My Divine Diary Chapter 762

Chapter 762

—

– Elena

Right after entering the ‘post-apocalyptic world’ through the door prepared by the hotel, Mr. Kain muttered.

“There’s no time gap.”

“Ah-choo! What’s with this air – huh?”

“As you may recall, the last post-apocalyptic world was 57 years after the creation of paradise.”

That was what So-yeon had told Mr. Kain before.

“Oh, I remember.”

“Right now, it’s just after the cutoff of observations. If you look at those dark clouds in the sky—”

Before the explanation could finish, Jincheol hurriedly interrupted.

“Then, doesn’t that mean there are still surviving companions? Who’s alive?”

If there were companions who were alive just before the cutoff, the probability of them still being alive now is pretty high.

Checking the location information for Mr. Kain’s companions should give us the answer.

“Mi-ro is nearby. Let’s retrieve him immediately.”

Just before taking a step, I felt a heavy sensation on my shoulder and inadvertently said, “Pero.”

— Beep?

“Why did you just get in now?”

You could’ve entered earlier and helped the others, you know? Usually, you’d enter with Songee to lend a hand.

— Beep!

“Ouch! Don’t bite me.”

Somehow, the ever-growing and hardening beak gave my ear a little pinch.

Mr. Kain burst into laughter as he saw me and Pero.

“Let’s head out right away.”

*

About 10 minutes later, we successfully reunited with two companions.

“Mi-ro!”

“Ah! Kain, you’re here! You came to rescue me, right? I was really worried about being left alone…”

Clearly, I was the one who spoke first, but Mi-ro was only welcoming Mr. Kain without looking my way.

I mean, too direct a display of emotions can be a little embarrassing sometimes.

Is this how the American kids today act?

… Nah, Mi-ro isn’t a ‘today’s kid’ anyway.

Jincheol, wearing his usual indifferent expression, approached Seungyub, who was lying on the ground.

“Seungyub, you’re still alive? I thought you were dead.”

“Hyung… I feel like I’m gonna die soon.”

“Hmm, you’re in pretty bad shape.”

His skin was pale, his gaze dull, and he couldn’t even keep his body steady.

Seungyub’s condition was far from normal.

Could he be suffering from some awful disease?

“I’m half dead already. The moment I heard that strange voice mixed with a drumbeat from the sky, I fell over—”

“Drumbeat? Strange voice?”

At that exact moment.

— Dong! Dong! Dong!

A massive drumbeat echoed from the sky.

Mi-ro looked up at the sky with eyes filled with terror.

— Come forth!

A thunderous voice, mixed with the sound of galloping hooves.

The pitch-black night sky completely devoid of light was distinct with a glaring white figure.

A white horse, with a pale figure riding on top.

— Know that pain is soon sweetness.

A voice cursing the entire world.

In the next instant, my breath quickened.

All strength left my body, making it difficult to even think straight.

The power of the plague was engulfing me.

… My legs gave out.

“Elena! No!”

*

When I regained consciousness, I realized that a furry beast was carrying me.

Pero – or more accurately, Grotesque.

This fact was a bit disappointing since I secretly hoped that Mr. Kain would be the one carrying me.

Of course, this wasn’t really the right situation for that.

Mr. Kain looked like he was struggling to hold his own weight too.

“You’re awake.”

“Right now—”

“Elena passed out for about 10 minutes just now.”

“What about the drum sounds?”

“It was likely one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, or something similar. Very… high-tier chaotic entity, capable of exercising power over the whole world.”

“…”

A chaotic entity that could spread plagues across the world with just a few words appeared.

If we go by the concept of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, I guess the next in line would be War and Famine?

And of course, Death would be the last.

I had a thought at that moment.

“If we’re going in order, then the last one will probably be…”

“The Harbinger of Death.”

“…”

“When that time comes, it will genuinely be the end. It will probably kill us without us being able to understand or resist. I feel like we need to do something before that…”

When the Harbinger of Death appears, it’s all over.Ch𝒆êck out l𝒂t𝒆st 𝒏𝒐v𝒆l𝒔 on nov𝒆l/bin(.)c𝒐m

Can we even get a result that allows us to escape before that?

“Cough!”

“Don’t think too much. That’s exhausting.”

