Beyond the Eternity

There was no trace of Kim Jakga's body.

The mightly jaws of the darkness swallowed him whole, and returned him back to the primordial state of the universe before creation.

Nothingness (0)

The black apostles would recognise this realm of nothing as the 'First Epoch', which had been recorded by the Saints in the creation myth.

Either way, the fact that Kim Jakga had died remained true.

"Ajumma!"

"Ajumma!"

Yoo Rin and Yoo Jinsung called out, but Angelica did not answer. In fact, she didn't even hear their voices.

She continued to stare blankly at the spot where Kim Jakga had disappeared. It felt like a dream that made no sense whatsoever.

It was definitely ridiculous and unreal. Kim Jakga had been completely swallowed without leaving behind a single atom of his being. Even so, he had revived once before. He was cleanly sliced in half by Keikoku's Antimatter wings which could annihilate anything upon contact and still managed to resurrect from that death. However, this time around his entire body was erased without a trace.

Humans were practically fragile creatures, so there was countless ways for them to die. Assassination, gunshot, strangling, decapitation, sliced, poisoned, beaten up, burned, nipped, crushed, frozing, drowning. But being erased into nothingness was an entirely different story altogether. Not only was his physical body stripped away, but the very essence of his existence was also erased, leaving behind only an unsettling silence.

Was it possible to revive from such a death?

Truth be told, she did not know the exact reason for his resurrection. It could be a unique ability, a skill, or even a divine authority with specific conditions attached. But even then, could he truly return from non-existence? Moreover, all skills and divine authorities had been sealed due to the constraints of the Fifth Fable. Even if he were capable of reviving from death, he wouldn't be able to do so while trapped within the Fifth Fable. And even if he somehow regained access to his skills by some miracle, the likelihood of his resurrection remained slim.

Simply put, It was highly likely that this death would be permanent. Was that what he meant when he claimed he could block one of the boss's attacks?

If that was the case, his words back then was nothing more than a cruel joke.

"Hah!"

For some reason, Angelica laughed upon that thought. It was a hollow laughter, filled with a strong sense of resignation.

What the hell was she even expecting to happen? A happy story where they defeated the villain and return home together?

It truly made no sense. Perhaps she hadn't taken the situation seriously enough; after all, Kim Jakga had warned her that this scenario might occur, but she completely ignored his words, clinging to the hope that there was another way. A way where there would be no casualties.

Even her train of thoughts was useless. She should supress her emotions, her unorganised thought and carry out the instructions given to her by Kim Jakga.

But It was too much.

She had endured countless horrors since the beginning of this tragedy: from killing an old woman to save her own life, to taking the lives of several people and disgusting monsters, to being captured by a giant plague spider. She had witnessed Kim Jakga's first death and fought against the disaster, suffered torture while nailed to a blood-soaked altar, and watched her own blood flow from her pierced limbs. And now, she had experienced Kim Jakga's second death that seemed far from the reality she knew.

All surrounding sound was discarded, screams was unheard and the approaching zombies became a blur. Everything became truly meaningless as Angelica fell further into despair.

At that moment

"?!"

Angelica received a strong impact that pushed her to the side, on the ground. Yoo Jinsung stood up and raised his hand...

Smack!

"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry, you can even punish me later but please snap out of it!"

"Eh? W-what?"

Angelica blinked, still dazed, as the sting of Yoo Jinsung's slap brought her back from the depths of her despair. Her eyes slowly resurfaced and her thoughts were finally dragged back into reality.

The scenario did not change.

They were still surrounded by flesh-craving undead that were constantly trying to bite them, with Yoo Rin barely keeping them at bay using a pole arm.

"Damnit, why won't these disgusting just die when you hit them?!"

Yoo Rin grumbled as she swung the polearm and sliced the approaching zombies in half.

The problem was that the polearm felt like dead weight in her hands, and with her stats reduced to their lowest, so her swing lacked its usual power and accuracy. It was like trying to split a boulder with a dull blade; every jarred her bones, and her muscles burned from the strain.

Even so,

Puok! Kukuku!

She continued to swing the polearm regardless of the strain.

Angelica experienced a surge of conflicting emotions as she watched Yoo Rin fighting, and felt she was really stupid.

Why was she succumbing to despair while those two continued to fight? It was selfish of her to fall apart without considering the gravity of the situation. If she died here, wouldn't that make Kim Jakga's sacrifice completely meaningless?

She looked back at the spot where Kim Jakga had vanished into nothingness, but Jinsung's words only strengthened her resolve.

Slowly, she pushed herself up from the ground while steading her breathing. "You're right. Forgive me for doing something stupid."

In the end, she could only fight.

"How long do you think you two would be able to hold out?"

"I don't know. Maybe a few minutes..."

"Good. That's enough. Hold on for a bit, I'll take care of everything."

Angelica lowered her centre of gravity, and kicked the ground for a forward leap.

"!!"

Upon detecting that sudden movement, the zombies swung their heads and tried to capture her at once. However, Angelica evaded all of them with her serpentine-like movement and headed straight for the masked man.

