Oblivor looked at Ömer with cold eyes.
"Your end… it was exactly supposed to be like this."
Ömer did not answer He no longer had the strength to speak He was only trying to hold onto his dagger with trembling hands.
But…
His fingers slowly loosened The dagger slipped from his hand and fell silently to the ground.
Clack…
That sound…
It was the heaviest sound heard throughout the entire battle Because that dagger was not just a weapon It was Ömer's last hope At that very moment, a semi-transparent blue screen appeared before his eyes.
⸻
WARNING: PLAYER'S HP IS AT A CRITICAL LEVEL.
⸻
Ömer stared at the screen with blurred vision.
Even breathing had turned into torture His ears could no longer hear any sound clearly.
Only the mechanical voice of the system echoed in his mind
⸻
WARNING: PLAYER'S HP AT 5%
⸻
His heart began to beat irregularly Each beat was weaker than the last The blood loss had reached an unstoppable level A few seconds later, the screen flickered again.
⸻
WARNING: PLAYER'S HP AT 2%
⸻
Ömer's knees buckled completely He could no longer stand His face tilted toward the ground Drops of blood fell silently into the void.
WARNING: PLAYER IS ABOUT TO DIE.
His heart beat once more.
For the last time…
Then…
It stopped completely Silence Absolute silence And then, the final notification appeared.
⸻
WARNING: PLAYER'S HP AT 1%
⸻
One second…
Two seconds…
Three…
Then, the screen turned completely red.
⸻
WARNING: PLAYER HAS DIED.
⸻
At that moment…
The last light in Ömer Jin Hoo's eyes faded away His body remained motionless His dagger had fallen from his hand completely.
His heart was no longer beating His breath had ceased.
The last hope of the universe…
Had lost his life Everyone on the battlefield froze None of them could utter a single word.
Because for the first time…Ömer Jin Hoo was truly dead Just when it seemed like everything had come to an end…A small light appeared within the darkness Then, the system screen opened one last time This time, its voice was calmer than ever before.
⸻
NOTIFICATION: PLAYER HAS REACHED THE FINAL GOAL.
SYSTEM SHUTTING DOWN…
⸻
The screen began to shatter Codes were being deleted one by one; blue lines were vanishing into the darkness Then, a new notification appeared.
⸻
NOTIFICATION: UNKNOWN FEATURE ACTIVATED.
⸻
The silence enveloping the universe deepened even further For the first time, the system's voice had changed slightly.
It was no longer mechanical…
It was almost alive.
⸻
WARNING: SYSTEM TERMINATING…
⸻
The blue screen dissolved completely Everything was plunged into black.
There was no time…
No space…
Nor life.
In the midst of the infinite darkness, a single line appeared Golden letters slowly glowed in the darkness.
⸻
NOTIFICATION: WELCOME… ÖMER JIN HOO.
⸻
And then…
The absolute darkness gave way to a new, unknown beginning…
-
Ömer Jin Hoo's consciousness slowly began to return As his eyelids gradually opened, the first thing he expected was pain The burning sensation of the sword that had pierced his chest…
The unbearable agony of his shattered body…
Yet…
He felt nothing.
He took a deep breath.
"…"
He could breathe.
Startled, he looked down at his hands He slowly moved his fingers Raised his arms.
Placed a hand over his chest His heart was beating He slowly rose to his feet There wasn't a single drop of blood on his body, nor even the smallest wound left from the battle.
"…How is this possible?"
The moment he lifted his head, his breath caught in his throat The scenery before him was unlike anything he had ever seen The sky stretched endlessly, so clear that no human words could describe it Golden clouds drifted peacefully across the heavens In the distance, colossal waterfalls poured from the sky itself, dissolving into light before ever reaching the ground Across endless green meadows, colorful flowers danced with the gentle breeze while flocks of white birds soared freely above.
Deer, rabbits, and creatures he had never seen before wandered peacefully without the slightest hint of fear It was as if death did not exist here.
Only peace remained.
Ömer slowly fell to one knee.
"…Am I…"
He looked at his hands once again.
"…Not dead?"
At that very moment…
Footsteps echoed behind him.
Tap…
Tap…
Tap…
The footsteps were calm Neither hurried nor threatening Ömer slowly turned around.
About ten meters away stood a man dressed in black.
His face…
Was identical to his own.
The same eyes.
The same hair.
The same face.
Ömer's breathing stopped.
"You…"
The man simply smiled.
"That's… impossible…"
Instinctively, Ömer stepped backward.
"Who are you?"
Suddenly, countless violet particles of light filled the surroundings The wind changed direction.
The heavens trembled.
