Chapter 601 - Omniscient First-Person’s Viewpoint

The first Holy Maiden wanted to create a framework for a world where humans could live peacefully. She dreamed of an era where chaos and taboos no longer reigned, but were replaced by an orderly life adhering to rules. “But I was just an ordinary human. I couldn’t change the framework from within it.” “Don’t be disheartened. Everyone hits their limits. The more talented you are, the later it hits you.” "Even though I've faced limits in countless futures and turned back, I could never scale that great wall. The one who truly can achieve this order is, ultimately..." With a gaze both earnest and pleading, she looked at both me and my 'Elder Sister' simultaneously. "Only 'you'." With her powerful foresight, she had gained nearly omniscient abilities. She didn’t have to deeply involve herself with the King of Humans. She could’ve slain the three monstrous entities she desired and built a vast power. Yet, even the first Holy Maiden moved the world by becoming the King's warrior. "The King of Humans is perfect. Beautiful, wise, strong, and merciful. But those aren't the only qualifications. The King of Humans truly possesses the qualification." From the start, she aimed for the King of Humans, because it was necessary. "To be the King of Humans. That alone." "Unique. Singular. And... forever existent without fear of being lost." The King of Humans is a conceptual being, embodying the characteristics of the human race. Those characteristics include superior intelligence, delicate handiwork, powerful shoulders, and an unparalleled capacity for learning. The King of Humans is promised to be a superhuman. Moreover, when he perishes, he reemerges somewhere in the world, eliminating even the concern of disappearance or loss, rendering him a complete and perfect superhuman. That's why the first Holy Maiden served the King of Humans. She didn't just amass all kinds of knowledge; she taught the King of Humans. Instead of directly dealing with the three forbidden monsters, she had the King of Humans do so. And in the end, she knelt and implored him. To become the guardian of order and destroy evil. However, from my perspective, it ended in failure. “I suppose 'Elder Sister' turned you down in every future. This was the best future you chose.” “This is my ultimate gamble, risking everything I have in life. If we're headed for an end anyway, it's a glimmer of hope for an unknown chance.” “What?” “The conclusion chosen for a possible opportunity, over the best future.” The first Holy Maiden muttered to herself and looked directly at me. With her gaze piercing through time, space, and even my mind, she asked: “What do you think, my lord?” “What?” “If you were to lose all your power and step down from the throne. If you were to remain as a single, ordinary human. If you were to realize the fear of death and pain. If you understand the daily fears that ordinary humans carry as they fall asleep.” I had a promise. Not one that belonged to me, but one made with the concept of the King of Humans by my 'Elder Sister', who was stabbed and died here. A powerful being tore apart the King of Humans’s power and forced a promise. “If you know those who cannot believe that today will be the same as yesterday, and that tomorrow will come unchanged.” “Are you trying to entrust me with this?” “At the end of the future I saw, it's you. This means that even the five qualified ones I chose eventually failed to represent humanity. Order becomes a mockery, and humans are swayed by power. The King of Humans will soon regain full power.” From the beginning, the target was the King of Humans. Whether it was 'Elder Sister', or me, or possibly both. “Won’t you become the true king, and establish the order of the world?” The first Holy Maiden made such a request to me, just as she had to 'Elder Sister', only to protect humanity. But the answer was predetermined. “I’m sorry.” My stance remains unchanged. The focus of the eyes of the first Holy Maiden slightly shifts. Is her foresight coming to an end? Adjusting my position into her line of focus, I speak. “I won’t let order sit above humanity. So, I will decline the request to be the guardian of order. To me, order is a tool, and if needed, I will change or replace it.” This must be a scene the first Holy Maiden hadn’t envisioned. Her foresight is faltering. At the same time, her eyes quiver slightly. “The order I envision isn’t meant to be harsh and strict.” “I know. But frameworks eventually break. A demon might appear and twist the rules, or the world could change out of nowhere. The land itself might shift at the whim of a sudden disaster.” “But, in such moments, there are unchanging values.” “Such values must prove their usefulness. The value is determined not by you or me, but by those who need the tool.” It’s not only humans who are challenged. Values and order must always be challenged