Chapter 310: The Man Who Became a God (1)

Let’s sum up the situation.

“So…”

The world was progressing toward perfection without a single complaint.

Friction between the Human Realm and the Demon Realm persisted, but rarely escalated into serious issues.

They were minor skirmishes at best, symbolic protests from the demons—the losers of the war. Even the most naturally aggressive among them had no desire for another conflict.

‘Because they know.’

The demons knew well that they could not endure the pain that would follow another war.

In other words, their protests were a last act of desperation.

The false gods, the main enemies, had long since disappeared.

It wasn’t just that they had retreated from history—their existence had been literally erased from the universe.

‘And yet…’

Heroes were still manifesting blessings.

‘If they were from the pre-war generation, that’d make sense…’

But even those born after the war still possessed blessings.

It was a situation that completely contradicted the world of Miracle Blessing M.

“You noticed it too, didn’t you?”

Yes, I had noticed.

“That something is flowing oddly.”

Of course I had sensed it.

“But you chose to ignore it so you wouldn’t have to leave your comfort zone.”

“……”

She had described my mental state with total precision.

“Listen closely.”

Yu Sein let out a deep sigh and brushed her bangs aside, then spoke in a solemn tone.

“All worlds have a predetermined form of ending. Whether it’s the universe you come from, or mine, every universe has a lifespan.”

“Then… this world’s lifespan…?”

When I trailed off, Yu Sein nodded.

“That’s right. When you destroyed all the false gods, this world was supposed to end. But look around—has it ended? No. On the surface, it looks like a rare happy ending.”

“……”

“It’s because you love this world too much. Kang Geom-Ma, the one and only Sword God in this universe—you don’t want this world to end. That’s why your subconscious has bound humanity to this world. Because you want it to last. Because you don’t want it to return to the void.”

I remained silent, swallowing hard.

I knew Yu Sein wasn’t saying this to scold me.

And yet, it felt like a leaden stone was sinking deeper and deeper in my chest.

“…Then, the reason blessings haven’t disappeared… is because without them, this world would lose its purpose…”

“Yes.”

“And the one holding that chip bag closed—the one you just popped… is also me.”

“Exactly.”

“Then… mmph.”

Yu Sein suddenly came close, standing right in front of me, her eyes locking onto mine. She pressed a finger to my lips.

“Shh.”

“?”

If someone saw us just then, I’m sure my face would’ve been portrait-worthy.

“If you, an absolute god, say that word, it could influence the world’s timeline. Kang Geom-Ma, you’re no mere human. Strange as it may sound… you are a god. Second only to divine suppression in power, and capable of interfering with the laws of the universe itself…”

I wasn’t clearly hearing what she was saying. All I could taste was salt.

Naturally, it was the same hand she’d just used to eat those chips.

Wait a second.

Come to think of it, that finger—she’d been sucking the salt off it while eating.

Damn it!

“Puh, blegh.”

I gagged and spat into the air while Yu Sein frowned.

“A little shared saliva between family is no big deal. Don’t be so dramatic.”

Yu Sein stepped back and dropped that line nonchalantly.

But if she was going to say that, I had a few words of my own.

“Don’t you remember that this whole family thing is just a façade? God… puah, puah. Did you soak your hand in seawater or what? And I used to be a master chef in my past life, but this has more salt than any filet I’ve ever cut.”

The serious atmosphere came to an abrupt stop.

“Hmm.”

Yu Sein looked at me with a blank expression, as if she’d seen a ghost.

From my perspective, her dark eyes gave me a bit of a chill.

“Now that I think about it this is the first time.”

Yu Sein brushed her thumb across her lower lip.

“The first time I’ve done something like this with anyone.”

The corners of her lips, usually drooping and dull, lifted just a bit.

I’d like to believe it was just my imagination.

At least, that’s what I want to believe.

***

Beneath the Surface of Gehenna, Leon and Metatron advanced step by step, cautiously. But despite their heightened alertness, the underground of the Demon Realm was in utter silence.

Though it seemed the darkness devoured their vision, it posed no obstacle for them. Their wings shone with such brilliance that they lit up their surroundings completely.

“There’s nothing here, Father.”

“So it seems.”

Even with their perception sharpened to the limit, they sensed no suspicious presence.

The only unusual thing was the existence of numerous winding paths so deep underground.

But considering the place they were in, that made a certain amount of sense.

Step, step.

The two men continued walking aimlessly. By now, they were beginning to feel a bit disappointed.

Perhaps they had gotten worked up over the recent strange phenomena for nothing.

“Looks like it was just a false alarm.”

“Better that way, don’t you think?”

Leon scratched his cheek with a sheepish expression.

“Yeah, I guess I still haven’t shaken my old habits. I don’t get why I feel disappointed by this…”

And just then—

Step.

Metatron extended an arm and stopped Leon.

“Father?”

But Metatron only showed him his imposing back. At his feet, the dust and pebbles were trembling with a strange energy.

Flash!

Leon let out a grunt.

His eyes stung. His retinas had been hit by a sudden burst of light.

“You were careless, my son.”

Metatron turned to him with a calm smile. On his back, two additional pairs of wings unfolded.

Though he had lost them all to torture in the past, through the meticulous care of Meain Poison, he had regenerated them—now boasting four pairs.

“I’m okay.”

Leon rubbed his eyes hard.

