"..."
At my proposal for a parley, the Black Dragon somehow chuckled and then said,
"I accept."
Fortunately, he accepted the parley.
The breath he had been gathering slowly subsided. Feeling the dissipating hostility, I let out a sigh of relief.
Turning around, I looked back at the heroes and commanded,
"We have about 30 minutes. Everyone, retreat in that time."
Lucas, among the confused heroes, jumped forward and shouted,
"My lord, what is this...!"
"I have a way. As always, I've prepared an escape tunnel."
I met Lucas's eyes, and those of the other heroes, and gave them a reassuring smile.
"Trust me, and everyone retreat."
The punitive expedition had already failed.
The choice was between everyone perishing here or me staying alone to hold the parley with him.
Lucas has the capacity to assess the situation coldly, more than anyone else as a commander. He should understand which option has more potential.
Despite knowing this, Lucas gritted his teeth and stepped forward.
"If we all fight prepared to die...!"
"Lucas."
I changed my tone to a stern one.
"Have I ever gambled without a chance of winning?"
"..."
Lucas shook his head slightly.
"You've never gambled without a chance, but you've always risked your own life."
"The end of the world is right there. So, this much is worth staking."
I glanced briefly at Night Bringer, now comfortably sitting in his place, and then I firmly grasped Lucas's shoulder.
"Lucas. If I don't return soon, you will have to take command in the meantime. Understand?"
"..."
"And, Lucas, remember. You must not be consumed by darkness."
I tried to speak warmly to this knight, who would undoubtedly remove his limiter if I were not there.
"Even if the enemy is darkness, you must not be consumed by it too."
"..."
"This is also a plea to all of you."
I looked around at all the heroes and nodded.
"Do not be consumed by darkness while I'm gone."
After meeting everyone's trembling gazes and making eye contact once,
I gave Dusk Bringar one last smile.
"Well then, Duchess. Please take care of everyone."
"..."
Dusk Bringar looked like she might cry any moment and shook her head.
"I will try, Ash. But, I am..."
"Duchess."
I gripped her blood-soaked hands tightly with both of mine.
"I trust you."
"..."
Dusk Bringar, her mouth tightly closed, bowed her head deeply.
I shouted loudly to the still undecided heroes.
"It's a commander's order!"
Facing my people, all bloodied from the battle, I smiled gently.
Evangeline, who had suffered severe injuries from blocking Night Bringer's charge and had been replaced by the reserves,
Damien, who had used his Far-Sight until he was bleeding from the eyes and could no longer see,
Junior, who had exhausted even her future magic power, continued to use magic until she finally collapsed from depletion...
All of them had fought with all their might, my proud people.
"Everyone, retreat immediately."
Then, turning back, I started walking alone towards Night Bringer.
"I wish you all good fortune."
"Your Majesty!"
"It can't be, Your Majesty!"
The heroes rushed out in protest, but Lucas, gritting his teeth, stood in front of them and stopped them.
"We retreat!"
With a voice that seemed about to break, Lucas shouted,
"It's a commander's order... Everyone, retreat to Crossroad!"
Opposition continued fiercely, but following Lucas, Dusk Bringar and King Poseidon started to calm the heroes and urged them to retreat.
It was a matter previously discussed with those two. It was nothing but the worst-case scenario I had planned for, assuming that the strategies I had devised from the game might not work here...
'Nameless...'
If Nameless had been here, she might have been the most vehemently opposed.
But just a moment ago, Nameless had been captured by Night Bringer and thrown down from the Grand Bridge—into a thousand-foot chasm.
Being immortal, she should be safe.
Thinking of the other heroes under my command, I shook my head slightly.
It's not the time to worry about my subordinates.
"Was using this 'Commander's Parley' a strategic card to ensure a safe retreat for your subordinates?"
...Really, because I'm the one who's likely to die first.
"Staying behind alone in place of your subordinates, that's a tear-jerking act of sacrifice. Truly an example for any commander."
Standing right in front of him, the Black Dragon truly seemed as massive as Mount Taishan.
His actual size was immense, but his unique aura and majesty made his presence appear even more colossal.
Personified Night-
Honestly, it was suffocating, but I managed to lift the corners of my mouth in an attempt to appear relaxed.
"I don't understand why everyone treats me like a saint. I just place my bets where the odds are high."
I am the strategist of this world.
If I can throw the king instead of facing game over, to continue the grand game... it's worth a shot.
"If before the odds of you succeeding in your first attack was like finding a grain of rice in a forest, then the odds of them succeeding is like finding a needle in a haystack. Even if one is ten thousand times easier, it's meaningless." (TL Note: Had to change this saying to make sense in English, but the idea is the same)
Flash!
Night Bringer's massive form shimmered in black, and the next moment, he had transformed into a human form.
With long flowing black hair, sparkling golden eyes, and dressed in an elegant suit, the man whispered to me.
"In truth, it doesn't matter much. The probability of failure is overwhelmingly high."
"You're not good at math, are you?"
