The Author's POV

"This can't be…"

I took deep breaths, trying to calm my mind. But it was all for naught as I struggled to breathe properly.

I was suffocating.

"Haaa…haaa…"

I took a couple more breaths in hopes of trying to calm myself down. Fortunately, this time it worked as my nerves quickly calmed.

'Get it together.'

Closing my eyes and taking another deep breath, I muttered inside of my mind.

'Status.'

Nothing.

My heart rate quickened.

'Status.'

I muttered once again.

Nothing.

Biting my lips I tried channeling my mana.

'Perhaps this might work.'

Again, nothing.

"Huuuu."

Anxiety suddenly struck me as my tows curled inwardly. My teeth started to chatter, and my eyes darted all over the room.

I was inside of a single bedroom appartment. It was a familiar place. One that I remember seeing in my memories and living in for over thirty-two years of my life.

A place that I thought I would never get to see again. My stomach churne .

'It…can't be…'

My head was numb.

Lowering my head and staring at my hands, the truth finally dawned on me.

I was back in my own world.

'No, no, no.'

I repeatedly muttered inside of my mind.

Denial.

I was in complete denial.

It couldn't be.

How could I have possibly come back here? Was everything I went through a lie?...Was everything really just a sick dream?

"Impossible!"

I shouted at the top of my lungs.

There was simply no way! Everything felt so clear. No one way did I want to believe that everything I had been through was a dream!

'Wait, what if this is all an illusion?'

Now that I thought about it, all of this happened as soon as I touched the red book. What if this scenario was merely an illusion I was trapped in?

Yes, it had to be that. I deluded myself.

'There must be something more about this situation than I'm making out.'

Staring at my desk in the distance, hope rekindled in my eyes.

"Ughh!"

I tried to sit up straight, but...

"Haaa...haaaa..."

Breathing heavily, I stared at the white ceiling of the room.

'Fuck, I forgot just how fat I was..."

Rolling around the ground, using my hands, struggling with all my might, I was eventually able to help myself up.

"Haaa..haa...haaa.."

But as I stood up, I noticed that almost all of my energy was gone. A nauseating feeling coursed through my head as I had to lean onto the side of the wall in order to keep my balance.

It took me a while to regain my energy.

Once I felt comfortable enough to once again move, I headed for my desk.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

A low thump sounded as my feet touched the ground. Trying my best to ignore it, I soon arrived before my desk. Moving the chair back, I sat on it.

Creak—

A familiar creaking sound reverberated throughout the room as soon as I sat on the chair. Ignoring it, I slowly opened my laptop and checked the date.

My hand which was holding onto the mouse paused. Shocked dyed my face.

"...Two days?"

'Only two days have passed since I died? ...This makes even less sense.'

The experiences I went through amounted to at least three years of my life. You're telling me that everything I went through, I experienced in just two days? Bullshit!

Click. Click.

Pressing onto the mouse, I moved the cursor around the screen and opened my novel page.

===

[The luminescent swordman]

===

Click.

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Chapter 399 : Preparations before the final battle [3]

Chapter 400 : The final battle [1]

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"...It's the same as I remember."

Those were indeed the last two chapters I uploaded before dying.

Click. Click.

Moving the cursor, I pressed onto the chapter and checked the comments.

===

Goodguy85 : Author I have a question. How come the demon king is trying to consume earth? You said it was because it would help him break through the limit, but why? Is he just trying to conquer the whole universe?

Roman : The more I read the more confused I am. Ugh, I can't wait for this to finish so that I can finally understand why Kevin acted so out of character in the previous chapter.

EB : I feel like there's something missing about this story. It's as though there should be something else. Some of the interactions and behaviors don't make sense.

Alekzi : Upload faster, take my money. I've got plenty of it!

Crocs : Thanks for the chapter.

--> Alekzi : I was first.

--> Crocs : No, me.

Weeaboo : Why no chapter? It's been two days.

===

"Haa..."

Covering my head with my hands, I leaned back on my chair.

"...What is happening?"

Everything was the same as it was in the past. Nothing changed. It truly did look as though I was back in my own world.

"But...but..."

The anxiety that I had been suppressing inside of me suddenly once against erupted out me as my stomach churned. My teeth chattered, and my leg tapped onto the ground repeatedly.

'No, no, no, this can't be happening. I refuse to believe it....no, no, no.'

"You'll be fine."

It was then that a voice suddenly rang from the corner of the room.

"Who?"

My head snapped towards my right side. Towards where the voice came from.

"Wha..t?"

My eyes opened wide and my body froze.

From the corner of the room, with an innocent smile on his face, a figure slowly appeared in my vision. Jet black hair, ocean blue eyes, it was a familiar figure.

He was someone that I knew all too well by now. Of course, how couldn't I know him?

"...Ren?"

He was none other than the person I transmigrated into.

The real Ren Dover.

***

In the vast and limitless expanse of mist and debris, the smell of blood lingered in the air as a powerful pressure bore down on the world from above. Torn houses and dead bodies littered the whole world as the color red dyed the atmosphere.

