The news that Satan had started a broadcast spread across the entire hybrid realm.
In this unprecedented situation, where a first-generation Divine Spirit was about to speak publicly, not only did regions outside the control of the Divine Spirits show interest, but even the vast majority of Great Army forces paid attention.
What Satan intended to do was such madness that ignoring it simply wasn’t an option.
“So, it’s begun, after all.”
Watching Satan draw the attention of all through the hologram screen, Galitz felt sweat gathering in his hands.
Sharuriel approached Galitz as he watched intently.
“Don’t worry too much. If it’s really unbearable, we can just ignore it.”
“No. We have to watch. Our future depends on this, so even if it’s nerve-wracking, we must brace ourselves.”
The storm that would come would be incomparable to anything the Foundation had done.
* * *“First, I would like to ask you all something. Divine Spirits—especially, what are the first-generation Divine Spirits? Do any of you know how they came into existence or why they exist in this world?”
Most people fell silent at Satan’s question. The majority remained quiet because they had no idea, while the few who knew the truth kept silent because they understood they should not speak.
They feared the consequences that would follow if the truth was revealed. They were also surprised; they never expected Satan would bring up this subject.
Was he not afraid of death?
Everyone pretended not to know, consciously ignoring the truth and self-hypnotizing, convincing themselves that their assigned roles were their true selves.
That was what they considered “right.”
They didn’t want to die.
Yet, Satan’s actions were challenging even that fundamental premise.
“I see. Since no one has an answer, allow me to kindly inform you.”
[What on earth is this…?]
[What’s he planning to say all of a sudden…?]
Satan lightly swiped away the messages that suddenly appeared. At that moment, the hologram screen glitched, crackling with interference.
The other Divine Spirits noticed the anomaly as well. The Genesis Network, which had been functioning smoothly, began to malfunction as if infected by a virus, threatening to shut down. ŗἈℕɵBĘs̈
As if he had expected this, Satan chuckled derisively.
“Oh, come now. That won’t do. I put so much effort into this moment.”
With a single gesture from Satan’s hand, all of it was nullified.
Black letters flowed from his forearm, seeping into the hologram screen, and eventually restored the fading image to its original clarity.
[What just happened?]
[Was the Genesis Network about to shut down?]
[Crazy. Is that for real?]
“It’s because there are those who tirelessly work to prevent the truth from spreading. I believe some of you must already sense that something isn’t quite right.”
Yu-hyun silently watched the scene.
Just moments ago, Satan had hacked the Genesis Network. Doing so wasn’t something just anyone could accomplish.
‘Simple engraving, and high-level rewriting that intervenes in the system itself.’
An engraving that allows him to craft stories through letters.
And rewriting, which lets him freely manipulate existing text, erasing or altering the narrative at will.
Was it because he was a first-generation Divine Spirit, or perhaps because he was a particularly unique one? Satan’s skill in using rewriting was remarkably smooth.
‘But what is this feeling of familiarity?’
More than anything, the act of hacking the Genesis Network, even temporarily, would not leave Satan unaffected.
To prove this, the tips of Satan’s left fingers had begun to turn into smoke, faintly dispersing.
Though invisible to others, Yu-hyun, who stood nearby, could see it.
‘He’s going through with this, even while accepting the penalties.’
Even though his wounds from five years ago likely hadn’t healed, Satan was pushing himself.
Just as he said, his declaration to truly end everything was far from an empty promise.
Even if it meant his entire existence would be completely extinguished.
Satan was determined to put an end to everything here and now.
‘Why would you…?’
As if sensing Yu-hyun’s confused gaze, Satan cast a brief glance at him and responded with a quiet smile.
Yes, he knew. He was fully aware that he would soon die, condemned for revealing the entire truth.
“The true nature of the first-generation Divine Spirits you all know, and why they choose to turn a blind eye to the truth.”
Knowing this, he did not stop. He was standing here for this very purpose.
He had ignored it long enough.
Time and again, he rationalized his actions, telling himself he had no choice, while witnessing the end and the beginning of worlds.
When he closed his eyes, the scenes of that time still came vividly to mind.
-“Please, spare me! I beg you!”
-“Why! You said you’d go all the way!”
-“Please, at least spare this child!”
All the people who vanished because they were unchosen.
As Logos’ underlings erased them completely, he could only bear witness.
Yes. He had always regretted it.
