The Escort Knight Who Is Obsessed by the Villainess Wants to Escape - Chapter 164

 I looked up at the sky.

The place where the sun-devouring beast was resurrected.

The point where the void’s evil god swallowed the sun.

The jet-black night sky is filled with countless stars.

Amidst them, a point where darkness ripples.

I shouldn’t be able to see it, yet I do.

The void’s evil god.

The sun trapped in its maw.

As I looked upon it, I held an unfounded conviction.

I can stop this phenomenon.

I can kill that beast.

I can erase that evil god.

‘The price….’

Slowly, I closed my eyes and opened them again.

The mad power of fire coursing through my body. That power is the power of the sun.

And the energy of the moon, accumulated in my body over a long time.

The two forces fused, filling me completely.

It feels as though they will take me somewhere.

As though they will accomplish something.

I can do it.

Even though I’ve never done it before.

Even without trying.

I was certain.

A thought suddenly surfaced—what Johan had said.

Humans cannot become gods.

He was right.

But what if I am not human?

If I abandon my humanity, I can reach divinity.

Only by attaining divinity can I obliterate that evil god for eternity.

And right now, I can do it.

I was certain.

Only then did I become aware of the large, warm hand holding mine.

“…My lady?”

A deep voice that, just by hearing, brought reassurance.

I slowly turned my head.

I saw Judas.

The miracle that found me.

My color. Anemone.

His face was painted with worry.

How do you know me so well?

A single second stretched into eternity.

If only time could stop like this.

If we could be preserved forever without facing any end.

If I could just hold you and remain in your beauty for all eternity.

But I shook my head.

I knew that wasn’t possible.

The large hand grasped me even tighter.

I shook it off and stepped back.

I picked up the sealing chalice that had rolled to my feet.

Now, I finally understand why I was so drawn to it, as if enchanted.

“My lady…?”

Judas looked at me, disbelief in his eyes.

But it wasn’t just disbelief at my rejection.

It was fear—because he had realized what I could do.

And what I was about to do.

‘You really do know me too well.’

What should I say?

This will likely be our last moment together.

There are so many things I want to say.

So many things I want to do.

So many things I have yet to do.

Before I fold and bury all those futures away, I must capture this moment.

And carry it in a single phrase.

It’s difficult.

The first words that come to mind are: I’m sorry.

I have no choice but to do this.

And for all the selfish, terrible things I have done.

One apology isn’t enough—I should say it again.

But I don’t want to.

The words I say now will likely be my last to you.

I don’t want to leave behind only sorrow.

Then, should I say thank you?

It has been five years since I met you.

Without you, I would have lived without knowing joy or satisfaction.

As countless versions of myself from different places have proven.

I would have become a strange, wretched being.

Would a simple thank you suffice?

No, there is still a deeper truth I cannot say.

But in the end, my final words will go unanswered.

A confession without a response is a lonely thing.

A confession with only a response is no different.

So instead—

I smiled at you.

Language is merely a tool for communication.

Thus, sometimes, language cannot fully convey everything.

It is an imperfect medium.

And emotions carried by words are often lost in the process of delivery.

I want to give you my heart completely, to reassure you, if possible.

But I know that’s impossible.

Still, we have always understood each other, even without words.

So I just smiled.

And if I must say something—

I said:

“…It’s okay.”

A response to everything.

One day, just like the words you whispered to the young me suffering from nightmares.

I truly believe it now.

“It’s okay.”

It’s okay if I disappear like this.

As long as I can save you.

“Lady—!”

Judas reached out to me as he rushed forward.

A hand I wanted to grasp.

But I had to push him away.

The moment he approached, golden flames erupted around me.

A swirling inferno spun like a vortex, blocking his path.

Blinding flashes burst in all directions.

Brighter, more dazzling than ever.

Yet, my eyes remained unaffected by the brilliance.

I simply gazed straight up at the evil god.

“Lady! You mustn’t…!”

Judas tried to approach, shielding himself with his arm.

But the storm of flames kept pushing him back.

He was merely treading in place.

You always had to accomplish what you set your mind to, even if it was dangerous, even if it was meaningless.

That determination shone even brighter than the lightning that silenced the world, and like a moth drawn to the flame, I embraced you.

Even knowing it would lead to a collision, I closed my eyes.

I wanted to say just one more thing, but no voice came out.

