I always knew this night would become the last night of my life.
That thought had followed Akidna for years like a silent curse. Ever since she awakened in this world with memories that did not belong to the real Akidna, ever since she realized she had reincarnated inside the cruel game she once played, death had always stood at the end of her path. No matter how much she prepared, no matter how carefully she moved every piece across the board, the conclusion never changed. Princess Akidna was destined to die. Her death would become the spark that pushed Ash toward becoming the future leader of the Night Watchers. It was necessary. Important. Absolute. And because of that, she had long since accepted it. Or at least… she believed she had.
Yet tonight, everything was different.
The battlefield burned beneath the crimson glow of the collapsing evening sky while screams echoed across the western district of the capital. Smoke swallowed the streets. Blood painted the stones. Chaos spread like a living plague. But in the middle of all that destruction, one existence stood out more than anything else.
Zeo.
The strange young man who had appeared out of nowhere as if he did not belong to this world at all.
"I know you will break that shell first."
Those words still echoed inside Akidna's mind. She did not understand him. No matter how much she tried, she could not read him. His actions, his eyes, even the sadness hidden beneath his smile… none of it made sense to her. It was as though he looked at the entire world differently from everyone else, like someone standing outside a story while staring at the characters trapped within it. Yet despite how strange he was, one thing was undeniable.
He was terrifyingly strong.
Strong enough to stop monsters effortlessly.
Strong enough to completely ignore the battlefield around him.
And yet…
Only moments later, he had been stabbed.
Akidna had not even seen the attack clearly. One moment Zeo stood calmly before her, and the next blood splashed violently across the ground. Even Zeo himself looked confused for an instant, as if his own body had failed to understand what happened. Then the cloaked man suddenly leapt backward with unnatural speed while blood dripped slowly from Zeo's wound.
Everything happened too fast after that.
Razya rushed toward Zeo the moment she saw him injured, magical energy already gathering around her tiny trembling hands in an attempt to heal him. But the instant she appeared, something metallic pierced through the battlefield like a living spear. It moved so quickly that even Akidna barely managed to notice it. Razya's eyes widened. A barrier formed instinctively before her, layers of glowing magic appearing one after another — but the attack shattered through them effortlessly.
At the last second, Zeo grabbed Razya and pulled her into his arms protectively.
Too late.
The metallic blade pierced through Razya's chest first… then continued through Zeo's body behind her.
A horrifying spray of blood exploded into the air.
For a brief moment, silence swallowed Akidna entirely.
The image burned itself into her memory.
The little girl trembling in Zeo's arms.
The blood running down the metallic weapon.
The way Zeo still tried to shield her despite his own injuries.
Then the cloaked man casually flung them aside as if throwing away broken toys. Their bodies crashed violently across the ruined street before rolling apart from each other. Blood spread beneath them rapidly while neither moved again.
Akidna froze completely.
Her breathing stopped.
Everything that had just happened existed far beyond her understanding. Their movements were monstrous, unnatural, completely outside the limits of ordinary humans. She could not even properly follow the exchange. But despite that, one thing became painfully clear.
The one standing before her now…
Was a nightmare.
Slowly, Akidna raised her eyes toward the cloaked figure.
Beneath the darkness of the hood, two crimson eyes glowed like blood-red moons. A twisted smile stretched across his face as if he found the entire scene amusing.
"It was too easy," he muttered almost disappointedly. "I thought a student of Shin would be harder to kill… but you're still an amateur."
Then his gaze shifted toward her.
Instantly, an icy chill crawled down Akidna's spine.
Those eyes…
They were wrong.
Cold beyond reason. Empty beyond emotion. Dark like endless night yet glowing crimson with overwhelming malice. They were not the eyes of a human being. They were the eyes of something that viewed life itself as insignificant.
Death slowly began walking toward her.
Each step felt unbearably heavy.
Akidna reacted instinctively. She raised her massive bow immediately and poured every ounce of mana she possessed into it. Brilliant light exploded around the weapon as her strongest arrow formed. Without hesitation, she released it.
