The World After the Fall

As the dust settled, the scene was revealed around Jaehwan. Fighters of Rupture were on the ground, coughing blood from their mouths. Jaehwan looked down at Yoonhwan who had lost consciousness. It was easy to guess what he had gone through. Jaehwan felt someone landing behind him — a familiar world power. He put Yoonhwan on the ground and spoke without turning back.

"Old man. Take care of him."

"Bah. We've got another man in our group?"

Chunghuh came over, picked up Yoonhwan's body carefully, and checked his vitals.

"He's alive."

Jaehwan answered, "I'm counting on you."

"Yeah. Don't worry."

Although Chunghuh spoke as if it was okay, Jaehwan knew that Yoonhwan was on verge of dying. But he also trusted Chunghuh as well.

He was, after all, the best doctor in [Chaos]. He was the Doctor of Despair, who could turn a Dead Man back into a human.

And with the sound of another landing, his other friends appeared as well.

"Jaehwan! You already…"

"Quiet!"

Sirwen tried to run up to Jaehwan but Runald held her back.

"What! You brat, let me…"

"Be quiet!"

Runald scolded Sirwen who tried to fight back in anger and Sirwen became surprised. Runald shook his head and turned toward Jaehwan.

'Jaehwan…'

Runald knew he was just a boy. He didn't have the full life experience to put complicated emotions into words. Also, he didn't know about his God, Jaehwan either.

Even then, there was something he could feel. Jaehwan was really different right now. Maybe it was a feeling only Jaehwan's Followers could sense.

Jaehwan walked over to a woman who was slumped on the ground.

"Impossible… but how…"

Seoyul looked back at Jaehwan as she crouched. It doesn't seem like she understood what was going on.

"You… are you really…?"

"Yes. It's me."

Hearing the clear voice, Seoyul realized it was real. But that wasn't the end of her string of questions.

How could this be real? How could Jaehwan stand here in front of her?

The world power surrounding Jaehwan was getting in her way of thinking as it was too powerful.

'He's strong…'

She had only felt this type of power from the Captains, and that power was now coming from Jaehwan. It was impossible. If Jaehwan was pulled up through the Fishing Spot like her and Yoonhwan, there was no way Jaehwan could be that strong already. Transitioning from a Vicegerent to a strong God didn't grant that kind of power.

Then something popped up in her head. Yoonhwan told her that Jaehwan had gone up to the 99th floor. If then…

"Did you… really clear…"

Seoyul's heart began to race. Many theories began rushing through her head. Did Jaehwan really clear the tower after everyone left him? It was impossible, but what if Jaehwan succeeded in doing the impossible? What if he went into the [Great Lands], and gained the power to move up to [Depth]?

Seoyul felt like she was going crazy. Everything Yoonhwan said to her came back. There was always something that was impossible in the world, but the man who denied it was here. He was the man who protected hopes and dreams. The man who she once loved…

"No. I did not clear the tower."

Seoyul understood the words a bit after.

"Oh… r-really?"

And with the answer, her heart began to calm down.

'I knew it! It's not possible!'

Clearing the tower alone? It was unimaginable. She was relieved. She wasn't wrong. There were things that were impossible in this world. Seoyul replied, "I see. So you failed too. That's how you came to [Depth]!"

She continued, "I knew it wasn't possible. Clearing the tower…"

"No. I did not fail."

Seoyul couldn't understand what Jaehwan said next.

"I destroyed the tower and got out."

She gasped. It felt like everything had become quiet. Then, she recalled the few rumors she had heard.

There was the irregular who came out of the tower by destroying it. She did come across such information a while ago. There wasn't enough detail, but she knew that man was shaking up [Depth] right now. He was the most wanted fugitive in Rupture and the [Great Lands]. She remembered the man's nickname.

"G-generalslayer?!"

And with that, she began realizing everything.

Jaehwan was the Generalslayer. The man who protected her world to the end. The man who only strived on climbing up. He was the Generalslayer. Jaehwan nodded.

"Yes. That's what everyone calls me."

"Ah…"

Seoyul couldn't believe it. She felt her breathing becoming shallow and looked up to the sky. It almost made her scream, however, as there was no sky. There was the pitch dark ceiling above. She knew it was an illusion, but it made her think of this:

What if she was still inside the Tower of Nightmares? What if Yoonhwan was right, and there was still a next floor to climb up to?

Seoyul mumbled, "You… after all you've been through… you still haven't given up…"

"Yes. Because of all that I've been through."

And Jaehwan walked closer as Seoyul crawled backwards.

"Because of all that I've been through, I can't give up."

His voice and his eyes... Seoyul realized for a short moment what kind of world Jaehwan had lived in.

How lonely he must have been. And even then, he was here. He was now trying to move onto the next floor. His world was not done yet. He still needed to see the end of the Tower.

Seoyul shouted, "I-I didn't do anything wrong!"

Jaehwan did not say anything. The silence made it more painful for her.

"It's… it's all because of you! If you hadn't shown up…"

"…"

"Why… why did you show up now? Why now! WHY! Why now…"

Jaehwan stopped. He looked down at Seoyul's eyes who couldn't look up to meet Jaehwan's eyes.

The face of a woman he once loved — Jaehwan looked closely. She now had lost everything. It was full of despair and self-hatred. There was no confident woman that Jaehwan once loved.

After a while, Jaehwan moved his sword. And with the sound of something being cut out, Seoyul's world disappeared into dust. It was the power of Jaehwan's [Fall] Setting. The unique world [Sea of Blood, Mountain of Corpses] was destroyed into dust.

Jaehwan said, "You can cry now."

Seoyul then broke down. The world that suppressed her emotions were gone and the emotions rushed to her. She mumbled continuously, not knowing who she was speaking to.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"

Jaehwan did not answer, but he walked past her. As if his destination wasn't her from the beginning, he kept walking. And after at some point, he stopped.

"Come out now."

From the red mist that the [Sea of Blood, Mountain of Corpses] left, three figures appeared. They each had unmatchable power. There was a man with a long katana on his waist, a man wearing a dragon embroidered robe, and a man with a dark cape.

"…Useless girl."

The one who spoke first was the katana man, Imai Kazuki. The Lord of Dragons, Varkant, also added.

"Well well, that was boring. Humans are so dramatic."

The world power they unleashed was as if they were competing against each other. But Jaehwan did not look at them. The only one he looked at from the beginning was one man. The man in the dark cape. Jaehwan did not avert his eyes away him as if the man was his only enemy.

The man opened his mouth.

"So, you're the Generalslayer."

Jaehwan did not answer. If the voice had a color, the man's voice was probably 'black'.

"Do you know who I am?"

He had never seen the man, but Jaehwan felt like he knew. His senses told him.

He finally met him.

The man represented one of the starting points of his tragedy — the trigger that brought his world to destruction. Surha, who had walked up to Jaehwan, mumbled, "Lord of Darkness. Gerome."

The strongest Lord of all Lords. The being who had achieved the last stage Adaptation was here.