My body was turning to gold.

I looked down at my glowing hands.

My reflection shimmered in my gleaming skin.

Golden eyes.

A phrase I once heard and scoffed at came to mind.

“Golden eyes are the symbol of a savior.”

I never cared.

The world, its destruction, its salvation.

It was all meaningless to me.

I had laughed and dismissed it.

Just an old, outdated saying.

But now, I understand.

It wasn’t entirely wrong.

I lifted my head and saw Judas’s face.

His eyes shone with an even more brilliant gold than mine.

You saved me.

Which means you saved my world.

So this time, I will save the world you belong to.

Because now, you are my world.

Carried by golden currents, my body slowly ascended.

You grew distant.

“Lady—!”

Even your voice became a faint echo.

Like falling into slumber, my consciousness blurred.

Farther, even farther.

And higher.

I rose.

The horizon shrank, and soon, I could see the rounded earth.

Golden deserts and blue oceans.

Beyond them, lush green lands.

Above them, in the vast darkness of the void, silent stars gleamed.

It was a sight that reminded me of that vibrant meadow we once saw together, riding on Yuel.

The cool air filling my lungs evoked memories of a distant past.

Like a ritual, my body, too, began to fade.

As my form crumbled into golden particles, I was drawn toward the sun.

Burning, I surged toward the evil god.

Even from this distant, lofty place, I could see exactly where you were.

I repeated a farewell that could never reach you.

A whisper, like a goodnight.

A lie, as if I’d see you again when morning came.

“Goodbye.”

***

The sun vanished from the earth.

For a brief moment, all of humanity was blinded.

A golden flash from somewhere obscured their vision.

And within that light—

Every human saw the same scene.

A whirlwind of rising flames.

A woman soaring toward the sun on that fire.

Her body was made of gold, and she rode a chariot of flames, holding a golden chalice in her hand.

When she finally reached the evil god, the pitch-black being caught fire.

The beast shrieked as it burned.

Unquenchable flames consumed its entire form.

The woman willingly became the kindling that fed the blaze, reducing the evil god to ashes.

And the two, reduced to embers, were sealed within the Holy Grail.

The Grail vanished beyond the void.

Where the beast and the woman disappeared—

The swallowed sun shone once more in its full glory.

A priest, who knew of Eliza, murmured in a daze.

The savior written in the prophecy.

A being shining in pure gold.

“Eliza is that very one…”

Judas slowly opened his eyes after witnessing the vision.

The sun cast its light over Golgotha.

The clear sky was dazzling.

It was midday.

“……”

He looked at the spot where Eliza had stood.

No one was there.

Only a cross-shaped scar remained on the ground.

He replayed the sight of her before she left.

Her forced smile.

Her words telling him it was okay.

“…How could anything be okay…?”

He walked forward, powerless.

Kneeling on the right side of the cross, he clenched his hands against the ground.

“What do you mean, it’s okay…?”

The beast that devoured the sun was dead.

Not sealed—completely erased from existence.

Never again would the evil god be revived.

The world, humanity, had finally attained true salvation through Eliza.

But in that world, Eliza no longer existed.

She had sacrificed herself, perishing alongside the evil god.

He had failed to save her.

Which meant, ultimately, he had failed to save himself.

He gritted his teeth.

Would it have been better if he had died in her place?

A conceited thought.

He had never possessed the power to perish with the evil god.

The world felt hollow.

Now, what was he supposed to do?

Why should he continue in a world without her…?

“……”

A flicker of light passed through his mind.

For the first time in a long while, he recalled the status window.

There was a reward he had received long ago—one he had never used.

[Special Reward: One-Time Dimensional Gate Access.]

[Dimensional Gate Activation: Through the dimensional gate, you may travel anywhere, become anything, or achieve anything you desire.]

[Example: You may return to your original world and live out the life you long for.]

“Go anywhere… do anything… A dimensional gate…”

A glimmer of life returned to his golden eyes.

He swallowed hard.

A thought surfaced in his mind.

If anything is truly possible… could I bring Eliza back from the dead?

[……]

I mean, I don’t know how it works, but if this world has gods, souls, and an afterlife… wouldn’t it be possible to bring her back from there? Please, no matter what price I have to pay…

[User’s specific wish has been detected.]

!

[Would you like to proceed with dimensional gate activation?]

…Yes.