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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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Chapter 127: Dramatic Escape
My vision blurred.
A ringing sound echoed in my ears.
Pain throbbed through my body.
‘Get a grip.’
I forced myself to wake up.
The moment my eyes opened, I felt a heavy weight pressing down on me.
I quickly raised my arms and pushed away whatever was crushing me.
Clang—
Fragments of the shattered sky tumbled down.
The sky had shattered like glass.
As I shook my head from side to side, my vision gradually returned to normal.
Thankfully, my body was fine.
Thanks to my steel body, I wasn’t easily injured by ordinary impacts.
But the others weren’t like me.
I hurriedly scanned my surroundings.
Soon, I spotted Grantoni beneath me, the one I had shielded.
I quickly cleared the debris off him and hoisted him onto my shoulder.
“Sharin! Eve! Vinesha!”
I shouted their names beneath the fragments of the fallen sky.
But I couldn’t see them anywhere.
All three were skilled fighters.
I didn’t believe anything bad had happened to them.
Still, the collapsing sky must have scattered us far apart.
Rumble—
Just then, I sensed an enormous presence through the cracks in the shattered sky.
Looking up, I saw a giant eye staring at me.
The Abomination.
The moment it spotted me, the Abomination thrust its massive hand through the broken sky.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
It was after Grantoni’s body again.
With no other choice, I tightened my grip on Grantoni and sprinted at full speed.
But even as I ran with all my might, the Abomination relentlessly pursued me.
In the end, I had to raise my ring toward the sky once more.
For the fourth time.
Come, Lightning Caller.
CRACKLE—!
A barrage of lightning rained down from the heavens, striking the Abomination’s hand directly.
Its hand turned white-hot and momentarily halted.
But the Abomination had already been struck by Lightning Caller several times before.
This time, it wasn’t just reaching with its hand.
Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud!
Suddenly, the sound of countless footsteps echoed behind me.
A horde of ghosts was chasing after me, sprinting at full speed.
They had fallen under the Abomination’s influence, and they pursued me like mad.
They were relentless.
If Eve were here, she would have fainted in terror.
As if dealing with the Abomination wasn’t enough, now there were ghosts too.
This was insane.
Click—
At that moment, I heard the sound of Grantoni’s teeth clenching together.
My eyes widened in realization.
It wasn’t just the noise of my running.
It was proof that Grantoni was trying to reclaim his body, searching for a path back.
If he got lost here, he would drift even further away.
I couldn’t let this chance slip away.
But without Eve’s azure flame, Grantoni wouldn’t find his way back.
Finding direction in this void without a beacon was impossible.
If things continued like this, Grantoni would never find his way and would ultimately be devoured by the Abomination.
And if that happened, the world would be doomed.
I had to find Eve immediately.
But I had no idea how far she had been flung when the sky collapsed.
I didn’t know how long it would take to find her, and I couldn’t afford to leave Grantoni unattended.
I bit my lip hard.
That left me with only one option.
‘I’ll have to become the beacon myself.’
The magic seal of the Fire Dragon engraved on my body slowly began to activate.
A burning heat surged through my body.
The Fire Dragon’s magic seal was something I had mastered to suppress the remnants of an ancient dragon.
I had never used it on its own before.
But the Fire Dragon’s magic alone wasn’t enough to serve as a beacon.
So I needed something more.
A synergy between mysticism and magic.
My steel body began reacting to the Fire Dragon’s magic.
A wave of intense heat erupted from within me.
Scales started to appear across my skin.
I concentrated the heat inside me, ensuring it wouldn’t affect Grantoni’s body.
I was the beacon.
I didn’t need to unleash the flames outward.
At that moment, another power reacted.
The day I received the remnants of the ancient dragon from Nikita—
A remnant of the Flame of Destruction had settled deep within me.
Now, that remnant was resonating with the Fire Dragon’s magic.
The fire inside me swelled to an uncontrollable level.
But that was exactly what I needed.
The brighter the beacon, the more clearly Grantoni would see it.
“Grantoni!”
Engulfed in flames, I called out to him.
“I know this world is meaningless to you without Musika!”
Grantoni’s world had ended the day Musika and his master died.
But I didn’t want his life to end this way.
“But you have to keep living!”
A life filled with loss and emptiness.
My life could never compare to Grantoni’s suffering,
but even so, I found that living was better than not.
“It’s too unfair to die like this! Your master and Musika wouldn’t want you to die this way either!”
