As soon as Kondo heard those words, he couldn't make sense of them. Scratching his cheek, he said,
"Are you giving me some kind of riddle? I'm really bad at things like that. Just tell me everything clearly so I can understand."
The man looked at Kondo and spoke in a heavy voice.
"Before you came, this body belonged to me."
Kondo blinked in confusion. He couldn't understand what the man was saying.
"This body was yours? I don't get it. Are you saying the body I've grown up in since I was a child—I mean, I'm still a child—but you're saying that body was yours?"
The man nodded.
Kondo immediately placed a hand on his forehead.
"Don't just nod. Tell me. I want to know. Are you telling the truth or joking with me? Start from the beginning."
"So you want to know," the man said. "Then you'll have to hear my past as well."
Kondo nodded.
A faint smile appeared on the man's face.
"Then listen. The world you came from... is the same world I came from."
His gaze drifted into the darkness.
"I was an orphan."
"I never knew who my parents were. There was nobody who cared about me, nobody waiting for me, nobody worrying about whether I lived or died."
He lowered his eyes.
"And this stomach of mine... it was always hungry."
"To satisfy that hunger, I did all kinds of things."
"I stole food. I robbed people. Sometimes I beat people and took their money."
A bitter smile appeared on his face.
"Eventually, that became my life."
"Hunger pushed me from one place to another until I had nowhere left to belong."
He paused.
"Then one day, I was sitting outside a shopping mall, wondering how I was going to eat that night."
"I hadn't earned anything all day."
As he spoke, Kondo quietly listened.
"I remember watching families walk by. Parents feeding their children, carrying them in their arms, smiling together."
For some reason, I couldn't stop looking at them.
Then suddenly—
There was an explosion.
"I turned around and saw the building behind me engulfed in flames."
People were screaming.
The building had already started collapsing.
"I was about to run away."
His expression darkened.
"But then I heard people crying for help."
The man clenched his fist.
"So I stopped."
"I stared at that burning building, and before I knew it, I was running toward it."
"I still don't know why."
Inside, flames were everywhere.
Smoke filled the air.
"I found several people trapped inside and started helping them out."
One after another, i carried people to safely.
Many were injured.
By then, firefighters had arrived and were rescuing people as well.
After helping as many as i could, i headed to the second floor.
"I wanted to make sure nobody was left behind."
Then i heard it.
The sound of a child crying.
"I ran toward the voice."
There, beneath a pile of rubble, was a man trapped under collapsed debris. Half of his body was pinned down, but he was still alive.
Beside him was a little girl.
His daughter.
She was desperately trying to move the rocks herself, but she didn't have the strength.
"I rushed over and started clearing the rubble."
The man smiled faintly.
"When that little girl saw me, she smiled."
"It was as if she had been waiting for someone to save them."
Kondo remained silent.
The man continued.
"I removed the rubble and helped her father stand."
"Then we started heading toward the exit."
The girl has been unconscious from smoke.
The father carried his unconscious daughter in his arms while walking ahead of me.
Then suddenly—
A section of the building collapsed above me.
The rubble came crashing down and buried half my body.
The man stopped.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
"I looked at him."
"I asked him for help."
"'Please. Get me out of here.'"
The man's voice grew quieter.
"He looked at me."
"Then he looked at his daughter."
Fear filled his eyes.
Kondo slowly lowered his gaze.
The man continued.
"He apologized."
"And then he ran away."
The darkness around them felt even heavier.
"I watched him leave."
"A few moments later, the entire building collapsed."
A bitter smile appeared on his face.
"And I died beneath the rubble."
Kondo looked at him with sympathy, but he couldn't find any words to say.
The man continued speaking.
"After I died, my soul ended up in this body."
"At first, I thought I had been given a second life."
"I was happy."
"But that happiness didn't last long."
"When I was still in the womb, a demon did something to my soul."
"My soul became trapped inside this body."
"I was born dead."
Kondo's eyes widened.
"I could see what was happening outside."
"I could hear everything."
"But I couldn't move."
"I couldn't speak."
"I couldn't do anything."
The frustration in his voice was impossible to miss.
"I was trapped inside my own body."
"Then you arrived."
"You entered through the ritual."
For the first time, a genuine smile appeared on his face.
"Through your eyes, I experienced things I never had before."
"A mother's love."
"A father's love."
"A family."
His smile widened slightly.
"So... thank you."
Kondo lowered his head.
A small smile appeared on his face.
"Why are you thanking me?"
He shook his head.
"If anyone should be thankful, it's me."
"I lived in your body."
"It was your right, not mine."
Then he looked up and forced a smile.
"I guess... now both of us have to leave."
The man looked at him.
"Both of us?"
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"My time is up."
"The demon's trap has been removed."
"Now I have to go."
Kondo's eyes widened.
He immediately stood up.
"What are you talking about!?"
His voice echoed through the darkness.
"You've suffered so much!"
"If someone has to leave, then let it be me!"
He clenched his fists.
"You deserve this life, not me!"
"This is your body!"
