Chapter 368 – Happiness (3)

“L-Long time!”

“Long time no see, Jamie Welton.”

“Hmm.”

Han, Jin, and Hawks greeted Jamie, and he heard that the Frontier had suffered great damage in the process of bringing down the Dragon God.

Still, it was fortunate that the people he knew were all fine.

‘That’s not it.’

Isis was smiling, looking normal, but Jamie’s eyes couldn’t be fooled. She was badly bruised inside.

He wasn’t sure what exactly happened, but in the process of fighting the Dragon God, he wondered if she used her restricted power.

She just had to hold on, yet she still came to help in this condition.

Jamie thanked them on behalf of the humans.

“Thank you so much for coming. Thanks to you, we were able to win this war.”

Isis shook her head.

“Thank you? This is for all of us. Because this brings us one step closer to freedom.”

“She is right.”

The air trembled with the appearance of a group of High Elves.

Hiyan, the High Elf at the forefront, who Count Welton had met before, gave him a light bow.

She also bowed her head to Jamie and said,

“It is an honor to meet the Adversary of God like this.”

Jamie frowned at the words ‘Adversary of God.’

“You?”

“My name is Hiyan, the manager of the World Tree. And this one…”

“Hasyath.”

The space cracked open when the King of the Rans and the father of Isis appeared. Behind them were the warriors of Ran, who possessed the strongest military force.

Two of the three major races gathered in one place, and Hiyan said,

“We are here because we want to talk.”

“Talk?”

“About the world that is to come.”

Just hearing those words, Jamie understood what they meant.

So the High Elves and the Rans came to discuss what to do with this world after the war with the Gods was over.

“There is one missing.”

But Jamie had no intention of talking now because one person wasn’t here yet.

At that moment, the two representatives of the races tilted their heads.

“He is finally coming.”

As soon as Jamie said that, a light shone brightly and fell to the ground. But there was no roar or sound.

A large golden clock fluttered, and the blinding light began to fade.

“Phew!”

Then a blonde guy appeared. And as the light subsided, his golden hair turned brown.

Ricky, who had returned from the Sword of Judgement, spoke to everyone.

“… hello?”

It was a Ricky-like greeting.

Humans, Valkyries, High Elves, Rans, and other races all stood in a circle with their own clans.

And the humans, with Ricky, Jamie, and Count Welton, had them as their representatives. However, not just the Ran King but also Isis stood forward.

And Isis spoke awkwardly.

“Because of the contract.”

He didn’t even ask what this contract was. This was a place where all the races were gathered, so it didn’t matter if she was different here.

Wasn’t Isis the princess of Ran? Standing next to her father wasn’t strange. So instead of Isis, Hawks was representing Frontier.

Since he held a leadership position, no one said anything.

“Are you alright?”

Hiyan asked Jormungand, who was next to Jamie. It was because she knew she held the 13th holy power.

Jormungand shook her head.

“My master has already stepped forward, so why should I stand in front?”

“Master… I see.”

Hiyan looked at Jamie.

She already knew it, but hearing it directly from the person made it more embarrassing for her because she had lived a long time.

‘A man with the 13th holy power holder as his subordinate. Does this mean that he is strong enough to fight against the Gods?’

This was shocking.

The man who drove Zenith, who absorbed three Gods, to a corner.

He could be related to the 13th God, whose existence hasn’t been revealed yet.

Maybe he was even involved in creating this holy power.

She wanted to confirm it but decided not to try anything now as his life was precious.

“Therefore. Why was this made?”

Count Welton was the first to speak.

“The first isn’t done yet.”

After defeating Zenith, the other 12 Gods still existed. It wasn’t over until they were all killed. In order to win true freedom, all 12 enemies had to be killed.

The others pointed it out too.

“Right. But that is why we need to talk this out.”

“Need?”

When Jamie asked briefly, Hiyan spat out the words she had prepared.

“A collaboration. This war is only for those who blindly run for freedom. The result led to victory, but to put it bluntly, it would have been a crushing defeat if there hadn’t been anyone opposing the God.”

The races seeking freedom gathered here on the field, where they had fought with Zenith.

It was amazing in itself, but if asked if the war was won because of these races, the answer was no.

It wouldn’t be too much to say that this war was won by Jamie Welton. Rather, without him, even Pyro wouldn’t have been able to fight properly.

There was a high possibility that they would have been swept away by those angels and died.

“Collaborate.”

Jamie also listened to her opinion, and she continued.

“There are five Gods left. Ra, the Sun God. Lily, the Goddess of Beauty. Arbella, the God of Wisdom and Foolishness. Killian, the God of Pranks and Smartness, and finally…”

She turned to Ricky.

“Even Pyro, the Goddess of Mercy and Punishment.”

Everyone looked at Ricky, making him flinch. Everyone knew that this war had begun because Zeus wanted to kill Pyro.