Boooom—!

With a loud explosion, one of the buildings suddenly collapsed.

"Emma!"

What followed after was a panicked voice as a black figure rushed down. But before he could arrive at the building, a voice suddenly sounded inside of the black figure's ears.

"Leave her be."

The voice was deep and devoid of any emotions.

"Shut up."

The black figure shouted. This obviously did not sit well with the voice inside of his ear as it coldly rebutted.

"What are you doing? You think she's more important than what we're doing?"

Despite the voice in his ears, the black figure promptly ignored the voice as it continued to dash towards the direction of where Emma crashed.

"Fucking useless!"

The other voice once coldly said.

Anger could vividly be felt in his voice as he spoke his words.

"What the fuck are you doing? Ignore her. She's baggage. What's more important is defeating the demon king!"

Despite the voice's words, the black figure continued to ignore it and searched for Emma amidst the rubble.

"...Kevin—"

The voice inside of his ears sounded again. Kevin tapped onto his ear and shut off the communication devices in his ear.

"Emma...Emma...Emma..."

Kevin desperately searched through the rubble. His face was pale and his eyes darting all over the place.

"Ukhh..."

Suddenly Kevin heard a faint groan coming from his right side. It was faint, but with his superhuman hearing, he was able to hear it. His eyes instantly lit up.

"Emma!"

Moving through the debris, Kevin soon saw a hand sticking out and he immediately reached for it.

Clasping the hand, he waved his hand, and all the debris around him pulverized revealing a beautiful figure.

Kevin's face dyed with joy once he saw Emma again, but that joy did not last for long.

With hazy eyes, Emma stared at the sky. Blood seeped from the side of her face. Her hair was disheveled and deep cuts appeared all over her figure. She was in a terrible state.

Sensing something, Emma's eyes rippled slightly.

"K...Kevin...is that you?"

Her voice was faint. So faint that it sounded like a mosquito buzz. Of course, this was no problem for Kevin as he leaned his head forward and weakly nodded his head.

"Yes..yes...it's me."

"I see..."

Emma smiled. It was a weak smile, but there was a look of relief in it. Kevin's heart sank when he saw this.

"You're going to be fine...you're going to be fine. I'm here."

Holding her into his arms, Kevin quickly reassured her.

"Here drink this."

He quickly fed her a potion.

Feeding the potion to her was quite a struggle as she was barely holding onto her consciousness, but he eventually managed to give her the whole drink.

Once Kevin fed her the potion, Emma's injuries started to heal at a visible rate. Relief appeared on Kevin's face once he saw this.

"...Huh?"

But that relief did not last for long as Emma's eyes suddenly sprung open widely.

"Ukhh!"

Emma's body suddenly started to convulse. Foam escaped from her mouth as her body trembled uncontrollably.

"Emma? Emma? Emma!"

Panic struck Kevin as he held her in his arms.

"What happened? I'm sure I fed her the right potion? How come her condition worsened!"

Taking another potion from his dimensional space, Kevin forcefully fed it to her, but it was all to no avail as her body continued to tremble. With her eyes wide open, staring at the sky, Emma's body continued to shake.

With each passing second, her condition seemed to worsen. Biting her lips, Kevin tapped onto the communication device in his ear.

"Just hold on Emma."

"...Ah"

But before he could even speak, with a weak sound, Emma's body suddenly stopped shaking. Kevin's face bleached. Extending his hand, with a trembling finger, he tried to feel her pulse.

"No...n...no...Do-don't leave me....no...please...."

Despite his many attempts at trying to feel her pulse, he felt nothing. She was dead.

Tears streamed down the side of his face as his body limped. He suddenly felt as though all the energy inside of his body had been drained from out of his body.

The world suddenly became gray.

"...It can't be. No...why?"

With Emma in his arms, pain flashed across his face as his body trembled uncontrollably. Then, raising his head and staring at the sky, towards the red mass in the far distance, Kevin screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Haaaaaaaa!"

His desperate and pained cry resounded through the whole world.

***

Inside of a tent, not far from where Kevin was.

A male stared at the panel displaying the battle that was ensuing. His eyes were devoid of any emotions. In fact, there was deep ruthlessness hidden within them.

Staring at Kevin who was mourning Emma's death, the male did not feel anything. Rather, there was a trace of disgust on his face.

Tapping onto his right ear to cut off the communication device, he took his eyes away from the screen.

"...How useless."

His emotionless voice rang through the room.

"You had one job, and one job only. Defeat the Demon King, yet, you let such emotions sway you. How many times does this make it?"

Deep disappointment flashed across his eyes as he stared at a small flask in his hand. It was a flask similar to the one that Kevin had fed Emma.

"...I wouldn't have had to resort to this if you hadn't been so compassionate, I hope her death can finally set your mind straight."

Putting the flask away, the male turned his attention back to the screen.

"No matter how important of a piece you are, a piece should act as a piece should act."

Lifting his head, the male sat down on a large chair and propped his face up with his arm.

"...I hope this will finally clear your head."