◈ 464. [Side Story] Everything Black (4)
Ash and Fernandez worked together to save the world from destruction.
The path from the beginning of the new episode to the monster front was efficiently optimized and talented people were attracted.
Raised and disseminated as much money as possible.
Ash fought directly on the monster front in the south, and Fernandez poured material and human support for Ash in the ecliptic.
As time passed, the situation improved. With each new round, the monster front became rich and strong, and the army of the empire effectively eliminated the monsters.
nevertheless.
No fundamental solution was found.
No matter how optimized it was, in the end, the monsters’ final offensive could not be blocked no matter what.
No matter how hard they struggled, the world was eventually destroyed. perish and perish and perish again.
Soon, the cooperation between the two fell into a standstill.
… Hope also wears out.
Both Ash and Fernandez were gradually exhausted.
The speed at which Ash, who returns directly, wears out much faster than Fernandez, who only inherits records in each episode.
At some point, the two parted. To be precise, Ash turned around.
Cooperation ceased and the two moved apart.
Sometimes the two conflicted. When it was bad, there were episodes where they fought like they were going to kill each other instead of joining forces.
They took away each other’s subordinates and took away each other’s power. Sometimes even changed location.
There was a time when Ash’s closest friend was Reina and Fernandez’s closest friend was Lucas.
There was also a time when Ash became the head of the dark department in the center and Fernandez became the commander of the monster front.
And after so many episodes that even these conflicts are laughed off… … .
In the end, they realize that the only beings who can help each other are each other, and start working together again.
In an endlessly repeated episode where friendship and hatred became numb because they were fed up with each other now.
“Hello bro.”
Ash, who had just finished returning at Dustia’s funeral, smiled at Fernandez with a haggard face.
“I’m tired of saying goodbye now.”
“ash… .”
“Do you have any cigarettes?”
At Ash’s request, Fernandez laughed incredulously. Ash’s physical age was now fifteen.
“You’re already blue and young.”
“Your mental age is dozens of times your older brother’s.”
“If you smoke cigarettes from a young age, it will ruin your health.”
“It has nothing to do with dying young anyway… .”
There was a cigarette in Fernandez’s hand.
It was as if Ash knew what to look for.
“ruler.”
“thank you.”
After placing a cigarette in Ash’s mouth, Fernandez lit it with magic.
“Whoa… .”
Ash, who let out a long puff of smoke, murmured.
“Is there an end to this fight?”
“… .”
“If you repeat it infinitely, one day the day of victory will come. but… I don’t think I can go there.”
Ash’s soul was far beyond what was permitted.
After too many regressions, the durability of the soul was exhausted, and a symptom called regressive dementia was beginning.
Right after the return, he maintained his sober mind, but as time passed, cracks in his soul widened… … Let alone as a player, he was in a state where he could not live properly even as a human being.
“… I figured it out with Ader.”
Ash spat out his burnt cigarette on the floor and opened his mouth.
“Since I can no longer function as a player, I borrow useful memories from other worlds… It’s going to turn it over on me.”
“what?”
“I will no longer be myself, but I will continue to be useful as a player.”
“Such nonsense… !”
“No matter what I did, I couldn’t save the world anyway. In that case, another player’s memory… … I mean, let’s give it a variable.”
Fernandez, who was speechless, stuttered and asked.
“Are you still okay?”
“… .”
“Why did you do that… Are you going to fight?”
“well.”
Ash smiled and shrugged.
“Now I can’t even remember why.”
“ash… .”
“I will no longer be me, my brother’s younger brother. So our cooperation ends here.”
As long as Ash loses his memory, the close collaboration like before is no longer possible.
Like before… … Without a single word of dialogue, it is no longer possible to carry out an attack that was optimized for each other.
“Thank you so much bro. Now, hyung, find new possibilities in your own way.”
“… .”
“Another me will help from time to time in the future.”
Ash smiled precariously as he said that, slaps Fernandez on the back, then ties the hem of his coat and leaves the cemetery.
“see you again.”
Fernandez quietly watched his younger brother’s slender back as he walked away.
‘… Even if I win by doing that.’
Fernandez clenched his fists.
‘You’re just losing.’
To wager everything you have and lose yourself, fighting while throwing away yourself.
At the end of such a desperate fight, there must be no salvation. Isn’t that too cruel
Fernandez wanted to save his brother somehow.
‘There is no chance of winning anyway.’
Fernandez had already made up his mind.
No matter what I did, I couldn’t overcome the monsters. As the rounds went on, hope wore out and disappeared, and the conclusion became firmer.
If it is inevitable that the world will be destroyed by monsters anyway.
‘Then I’d rather… … .’
Fernandez thought as he lowered his gaze from the back of his now-disappearing younger brother.
‘rather… .’
***
Current.
Ecliptic New Terra. Imperial Palace. audience room.
“… .”
“… .”
Fernandez, who was sitting on a throne tangled in thorns, and Ash, who had just opened the door and stood under the platform, looked at each other.
The brothers stared at each other silently for a long time. It was Ash who broke the silence.
“What is it?”
“huh?”
“Why are you sending me such a sad look that it doesn’t suit you?”
“… .”
Ash walked in a sharp fight first.