So Pyro, along with those who believed in her, fought against Zenith. Even so, she was still one of the 12 Gods.

“She is alright.”

It was Jamie who said it. He touched Ricky on the shoulder.

“Pyro has a contract with me. If everything is done, she will offer up all of her sins for the sake of the world.”

“For the sake of the world?”

“She said she would serve us until all her sins were forgiven, right?”

“… Uh.”

Ricky nodded with a smile.

The Apostle calmly acknowledged that the Goddess of Sin would get what she deserved. Jamie nodded and spoke to Hiyan and the others.

“The Goddess of Mercy and Punishment will fight alongside us.”

“If the Adversary of God says so, then I have nothing more to say.”

“Same.”

“I agree.”

“M-Me too!”

After everyone voted for their side, Pyro’s issue was well resolved.

Ricky looked at Jamie and sighed in relief. And when their eyes met, they both smiled.

Fortunately, the only one who saw it was Count Welton.

‘These brats.’

He looked at his son and his friend, who couldn’t stop smiling.

The race representatives had an in-depth discussion about what to do. Maybe they were all waiting for it to finish, but everyone was focused on their futures.

The same was true for the young soldiers standing at the front on the human side.

“Something…. It seems like something huge is about to change. Am I wrong?”

A second-class soldier from the allies spoke to a colleague next to him. He was so excited that he continued to talk without looking at his colleague’s face.

“To drive out the 12 Gods and replace them with us humans. Does it make sense? A few days ago, we would have been beheaded for saying this.”

“….”

“For being in such a place, isn’t this such an inspiring story? As soon as we return, we should brag to Missha, and I will go around and tell this tale to everyone. Kuaak! Just imagining it is thrilling.”

“…”

“But why are you this silent?”

Only then could the soldier see the expression of his companion. His lips were dry, and his eyes were closed like those of a dead person.

“Why do you look so tired? Well, I am also tired because we were ordered to stand here after fighting…”

“Shut up.”

The soldier was stunned and left speechless by the warning. His comrade didn’t seem interested in the discussion.

“You! What is it?”

This soldier was known to be friendly and kind. He’d never heard this man speak so harshly before.

And he walked ahead.

“You! Where are you going?”

The man pushed away the soldiers and moved forward, and no one understood his actions.

He could see enough from here, so why go to the front?

It seemed a bit odd, so no one understood him. But before they knew it, his form vanished.

“Actually, the other Gods aren’t important. The most dangerous one is Ra, the Sun God. We will have to widen the front of the southern continent.”

Jamie agreed with Hiyan’s opinion.

“Yes. The most dangerous one is him.”

Zenith was a tough opponent, but Ra was the true enemy here. And his overwhelming power put them on high alert.

Fortunately, Pyro and Jormungand were together, so there was no need to fight Ra alone.

However, if there was a chance of winning, there was another question to consider.

“The most certain solution is to reduce his followers.”

Hasyath, the King of Ran, said while sweeping his silky blue hair to the back.

“In the end, the Gods generate their powers from the faith of their believers. It is no different even for the Sun God.”

“Right. We have to isolate him.”

They focused on how to defeat Ra, the Sun God.

As the discussions were happening about how they should act, Count Welton listened intently.

He wasn’t an expert here, so he felt it was best to keep his mouth shut as if he didn’t know anything, and a rustling sound was heard.

‘Hm?’

A soldier appeared through the crowd, and he thought the man just wanted to look at them.

This was not a violation of the laws of the military, so he said nothing, and he couldn’t feel anything from the soldier either.

There was no hostility or threat. He just stood there.

His face didn’t look good, and he seemed to be exhausted like the others. Even when he drew his sword, no one sensed anything.

“In the end, you waste it all like this.”

The Count titled his head at the words of the soldier. In a place where many were talking at the same time, only the Count could notice the movement of his lips.

“You have no hope left, Diablo.”

Puak.

The ordinary sword pierced Jamie.

No.

To be precise.

“…!”

Jamie quickly turned his head when he heard the sound of a sword being stabbed, and there stood the Count, who had been pierced in the chest.

It was a situation in which no one felt anything.

The Count, who was alone, noticed what was about to happen and blocked the sword by throwing himself before his son was killed and had his chest pierced.

His body just moved on its own.

“How…”

The soldier looked at Count Welton with a puzzled face.

“You, how did you know?”

“Cough—”

“NOOOOO! My last chance was wasted like this… Kuak!”

Jamie kicked the soldier who had lost his sanity and hurriedly put Count Welton down, as he said to Ricky, “Heal!”

“I know!”

Ricky sat across from Jamie, raised his holy power, and infused it into the Count.

Jamie drew out the sword while slowly using relief spells on the wound.

“It will be fine. Father, nothing will happen since Ricky is here.”

The sword that was stuck in his chest was a mess, but the Apostle of the Goddess was here, and the fact that his father didn’t die was good enough for him.

But…

“J-Jamie.”

“What?”

