I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 810

The Mortal Realm. Crossroads.

Serenade stood on the eastern ramparts.

The southern ramparts were off-limits due to safety concerns, so she watched the entire battlefield from the eastern rampart’s spire, the closest vantage point available.

And in this final battle, the World Guardian Front had achieved victory.

They had successfully repelled the Great Monster Invasion.

People laughed, cried, and embraced each other. Rejoicing in their survival, they confirmed each other’s warmth.

However, even amidst this joyous scene, Serenade couldn’t be entirely happy.

‘My love…’

Because Ash had not yet returned.

Facing the winter wind with her back, her blue hair fluttering in the breeze, Serenade clasped her hands in prayer.

‘Please… just let him be safe…’

It was then.

Flash-!

A light flashed from the eastern plains of Crossroads. Startled, Serenade looked in that direction.

The thorn tree planted on the eastern plains, Everblack…

A magic gate formed in the very center of Everblack’s stem, which had already lost its vitality and was almost dead. Then, as if pushing through the gate, the airship La Mancha appeared.

Ash, who had set out on that airship, must have returned—believing this, a smile unconsciously formed on Serenade’s lips.

But before she could rush down from the eastern ramparts, a thunderous shout came from the airship.

“Serenade!”

It was Emperor Traha.

The Emperor, standing at the bow of the airship, recognized Serenade on the ramparts and roared fiercely.

“Gather the people immediately!”

“Yes?”

“There was an accident during the return, and Ash hasn’t come back!”

For a moment, Serenade didn’t understand what the Emperor was saying.

Belatedly, a sensation as if all the blood was draining from her body enveloped her. But the Emperor’s next words snapped her back to reality.

“That guy will return!”

“… !”

“If it’s him, he’ll definitely come back! So we have to keep this passage open as long as possible!”

As soon as it returned to the mortal realm, La Mancha stopped operating.

The massive airship crashed into the ground with the momentum of emerging from the gate. The Emperor and the five Glory Knights jumped out, almost tumbling from the airship.

“Gather the people! We have to prevent the passage from closing! Hurry!”

The Emperor, the Glory Knights, all of them were injured.

They rushed to the gate, which had already begun to close, and desperately struggled to keep it open.

Without fully taking in the scene, Serenade ran towards the southern ramparts.

It didn’t matter if her legs broke. It didn’t matter if her lungs tore.

Just a little faster, faster, faster…!

Serenade ran desperately, without taking a breath, and reached the southern ramparts.

And to the people in front of the southern ramparts, who were still crying and laughing in the joy of victory, she shouted.

“Everyone, please listen! His Royal Highness the Crown Prince…!”

At the mention of the Crown Prince’s name, people turned in surprise. Serenade, more earnestly than ever, cried out.

“We have to save our beloved one…!”

***

Thud, thud-thud-thud…

The sound of the world collapsing.

“…”

Somewhere at the bottom of the spirit realm.

Buried in pieces of wood and piles of dirt, I blinked slowly.

How far did I fall?

…No, does it even matter how far I fell?

‘It’s over.’

I missed the only way out of the spirit realm.

Moreover, I fell all the way to this deep bottom.

And the spirit realm will soon completely collapse and disappear.

‘Is this the price for thinking all the battles were over and letting my guard down at the very end?’

It was an unavoidable accident, but.

If I had been more thorough, if I had focused solely on escaping instead of saying goodbye to people, it might have been an accident that could have been prevented.

But I shared a final moment with the precious people I might never see again, and an unfortunate series of events led to this result.

‘Still, my life is a cheap price to pay for carelessness.’

I protected my world, and all my goals were achieved.

Although it’s a shame that I won’t be able to see the true ending I so desperately wanted to reach with my own eyes…

Still, even if I’m not there, my people will reach it for me. They will live on, carrying out my will.

‘So, I can face my end with peace of mind…’

Thinking that, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, when.

《You’re having your last moment, and you’re ruining the mood.》

“…?”

A familiar voice came from nearby.

Looking in that direction…

The Demon King, his body tattered and broken, and the former Goddess, now a normal soul, were sitting side by side on the white sand, watching the spirit realm perish.

I was horrified and jolted my upper body up. What the heck!

