Final Chapter: The End of Emperion
The fall of the tyrannical Emperor Emperion marked the definitive end of the Age of Chains, an era remembered for its oppression, slavery, and unrelenting conquest.
Emperion, whose ambition extended beyond dominion to absolute subjugation of all life, was ultimately slain by the Sword God Ascalon, who was the last bearer of divine authority in that age.
The decisive battle was recorded as one of unparalleled devastation. Wielding the Hero Sword Avalon, Ascalon unleashed its ultimate Art: Five-Element Fusion Strike.
The convergence of elemental forces overwhelmed Emperion's Dark Sword, Nightfall, melting it entirely in a cataclysmic clash that scholars later described as a world-ending strike.
With the destruction of Nightfall, Emperion's reign came to an irreversible end.
In the aftermath of Emperion's death, peace formally returned to the world then known as Gloria. However, it was a hollow peace, born not of prosperity, but of ruin. The final battle had inflicted damage beyond all prior calamities. All continents fractured and melted as if turned to flowing magma, Oceans boiled into vast seas of lava, reshaping coastlines and altering the world's geography in a single night. Ecosystems collapsed, civilizations were erased, and both humanity and magical species were driven to the brink of extinction.
Gloria entered what historians would later call the Apocalyptic Decline. Only scattered remnants of humankind survived, clinging to life amid a dying world that teetered on the edge of total annihilation.
It was then that Sword God Ascalon, burdened by remorse for the devastation wrought in the act of salvation, made a choice that would define eternity.
Acknowledging that the world could not recover through mortal means alone, he sacrificed the Hero Sword Avalon itself. By dispersing its divine essence, Ascalon restored balance, vitality, and the fundamental order of nature, allowing life to take root once more in the shattered lands.
Though Ascalon vanished thereafter, his sacrifice was neither forgotten nor diminished by time. The surviving peoples of Gloria preserved his memory through song, scripture, and solemn record, honoring not only his victory, but his compassion and love for the world he saved.
In remembrance of this final act, the world was renamed Avalon, as a testimony to the sword that ended tyranny, restored life, and became the foundation upon which the new age was built.
After reading the final chapter of Genesis of Avalon, Adonis was beyond shocked.
Gloria was a name he had designed himself for the game. Characters like Ascalon and Emperion also existed as main figures in the storyline.
That means, he was truly inside his own game world.
But all of this had already happened in the past. That meant every "cheat code" he possessed had vanished before he could even grasp them. What happened beyond this point was no longer something he could predict or control.
He realized then how critical a loss this was. After all, the cheats, the plots, and the powerful treasures could have been his if he had played his cards right. But now—they were all gone. He felt the loss deep in his core.
However, something else bothered him even more.
"I remember that in the game, the main characters Ascalon and Emperion were designed to be equally powerful to keep players engaged with the plot for a long time.
So, how was one of them defeated so early? And why did Ascalon become the Hero when I designed him to be the Villain?"
He genuinely couldn't understand this twist at all.
"It's because he's a shrewd manipulator."
The answer came so suddenly that Adonis felt a jolt of alarm. He turned toward the source of the voice to see a crimson-haired girl standing behind him.
The girl looked to be about nine or ten years old. She wore a pair of old-fashioned glasses, a white top, and a long black skirt; to his eyes, she appeared very refined and feminine.
"And you are?" Adonis asked calmly, not even rising from his seat. Inwardly, however, he was worried. Had she heard everything he had said until now? If she had, he was surely in trouble.
The red-haired girl sat across from him at the table with a refined temperament. She looked straight into Adonis's young eyes.
"I know you, Adonis. But you... you don't know me," she said sharply. "It indicates how ignorant you are regarding the current affairs of the Kingsbane family. Or, perhaps, you simply don't care about anything."
She wasn't blaming him; she was merely stating facts. And Adonis understood that.
"You could say the latter," he replied. "After all, what good comes from thinking about the internal affairs of a duchy when you're just a servant's child?"
The girl remained composed.
"Regardless, that doesn't interest me. What does interest me is how you came to the conclusion that Ascalon was the real villain—which is exactly my assumption as well. I think we have something in common to talk about."
'So she didn't hear me mention the game... Phew, what a relief,' Adonis thought.
She extended her hand. "I am Lucia Kingsbane, the thirteenth child of Duke Kingsbane and Concubine Mariana. I am your elder sister."
Adonis accepted the handshake with a humble smile. "Oh, it's Elder Sister Lucia, then. I actually have heard of you."
"About what?" she asked coolly.
"Your unmatched intelligence and your above-average Yellow-grade Sword Soul. It's just that I haven't had the opportunity to meet you until now. I would love to receive some guidance from someone like you, especially since my awakening is in a few days."
Her lips curved slightly. "It seems our youngest is not so dumb after all. You know how to remain humble and maintain your humility when everyone looks unfavorably upon you. Consider me impressed."
Adonis faked a smile. "Likewise. Elder Sister's grace and knowledge have truly impressed me. So, about that guidance... will you—"
Lucia nodded curtly. "Yes, I will. But first, you must tell me your views on Ascalon and Emperion. How did you come to the conclusion that he was the main villain?"
From the shine in her eyes, Adonis realized how much interest she held in those figures. The books piled in front of her also indicated how deeply she had been studying history. Any lie would be unnecessary—and likely fatal.
So, he honestly told her about his perspective of the entire history.
"It's like this—"
As they continued to talk about their common perspective, the siblings bond between gradually grew closer.
And Adonis might just have found his first strategic ally in the Duke's castle.