extending its tentacles to lash out at the enemies.

Bang! Crash!

Although we were overwhelmingly outnumbered, our combat power was conversely overwhelmingly superior. The enemies who rushed in were easily crushed.

They will hold out well until I return.

Believing that, I turned my body towards the interior of the Imperial Palace.

Rustle. Rustle.

The thorn bushes that completely covered the interior of the palace parted the way with a sound like snakes.

Although it was covered in thorn bushes, I had been here before, so I roughly knew the layout.

I walked along the long corridor.

Without stopping, towards my destination.

How long had I walked? Finally, it came into view.

The slightly open door of the audience chamber.

***

Sitting on the throne in the audience chamber, Fernandes had his eyes closed.

Having become one with the thorn bushes—Everblack—Fernandes had already sensed Ash’s presence.

Feeling his younger brother’s approach, Fernandes chuckled.

He was suddenly thinking about the long records of the past, where he and Ash had fought together.

***

■■■■ Cycles Ago.

The letters appeared on Fernandes’s body when he turned ten years old.

The first sentence was engraved in the middle of his chest. The content was as follows:

– The world is repeating its destruction.

Followed by the second sentence.

– I sacrifice my life to convey this to my next self.

A message from his past self in a destroyed cycle, sent to his next self.

And the third sentence.

– Ash will regress. Cooperate with him.

The transmission of the sentences ended there.

Ten-year-old Fernandes stood in front of the bathroom mirror, lost in thought. And he concluded that the content of these sentences was true.

Not only were the letters his own… but also, engraving such bizarre content onto his skin across time and space was something only he could do.

“Cooperate with Ash, huh…”

Fernandes frowned, looking at the mirror.

“…That kid is only six years old.”

Moreover, while Larc happily played with Ash often, Fernandes was somehow awkward and distant with Ash.

There was a clear psychological barrier that made it difficult for half-brothers to become close.

Especially for Fernandes, who was quick to read the room, unlike Larc, who was a muscle-brain without a sense of social cues.

But what could he do? He couldn’t ignore the advice of his past self.

Fernandes adjusted his clothes and came out of the bathroom, calling for his eldest brother.

“Larc, hyung [older brother]!”

Larc, who was doing push-ups in the hallway, turned his head at his younger brother’s call.

“Huh? What’s wrong, Fernandes? Did you finally decide to train with your hyung? Great! Shall we start by running around the training grounds?”

“You can do that all you want… Never mind, let’s go play with Ash.”

Larc’s eyes widened, and then he burst into laughter, straightening his body.

“You rascal, you should have done that sooner! Did you finally decide to become friends with Ash?”

“No, it’s not like that…”

“Don’t be shy. Brothers should be close. Get ready to go out! I’ll call for a carriage.”

Thus, the two brothers went out to their half-brother’s detached palace.

The gazes of their mother and the household staff stung the back of their heads, but what could he do? Fernandes was more concerned about the content of the message.

‘What exactly does it mean that Ash is a regressor?’

So, they arrived at Ash’s detached palace.

Amidst the warm welcome from the people of the detached palace, Fernandes stood awkwardly in front of Ash. It was still very awkward.

“Ash, do you know what regression is?”

“Huh?”

Fernandes subtly probed about regression, but Ash only tilted his head with a genuinely clueless expression.

“What is that?”

“Well, if the world is repeating, you would remember the past…”

“I don’t understand difficult words, hyung…”

Ash, with a blank face, whined, and then his face brightened, grabbing Fernandes’s hand and pulling him along.

“Never mind that, let’s play! I have a secret base over here!”

“No, more importantly, the world… Sigh.”

In the attic that Ash led them to, the three brothers tumbled around and played together.

That day, Fernandes came to a conclusion.

‘…He doesn’t know anything?’

Ash was a cute younger brother, but that was all. He was of no help in cooperation or anything else.

‘Well, it’s not like I’m told to cooperate right away… I guess I’ll prepare for the future on my own for now.’

Still, from that day on, the three brothers often met and played together, becoming close.

Several years passed.

Ash’s mother, Empress Dustia, committed suicide.

Fernandes, who attended the funeral, noticed a change. Ash’s atmosphere had changed.

His usual kind face was the same, but Fernandes, who had been close to him for the past few years, could tell.

Ash’s eyes had suddenly deepened, as if he had lived for decades more.

Above all, Ash didn’t cry much.

As if he had experienced his mother’s death several times.

After burying Dustia and the funeral was completely over.