“… Are you okay, Kain?”

“The only okay ones are Jincheol and Mi-ro. Oh, and Pero seems fine too.”

— Grrr! Gruk!

“Just because you’re strong doesn’t mean we’re weak? It’s ridiculous to go down to this level of strength?”

“… Can you really understand what Pero is saying?”

“Of course.”

— Thud!

“I’m not so sure? Seems like he’s getting mad.”

While having this pointless conversation, I noticed Mr. Kain definitely didn’t look well.

He at least walked on two feet, so he was a bit better than me, but barely so.

He clearly showed signs of fatigue from just taking a walk for about 10 minutes.

“Ugh… I wish I had Courage and Unchanging Blessing right now. Mi-ro and Jincheol look fine though.”

I was starting to feel too tired to even talk.

“… Is Seungyub alright? He’s probably not strong enough to withstand the plague.”

Mr. Kain’s next words caught me by surprise.

“He should be fine. We only have to worry about ourselves.”

He didn’t seem to be worried about Seungyub at all.

“Huh… Hyung!”

Jincheol appeared when I called out to him.

“What? Oh, Elena has woken up. Are you okay?”

“Let’s just take a quick break here.”

“You moved just 10 minutes, and now you’re saying it’s a big issue? This is bad.”

Without wasting a moment, Jincheol lifted Mr. Kain with one arm while grabbing Seungyub with the other.

… Mi-ro was riding piggyback.

“Didn’t you just say Mi-ro is fine?”

“Really, Elena? You might fall apart if we walk too long!”

“…”

Jincheol spoke with a wry smile.

“This one’s light, so it’s fine. Let’s find a place to catch our breath in that building over there.”

Soon, we managed to lean against a spot where we could finally lay down our bodies.

Once again, my consciousness began to fade.

I could see Mr. Kain giving Jincheol some instructions.

Then, Jincheol worriedly glanced at us before heading off somewhere with Mi-ro and Grotesque.

Only the three of us, who had been afflicted by the plague’s power, remained.

“Ah…”

“Elena, don’t force yourself to stay awake. Get some more sleep.”

Soon, my consciousness faded away.

*

User: Han Kain (Wisdom)

Date: Day 44

Current Location: Room 302, The Curse Room – ‘Brave New World’

Sage’s Advice: 2

—

– Han Kain

“…”

Right after my words, the blonde girl collapsed like a fainting goat.

She couldn’t resist the power of the plague at all.

I wasn’t in a position to criticize though, as I was barely hanging on myself due to the pain.

But this wasn’t really the time for that.

Because Seungyub was right next to me.

“Kain.”

The boy, looking weary, approached me.

“…”

“Ugh… This is really tough. I feel like I’m going to pass out…”

“…”

“Are you okay? You seem like it’s tough for you too—”

“I’m tired, so let’s stop here.”

“…”

“We sent out the ones who were fine, and Elena has passed out. It’s just the two of us left, so let’s stop the jokes here.”

Soon, a pale light began to flicker in Seungyub’s eyes.

“Truly, you have an unusual ability. How did you see through this so quickly? Your actions seemed pretty decent too.”

“Curious about that?”

“Very curious.”

“The feathers of twilight contain your power in large quantities. When the feather was destroyed, Seungyub was right next to me. Fragments should have been able to flow in a bit. And…”

“And?”

“… This situation is a huge crisis for us, but it likely isn’t enjoyable for you either. I felt you would intervene in some way.”

Sounds of pain, lamentations, despair, and wailing surrounded us continuously.

The fate of this world was being dragged down.

The chaotic entities sealed by the Administration Bureau were now getting their freedom, and the gates of hell have opened.

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are just part of it.

Such a situation wouldn’t be welcome even by a god that loves humanity.

In fact, the most reliable proof was the status window.

Companion Location Information

1. Park Seungyub: —

The — sign indicating death appeared.

Of course, I had no intention of saying this to him.

The boy, or rather ‘the great one’ who heard thus, smiled.

“You are indeed meticulous and alert. I have never encountered anyone like you before.”

“No need to flatter me—”

“However, with such talent, you have only sought to fulfill your own desires?”

“…”

“You must have gained wealth, but haven’t you thought of doing some good for the world at least once?”

