— — — — — —
"Ryo is the only hope?" Annie froze at the Watcher's words, then frowned.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
The Watcher guarded the Memories of the Void.
And here, in this place, stood a Gate of Time—a passage capable of rewriting history itself. Through that gate, one could travel to any era in recorded time.
And as the one charged with correcting history, the Watcher was also granted authority to observe it. Which meant his words likely reflected the real future.
The old man explained slowly: "You've been staying in the lower world, so you probably haven't heard. Among the Fairy Kings, certain rumors are already spreading."
"Some of them have started preparing to escape into parallel worlds… to avoid the coming disaster."
The Fairy Kings.
The collective name for beings who had abandoned the real world to dwell in the Netherworld—gods who refused to obey, human sages who had transcended life and death, powerful races out of myth.
They each ruled a layer of the Netherworld, hermits yet also caretakers of history, maintaining the balance of the world. There were even stories from the past where godslayers tried to destroy Earth, only to be stopped by the Fairy Kings.
So, though they were recluses, thanks to the Netherworld's nature they were also the most well-informed.
By that standard, Annie herself—who controlled a domain of the Netherworld—counted as one of them.
From what she knew, members included Satan, the Devil King; Boreas, the Greek god of the north wind; Alberich, the dwarf king… and many others.
And they were just a small fraction of the whole.
Which was why Annie understood exactly how terrifying the Fairy Kings could be.
Yet those same beings were now planning to flee into parallel worlds to avoid disaster?
That was like fleeing a war before the first battle even began. Pathetic.
"What could possibly scare them that much?" Annie asked sharply.
The Watcher gave a bitter smile. "The thing—that which you humans call myth—is dying."
"…What did you just say?"
The words hit Annie like a blow. "If the myths die, doesn't that mean the planet itself—"
Myth was the system ancients had woven around the planet.
Over countless ages, it had become inseparable from the planet itself.
If myth perished, in a sense, so did the planet's power. Which meant, for humanity, Earth itself was on a countdown to destruction.
No wonder the Watcher had spoken so grimly of the world's end.
But then the old man shook his head. "The planet itself isn't reaching its end. Quite the opposite—it seems to be undergoing a kind of transformation. Evolution."
"Then why would myth die?" Annie was utterly confused now.
If the planet was fine—even evolving—how could the myths vanish?
This wasn't the ancient era when myths hadn't yet fused with the planet. How could the two be separated?
"The cause isn't clear," the Watcher admitted.
"But among the Fairy Kings, there's a theory. That the planet's will is rejecting myth, reclaiming every Authority, and erasing all divinity."
Annie grimaced like her teeth hurt.
So that's why the Fairy Kings wanted to leave before the fight even began. They were all, in some sense, born of the planet—extensions of its will. To oppose it was nearly impossible. Like a single finger rebelling against the entire human body.
There was no flattering way to describe that. In her own words: delusional, reckless, doomed.
And compared to that, escaping to parallel worlds—even if difficult—at least offered a chance.
"Then why," Annie pressed, "would Ryo be your so-called hope?"
The Watcher shook his head, as if unsure himself. After a pause, he said quietly: "You may find this hard to believe, but in my foresight… the King of the End is about to awaken."
Annie's mouth twitched. "The strongest steel hero who carries the fate of killing every godslayer?"
The Watcher nodded gravely.
"According to every record of the King of the End's awakening, once he rises he drains the planet's life force, triggering quakes, tsunamis, ecological collapse. The only things that can stop him are either the planet turning into a wasteland, or every godslayer being purged."
Annie's face twisted.
Seriously? King of the End? The Final Boss is coming now?
And this was supposed to be the savior? Godslayers might be violent, but at least they didn't annihilate the environment while fighting.
Annie didn't know what to do.
The planet itself was turning its blade on the myth and gods.
The King of the End would kill both Godslayer and maybe destroy the ecosystem in one sweep. Extinction on every side.
"So what, humans and the planet are both screwed?" Annie muttered.
"No, no, no. The planet will be fine regardless." the Watcher corrected with a wag of his finger.
"The death of myth only means the gods vanish. And when the King of the End scours the earth, the planet will become barren, not dead. After a few hundred million years, life will re-emerge, intelligence will evolve again. Humanity and the gods will simply be erased from history, sealed forever in the Memories of the Void."
Annie's expression soured. "Then what does Ryo have to do with hope?"
The Watcher's lips curved into a faint smile. "I foresaw a future where he defeated the King of the End and saved the world."
"…."
Annie was silent for a long moment, then gave a wry laugh. "So that's it. The planet survives, the King of the End falls, humanity survives, the gods vanish. Fits your position nicely."
As the guardian of history's corrective force, and as one of the fae, he had no personal stake in the fate of the gods. Their disappearance might affect him, but in this singularity, that influence was minimal.
As long as humanity survived and kept recording history, the Netherworld would persist.
So what if the gods were gone? There were plenty of worlds without them. He'd seen them before.
His role was simply to choose.
A world without gods, or a world shaped by the King of the End where both gods and humans were erased and only the planet remained.
And it seemed he had chosen: a godless world, Ryo as the one to topple the King of the End.
Annie muttered under her breath.
"I don't buy that a godslayer would ever settle for a world without gods."
The Watcher smiled. "Perhaps Ryo Yagami will agree."
Annie Charlton was someone who still cared for her people. That was why the Watcher had spoken to her so openly.
He knew Annie would make the best choice available.
She let out a bitter laugh. "But I'm not confident I can make Ryo fight the King of the End."
"No need."
The Watcher shook his head.
"All we have to do is put the information in front of him. Let him choose. That's enough."
.
.
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