Chapter 402
A soft sound escaped.
What was this?
It was both hot and cool.
As the black knight looked down at the transparent spear piercing through his chest, he felt these two opposing sensations. Slowly, he lifted his head, his gaze landing on the young human with an unreadable expression.
“It’s over… rest now.”
The voice carried neither the mockery of a victor nor the joy of triumph. It was filled with bitterness, and at the same time, a distant sense of sorrow.
That single statement filled the black knight’s mind.
‘Rest…’
And in the next moment—
Crash!
The black knight heard the sound of everything binding him shattering.
The pitch-black armor, which had barely held its form, broke into hundreds, thousands of pieces. The powerful magic that had sustained him wavered.
But the most significant change occurred within his mind.
‘That…’
In the slowed-down world, through the scattering fragments of his armor, he glimpsed a pair of old, tiny shoes.
At the same time, countless memories flashed through his mind.
‘I want to become a Hunter!’
The young boy who had spoken of his dream.
‘I am so proud of you. Thank you for growing up so wonderfully.’
‘Thank you, Uncle… no, Father.’
The boy who became a proud nephew and son.
‘Are you home?’
‘Welcome!’
‘…Ah.’
The man who had met a woman on a perfect day, filled with warmth and fragrance, and fallen in love.
‘Will you marry me?’
The boy who had wanted to become a Hunter became someone’s partner.
‘Waaah, waaah!’
‘This… this child…’
‘Congratulations on becoming a father, darling.’
And finally, he became a father.
‘Daddy! Mommy!’
‘Hahaha! Yes! We are your daddy and mommy!’
How could he forget those moments, more precious than anything in the world? A single tear flowed down his pale, blood-drained skin.
It was a tear that washed away the dark clouds that had filled his mind—a tear from a dead man who had finally remembered himself.
‘Ah… Ahh…’
Now he understood. Finally, he knew.
He reached out and grasped the tiny shoes.
The image of the nameless child, who had cried in his parents’ arms, overlapped with the smiling face of his daughter, who had sent him off that morning when he died.
‘Daddy! Come quickly!’
‘Be safe. Take care.’
He had kissed his wife on the forehead and rubbed his cheek against his daughter’s. She had giggled, saying his beard was scratchy, and he had hugged her before stepping out the door.
He had left with the usual words:
‘I’ll be back.’
But that promise had not been kept.
A few hours later, the greatest catastrophe since the Great Change began, and he fought with all his strength. Eventually, he faced an entity.
‘You are noble, human. What is your name?’
‘I am…’
The red light that had once blazed in his eyes faded completely.
His gray, cloudy pupils showed that he was no longer the black knight or the Death Knight Lord.
‘Lei Fei. That’s my name.’
The man who had emerged from the long darkness lifted his head.
The light of the setting sun, streaming through the clouds, tinged his pale skin with a faint blush.
* * *
The system notification rang just as I was about to deliver the final blow.
Ding.
– The information related to the target has been updated.
– The updated information will be displayed through [Qi Sense].
[Lv.120 Lei Fei]
In the unexpected situation, my movements faltered.
Lei Fei, who had been looking up at the sky, slowly turned his gray eyes toward me. The voice that escaped from his lips was empty and forlorn.
“It feels like I’ve woken up from a long nightmare… no, I wish it had just been a nightmare.”
I had never heard of a phenomenon like this before. I silently stared at him, then opened my mouth to speak.
“Have you regained your senses?”
“Yes, just now.”
Lei Fei looked down at his hands. They were pale and decayed. Parts of his flesh and bone had fallen away from our fierce battle.
And they were stained with red blood. Human blood.
“What have I done?”
The man who had once sacrificed his life for humanity had become the commander of a monster legion and slaughtered humans.
I couldn’t even begin to imagine what he must have felt after realizing the horrifying reality.
“Lei Fei.”
I wanted to tell him. That it wasn’t his will. That his mind had been controlled by the Arch-Lich’s magic.
But Lei Fei shook his head.
“You don’t have to say it. I already know what you’re trying to tell me. But…”
He gestured to his body as he spoke.
“I don’t have much time left.”
Everything he said was true. The powerful undead body that had withstood steel and bullets was slowly, ever so slightly, disintegrating.
Ironically, what was keeping Lei Fei standing now was the residual magic still lingering in his body.
“It’s laughable, really. After becoming undead and killing humans, I’m clinging to that very power to stay alive.”
He chuckled bitterly, then looked at me and asked,
“Can I ask you one last favor?”
“…Please, go ahead.”
I assumed he would want me to help him pass away peacefully, to escape from all the suffering and finally rest.
But the words that followed caught me completely off guard.
“Help me fulfill my mission.”
“The day I became a Hunter, I swore an oath. That I would fight monsters until my last breath. That oath still stands.”
Lei Fei had already fulfilled his mission. He had charged into battle with courage and fallen gloriously.
As the Death Knight Lord, he had fought humans, but that had been under the will of the Arch-Lich, not his own.
Even so, now he wished to fight again. Though his life was over, he stood once more, ready to reaffirm his mission.
So, I had to ask.
“Why? Why are you going so far?”
Lei Fei smiled faintly at my question.
“What a foolish question.”
“…What?”
