“What did he just say?”

Alec sprung to his feet. He stared at the monitor with trembling eyes.

“I don’t why you’re telling me about some unknown woman. As your approaching demise drove you crazy?”

Miko looked down on his siblings with no compassion whatsoever.

“Wait, wait, wait. This isn’t what was supposed to happen, Miko.”

“What?”

Kirika approached Alec.

“What do you mean by that?”

Alec ignored her and kept his eyes on the screen. Her eyes narrowed. She grabbed his jaws and forced his head to face her.

“You…Did you know this would happen?”

“…It was in the realm of possibility.”

“Alec.”

“Alright. Miko told me that he might lose control in his fight against Krul. He was losing himself and knew it. He told me that if that happens there’s a chance that he might try and kill everyone. Of course, he said he was going to try his best to prevent any of that from happening, but had to take precautions.”

“Precautions?”

Kirika looked at Sasha who was trying to make her way to the field with Leon.

“….Why is Sasha up already? Isn’t it too much of a coincidence that she showed up now?”

Her eyes slowly widened.

“It’s as you’re thinking.”

Alec tapped his forehead.

“Miko healed Sasha.”

Seeing Alec’s gesture, Momo remembered when Miko met Sasha in the hospital.

“At that time, he kissed her forehead…It was then?”

“According to Miko, he was only able to heal her partially and boost her regenerative abilities. So he knew that she would wake up a day or so later. Meaning, today. He left me in charge of creating the rules after giving me this information. He was telling me that if things go south bring Sasha.”

Alec frowned.

“And yet….”

Miko showed no reaction to Sasha’s voice.

“Hm? Wait…Why hasn’t the gate opened up yet?”

Everyone looked at the gate behind Miko. The gate that was on the verge of opening showed no signs of movement.

“Miko!”

Sasha shouted again.

“……..”

Miko remained motionless as her voice echoed through the volcanic world. A woman’s face flashed in his mind. He shook his head to rid of the thought.

“…The stimulant isn’t enough. It’s working, but there needs to be something stronger.”

Alec took out a tablet and started operating it. The sky scenery changed in the volcanic world. It showed Sasha.

“The voice isn’t enough. He needs to see her!”

Miko lifted his head to see his mother’s face. His eyes widened.

“Miko!”

The moment Sasha called his name, Miko’s mind went blank. Sasha’s face overlapped with hundreds of women in an instant. All the women looked at him with a tender gaze. They all smiled as blood drained down their faces. They spoke in unison.

“I missed you so much, my son.”

“?!”

His body pulsated. The gate behind him began to crumble. He slowly descended from the sky and landed near his siblings.

“…..Is it over?”

No one approached him. They just watched as he stood there in silence. He looked up at the sky. Sasha’s face reflected in his dead eyes.

“The origin of every shadow is light, for shadows cannot exist without it. Therefore, light is the mother of darkness.”

He looked away.

“The brighter the light, the greater the darkness that follows it.”

He walked away with a sharp glare in his eyes.

“But sometimes, the darkness can grow so strong that even light cannot contain it.”

“Miko…”

Sora stood before him. Miko silently looked at him for a bit before touching him on the shoulder. He smiled at him.

“Sorry for all the trouble.”

Before Sora could answer, the smile fell from Miko’s face. He walked away from him. He scanned the area. Most of his generation lay severely wounded around him.

“What? Is the fight over?”

Krul stood before him.

“Just like that?! Don’t fuck with me! No one is dead yet!”

“Krul stop!”

Ace and Sora moved but their legs gave out. They fell to their knees. After that, Tessa and Kristen collapsed as if they lost all their strength.

“………”

Miko silently kept walking.

“Come on, Miko. Let’s settle—”

“Noisy.”

Miko’s body flickered. He appeared behind Krul, walking away. Krul turned his head towards him. The flames around him disappeared. A thick layer of frost slowly covered his body. It didn’t take long before he was encased in ice.

“Before anyone says anything, he’s alive. I’ve decided to spare him on a whim. He’ll make an interesting asset in the future.”

Ishma and Regis appeared by his side.

“Sleep well?”

“I can’t believe I allowed that brat to seal me.”

Ishma wore a disgusted expression.

“That was more on me than on you guys.”

“Miko, are you okay?”

Miko showed a smile.

“Not really, but I’ll manage.”

(Tia, where are you?)

(The Summit Of the Gods. Our link was temporarily cut so I had to return. I’ll be back soon.)

Tia's voice echoed in his head.

“Take your time.”

He stopped in front of an unconscious Rin.

“Alec, how many minutes until we can leave?”

(5 minutes, more or less.)

“I see. That’s enough I guess.”

(Enough?)

Miko didn’t reply to Alec and stretched his hand out to Ishma and Regis. They transformed into swords and appeared in his hands.

“People of the Three Clans, I sincerely apologize for all the trouble I caused during this event. I made some outbursts and did some questionable things. So I would like to say….”

He looked up at the sky.

“I meant everything I said or done.”

“?!”

The audience broke out in an uproar. Miko ignored them and continued.

“I’m honestly fed up with a lot of people in this empire. Their incompetence angers me, their weakness irritates me, their lack of pride disgusts me. They make me wanna vomit.”

He looked at his mother’s image in the sky.

“I nearly lost one of the persons I value above everything else by the hands of traitors you people created.”

He looked at his siblings and friends.