Fernandez, who was looking down at his younger brother blankly, eventually smiled.
“… Misunderstanding is also oily resin. Why would I look at you affectionately?”
I don’t remember this younger brother in front of me.
The cooperation of the past distant years.
Having fought together, conflicted, separated, and joined forces again… … The dreadful days of the united front.
And also yourself… … I don’t remember.
Only fragments of the records of those countless years were engraved on his body. I can’t really recall that memory.
As if reading other people’s memories, he reads the records and guesses the days of his brother and himself.
‘There is a friendship that neither you nor I can remember.’
We fought together for a long time, sometimes separated, and then silently joined forces together.
And now nobody remembers the relationship.
… What’s the use of such memories?
The road has already diverged.
“ash.”
Fernandez sighed.
“I never told you, but… I always wanted to touch your solitude.”
“… ?”
Ash frowned as if he was talking nonsense. Fernandez giggled.
“Brothers are such a strange relationship.”
Loving, hating, fighting, and cooperating – the frame of brothers can accept any form.
“Yeah so… Our fight now is still within the framework of being brothers.”
“What did you say alone-”
“Come on, Ash.”
Fernandez raised his head and glared at Ash.
“In this final episode. my record too. Your penance… … .”
The huge thorn tree in the throne room – Everblack’s main body began to vibrate.
“Let’s put an end to it.”
Fernandez stretched out his hand, and a huge thorn tree trunk coiled up to follow his will.
Kwagwagwang!
Dozens and hundreds of thorns rushed towards Ash, extending like whips.
And
flutter-!
In response, Ash unfurled his banner – [The Banner of the Great Commander].
The old, black flag as if it were patched without any pattern.
and shouted
“This is right here… .”
With all your might, sticking the flagpole into the ground.
“It is the forefront of the world!”
Flash-!
The wind blew out in a circle centered on the place where the flagpole was inserted, and gray magic power poured out in all directions.
The brothers who once fought together to save the world no longer remember it.
They began fighting with all their might against each other.
***
same time.
Under the ecliptic.
“… Is this a shutdown protocol?”
The emperor, who descended underground using a secret passage dedicated to the imperial family, sighed.
“You managed to set it up this big without Jim knowing.”
The scale of the huge magic circle installed all over the ecliptic was terrifying. What could be confirmed in the basement of the imperial palace was only a part of the magic circle.
“Should I just destroy this?”
“Let me check.”
Junior lowered his head and placed his hand on the magic circle. And right after that,
Pachichik!
“What?!”
As soon as Junior touched it, electricity bounced from the magic circle and pushed her back with a strong repulsive force.
“… The magic has already entered the operating sequence.”
Holding the tingling fingertips with the other hand, Junior gritted his teeth.
“You can’t stop it working until you destroy some of it… !”
“Then what should I do?”
“You have to deal more than a certain amount of damage to the entire magic circle! But the size of Jin is too big… … .”
Another voice took over Junior’s words.
“yes. Realistically, the destruction of the magic circle is impossible.”
“… ?!”
“Since the operating sequence has already started, in a little while… It will cover the entire ecliptic and activate it.”
everyone saw it
apart. apart. apart.
It was a middle-aged female wizard who appeared with the sound of her cane hitting the floor reverberating through the basement.
Checking her face, Junior let out a bewildered moan.
“… Sir Rayna.”
Reina didn’t even look at Junior and saluted the emperor.
“It’s been a while, Your Majesty.”
“I know. Raina. It’s been a long time.”
The emperor gestured toward the magic circle.
“If Jim ordered this magic to stop, would you obey?”
“no.”
“Why?”
“Because my master is not His Majesty the former Emperor.”
“Senior Emperor… Jim has never crossed the bowie.”
“His Majesty Fernandez, whom I serve, is the only emperor of the current empire. That’s why I’m sorry, but I can’t listen to His Majesty’s words.”
the emperor groaned.
“Not only do you not treat me as emperor anymore, do you not even listen to orders? Are you still a soldier of the Empire?”
“I am the hound, Your Majesty.”
Rayna answered bluntly.
“Dogs are loyal to those who feed them. Not the one who abandoned it.”
15 years ago. During the occupation of Camilla Kingdom.
At that time, Jupiter, who was the captain of the 2nd Division of the Magic Corps, rebelled against the massacre of civilians in order to save Junior.
This remained the only blemish on an operation directly directed by the Emperor.
As a result of the aftermath of a series of incidents… … The Magic Corps was expelled from the 1st Corps of the Imperial Army and abandoned.
Reina, who was the captain of the 1st division of the magic corps, was in charge of the entire magic corps.
Reina did her best to help her subordinates survive.
It was Fernandez who took back the magic corps that had been pushed out like that.
At that time, the owner of the magic corps had changed from the emperor to Fernandez.
“… It’s ironic.”
The emperor let out a laugh.
“Because of what happened in Camilla Kingdom that day… How many people’s fortunes have been split?”
Jupiter resigned in disgrace,
Reina became Fernandez’s hunting dog, and
Junior became a wizard of the new age while suffering from a lifelong disability.
Looking back at the path where the three wizards parted, the emperor muttered bitterly.
“All of them are the result of immorality committed by Jim.”