as well. If humans aren’t perfect, neither are the values and orders they create. Viewing them as perfect and living accordingly will eventually lead to dissonance. “Even when rules are set, they will collide eventually. Even when order is established, it will crumble someday. No value remains unchanged. Because the world changes.” Now, the first Holy Maiden was as faint as drizzle. Is this past that I am watching itself being affected? Or is the past changing? The first Holy Maiden muttered bitterly. "If that's the case, the order I tried to establish even through rebellion ultimately ends in failure." “Why do you call it a failure?” Everyone seems to consider me a barbarian, completely barbaric. When did I ever say that order is useless? I merely stated that order is a tool. And I like tools. I carry them in various forms. In any city I’ve entered, I never immediately broke or disregarded the established order. I just found loopholes and leveraged them, employing them perhaps a little more skillfully than others. Even if the outcome led to the collapse of that order, I acknowledged and abided by it. "When a person lives to a hundred, they're said to have lived a good life. Typically, after living for about a century, they leave behind plenty of blessings and quite a few grudges. But who cares when they're about to die? They gather all those affections and resentments, leave their descendants in the world, and embrace the embrace of the Earth Mother." If humans are mortal, then order is mortal too. Is it not strange to expect something grand from a mortal being? "If an order, maintained for over a thousand years, though it might have been met with some complaints, had also earned some admiration, then it might falter with age and eventually be abolished, fading into the annals of history. Perhaps it could even lay the foundation for a better, more superior order." It can be replaced as needed. There’s no need to place too much significance on it. "Ultimately, whether someone suffers or finds salvation depends on the humans using that tool." Just because a craftsman makes a knife, doesn't mean they are responsible for all the deaths caused by it. It's the same. Just because one creates order doesn't mean they bear all the harm its enforcement might bring. That’s the responsibility of the human wielding it. Order itself cannot be held accountable. "In that sense, I also support your wishes. The everlasting and beautiful tool you aspire to create for humans may not exist, but it will surely be strong and useful enough to accomplish the future you desire." So a new Holy Kingdom might be established? An order destined to crumble might rise? Well, so be it. Build it. Create it. Stack your sandcastles destined to fall. Craft your frameworks doomed to decay. You have the power to do anything. You hold such hope. Whether what you leave behind will be used or not, that's for those who remain to decide. “Even if the goal can only be achieved by killing the innocent, noble, beautiful, and pure King of Humans. If that’s what it takes to change the world.” Apologies to ‘Elder Sister,’ and it might seem unjust to the one at the heart of the tragedy. But a world that permits rebellion is preferable to one where it is impossible. “Don’t ask me. Ask yourself. Fulfill your desire. Just as Elder Sister let other monsters alone, you watched past the verge of rebellion.” Though it's a future she might not have wanted, I still cheered her on. While I had no intention of following it myself, I encouraged her to follow her heart. I placed my hand on the first Holy Maiden's shoulder. Even though it passed through her, I sincerely encouraged her with what felt like a gentle pat. "Ah. Personally, I don't dislike the order you've created. After all, it wasn't made with bad intentions, was it? It’s also helpful. The order you created seems to dislike me, though." A curiosity struck me. Did the first Holy Maiden foresee the words I spoke here in my imagination? Or was this an exchange that took place before her foresight? Would this conversation be transmitted to the past? Or, is this a determined outcome, with this dialogue simply remaining a fleeting vision for the first Holy Maiden? With resignation, as if the words were unexpected yet anticipated, she responded. "...You’re telling me to create an order you yourself wouldn’t accept." YW9peUx5cktZYXhyU2hzY1VsMkQ0WVJOb0l6NzBLUUd5TVd5UldkWjhycFpjOEdmMEc4UzhLbWh4UFZQeTNMUw "I told you, didn’t I? Order is just a tool. The order of the King of Humans is no different." Even such a conceptual existence can be a tool for someone. The same goes for demons. How what's already prevalent is used is up to the individual. Both freedom and responsibility lie with them. "It’s an order from the King. I permit it, so if you want to, go ahead." A shimmer of light danced. The vision of ‘Elder Sister’ shrouded in that light was fading. The memory of ‘Elder Sister’ is ending. The prophecy concludes here. The conversation that leapt through time between the past I observed and the future seen by the first Holy Maiden couldn’t alter anything. “...However. I still believe. In this world, there are immutable values we must believe and follow.” Yet much was accomplished. The first Holy Maiden hesitated no longer. She couldn’t cling to either me or ‘Elder Sister.’ We had refused. But she couldn’t give up. She wasn’t told she was wrong. “Even if what I deem right to uphold turns out to be nothing but a barbaric imposition of my power.” This is an age of barbarism. Knowledge doesn’t spread easily, and mankind’s cruel nature bares its teeth worldwide. That cruelty is contagious. Methods of killing others will spread more rapidly and extensively as people learn and evolve. Therefore, the first Holy Maiden aimed to establish a grand rule upon ‘Elder Sister’s’ corpse. “For the future of humanity I’ve glimpsed. I will move forward with simply faith alone.” Though how this benevolently cloaked sin might evolve in the future remains unknown, it could save the people of ‘the country’ and its borders from strife for now. With her hands clasped tightly as if in prayer, she summoned strength through her entire body. “If my lord. If this prayer reaches you, please.” May her wish be preserved. Her final words were drowned out by the engulfing brilliance of light. *** After ending her long prayer, El opened her eyes. The faint light of Yulim seeped into her stiff eyelids. It was too dim to be called hopeful, yet too full to be called despairing. That diffuse light, indeed, is the essence of El. Somehow, it felt tears might fall. Moving stiff and aching body, in sorrow. "...She's moving!" It was a voice weary with long anticipation. Only then did El notice the warriors of the King surrounding the altar. Despite their frustration, they were enveloped in a peculiar fear. "Not eating or sleeping for fifteen days..." "What, is this... some strange occurrence..." A scene of rebellion. The five warriors of El attacked the King of Humans. They struck when he was completely unguarded, covering his eyes with light, trapping him in illusions, and attacking the King of Humans with their ultimate martial prowess. It was a mortal wound. However, ‘Elder Sister’ also retaliated the moment she was attacked. The weapons and bodies enveloped in energy were swiftly snapped and broken. Had it not been for the revelation sent by El, some of them might have perished. Yet foresight was an incredibly powerful ability. With the prophecy avoiding death’s path, they managed to survive, though gravely injured. They had to flee. Pulling the weapon from the King’s body, they fought through the warriors and escaped. As planned in advance, while the five warriors fled, El knelt beside ‘Elder Sister’ and quietly prayed. As she clasped her hands and closed her eyes, a faint veil of light enveloped the two. "Transmission Keeper!! How dare you!" The warriors, enraged by the King’s death, approached. They grabbed El roughly—no, extremely roughly—to demand answers about the King’s demise. However, El remained as she was. No amount of pulling, kicking, or sword blows left a scratch on her. It was as though she had been promised to remain in that moment and space, an immutable truth from the past. No amount of venting, cursing, or attacking from the King’s warriors disturbed El's peaceful prayer. For fifteen days, without eating or drinking, until the weary warriors who had been watching fell away, exhausted. A miracle. A power unfathomable by reason—a miraculous ability indeed. The miracle she demonstrated would be meticulously documented, remaining as evidence of a divine presence in the world. It would be her enemies who recorded it. "...From now on, I, too, will have to endure the countless sufferings I foresaw." By choosing this path, El had become a rebel against the King, and those who followed her would face persecution. Her teachings wouldn’t be penned on silk scrolls but would be sporadically transmitted on half-baked bricks. El would be blinded, nailed to a cross, and dragged around. Yet, El's teachings would spread to all. While the King’s warriors, having tasted power, clashed with each other and tormented the populace, her teachings would inscribe justice and morality along the paths of their wounds. By the time they reached their limits, the five warriors who had stabbed the King of Humans would return, having inherited part of his power. Then the celestial order El established would stand firm. In the meantime, there was only one thing El had to do. She had to fill the empty sky with demons. Turning her head skyward, El suddenly saw Nevida. Even fifteen days after the King’s death, she still displayed deep sorrow and burning fury. Watching the embodiment of wrath that was Nevida, El murmured bitterly. “It will be worth it... I hope.”