“I nearly snuffed out the lives of people I love. For that, I’m disgusted with my own weakness, my own lack of resolve, my own naivety.”

He looked at the members of his generation laying before him.

“I nearly destroy the very plans I set up by letting my desires take over.”

Rihan’s words played in his head.

(Humanity or Ambition?)

He sighed and mumbled.

“Such an inexperienced Satan, indeed.”

He shook his head.

“But there’s a difference between me and you people.”

He lifted Ishma in front of him.

“I acknowledge and fix my mistakes. Do you know why?”

He flipped the sword…and then thrust it through his stomach.

“Because I will continue to evolve until the hands of time decides to break my neck.”

“?!”

Eyes widened, gasps resounded. No one could believe what they just saw.

“Miko!”

“Brother!”

His family desperately called out his name. Ishma was trembling in his hands.

“Sorry for forcing you to do this.”

Miko mumbled as blood seeped out of his mouth. He used Ishma to slice open his stomach. Her trembling intensified with every inch of flesh she cut. His blood poured onto the ground.

“Ahhhh!”

Tessa screamed while turning her head away. Momo’s face paled and her lips trembled.

“You see, I have a vast knowledge of healing arts, including techniques that can heal fatal wounds. However, these techniques have restrictions and require the user to make sacrifices in other to use them.”

Regis started trembling in his hands as he lifted her up.

“The one I used on my mother was a simple one that only required mana in exchange, however, those who lay before me need something much much stronger to survive and grow stronger.”

He placed Regis at his neck.

“No!”

Miko ignored screams around him and smiled.

“They need life.”

He slit his throat. Blood sprayed from his neck and flew into the air.

“Miko!”

Under his mother’s scream, Miko’s body hit the floor. His blood flowed out of his body and formed a pool with him in the center.

“………”

Silence covered the arena as everyone looked on in shock. Only Sasha’s sobs could be heard. Leon held her in his arms while he watched the monitor.

(Miko dying like this? Never! My son is greater than that!)

As if to reply to his thoughts, Miko’s blood started glowing. The blood stretched out to cover everyone around him. It then moved to form a giant magic circle with him in the center. He slowly sat up.

“That took more out of me than I expected.”

He got his feet. The wounds on him were closing before everyone’s eyes.

“I apologize for scaring everyone, but as I said, to use these techniques sacrifices are necessary.”

He formed a strange handsign in front of his chest. The magic circle lit up.

“I didn’t use this technique to heal my mother and grandmother because I knew they would be upset if I sacrifice something to save them.”

The bodies of everyone laying in the circle lit up.

“However, I no longer care for that. I’ll do whatever I want regardless of the consequences.”

Tessa, Ace, Sora, and Kristen could feel their bodies healing. The wounds they had disappeared one after the other. Pain was soon replaced with warmth and energy. They looked around. The same happened to everyone else. Even severed limbs were good as new. After a few minutes, the magic circle lost its luster and disappeared.

“What did you do?!”

Ishma and Regis took their human forms and grabbed Miko.

“I fixed my mistakes.”

“Not that! I felt your life force lessen just now!”

Ishma glared at him. Regis tightened her grip around his arm.

“Miko, you just shortened your lifespan didn’t you?”

Miko nodded.

“By how much?”

“At least a hundred years.”

Miko’s casual response sent chills up everyone’s spines.

“I see. So that’s why he asked how much longer until people can leave or enter the field.”

Alec frowned.

“He didn’t want anyone to stop him.”

Regis and Ishma’s hands trembled as they held him.

“You’re not even 20 and you sacrificed over 5 times that amount!”

“Are you insane?! Do you not care about your life?!”

“I don’t.”

“Huh?”

With a straight face, Miko—

“I’ve died so many times that I’ve lost count. I’ve lost everything dear to me over and over again. I’ve cursed the heavens until I’ve lost my voice. I’ve experienced every pain and humiliation possible.”

His eyes were void of any light, warmth, or hope.

“Do I care about my life? How could I? For me, life is nothing but endless pain. Death is far more attractive.”

Life returned to his eyes as they landed on Ishma and Regis.

“However, I can’t die yet. I may not care about my own but I cherish you guys’.”

He looked at his family on the field and up at his parents in the sky.

“I can’t afford to die yet. Not until I’ve ensured that you all will experience eternal happiness.”

He showed a bright smile.

“And who knows, seeing you guys happy might make me want to live again.”

The arena became silent. Miko’s smile had enchanted all those who witnessed it. It was a smile so pure and innocent that it reminded them that he was just a mere child. And yet, some couldn’t help but feel sadness towards that smile.

“You know, in another world, Miko would’ve been nothing but a normal kid with normal teenage worries.”

Alesia Dragna, the member of the Golden Generation who didn’t speak for the entire competition, spoke for the first time. Everyone turned towards her.

“Not only him, but it’s also the same for everyone out there. Had they been born in a different world, they wouldn’t have to endure the things they did. They wouldn’t have to carry so much responsibility. They wouldn’t have to risk their lives over meaningless wars.”

She wore a pained expression.

“When I think about that, I can’t help but condemn this cursed world.”

“………”

Everyone silently looked away in deep thought.

(The time limit has been reached! The competition has come to an end!)

As they did, an announcement resounded, signaling the end of the hellish battle.

Alesia’s eyes fell on Miko as his people surrounded him. She mumbled so that only she could hear.

“You also believe that this world is wrong and that this era of war needs to be destroyed. Don’t you, Miko?”