The World After the Bad Ending

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]

Chapter 278

A thunderbolt struck deep within Demon Sovereign’s underground chamber.

It pierced the darkness, tearing through it and stabbing straight into Demon Sovereign.

【…W-what…】

Demon Sovereign’s body trembled violently as the lightning coursed through him.

He couldn’t even scream.

This bolt carried the power of the Goddess.

For Demon Sovereign, this lightning was his worst possible match.

Unable to cry out, Demon Sovereign thrashed in pain.

He twisted and writhed, trying to escape the lightning’s grasp.

But the storm showed no signs of stopping.

It wasn’t just one bolt.

“Come again, O lightning-caller.”

From deep within his soul—

A man buried in darkness howled toward the heavens.

Answering that call, lightning rained down again, relentlessly.

It hunted only Demon Sovereign with terrifying persistence.

No matter where he moved, escape was impossible.

Demon Sovereign screamed.

Here, he was just a spiritual form.

His physical body remained on the surface world.

So each time the lightning struck, his spirit was pierced—and he could barely stay conscious.

But in stark contrast, some showed entirely different reactions to the storm.

Five women, who had followed one man all the way here.

Each of their eyes lit up in unique ways.

“Prince Sweet Potato.”

“Senior.”

“Hubby~”

“Oppa.”

“My love.”

Each one called him by a different name, eyes wide.

He was there.

He was there.

That alone transformed the five women’s auras completely.

Isabel spread her Goddess wings.

Seron ignited flames of crimson blaze.

Nikita unleashed a breath of frost dragon.

Sharin fired sacred magic.

Iris swung her sword clad in aura.

The lightning fell in one spot only.

Which meant—Demon Sovereign was there.

With no escape from the lightning, Demon Sovereign was pinned down.

So the five women pressed forward with desperate resolve, piercing through the darkness.

Just to reach him.

They cut through the blackness with all they had.

Demon Sovereign sensed them approaching.

And for the first time since his resurrection, he felt danger.

Demon Sovereign was in spirit form.

His attack power may have been overwhelming, but his defense was pitiful.

He had intended to burn out Isabel, the Goddess’s warrior, and prevent anyone from reaching him.

But now, the Goddess’s thunder had changed everything.

The orb containing his soul shook violently.

If that orb shattered, it would be the end of Demon Sovereign.

Knowing that, Demon Sovereign forced his arm to move within the storm.

Darkness surged once more, swallowing the area with teeth bared, aiming to devour the five women.

But they didn’t falter.

They burst through the darkness even faster than before.

Isabel’s wings grew larger and larger.

Wings that had once run out of power—yet somehow, they were growing again.

The wings of the Goddess were a divine blessing.

And the source of divine blessings was the user’s heart.

Isabel’s heart was now more full than ever before.

That overflowing emotion drew forth even more power and unfurled her wings once again.

To awaken in crisis—that is the virtue of a main heroine.

And the man within Demon Sovereign’s soul knew this truth better than anyone.

“Isabel.”

He cried out from within Demon Sovereign’s spirit.

“Fly.”

Her now-enormous wings wrapped around everyone.

The power of the five women merged into those wings.

And from that, a radiant warrior of light took form, wielding a sacred sword.

The light of the sword was something that darkness could never hope to reach.

Goddess Wings – Final Awakening

Descent of the Goddess

Light at last overcame the darkness, bringing forth illumination.

The holy sword, fueled by the will of the five women, swung toward the lightning.

Darkness raged to its very end, but the light reduced it all to dust.

The sword reached all the way to Demon Sovereign.

He saw the white-hot brilliance overtaking his vision.

【This… this can’t be…】

It was a battle he was sure he had won.

He had consumed Vikamon’s body, turned countless warriors into his pawns, and even neutralized the Goddess’s champion.

Only one step remained: merging with the body.

And yet—

And yet I lose?

The fate he had built over millennia—shattered?

Impossible.

This can’t be.

“It can be.”

But a voice deep within his spirit rejected his words.

Rage surged in Demon Sovereign’s eyes.

Wolfram.

The nameless man now.

His stubborn will had destroyed everything Demon Sovereign had built.

But the man denied that truth.

This wasn’t just his will alone.

The five women who trusted him and came all this way.

And all the people who had supported them.

They had created this result.

CRACK!

The orb sealing Demon Sovereign’s soul split in two under the holy sword.

And from that rupture, light spread through Demon Sovereign’s entire being.

His screams rang out as the light engulfed his spirit completely.

――――――――――――!

The Goddess’s light brilliantly illuminated the Demon Dungeon.

The Demon Dungeon, once thought to be the eternal prison of the Demon Sovereign, was now swallowed by the light and disappeared.

A beam of light pierced through the palace and soared into the sky, radiating brilliantly.

It was a light of victory, a light that dispelled the nightmares of the earth.

The nightmare cast over the world by the Demon Sovereign began to fade.

Those who had been consumed by the nightmare collapsed to the ground one by one as their bodies gave out.

An endless army of nightmares.

But those who had fought against them began to recognize the light, and cried out their victory.

