Sinner System

Chapter 580: The Feeling’s Very Much Mutual

"Well, to be frank, I don’t care what tragic backstory you went through. So many people died because of you, a number of whom were my friends. I suppose there’s no point in complaining now, what’s done is done. There’s no undoing the past," I responded with a grimace.

"Yes, if that were possible, we wouldn’t be here in the first place," He sighed wistfully.

Tch, it’s pissing me off how calm he is.

"Surprised you aren’t throwing a tantrum or anything. I mean, really, to fall short of your goal right at the finish line after centuries of planning, that’s gotta suck," I taunted him spitefully.

"I suppose so. Although, it isn’t as though I spent all those centuries planning my every move, I was not nearly so thorough. Still, I myself am surprised by how easily I’ve accepted my defeat. But then, I don’t really have much of a choice, do it? As you said, there’s no undoing the past."

"Wait, didn’t you literally turn back time during the battle?"

"Hm? Oh, you mean my Rewind Skill. Yes, it lets me turn back time by five seconds, but I can only use it once a day," He informed me, before flopping onto his back, staring up at the endless void around us.

His legs have almost completely faded, it won’t be much longer now.

"Huh. I was pretty concerned about your Rewind and Pause Skills after I first used Appraisal on you, when we met in the Monster world. Glad it turned out that they have strict limits," I mused in response.

"Yes, I would not have lost if I had the ability to freeze and turn back time without limits. But such power is beyond even me. Despite that, victory was still very much within my reach.

Perhaps I should have attacked more aggressively and relentlessly. Perhaps I could have made better use of my abilities, things may have ended differently had I taken all of you more seriously right from the start.

Well, I suppose these are nothing more than half-hearted excuses. In the end, the determination and resolve you humans possessed turned out to be greater than mine.

You refused to falter in the face of what should have been an impossible task. And you ultimately succeeded, you killed me. I wonder, what comes next? Will I be reincarnated again? Or is this truly the end for me?" He mused listlessly, letting out a quiet sigh.

"Hell if I know. But if you do reincarnate, do it in a world where you’d never be able to reach this one again. Having to kill you again would be a serious pain," I responded dryly.

"Well, I certainly have no desire to battle you again. I tried and failed, and now, I’ve accepted my defeat. It really is strange...the desire for revenge burned unwaveringly for so, so long, it was all I could ever think about, and no matter how many humans died, I never felt satisfied.

Even if I had won this battle and taken over this world, driving humanity to extinction...I wonder, would that really have been enough to satisfy me? I convinced myself it would, I had to...I could not accept that everything I had done upto this point was meaningless.

But now that it’s over, I have no further reason to lie to myself. And in doing so, all I have left is an endless list of regrets. But more than anything, what I feel most strongly now is...relief. Yes, I feel as though, now, I can finally rest."

"Is that so? Would’ve been nice if you’d had such an epiphany at least a few decades ago."

"Yes, maybe so. So, what will you do now, Kaivel Intrix? The war is over, you have won. So, what comes next?" He inquired curiously.

"It isn’t quite over yet. There’s still the millions of Monsters you let loose in the world, currently invading the Sanctuaries," I reminded him icily.

"I wouldn’t worry about that. Every single Monster I deployed to this world in this final wave of Dungeons, they’re tethered to this world by the Final Dungeon.

And the instant I died, every single one of those tethers was abruptly severed. As a result of which, the Monsters will be warped back to the other world. It is well and truly over."

"Well, that’s awfully convenient. You know, it’s pretty insane that you got so many millions of Monsters to follow you. Regardless of ruling them through fear, I’d have thought at least a few of them would resist your rule."

"My Thought Communication Skill has a brainwashing effect. Had every Archdemon and Dragon united against me, I likely would have been defeated.

Even if they couldn’t kill me, there were plenty of Archdemons with powerful Demonic Arts, sealing abilities and such, that I could not have countered.

But instead, they feared me, never even dreaming of opposing me. Ah, I think I understand now...I was lonely. I never truly had a peer, a friend. All the power in the world, a vast army at my disposal...and yet, I was ultimately alone.

I lived alone, and now, I’ll die alone. What a truly wretched existence I led. That explains this sense of relief I feel. How laughable...the Demon Lord who nearly destroyed your world is nothing more than a pitiful fool," He laughed in amusement.

Most of his body had faded now, only his head still remained, floating next to me in this endless void.

"Hm. You asked what I plan to do next, right? Well, once things settle, I’ll probably spend a good amount of time doing next to nothing.

This war was exhausting, to put it lightly. And then, I’ll just keep living out my life, doing as I please. Eventually, this whole war will be nothing but a distant memory.

Even so, I can say this much for certain...everything I’ve been through, everything you’ve done, and you yourself, I’ll never forget any of it, no matter how much I want to. And I doubt anyone else will either," I informed him, before stretching my arms out as I felt myself starting to get pulled out of this void.

"I see. Then, for better or worse, the memory of my existence will live on," He muttered quietly, before adding as his head began to fade away, a wistful smile spreading out across his lips, "It appears my time is up. This is where my story ends. Farewell, Kaivel Intrix...for both our sakes, let’s hope our paths never cross again."

"Yeah...farewell, Vaszel Vos Kealfaos. The feeling’s very much mutual," I smirked in response.

"Hah, it feels strange to hear you say my full name, it’s a bit unsettling. Just call me Vaz."