The target himself was utterly exhausted and severely weakened. After pushing himself beyond his limits to use Void Magic for an instant kill, he immediately followed it with Necromancy, which strained his body even further.

It was even a miracle he was still standing on his feet.

However, one thing was crystal clear. Aside from Necromancy, he had no other cards left to play until he could activate Void Magic again.

"!!"

The masked man widened his eyes as he saw Angelica was rapidly charging towards him.

The distance between them was ten metres, but she covered that distance with just three steps.

There was no other plan she could think of, and there was no reason for her to fear a direct confrontation. She was going to stab him into submission until his life essence was forfeit.

"Are you crazy? Do you think It's wise to rush at an opponent that could kill you instantly with a single spell?"

The masked man attempted to intimidate her with threatening words and gestured as if to use his grimoire once more, but Angelica didn't waver in her tremendous sprint.

"Tch."

Realizing his plan had backfired, the masked man cursed under his breath and grabbed a surgical knife from the table. Void Magic might be out of reach for now, but that didn't leave him powerless.

He could still crush his opponent using sheer physical violence.

Swish!

The surgical knife crossed the air, aimed precisely for Angelica's neck. However, she lowered her form and evaded the swing rather effortlessly.

The masked man tried to retreat. But Angelica was one step faster and aimed her dagger for his thigh.

Puok!

A direct hit. And the dagger went rather deep too.

"Kwak!"

The crow mask screamed in pain.

Truly, the sensation of getting stabbed was completely foreign to him. The man who had sacrificed countless others and spread misfortune without remorse for his own personal gain, was now screaming in agony as the cold blade pierced into his thigh. His screams only fueled Angelica's anger.

Without waiting for him to recover, she abruptly pulled out the dagger and slashed upwards in a fluid motion, aiming for his neck.

"W-wha—"

The crow mask widened eyes in shock. By some miracle, he had managed to dodge the dagger because the pain in his leg forced him to stumble backwards awkwardly. It was pure luck, but he didn't let this created opportunity slide. With a quick, frantic motion, he thrusted his arm forward, hoping to catch her off-guard.

But Angelica was relentless. Drawing on the adrenaline coursing through her veins, she ducked under his attack and closed the gap once more.

"You're not getting away that easily!" She yelled, and in one swift movement, she lunged forward and tackled him to that ground.

"Ack!"

The two tumbled across the blood-strained floor, with Angelica found herself on top and pinned the crow mask to the ground. The surgical knife and the grimorie had both skittered away from the man's grip, so he was left completely defenseless. The man struggled beneath her, but how could Angelica let him escape after everything he had done?

"Get off me, you—" The man hissed, but she pressed her weight down and used her body to hold him in place.

"?!"

In the next moment, the crow mask's glare slowly turned into panic, and his body was filled with terror.

Angelica had raised the dagger high into the air with both hands. It was obvious what she was going to do next.

"W-Wait! Wait! We can talk this out!"

"Die!"

The crow mask wanted to say something, but Angelica cut him off coldly and bought the dagger down with all her might.

Puok!

"Kwak!"

The dagger pierced deep into his chest and the crow mask let out a painful scream. But Angelica didn't stop. She yanked out the dagger with force and stabbed it down once more.

Puok!

His chest was stabbed and the dagger was pulled.

Puok!

The man screamed as he felt the dagger digging his chest once more.

Puok!

Angelica twisted the dagger within his chest, yank it out and stab it down again.

Puok! Puok! Puuooooookkkkkkkkk!

She continued to stab the dagger into the crow mask's chest again and again.

Stab, twist, yank, and stab.

It was a relentless act of violence, meant to make the crow mask suffer rather than just end his life.

Angelica could never forgive him for everything he'd done—the countless lives that has been ruined, Kim Jakga's death, and her own torment as she was nailed to a stake. She poured all her anger and frustration into him, using him as nothing more than a punching bag that powerlessly received all her abuse.

Puok! Puok!

The blade found its mark again, and she felt the life ebbing from him, with his desperate squirming growing weaker beneath her. Yet, even that wasn't enough. She drove the dagger into his chest repeatedly and poured every ounce of her strength into each stab.

How long did it last?

At that moment

Puok!

With one final, desperate thrust, she plunged the dagger deep into the heart of the crow mask, and felt the last flicker of life extinguish beneath her hands.

The masked man's body convulsed violently as if having a seizure before going limp. Undoubtedly, his soul has left his body and gone to hell.

"Hah... Hah..."

Angelica panted heavily as her adrenaline was replaced with fatigue. Her vision shook and she felt like she was going to collapse at any moment from exhaustion.

In any case, the cult leader was dead and the Fifth Fable would reach its conclusion.

"Why are they still coming?"

Disregarding her thoughts, the sound of the twins fighting the undead was still heard. How was that possible? Angelica thought as she turned her head.

The cult leader was dead so shouldn't the magic used by him die out as well? Why was the zombies still attacking? Was it possible that the crow mask was still alive?

