A/N: I've been having many thoughts these past few days, and I think it's time to make a change, so I would like to add a spoiler chapter for a change hehe~
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The war between Mankind and the Monarchs had finally ended.
The battlefield was quiet—eerily so.
All that remained were devastated buildings, broken earth, scattered weapons, and the faint shimmer of lingering mana.
Victory had come at a cost, but it was done.
Jinwoo and Joo-Hee stood side by side, their chests rising and falling in exhaustion, their bodies battered and bruised after the final battle.
They had fought together—shoulder to shoulder—to bring down the last of the Monarchs.
And now… it was over.
Joo-Hee glanced around the desolate field, her thoughts adrift.
'So, this is it… The long story finally comes to an end.'
There was no triumphant cheer, no celebratory fanfare.
Just the quiet ache that followed war.
'This Worldview… its fate is still uncertain, still shrouded in chaos. But at least… it's better than what happened in the original novel. The losses weren't as devastating this time.'
'Isn't this a bit ironic? In this life, I saved others… yet in my 18th, I killed millions out of frustration and boredom.'
She kept thinking about the past, reflecting on her life as she tidied herself up after the intense fight.
'But… this feeling of doing something good... it's kinda nice. I guess, even as a Fateless, in the end… I'm still human.'
With a faint sigh and a scoff at the absurdity of her situation, she began to move, each step leaving faint golden prints across the shattered earth.
She activated her healing skill—[Blessing of Asclepius]—and light surged from her body.
Her right arm, once mangled and severed beyond recognition, regenerated in a spiral of divine green light.
Fractured bones realigned, torn muscles reknit.
She reached up and slowly removed the [Crown of the Depraved Saint], storing it into her inventory with a flick of thought.
Her green hair flowed with the wind, shimmering as if nature itself bowed to her presence—ethereal, divine.
And with each step she took, waves of healing radiated outward—restoring wounded hunters tens of kilometers away.
A living beacon of life in a broken world.
Jinwoo, still slumped on the ground, looked up—not at the battlefield, not at the aftermath, but at her.
And not with relief.
His expression was shadowed by something else. Something deeper.
Anxiety.
She stopped beside him.
"So…" he said quietly, eyes still averted. "This is the end, huh?"
There was a pause.
Then, almost reluctantly, he added, "When are you leaving...?"
Joo-Hee looked at him.
Part of her wanted to smile, to give a lighthearted response and congratulate the Heaven's Herald of this Worldview.
But that would've been hypocritical.
She slowly sat down beside him, brushing a strand of hair from her face.
"I… don't know," she admitted. "Maybe soon. I'm still waiting for further instructions from the Mistress of the Moonlit Curse."
A long silence stretched between them.
But Joo-Hee could feel it—there were unspoken words behind Jinwoo's lips, buried under years of restraint.
He wanted to say something. Needed to.
But he didn't.
So, she spoke first, "Jinwoo… thank you."
He flinched slightly, but didn't interrupt.
"I'm sure you already know," she continued, voice soft, "That the first time we met—back at the hospital—I approached you for a reason of using you. It wasn't a coincidence. You were the Heaven's Herald of this world… the key to it all."
She paused, her gaze distant.
"But now that everything's coming to an end… I'm not so sure anymore."
Her voice trembled slightly—not from fear, but from reflection.
"I laughed, I cried, I was hurt. I saw how cruel this world could be… and how power—true power—could tear everything apart. But I also saw how it could protect, how it could help others."
She smiled faintly, more to herself than to him.
Then, softly, she continued, "I learned a lot from you, Jin. You persevered, even when the world kept throwing everything it had to break you. I guess that's what makes you even more deserving of obtaining such strength."
She paused, then gently cupped his cheeks with both hands, lifting his gaze to meet hers.
Her fingers were warm despite the exhaustion in them, steady despite the tremble in her voice.
"So please… continue being who you are. Be the world's hero as time moves forward. I might not be there to witness your growth… your victories… but I know you'll keep rising. You're Jin-Woo, after all. The very man who made me realize…" she smiled, her eyes glistening, "...that even someone like me deserves to be happy."
Jin-Woo stared at her, lips trembling as he swallowed hard. He tried to keep his emotions buried, but they pressed against his chest, too much to contain.
And then—without warning—Joo-Hee leaned in and embraced him.
The hug was warm, soft, but filled with a strange finality.
"To tell you the truth…" she whispered, "...in all the years I've spent in this world, I almost fell for you countless times."
"But it's a pity, isn't it? I suppose this is where we say goodbye… Jin-Woo."
His breath hitched.
'Damn it.'
'How can this jerk be so heartless? Fall for me? Then why?! Why... are you leaving me like this?! You never even told me your real name… or where you came from… and...'
But his thoughts shattered the moment he felt her pulling away.
And instinct took over.
He reached out and yanked her back into his arms, holding her tight—tighter than he ever had before—and shouted:
"Why are you doing this to me?! Just leaving like that?!! Farewell, my ass! Do you think that's enough?!"
His voice cracked, raw with anguish.
"You… you really are something else, Joo-Hee or whoever you are!" he whispered bitterly, blood trickling from his lips where he'd bitten them.
His fists clenched so hard his knuckles turned white.
Then slowly, as his strength gave way to emotion, he let his head fall onto her shoulder. His voice broke into a trembling plea.
"Please… I beg you… can you not leave?"
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A/N: This is just one of the possible end route,s and who knows my mind might change later~