I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 470

A little while ago.

Somewhere inside the thorn tree palace rising into the sky.

“Cough!”

Metallic, carrying Lark on his back, coughed up blood as he moved forward.

The old knight’s body was riddled with thorn fragments, and he spilled blood with every step he took.

The thorn tree palace was currently completely occupied by Everblack’s branches.

The thorns were trying to eliminate any intruders that Fernandez had not permitted.

Every few steps, thorn vines fell from all directions.

Metallic desperately moved his body to avoid the attacks, but he couldn’t stop the increasing injuries.

Finally,

Thud!

After accumulating injuries, his sturdy knees hit the floor.

“…It seems this is as far as I go, my lord.”

Metallic, coughing up blood, mumbled in a fading voice.

“I am sorry that I cannot be with you until the end…”

“It is enough that you came this far.”

Lark, who had crawled to Metallic on his knees, praised the old knight in a subdued voice.

“Thank you for the long time.”

“It was an honor to serve you, my lord.”

“It was an honor for me to be with you as well.”

Metallic gave a faint smile, and his large body slowly collapsed forward.

“May there be light in the Empire, and in my lord’s path…”

Thud…!

The old knight fell and died in the pool of blood he had spilled.

Lark used his remaining arm to close Metallic’s unblinking, pale eyes.

“May there also be rest in your future.”

After a moment of silence for his adjutant, who had been with him since his first day on the battlefield,

Lark looked inside the palace. The entire passage was filled with thorn vines.

Having lost all his limbs, there was no way for Lark to get through the thorns.

However, Lark stood at the entrance of the passage on his knees.

Swish-

Swish, swish-

The vines made a hissing sound like snakes as they gathered around Lark. They exuded a savage air as if they would tear apart their next victim at any moment.

“I am Lark ‘Avalanche’ Everblack.”

Lark was unperturbed in front of them.

“I am the commander of the First Legion, a pilgrim of the border, the military commander in charge of the Imperial Army, and the rightful heir to the Imperial family…”

Lark fiercely declared.

“I am a guardian who protects humanity!”

The thorn vines trembled and stopped in their tracks.

“I must go meet my siblings… my guardians.”

His limbs were cut off, and he was in a miserable state, crawling on the floor with his forearms and knees.

However, Lark roared once more in a voice that was nothing short of dignified.

“Will you not open the path!”

The branches trembled and made way.

Lark stepped inside.

The path was still long and arduous, but he had a task to fulfill.

***

Bang! Thud!

Inside the rising thorn tree palace audience chamber, Fernandez and I were fighting again.

In the meantime, Fernandez had been focusing his magic on creating this ‘ark.’

And once the ark was complete, he finally began to exert his full power in the fight against me.

Whirr!

He covered his wounded body with thorns, then, wearing the thorns like armor, he slowly rose from his seat.

In his hand was a huge staff made of thorns.

“Did you say that was the start of round two, Ash?”

Fernandez smiled at me, who was slightly taken aback.

“Then, shall I start getting serious?”

“You son of a, don’t go into a second phase when you’re not even a monster!”

The ends of the thorn vines, which had risen like a nest of snakes, split into four, and… a flash of magic sparkled within.

Flash! Flash-!

Thud!

Beams of light flew and exploded.

It was an unbelievable power. Faced with the absolute difference in output, my shadow army made of afterimages quickly began to retreat.

“Ugh…!”

I tried to gather all the mages from my afterimage army to fight against Fernandez, but it was too much. We were swept away in an instant.

A mage is a strategic weapon comparable to a fighter jet on Earth.

And while all fighter jets are powerful, there is a huge difference in combat power between generations and technologies.

Just like the incomparable gap between a fighter jet from the World War era and a modern fighter jet.

And the difference in magical combat power between me and Fernandez… is like the difference between a biplane and a stealth fighter.

Even if dozens of biplanes attacked in formation, they wouldn’t leave a scratch on the latest stealth fighter.

That was the level of pure and overwhelming output difference.

Boom! Thud!

Fernandez, the strongest mage of the Empire and the last mage in countless timelines, was terrifying at his full power.

After blowing away half of my afterimage army with a barrage of haphazard magic, Fernandez spoke calmly.

“In 15 minutes, this ark will depart for the Spirit Realm.”

“… !”

“It’s a powerful and safe ark that won’t be swept away by the space-time drift of the Spirit Realm. In other words, it’s impossible to get out of here.”

Fernandez tilted his chin and smiled.

“How about hoping that the shutdown protocol will work properly in 15 minutes, and that other passengers will board here, Ash? Wouldn’t it be a little boring if we were the only remaining humans in the world?”

“Please, stop talking nonsense…”

He’s talking like he’s giving away free housing in the Spirit Realm, that con artist!

“Forced sales! Solicitation! False advertising! False advertising! These are all crimes, you know?!”

I’ll achieve my dream of owning a home in reality! Not in that hell!

I manipulated my afterimage army and rushed at Fernandez.

Although half of them were blown away by Fernandez’s attack a moment ago, the remaining half had closed in on Fernandez again.

Tearing apart the clinging afterimages one by one with thorns, Fernandez shouted.