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]

At the heart of that war.

Amid the crumbling army of the Demon Sovereign—

“…To think I lost. You are strong.”

The Crimson Echo Forger of the Celestial Echo slowly collapsed, his chest pierced by the foot of Vega.

Beside him lay Rexaron Bizvel, the first-year assistant professor, sprawled out.

His side was nearly severed, but he was still breathing.

He had thrown himself at the Crimson Echo Forger, creating an opening at the cost of his body.

Thanks to that, they had been able to bring the Forger down.

“You fool.”

Vega sprinkled a top-grade potion over his side.

As the sound of burning flesh echoed, Rexaron gave a thumbs-up, even in that state.

A sigh escaped from Vega’s lips.

But apart from that, her face brightened.

The achievements that the Sky Generation had failed to accomplish in the past—

Her students had finally achieved them.

And she was not the only one who had won.

The Spear of Severance, a member of the Celestial Echo Squad who had persistently held off the Duke of Whitewood, finally fell.

With the rise of the light, all the blessings that had composed them vanished as well.

“Your Grace, Duke of Whitewood!”

“Yes. Our young heroes have won.”

At Vega’s shout, the Duke of Whitewood gave a wounded smile.

She turned her head.

The Oathsworn of Bone had been vanquished, unable to overcome Xenia’s celestial magic.

With that, the defensive spell protecting the Demon Sovereign and Celestial Duke faded away.

They had no more options.

The Duke of Whitewood brushed her hair back.

“Celestial Duke.”

Even at her call, the Celestial Duke stood still, gazing at the light that now filled the sky.

“You’ve lost.”

“…It was a long journey.”

The Celestial Duke forced a smile and opened his robe.

In that instant, the Duke of Whitewood’s eyes widened.

His torso was hollow—filled with pitch-black darkness.

“Stop him!”

She swung her white wood staff quickly, but the darkness stretched forth, engulfing the unmoving Demon Sovereign.

The nightmare energy stored within the Celestial Duke flowed out, leaving him emaciated.

“It was too long.”

Thud—

And the Celestial Duke fell to the ground, his life extinguished.

For someone who had plunged the Empire into hell and driven the world to the brink of destruction, his death was painfully hollow.

White petals fell, covering the Demon Sovereign.

The Duke of Whitewood acted swiftly.

She knew that doing this meant she couldn’t save the boy—but there was no other way.

They couldn’t let the Demon Sovereign run rampant again.

“Fram, no. No!”

But what rang in her ears was Xenia’s sorrowful voice.

Only then did the Duke of Whitewood realize something was terribly wrong.

When she hurriedly peered into the petals—

There stood the Demon Sovereign, raising a hand high toward the heavens.

But it wasn’t the Demon Sovereign’s will.

It was the boy the Duke of Whitewood had once dreamed of calling a hero.

A boy who had once been a great hero.

To some, he was even a beloved companion.

A man who had to forget even his own name.

“…I’m sorry, Xenia.”

He apologized to Xenia—and to Zerion—who had waited for him until this day.

Tears rolled down Xenia’s cheeks.

But she understood.

She knew what resolve he carried in standing here now.

And so, she didn’t stop him.

She had fulfilled all her own wishes already.

“Give it your all, without regret.”

Now, it was time to fulfill his wish.

“You said you were sick and tired of the Demon Sovereign, didn’t you.”

His lips parted.

Nightmares and darkness twisted in his eyes, trying to take over his body, but he held them back with willpower alone.

Sweat dripped down, but a radiant smile spread across his lips.

He had once lost three emotions:

Anger.

Sorrow.

Love.

Each of these lost emotions had made him into something apart from the world.

But through five women, he regained them.

Through Seron, he learned anger; through Isabel, he awakened it.

Through Sharin, he learned sorrow; through Iris, he awakened it.

Through Nikita, he learned love.

And now—

Within the Demon Sovereign, I heard the voices of those I loved most.

Those voices, buried by the Demon Sovereign, pulled my consciousness back.

They believed in me.

Their voices became beacons and brought me back.

So I could raise my hand.

So I could cry out to the heavens.

In this moment, more than ever, I understood how deeply they loved me.

Inside me—

The Demon Sovereign screamed.

Telling me to stop.

Telling me if I stopped now, we both could live.

Telling me we could coexist.

He screamed it endlessly.

But my heart didn’t waver for even a second.

Because I had been more loved than anyone.

And that showed me how a life could be lived without regrets.

So I smiled.

Brighter than anyone in this world.

There was one emotion the Veil’s bandages hadn’t stolen from me:

Joy.

I was now overflowing with pure joy.

The life I had lived until now blazed more brilliantly than anything.

The light from the sky embraced me.

A sign that the Goddess was watching over me.

A life that hadn’t even met death properly—one that hadn’t experienced reincarnation—

Yet to call such a life one without regrets—how precious is that?

Within a radiant smile, I clenched my hand.

Come—

Final thunder, strike.

The 108th lightning.

The Goddess’s final lightning that takes all life, no matter what.

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]