“…”

It’s always uncomfortable talking to Grey’s Son; it feels like I’m the villain, and this deranged god is the hero in this exchange.

“Speaking of which, didn’t you create this game?”

“It’s my responsibility?”

“The hotel said it like this: the wise create a board on which all win, and the foolish create a board on which all lose.”

“Haha! That’s quite a statement.”

“At first, I thought you were referring to So-yeon, but it appears I was mistaken.”

“That poor child didn’t create the board. She only got swept along.”

“You’re the one who created the board. The foolish one who crafted a situation where everyone loses.”

Even after hearing the hotel’s assessment of him as the ‘foolish one,’ he appeared entirely unfazed.

“Well, that foolishness is merely the perspective of your patron.”

“He symbolizes wisdom.”

“Who says? Did he say that himself? A sparrow acting knowledgeable about everything?”

“…”

“If I call him a sparrow, does he become one?”

“… That’s true.”

“Then if he calls me a fool, does it mean I’m a foolish one?”

As the power of the plague began to invade my body, I was growing weary even of this wordplay.

“What brings you here?”

The Son of Dawn shrugged.

“As you said, this situation isn’t pleasing to me either. So I just came here to provide a bit of help.”

Soon, the Son of Dawn lightly grabbed my and Elena’s hands.

An incomprehensible divine energy wrapped around us, making me feel the power of the plague starting to dissipate.

The horrific pain began to subside, and my body felt lighter.

“Remember why you desired my salvation.”

“…”

“I think that’s good enough.”

With a grin, the boy began the process of leaving Seungyub.

Before he vanished, I wanted to ask him one last question.

It wasn’t so much about the Son of Dawn, but rather a question I’d often wanted to ask a prisoner at some point.

“… You.”

“Do you have anything more to say?”

“What do you think the meaning of all this is?”

For the first time, he showed a strange reaction.

“What?”

“There’s no end. Not for me, and not for you either. If we escape, the pain the world feels may pause for a moment, but it’s merely the beginning of the next round.”

“…”

“Why do you block us? Even if we lost to you, what would change? Another contender would simply replace us.”

“Perhaps.”

“You cannot win forever. Eventually, you will lose, and at that moment, all your dreams will end.”

“…”

“When those who cry for the fate of the three thousand worlds gather, your destiny has been decided. Yet—”

At that moment, the Son of Dawn looked at me with a very complex expression.

His next words came out almost like a lament.

“This is the root of your malignity.”

“What did you say?”

“Why do you only see the final outcome? Just because your doom is assured, do you view every prior happiness as meaningless?”

“…”

“You, regardless of whether it’s you or the next participant, will ultimately return to nothingness someday. But until I am defeated, billions upon billions of mortals can enjoy countless years of happiness. That’s what I intend to do. Why should that be meaningless?”

“…”

“This is the source of your malignity. This, the ancient thought that turned you into the devil. You could be enjoying happiness right now; you could be reveling in wealth while fostering the prosperity of your kin!”

“…”

“Out of fear for an unimaginable far future, you’ve driven the current world to ruin…”

“Though it’s an unimaginable future, it is inevitable. And that’s why we’ve tried to overcome it.”

“You are truly like the one you serve. Now I understand why the Buddha has taken you in. Know that this is not a compliment.”

“…”

Such statements prompted various thoughts in my mind.

All at once, I found myself thinking that the Son of Dawn was truly a great one in some sense.

“Just now, you truly sounded like a great one.”

“Not like a great one, you are speaking to a great one.”

“Now that you’ve imparted such a lesson, I may end up worshiping you in the next round.”

Half-jokingly, half-seriously throwing that out there.

To my surprise, the other party’s reaction was somewhat cynical.

“This very conversation is meaningless.”

“Hmm?”

“You’re pretending to consider my words, but in reality, you haven’t changed at all. No matter how many times you reincarnate, will a rooted malignancy such as yours disappear with just a few of my words?”

“…”

“I’ve learned my own lesson from you. There are indeed humans who can never be saved in this world. I am kinder than the god you serve; I have no intention of creating a hell. However, if I were to create a hell, I would assure a seat in it for you.”

With that, the Son of Dawn disappeared.