He had compromised, solely to protect what he had to.
Since the birth of the new universe, he had spent so many endless years that he had nearly forgotten his own origin.
Regret, and more regret.
‘And so.’
This was his only chance to resolve those regrets—the stage on which he would make his final stand.
This time, he would not repeat the same mistakes.
“We are usurpers.”
He proclaimed the truth.
He declared it to everyone.
“We are false existences, inheriting names that Logos should have held.”
For those who knew nothing and would soon vanish meaninglessly in the harvest that was about to come.
This revelation would shock them and perhaps rob them even of the will to resist, but he didn’t care.
“The current first-generation Divine Spirits are all fakes. Those whom we persecuted as ‘Bookworms’ were the previous Divine Spirits, who barely clung to life under Logos’ oppression. We are nothing but citizens of a toy kingdom built atop their foundation.”
If, at the very least, even one of them would share his resolve.
That would be enough.
There must never be a meaningless death.
Rumble.
By now, a massive storm was raging around them. Satan looked up. The intense heat that accompanied it came from his archenemy, Michael.
And the fierce wind was the result of a disruption in the atmosphere as the core of the Foundation appeared, tearing through space and revealing its true form.
“Satan! That’s enough! Stop right there!”
She aimed her spear at him with sorrow-filled eyes.
Yet, she hesitated to strike. She must have been experiencing the most complicated of feelings herself.
The existence of Satan was supposed to be her adversary. He had turned his back on Eden and betrayed the great Light, becoming a fallen star… the brightest of them all.
Even so, he continued to assault Eden, tempting Adam and Eve, causing beasts to run rampant with the red dragon of the Apocalypse by his side.
But what on earth was this scene now?
Truth? Roles? Usurpers?
Why was he speaking in such incomprehensible terms…?
Gritting her teeth!
“I said stop!”
It wasn’t a rational act but a reaction close to instinct.
Michael threw her spear to stop Satan from continuing.
The blow was weak. It was so feeble that one would hardly believe Michael had thrown it, but for Satan, who was currently consumed with rewriting while controlling the Genesis Network, it was a significant threat.
At that moment, Yu-hyun stepped forward.
Clang—!
Yu-hyun deflected the spear of light with his fist. When Satan looked at him with a gaze of disbelief, Yu-hyun shrugged his shoulders as if to reassure him.
“Focus on what you’re doing.”
“Thank you.”
Rumble!
A massive sound, like a giant beast’s roar, erupted from the grand altar floating in the sky.
Satan ignored everything else and focused on his rewriting.
“Listen closely. I don’t have much time to speak. Even the moments I’m spending like this are nearly miraculous opportunities I’ve seized.”
Satan felt his body disintegrating, starting from his fingertips. If it were only his body dissolving, it might have been better.
But his very existence—his only shell allowed in this world, as Satan—was coming to an end.
What awaited him at the end wasn’t mere death but the extinction of his existence.
It was an endless darkness beyond the horizon of stories, a place one could never return from, even if someone remembered him.
“Logos will erase this world. Then, he will choose new individuals. Those selected will be given roles in the next era. Perhaps, they will become the Satan of the next universe, or the Zeus, or even the Odin of the next.”
Some message windows reacted intensely.
While some raged at the blasphemy against their patron god, most were simply overwhelmed by the shocking truth.
“Perhaps, the current patron gods will side with Logos in the next universe to preserve their positions. Only a tiny few might be allowed this. The rest will die. When the Mythic War begins, who will survive?”
Armageddon.
Ragnarok.
Titanomachy.
The Battle of Tirói Plains.
All the wars
from myths would converge into one massive massacre.
Crack. Crack.
Cracks began to spread across Satan’s body. His life was nearing its end.
“Stop! I said stop!”
Michael shouted almost in a pleading tone. She knew now that Satan’s life was nearly over.
“If you keep doing this… you’ll die!”
She didn’t know why. Satan was her enemy—not just hers but Eden’s too. His death would bring peace to Eden, something she should be welcoming more than anyone else.
But her heart, the part of her that wasn’t Michael, kept questioning.
Was this really okay?
At that moment, a fog lifted from her mind, and memories long buried came flooding back.
She remembered the choice that man made long ago, even at the cost of giving up his resistance against Logos.
—“I want to live!”
Flinching.
For the first time, Satan, who had been indifferent to Michael’s actions, reacted.
