Under the warm sunlight.
The giant, who had finally reunited with everything he had longed for, closed his eyes as if he had no more regrets.
Then, he vanished—turning into scattered dust.
Not even a corpse remained. It was as if he was never truly permitted to remain in this world to begin with.
Isaac, feeling once again the overwhelming power of sorcery, couldn't hide his sorrow.
Though his meeting with Gaia was brief, he had learned so much from it.
"Though the time was short, the lessons were great. He was another teacher."
After taking in the place where his clumsy but impactful teacher had passed, Isaac turned his head.
The Transcendents were also silently paying their respects to Gaia's final moments, just like him.
Watching them, Isaac felt something strange stir within.
They were enemies—beings he had seen as nothing but threats.
And yet here they were, mourning the death of someone who was one of their own, with respect and solemnity.
"..."
As the idea of harmony and peace that the giant had spoken of no longer felt so impossible…
Isaac felt a sharp, chilling gaze on him.
Blue eyes. Horns atop the head.
A long, cold greatsword.
Having once fought a "Sword Demon", Isaac could immediately tell—the one in front of him was also a "Sword Demon".
'Stronger than the one I fought before.'
He recognized instantly that this man was on a higher level when it came to swordsmanship.
In the past, he might not have been able to perceive such subtle differences.
But the insight gained through the giant's teachings had sharpened Isaac's senses to a new level.
"What is your name?"
At Kangwoo's question, Isaac hesitated briefly.
Despite his many encounters in Abyss Realm and his battle with Helik, he hadn't expected that a Transcendent wouldn't know who he was.
"Isaac. Isaac Logan."
"I am Kangwoo, father of the "Sword Demons."
Father of the "Sword Demons"?
Though Kangwoo appeared as a young and handsome man, Isaac believed his words without question.
The overwhelming presence he carried was enough to make those words convincing.
"Isaac… I've heard of you. They say you slew one of my children."
"I didn't do it alone."
"Even so, it was a clear defeat. And the promise made with my old friend, Gaia… it seems you're the one who inherited that too."
Long ago, Kangwoo had once declared he would fight Gaia.
Gaia had welcomed the challenge as a sign of their friendship.
As mentioned earlier, Kangwoo seemed to still regret that missed opportunity.
His gaze shifted to Isaac's sword and body.
Isaac was battered after hours of combat, and his sword, Baekseol, had grown dull from overuse.
"Sigh… Regret upon regret."
Kangwoo shook his head with a sigh.
"You are not in the condition to duel now. But I hope we'll meet again. Next time, cross swords with me."
"..."
"The man who killed my child and inherited my friend's promise—"
Isaac wondered if Kangwoo harbored hatred.
But instead, Kangwoo's voice was refreshing, his expression calm with a faint smile.
"Your beautiful sword… I would like to challenge it myself."
"...!"
"Heh."
"Kangwoo…"
The Transcendents' eyes widened, and the way they looked at Isaac shifted.
Kangwoo, Father of the "Sword Demons", had just said he wanted to challenge Isaac.
Regardless of anything else, in terms of the act of "cutting," he had just acknowledged Isaac's superiority.
A tingling sense of accomplishment surged from Isaac's feet to his head.
But that didn't change the situation at hand.
The Primordial Transcendents had gathered here.
If they moved in earnest, not only would Isaac be at risk, but even the Magic Tower could fall.
They had sorcery—
But Isaac's side had magic.
Properly trained mages would be difficult for even the Transcendents to handle.
They could preemptively strike now and eliminate the threat.
"We'll retreat for now."
Helik stepped forward and declared in a calm tone unlike before.
"Today is the day we reunited with our friend. I don't want to do anything that would sadden him on a day like this."
His gaze toward Isaac was noticeably softer than before.
Now, just maybe—
Maybe now, they could actually speak to each other.
Thinking so, Isaac cautiously opened his mouth.
"There may be a way to resolve this without fighting… peacefully."
At his words, all the Transcendents turned their eyes to Isaac.
"Ah… ha-ha, how sweet."
One of them spoke with a trace of hope.
"Tsk, nonsense."
Another's eyes glistened with pity.
"Don't spout crap, you inferior bastard."
A large swordsman with a wide-brimmed hat openly showed his hostility.
"A lovely sentiment."
The father of "Sword Demons" let the words pass like the flowing river.