“The reason you’ve come this far, despite all the monsters and dangers waiting for you. And the reason I want to keep fighting to the end. Is it really any different?”
“…”
“You already know the answer.”
The moment I heard those words, a shiver ran down my spine.
Lei Fei, watching my speechless reaction, raised his hand to point around us.
In his lifeless eyes, the reflection of the countless monsters still remaining on the battlefield could be seen.
“This… will be my final battle.”
Thud!
He pulled out the White Flame Spear (백염) that had been embedded in his chest and handed it to me, then raised his sword.
Instead of the radiant Aura Blade that symbolized an S-rank Hunter, his sword was now wrapped in dark, ominous magic.
But the one wielding that power was no longer the Death Knight Lord. It was the Hunter, ready to burn through his last mission.
“I wish I could fight alongside you. But will they allow it?”
To someone unfamiliar, it might have sounded like nonsense.
But I understood Lei Fei’s words. Lowering the blade of the White Flame Spear, I replied.
“They would be honored. At least, the people I know would be.”
“…It seems we share the same thoughts.”
A red glint flickered in his gray eyes.
With all the strength he could muster, he poured his magic into the battlefield. Then, a thunderous shout erupted from his lips.
“Public Security Hunter Division—!”
And in the next moment—
Thump, thump, thump!
Hundreds of hunters who had been resting on the battlefield rose to their feet at the call of the former commander of the Public Security Hunter Division, not the Death Knight Lord. Those resurrected from death gripped their weapons and gathered.
At their head stood Lei Fei and me.
“You lead the way. This fight must be finished by the living.”
As if in a trance, I moved forward.
The monster legion, which had been caught off guard by the unexpected development, finally let out fierce roars and began to converge.
Towards their commander, who had now become their enemy.
And towards me, standing at the front.
Step, step.
I walked slowly but steadily.
Thud, thud.
Gradually, I picked up speed.
Lei Fei and the hundreds of resurrected hunters from the Public Security Hunter Division followed behind me.
It didn’t take long for the ripple of movement to become a crashing wave, overwhelming the enemy.
And just as we reached the entrance to what would be the final battle, Lei Fei shouted with all his might,
“Crush them all!”
That shout echoed across the battlefield.
Over the shattered, bloodstained armor, the symbol of their pride—the Five-Star Red Flag—gleamed in the light of the setting sun.
With a pounding heart, I shot forward toward the monsters like a streak of light.
Swoosh! Crash!
Slice!
How many have I defeated so far?
Hundreds? Thousands?
I didn’t know. Like a man possessed, I kept advancing. I smashed, slashed, stabbed, and shattered everything that stood in my way.
Whoosh!
– Kuaaaah!
– Graaaah!
The blue flames rose like pillars, and the monsters engulfed in the inextinguishable fire screamed.
And then, when there was nothing left to hear—
I suddenly stopped in place.
“Huff, huff…”
I was out of breath. My mouth felt dry, as if I had swallowed a handful of sand.
I looked around, feeling the fatigue that I had momentarily forgotten surge through me.
On the vast expanse of land, there were no monsters left standing.
The ogres and trolls that had roared fiercely, the wyverns and gargoyles that had circled the skies—
And…
Thud, thud!
The hunters of the Public Security Hunter Division who had been resurrected as undead.
Having completed their final mission, they collapsed one after another, like marionettes whose strings had been cut.
As I watched them with indescribable emotions, I realized what this scene meant.
“…Lei Fei!”
He sat in the middle of the quiet battlefield. One arm had been severed, and his side was torn open, yet he waited for me with a calm expression.
“Right on time.”
For some reason, something stirred in my chest at those simple words.
I had only known him for a short time, yet I couldn’t stop the curse that slipped out of my mouth.
“Damn it…”
“Don’t swear so much. I saw it on TV, it’s a bad habit. It won’t make you popular with women, and it’s not good for kids either.”
Lei Fei smiled faintly. He already knew who I was.
“Is that really the issue right now? There has to be a way…”
– There is no such way, wretched human.
The deep, somber voice did not belong to Lei Fei. It was the Skeleton Warlord.
Lei Fei widened his eyes as he looked at him.
“A monster?”
– He is my master. A foolish but somewhat remarkable human.
“A monster, huh. I don’t quite understand what’s happening, but… well, I’m sure you’ll figure it out, Jin Tae-Kyung.”
Nodding, Lei Fei lifted his head to gaze at the sky. The red-tinted heavens reflected in his slowly blinking, gray eyes.
“Could you relay a message for me?”
I didn’t ask to whom. I already knew who the message was for.
“Tell them I love them. And that I’m sorry I couldn’t come back.”
It was the final will of a man who had become a ghost, leaving a message for his family.
Feeling the lump in my throat, I responded.
“…I will.”
“Thank you. You’re a good person.”
Lei Fei smiled faintly and patted my shoulder with his only remaining hand.
With a dry, crumbling sound, his fingers turned to dust and disintegrated. Soon after, his arm, his legs, his chest…
In his final moment, a single word escaped his lips.
“Head west. End this war.”
Whoooosh.
The wind blew.
The hero, who had turned into a handful of dust, scattered into the air.
As I stood there, staring blankly at the scene, dozens of planes flew in formation overhead.
