Advent of the Three Calamities

Chapter 779: The last angle [2]

Three years ago, within a certain room.

‘I should be gone for at least a year. I don’t know how long, but I hope it won’t be too long.’

I sat in silence within a certain room, a knife in my hand. I pressed the knife onto my skin and slowly began to slice as a sharp pain invaded my mind. I ignored the pain and took out a small vial, collecting all of the blood that was leaking out.

‘This should be just enough. I’ll give this to Leon later.’

This blood was going to be very important for me later in the future.

But this wasn’t over. Tapping onto my ring, a certain item appeared before my very eyes. It was a metallic block that I hadn’t seen in a very long time.

“I can’t believe I’m seeing this thing again.”

It was my old phone.

The one that I had previously found within the mirror.

I still had it with me.

Back then, I had assumed that the only reason I had been given the phone was because of the video contained within it. However, it became very obvious to me that it wasn’t the case. The real reason was something else.

It was—

“For this very moment.”

I muttered under my breath, holding onto the old block before turning my attention towards my arm, where a four-leaf clover appeared.

‘Right, as expected… I had foreseen something like this happening from the start. No, it’s more accurate to say that everything was going according to what I had previously seen. Perhaps there were a few deviations from the vision, but everything is still flowing accordingly.’

I also came to realize something else.

The Third Leaf…

It didn’t quite make me travel to the past. At least, not my body. What it did was send my soul to the past. However, whatever damage my soul would sustain would be reflected on my body.

The Third Leaf was also the key to everything.

That… and the Fourth Leaf.

“…..”

Sitting in silence while staring at the phone, I clenched it tightly before eventually turning my attention towards the tattoo and pressing into the Third Leaf.

The surroundings grew silent right after that as nothing happened.

I sat in silence, waiting for something to happen, but even as the seconds ticked, nothing of the sort occurred.

‘How cruel…’

A bitter smile formed on my lips. This wasn’t surprising. The Third Leaf always had its own timing, and I knew that it was waiting for that timing.

In the end, the only thing I could do was take a deep and steady breath.

“H-hoo.”

Forcing myself to calm down, my gaze lingered on my arm, the faint sting still present before shifting my attention towards the knife next to me. The blood still stained its sharp end as the cut on my arm slowly began to heal.

I leaned back on the chair, feeling the lingering pain at the back of my head.

I wasn’t doing this because I wanted to.

This step was something that I had to do. It was necessary.

“…It should be recovered enough.”

Swiping my hand and putting everything away, I stood up, staggering a couple of steps before collecting myself. While I hadn’t taken a lot of blood, the blood I had collected was of great importance, causing me to be in this state. Turning towards the nearest mirror, I looked at my own reflection and paused.

‘I look like shit.’

With my hair plastered to my forehead and my complexion unusually pale, I looked dreadful. It looked like I had just recovered from a high fever.

I smelled myself.

‘Thankfully, I don’t smell.’

It was important that I didn’t smell on this occasion. I wasn’t wor—

*

“Are you ready…?”

Toren’s soft words whispered in the air, bringing chills down my entire body as I froze on the spot. My lips trembled, and for a moment, I wanted to shake my head. However, I knew that this wasn’t something that I could avoid.

I was simply too weak.

I couldn’t escape him even if I wanted to.

But at the same time, I had foreseen this before. I knew it was coming, and I had prepared for it. This was why, as I closed my eyes, I found myself mumbling the words, “…Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Me? Sure…?”

His tone almost sounded mocking as he spoke.

“Why wouldn’t I be sure? You should know very well that I must do this in order to accomplish my goal.”

“No, I’m not talking about that.”

My face started to relax as I looked at him, my voice growing colder at the same time. Although I wasn’t sure, it almost felt as though a certain figure had appeared beside me, pressing his hand onto my shoulder as I spoke his direct words.

“There’s nothing that can escape my grasp.”

A few memories flashed across my mind. From the blood leaking from my arm, to the Third Leaf.

“I’ve seen and witnessed everything there is to witness. When I ask if you’re sure you want to do this, what I’m really asking is whether you’ve considered if this was something that I had planned in adv—”

I stopped right at the end of my sentence as something within me started to stir. In that moment, I felt it. The effects of the leaf. They were beginning. In the end, I smiled and laughed.

“Never mind. Regardless of what you do, you’ll always dance inside the palm of my hand. Do what you wish, I’ll—”

I never had the chance to finish my sentence. A hand pressed against my face moments later and my vision turned black right after.

It seemed like it was all over.

But—

The moment the darkness faded and light spilled into my vision, an all too familiar room appeared before my very eyes.

[Don’t worry. I’ll make sure to make it quick.]

A voice I was all too accustomed to hearing drifted into the air. I slowly lifted my head, settling my gaze towards the TV screen that stood opposite the sofa where a figure sat.

[This is the last step, right? …The last step before my hell is finally over?]

How many times had I seen this scene in the past?

I had practically lost count. It almost felt as if I could recite every word by heart. But that wasn’t what was important to me as I stared at the sofa in front of me. Although it was faced against me, I could sense the presence that lingered within it.

