"You are too proud of yourself... Do you know? Pride will make you slack off."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you really think you killed me?"

"What do you mean by that... Um, who are you exactly?"

"I am the God King, or rather, the one destined to become the God King. I possess the secret of the Hope Emblem."

"Is that so... That child is Life, right? She is the half existence of the God King. So, the worldly views do not apply to her― are you the same?"

"Well, half... existence of the God King?"

"If she can wake up from her slumber, she will unlock Saint Veronica. It is the ultimate happiness for her... She doesn't realize this because she has been deceived by you. She has been blinded by the false happiness created by you, you arrogant person!!!"

"Hmph, even if everyone reaches Saint Veronica, what do you think will happen?"

"I believe that you will create a forever Holy Realm, where people in the world can find redemption. There will no longer be hunger, disease, or aging. People don't need to compete with each other under the drive of desire. Everyone just needs to have faith in the God King to enjoy eternal happiness."

"...You, Yuka... No, it's Lilith! You are putting so much effort into something that doesn't exist, it's just boring. The result will only make people feel like it's a dream, or a dream belonging to euthanasia."

"Such a pity..."

Lilith stared at Tsubaki intently with a gaze filled with compassion, mixed with a hint of contempt.

"You don't understand at all! You haven't awakened... You are the one accustomed to the illusions of this fallen world! Your blinded eyes cannot see the truth!!!"

"Yes, I know I am fallen... It is because of my corruption that I have to eliminate you. In place of Sara... To prevent her from falling while seeking revenge for me."

"Heh, do you really think you can bring yourself to kill me?"

"I can, I have killed myself before."

"How unfortunate... But, that's not what I meant."

A sound of metal friction caught Tsubaki's attention. He saw a man dressed like a medieval European soldier standing not far away, but not the type of knight who exudes a gentle aura. Instead, it was an evil spirit resembling a holy knight! However... The weapon he carried was not a spear, but a metallic object similar to a "golden spear," with two thin sword blades extending out from the front and back.

This guy ― Odin?!

However, at this moment, Odin waved the golden spear in his hand like a demon and lunged towards Tsubaki.

The posture seemed as if he wanted to completely annihilate him.

"Do you know about the mysterious power that exists in the embodiment of evil intentions?" Lilith said with a sinister smile, "Just by using human thoughts, it can resurrect things that have died... Similarly, Odin can too!"

"So? Is this old man who has been dead for thousands of years summoned by you?"

"Not entirely correct, it's Summoned by both you and me."

"Um, what do you mean?"

"My death and your life are mixed together ― that's how it takes its form."

"Life and death? Mine?"

Tsubaki stared at the pale-faced Odin in astonishment, feeling a chillness and fear rising within him.

From the cracked helmet... The blood-red eyes were filled with sharp light of hatred, as if searching for someone to vent its anger.

"Don't try to scare me!!!!"

Tsubaki involuntarily stepped back, trembling from the memories buried within his heart.

"Kill him!" Lilith commanded Odin with a sharp voice.

Countless embodiments of evil intentions, as well as the insect-like embodiments that he encountered earlier, flew in the air... These anticipated foes appeared around the entrance of the Sacred City, just as Sara had imagined.

Although it was just a dream before, he had gone through it, and the destination was already confirmed.

Sara tried her best to avoid unnecessary battles and ran with all her strength, finally arriving at a parking lot near the square.

But problems emerged along with it...

The previous experiences were exactly the same as in the dream... However, continuing forward might lead to another unknown adventure?Looking at the towering black silhouette highlighted by the night and dense fog, the winding elevated bridge stretching forward, Sara felt an unprecedented fear and despair.

But now there was no turning back... only moving forward.

She stepped onto the rusty bridge, forcefully removing the image of the ground beneath the iron frame from her mind, and cautiously began to move.

The wind blowing from above swayed Sara's clothes, as if it could blow her forcefully from the heights at any moment.

"Good thing I'm wearing jeans, otherwise...whoosh!"

Almost there...so close!

A sensation of burning heat spread across Sara's back, as if no matter how fast she moved, she couldn't reach the finish line.

Soon, a train would come rushing from behind, ready to grind her into minced meat.

At that moment, a vibration came from the soles of her shoes.

