The city was falling into ruin.
Or rather, it already had.
The flames were still burning, but they had already burned themselves to the end. There was nowhere left for them to spread, and they could only gradually die out.
Ruins, debris, enormous scars torn through the earth lay everywhere. Ash like black snow drifted across the sky above the entire city, falling slowly and burying the life and prosperity this city once possessed.
There were no cries.
No roars.
No screams.
Like a graveyard after a hasty funeral.
The entire city seemed completely dead, silent in a way that made the heart tremble.
"[Past]... [present]... so that’s how it is... But if that’s true, then even causality itself has been reversed."
Perhaps because of the ash filling the air, Muen felt breathing becoming difficult, yet his mind still continued down that road of despair, thinking without end.
The more he thought, the harder it became to believe.
Because in the Salvation Society’s plan, cause and effect had been completely inverted.
First, they created the result: the royal capital utterly destroyed by the Salvation Society.
Then, following that result backward, they resolved the cause: the archbishop’s death.
Thus, once that cause appeared, the corresponding result immediately descended.
Because that result had already been prepared long ago. It existed on another timeline.
The inversion of cause and effect had ultimately created everything before his eyes.
To Muen, it was simply... too unbelievable.
And shameless.
"Isn’t time a wonderfully mysterious thing? If used properly, even reversing causality becomes possible."
"..."
Muen’s gaze returned nearby. He realized Archbishop Ision and Fubeka had already vanished. The Ritual Hall was even more ruined than it had been seconds earlier, no trace remaining of its former luxury and grandeur.
Aside from that, the ground was covered in the corpses of clergy.
Broken.
Furious.
Rotting.
"This is..."
"Strange? Not at all. The archbishop belonged to the second stage. But now that the timelines have reunited, this place is both the first stage and the third stage. It is the true [present]. Naturally, the archbishop is no longer here. The only ones who can remain here are you, who already belonged to the [present] timeline... and me, from this timeline."
"As for what happened to them, I think you already know."
The Witch of Repentance continued smiling as she spoke.
But her clothing had clearly changed from several seconds ago. No longer the church robes she loathed so much, but instead the long dress Muen recognized instantly, the one that gave her the bearing of an elegant noblewoman.
Muen instinctively activated his Black Flame vision.
Sure enough, he saw traces of black flame on the Witch of Repentance that had not been there before.
"So it was you..."
"We meet again, Muen Campbell."
The Witch of Repentance lifted the edge of her skirt and greeted him with a graceful curtsy like a charming young lady. Her smile was gentle, but Muen could feel only ever-deepening malice from the depths of her soul.
"I told you... you wouldn’t escape."
"Should I say... I’m honored?"
Muen forcibly steadied himself and said expressionlessly, "To have a dignified Crowned One chase after me so relentlessly, refusing to give up even across timelines... I doubt many people in this world could enjoy such an honor."
"Well, you are special. The Holy Lord personally said you had to be given a front-row seat, so naturally I could only obey."
The Witch of Repentance smiled faintly. "Although I don’t know what the Holy Lord intends, it is his command, isn’t it?"
"...What an excellent subordinate."
Muen’s tone dripped with mockery.
"But why is it that I can feel the killing intent from you growing stronger and stronger? You don’t look like someone who merely wants me as an audience member."
"Oh my, you noticed? My apologies. How rude of me."
The Witch of Repentance gave a theatrical apology.
"But it can’t be helped. I am still a dignified Crowned One, the Third Seat of the Salvation Society. Even among villains, I’m a rather famous figure. Yet someone like me has repeatedly stumbled because of a mere fifth-rank warrior like you. No matter how broad-minded I may be, surely I’m entitled to feel at least a little anger by now."
"You should."
Muen nodded coldly. "That sounds perfectly reasonable."
"So then, Mr. Muen Campbell, now that you’ve reached a dead end... would you be willing to surrender quietly?"
The Witch of Repentance blinked innocently.
"If you surrender obediently and spare me the wasted effort and time, allowing me to kill you easily, I promise I can give you a completely painless death. Or would you rather feel the despair of watching everyone reach ruin before I slowly tear you apart?"
"A dead end... huh."
Muen was not afraid.
Honestly, after having an Evil God threaten him to his face before, there was no way words like these from the Witch of Repentance could frighten him.
To him, this kind of threat was almost as weak as flirting.
But at this moment, he truly did feel a kind of emptiness and confusion.
It had happened too fast.
So fast that even now, Muen still lacked any real sense that everything had already ended.
Just a few minutes ago, he had still been seriously planning how to kill the "false" Archbishop Ision, firmly believing that doing so would open a path to saving the royal capital.
And yet in the blink of an eye...
Muen tilted his head slightly and looked toward the silent city.
The last flickers of fire danced like a mocking smile, ridiculing all his efforts over the past few days. In the end, they had amounted to nothing.
No.
In a sense, he had even become an accomplice of the Salvation Society.
Just as Fubeka... and those clergy he had once met in the Burial Grounds of Saints had said.
Now, he was a sinner.