I was no mathematician either, but I said this with a bit of bluster.
"Even if it's slim, there's a difference of ten thousand times."
"Hehehe."
Night Bringer slightly opened his mouth and chuckled.
However, his eyes were not smiling at all. He was a difficult opponent to read.
"Fine, player. This is the last moment of your life."
At his gesture, the darkness that had enveloped the Lake Kingdom surged and then merged into two chairs.
Night Bringer comfortably sat in one of them and gazed at me intently.
"What would you like to discuss?"
"..."
Without declining, I sat in the opposite chair.
"Why do you want to destroy the world?"
I asked the question that I was most curious about right away.
"What has this world done to you that you hate it so much?"
"..."
Night Bringer rested his chin on one arm and stared at me intently.
Then, quite unexpectedly, he asked something completely different.
"Player. Do you know why you are called a player?"
I furrowed my brows. I hated answering a question with another question...
But I decided to play along. I explained the reason from the monster's perspective for calling me a player.
"Because I'm a Player involved in a game betting the fate of the Demon King and this world?"
"Is that all? Anything else?"
"...Also, I've heard it means 'king' in another sense."
I scratched my chin.
"If one commands their own destiny, they are a Player; if they move according to someone else's intentions, they are a Piece... This is how our Emperor uses it."
Chess terminology.
Player and Piece. The one who places fate and the one who follows. There are those who approach it with this concept.
"The 'Player' I call you has a different meaning."
Night Bringer narrowed his golden eyes,
"You are an 'Actor'."
He declared.
"This place is merely a 'Stage'."
"...?"
"The world is merely a collection of vain tales spouted by actors like you on such an insignificant stage."
Stunned, I stuttered in response.
"What are you talking about?"
"You must have heard of the term 'Apocalypse Play'."
I suddenly remembered.
It was a name I learned while interrogating White Night, who was trapped in an illusion.
Those eyes in the sky... Foreign entities watching this world, enjoying the spectacle of its destruction.
"From the ancient past, even before I was born, this world was merely someone's toy."
Night Bringer's voice, usually filled with ennui, began to blend with a vivid zeal.
"Every life unfolding in this world is merely a delicious collection of tragedies presented to those foreign entities."
"..."
"You might believe you are leading your own life, but that is not the case. Player. Everything is just a futile struggle on a predetermined script."
Night Bringer's blazing golden eyes stared straight at me.
"Are you truly the master of your fate?"
"I am..."
"You might think so. But that is a delusion."
The Black Dragon asserted.
"We are merely marionettes dancing on strings. In the end, we are just clowns performing for the amusement of higher beings."
Hearing this from the Black Dragon, I was so taken aback that I asked.
"So full of yourself, aren't you also a member of this world? Then aren't you an actor too?"
"...Right. I too am merely one player, an actor in this tragedy."
Night Bringer briefly closed his eyes, then opened them with a flash.
"That's why I intend to rebel against this tragedy."
"...!"
"If our existence and demise are merely a playground for them... I'd rather destroy the game myself."
The Black Dragon slowly looked up at the sky.
"Born a puppet, so I should live as one? Don't make me laugh."
It was as if I could see something invisible, as I chewed through my boiling hatred.
"I will end this story named 'world' with my own hands."
"..."
"You won't sympathize. You won't understand. The feeling that from your birth to your death, all of life is but a mockery by others..."
Night Bringer looked at me, a gleam appearing in his eyes.
"...Oh. Maybe not. Divinity has begun to dwell in you too."
It seems he noticed the transcendent golden light in my eyes.
"If there had been a bit more time, you could have viewed this tragic world from the same level as me..."
Slowly, Night Bringer rose from his seat.
"Regrettably, your grace period is over. This parley ends here."
"...!"
As Night Bringer declared the end of the parley,
Crack!
An intangible darkness grabbed me by the neck.
Lifted into the air, I was drawn toward Night Bringer.
Shhh-!
Night Bringer held a scepter in both hands and gently pulled out the head of the scepter.
Like a staff sword, a blade hidden within the staff part of the scepter was revealed.
Captured by the intangible darkness and flown to him, Night Bringer lightly snatched my neck with his left hand, and with the scepter sword in his right hand, he thrust—
Thunk...!
It pierced the center of my chest.
"...!"
My vision flashed white.
The cold metal penetrated my body, spreading intense pain. I clenched my teeth and exerted all my strength to endure the pain.
"Now."
Looking me in the eye from close range, Night Bringer spoke soothingly.
"Cry."
"Ugh, ah...!"
"Hurry, cry... Beg for your life. Isn't that your humans' true nature?"
Night Bringer slowly twisted the sword embedded in my chest.
"Failing to see the greater cause, so easily becoming mere playthings for higher beings."
"Ah, agh...!"
"As any great human ultimately begs for their life at the end. That is the destined limit of mortals."
Terrible pain washed over me as blood poured from the front and back of my chest. I coughed up blood through my nose and mouth instead of breathing.
My vision turned pitch black.