“… holy power isn’t working.”

Jamie thought he heard it wrong.

“What are you talking about? Enough with the nonsense and….”

“The holy power being infused is vanishing as if something is blocking its flow.”

“Kuaakakaka!”

The soldier who was pinned down burst into laughter as he staggered up and shouted,

“Poison that kills the Gods! If something like that is used on a human body, do you think he can survive?”

“Shut up!”

Jormungand, losing her temper, immediately cut down the soldier’s body with her scythe. And the soldier’s body tore apart like paper, but he didn’t feel any pain.

“….”

Poison to kill the Gods.

It was something that could not be healed even with holy power, and now it was in the body of Jamie’s father.

Jamie’s mind went blank. He couldn’t say anything.

He just continued to send mana to stop the poison from spreading, and if needed, he would even turn him into an undead….

“Jamie.”

The Count called for him.

His eyes were losing focus, and he waved his hand in the empty air.

Jamie took his hand and brought it to his cheek, and his father smiled.

“So you were there.”

“Father. Father.”

“Right. I am your dad.”

“It will be fine. I will fix you somehow, so do not worry.”

“Jamie. My sweet, sweet son.”

“Dad. I am here. Your son is right here.”

“So warm.”

“Do not lose focus, Dad. Hold on tight! It will be fine, okay? I will make everything fine. Your son…. your son will make it all right.”

“I cannot hear you. I cannot hear my son’s voice. Are you still here?”

“Here! I am here!!”

“My son’s cheeks, I can’t feel them. Where are you, Jamie? Come here.”

“You are touching my face! Here!!”

“Is that so? Right…”

“Dad. Dad. Dad!!!!’

“I wanted to spend more time with you.”

“We will head back home… me…. Mom and Sarah… huh? We will stay happy together. Happy! You should see your son getting married!”

“Jamie.”

“I am here. I am… here.”

“Look after your mother and sister. My son, my one and only precious one, Jamie. Jamie Welton.”

“Please. Please…”

“Be happy. Even without Dad, make sure to find happiness.”

The hand holding his cheek was losing strength, and Jamie gripped his hand tighter, pressing it against his face.

He couldn’t believe it, even though his hand was drooping. He didn’t want to believe it.

“Jamie…”

Despite Ricky’s call, Jamie looked at his dead father. His hands were trembling, and he slowly lowered his father’s hand, gently closing his eyes.

“Kuahahah!”

The voice came again.

“Diablo, what did you dream about? This ridiculous family!”

The soldier, despite being split in half, was crawling on the ground and shouting at Jamie.

“Fucking bastard. You fucking asshole! You have been hiding your power until now, all because of your damned father!!”

The soldier, Zenith, coughed in anger.

The God of War and Peace.

Actually, he was never like that. On the planet Alektros, Cadelan was the Lord of War and Peace.

And Zenith was of Deception and Gluttony.

He was an evil God. A being who tried to trick everyone around him every chance he got.

And that power could only be outwitted by Ra.

And now Jamie has taken him. No, if only he could have killed Jamie, he wouldn’t have been this angry.

“Damn itttt!!!”

“What did you say?”

It was then.

Jamie spoke in a low voice, despite the fact that everyone could hear. Those who heard it felt terrified, and even Zenith felt suffocated.

‘Be happy. Even without Dad, make sure to find happiness.’

Jamie looked at his father and closed his eyes.

His last will.

“Dad.”

Jamie got up slowly.

He had no idea what state he was in. Sadness, anger, and annoyance were all mixed inside of him.

But one thing was certain.

[The time has come.]

The voice in his head said, and Jamie closed his eyes.

“Sorry. I do not think I can find happiness.”

Baaaang!

Black aura rose around him, and it wasn’t black mana.

Only Beiros felt it.

“Magi….!

It was a massive amount that surrounded Jamie’s body like a pillar.

It was at that moment that everyone was shocked.

Wheik!

The ray of darkness suddenly moved. It landed where Zenith was, and it lifted him by the head.

“Kuaaak!”

And the magi found its way into his head.

Zenith screamed in pain, but this was a joyous occasion for him.

“Hahahaha! Look at you! This is what I wanted to see!!!”

“…”

“You were hiding all this power? Kukuku. Man, this suits you well, Demon King Diablo Volfir!”

The emerald light shone with the wind blowing his hair, which had become as dark as black. The jet-black magi covered his pale skin.

And his terrifying purple eyes got everyone’s attention.

“Those damned eyes.”

“One more defeat, and you will die.”

“Diablo. You will never get to be happy until the day you die. Hahaha!”

“Is that so? Then…”

Jamie grabbed his head and body and pulled him out.

“Now get out of this place, loser!”

He pulled on his neck, and the magi destroyed the body that was separated.

He would not return this time. He was forever banished from this world.

And Jamie looked up at the sky, watching the traces of Zenith scatter.

Tears fell from his eye, and it started to rain.