But it was impossible. She hadn't counted each stab, but she knew it was well over fifty. No human could survive that many wounds to the chest—it defied all reason. The only explanation she could think of was that the crow mask had used Necromancy on himself.

Wait... necromancy? A spell to raise the dead. Could it be... No. Was it possible for the user to use such a magic on himself?

As she thought about that frightening possibility, Angelica's face paled considerably in horror.

In that instant.

Kukuku!

The torso of the crow mask's robe swelled up like a balloon and the forces dwelling within exploded outwards.

Angelica barely had time to process what happened. A powerful impact hurled her body into the air, slamming her against the ceiling before she crashed to the ground with a heavy thud.

The forces that emerged from the dark sorcerer's torse slowly returned to the darkness within and the crow mask raised his body from the ground.

Looking closely, It seemed like his body was paler than even a corpse, almost something alien.

"Damnit! That hurts, you perverted woman! How many times would you stab one person?!"

Whether his pain was genuine or not remained uncertain, but his frustration was clear. Considering that his body couldn't experience heat or cold, it was unlikely he could truly feel pain.

But who would like to be stabbed more than fifty times? He truly felt violated.

"Ajumma!"

"Shit! How is that bastard still alive?"

Upon noticing the situation, Yoo Rin and Yoo Jinsung tried to approach, but the undead people blocked their way and pushed them into a corner.

The black sorcerer picked up his grimorie and looked down at Angelica.

"I have to admit, I really thought I was done for. But, unfortunately, this curse of mine won't allow me to experience death. Without this 'Undead Body,' the fight might have ended very differently."

Those were genuine words filled with shock and astonishment.

Angelica did not respond or even acknowledge his words, and her forehead was bleeding. She had likely lost consciousness from the impact of slamming into the ceiling.

But that didn't matter. The words that followed were filled with intense killing intent.

"I originally planned to toy with your body and turn you into a chimera. But you're not cute at all. I'm going to erase you and those two children from the very face of the Earth. Not even the world would know that you existed."

After saying so, the black sorcerer activated the hidden power contained within the grimorie.

Naturally, the target was the tree intruders infront of him.

[The item 'Book of Da'at Abyss' has been opened.]

[Void Magic (0) has activated.]

Something that resembled the shape of a Dragon Head emerged from within the grimorie.

A frightening appearance and a body made of pitch black substance.

It was the manifestation of the power born within the higher dimension known as 'Da'at Abyss'.

The black sorcerer wore a satisfied expression and spat out an order. "Kill them."

Kukuku!

The Black Dragon Head roared and flew towards its targets at incomprehensible speed.

However,

"Ex profundis nihil, ego invoco vacuitatem,

Ubi umbrae saltant et silentium loquitur,

Abyssus aeternus, dona mihi potentiam tuam,"

The Dragon Head was forced to come to a sudden stop.

"Erasus existentia, sin realitas frangatur,

Per nomen invisibile, commandum tenebras,

Omnia revertantur ad originem—

Nihilifica!"

It was Angelica.

Despite how beat up and bloody she was, she spoke so calmly like she had not received a massive blow to her head. But her eyes were utterly lacking in emotion just like a machine.

Her head was bleeding, but she made no attempt to heal her wounds. She truly seemed to be nothing more than a system programmed to utter those words.

The black sorcerer completely ignored that strange phenomenon and focused on something entirely different.

She had stopped the Black Dragon Head with her words alone.

Not even that...

"You... You... HOW DO YOU KNOW THE ANCIENT TONGUE?!"

The black sorcerer seemed so terrified that he even bit his tongue by accident.

Rune language was commonly used for chanting magic spells, yet it remained unknown to those who had not undergone the baptismal ritual because the churches had strictly guarded its secrets. So It was understandable for the black sorcerer to be shocked that Angelica, who was currently playing the role of a prisoner, suddenly spoke out those words.

Even then, that was not what he should be concerned about.

Grrr!

The Black Dragon Head turned its gaze and looked at him. For some reason, It was looking at him with hostiliy.

It was because the target of annihilation has changed.

"Why are you looking at me like that, you stupid spirit! The target is them, not me."

Deep down, he knew it was useless. Once the command sequence has been overturned, there was no reversing it. It was the same reason why the churches kept their rune language from the public.

"Eik!"
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The black sorcerer turned around.

Running was the only option he had left. He abandoned his pride as a black apostle and ran away.

Of course, even that was futile.

Kwakwang!

The Black Dragon Head extended its mouth to the maximum and swallowed his body whole.

The head, nose, arms, hands, shoulders, ankles, thighs, legs and feet. It was the perfect capture.

The crow-masked man was completely consumed by the void within the Black Dragon King's gaping maw.

There was no sound, not even a scream. In an instant, he was gone. The man who had amassed a legion of followers and chased an impossible dream had met a tragic, almost pitiful end—devoured by the very power for which he had sacrificed so many others.

The entire scene lasted no more than five seconds.