And Helik—
"..."
He stared at Isaac, lips pressed tightly.
The emotion in his crimson eyes was hard to read.
He seemed angry… sad… or maybe just resigned.
But what stood out most of all—was longing.
"How ridiculous."
Helik let out a bitter breath and locked eyes with Isaac.
"I thought you were the one who hated us more than anyone."
Isaac had always stood at the forefront, blocking and thwarting the plans of the Transcendents.
He was the most troublesome obstacle they had faced.
And now, that very individual had even achieved enlightenment with the sword.
To Helik, Isaac was no longer someone he could ignore.
If he had to choose, then among the current human race after Arandel's disappearance, Isaac was the most formidable opponent.
"I will always choose dialogue over bloodshed if there's even a sliver of a chance. Gaia wanted that too."
Even someone like Isaac was now proposing peace.
The conversation with Gaia had clearly led to a meaningful change.
"You speak of peace with us?!"
Mugan pointed a finger and shouted at Isaac, as if it were blasphemy for a human to utter the word "peace."
Yet Isaac did not back down.
"I know you bear deep hostility toward humanity. I, too, have the urge to cut all of you down right now."
There was no lie in his words.
Isaac truly wished to wipe them out.
The terror and trauma they had inflicted upon humanity — Isaac remembered it all.
The malice lingering in his body roared with fury like a cursed flame.
And still, Isaac extended his hand.
"But our war will only end when one side is utterly annihilated. No one wants that."
There were indeed innocents — both among humans and among the Transcendents.
Dragging them into the conflict would be wrong.
"I know a woman named Silverclock twisted your world into this. But… humanity doesn't even know she ever existed. That's how much time has passed."
Too much time had gone by.
Even the guardian gods had forgotten their own names.
Surely those who endured the winds of time would understand better than anyone.
"I understand your resentment, but holding the current generation of humans accountable for sins of the past—"
"Even if time has passed, our hatred has only grown too heavy to simply let go."
"But—!"
"There is no need for further words, human."
Helik's red eyes began to burn once more with hatred.
"We will kill your kind, take your land, and ultimately eradicate humanity."
"..."
"That is the sole reason we have continued to live for so long."
Behind Helik, a rift in space began to open.
"Do not mistake the mercy our companion granted you for anything more, Isaac Logan."
Turning slowly, Helik caught his breath and stepped through.
"The next time we meet… will likely be our last."
That time—
"We will kill you and claim this land."
The Transcendents followed after Helik.
Each had their own expression and emotion, but they all reached the same conclusion.
Too much time had passed to talk of peace.
One side must die.
***
Returning to the Abyss Realm, Helik once again felt the stifling, burning air cling to his skin — a sensation he had long grown used to.
The Transcendents alive now knew nothing of those distant memories.
They couldn't even remember what it used to be like.
That place, once called paradise, not the Abyss Realm.
A time when they knew not to covet what others had, but to cherish what they themselves possessed.
Grinding his teeth, Helik recalled that irretrievable past.
"Peace, huh."
"How romantic,"
Voices of other Transcendents followed behind him, breaking his train of thought.
Even the ancient Transcendents each reacted differently as they spoke of Isaac.
"Foolish creature. A mere human trying to dine at the same table as us?"
"Oh my, I actually found it a bit thrilling. He's rather handsome."
"…I wish to witness his sword with my own eyes."
"Peace, huh? Would've been nice if we'd heard that 500 years ago."
As if to distance himself from their chatter,
Helik quickened his steps and moved forward.
Peace.
Isaac Logan was the second person to ever speak of peace to him directly.
[There might be a way to resolve this without fighting.]
"Damn it…"
Even when he shut his eyes tight, a silver light — brilliant even in the darkness — pierced through his gloom.
Slowly, he lifted his head.
There in the sky, the only star in the Abyss Realm hung high, as if watching over him.
Perhaps that's why—
"I heard the same words again."
Helik whispered as though speaking to her.
"I met someone who said the same thing as you."
[Humans and Transcendents — can't we live together peacefully?]
That day.
Back then, I—
With a smile,
Told you, 'Of course we can.'
"This time is different."
Helik ground his teeth and exhaled a heated breath, steeling his resolve.
"There will be no peace—"
As if—
"Humanity shall perish."
Like a wish made to a star.