“But… what is it?”

“Look there.”

Metatron gestured with his chin.

“What is that…?”

In the direction he indicated stood what looked like an egg.

But its size made it far from ordinary.

It was massive. Too massive.

“It looks like an egg, for now.”

As they approached, they confirmed it—it was even larger than it had seemed from afar.

The egg towered over Metatron, who was nearly three meters tall. At a glance, it had to be at least five meters high.

They weren’t entirely sure if it could truly be called an egg, but when they tapped it, the texture clearly felt like a shell.

“Could it be a dragon’s egg?”

“That would be nice, but I don’t think so.”

Metatron pointed to a spot on the egg’s surface.

There were letters inscribed on it. Leon tried to read them, but the language was unknown to him.

Frowning, Leon scratched his head, and Metatron let out a faint smile.

“Foolish boy.”

He gave him a light flick on the forehead.

“What did you even go to the academy for? It’s Old Runes.”

“But runes are obsolete. They don’t even teach them at the academy anymore…”

“Oh, really? Huh… Well, back in my day they were quite popular. Then again, it’s a mistake to compare my sense of time to that of humans.”

As Metatron reflected on the past with his wise eyes, Leon pointed at the letters.

“So, what does it say?”

“Let’s see…”

Metatron barely leaned forward to read when—

A voice emerged from a blind spot in their perception.

Both turned their heads toward the source of the sound.

A pointed foot stepped out from the shadows.

“It means ‘Judgment Day.’”

The man who emerged from the darkness smiled, baring his teeth.

At the sight of the intruder, Metatron’s face showed an expression so complex it was hard to describe.

It was a former lord of the Demon Realm, and the direct superior of his younger brother.

“Long time no see, Metatron.”

The First Corps Commander—Lycan.

The clash between him and the leader of the angels, Metatron, had just begun.

***

I had returned to the academy. But I didn’t go straight home.

I decided to take a walk.

“There’s no one here.”

Maybe because it was the weekend, or because it was still April and the last chill of spring lingered, the academy was deserted.

Always surrounded by students, I briefly thought it had all been a dream. A meaningless thought, but it crossed my mind nonetheless.

I walked for a few minutes until I came to a stop.

A solitary bench greeted me.

“It’s been a while.”

Its paint was peeling as if gnawed by mice. Beneath it, between the legs, weeds had forced their way up through the asphalt.

It was the bench I used to sit on when I chewed on my loneliness during my student days.

It was here that I first met Abel. And also where Ryozo once called me an “idiot.”

‘It’s been a long time.’

I sat down, feeling the fleeting nature of the passing years.

I leaned my head back loosely and gazed at the evening sky as dusk slowly spread.

Sitting there, a baseless melancholy washed over me.

Peace had bloomed beneath military boots. Like the grass beneath my feet.

Even that insignificant weed had sprouted by drinking the blood of the heroes who fell ten years ago.

‘Perhaps that’s why.’

I never step on even a single blade of grass at Joaquin Academy.

Someone might say it’s ridiculous, coming from the God of the Sword, but—

To me, who was cast off from a miserable planet called Earth, this world and Joaquin Academy were a gift from my first boss.

They hold a special meaning.

But the countless heroes who died in the Second Great Human-Demon War gave their lives willingly.

Pushed by the system, in search of artifacts.

I recall with shame the version of myself who moved passively back then.

‘If I had been one of them, would I have made the same choice?’

I’ve asked myself this over and over, but never found an answer.

No.

‘I didn’t.’

Guilt tightens around my chest like a rope.

Suddenly, the weeds rose and took the shape of hands, as if trying to grab my ankles.

“I… refused to become a god. I insisted I was human.”

And because of that, at times, the weight of responsibility binds my feet and crushes my shoulders. I get chills often. It’s because I’m still just a mere human.

I locked myself inside a prison called emotion, and out of pure selfishness, I resisted the world’s completion.

Yu Sein said that if I kept clinging to this state, the world would be destroyed.

Tight.

A pressure crept up my calves.

The inner conflict sparked like static.

‘If I let go of my humanity, would everything be resolved?’

But if I did… what would happen to the family I built?

What would become of Ryozo and Abel?

Those human thoughts still anchor me to this reality.

Yes.

I was afraid. It’s a truth I’ve never admitted to anyone.

The more the people of this world idolize me, the tighter the chains of guilt wrap around my arms and legs, shackling my soul.

“Haa…”

I rested my elbows on my knees and leaned forward.

A heavy sigh made the weeds sink back.

‘I’m sorry… Maybe, because of my ambition, their deaths will amount to nothing.’

I berated myself.

Luckily, I was in a secluded part of campus. If any student had seen me, they probably would’ve been scared.

Rustle.

At that moment, I felt a gentle touch on my shoulder.

Instinctively, I turned around. A branch had dipped down from a tree, and a five-petaled flower had opened on my back.

Like a human hand caressing me.

With all the warmth of youth.

I sat still, bewildered.

The hoot of an owl snapped me back to reality.

“How ridiculous.”

I let out a small laugh and took the branch as if shaking a hand. Then I carefully plucked one petal and let it drift away on the evening breeze.

“All right, I get it.”

I brushed off the dust and stood up.

“I’ll stop whining.”

A pear blossom that heralds the start of spring. Its meaning is affection, comfort, and solace.