The World After the Bad Ending - Chapter 124

———- ———-!
The lightning of the goddess, which even swallowed sound, swept through everything.

Amidst the storm of blue electric energy,
Vinesha, who was weak against lightning, let out an involuntary scream and collapsed to the ground.

We, however, suffered no significant damage from the electric storm.
That was to be expected — the one above the sky had taken all the hits for us.

[ Oh, crazy. ]
Barcabarán stared at me in disbelief, his mouth agape at the ridiculous stunt I had just pulled.
He still didn’t know much about me.

Whoosh!
At that moment, a massive skeletal hand burst through the smoke in the sky.
It was an enormous bony hand, larger than the buildings of Zeryon Academy.

Clatter!
Simultaneously, a single eye embedded in the skeletal hand slowly opened wide.

Shiver!
The moment our eyes met, a chill ran down my entire body.

It was only a hand.
Yet the presence emanating from that single hand was overwhelmingly immense.

A being akin to a calamity, utterly impossible for a human to stand against.

Monstrum

Alongside the Malstrum, the Monstrum from the Otherworld was a grim reminder of how dangerous they truly were.
But even that was merely a fragment of the Monstrum.
Its true form was so colossal that even the Otherworld could barely contain it.

However, just as the Malstrum could not leave the Demonic Palace, the Monstrum, too, could not escape the Otherworld.

The only way for them to cross over was by establishing a medium that connected to reality.
For the Malstrum, that medium was Iris; for the Monstrum, it was Musica and Grantoni.

The eye of the Monstrum, wide open, radiated fierce and unrelenting fury.
A lightning bolt had suddenly struck its domain —
Of course, it would want nothing more than to seize and destroy the one responsible.

So, I raised the Lightning Magnet high toward the sky.

“You came?”

Once again, light began to gather within the Lightning Magnet in my hand.

“Then take another one.”

After all, it’d be disappointing to just give one.

Come again, Lightning Magnet.

Hearing my call, the lightning of the goddess pierced through the sky once more.
The Monstrum’s skeletal arm, now engulfed by the storm of lightning, burned a blinding white.

But instead of retreating, the Monstrum’s fury only grew more intense.
It had taken two direct strikes from the Lightning Magnet and remained unscathed.
Truly, it was a monster beyond compare.

[ When you asked for the Lightning Magnet, I knew it — you’re absolutely insane! ]

“Why wouldn’t I use it when I can fire it without consequence?”

[I told you what happens if you use it 108 times, didn’t I?]

“I’ve still got a long way to go.”

I’ll keep using it until I can’t anymore.

Clack!

Just then, Sharin arrived before me, dragging Grantoni along.
Thanks to the protective magic and the Monstrum’s focus on me, she seemed unharmed.

But Grantoni was in a strange state.
Where a fierce gleam should have radiated from his eyes, there was nothing — no light, no vitality.

“Hanon, this…”

Sharin frowned, clearly sensing something was wrong.

“Vinesha.”

I hastily called out to Vinesha.

Then, Vinesha, who was weak against lightning, trembled and examined Grantoni.
Soon, her eyes narrowed slightly.

Vinesha was both a spirit master and a soul magic user.
She was a uniquely gifted individual, proficient in both disciplines.
Because of her talent, Zeryon Academy had invited her as an associate professor, believing her abilities would aid the students’ development.

In the field of soul magic, Vinesha was a true specialist.

“Master, there’s no soul inside.”

Her words were absolute — there was no soul.
So where had Grantoni’s soul gone?

That, of course, had already been determined from the start.

‘To retrieve Musica from the Monstrum, he had to enter its spiritual world.’

He had willingly ventured into that dangerous place to find his first love.

Vinesha stared blankly at Grantoni, her expression clouded with concern.
Something was clearly troubling her.

“For now, we need to get out of here.”

There was no time to dwell on it.

