Chapter Ten
Beginning of the Chapter
Location: Atop a snowy mountain.
Kaith: "Do you like hide-and-seek, Shard of Destruction… Abaddon?"
Abaddon (in a rough, terrifying voice): "So you have come, the one who seeks to summon the Outer Ruler."
Kaith: "You know I hate pointless chatter. Let's begin the fight."
Kaith charged toward Abaddon — but he was struck instantly and hurled away, destroying half of a nearby mountain range as his body crashed through it.
Abaddon: "You are weak."
Kaith did not surrender. Though his body was soaked in blood, he activated his regeneration ability, wrapped his sword in black flames, and launched himself forward again. With great difficulty, he severed one of Abaddon's tentacles.
Abaddon roared in fury and rushed toward Kaith to crush him, striking with one of his massive limbs coated in dark energy.
Kaith realized this was the end. He prepared himself for the next life after this one—
But suddenly, a black screen appeared before him.
System:
"Sorry, Host.
I was delayed for nearly one hundred thousand cycles.
Now, we will return the power we confiscated from you."
Kaith: "System?! Is this some kind of magic?!"
As his stolen power surged back into him, Kaith felt overwhelming strength return. The tide of battle shifted heavily in his favor. Even though he was wounded and Abaddon was still on the verge of victory, Kaith spoke the name of a skill:
Kaith: "Black Hellfire Slash."
He severed Abaddon's arm. Then he invoked another spell:
Kaith: "Fire Magic — Domain of Annihilation."
Flames that would not extinguish until their enemy perished engulfed Abaddon.
Abaddon began burning — yet he continued laughing.
But then—
Abaddon detonated himself, turning his remaining energy into a lethal dark poison.
Kaith fell to one knee, victorious over Abaddon… barely.
System:
"Kaith, you are remarkable. You will now receive points in Fire Magic."
Kaith: "What do you mean?"
System:
"It means your Fire Magic will grow stronger."
Kaith: "That's good… but how do I delete you, you bastard? It's only natural — I used it, so of course it will grow stronger."
System:
"Why am I the pitiful and innocent one here?"
Kaith: "Because I was about to die due to you draining my power!"
System:
"Incorrect. You would have died because of your recklessness.
Who repeats the world tens of thousands of times
for one person —
and she is not even his parent or brother,
but his illegitimate sister?"
Kaith: "I am the one who will fight this. And in the first place… I am the one who killed my father."
System:
"You deserve me. You never abandoned your sister.
In two words — you are amazing."
Kaith: "You're insane, System."
System:
"That's fine. What matters is that I am with you…
O bearer of the curse."
Kaith: "I'm going to liberate the kingdom now."
System:
"Are you sure? Iris is extremely powerful… Kaith."
Kaith: "Do you doubt my strength?"
System:
"Of course not. But Iris is far stronger than you."
Kaith and the System moved toward the Region known as the Abyss of Light — named so because, although sunlight falls directly upon it, the place remains eternally dark.
Kaith: "We've arrived."
System: "Finally."
Kaith: "It's not like you were walking."
System: "That's unfair. I was telling jokes the whole way."
Kaith: "Your jokes sound like an old man's."
In the middle of their exchange, a white beam shot toward Kaith. He barely blocked the attack.
System: "It's Iris."
Kaith: "Really? I had no idea. Say something useful."
Iris descended with devastating dark power, even stronger than Abaddon's blows. The battle quickly became one-sided — in Iris's favor.
Iris unleashed a technique called Luminous Dark Lightning. Kaith could not block it and was slammed into the ground.
As he regenerated, Iris attacked again. Even incomplete in form, Iris fought overwhelmingly. Kaith barely defended himself—
But—
Kaith's sword shattered from the force of Iris's strike. Iris then prepared an attack capable of killing Kaith permanently — and death here meant true death, because he would die at the hands of the former bearer of the curse.
Without warning, the System transformed into a spirit — white hair, black eyes, two horns like Kaith's, a short beard, and two wings.
Kaith stared in shock.
Kaith: "Why are you helping me? I am the one who killed you… Father."
Aztherion (Kaith's father and former king before the kingdom's destruction):
"Simply because you are my son, Kaith. And I am your father."
Aztherion transformed into a sword. Kaith named it Aztherion, the Dragon Blade.
Kaith and Iris clashed once more. Iris struck downward with immense force, and the collision shook the entire area. Yet Kaith overpowered him, pushing him back relentlessly, giving him no room to breathe. Still, Iris defended fiercely.
Kaith's victory would have been a miracle—
And that miracle happened.
After seven years, Iris managed to regain control of himself for a few seconds and ordered Kaith to strike him. Kaith obeyed, piercing Iris's heart.
Iris dissolved into the air.
Though Kaith was gravely wounded, he had killed Iris and freed the kingdom from the Curse of Darkness that had controlled it for seven years.
But—
Kaith fell to his knees. He began to cry bitterly, like a small child. The emotions he had buried beneath countless deaths finally broke free.
He had killed the brother he loved.
He had killed the father who, even after being hated and murdered by his own son, protected him for two days — and whose only answer for protecting him was: because you are my son.
Kaith wept, asking why this had happened.
Deep inside, he had once wished his father truly were the villain he believed him to be — but instead, he discovered that his father loved him more than anyone, without condition, without price.
Kaith regretted every second he claimed he was alone — when in truth, he was the one who killed everyone who loved him.
And here ends the chapter.
With it… the end of Season One.