That was why I wanted Grantoni to come back.
If his beloved Musika and his master were here, they would tell him the same thing.
I knew that.
That was why, in the game, Grantoni had turned back when he saw Musika again.
Grantoni’s body trembled violently.
It was proof that he was finding his way back.
FWOOOOSH!
Then, in the distance, a massive azure flame erupted into the sky.
My eyes widened.
Eve.
She was there.
‘Is Vinesha with her?’
There was no way to know.
But if it was Vinesha, she would surely be able to persuade Grantoni.
She was the only one who could bring back Musika.
At that moment, Grantoni’s reaction became intense.
I realized what this reaction meant.
‘She did it.’
The flames within me burned even more fiercely.
Each of our efforts connected into a single light.
A radiance containing everyone's struggle began to unfold before my eyes.
Then, from somewhere, I felt another flame—a warmth unlike any other.
It was a fire so warm that it felt nostalgic.
In that instant, my gaze turned toward it.
Kwa-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-gang!
The sky I was rushing through began to collapse once more.
That wretched wraith—always making the sky crumble.
I just want to stand on the sky itself.
Whoosh!
A gust of wind suddenly surged.
As I lifted my head, I saw a girl with navy-blue hair billowing in the wind.
In her eyes, galaxies wove together and shone fiercely.
The staff in her grip was aimed at the collapsing sky.
A surge of immense mana rippled outward from her as its center.
Sharin Sazaris.
She was here.
“I understand it now.”
She declared, her clothes tattered from being caught in the wreckage of the crumbling sky.
“I can release my full power.”
With those words, magic erupted from Sharin’s staff.
A brilliant light, painted in iridescent hues, bared its fangs toward the sky.
Kwa-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-k!
The torrent of radiant energy swept away everything in its path.
The overwhelming light was so intense that even my hastily shut eyes were momentarily blinded.
As my vision returned, I stepped forward and saw Sharin soaring amidst the raging storm in the distance.
The staff in her hand shattered into pieces and vanished.
At the same time, the collapsing sky also disappeared, revealing the world beyond.
A once-in-a-millennium genius.
Her magic was enough to reach even the Abomination.
As expected, she was my most trusted and powerful ally.
The fickle one had pulled off another grand feat today.
Sharin immediately fired magic at the vengeful spirits chasing me.
Her staff was worn down with every attack, but she didn’t hold back.
Amidst the bursts of light, Grantoni’s body trembled even more violently.
We were almost there.
He was undoubtedly wandering, chasing the lighthouse toward his final path.
I raised my hand toward the sky.
One last strike.
Come forth, Lightning Caller!
A brilliant white bolt of lightning crashed down upon me.
―――――――――――!
Grantoni was also caught in the lightning, but I hoped he would endure.
The lightning coursed through my entire body, activating a magical sigil.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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Magic Sigil · Lightning Catcher.
The flames of destruction that engulfed me swallowed the goddess’s thunderbolt.
Then, as it surged through my steel body, the lightning seeped in.
A storm of immense power raged.
My entire body glowed with the blue light of lightning.
Heavenly Dragon Form.
The lightning that coiled around my body roared toward the heavens.
With all my remaining strength, I shouted Grantoni’s name.
Thud!
At that moment, Grantoni’s body froze as if struck by lightning.
His entire form creaked, and soon, a breath escaped from his skeletal mouth.
“Heh… Heh-heh… Hannon.”
Grantoni’s characteristic laughter rang out.
He had returned.
“Were you seriously trying to send me off for good?”
Grantoni groaned, his body still stiff from being caught in the Lightning Caller’s power.
“You covered your body with every soul-binding spell before you left, didn’t you?”
That was why I had no hesitation in using the Lightning Caller.
“Heh-heh-heh, you sure catch on quick! As expected of my soul-bound companion!”
At some point, I had become his soul’s closest counterpart.
“Grantoni… Musika…”
Hearing my question, Grantoni slowly lifted his head.
“Vinesha brought her.”
Vinesha.
The way Grantoni spoke her name was different from before.
He clutched my collar tightly.
“Hannon… You helped, didn’t you?”
His clownish antics had always been his way of resisting a life of suffering.
But now, he no longer needed to act that way.
Because today, Grantoni had reclaimed everything he wanted.
In the original scenario, he had always been given only two choices.
To remain with Musika, forever trapped within the Abomination’s realm.
