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Chapter 33
‘I was almost there.’
If only he had been a little faster, he could have killed the culprit who had started the war—the ruler of the southern provinces of the Empire.
But a devastating strike had pierced through his back and shredded his heart.
In an instant, his vision was dyed in darkness. It almost looked as if blood had splattered into his eyes. It was death.
Yet… something about this death felt different.
The darkness—immeasurable in space or depth—was the same as before, but… the emptiness of the space felt different.
The darkness he had once faced after dying had been a place devoid of any sense of existence. Even when he had seen that eerie white eye tear through the void, the sense of being utterly alone had never changed.
But now, it felt as though something had intruded into that empty darkness.
‘Did the artifact break?’
Maybe. When his heart was pierced, he had felt the artifact he had kept near it shatter.
The sticky warmth that had followed the hot stab of the blade had told him as much.
Perhaps that ominous, malicious residue had led him to a different kind of darkness this time.
But so what? Death was still death.
‘Then what’s that?’
In the utter blackness where nothing could be seen, a gray haze began to stir. It seemed to draw a faint boundary between the dark and the gray.
Soon, something viscous began to swell, expanding as if devouring the darkness itself.
He couldn’t tell exactly what it was, but he could feel the malice—the heavy, dreadful aura radiating from it.
Gulp… Gulp…
The sluggish mass slowly began to consume the space of darkness. If this place was somewhere between life and death—where souls or consciousness lingered—
Then perhaps this was true death itself, coming to reclaim an immortality that had been denied.
‘Is that what a god of death looks like? Then what was that horrifying eye I saw before?’
Rian could only feel frustration. He knew nothing about this strange phenomenon occurring after his death.
Yet this time, the gray mass that was consuming him seemed to bear a vicious intent—as if it meant to steal his resurrection itself.
Because of that, for the first time, the thought that this might truly be the end began to gnaw at his awareness.
‘This… I can’t accept this.’
Was it because he regretted missing the chance to kill his target at the last moment?
Or was it because he could no longer enjoy the growth and thrill that came with returning from death each time?
‘Both, I guess. Either way, I can’t let it end like this. This isn’t the ending I came back for.’
Rian decided to fight back—no matter what.
Even if that gray sludge was death itself, it couldn’t just take a body that refused to die so easily.
Just as he was about to gather his will to resist—
Crackle!!
The gray mass that had been engulfing the darkness suddenly halted, struck by a flash of violet light.
‘Hmm? Is that because of my will to resist? But… I don’t feel any reaction between us. It’s more like there was already an invisible barrier there all along.’
Whatever it was, he decided to observe. The gray mass didn’t seem to be giving up its advance.
Crackle! Crackle!
The gray lump slammed again and again into the violet barrier, as if desperate to correct a mistake it had long ignored.
And yet, rather than fear, Rian felt curiosity growing.
The barrier glowing in purple fascinated him more than the monstrous mass itself—especially because he could tell it wasn’t reacting to his will at all.
Some kind of intricate sigils and symbols overlapped endlessly, forming a web-like seal.
No matter how much the gray mass tried to force its way through to reclaim his life, the barrier held firm.
It was… incredible. And somehow, Rian had the distinct sense that it was tied to something—or someone.
‘This must have something to do with… the witch.’
He linked the phenomenon to his own origins.
If not, how else could he explain both his immortality and this bizarre event?
Then—
Creak…
The sky of darkness split open, revealing an even deeper darkness within.
Through the crack, a massive white eyeball appeared.
‘It’s the same one as before!’
It was the eye he had seen when Gerard had cut off his head. The way it rolled, as if searching for something, was as terrifying as ever.
But this time, it was… different.
Flash!
A black pupil formed in the center of the white.
The moment it did, the gray mass swelled even more, crashing over the violet barrier as though unwilling to let its prey be taken.
Perhaps it was thanks to that, but the terror emanating from that black pupil seemed to pass over him—unable to find him.
It was a fleeting moment of relief.
Whoooosh!!
Crackle!!
A violent energy rained down, striking both the gray mass and the barrier that held it back.
Dark violet flames engulfed the gray lump, and even the seemingly indestructible barrier began to tremble under the force.
Cracks appeared. The shattering sound made him feel certain the barrier couldn’t hold much longer.