BOOM.
The explosion shook the battlefield violently. Fire swallowed the street while smoke and dust spread everywhere. Akidna narrowed her eyes sharply, searching for his silhouette through the flames while anxiety clawed at her chest. Her gaze briefly shifted toward Zeo and Razya lying motionless in the distance, their blood continuing to stain the ground.
Then suddenly…
A figure slowly emerged from the smoke.
Untouched.
Death casually brushed dust from his cloak before looking at her with mild annoyance.
"That made my clothes dirty."
Akidna's heart sank.
At that moment, she understood completely.
She could not win.
No matter what she did, no matter how hard she fought, the gap between them was absolute. This monster standing before her existed on an entirely different level.
But strangely…
She was not afraid.
Because she had already accepted her death long ago.
Slowly, she drew another arrow. Unlike the previous one, this arrow glowed with gentle emerald light. A healing arrow. Anyone struck by it would recover instead of being harmed.
Her fingers tightened around it.
If she could at least save Zeo before dying… perhaps that would be enough.
Quietly, she aimed toward Death while hiding her true intention. The death continued walking toward her, completely unaware that the arrow was never meant for him.
Then, the moment he entered range—
She released it.
The glowing arrow shot past Death at incredible speed, racing directly toward Zeo's fallen body.
But suddenly—
CLANG.
A metallic tentacle erupted from the ground and intercepted the arrow instantly.
The healing magic shattered into countless fragments of fading green light.
Akidna's eyes widened in horror.
"N… no…"
A grin spread across Death's face.
"Sorry to interrupt your little plan," he said mockingly. "But I need him to die."
The moment his words fell, countless metallic tendrils exploded toward Akidna from every direction. The air screamed beneath their speed. She saw death approaching clearly this time.
And slowly…
She closed her eyes.
So this is how I die…
A strange calmness filled her heart.
I imagined this moment many times before. Though… it's different from what I expected.
Her grip weakened slightly.
But death is still death, no matter what shape it takes.
Far away, Zeo forced himself upward despite the blood pouring endlessly from his wounds. His body trembled violently while his eyes locked onto Akidna standing there helplessly before inevitable death. And for the first time since arriving in this world, genuine rage exploded inside him.
Frustration.
Agony.
Regret.
He had failed.
Even after everything, he still could not save her. He still could not free her from the cage of fate written around her existence. She was still moving exactly toward the ending prepared for her character.
Zeo desperately pushed his broken body forward.
One step.
Another.
But he was too late.
Far too late.
Yet then—
Something impossible happened.
CLANG.
Akidna suddenly blocked the incoming attack with her bow.
Her eyes snapped open in shock.
Even Death paused for a moment.
Akidna herself looked confused as she stared at her trembling arms.
Did… I stop it?
The metallic tendrils pressed heavily against her weapon, yet she continued resisting them instinctively.
Not because fate demanded it.
Not because the story required it.
But because she wanted to live.
And in that single moment…
Something inside her shattered.
Zeo's eyes widened immediately.
Because he understood exactly what had happened.
A character who had already accepted death… had just refused to die.
That choice did not belong to the original Akidna anymore.
That choice belonged entirely to her.
To Sasha.
To a real human being.
"A character… broke through…"
Akidna's thoughts became chaotic.
Why did I stop it? Didn't I already accept death? Then why…?
Her breathing trembled.
Maybe… maybe it's because I still need to meet Ash first… yes… that must be the reason… right?
But deep inside herself, another answer already existed.
She simply wanted to survive.
And that truth irritated Death immensely.
The pressure around him darkened instantly while killing intent flooded the battlefield like a suffocating storm. Akidna froze beneath that terrifying stare. Meanwhile, Zeo suddenly noticed movement beside him.
Razya.
Dragging herself slowly through her own blood.
Yet despite her terrible injuries, a strange determination burned inside her eyes. The moment Zeo saw that look, he immediately understood what she intended.
"Are you sure?" Razya whispered weakly between painful breaths. "If you do this… you may lose the existence you've protected all this time."