“What are you two doing here?”

《That’s what we want to ask you…》

The Demon King muttered sullenly, and the Goddess covered her mouth and laughed.

“The spirit realm will soon disappear. How did you fall here, Ash?”

To the two who were preparing for a serene end, I laughed hollowly and explained honestly.

That I made a mistake at the very end. That I missed the airship, which was the only way to escape.

The Goddess tilted her head after hearing my story.

“But why are you just sitting here?”

“Huh? Well, because it’s practically over…”

I smiled bitterly and put my hand on my forehead.

“Letting my guard down at the end and missing the chance to return to the mortal realm is ultimately my fault. So…”

“Are you going to give up everything just because you made one mistake?”

The Goddess’s voice was a little stern.

“Even if there isn’t much time left, even if you’ve lost so many precious things, even if it’s so hard, so tiring, so painful.”

“…”

“You haven’t given up until now, have you? That’s why you were able to come this far.”

Looking straight at my dazed face, the Goddess nodded.

“Your life isn’t over yet. Then you have to fight. Just like you always have.”

She no longer possessed any divinity, but an unknown dignity remained.

The Goddess stood up with a ‘heave-ho’ sound. The Demon King also struggled to his feet, his broken body barely holding him up.

The two who approached me extended their hands. I took their hands without thinking. But I was still sitting down.

I muttered sullenly.

“But there’s no way… How can I get back up from this bottom…”

“How foolish.”

The Goddess smiled and gestured towards the sky.

“The good you’ve done will pave your way.”

“…”

“If you search with all your heart, there will always be people around you who will help you. Have a little faith in their good will…”

Following her, the Demon King spoke.

《As you promised, it was the best stage, the best show.》

The Demon King chuckled briefly and nodded towards the sky.

《So, shouldn’t we show them the best curtain call to match?》

“…!”

《The applause you deserve is up there, Player. Go and enjoy it…!》

Then, as if on cue.

The two of them forcefully pulled me up.

Neither the Goddess nor the Demon King had the strength left to send me flying into the sky. However.

They had enough heart to lift me up from where I had fallen.

Thwack-!

I pushed off the ground, gritted my teeth, and soared into the sky.

I squeezed out the last of my dragon power to create wings. And like climbing a waterfall, I began to claw my way up through the collapsing world.

“The adventure is only complete when you return home.”

The Goddess’s voice echoed faintly from behind.

“Complete your adventure, Ash…!”

I shot upwards.

I pushed through the collapsing piles of dirt, broke through the falling pieces of wood, and desperately flapped my wings, piercing through the swirling waves.

But I soon ran out of strength.

The magic power was also disappearing as the spirit realm was being destroyed. The dragon power I was using was also quickly losing its output.

Before the world perishes, how far can my struggle reach?

Thinking that, I looked up at the sky,

“…!”

And my eyes widened.

Shining shooting stars were falling towards me.

No—they weren’t shooting stars.

They were countless race gods.

To save me from falling, countless race gods were rushing down into the collapsing world.

Even though they were all destined to go to the underworld with the destruction of the spirit realm.

To save me, they were so willing…

《Fly, friend.》

They found me and fell towards me, one by one taking my hand,

《One more time!》

And threw me upwards.

《One more time-!》

From hand to hand, from hand to hand…

They made me fly once more.

Leaving behind the completely collapsing and disappearing land of the spirit realm, I continued to soar into the sky.

Upwards.

Upwards.

Upwards…!

This time, the previous regressors appeared before me, endlessly flying upwards. They were holding hands, floating in a circle in the sky, waiting for me.

Among them, a woman who reached out to me—Dustia, my mother who gave birth to me, smiled brightly and shouted.

“When you entered this spirit realm from the mortal realm, you opened a gate near the stem of Everblack, right?”

“…!”

“It seems your airship used the same gate when it escaped to the mortal realm. And now, that gate at the end of the stem is holding on without closing!”

Thwack!

My mother, who grabbed my hand, grinned.

“Your small hands have grown so big.”

“Mother…!”

“Go on, the world is waiting for you!”

The regressors, holding hands and lined up, spun around, gathering strength like a clock.

My mother put strength into the hand holding my arm and nodded.