"What have I even done compared to you!?"
The man suddenly grabbed Kondo's hand.
Kondo froze.
Looking straight into his eyes, the man spoke calmly.
"You became a good son."
"You became a good friend."
"And you became a good person."
Kondo's expression trembled.
The man continued.
"But time always chooses the one who deserves it."
A small smile appeared on his face.
"And that person is you."
Tears began forming in Kondo's eyes.
He tightly grabbed the man's hand.
"I'm not letting you go."
The man's body was already beginning to break apart into tiny particles.
Kondo's breathing became uneven.
"No..."
His voice shook.
"Please..."
"Don't leave me behind."
The man smiled.
"You're the king of this body now."
Then he laughed softly.
"Come to think of it, I never told you my name."
Kondo stared at him.
The man's smile remained unchanged.
"My name was Razer."
The next moment, his body completely dissolved into countless particles of light.
His hand slipped away from Kondo's grasp.
Gone.
Kondo fell to his knees.
For a long moment, he simply stared at the empty space before him.
Then—
His eyes suddenly flew open.
He gasped for air and coughed violently.
"Hah...! Hah...!"
Kondo quickly raised his head and looked around.
The sight before him left him stunned.
The hotel was gone.
Completely destroyed.
Broken stone, shattered walls, and pieces of the building were scattered everywhere as if the entire place had been torn apart.
Kondo turned his gaze across the ruined surroundings and muttered in disbelief,
"What happened here...? Who caused all this destruction?"
Then everyone suddenly came to mind.
"Are they all okay? I have to go check."
Kondo tried to stand. He pressed a hand against the ground and forced himself up, but his body refused to cooperate. His balance gave out, and he stumbled backward before collapsing once again.
Gritting his teeth, he tried to rise a second time. He placed his hand behind him for support, but instead of rough ground, his fingers touched something strangely soft.
Confused, Kondo looked over his shoulder to see what he had touched.
His eyes widened instantly.
His hand was resting on Kim body.
Panic flooded through him.
"K-Kim!"
He quickly pulled her into his arms and shook her gently. Again and again, he called her name, desperately waiting for a response.
But none came.
A faint smile still lingered on her face. Blood stained her skin.
His gaze slowly dropped.
Then he saw the wound in her abdomen.
For a moment, his mind went blank.
The realization struck him like a nightmare.
Kim was dead.
"No..."
His body trembled.
"No... that's impossible..."
Unable to accept it, he shook her again.
"Hey, Kim, wake up! You can regenerate, can't you? Come on... get up!"
Silence.
No response.
Tears began streaming down Kondo's face.
"No... You can't leave me like this..."
The sound of his sobbing echoed through the ruined battlefield.
Then a voice suddenly spoke behind him.
"So you're still alive."
Kondo instinctively turned toward the voice.
The moment he did, a sword pierced straight through his shoulder.
"AAGH!"
A scream tore from his throat as unbearable pain shot through his body.
Breathing heavily, Kondo looked up to see who had attacked him.
His eyes widened.
Alice stood there calmly, gripping the sword.
Kondo stared at her in disbelief.
"Was... was all of this your doing?"
Alice laughed.
"Me? No."
A cruel smile spread across her face.
"There were others with me."
She pulled the sword free and walked toward him.
Before he could react, she grabbed him by the throat with one hand and lifted him into the air.
Then she smiled.
"Would you like to see who was responsible?"
Kondo glared at her with eyes burning with anger and hatred.
Meanwhile, Lawine was kneeling on the ground. A tremendous amount of blood had already flowed from her body, and blood was also running down from her head. Her clothes were torn in many places. She no longer had the strength to fight. Having accepted defeat, she remained on her knees, her gaze fixed on the ground.
Standing before her were the same six demons.
Yirina stepped forward.
"You've become so weak."
She sighed mockingly.
"You didn't even give me the chance to force you into your demon form. You're nothing like you used to be."
She crouched slightly.
"We only came here to bring you back. I never imagined you'd be this weak."
A cruel smile crossed her lips.
"At this point, I'm not even sure you're worthy of returning."
Without warning, Yirina kicked Lawine in the stomach.
The impact knocked her down.
Another kick struck her face, forcing her completely onto the ground.
Lawine didn't even have the strength to fight back anymore.
Yirina stepped on her chest and looked down at her.
"There's no point in you staying alive."
Her smile widened.
"Right in front of you, we killed your husband."
She pressed her foot down harder.
"We killed your friend."
Then she leaned closer.
"And we killed your son."
At that moment, Alice suddenly appeared beside them through teleportation.
"No."
Alice tossed Kondo toward Lawine.
"Her son is still alive."
Kondo crashed onto the ground and slid across the dirt until he landed near Lawine.
His head was facing the opposite direction, preventing him from seeing her immediately.
Yirina narrowed her eyes.
(How is he alive? He was definitely dead.)
Even Dolt looked stunned.
He had no idea how Kondo had survived.
Yirina turned toward him.
"Did you really kill him?"
Dolt nodded silently.
