Chapter 276: And Enough Staying in Bed
Ruvian pushed off the ground and sprinted after Zian, weaving through the burning streets as people rushed past them in blind panic.
For some reason, he could not control his own body. Even his mouth moved against his will, as if it didn’t belong to him at this moment.
’What the hell is going on?’
However, his thoughts still worked perfectly fine.
"What is happening!?" Ruvian shouted.
"I’ll explain later!" Zian called back without looking behind. "Right now, we need to escape from here!"
Ruvian frowned.
BOOM!
The street shook beneath their feet.
Instinctively, he glanced toward the sound.
A three-story building slowly leaned to one side, its cracked walls giving way under the raging flames.
Huge pieces of stone broke loose from the upper floor and crashed toward the crowded street below.
A lot of people screamed.
Then there was an elderly man frozen in place, his walking cane slipping from his trembling hand as the massive boulder rushed toward him.
’Damn it!’
Ruvian’s expression changed.
He tried to move, but couldn’t.
Suddenly, Zian stepped forward and raised his hand toward the sky. Mana burst from his body as a powerful gust of wind gathered around his arm.
[Wind Burst]
The violent gale slammed into the falling boulder from the side.
The massive rock was forced off course before crashing into an empty house nearby, blowing apart.
The old man stared at the ruined house for a long moment before hurriedly crawling backward, his hands shaking uncontrollably.
Zian lowered his hand and immediately started running again.
Ruvian quickly followed behind him, but his eyes stayed fixed on Zian’s back.
It did not take long for Ruvian, or rather, Yuzuki, to form a tentative conclusion about what was happening.
’Could this be the future? Is [The Endseeker] attempting to show me a glimpse of it?’
However, the longer he considered it, the less convincing that possibility became. The voice had clearly referred to this whole thing as a forgotten current, which did not sound like a vision of the future.
If that was the case, then what exactly was he witnessing? If this was not the future, then what did a forgotten current truly represent?
Suddenly, Zian halted and turned toward the people still running in that direction.
"Stop! Don’t go any farther!" he shouted towards the crowd. "Turn around now!"
However, none of them heeded his warning. Some merely glanced at him before continuing forward, while others shoved past without even slowing down.
Slash! Shing! Slash!
Then they all broke up into countless pieces, as if their bodies had been cut in pieces by invisible blades.
The screams were cut off abruptly and blood sprayed across the area, splashing the road and nearby walls red.
Those who saw it stood frozen with horror, and among them screams of terror broke out. They scurried away from the scene at once, jostling each other as they left that route and fled for another.
Amid the mist of blood, a man slowly appeared.
Zian tensed and clicked his tongue. Anger seeped across his face as he clenched his hand tightly.
Yuzuki glanced down at his hands. They were trembling, while his heart pounded faster than ever. He could tell that his body, Ruvian’s body, was experiencing genuine fear.
’Strange... if this really is the future, why would I be frightened like this? No, more than that, why do I feel so weak?’
Yuzuki was already familiar with grotesque sights, the oppressive aura of powerful enemies, and, more importantly, he should still possess an S-Rank Blessing. So, there should have been nothing here capable of unsettling his mind to this extent.
’Obviously, this is not the future...’
Just as he was monitoring the scene through Ruvian’s lenses, Ruvian’s legs suddenly gave out, causing him to collapse onto the floor, utterly motionless.
Yuzuki inwardly frowned.
This was certainly not the right time for that.
Then, Ruvian let out a strained voice.
"Hey, Zian... I... I can’t move my legs."
Zian slightly glanced back. However, that was the gravest mistake he could have made, as the man before him immediately lurched forward the instant he noticed the opening.
Yet with remarkable swiftness, Zian managed to react in time, summoning a resplendent golden sword to intercept the incoming strike.
Lowering his body, he parried the attack before pivoting into a powerful turning kick that hurled the man crashing through the wall of a collapsing building several meters away.
Just as he thought everything was fine, the situation suddenly took a turn for the worse.
All around them — emerging from the burning ashes, standing atop collapsing buildings, and scattered across the shattered streets — were several figures cloaked in tattered robes.
Every one of them was radiating a strange, ominous aura.
Zian’s eyes swept across the figures surrounding them from every direction. His grip around the golden sword slowly tightened before a quiet sigh escaped his lips.
"...Looks like we’ve got no other choice."
Then, in a low, contemplative voice, he addressed someone, though it was clearly not Ruvian.
"Hey, System... you sure Ruvian is the right one?"
Then, Zian went silent. It was as though he was listening to an answer that only he could hear. Yuzuki couldn’t help but wonder what Zian meant by that.
A few moments later, he gave a small nod.
"Alright then."
Without looking back, he spoke to Ruvian, his voice strangely gentle. "Hey, Ruvian. When you die, don’t you dare convince yourself this is just a dream, okay?"
Before Ruvian could ask what he meant, the mysterious legion moved. Thousands of figures rushed forward at them.
Ruvian’s face grew paler.
Then, Zian quietly spoke one last time.
"I’ll leave the rest to you, buddy."
Ruvian’s eyes widened.
’Huh?’
Zian... wasn’t even trying to fight.
The countless swords pierced through his body one after another, tearing through flesh as though he had willingly accepted his fate.
A flood of questions raced through Ruvian’s and Yuzuki’s minds.
Why? What did he mean by the right one? What was he trying to do?
Yet, before either of them could make sense of it all, one thought overwhelmed every other.
’Am I— ’
’Is Ruvian—’
’—going to die here?’
However, before any of them could do anything, a searing pain suddenly erupted throughout Ruvian’s entire body.
Countless swords had pierced straight through him, impaling every part of him. Blood burst from his mouth in violent torrents, staining his clothes crimson.
His lung was agonizing with unbearable pain.
Yuzuki could feel every second of Ruvian’s final moments.
Yuzuki was calm, but Ruvian was terrified.
Raw, instinctive dread consumed every corner of his mind, leaving behind nothing but overwhelming panic.
He doesn’t want to die yet.
What about his family? Are they going to die, as well?
A single tear dropped to the ground before his body did.
Then, a transcendent voice enveloped his soul.
[Your ’Death’ has come.]
[Yet your ’True End’ has not.]
[Return and begin anew, Child of Fate.]
[For the world still has need of you.]
*****
In the next moment, the divine voice faded into silence.
Suddenly, the countless swords that had pierced Ruvian’s body suddenly slid free from his flesh. Streams of blood rose from the ground, flowing back into his wounds as though they had never been spilled.
The tide of black-robed figures retreated in perfect unison. Their relentless charge unraveled into orderly steps until they once again stood motionless amidst the sea of flames.
Zian’s body mended itself as every wound vanished, while the countless blades withdrew from his flesh one after another.
The blazing city slowly rebuilt itself.
And then somehow, the scene accelerated even further.
The sun rose from the west before vanishing into the eastern horizon. Shadows retreated, clouds drifted backward, and the entire sky unfolded in reverse.
Both Ruvian and Yuzuki immediately realized what was happening.
The flow of time itself was moving backward.
Hours became days. Days became weeks. Weeks became months. Everything unraveled so rapidly that neither of them noticed when the world around them was swallowed by darkness.
Finally, when they felt everything had stopped and gone back to normal, they heard the sound of the door knocking, politely drumming against their half-conscious thoughts.
[Your life has regressed to its destined beginning.]
Then, the door creaked open.
It was then that a soft, gentle voice drifted into the room.
"Wake up, sleepyhead..."
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[Chapter 276: And Enough Staying in Bed]