Chapter 242: 240
Why
All the worlds…
All the lands…
All humanity…
All of it, in his eyes now, was nothing but absolute nonsense—empty and meaningless.
Life… was nothing more than prolonged pain, suffering wearing different masks.
Arthur stood in the heart of the sky, motionless, looking down at the humans beneath his feet.
One was playing…
Another was rushing to work…
Another was embracing his family, laughing, making plans, dreaming.
Their actions varied, their details differed, but the idea was the same:
Life.
A life every human tried to make beautiful, according to how they imagined it, and according to how they wanted to believe that it was worth living.
"Was it… really worth it, Rath?"
The voice came from Arthur's cracked lips, low and broken, as though the question itself was directed at the emptiness.
After crossing from Atlach-Nacha's world to Sung's land, he discovered that six full months had passed.
Six months in which everything had changed… while he had been absent.
One full month had passed since his return.
For an entire month, Arthur had remained motionless in the air, far from human eyes, suspended in the sky like an entity that did not belong to the earth and had no desire to descend to it.
Like a fallen angel, watching without interfering.
He did not eat.
He did not drink.
He did nothing… except stand there.
An entire month had passed since Rath's death.
"Rath…
Did you choose suicide… instead of killing me?"
Throughout that month, Arthur would sometimes speak to himself.
He never uttered any other name.
He asked the air… as though waiting for an answer.
But the air did not answer.
"Narin…
Narin is not cursed.
The world is not cursed.
Humans are not cursed."
He fell silent for a moment, then whispered:
"No…
I am the cursed one."
Before he could finish his words, his lips cracked even further, and blood began to flow faintly.
Despite the fact that Arthur was now stronger than he had ever been.
Despite the fact that he was the King of Assassins.
In his original world, he could remain alive for two weeks without food, and three weeks without water…
And that was with nothing more than a human body.
But now, with the immense power he possessed, he could remain alive for nearly six months without food or water simply by replenishing his magical energy.
But the problem was not his body.
Arthur… was no longer Arthur.
He was merely an empty shell.
Devoid of everything…
Except pain and brokenness.
And it was this emptiness that caused his body to deteriorate faster than any physical deficiency could.
"I… am cursed."
Arthur raised his hands and slowly covered his face.
The moment he hid his features, the sky trembled violently, thunder roared, and rain began to fall gently upon the earth.
The water streamed down his face.
Were they tears?
Or rain?
No one knew.
"I love you, Father…
And I beg you… don't stop.
Keep going… until you reach your dream."
Arthur's body froze.
He heard the voice…
Gentle, tender, and painfully close.
He quickly moved his hands away and looked around, searching for the owner of the voice…
But there was no one.
Only emptiness.
"Don't stop…
Keep going… until you reach your dream."
The words became fragmented, like a broken breeze, and the voice slowly began to fade.
"To… reach… your dream…"
As the final word faded away, Arthur's body began to slowly fall toward the ground.
"Your dream."
His body struck the ground with tremendous force, carving a deep crater into the earth and shaking the surroundings.
People fled in terror from the force of the impact, while several hunters cautiously approached the crater.
"Stay away from here."
A calm… powerful voice spoke.
The weaker hunter stopped and looked at the speaker.
He was a handsome young man, with a clear aura of power emanating from his body.
"Y-Yes, Lord Sung."
Sung stepped forward, his expression tired and uneasy.
There was a mysterious pain in his eyes… a pain that could not be explained.
When he reached the crater, the dust slowly began to clear.
His eyes widened.
"A… Arthur?
Is that you?"
"My dream… is death."
"Arthur… is that really you?"
"I want to die… just death.
Damn it… why am I the King of Death?
I am not the King of Death.
I am the king of…
I am nothing… just nothing."
"Follow your dream, Father… please."
With those words, spoken with unbearable gentleness and tenderness, an image of Rath appeared before Arthur's eyes.
"But—"
"There is no 'but.'"
Rath said it calmly.
"Father…
Are you really the worst King of Death?
Are you the Sky Demon?
Are you the Demonic King of Killing?
Are you Arthur Narin?"
He paused, then looked at him with clear eyes.
"Or are you merely weak…
Breaking with every loss…
And wanting to die with every pain?"
"But, Rath…
I'm truly tired."
Arthur shouted, his voice trembling.
"My dream…
My dream was power, so I could protect those I loved.
Then I realized that power was not everything…
It was killing, and turning my heart to stone."
He breathed with difficulty.
"So I made that my dream.
Then I realized that neither power nor killing could protect those I loved…
I am the one who protects them."
His voice rose.
"That is why I improved myself…
But look at me now!"
Blood began to flow from his mouth.
"Power capable of destroying everything…
And yet… I lost you."
He screamed in wrenching pain.
"I lost you, Rath!
Is this fair?
Is this what life is?
Is it my fate to lose everyone I love…
Only to remain alone, wandering through the worlds without end?"
He looked toward the sky.
"Is this… my purpose?!"
Sung stared at him in shattered silence.
From Arthur's words… he understood everything.
He had lost his son.
And when he heard Rath's name…
Sung's heart completely broke.
Throughout the seven months Arthur had been gone, Sung had searched and waited for his return…
Waiting for Arthur and Rath to return, smiling and safe.
But now…
He knew the truth.
Rath Narin… was dead.
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