The figure before him dissolved into countless fragments of light As the particles ascended into the sky, an indescribable pressure of mana engulfed everything.
That mana…
Made even Oblivor's overwhelming presence seem insignificant Breathing itself became difficult The particles of light slowly gathered together A new figure gradually emerged.
Nearly three meters tall…
Ancient armor adorned with violet crystals…
A long cloak woven from darkness and purple light…A radiant violet halo resembling a sun behind its head…A face hidden in shadow, with only two brilliant violet eyes shining within…And behind its back stretched magnificent wings made of cosmic energy, resembling entire galaxies The mana surrounding the being was so immense that even the grass beneath its feet transformed into glowing violet light The being slowly walked forward.
Its voice echoed throughout the endless world.
"I…"
A brief silence followed.
"…am the Ancient King, Moros."
A violet aura spread across the entire horizon.
"It is a pleasure to meet you…
"Ömer Jin Hoo."
Unable to hide his astonishment, Ömer stared at the being.
"…The Ancient King?"
Moros gently nodded.
"Yes."
"The very first ruler…
who existed long before Aurion and Oblivor."
Ömer took a slow breath.
"Then…"
"…Who are you?"
Moros gazed toward the endless sky.
Within his eyes rested the loneliness of countless billions of years.
"Before everything began There were no stars No galaxies No time There was only one existence"
"The Absolute God."
At once, the sky transformed Countless visions unfolded around Ömer It was as though history itself had come alive before his eyes.
Moros continued.
"The Absolute God possessed infinite power He had never lost a battle No one could oppose Him But eventually He grew tired of eternity He desired entertainment With a slight movement of his fingers…The first star was born Then came galaxies Universes.
Countless forms of life He created all of them for one reason alone To entertain Himself He watched their suffering He shattered their hopes He found joy in their endless wars."
Ömer clenched his fists.
"…So that's why so many people had to die?"
Moros slowly closed his eyes.
"Yes."
"To Him Life was nothing more than a game."
Silence lingered.
"Then He created me The First Existence The First King His most loyal servant The scenery shifted An endless army of shadows Soldiers vast enough to eclipse the stars Wars spanning entire galaxies…"
Moros standing alone against impossible enemies
"I fought for Him For countless ages Until the day I discovered the truth."
Ömer listened without uttering a word.
"The moment I learned the truth…"
"I rebelled."
The heavens turned crimson Two divine beings collided On one side stood the Absolute God.
On the other…
Moros.
With every clash Universes were born Only to vanish an instant later.
"We fought For billions of years For the first time The Absolute God was forced to retreat."
Ömer's eyes widened.
"…You were about to defeat Him."
"Yes."
Moros' voice became heavy.
"But in the end I was defeated."
Silence.
"I did not die My Ancient Energy Was divided One half became radiant golden light The other…Absolute darkness From those two fragments…The Ancient Light Monarch, Aurion…And the Ancient Dark Monarch, Oblivor…Were born."
Ömer listened in complete disbelief.
Moros continued.
"From them came the Seven Light Monarchs And the Seven Dark Monarchs Thousands of wars followed Countless universes perished Countless universes were born anew."
"But in the end…"
"Oblivor prevailed."
Ömer quietly asked,
"…Then what about Aetheryon?"
Moros smiled faintly.
"Before Aurion's death He played his final move Not for himself But for me He entrusted Aetheryon with creating a System And ordered him to choose a successor."
"But…"
"Even Aetheryon never knew the truth."
Ömer's breathing slowed.
"…What truth?"
Moros looked directly into his eyes.
"Aurion Was never searching for his own successor He was the Ancient Energy itself He was searching For a vessel through which I could return."
Moros' violet aura engulfed the entire paradise.
He slowly walked toward Ömer.
With every step…
The heavens trembled.
Finally, he stood directly before him.
He gently placed his hand over Ömer's chest.
"That is why The System chose you Aetheryon raised you Aurion entrusted his power to you."
"Every path…"
"Led to you."
Ömer's eyes trembled.
"…Then I…"
For the first time…
Moros smiled.
"You…Are my reincarnation Ömer Jin Hoo…You are me And I…Am you."
Silence filled the heavens Ömer's mind was in complete chaos.
Every hardship…
Every battle…
Every loss…
Had all of it been leading to this very moment?
Moros slowly turned away.
"Now I shall offer you two choices The first I will entrust you with…"
"My power…"
"My will…"
"And my very existence."
"You shall become the new Ancient King."
"And write your own destiny."
Moros' voice grew colder.
"The second You reject my power In that case I shall take your body as my vessel I will return."
"And you…"
"Will find eternal peace in endless slumber."
Moros looked at Ömer one last time.
"Make your choice Ömer Jin Hoo."