"How ridiculous..."
Muen pressed a hand to his chest.
Even after such a catastrophe, even with the Witch of Repentance crushing down on him once again like a mountain, he still did not understand what that beating heart inside him was truly feeling.
Anger?
Sadness?
Pain?
Or guilt?
Countless images flashed before his eyes.
Pero.
Aviva.
Tyron.
Kore.
And many, many more.
He had once thought they were merely illusions manufactured by the false capital. Once the illusion vanished, he would never cross paths with them again.
Muen had used that reasoning to convince himself not to care about their disappearance and deaths.
But they had not been illusions.
And everything he had experienced in Saint Blancfazesiya had not been false either.
So now...
What excuse could he possibly use to convince himself?
"My sister is amazing. If you don’t choose her, you’ll regret it!"
"This place is like a bottle of unbelievably sour, disgusting garbage wine. Everyone who drinks it can’t help cursing it with the filthiest words imaginable... but it’s not completely rotten, right?"
"If I help you accomplish your goal, help the Temple of Judgment, even help the higher powers standing behind you complete this matter... then may I ask... would that mean I reached this position through my own abilities? Would I finally be qualified... to become a true bishop?"
...
...
"Damn it," Muen whispered through clenched teeth.
...
...
"Well? Have you made your choice?"
At this final moment, when the ending was already decided, the Witch of Repentance was not stingy about granting Muen more time to think.
Rather, repentance and struggle within suffering were themselves the most delicious nourishment to her.
"Your question is stupid."
Muen said, "No matter the circumstances, there’s obviously no way I would ever surrender quietly."
"It costs nothing to try."
The Witch of Repentance smiled.
"When some people fall into despair, they simply give up completely. Perhaps you’re that kind of person?"
"I’m not."
Muen shook his head, the confusion and pain on his face slowly fading away.
"I won’t surrender... and I won’t give up."
"Give up on this city."
"Oh?"
The Witch of Repentance raised a brow, genuine surprise appearing on her face.
She had expected Muen not to surrender.
What she had not expected... was that he apparently still refused to abandon this city.
"Have you still not understood what it means for the ending to already be decided?"
The Witch of Repentance frowned slightly.
"This city is finished. A dead city. What meaning could it possibly still have for you?"
"Of course I understand what it means for the ending to already be decided. Better than anyone."
The corpses on the ground had already been dead for a long time, yet Muen still felt as though he could see himself reflected in their clouded eyes.
Who could possibly understand a "predetermined ending" better than the yellow-haired villain of this story?
But...
"I won’t give up. This story isn’t over yet. It can’t be."
Muen tightened his grip on Elizabeth.
This time, he chose to face the Witch of Repentance directly, without the slightest concealment.
"Is that so? What a shame."
The Witch of Repentance shook her head regretfully.
"I never imagined you would be this boring."
Shing—
Blade-light flashed like moonlight as a fierce strike cut straight toward the Witch of Repentance.
Once Muen made his decision, his movements carried no hesitation at all, even if his opponent was a Crowned One who had nearly killed him multiple times.
"Pathetic. Did you think the same trick would wound me again like last time—hm?"
The Witch of Repentance raised a hand, about to teach this foolish boy what true despair meant.
But suddenly, the entire city shook violently once more, and some terrifying tremor echoed high above the heavens.
As if realizing something, the Witch of Repentance paused and looked toward the sky with a mocking laugh.
"Oh my, look at that, boy. Seems you’re not the only one who refuses to give up."
"..."
No one answered.
A horrifying presence surged from an immense distance away, like two ancient beasts colliding in savage combat. The mere aftershocks already surpassed Muen’s full-powered strike.
"Hm? No, wait."
The Witch of Repentance frowned.
Even if the boy’s level was indeed low, there was no way he should have been weaker than mere aftershocks.
The Witch of Repentance lowered her gaze again.
Muen was still there.
He was even still swinging his blade.
But the brilliant slash sweeping toward her failed to cut even a single strand of her hair.
The hand she had raised dropped casually.
With a simple wave, the figure before her dispersed into nothingness.
The distant aura had concealed Muen’s own presence, causing even the Witch of Repentance to confuse real and fake for a brief moment.
But for him to exploit such a tiny instant—and react even faster than a Crowned One like her...
It was almost as though he had predicted one or two seconds in advance.
"Impressive. Ran away again, did you?"
Realizing she had once again let him escape, the Witch of Repentance sighed in admiration.
"I have to admit, your talent for escaping is becoming more and more extraordinary."
However...
"Running away alone solves nothing. No... rather, nothing else could solve anything either. After all, how could a game that has already become a complete dead end possibly be overturned?"
The heavy clouds covering the heavens slowly began to split apart.
Something hidden behind the clouds gradually cast a probing gaze upon the world below.
Feeling the horrifying thing writhing beyond the clouds, the Witch of Repentance spread her arms wide, her cheeks flushed, her expression intoxicated.
"Ah, look! Pitiful Muen Campbell... and all you stubborn fools. Watch closely."
"Our salvation... has already begun!"
