CHAPTER 26 ,The Failed King Has Awakened
The dead battlefield trembled beneath the crimson sky.
Cracks spread slowly across the air itself, distorting the entire world like shattered glass. The mountains of broken weapons shook violently. Dust rose from the endless land of corpses as if the battlefield had begun waking from a long sleep.
And in the center of it all—
The Original continued walking forward.
Slow.
Steady.
Unstoppable.
Every step carried terrifying pressure.
Not wild power.
Not chaotic destruction.
Something worse.
Absolute control.
—
Jay couldn't move.
His crimson eyes remained locked onto the approaching figure.
The closer the Original came—
The heavier Jay's body felt.
His instincts screamed at him to run.
To kneel.
To survive.
But another feeling rose inside him too.
Something deeper.
Recognition.
—
"…This is me," Jay whispered.
The words felt unreal leaving his mouth.
Because no matter how much he looked—
The figure walking toward him didn't feel human.
It felt like a disaster wearing human form.
—
Beside him, the crimson fragment lowered its head slightly.
"…You finally understand."
Jay clenched his fists immediately.
"…No."
The fragment looked at him.
Jay's eyes narrowed sharply.
"That thing may have been me once…"
A pause.
"…but it isn't me now."
For the first time—
The fragment's expression changed slightly.
Not anger.
Not mockery.
Curiosity.
—
"…Interesting."
—
The Original stopped walking.
Still far away.
Yet somehow—
It already felt close enough to touch.
Its glowing crimson eyes stared directly at Jay.
No emotion.
No hatred.
No humanity.
Only endless silence.
—
And then—
The Original spoke.
—
"You divided yourself again."
—
The voice echoed across the battlefield like a god's judgment.
The crimson sky shook violently.
The ground cracked deeper beneath Jay's feet.
Even the fragment beside him lowered its gaze further.
—
Jay forced himself to speak.
"…Who are you?"
The Original stared at him silently for several seconds.
Then—
"I am what remained when everything else burned away."
—
FLASH.
—
Suddenly—
Memories exploded inside Jay's mind again.
A throne surrounded by endless darkness.
Entire cities erased in crimson fire.
Countless people running in terror.
And standing above all of it—
The Original.
Watching silently as the world collapsed.
—
Jay staggered backward, breathing heavily.
"…Stop…"
The memories disappeared instantly.
But the fear remained.
Real fear.
Because now—
He understood something terrifying.
The Original hadn't destroyed the world out of anger.
Or madness.
Or revenge.
—
It destroyed without emotion.
Without hesitation.
Like destruction itself was simply natural to it.
—
The shadow inside Jay appeared immediately.
Its expression darker than ever before.
"Do not let your mind synchronize completely."
Jay's breathing became unstable.
"…What happens if I do?"
The shadow looked toward the Original.
"…You will stop seeing humans as lives."
A pause.
"…And start seeing them as obstacles."
—
Silence.
—
The Original slowly lifted one hand.
Instantly—
The entire battlefield trembled harder.
Mountains collapsed in the distance.
The crimson sky darkened further.
—
"You separated weakness from yourself," the Original said calmly.
"Emotion."
"Mercy."
"Hesitation."
Its crimson eyes narrowed slightly.
"And because of that…"
For the first time—
Its voice carried faint disappointment.
"…you became incomplete."
—
The fragment beside Jay stepped forward immediately.
"We should reunite."
Jay turned sharply toward him.
"You still want to merge with that thing?"
The fragment's expression remained calm.
"It is our true self."
Jay's jaw tightened.
"No."
The fragment looked at him silently.
Jay stepped backward slightly.
"I don't care how powerful it is."
His eyes hardened.
"…If becoming complete means becoming that monster…"
A pause.
"…then I'll stay incomplete."
—
The battlefield became silent.
Even the wind stopped moving.
—
Then—
For the first time—
The Original smiled faintly.
—
Not mockingly.
Not cruelly.
—
Almost amused.
—
"…Humanity," it said quietly.
The word sounded foreign coming from its mouth.
Like something ancient trying to remember an emotion it abandoned long ago.
—
Then—
BOOM.
—
The Original vanished.
—
Jay's instincts exploded instantly.
Too late.
—
A hand suddenly grabbed his throat.
—
Jay's eyes widened.
The Original stood directly in front of him now.
No movement.
No warning.
One moment far away—
The next impossibly close.
—
Its crimson eyes stared directly into his.
Cold.
Bottomless.
—
"You fear yourself," the Original said quietly.
Jay struggled against its grip immediately.
But it didn't move at all.
The difference in power was overwhelming.
—
"You fear what you truly are."
The pressure around them intensified violently.
The battlefield cracked apart beneath their feet.
—
Jay gritted his teeth.
"…No…"
The Original tilted its head slightly.
"…Then why reject power?"
Jay's crimson eyes burned brighter.
Because deep down—
Part of him wanted it.
Wanted strength.
Wanted freedom from fear and weakness.
—
And the Original knew it.
—
Inside his mind—
The shadow spoke urgently.
"Do not let it dominate your emotions."
Jay clenched his fists tighter.
The crimson energy around him exploded outward violently.
—
BOOM!
—
Forcing the Original to release him.
Jay jumped backward instantly, breathing heavily.
The Original glanced at its hand briefly.
Almost thoughtful.
—
"…You resist better than expected."
Jay wiped blood from his mouth slowly.
"…I'm not becoming you."
The Original stared at him silently.
Then—
"…You already are."
—
Suddenly—
The entire battlefield froze.
The air stopped moving.
Even sound disappeared completely.
—
Jay's eyes widened slightly.
Because now—
He could feel something else awakening.
Not the fragment.
Not the Original.
Something deeper.
Something hidden even beneath them.
—
The shadow inside his mind reacted immediately.
"…Impossible."
Jay frowned.
"…What is it?"
But before the shadow could answer—
A massive crack suddenly split the crimson sky apart.
—
BOOOOM.
—
Darkness poured through the sky like liquid shadows.
The battlefield shook violently.
Even the Original finally looked upward.
—
And for the first time—
Its expression changed.
—
Not fear.
But seriousness.
—
A deep voice echoed from beyond the cracked sky.
—
"So… the failed king has awakened again."
—
Jay's body froze instantly.
Because the moment that voice appeared—
Every fragment…
Even the Original…
Reacted. 🔥👁️