The Monstrum, having shaken off the lightning, began to move its hand to chase us.
If that massive hand caught anyone, they would surely lose their life.
That, above all else, had to be avoided.

“Sharin!”

“I’m ready.”

As soon as I called her name, Sharin swiftly activated her magic.
Our bodies lifted into the air and accelerated.

“This is slower than usual.”

Sharin voiced her frustration.

“The rules of magic are different in the Otherworld!”

Magic deceives the laws of reality.
Since Sharin was used to casting spells in the real world, her magic wasn’t as effective here.

That was why I had brought Vinesha.
Her magic worked even in the Otherworld.

‘They’re coming.’

Rumble, rumble, rumble!

At that moment, from deep within the forest —
The spirits that had been hiding began to rise.

Emerging from the trees, these spectral forms twisted and writhed.

Clatter-

A spine-chilling sound echoed from somewhere as the hollow eyes of the spirits locked onto us.

They had lost their will, reduced to empty shells under the Monstrum’s influence.
The soulless beings blocked our path.

They surged toward us like black, viscous fluid.

I had no intention of being caught here.

“Vinesha.”

“Ah!”

Snapping out of her daze, Vinesha swiftly moved her hands.

In an instant, the wraith that had been hovering behind her swung its arm.
Its limbs lashed out like a mantis’s scythe.

The spirits obstructing our path were shredded to pieces, scattering into fragments.

But the Monstrum was still approaching, even faster than before.

Without hesitation, I activated the Lightning Magnet once more.

CRACK-BOOOOM!

The Monstrum’s arm, struck by the lightning yet again, trembled violently.

“Are you sure it’s okay to keep using that?”

Sharin asked anxiously as I clenched the ring tightly.

“It’s a matter of life and death, so I have to use it. But I’m almost at my limit.”

The Lightning Magnet wasn’t something I could summon infinitely.
Based on my experience, I could use it up to five times a day.
That meant I only had two uses left.

“So we need to put as much distance as we can while we have the chance.”

“I’ll accelerate. I’m getting used to it.”

She was already adapting to the Otherworld?
As expected, a talent that only appeared once in a thousand years was truly exceptional.

“Eve.”

I hurriedly called Eve.
She was still holding my hand tightly, her eyes closed.

“We need a beacon to guide Grantoni back.”

A soul that enters the spiritual realm is like a ship lost in a vast sea.
And without the light of a lighthouse, that ship will never find its way.

Originally, this role belonged to Lucas.
The flame of his determination would have served as a sufficient beacon for Grantoni.

But Lucas wasn’t here.
That’s why I called Eve.

“Understood.”

Eve, fighting through her fear, regained her composure and drew her sword.

A fierce blue flame ignited along her blade.
The blazing fire would undoubtedly be visible to Grantoni’s soul.

But more important than that was Grantoni’s own resolve to return.

‘Grantoni.’

He had entered the Otherworld, risking his own life.
There was no way he would return without achieving his goal.

The only way to bring Grantoni back was for him to meet his first love, Musica, and realize for himself that he could not save her.

‘In the original scenario, the Monstrum was blinded by the flame of determination, creating a brief opening.’

During that opening, Grantoni would meet Musica.
He would undoubtedly struggle to bring her back.

But despite his efforts, Musica could not be saved.
Instead, she would convince Grantoni.
She would tell him it was okay, that he should forget about her and move on.

In the end, unable to defy her wishes, Grantoni would obey.
Following the flame of determination, he would return to his body.

Thus, Grantoni would leave the Otherworld.
But for the rest of his life, he would long for Musica and face a lonely end.

‘The only one who can convince Grantoni is Musica herself.’

And to meet her, the flame of determination was essential.
Not even Eve’s unwavering blue flame could replace it.

We couldn’t leave the Otherworld until Grantoni returned.
If we tried, the connection between his soul and body would be severed — and that would be the end.

So, we could only hope that Grantoni would escape the Monstrum and return safely.