The sharp sound of a siren pierced through the air, as if the train bound for heaven was about to arrive at the station.

The strong light shooting from behind was hundreds of times brighter than the flashlight in front, illuminating the iron bridge as if it were daytime.

In response, Sara didn't turn around but reacted differently from her dream.

Hey--!

She used all her strength and jumped off the iron bridge.

This was a completely fatalistic choice...

"If this is really just a fictional world... then let me wake up faster!!!" Sarah cursed loudly, furrowing her brows.

Due to the intense impact from the fall, pain radiated throughout her body.

But fortunately, she was not injured, thanks to the iron roof acting as a buffer, absorbing most of the impact force.

Carefully, Sara jumped down from the roof, only to find herself in a beverage stall. Despite experiencing such a terrifying situation, she had managed to avoid the horrible ending she saw in her nightmare, so she should feel fortunate.

Here, a large number of Evil Thoughts Bodies gathered again.

"Oh no..."

Continuously evading the pursuit of the Evil Thoughts Bodies, Sara searched for the "path to the Holy City" that she didn't know where it was.

However, apart from mindlessly running around, there was hardly any other way.

The sky had already turned completely dark, and this square, unable to see its entirety, was like a maze of countless paths. Sara could only keep running forward along the vicinity of the square.

Just as she passed in front of a dining area, she vaguely saw a figure appear in the light.

That person was sitting by the stairs, with one leg strewn in front, looking unkempt. The coat and leather jacket on his body seemed to have not been ironed for many years, and his face had a messy beard like a middle-aged bachelor...

"Hey!" Tsubaki waved his hand.

"Are you injured?"

Sara came to his side, staring at that leg...the pants were torn and bloodstains seeped out.

"It's nothing serious, just a minor abrasion and a slight fracture." Tsubaki forced a smile.

"I'll call an ambulance for you right away!"

"It's useless, even if you call them, they won't come to this world. At most, they'll think you're crazy, right?"

"...But..."

"It's alright, it's just a minor injury."

"...What a mess, why did you have to go first? You really are an idiot."

"I know, thinking about it carefully, I really am an idiot."

"What exactly happened?"

Tsubaki just smiled and didn't answer.

After a while, he asked back, "Hey...if the Divine King really appeared in front of you, what would you do?"

"A god living in this kind of world? Hehe, I think it probably wouldn't have any morals, right? I don't think that woman's expectations of a huge change would come true at all; it might even bring disaster."

"I see...hey, but at least there would still be changes, right?"

"That's for sure." Sara hesitated in her response. "If possible, maybe the parts that can be changed would increase, just like Lilith said...maybe that's what happiness is..."

"No..." Tsubaki shook his head regretfully. "Although she has always touted the Divine King and all that, the things that happen in this world are just too cruel. Even if I have to risk my life, I will stop her!"

"It's no use being stubborn, you're already injured, what can you do now? Just leave it to me.""Daughter..."

"Daughter?"

"No, I mean, you really look like my daughter."

"So you have a family. But someone said before that if they were to die, no one would feel sad. How come a daughter suddenly appears now?"

"My daughter... is no longer here, at least not as of now."

"... I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said you resemble that guy."

"It's okay. If you were my daughter, I think I would be happy."

Chung Jiu smiled and raised his handgun, aiming it at Sara.

"If I take your life here, maybe that will stop this disaster... and then we can enjoy a peaceful life for a hundred years, right?"

"What are you doing?!"

"I am just a fool... always wanting to do the impossible. Sob, sob..."

With that, Chung Jiu lowered his gun and seemed exhausted. Suddenly, he broke into tears.

"Sara, go stop Lilith! I want to leave the decision in your hands. Maybe you can make a choice to determine the fate of the world."

"Okay!"

"But before that, you must stop her!"

"I know."

Sara walked away, taking a few steps before turning back to look at Chung Jiu, who was left alone. She whispered, "Maybe... Dad still wants me to stay here..."

That stubborn expression is truly identical, daughter.

As Chung Jiu watched Sara move further away, he thought to himself.

That's exactly how Jeana used to be when she was a child, and it seems like nothing has changed.

Even though it feels happy, there are unexpectedly painful memories mixed in...