["The feeling of being forgotten… is truly a dreadful one."]
I asked, ["Really?… And how would you know, Great Writer?"]
["I have lived through two eras of the Abyss…"]
I questioned, ["The eras of the Abyss?"]
["Humans call their worlds a 'universe.' But for us, the Abyss is our universe, and their universes are nothing but weeds within it. Just as their universes go through eras, so too does the Abyss."]
Curiosity got the better of me. ["What's the difference between the Abyss's eras?"]
["Only the structure of the worlds changes, and that happens due to ■■■■■■■… Ah, sorry."]
It was that same sound again—the sound that emerged when the world rejected the Great Writer's words. ["It's fine, I'm stronger now than when I was a child."]
The Great Writer replied with a small laugh. ["You're still young."]
["I'm twenty. That's adulthood for humans."]
["But not for us… little one."]
I chuckled lightly. Indeed, my body was still that of a child. ["..."]
["What are you thinking about?"]
["...Maybe I can do something for the worlds I've destroyed."] I raised my hand, gathering every drifting pebble, every speck of dust from all the worlds I had destroyed—or that some other Writer had destroyed.
["Great Writer, I want to keep these… to remember everyone we've destroyed… in case something happens to that person."] I opened a portal to one of the empty dimensions I used to store my belongings and placed everything I had gathered inside.
["Aren't you afraid the remnants might turn into a new world?"]
["Is that possible?"]
["Perhaps. Who knows."]
["…If it turns into a new world, please… don't let me be the one to destroy it."]
*******
Back to the present
"The Reconstruction Path?" Nier shouted in surprise, then continued, "Didn't you say a Calamity only has one path?"
Soldiers began gathering around me. "That's what Ronald told me. But honestly, it was strange for you to only have one path."
One soldier interjected, "Why? Aren't Calamities just destructive forces?"
"They're an opportunity to fix mistakes and rebuild stronger… at least, that's how I see it."
Nier asked, "So… do you have to rebuild everything you destroy?"
"Do I look like a builder? The path forces me to destroy, but leave a chance for a new beginning."
I stared toward our next target for expansion—Arcanthia. "A new beginning?… Hurry and get ready for the journey. The war has only just begun."
*******
In the Eastern Region
On the grassy plains, an army of five hundred—knights and mercenaries—was attempting to cross the river.
The commander of the cavalry unit, Khalid, had begun carrying the horses on his shoulders and leaping over the river with them… Today, this man was destined to be in the spotlight.
After learning the Origin, I became stronger. And after my ability evolved, I became 200% stronger than my previous self… I assume the same happened to my comrades, though I doubt our next evolutions will be this dramatic—well, not until the tenth and final level.
"Rest a bit, Khalid," I heard Lucy's voice from near the temporary camp.
"No need. I'm fine."
"Are you planning to carry all these horses today? You've already moved fifty of them."
"We need to hurry to catch up with the other units."
Lucy smirked, "It's not like they'll reach before us. At your pace, we'll get there last week."
The soldiers laughed lightly, but quickly stopped—afraid of me.
"..." I fell silent for a moment, then sat next to Lucy. "Half an hour won't hurt."
"That's the spirit."
Suddenly, without warning, one knight shouted, "The enemy is coming!"
We turned to see a massive dust cloud approaching.
I chuckled. "Seems rest isn't meant for me."
I stood, pulling my sword from the ground, while Lucy raised her daggers, attaching them to her hands with hard, near-unbreakable threads.
"Let's finish this quickly and get some sleep."
The army readied their weapons, mounted their horses, and charged—forming clouds of dust.
I was at the front, Lucy behind me on the same horse. Just before our forces clashed, I swung my sword, tearing through the frontlines of their army with one destructive slash.
"This is my stop." Lucy jumped off the horse, activating her accessories to hide herself from sight.
I raised my sword again for another attack, but one of their soldiers stood in front of me—blocking the strike.
I knew this man. "Zerfin's Shield, the strongest—Lucaros!"
"Seems someone knows me," he replied.
"You're an honorable knight with many great feats. How could you side with Arcanthia?"
"...I'm not with Arcanthia. I'm with Zerfin."
A voice came from behind their army, "It doesn't matter if you're with Zerfin or Arcanthia. The honor anyone can have… is to fight at my side."
The speaker was a young man—nineteen, dressed in ornate, embroidered clothing.
I asked, "Who are you?"
"The prince of Zerfin. Call me 'Sir.'"
Lucy appeared out of nowhere behind the prince. "In your dreams." Her steel dagger pierced his shoulder, injecting her poison.
The prince grabbed her wrist, twisting it. "You snake… How dare you defy the will of me, the Supreme Human?"
I'd heard of this before… a prince who'd awakened the rare "Supremacy" ability—once in a generation for each race. Those who had it were often the greatest of their kind.
I rushed forward to strike the prince, but Zerfin's Shield blocked me, his hardened armor much like Noah's.
No time—if I didn't move him, Lucy would die.
I thrust my sword toward his abdomen, but Lucaros caught the blade in his hardened hand.