‘But if I was going to simply wait like this.’
I wouldn’t have come in the first place.

“Vinesha.”

I called the trump card I had brought to save Grantoni.
Vinesha, who had been staring intently at him, turned toward me.

Her eyes, unlike before, were visibly trembling.
Her emotions had begun to waver the moment she saw Grantoni.

It was well known that Vinesha had lost her memories after the Monstrum toyed with her and shattered the core of her recollections.

But that was only the memories of her brain.
The memories of her soul were a different story.

Memories are imprinted on the soul.
This was proven through one of the six previous reincarnates —
Saint Acrède St. Narea.

The memories stored in Vinesha’s brain had undoubtedly been completely destroyed by the Monstrum.
However, the memories engraved in her soul remained intact.
She had merely buried those horrifying memories deep within her soul, choosing to avert her gaze from them.
But those memories still resided within Vinesha’s soul.

In reality, Vinesha had no recollection of Grantoni.
When he came to her, she dismissed him without a second thought.

But the Otherworld was different.
It was a realm where the essence of the soul held the greatest power.

‘Lucas never brought Vinesha into the Otherworld.’

Vinesha had only ever assisted Lucas in entering this place.
She had no reason to follow him inside.

To Lucas, Vinesha was a criminal.
To Vinesha, Lucas was an obstacle to her work.

My situation, however, was entirely different.
I had built a relationship with her to obtain the Veil Bandages and the pendant.
Vinesha had willingly come to the Otherworld to help me.

And now —
At last, the memories engraved on her soul were stirring awake upon seeing Grantoni.

“You have lost memories. And they may be terrible ones.”

The memory of killing her junior and her mentor with her own hands.
I was about to force Vinesha to recall such horrors.

I couldn’t guarantee that bringing back those memories would benefit her.
To Vinesha, that day’s memory must have been the most painful of all.

But to save Grantoni, Vinesha’s memories were essential.

She had personally offered Musica to the Monstrum.
Through her, the Monstrum had interfered with reality.

This meant that Vinesha and Musica were connected, even without knowing it.
If anyone could call upon Musica, it was Vinesha.

And if Musica could be summoned, she could bring Grantoni back.

For this to work, Vinesha had to recall that day.
Only by tracing those memories could she find the same path and revive Musica.

I had no idea how this would turn out.
This world was unfamiliar even to me.

But that’s just how life is.
Everything is new the first time.

Mistakes are okay.
If I stumble, I’ll fix it.

That’s why I’m here today — to stand my ground.

“Master.”

At that moment, Vinesha called out to me once again.
This time, instead of a dazed expression, she wore a gentle smile.

“It’s okay. I may not know what I’ve experienced, but with you here, I can face it.”

Vinesha knew she had a void in her memory.
She had refrained from confronting it, fearing what might happen if she did.

But now, because I was by her side, she chose to face it.

It had only been a week.
I still couldn’t comprehend how deeply I had rooted myself in her heart.

But she believed in me.
And I would do everything in my power to live up to that trust.

“Open the pendant.”

Vinesha unfastened the pendant hanging around her neck.
Inside was a single photograph.

She saw herself alongside three other individuals in the picture.
Then, for the first time, her eyes slowly widened.

It was a completely different reaction than before.

Fragments of memory, awakened by the pendant, surged from her soul.

“Ah.”

A breathless sigh escaped Vinesha’s lips.

[ Hey, look at that. ]

Just then, Barcabarán’s voice rang out.
I quickly lifted my head, and what I saw made me gape in disbelief.

The sky —

The sky was collapsing.

The Monstrum, that lunatic, had shattered the sky of the Otherworld.

CRACK-BOOOOOM!

Like a waterfall crashing down, the fragments of the sky poured over us.
Without thinking, I shielded Grantoni with my body.

“Everyone, brace yourselves!”

With that desperate cry, we were swallowed by the crumbling sky.