Zeo hesitated.
Fear crossed his face.
Not fear of death.
But fear of disappearing.
Fear of losing himself completely.
Then slowly, he smiled faintly.
"My princess just did the impossible," he whispered softly. "So I can't remain trapped inside my own shell anymore either."
He extended his trembling hand toward Razya.
Slowly…
She reached out too.
Then light exploded across the battlefield.
Both Akidna and Death turned instantly toward them as countless ancient symbols began forming around Zeo and Razya's floating bodies. The air itself trembled violently while magical circles expanded beneath them.
Death's expression changed immediately.
"The Fairy Contract…?"
The spell connected their souls together, It was an ancient ritual. A forbidden contract capable of creating something far beyond ordinary power.
Realizing the danger, Death attacked instantly.
Dozens of metallic tendrils shot toward them before the ritual could complete.
But at that exact moment—
BOOM.
Akidna released another arrow and destroyed the attack midair.
Her silver eyes sharpened.
Something fundamental inside her had already changed. The moment she rejected her predetermined death, she stopped being merely a character bound to the world's system. She had stepped beyond it.
Then finally—
Zeo and Razya's fingertips touched.
The ritual completed.
The world trembled.
A deep voice echoed across reality itself.
"NEW CREATOR HAS BEEN BORN."
"THE NINTH CREATOR."
"CREATOR OF LIFE."
Mana exploded through the sky like a divine storm while Zeo and Razya opened their glowing eyes together.
And far away from that battlefield, outside the barrier, another struggle had already begun.
Ash suddenly felt overwhelming killing intent behind him. He turned instantly — but saw nothing. Fear flickered briefly across his face.
Then a whisper echoed beside his ear.
"You should never look back."
SHHK.
Ash froze.
Not because he had been injured.
But because the prisoner had sliced open his own arm willingly.
Blood flowed down his skin while the man admired it with almost religious fascination.
"Beautiful…" the prisoner muttered with trembling excitement. "Look at this beautiful color…"
Then his crazed eyes slowly lifted toward Ash.
"I wonder what your blood looks like."
A twisted grin spread across his face.
"Show me."
The psychopath lunged forward instantly. Ash barely dodged aside before the prisoner grabbed his leg violently and slammed him backward. Ash kicked him away desperately, but the difference in strength was overwhelming.
The prisoner grabbed him again and hurled him directly through a nearby house.
CRASH.
Walls shattered instantly.
Ash's body smashed through wood and stone before collapsing beneath debris. Blood covered half his face while his vision blurred heavily. Yet even then, he forced one eye open and looked toward the approaching prisoner.
"I like your red blood," the man whispered happily. "I want to see more."
Something dark stirred inside Ash.
A buried memory.
A painful past.
Slowly, he tightened his fingers around his dagger while a terrifying darkness entered his eyes.
"I need to change… if I want to save her."
There was nowhere left to run anymore.
No escape.
Only violence remained.
Even the prisoner froze briefly after seeing Ash's expression.
Because for a single moment…
He saw another monster staring back at him.
A wide smile stretched across the prisoner's face.
"Yes… let your true self awaken. Then your world will truly bloom."
But Ash ignored him entirely and charged forward.
First strike.
Dodged.
Second strike.
Avoided again.
Third strike—
The prisoner stepped inside Ash's attack and slammed the blunt side of his sword directly into Ash's chest.
CRACK.
Ash coughed blood violently. His vision spun while his body nearly collapsed unconscious. Yet even then, he tightened his grip around the dagger once more.
"I won't give up…"
The prisoner laughed loudly.
"Giving up is the best choice."
His blade slowly moved toward Ash's neck.
"Stop resisting your true desires."
Then—
Just as the sword was about to fall—
A new voice echoed through the ruined house.
"You've got strong will… but you'll need more than that to beat trash like this."
Both Ash and the prisoner turned immediately.
A young man stood casually at the broken entrance while holding twin daggers over his shoulders.
Cilard.