“It’s okay to fail. It’s okay to break. Even without the power to turn back time, you can always get back up. So—”

My mother smiled through her tears.

“Live on, keep going…!”

I smiled back and nodded vigorously.

The circle of regressors, who were holding hands and spinning, straightened into a line and transferred their power to the end. At that end, I timed it and bounced into the sky.

Now, I flew close to the black thorn tree, which was collapsing entirely below. And at the middle of Everblack, two men were waiting for me.

“This troublemaking idiot…”

“How much more are you going to worry your brothers?”

My two brothers, Larc and Fernandes, who were waiting with their swords and staffs stuck into Everblack, grumbled and poured power into their respective weapons.

“I’ll give you my avalanche.”

“I’ll give you my spark too.”

The two of them held out their swords, which were pouring out sword energy like a blizzard, and their staffs, which were emitting magic power like a spark.

Thwack!

I snatched them with both hands, and at the same time.

Whack!

My two brothers forcefully struck my back.

With a stinging pain, I soared even higher into the sky. The sword and staff in my hands emitted sword energy and magic power, adding to the propulsion.

“For those who challenge the sky, falling is not a disgrace. It’s just a process you have to go through.”

My two brothers shouted behind my receding back.

“Even if you fall again and again… if you have the courage to challenge again!”

Then.

You can fly again.

Leaving my brothers’ words in my heart, I was shot upwards.

Now, the upper part of Everblack.

Having reached a dizzying altitude, the surroundings were rapidly becoming colder. The sword and staff also gradually stopped emitting sword energy and magic power.

Then, a clear warmth enveloped me.

Looking around, I saw four red dragons flying around me, as if guarding me.

The huge dragon forms were gone, broken and shattered.

Scattering scales along their trajectories, like fireworks streaking across the sky, my mothers of the heart.

《You know what we’re going to say now, right?》

The first Dusk Bringer asked playfully.

I smiled brightly, nodded, and answered.

“I love you!”

A satisfied smile crossed the faces of the four dragons. I shouted once more.

“I love you, with all my strength…!”

The four red dragons approached me and kissed my forehead in turn.

Each time, warmth spread through my body, and the dying flame in my heart regained its strength and burned itself anew.

Finally, the second Dusk Bringer—the Archduke—approached me, transformed into a human form, and left a long kiss on my forehead.

And smiled brightly.

《Your tomorrow will surely be clear…!》

The Dusk Bringer moved away.

The four dragons, who had sent me upwards and remained behind me, quickly disappeared from view.

The destruction of the world, which had started from below the earth, had already soared to the sky and was chasing after me. I gritted my teeth and increased my speed.

And at the very top of Everblack—

《Here!》

The Succubus Queen was waiting.

“Salome!”

《This way, this way! Inside the tree!》

I entered Everblack, following the passage that Salome had secured.

The inside of the tree had transformed into a wide cavity.

And at the far end of that cavity… a magical door, slightly different from the gates I had seen before, was open.

It was a gate opened by dimensional transfer magic. And the path to that gate, which cut through space like a red cross-section, was being maintained by the thorn tree, even with its collapsing body.

Even though the passage between the spirit realm and reality was already closed.

To secure the path to that gate, which would only open and close once, the tree was desperately holding on, even in its dead state.

《I won’t bother with any more goodbyes.》

Before I could say anything, Salome entangled her parasol in the cloak on my back.

《Because we’ll meet again soon… and more importantly, a good nightmare knows when it’s time to wake up.》

“Salome…!”

《Don’t worry about me! Now, go! Fly, you popular guy!》

Thwack-!

Salome’s parasol flashed with a dazzling pink light and shot forward, and I flew after it without being able to do anything.

《Because there are so many people waiting for you… who want you to be happy!》

Salome smiled like a mischievous child and waved at me.

《So—good luck!》

I quickly moved away from Salome, and a dazzling flash filled the area.

Thud! Thud-thud-thud-!

The destruction of the spirit realm accelerated and surged right below my feet.

Even though its entire body had been destroyed and disappeared down to its roots due to the collapse of the world, Everblack was trying its best to maintain the passage until the very end.

I gritted my teeth and gathered all the remaining strength I had to shoot upwards. I flew as if climbing through the collapsing and narrowing passage.

