Chapter 208

It could no longer be called a human form. What stood upon the throne was not a living creature made of flesh and blood.

The skin had lost its luster, becoming pale as jade, and beneath the surface, a pitch-black darkness and nebulae of chaos swirled and mingled. It was a bizarre and horrific sight, as if one were staring down into the living seabed of the deep sea.

[It seems you didn’t imagine it would be to this extent.]

“…….”

To the naked eye, it looked merely gruesome, but to Taewoon, whose eyes had come to pierce through the essence of existence, he saw something more.

The Cult Leader’s physical body was one giant Contract. In every cell, in every flow of magical power, indelible shackles of causality were engraved.

“Don’t tell me… you sold your afterlife?”

A gasp of shock escaped Taewoon’s lips involuntarily.

At those words, the Cult Leader nodded, the corners of his strangely twisted mouth curling upward. His voice no longer echoed through the air of the Holy Sanctuary, but seemed to resonate directly from the chaos swirling within his own body.

[Indeed. That is the price I had to pay. Even in death, my soul shall find no rest; it will remain within this cycle of causality, eternally serving as nourishment for that thing.]

It was a truly horrific contract.

Beyond simply paying a price to borrow power, it was an eternity of servitude where the beginning and end of one’s existence—everything—had been mortgaged.

Taewoon and his companions fell into deep thought, faintly sensing the malice and wickedness of the entity standing behind the Cult Leader.

If the beings that would arrive at the End of Dawn were similar to that thing, it wasn’t hard to imagine the wretched future. Their greed would surely not be satisfied by the soul of a single being.

Reading the fear and confusion on the party’s faces, the Cult Leader continued. His voice now seemed to carry a hint of pity.

[Do you understand my intentions a bit better now? Rather than watching every soul in this world be bound by the same shackles as I, facing a complete apocalypse before then would be the most peaceful and merciful end.]

“…….”

He waved his hand toward Taewoon’s group once. That movement alone created a pressure that felt as if space itself were warping.

[The escape of the Ark. I believe that to be the most horrific and selfish plan of all. To lead everyone into an even deeper hell by taking a sliver of hope hostage… even the demons of hell could not conceive of such an idea.]

The Branch Leaders of the Ark remained silent, their faces grim. Yerin also let out a deep sigh. The Cult Leader’s words were incredibly sharp, digging into the doubts that existed in the deepest parts of their convictions.

[Who on earth can take responsibility for the conclusion of that journey? The Constructor, who chose flight because he couldn’t even stop the End of Dawn? I don’t intend to look down on him specifically, but it is impossible for anyone in this world. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say the ending is already decided.]

The Cult Leader’s words became a giant hammer, striking everyone’s hearts.

It felt as if the desperate hardships the Ark Faction would face beyond the End of Dawn were being painted before their eyes. It felt as though the worst-case scenario, which they had tried so hard not to consider, was looming over them.

Despite this, Taewoon did not stop thinking.

‘…No, that isn’t the answer either.’

The Red Man. The entity beyond the Mask. He, too, had tried to make Taewoon his nourishment in some way. However, Taewoon hadn’t felt such an intensely vicious and malicious aura within his will.

Those beings possessed concepts and thoughts incomprehensible to human common sense, but there were individual differences; they were not all the same.

Ultimately, even if the desperate situation remained unchanged, it meant that not all paths were closed.

“…….”

At the same time, Taewoon realized. Perhaps the plan for the resurrection of the Dawn Sun God was based on that very perspective.

They had accepted the reality that the End of Dawn could not be stopped. Therefore, among the countless Calamities that would bring about that end, did they not seek to descend a being with whom ‘conversation’ was possible and ‘compromise’ was feasible, to entrust their future to?

In the end, it could be seen that the history of the three factions—which had been a single branch in the beginning—was the key that pierced through all the secrets of this Theater.

‘…My head is spinning.’

He had been thinking that for a while, but as expected, there was no single correct answer in this Theater. Each person simply made their own decision according to their convictions and carried it through.

Finally, harboring a firm resolve, Taewoon opened his mouth to counter the Cult Leader. Now that he had calmed his mind, he could see things he hadn’t noticed before.

“I understand what you’re trying to say.”

[Then…]

“But isn’t it the same for you? You lack certainty as well.”

Taewoon’s eyes gleamed as cold as ice.