“You came this far to survive, didn’t you? We… all of us had no other choice but to accept our roles if we wanted to live!”
“Michael…?”
“Michael, what in the world…!”
The other angels who had accompanied her were shocked by her words and didn’t know how to respond.
Even a fool could guess that there had been some sort of connection between Michael and Satan in the distant past.
Having come this far, Michael no longer cared about her position or anything else.
“We came here wanting to live together… Why did you betray Eden and fall so far?”
Tears streamed down her cheeks.
As her teardrops fell, everything came back to her. Originally, she wasn’t someone called Michael. Before she was ever called Michael, she had another name.
She had comrades and someone she cared about.
They had faced hardships and trials together, promising to reach the end of the world.
But all those hopes and promises were crushed under a power they couldn’t resist.
At that time, the man stepped forward and made a deal with Logos, agreeing not to oppose him in exchange for saving his comrades.
—“Hmm. Well, it would be troublesome if you all charged at me with death in mind… Fine. The contract is sealed.”
The being with his back to the blinding light had thus assigned them roles.
After that incident, the group split up, each going their own way, leaving only Michael and Satan behind.
But she didn’t mind. As long as she had him, she thought it would be enough to live quietly in Eden, just the two of them.
But he did not stay.
Was it his nature? Or was it the regret of having yielded his will to save his comrades?
He abandoned his position as an angel and became a demon. He turned his back on the light, cloaking himself in darkness, and descended from the heavenly paradise, plunging into the endless abyss.
“Why did you leave?”
She had suffered for countless years from the shock of being betrayed by someone she trusted.
Had she not wanted to survive, even in such a miserable state? If so, then what was he doing now?
“You… you were enough for me!”
“You…”
At Michael’s heartfelt confession, with all her memories returned, Satan pulled his hat down deeper, as if to hide his emotions.
“Now, you’ve remembered it all.”
“Let’s stop. Even now, it can be undone. We can still make things right. I remember everything now.”
Michael pleaded with Satan with all her heart.
“Please…”
Her wings drooped, devoid of strength. Far from the radiant brilliance her title suggested, there was no light in her now.
Though her appearance evoked pity and sympathy, Satan remained unmoved.
“We’ve come a long way, haven’t we? Originally, I was supposed to be another Archangel, standing by your side as a pillar to uphold Eden.”
“You can still do that…”
“No. It’s too late. Far too late for that.”
Satan had thought about it for a long time.
If only he hadn’t compromised with reality out of fear of his comrades’ deaths.
If only he had pushed forward to the end, holding onto everything—would things have turned out differently?
“I’ve regretted it so much.”
In the end, he had been able to save his comrades by making a deal with Logos. But what about everything else?
It had all died. It had been erased so thoroughly that it became the foundation of the next universe.
Who remembered them? Who mourned for them?
There was no fairytale-like ending where the surviving comrades lived happily together.
In the end, they fought, split apart, and drifted away.
“They shouldn’t have done it from the beginning.”
Crack.
By now, cracks covered all of Satan’s body. His very existence was reaching its limit.
A light descended from the sky. No one present failed to recognize that it was coming from the core of the Foundation.
The Elohim descended slowly, their backs to the light, facing him.
Satan laughed as he looked at them.
“I didn’t think they’d imagine I’d go this far, taking control of the Network to pull this off. They’ve rushed to call forth the core of the Foundation for this grand reception.”
But he had already achieved every goal he had set for himself.
He would die in exchange, but what did it matter?
He had been prepared for this ever since he met Yu-hyun.
“Kang Yu-hyun.”
“…”
Their gazes collided in midair.
Satan extended his hand to Yu-hyun for the final time.
“I’ve done all I could. Don’t fail as I did.”
The shadows on Satan’s face gradually lifted.
Upon seeing the face beneath, Yu-hyun’s eyes widened.
“You are…”
“Go all the way. Don’t end up like me.”
“…Alright.”
Yu-hyun took Satan’s hand.
Simultaneously, Satan’s body reached its limit and turned to dust. Instead of simply vanishing, the dust traveled up Yu-hyun’s arm, seeping into his body.
Yu-hyun closed his eyes, feeling the vast narrative flowing into him.
The lord of Pandemonium, a Great Army that ruled over the hybrid realm.
The first-generation Divine Spirit, known as both Satan and Lucifer, chose his own contented demise.
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