It was frail and weak.

I didn’t show myself and just waited in silence.

Eventually, a voice broke through the silence.

“Umm… So what do you think?”

My chest trembled at the sight of Noel. He was young. So much younger than the last time I saw him, and for a moment, I nearly wanted to expose myself to him.

‘No, I can’t.’

Perhaps he had already noticed my presence, or perhaps not, but I chose to remain invisible.

“Not bad? Just that…?”

“What do you want me to say?”

“I mean… You can lie.”

“And why would I do that?”

“Because it’s my favourite game.”

“Right…”

A smile marred my lips as I stared at the interaction, my chest aching at the sight, knowing that this was probably going to be the start of everything.

Our hell.

“B-bitter. Cough! Cough!”

“Brother!”

Everything proceeded as I remembered. Many times, I wanted to act, to move, but I restrained myself, holding myself back as a certain numbness settled at the back of my mind.

Eventually, the inevitable goodbye with Noel came.

“I’ll see you soon… okay?”

“Okay.”

A weak voice followed.

“Good.”

Noel smiled, his gaze falling on the presence within the figure in the sofa before turning his attention towards me. The surroundings froze for a moment, until—

Clank!

The door closed, and silence filtered across the room.

“….”

It was a silence that seemed to last an eternity until a certain voice shattered that fragile silence.

“W-what are you waiting for?”

My chest stirred in that moment, my throat tightening as I finally unveiled myself from the illusion and stepped forward, stopping next to the sofa and staring at the haggard-looking figure. Although I was already aware of the state that I had been in before passing away, staring at my dishevelled, almost dying figure, something within me stirred.

“I… didn’t take my future self to be this emotional.”

The frail voice from my past self echoed.

Looking down at him, I opened my mouth and soon smiled.

“I guess it means that I’m now closer than ever to becoming the eighth god.”

“Right…”

A weak smile formed on my former self as he looked at me. The two of us paused before my former self lowered his gaze, focusing his attention on a certain box next to the sofa. I didn’t need him to tell me what to do as I lowered my body and opened the box on the floor, revealing a long black sword.

A tremendous pressure pressed down on the room shortly after as I felt my old gaze on me.

“You know what that is… right?”

“Yes.”

The Extractor of Containment.

…The sword that had been with me from the very start.

“D-do it.”

My hands stirred, but I calmed myself down and held onto the sword before turning my attention towards my old self. I could see the life slipping away from him, and I knew that I didn’t have much time left.

Without wasting time, I moved behind him and mumbled, “Are you ready?”

“A-ah, of course.”

I channeled my mana into the sword. The pressure intensified, and just as I was about to act, his voice echoed again.

“B-before you do it. Can I ask you something…?”

I paused, turning my attention towards my old self.

“What is it?”

“It’s… n-nothing much… cough!”

Blood spilled from his mouth as he strained to speak.

“I… I just wanted to know… I-in the future…” He bit his lips, his face quivering. “A-are we happy?”

My body froze, my mind blanking at the same time. For a moment, I didn’t know how to respond, the suddenness of the question exploding in my mind.

However, I didn’t remain like that for long.

After a brief moment of silence, I smiled.

“Are we happy?”

It was a laughable question when I thought about how I was in the past.

The answer was obvious.

“Yes.”

Despite the pain, and everything.

“We are happy.”

I was happy.

“G-good.”

A smile lingered on his face as I didn’t drag things any longer and stabbed the sword right behind the sofa and onto his chest.

Spurt!

Blood leaked everywhere as his eyes widened in shock. At the same time, I carefully controlled the mana inside the sword.

The sword was called the Extractor of Containment for a reason.

Because…

It was designed to specifically collect the soul of anyone it stabbed.

Spurt!

Pulling the sword back, a faint glow manifested over it as my old body limped onto the side of the sofa, breathless.

I felt weak at the sight; my mana drained considerably.

‘It’s not over yet.’

I turned my attention towards my arm. Or more specifically, the Fourth Leaf.

There was still a lot that I needed to do.

I pressed on it shortly after, holding onto the sword while waiting for my surroundings to change. I could feel the blood within me stir as the leaf activated. But just as I was about to move, the door of the room opened and a figure came in.

Clank!

The moment he did, our gazes met as his eyes stopped on my corpse.

His expression cracked for a moment before collecting itself as he looked at me.

“H-here.”

He tossed me something shortly after, and I caught it.

“M… make sure to take care of yourself.”

His next words came out shaking, but staring at him and seeing the thin smile on his face, I pursed my lips before nodding.

“…I will.”

A genuine smile appeared on Noel’s face.

“Take care of yourself… brother.”

I nodded back, and the surroundings changed once more.

This time, a strong smell of dust entered my nostrils as a faint warmth spread over my body. A large white sun hung in the distance while the world was covered in gray.

Rumble! Rumble!

The world shook in the distance as I turned my attention towards the familiar sight.

‘…The Fourth Leaf worked.’

I stepped forward, only to stop the moment I turned my head.

It was there that I caught sight of two figures, both staring at me. A little girl, and… me. A younger version of me.