“Even if you grant forced rest to everyone before the End of Dawn arrives, the process won’t be the same for everyone. Some will feel excruciating pain in the process, which is no different from the worst ending you spoke of. How can you call that a peaceful end?”

Above all, Taewoon pierced the most fundamental contradiction that the Cult Leader had intentionally omitted.

“We are talking about beings of that magnitude. Even you, Cult Leader, offered your soul after death; can you truly be certain that everyone will escape their greedy clutches and find peaceful rest? Can you guarantee that their dead souls and bodies will return to the primordial earth and sky?”

At Taewoon’s words, the Branch Leaders of the Ark snapped back to their senses and nodded vigorously. Drael gripped his war hammer tighter and shouted.

“He’s right! We have already made our choice, and we cannot entrust everyone’s fate to your twisted convictions!”

Faced with Taewoon’s fierce counterattack, the Cult Leader fell silent for the first time. The nebula of chaos enveloping his body fluctuated slightly.

After a moment, he released a wave like a deep sigh, as if resigning to everything.

[That is your conclusion, then. It matters not. The outcome has already been decided in my favor.]

“What do you—”

It happened in an instant.

From the deep darkness of the Holy Sanctuary, numerous Presences began to be felt. Dozens, no, nearly a hundred footsteps filled the sanctuary in perfect unison, approaching Taewoon’s group.

Surprisingly, those appearing from all directions were none other than the Solvers of the Dawn Assembly.

“What?”

“The Assembly’s Solvers?”

“How did you get in here…?”

The pure white uniforms symbolizing First-Class Solvers, the blue cloaks of Second-Class Solvers, and among them, powerhouses who appeared to be Independent Solvers like Di Marte were asserting their presence.

‘These aren’t random recruits. This is…’

It was literally as if the entire elite force of the Assembly had been moved here. The Ark had a decent relationship with the Assembly, while the Apocalypse Society had the opposite, but for some reason, Taewoon felt this intervention was extremely ominous.

Amidst the tension-filled atmosphere, a man very familiar to Taewoon slowly walked out from the front and revealed himself.

A face showing the traces of time, but still possessing a straight posture and eyes of unfathomable depth.

It was the future Jain, the current Assembly Leader of the Dawn Assembly and the first person Taewoon had encountered in this Theater.

“Why…”

A question escaped Taewoon’s lips involuntarily.

It was logically impossible. For the Dawn Assembly and the Apocalypse Society, who had acted as if they wanted to devour each other, to join forces? The beliefs, convictions, and emotional rifts that had persisted for so long could not be overturned in such a short time.

To Taewoon’s question, Jain replied in a voice that was cold yet tinged with a certain sadness.

“We… have concluded that the resurrection of the Dawn Sun God will not be able to save humanity. The Ark has reached the same conclusion. Therefore, from this moment on, we will do everything in our power to grant equal rest to all.”

“T-That’s absurd! Are you saying even you are joining their cause?”

Branch Leader Drael shouted in rage. However, Jain merely nodded without wavering, acknowledging the statement.

“That is correct. And… the only ones joining this cause are the forty-two members present here.”

“…!”

The moment the meaning of those words sank in, the air inside the Holy Sanctuary froze.

It was a truly horrific decision.

In short, did this not mean he was betraying most of the family and comrades who had dedicated themselves to the Assembly until now?

This was absolutely not a desirable path. It couldn’t even be called a change in choice; it could only be described as a final escape, purely surrendering to despair.

“…….”

This was a decision the Jain that Taewoon knew would never have made.

Had the long years and storms worn down his heart and eroded his convictions?

Taewoon couldn’t even guess what state of mind had led him to make such a decision.

“Think again, Assembly Leader… if we give up, then who on earth will [secure] the future beyond the Dawn…”

“…I am sorry. But this is the decision of all of us. A task that the Apocalypse Society alone struggled with will reach a more peaceful conclusion if the hands of these forty-two are added.”

Taewoon did not speak further.

Because from Jain’s words, he could tell that the man had already truly given up on all possibilities.

‘It’s impossible right now. To draw him into a conversation, at the very least…’

Holding Barata in his hand, Taewoon’s gaze sank with a seriousness and coldness incomparable to before.

And the tip of that blade began to point toward the Cardinals of the Apocalypse Society and the Solvers of the Association.