I’m the Madman of This Family

Chapter 399. If You Want to Die, You Live (4)

Bright.

A world so bright that it feels like darkness, where nothing is visible. All senses are hazy, as if in a dream.

Is this the afterlife? Keter couldn’t tell, but one thing was certain.

‘I am thinking. Therefore, I exist.’

Having affirmed his existence, Keter looked around.

It was a meaningless action. He couldn’t even tell if his eyes were open or closed, or where the ground and sky were. All he felt was an inexplicable sense of floating.

‘What is this?’

Despite the hopeless situation, Keter remained optimistic. Like a person drifting in the sea, he floated through the pale light-filled space.

‘Huh.’

How long had he been floating without any sense of time? Finally, Keter discovered another presence besides himself.

It was a boy. Around 7 to 9 years old. The boy seemed to be playing with dirt in this vast expanse of light.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

Keter called out to the boy.

Startled, the boy turned around. It was a face Keter had never seen before, but he felt like he knew who the boy was.

“Alkione.”

“K-Keter. You’re alive.”

For some reason, the Grand Duke had turned into a boy. What seemed like playing with dirt was actually him digging through the light-filled space.

Through the dug-out space, a tiny crack appeared. It was clearly the outside world.

Seeing the vibrant outside world, Keter’s forgotten memories came flooding back. The moment before the explosion that filled the Grand Duke’s Microcosm swallowed the present world.

Neither of them had just stood by and watched.

The Grand Duke had pulled out his Microcosm. It didn’t stop the explosion’s aftermath, but at least the explosion only shot upwards, preventing the world from being destroyed.

On top of that, Keter had enveloped the exploding Microcosm with his own dimension, the Three Thousand Worlds.

The result was this place. A dimension that wasn’t reality. A void-like gap where they had fallen while fighting Thanatos.

The Grand Duke was trying to escape when he encountered Keter.

“Where are you going? You should play with me.”

And Keter wasn’t one to just watch. His body, which had been ambiguous, began to reform. Unlike the Grand Duke, who had turned into a child, Keter remained in his original form.

“W-wait. I have an offer you can’t refuse.”

The younger Grand Duke’s speech had also become childlike. His emotions were clearly visible on his face, and it was obvious he didn’t want to fight.

“Is it too late now?”

“Anyway, no power works here. So don’t hold back……”

“You’re right.”

For some reason, no abilities could be used here. Authority, divine power, even Aura.

But Keter reached out to the sky. Soon, a branch-like arrow appeared in his hand—the Misteltein Arrow, capable of killing gods.

Just holding it caused the ‘color’ to fade from Keter’s body. Keter knew. He no longer had time to threaten whether to shoot or not.

“Let’s end this.”

With no time to regret, Keter approached Alkione, who desperately tried to persuade him.

“You fool! If you kill me like this, only you will lose! What do you think will happen to Sephira without you? Crown Prince Rukan is still alive. Do you think he’ll let Sephira remain independent? Even if he does, have you forgotten the kings who were there? They’re thinking this is their chance to unify the world. But listen. If you spare me, I promise. I won’t touch Sephira. I’ll save it!”

Mentioning Sephira made Keter stop right in front of him. Alkione felt relieved, but—

Thud.

The Misteltein pierced Alkione’s chest.

“Sephira will manage on its own.”

“Ah, ah……”

Alkione’s body began to crumble from the feet up. Collapsing, Alkione reached out to the crack he had dug.

“I just… wanted to be free like you……”

Keter also knelt. Due to the backlash of using Misteltein, he too was disappearing, albeit slower than Alkione.

“Freedom comes with responsibility. You didn’t want to take that responsibility. Like a foolish child.”

“So that’s… how it was.”

Fsssh.

With a regretful word, Alkione vanished.

Keter also lowered his head. His lower half had completely disappeared. There was no pain.

“At least it’s not a dog’s death like in my past life.”

The masters who had generously taught him their techniques.

Maknun, who was like a brother.

The family of Sephira……

Various faces flickered before his eyes, but Keter closed them.

“It was fun.”

Keter accepted his own demise without resistance.

Grand Duke Alkione and Divine Archer Keter suddenly disappeared from the battlefield.

The universe had stopped, so ordinary humans had no idea what had happened. But the kings of each nation knew.

Keter had saved them.

The gods had been saved by humans.

But the gods were not moved by Keter’s sacrifice. They immediately took action. They all distanced themselves. That was the signal, and the armies they led also turned their weapons on their former allies.

If they could subdue the kings and the elite forces gathered here, they could seize world hegemony. There was no reason not to fight.

But the Empire’s preparedness overwhelmed the other nations.

Boom!

Something fired from a cannon on the ground exploded in the sky. A blue flash covered the heavens.

It wasn’t an attack itself, but it had an immense effect.

“Huh?!”

“M-my body feels heavy. Is it magic?”

“It’s not our bodies that are heavy. It’s the armor!”

The Empire’s new weapon, the Energy Annihilation Bomb.

When it exploded in the sky, everyone with ‘energy’ like Aura or Mana became powerless. The knights’ armor became unbearably heavy, and the only reason they could move in it was thanks to Aura.

The annihilation of energy didn’t discriminate, affecting the Imperial Army as well, but they had prepared for this.

The Imperial Army’s weapons and armor were standard issue, without any Mana. Made to a weight manageable by humans.

“Surround them!”

Moreover, the Imperial Army’s weapons were all crossbows. Not just single-shot, but capable of at least 10 rapid shots.

In a fight between ordinary humans, ranged weapons are undeniably advantageous. Especially crossbows, which are easier to aim than bows and don’t require much skill.