Lawine saw Kondo and weakly stretched a hand toward him.
But before she could reach him—
A sword suddenly pierced straight through her hand.
"AAAH!"
Lawine screamed in agony.
Yirina smirked.
"What? Were you trying to teleport your son away?"
Hearing her cry, Kondo turned in that direction. What he saw made him freeze. Lawine was covered in blood, screaming in agony, while Yirina stood over her with a smile, her foot pressed against Lawine's chest.
A chill ran through Kondo's entire body. He trembled with fear. He had never imagined something like this could happen.
He hurried toward Lawine and, through tears, pleaded with Yirina, "Please... let my mom go."
Kondo understood that he couldn't fight any of them. He decided to bargain with his own life.
"Kill me instead of my mom. Or take me with you. I'll be your slave for the rest of my life. Please, just don't hurt my mom anymore. I'll do whatever you tell me to do."
Kondo folded his hands and lowered his head to the ground.
"You can cut off my head. Do whatever you want to me. But please... spare my mom."
Yirina looked down at him with a smirk. She removed her foot from Lawine and walked toward Kondo.
"Fine. I'll spare your mother. But..."
Using her foot, she lifted Kondo's head and forced him onto the ground. Then she placed her foot on his chest.
"...prepare yourself for your punishment."
Lawine watched everything unfold. Gathering what little strength she had left, she said, "Yirina... let him go."
Yirina merely smiled at her.
Kondo didn't struggle. He knew that if he resisted, they would kill his mother.
Yirina pulled the sword out of Lawine's hand and raised it above Kondo's head with both hands.
Seeing her smile, Kondo closed his eyes.
He didn't want the last thing he saw to be his mother suffering like this.
But after several moments passed, nothing happened.
Slowly, Kondo opened his eyes.
The sword was no longer in Yirina's hands.
Something warm touched his hand.
Turning toward Lawine, his eyes widened in horror.
Yirina had driven the sword into Lawine's stomach, and her blood had reached Kondo's hands.
"Mom!"
Kondo screamed.
He struggled desperately, trying to free himself, but he couldn't move Yirina's foot from his chest. No matter how hard he fought, nothing changed.
The foot remained firmly pressed against him.
"You said... you said you'd let my mom go..."
His voice trembled with pain.
Yirina laughed.
"Oh, I did say that. But I forgot to mention one thing."
Her smile widened.
"I'll let your mother leave this world entirely."
Yirina looked toward Dolt.
Smiling, Dolt stepped forward. Extending his hand, a black magic ring formed above it. Two swords emerged from the ring, which Yirina took.
Kondo stared at her.
"What are you doing?"
"Watch carefully," Yirina replied.
"No! Don't do it!"
Ignoring him, Yirina pointed one sword toward Lawine and thrust it through her body.
Lawine tried to pull the sword out.
Before she could, the second sword struck her head.
Lawine stopped moving.
Blood poured from her body.
Some of it reached Kondo.
Kondo stared blankly, like a statue.
Yirina removed her foot from his chest.
Slowly, Kondo crawled toward Lawine.
No words came from his mouth.
He couldn't comprehend what had just happened.
Tears streamed down his face.
He had lost everything he loved.
Yirina grabbed Kondo by the hair and pulled him upright.
"It's time to go, child, now you don't have anything."
She pulled the sword from Lawine's body and drove it through Kondo's stomach.
Pain exploded through him.
Kondo grabbed the sword, trying to pull it out, but as more blood flowed from his body, his strength faded.
He couldn't remove it.
Yirina pulled the sword out and threw it away.
Holding out her hand, she waited.
Dolt stepped forward and handed her a dagger.
Taking it, Yirina cut Kondo's throat.
Blood spilled from his mouth.
Blood also poured from his neck.
Then Yirina drove the dagger into his throat and dropped him onto the ground.
Falling face-down, Kondo spent his final moments looking toward Lawine.
He thought:
"Maybe she was right. Even if I stayed alive, what would I do? Everyone who loved me is gone. It looks like I'm going to join them."
With that thought, Kondo closed his eyes.
Blood spread around him.
Yirina rolled him onto his back with her foot and examined him closely.
Soon she realized that Kondo was truly dead.
Watching her, Alice said,
"How long are you going to stare at that dead kid? Anyway, my job is done. I'm leaving."
With that, Alice touched the sword at her waist and disappeared.
Yina then said,
"We should leave too, before the Emperor's forces arrive."
Yirina nodded.
She pulled the dagger from Kondo's throat and plucked a few strands of his hair.
Throwing the dagger aside, she handed the hair to Dolt.
Confused, Dolt looked at her.
Yirina said,
"Keep those safe for now. I'll explain everything on the way."
Dolt placed the hair in his hand.
A black magic ring appeared, and the strands disappeared inside it.
Then they began to leave.
Meanwhile, Kondo's body lay motionless on the ground, facing toward Lawine.
Black smoke began to emerge from near his heart.
It traveled through his arms and toward his fingers.
Then—
his fingers twitched slightly.