A golden glimmer illuminated the chessboard.
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CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE EARNED THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING REWARDS:
1) DOMINION OVER THIS AREA.
(DERIVED TITLE: KING OF A LAWLESS WORLD)
- If you already hold this title, you will receive 100,000 coins.
2) ONE OF A KIND.
(RECEIVE A SKILL OR EQUIPMENT FROM THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS)
- The reward will be random.
3) NOTHING REALLY MATTERS
(YOUR CHOICE TO FREE HUMANITY FROM THIS DUNGEON WAS NOT DRIVEN BY GLORY OR GOLD BUT BY A SINCERE CONCERN)
- You will receive nothing.
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"What do you intend to choose?" Noah asked, looking seriously at his companion.
"Aren't you choosing first? I'm already used to watching you take whatever you want."
"I'll say this only once. I could never have done it without you... so you've earned the right to choose first."
"Th-Thank you! That means a lot to me!" John replied, embarrassed.
Not that I don't already know what you'll pick! Noah thought, smiling to himself.
"If I can choose first, then I think I'll go for dominion over this territory… it's too important to leave in anyone else's hands..."
Once again, a golden light filled the room.
"Well… I guess it's my turn now," Noah said, a grin crossing his face.
Whenever he makes that face… he's truly terrifying!
_________________________________
The smell of burnt flesh filled the surrounding air. Saying Father Jeffrey had caught fire would be an understatement.
More accurately, he had been incinerated on the spot.
Yawn
A loud yawn echoed in the air like thunder.
I'm tired, Mom...
I know, my little one. You can return to your normal form and rest in my arms.
Yama's eyes closed gently.
Though the battle had barely even taken place, breathing fire like that took a huge toll on a young dragon's energy.
The dragon's body began to shrink, eventually becoming the size of a small dog.
Isabelle let him fall into her arms.
You did wonderfully, Yami.
Whether the dragon heard this thought, we'll never know.
In the stillness, only the little one's soft snoring brought life to the city.
_________________________________
Noah's finger moved on the screen in front of him.
_________________________________
ARE YOU SURE ABOUT YOUR CHOICE?
[Yes/No]
_________________________________
Licking his lips, he pressed the button, and the usual light enveloped him.
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CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE SELECTED
NOTHING REALLY MATTERS!
YOU HAVE DISPLAYED A FEARLESS SPIRIT WORTHY OF A HERO!
THE SYSTEM HAS DECIDED TO REWARD YOU WITH AN HONORARY TITLE!
CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE RECEIVED THE TITLE: A HERO FOR MANKIND!
A HERO FOR MANKIND - A true hero never asks for anything in return for their help. However, you must be rewarded! (+6 to all stats)
_________________________________
Hahahah! HAHAHAHA! Stupid system! You think I don't know your tricks after ten years?! I know that the worst-seeming rewards always turn out to be jackpots! Haha!
And anyway... why would I need the second one when my role doesn't let me equip any weapon other than my scythe?
Slowly, Noah approached the knight's corpse.
Maybe now it'll work...
It wasn't as though he hadn't tried to resurrect previous Sins.
The reality was different: the System had signaled that it wasn't possible. However, now that his Job had received a boost, the question hit Noah like a bolt out of the blue.
"Rise," Noah said, extending his hand to the corpse as if helping someone up after a fall.
And Superbia took it.
________
"Thank you for granting me eternal life, my lord," said the knight, rising from the ground and accepting Noah's hand.
"Make yourself useful from now on," Noah replied, ignoring the creature.
It's a shame I can't go back and get the other knights… but hey, I've already got more than enough.
Noah thought, glancing behind him.
The portal they'd used to reach the last room had long since disappeared.
Tsk... still a waste...
Noah's eyes fixed on John.
"Hey, new king… time to get out of this dump, don't you think?" he said mockingly, pointing slightly ahead.
"Guess so… so, are we not going to talk about how you're parading around with a Deadly Sin?"
John asked, watching as Superbia looked almost like an obedient guard dog.
"No. And you should be glad it's just one," Noah replied nonchalantly, heading toward what seemed to be the last hole in space.
_________________________________
Without wasting another moment, Isabelle rushed to Grace's side.
Her pearl-white skin was now stained with the same blood of that innocent body.
"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry! It wasn't supposed to end this way!" the girl sobbed.
"It wasn't your fault," Kevin said, placing a hand on her shoulder.
It's me who's weak and couldn't protect you all…
But these thoughts never left the young man's mind.
With reverence, he knelt beside Isabelle and finally found the courage to look at the girl.
Without a word, he picked her up, as if she were a princess who'd lost her slipper.
"We have to return… John needs to know what happened tonight."
Only melancholy accompanied them through the streets and rubble.
Turning back to the ruins of the now-destroyed church, Kevin thought of how glad he was not to believe in a God who allowed such things.
_________________________________
Jeffrey's eyes opened, revealing a world unknown to him.
"Welcome..." erupted an unfamiliar voice.
"It's rare that I make room in my schedule to meet a mortal's soul... I think the last time was for that little German man... what was his name, Lilith?"
"I don't remember... sorry, my lord."
"Don't worry... you know I actually don't care. To me, all sinners' souls are the same."
Slowly, the priest raised his gaze.
"W-Who are you?"
"I don't recall asking you to speak."