I channeled Ether into my fist and aimed for his face—he caught my other arm. That was his mistake.
From my glowing throat, I fired an Ether arrow straight into his eye, exploding it.
Lucaros's scream echoed across the field, but I ignored it, leaping to close the gap between me and the prince.
"You arrogant child!" I shouted. The prince, startled by my sudden approach, had no time to react before I punched him in the face with an Ether-infused fist, knocking Lucy from his grip.
"You okay, Lucy?"
She clutched her arm in pain. "Ah, yeah… thanks to you. Thanks."
"No need to thank me." I raised my sword again. "Lucy, can you handle Lucaros?"
"If he has poison resistance like that pompous idiot… it'll be hard—"
Before she finished, I charged at the prince again, but he blocked with his spear.
"How dare you punch me!" Rage burned in his eyes.
I retreated a few steps and unleashed a massive slash at his neck.
With a flick of his spear, he deflected the attack upward, leaning back to avoid it—only to miss the second slash I'd hidden behind the first.
Too late, he tried to duck—the blade had already severed his arm.
"You've made a mistake, slave, by raising your hand against your master… Even if you kneel, I, Rick Zerfin, will not forgive you."
His arm began to regenerate, his eyes filling with a dark crimson.
Meanwhile, Lucy's fight wasn't going well either.
Her swift, sudden strikes barely avoided Lucaros's blade. Her only way to deal real damage was through her poisonous gases, but those took time to prepare.
Lucaros swung his massive sword, but Lucy leapt before he could finish, aiming for his forehead—a spot she'd targeted to ensure her poison reached his brain.
At the same time, I struggled to block even a single strike from Rick's spear, wounds opening across my body.
"Where's your arrogance now… slave?"
"Sadly, you took it."
Rick laughed loudly. "Indeed. I deserve it, for I am the human Ryoma."
I scoffed. "Ryoma the human… you're just a spoiled brat lucky enough to get a rare ability. Supremacy is great because Ryoma wielded it."
Suddenly, out of nowhere, an arrow from one of our knights pierced Rick's shoulder.
I didn't look to see who fired it—I seized the chance to grab his neck, compressing Ether around it to trigger multiple explosions.
At the same time, Lucy finished preparing her poison—a venomous aura shaped like a cobra's hood. She advanced toward Lucaros, who tried to shield his nose with his cloak.
But Lucy's poison wasn't normal—it was a brand-new strain she'd just created. Without needing to be inhaled, it entered through his ruined eye, clotting his blood and reaching his brain—killing him instantly.
…But her real target wasn't Lucaros—it was Rick, who had regained control and kicked me in the neck, sending me to the ground.
His spear hovered above my head, my ambitions at their end—until Lucy's body intercepted it, the blade piercing her shoulder.
She yanked the spear out and rushed at Rick.
"What, going to poison me? I'm immune to toxins."
Suddenly, blood poured from all of Rick's orifices. "W-what is this?" Fear flickered in his eyes.
Lucy whispered, "You can't be immune to something that's never existed before."
Rick's body fought to heal itself as he grabbed Lucy's head, slamming it into the ground and punching her face over and over.
My face went pale—I couldn't watch. I was supposed to be the leader—how could my comrades suffer while I stood idle?
I seized the spear and lunged, driving it into the arrogant prince's chest. "This is your end… I told you you're not great."
Rage burned in my eyes as I detonated Ether from within the spear, blowing apart the upper half of his body into scattered fragments.
"Lucy!" After confirming Rick was dead, I turned to her—her face swollen and bloodied.
"Knights! Get her treated immediately!" I shouted, but realized the battle was still raging.
I carried her on my back. Suddenly, she coughed. "K-Khalid… I'm fine…", her voice weak, her energy nearly gone.
I ignored her obvious lie and ran to the rear of the army.
*******
An hour later
The doctors had finished treating her. Despite the brutal punches, her overall injuries weren't critical.
During our break at the rear of the army, we had time to talk.
"I told you I'm fine."
"If I hadn't hurried, things would've been bad."
"Worse than this scar?" She pointed to the new scar on her left cheek. "The doctor said it's permanent—it won't fade."
"...Sorry."
"Why apologize? You're not the cause."
I averted my eyes. "But you protected me… and that's why you have it."
"If I protected you, you should say 'thank you,' not 'sorry.'"
"Wasn't your goal in joining us to see the world…? Why protect me instead of running away?"
"You know I have moral boundaries, right? Besides… you were the only one who could kill that arrogant fool."
…If the protagonist were here, would he have suffered like I did? What would he have done?
Lucy continued, "We were lucky that idiot was still a beginner with his power."
"...Yeah."
"Sir Khalid!" A soldier's voice rang out.
"What is it?" I replied, concerned.
"We finished interrogating the prisoners. They said the war's purpose was to unite humans under Prince Rick Zerfin, the Supreme Human."
Lucy scoffed, "That's obviously nonsense and a blatant lie."
The soldier nodded. "Yes… but the prince believed it—and that's what got him into the war."
"...He dug his own grave." At that moment, one thought crossed my mind—how were the others doing?