In the rain, Ash, holding an umbrella, was staring blankly at his mother’s grave, wearing black mourning clothes.

Fernandes slowly approached him and asked abruptly.

“I know. Ash, you’re regressing, aren’t you?”

“…?!”

Ash, startled, turned to look at Fernandes.

“H-How did you know that, hyung…?”

“Here, look.”

Fernandes unbuttoned his clothes and showed the letters engraved on his chest.

“It’s a message my previous self sent to me. It says you’re a regressor, and I should cooperate with you.”

“…!”

“Now, explain it to me. What does it mean that the world is repeating its destruction? What does it mean that you’re a regressor?”

Ash looked at Fernandes with bewildered eyes, and then slowly explained.

The repeating world, himself chosen as a player, the world that is destroyed no matter what he does….

It was a preposterous story, but Fernandes listened silently, nodding his head. And then he said.

“I will cooperate with you, Ash.”

“…!”

“I don’t have the memories of the past cycles like you, but I can still assist you in the future cycles. Let’s fight together.”

“Hyung…”

Ash roughly wiped his reddened eyes with the back of his hand, and then asked in a trembling voice.

“Really, will you fight with me?”

“Of course.”

Fernandes smiled gently.

“I’m your brother, after all. Would I let my younger brother fight a lonely battle?”

Fernandes didn’t know.

How much comfort those words were to Ash.

To Ash, who had been continuing a lonely battle in the repeating world. How fortunate it was that a reliable companion had appeared.

“Let’s save the world together.”

“…Yeah!”

The brothers shook hands firmly.

Hope was clearly visible on the faces of the two boys.

And dozens more cycles were repeated.

Still, the brothers failed to prevent the destruction of the world.

***

Bang!

Ash’s hand grabbed Fernandes’s collar and pushed him back.

This was in front of Dustia’s grave.

It was Dustia’s funeral again, in a new cycle that had started again. But there was a clear difference from the previous cycle.

The time.

Dustia originally committed suicide when Ash was in his late teens, but now Ash was in his mid-teens.

Instead of rain, snow was pouring down at the funeral. In the pouring blizzard, Ash growled, his white breath puffing out with anger.

“Did it have to be this way?”

“……”

“Answer me, hyung! Did it have to be this way!”

“I just thought it would be better for you to regress as soon as possible.”

Fernandes looked at Ash with a calm gaze.

“Yes. So I killed your mother.”

In this cycle, Dustia was assassinated.

By Fernandes’s own hand.

And at that moment, Ash regressed. What Fernandes aimed for was this regression of Ash.

“Admit it, Ash. Your mother has to die for you to regress at that point.”

“……”

“And the sooner you regress, the sooner we can prepare for this cycle together.”

Ash squeezed his eyes shut.

Fernandes was right. For more efficient progress, Dustia had to die as soon as possible, and Ash’s regression point had to be brought forward.

But still….

Burying his mother, who had been brutally assassinated, was too painful.

“The reason I accepted this damn player position…!”

Ash spat out as if vomiting blood.

“It’s to protect the people I love…!”

Standing in front of such Ash, Fernandes answered indifferently.

“It’s the same for me, Ash. But if there are lives that need to be cut off on that path, I will cut them off without hesitation.”

“……”

“What we need to save is the world. It’s a greater cause. You mustn’t forget that.”

“…Right, hyung was this kind of person.”

A sneer appeared on Ash’s lips.

“Pretending to be warmer than anyone else, but in reality… a colder person than anyone else.”

“Say whatever you want.”

Fernandes lightly removed Ash’s hand from his collar and declared.

“In the next cycle, I will kill your mother as soon as I am ready, and make you regress.”

“……”

“I will optimize the strategy route to prevent destruction. This is a necessary process, Ash.”

Fernandes continued, looking at his younger brother, who had his head bowed.

“Look at the bigger picture, little brother. What we are trying to protect is not your mother, who is going to die anyway. It’s everyone in this world.”

“I know, I know! I know, but…”

Ash clenched his teeth and tore at his chest with his hand.

“This… it hurts too much…”

Fernandes was dumbfounded.

This guy, Ash, has regressed dozens, maybe even hundreds of times.

Why is he still in pain over his mother’s death?

He seemed to be more tormented by the deaths of people than himself, who had only inherited the records.

***

The cycles continued.

Based on the records of the past, Fernandes quickly optimized the progress of the cycles.

He killed the people who needed to be killed, and saved the people who needed to be saved. He built organizations, raised funds, and gathered armies.

Step by step, the strategy progressed slowly but steadily.