“Why don’t you just admit it! The odds of your strategy succeeding are overwhelmingly low! In that case, even if it’s just in the Spirit Realm, even if it’s just as a mental body! To continue to exist! Isn’t that safer?!”

“Stop talking like a parent nagging their kid who wants to be an artist to just become a civil servant!”

Looking back, my… no, Godeok’s parents were both, that’s legendary, oh my god!

“What’s the point of such a ‘safe defeat’!”

I spat out in a voice full of boiling blood.

“That’s just a preserved… a taxidermied paradise!”

“It’s better than not being able to preserve anything at all!”

Fernandez also yelled.

“How many times do you think I’ve recorded your futile challenge being shattered! Learn to compromise, Ash! You have to grasp even a safe defeat!”

…There was some truth in what Fernandez said.

I suddenly remembered the card games I played with the gamblers.

To win at Texas Hold’em poker.

You have to look at your hand, calculate the odds, and if you think it’s unfavorable, you have to be able to give up the pot without hesitation.

That’s how you can win the overall game.

In short, it’s a game where ‘losing well is how you eventually win.’

How is life any different?

You have to know when to step back, compromise, and bend… to endure the long journey of life without breaking or shattering.

…But.

If this game, this is the last poker game of this world.

Then, even if what I hold in my hand is the weakest hand without any kind of combination. Even so, I have to go all in.

Without stepping back. Without compromising. Without bending.

Even if I break, shatter, and eventually fall into pieces.

I have to fight.

That’s my choice as a gambler.

“Don’t talk like a safe defeat isn’t a defeat! What I want is… victory!”

I don’t need a bad ending or a normal ending.

What I want is the one and only true ending.

And the world where everyone will live after that!

“As long as there’s a chance of winning, I’m not going to surrender!”

“No, you will have to surrender! Because I’ll make you!”

The empty argument echoed in the air.

We continued our bloody battle, neither of us willing to yield to the other.

Fernandez, who had completely risen from the throne, strode towards me, and my afterimage army, which tried to stop him, was miserably swept away.

Before I knew it, Fernandez was standing right in front of me, past the long carpet.

Fernandez, fused with thorns, looked much taller than usual.

Behind Fernandez, who was looking down at me arrogantly with his dark red eyes, the light of magic flickered.

“All I need is your soul anyway.”

Fernandez pointed his thorn staff at me.

“I’ll kill your body first, Ash.”

Facing him, I gritted my teeth, gripping the flagpole in my hand tightly.

And, it was at that moment.

“Stop-!”

A hoarse shout came from the entrance of the audience chamber.

Fernandez and I were startled and turned to look.

And there,

“…Lark hyung [older brother]?”

In a miserable state, having lost all his limbs, but smiling brightly at us… my eldest brother was standing there.

Both Fernandez and I were stunned and froze.

“I’ve come to pick you up, my brothers.”

Lark looked at us with his unchanging warm eyes and whispered gently.

“Let’s go home together.”

***

It was surreal.

Lark’s appearance in that miserable state, and the words that came out of his mouth.

Go home?

Is that something to say in this thorn tree ark, floating high above the Imperial Capital, where all the citizens are in danger of death?

But Lark continued.

“Fernandez, it’s not too late to turn back.”

“…”

“Let’s go back. And let’s discuss and come up with another plan to save the world. We are the same ‘guardians’… and brothers, aren’t we?”

“What nonsense are you talking about, brother…”

Fernandez chuckled.

“It’s already too late to turn back. We’ve come too far.”

“No. There’s nothing that can’t be undone.”

Lark was firm.

“There must be something else we can do to protect the world. So, let’s put down our weapons and talk.”

“It’s impossible to turn back!”

Fernandez shouted as if spitting blood.

“Who do you think cut off your limbs, brother!”

“…”

“How many people do you think I brainwashed! How many people do you think I killed to get here!”

Fernandez raised his staff. Then, dozens of thorn vines wrapped around the end of the staff, transforming it into a huge spear.

“How many worlds do you think have been destroyed for me to reach this conclusion!”

I also took my eyes off Lark and glared at Fernandez.

“Stay back, Lark hyung.”

“…”

“I’ll settle this quickly, and then I’ll take you out of here… !”

Thud-!

Fernandez and I simultaneously rushed towards each other.

Fernandez’s huge thorn spear was thrust at me, and my last afterimages thrust their swords forward. I was preparing my ‘trump card’ behind them…

And,

Thud!

Lark jumped in between us.

He didn’t have calves or feet below his knees, but I had no idea how he jumped so nimbly.

Startled, Fernandez and I unknowingly changed the direction of our attacks. But it was a little too late.

Thwack! Thwack…!

Fernandez’s thorn spear and my afterimages’ swords pierced Lark’s sides.

“Brother…?!”

“Hyung?! What is this…”

Between us, who were horrified, Lark grabbed the back of my and Fernandez’s necks with his remaining arms-

And then, he hugged us tightly!

And even while spitting blood, he smiled.

“It’s a hug of brotherhood, you bastards…!”

He didn’t have the marble pillar-like arms of the past, nor the strength that used to crush our waists.

But neither I nor Fernandez had any choice but to accept his embrace.