And once it broke—
‘Would I just… cease to exist?’
He imagined himself vanishing completely—not even his soul remaining, no chance of rebirth.
Should he accept that calmly? Or struggle, no matter how meaningless?
‘Probably meaningless…’
The black flame pouring from that eye burned with the fury of something that declared annihilation was the only answer.
But the flames were not infinite.
When the gray mass was completely burned away, the dark violet fire faded as if it had never existed.
The barrier held.
The black pupil, now only white again, rolled once more—as if searching for something—before disappearing altogether.
Silence fell.
Maybe this really had all been a dream.
Then—he heard a voice.
[Incomplete immortal. One who stirs within the womb of existence. Sharpen your hidden fangs into a blade, temper your soft claws into steel…]
It was the first time he had ever heard a voice here. He was utterly stunned.
‘No… I’ve never heard that voice before. It just feels like I have.’
The sound was strange—part whisper, part static, sinking deep into his consciousness. A woman’s voice, yet one that echoed like a disturbance from the abyss.
But it was impossible that he had ever heard it before.
Fwhoosh!
He couldn’t even catch the final words. Suddenly, he felt gravity drag him downward.
“—Hah!!”
He gasped for breath as his eyes flew open.
Reality.
“Haah… haah…”
Rian steadied his ragged breathing and the wild beat of his heart. Then he sat up.
But his body felt… heavy.
‘Different.’
After every death, he had always felt light—renewed, as though reborn.
This time, fatigue weighed down his entire body.
He reached for the spot where the blade had gone through his armor. His fingers slipped through the torn metal easily—it had been a clean, brutal strike.
But of course, there was no wound.
He threw off the armor. It was useless now, and shedding the weight made him feel a little lighter.
“…As usual.”
No scars, no blood, no trace of being impaled through the heart.
As if it had never happened.
But the memory of the pain—bones breaking, heart bursting—remained vivid.
He wished that agony would fade along with death, but it didn’t. It only piled up, layer after layer, in the recesses of his mind.
Maybe it was a warning—that even an immortal shouldn’t take death lightly.
‘Anyway… I’m alive.’
Rian’s first thought was of Leah.
There was no movement nearby—only faint groans that slowly died out, one by one.
He began to walk through the field of death. His goal: to find her.
He retraced the same path where the knight had drawn a line of blue light while charging toward him before. Leah should be there.
Step. Step.
Each step felt heavy.
Was she dead?
Or had she survived and managed to escape?
Rian hoped for the latter.
Not out of guilt or compassion—at least, that’s what he told himself.
But maybe it was guilt—because if she were dead, it would mean he had survived alone again.
He didn’t want that.
He walked through the still forest until he reached the place where the blue light had first appeared.
Then—he heard a faint moan.
“Ugh…”
It wasn’t a man’s groan. That was enough for him to know—it was Leah.
He prayed the sound wouldn’t fade away like the others had.
Crunch. Crunch.
Following the sound, he found her collapsed amidst the scars of battle.
“Are you all right?!”
He immediately knelt and examined her. From the dented plate over her chest, it looked like her ribs might be broken.
“…Barely survived.”
“……”
Leah’s light comment, meant to ease the tension, only made Rian’s expression stiffen.
She couldn’t have known—but he had literally just come back from death.
Did she somehow know?
Of course, Leah couldn’t read his mind. She simply wanted to reassure him. She forced herself to sit up, and Rian supported her by the arm.
“My bones aren’t broken,” she said calmly. “The armor and the soft ground absorbed most of the impact.”
She tapped the dented metal lightly, then met his gaze with her usual cool composure.
Her eyes flicked down, and for the first time she seemed a little thrown off—Rian had stripped off his armor and even the linen beneath it.
“As you can see,” he said, gesturing toward the burning forest. “It was hot. And the armor’s useless now. Don’t misunderstand.”
Leah didn’t look entirely convinced. But she let it go—for now.
Then she asked, voice low and wary:
“…What happened?”
Her expression hardened instantly. She shook off his supporting hand and stepped back, her eyes sharp with suspicion.
“Excuse me?” Rian feigned ignorance, tilting his head.
Leah’s brows drew together. “Don’t play dumb, Rian Cade. How did you survive that?”