Suddenly, the pressure on Jeffrey's shoulders grew stronger, pinning him to the ground as if he were a bug on a windshield.
The feeling of being in the grip of something ancient enveloped him, making him wish he'd never been born.
Summoning all his strength, he tried to look forward.
And what he saw was terrifying.
The very aura emitted by that being physically manifested, lifting him off the ground.
"Tell me, human… how does it feel to be in the presence of the Morning Star?" Satan asked, appearing as pure energy.
"Grluakfneuacudjmeotjaytn"
No coherent words left Jeffrey's lips.
Suddenly, the priest's body began to shake and convulse uncontrollably, before dissolving into the air like dust in the wind.
"They break too quickly, these new toys..." the demon remarked, resuming his true form.
_________
The two young men left the university behind, finding themselves in the large outer garden.
"What are you going to do now?" John asked, addressing Noah.
"I need to visit a couple of people… John, here's some advice: stay alert, we're only at the beginning."
"Honestly… how do you know all these things? I've wondered for so long how you're always one step ahead of everyone else. And now I demand an explana—"
_________________________________
WORLD SYNC HAS BEGUN!
PROCESS: 0.1%
_________________________________
Before everyone's eyes, the same message appeared, and the ground began to tremble.
The sky darkened in an instant, and massive black clouds covered it, leaving not even a glimpse.
"What the hell is happening now?!" John exclaimed, looking up.
A single thought struck Noah's mind like a thunderbolt on a sunny day.
So it has begun… the Great Cataclysm!
_________________________________
"K-Kevin… what is that?!" Isabelle asked, pointing up at the sky.
A massive gash marred the heavens, splitting it like scissors slicing through paper.
Slowly, the tear grew wider.
"I-I have no idea..." the boy replied, stunned.
Like an ink blot, the rift expanded, covering the entire sky, sweeping away the clouds and all else.
And then came the lightning.
_________________________________
PROCESS: 20.00%
_________________________________
A rumble woke everyone in Central Park.
One by one, people emerged from their tents to witness what was happening.
Yong Nam-joon rose quickly from his bed. The wolf's fur still brushed his skin.
"Let's go," he ordered the beast.
He quickly gathered his things, throwing on pants and a shirt several sizes too large.
His shaggy hair covered his face like a lion's mane.
With his right hand, Yong Nam-joon opened the door of his cabin, revealing a breathtaking sight.
In the park's center, a massive tree towered over every nearby building.
Huge roots intertwined, forming what could barely be called a trunk.
The tree's canopy was lush with bluish leaves, nearly obscuring the sky.
"Swear that wasn't there when I went to sleep!" he exclaimed, shocked.
Boom
With a crash, the door to the adjacent room burst open, revealing a slender, seductive young woman.
Her black hair fell lightly to her neck in a bob cut. Her fine features highlighted her sharp eyes and red lips.
"Mmm… what's happeni—!"
The words died in her throat.
"I have no idea, Emily… not the slightest."
_________________________________
PROCESS: 85.50%
_________________________________
Mohrolt sat as usual on the rooftop of a house, staring at the horizon where the sea and sky met, like two lovers not wanting to be noticed.
Hmm... I wonder when our master will return...
Only a few hours had passed since his lord had left, but to him, it felt like nearly a week.
Lost in thought, his gaze drifted absently to a random spot on the sea.
"Hmm... strange..."
The pits he called eyes narrowed, straining to see better.
In the middle of the sea, something seemed to move, like a giant serpent gliding just above the water's surface.
_________________________________
PROCESS: 94.46%
_________________________________
A large crowd gathered in front of the enormous tree.
A loud murmur filled the air.
"What is that thing?"
"Mommy, I'm scared!"
"What's going on?! Did you all get the notification too??"
Shoom
"Did you see that?! Something moved in the leaves!"
Shoom
"There it is again! You saw that, right??"
The tree's branches shifted once more.
Through the foliage, something was watching them.
Suddenly, that figure made itself visible, leaping from a branch in a graceful dive, landing softly without a sound.
Its long, slender legs seemed endless. A narrow waist only emphasized the curves more. A voluminous chest was accentuated by a corset that seemed too tight.
Her long silver hair danced freely in the wind, revealing pointed ears. A pair of feline eyes glistened in the center of her face, and a small upturned nose gave her an air of nobility. The perfect symmetry of her face made her, to many, the most beautiful woman they had ever seen.
Many among the men and women present swallowed, feeling their throats go dry.
"Greetings, allow me to introduce myself: I am Belorfidë, queen of the Galakat'Rall lineage."
The elf spoke, brushing a lock of hair from her face.
_________________________________
PROCESS: 100.00%
_________________________________
The world had changed in less than an hour.
All the people seemed bewildered, unsure of what to do, of whom to call an ally and whom to fight, while the Constellations watched from above, indifferent.
However, all those beings focused on a single human, one who had brushed aside the competition, rejecting all their offers.
Sitting in their own realms, they observed with interest a young man—the only one who seemed to be smiling in the midst of complete chaos.
_________________________________
Looking up at the sky, Noah licked his lips, lifting his middle finger toward the heavens.
I know you're watching me... get ready... sooner or later, you'll all meet the same end...
The boy thought, striding toward his domain.
His shadow seemed darker and deeper than ever before.