At some point, the weapons my brothers had given me, the warmth the four dragons had given me, and the parasol Salome had given me, all broke, disappeared, and vanished.

My dragon wings, my dragon heart, and the halo of power that floated like a crown above my head, all disappeared.

I breathed roughly, my body that of an ordinary person, as I climbed through the passage.

The gate was still far away.

I was out of breath, and my vision was blurry. It was so hard that I wanted to give up right now, collapse, and die.

But it wasn’t over yet.

The people who cheered me on hadn’t given up on me.

So I wouldn’t give up either.

I would fight this world, and myself.

Just a little more.

Just a little more…!

***

The Mortal Realm.

The eastern plains of Crossroads. The stem of Everblack.

“Maintain the gate!”

“Everyone, rush in-!”

“We have to hold on no matter what!”

All the people of the World Guardian Front were clinging to the gate that had opened in the tree, desperately trying to prevent it from closing.

The mages who had unleashed miracles of earth-shattering power, the knights who had split mountains with their swords and blocked dragons with their shields, had all lost their strength.

Now, they were all just ordinary humans.

And what ordinary humans could do was to hold onto each other and endure.

People placed their hands on the closing gate and tried to slow down its speed as much as possible. With their hands, shoulders, backs, foreheads, and entire bodies, they struggled to push the gate back.

“We have to keep the path open…!”

The magic door was getting narrower, and the power of ordinary people could not stop its closure.

“Until that person returns…!”

But because so many people had gathered their will and hearts and desperately resisted.

The gate was closing much slower than its original speed. But it was only slower, the closure itself was still progressing.

“Hold on-!”

People screamed and held on.

And then.

“Ah!”

A young man who once had clairvoyance looked inside the passage and shouted.

“It’s the Prince!”

“What?!”

When everyone looked inside, it was true.

Ash, who had struggled to climb through the passage, was running towards the end of the passage. And right behind him, a dazzling flash and destruction were following.

“Your Highness!”

“This way, hurry-!”

The gate narrowed once more.

People gritted their teeth and held on, even as their grips were tearing. Everyone cried out desperately, as if spitting out blood.

“Just a little more…!”

Vitality returned to Ash’s eyes as he saw his people.

And at that moment, the passage behind him and below his feet completely disappeared in a white flash.

Ash lost his balance and was about to collapse.

At that moment,

Thwack!

A branch of the tree extended out as a foothold.

It was the last will of the tree that had lived only for people.

“…!”

Stepping on that foothold with his toes, and taking the falling dirt and wood fragments with his entire body, Ash leaped into the air from the end of the passage.

But—it was far.

Even though he had desperately closed the distance and jumped, the distance was far. It was as if a vast cliff had spread out between them.

And then.

“My love-!”

Serenade jumped directly into the gate.

“My lord-!”

Following her, Lucas also jumped in.

“Senior!”

“Your Highness!”

“Your Majesty-!”

Evangeline, Damian, Junior, and everyone…

They threw themselves into the air, grabbed each other at the same time, and reached out towards Ash.

Towards the hands of those ordinary people, blooming like flowers, Ash desperately reached out his hand in return…

—Thwack.

The tips of their hands, extended from the other side of the vast cliff that they would not have been able to reach otherwise—

They had definitely grabbed each other.

***

“Sorry.”

I barely managed to utter in a weary voice.

“I was a little late.”

Now, under the stem of Everblack, which was completely closed.

Covered in dirt and blood, we had all safely escaped outside the gate.

As I stroked Serenade’s back, who was sobbing as she hugged me, I realized my mistake and changed my words.

“No, it’s not the time to say sorry.”

I raised my head and looked around.

“Thank you.”

And to everyone who surrounded me, who had waited for me… I smiled brightly.

“I’m back.”

Everyone rushed towards me at once.

Without anyone being first, they embraced me. Everyone’s hands intertwined, seeking each other’s warmth, and wrapped around each other’s shoulders and backs.

Surrounded by so many warm hands that seemed like they would never let me go again, I was suffocated but also happy.

I cried with the people.

And I laughed with the people.

Crying and laughing, we held each other for a long time.

***

It was a really long adventure.

***

It was a truly wonderful adventure.