Of course, the other kingdoms also had archers and crossbowmen, but there was a significant difference in equipment.

The Empire’s crossbowmen were heavily armored. Heavy crossbowmen, while the other kingdoms’ crossbowmen were lightly dressed.

“Kneel and drop your weapons!”

The Imperial commander shouted.

But the Kingdom’s army wasn’t about to comply.

“Crazy talk!”

A Kingdom crossbowman fired first. But his bolt couldn’t pierce the Imperial armor.

Meanwhile, the Imperial crossbow bolts easily pierced the Kingdom’s tough leather armor.

“Drop your weapons or be killed!”

The Imperial Army didn’t just threaten. They attacked everyone holding weapons.

The Empire’s crossbows had a much longer range, leaving the Kingdom’s army unable to resist.

In this war, the Empire mobilized 10,000 troops, while each kingdom sent 20,000 to 30,000. Combined, the kingdoms had far more soldiers, but numbers didn’t matter. One Imperial soldier could control 100 Kingdom soldiers.

Just as the Imperial Army was about to completely subdue the Kingdom’s forces—

“Gah!”

“What, what is it?”

“Where did that arrow come from?!”

Arrows flew in from outside the encirclement.

Everyone’s gaze turned to where Sephira stood.

Sephira’s archers, trembling on the verge of death, held their bows and arrows, aiming at the enemy.

“Sephira!”

“How are these dying guys still fighting?!”

Sephira wasn’t immune to the Energy Annihilation Bomb’s effects.

But Sephira had never relied on Aura or Mana. Pure strength. Concentration and perseverance. Their skill with bows rivaled the Empire’s.

Sephira advanced. Taragon’s Cross Association led, followed by the archers.

The Imperial Army retreated repeatedly. No matter how long the crossbow’s range, it couldn’t match the bow’s.

In the blink of an eye, Sephira rescued the Kingdom’s army.

The Kingdom’s army, now backed by Sephira’s archers, radiated immense killing intent.

“Let’s wipe out the Imperial Army!”

Knights threw off their heavy armor, revealing their hostility.

But then, Hisop shouted loudly.

“Let’s stop this now!”

His booming, desperate voice wasn’t coming from a safe place.

In the middle of the battlefield, within range of the Imperial arrows, Hisop looked back and forth between the two sides.

Even in this tense situation, everyone focused on Hisop. After all, he was severely injured. He had rushed to mediate, his barely stitched wounds reopening, his body covered in blood.

Amidst soldiers gripped by bloodlust, Hisop spoke.

“Life is precious.”

At those words, the soldiers’ eyes wavered.

Hisop raised his voice further.

“We are all heroes who saved the world. So why are we fighting? The monsters are still alive, and the cursed fog still covers the world. We should be working together to solve this! Look beside you. Your comrades are injured. Look behind you! Your comrades are dying. Think of your homeland. If we’re not here, who will protect them……!”

Hisop’s speech, piercing their hearts, brought tears to some. The will to fight began to fade from the battlefield.

Hisop was the first to lower his weapon.

“Let’s go home.”

They say malice spreads in an instant.

But so does goodwill. The Kingdom’s army slowly lowered their weapons, joining in the lack of will to fight.

But the Imperial Army still hesitated.

Then.

“Let’s do as he says.”

The Imperial Army’s commander, Princess Vina, sided with Hisop.

Watching this, the Emperor, Samael, roared.

“Vina! What are you doing?”

It was the Emperor’s rebuke.

But Vina calmly replied.

“If the Imperial Army doesn’t withdraw now, continental unification will never happen.”

“If we kill them all, continental unification will be achieved.”

“It’s impossible. Sephira wasn’t part of our plan.”

“Ugh……!”

Samael looked extremely displeased, glaring at Vina and the Kingdom’s army.

The Kingdom’s gods, as if synchronized, were also glaring at the Emperor.

Belferio raised his rapier and said.

“How about it? Shall we settle this between us?”

Originally, the Emperor had planned to face the other kings alone. But that was only when the Grand Duke had weakened them.

But things didn’t go as planned.

The Grand Duke was subdued more easily than expected.

What happened after he unexpectedly absorbed Akra? He almost ceased to exist, but Keter stepped in, saving him.

“…Lucky.”

In the end, Samael turned away. He had to admit it. Everything had gone wrong. All because of one person.

Before leaving, the Emperor muttered, loud enough for all to hear.

“Keter, and Sephira. I’ll remember those names.”

*

Sephira outskirts, a sunny cemetery.

Hisop, with one eye covered by a bandage, greets people entering the gate one by one.

Then, Basil grabs his shoulder from behind.

“Hisop. You go in. I’ll guard this place.”

“No. As the Lord, I should guard it.”

“That’s exactly why you shouldn’t be here.”

As Basil and Hisop argue, another person intervenes.

“If we’re going by that, then as an elder, I should guard it.”

Elder Endymion.

The Grand Duke had clearly said he killed him, but he was alive.

Not just him. Most of Sephira’s servants were alive, busily moving around the funeral hall.

The Grand Duke had lied, and Keter was wrong.

Sephira had survived.

It was because of the ‘Authority’ Basil had gained.

Basil’s Authority was similar to Endymion’s, a defensive type. It synergized with Endymion’s Authority, allowing them to withstand the Grand Duke’s attack.

“Go in quickly. Everyone’s waiting.”

Endymion forcefully pushed Hisop and Basil inside.

Soon, Hisop and Basil stood before a grave. A cardinal from the Sun Church was just beginning the funeral service.

“We will now begin Keter’s funeral mass.”