Or to let Musika go and close the world beyond.
Neither choice had anything to do with happiness.
So I changed it.
For Grantoni.
For Vinesha.
For Musika.
I changed the ending of Act 4, Scene 5.
Even if this world strayed from its original course, it didn’t matter.
I would force it back into the correct timeline.
That was the vow I made the day I saved Nikita.
“Thank you.”
And so, my determination bore fruit.
Grantoni did not ask how I knew or how I was able to help.
He simply offered words of gratitude, filled with emotions he had long suppressed.
Grantoni’s world had changed.
Musika’s and Vinesha’s world would change as well.
A world beyond the original story.
A world after the bad ending.
I bit my lip, overwhelmed by emotion.
Even if, due to this worn-out love, I could no longer love this world—
I still wished for this world to reach the happiest ending.
That alone was enough for me to move forward.
“If you're grateful, buy me a meal next time.”
“My wallet’s going to be emptied.”
Grantoni clicked his teeth together and laughed.
“More than that, getting out of here comes first.”
My eyes landed on the Abomination chasing us.
First Grantoni, and now even Musika had been taken.
The Abomination was now prepared to unleash its full power without restraint.
It tore through the sky as its massive body descended.
“Don’t worry.”
At that moment, Grantoni lifted his upper body from my back.
As he stretched his hands out to both sides, the colors around him began to shift.
“The Otherworld is my playground.”
Otherworld.
Grantoni’s unique ability began to manifest.
“Hanon Irey!”
In the distance, I saw Eve running desperately while carrying Vinesha.
The surroundings darkened.
My gaze lifted to the sky.
There, I saw it—
The Abomination had pushed all of its countless arms through the heavens.
Ninety-nine arms.
They burst forth, breaking through the narrow sky.
The Abomination had taken a risk, making a move to seize us.
At that moment, the sky split open, and black beams of light branched out in all directions.
They were rays of annihilation—destroying even the soul upon contact.
The beams shattered everything in their path, surging toward us.
Just before they reached us, Sharin stepped forward.
A surge of radiant magic, filled with Sharin’s full power, exploded outward.
BOOOOM!
A deafening blast swept through the surroundings, making me stagger.
But I kicked off the cracked earth like a man possessed and ran with all my might.
Beside me, Eve appeared, holding Vinesha.
“Eve, catch!”
I threw Grantoni toward Eve.
Grantoni, weak and weightless, flew through the air, and Eve barely managed to catch him.
Meanwhile, I pushed off the ground with all my strength.
The magical sigil on my soles activated at maximum output.
Magic Sigil: Explosion
It felt like my feet were being blown away as my body shot into the sky.
Through the lingering haze of shattered magic, I caught sight of blue hair.
Sharin, having exhausted her magic while blocking the destructive beams, was plummeting.
I stretched out my arms, seized Sharin, and pulled her tightly into my embrace.
“…Husband.”
Sharin’s weary eyes opened and met mine.
“You did well.”
I smiled at her, offering my praise.
She looked up at me in a daze, then smiled sleepily and clung to me tightly.
“I knooow.”
Holding Sharin close, I continuously activated the magic sigils to slow our fall.
Meanwhile, the Abomination’s arms filled the entire sky.
Everywhere around us was covered by its hands.
From the sky to the horizon, nothing else remained.
No—
I still wasn’t close enough to reach Grantoni.
Just a little more.
I just needed a little more time.
At that moment—
I felt it again.
The warmth of flames that had once embraced me.
Flash!
Scarlet flames erupted, spreading across the entire Otherworld.
At the same time, the Abomination’s descending hands momentarily stopped.
My eyes widened.
I recognized that fire.
“…Lucas.”
Was it you?
But there was no time to confirm.
BOOM!
Just as I crashed down while holding Sharin—
“Grantoni!”
“Oh!”
Grantoni clapped his wide-open hands together.
My gaze landed on the Otherworld.
Lucas was nowhere to be seen.
But the warmth of his determined flames remained clear.
I bit my lip tightly.
If I ever got the chance to speak to you again,
I’d want to tell you—
That I protected this world without regrets.
Because to me, Lucas—
You were a hero.
Clap—
With the sound of applause, our surroundings changed.
We were now in a forest, a short distance from Zerion Academy.
Everyone stood in silence.
We were a complete mess, but one thing was certain.
“…We survived.”
At my words, everyone collapsed to the ground.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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