Barbarian in a Failed Game

325. The End of the World (3)

When he grasped the chaos. Unlike before, there were no memories of Earth, no loss of reason leading to a berserk state. Instead, his senses became sharper than ever before. No, they expanded beyond that.

Not only could he see Karyan’s true form, once obscured by chaos like dark clouds, but he also perceived the boundaries of the sanctuary surrounding him.

And even beyond that—

『Stop.』

Their gazes met. Outside the sanctuary, a being standing on the void monster that Karyan had sealed projected a spiritual voice along with the gaze.

『Stop.』

The voice, transcending even dimensions, was that of a woman all too familiar to Khan. It was dry, devoid of any vitality, starkly different from the voice that once brimmed with lofty pride and liveliness. It was the voice of the Sorceress Mortalia.

『Stop. It’s not too late to turn back.』

‘The God of Magic.’

She was practically a separate entity from the Sorceress who had become an apostle of the void.

Having become something beyond the confines of space and time, the Sorceress used this to contact a ‘version’ of herself from a specific cycle and severed the repetition of the world.

The administrator of the world—its laws—imposed two punishments for her actions. Firstly, the ancient era, filled with perilous variables like Karyan and the Sorceress, was brought to an end. The civilization that emerged anew became the present empire.

And… punishment was also inflicted on the Sorceress who had broken the world’s cycle.

The exact nature of the punishment was unknown. What was clear was that she led a faction, the successor of the Council of Truth she once belonged to, under the name ‘Apostle of Truth’ in this era.

‘How was it in the game?’

In the Midland Quest, the Apostle of Truth is the leader of the main villain faction but could also give beneficial quests to the player under certain conditions.

Sometimes, even as her subordinates were sacrificed, the Apostle of Truth herself would never appear. But in the current world, she was clearly taking a different path. Naturally, this was a change caused by his own actions as a possessor….

‘At this point, I’m really curious about her true objective.’

He had come this far to stop the God of Magic. Yet, her actions still left many questions. The question of whether she was truly moving according to the will of the laws.

As if seeking an answer to that question, he locked eyes with the God of Magic, but she soon averted her gaze. It felt as though she was telling him to confirm it himself.

Left seemingly alone again, Khan slowly surveyed his conscious domain. The chaos that had been lying dormant did not try to consume his mind as it did before. Rather, it clung to him as if it had been waiting for this moment from the beginning.

‘I see….’

For the first time, facing the chaos within directly, he realized.

‘I’ve been doing something foolish.’

Karyan had said. Khan came from beyond the void. The apostle of the void, Mortalia, had also said the same. She had claimed that it was she who summoned him from beyond the void.

And Alpha, whom Khan encountered in the demonic realm of the Argon Kingdom, had sent a psychic wave of sorts, suggesting a sense of kinship to Khan. All the clues pointed to one thing.

‘From the beginning, this chaos was mine.’

It wasn’t something the barbarian Gordi Khan from Hoarfrost Gorge possessed; it was something he held as a possessor. Moreover, the term ‘chaos’ itself was a misnomer.

Void and chaos—people saw these two concepts as separate. In reality, they were not. If the void was the universe that contained the world of Midland, chaos was the origin of the world.

It made sense that Karyan’s chaos negated Khan’s ash-gray power from the moment it was unleashed. Compared to the vast concept of the world, human will was as insignificant as dust.

But now, things were different.

‘Chaos is merging with the ash-gray power.’

The two forces, once divided like water and oil, had become one. However, neither dominated the other. The ash-gray power Khan possessed coexisted and merged with the chaos. Realizing this, Khan recognized another fact.

‘It’s certain. I’ve become a God.’

He had moved from an ambiguous state, teetering on the edge, to fully ascending to godhood. As evidence, the divine name that surfaced in his mind brought a bitter smile to his lips.

He had never imagined receiving such a divine name. He was unsure how divine names were even bestowed. Even looking at Karyan, wasn’t he more suited to a divine name like the God of Ruffians than the Warrior God?

“Isn’t that right?”

“I don’t know what you’re implying, but I can tell it’s a highly disrespectful question. You insolent descendant.”

Karyan, who had been quietly observing, responded bluntly to Khan’s words, now accustomed to his divine senses.

“Can’t read my thoughts anymore, can you?”

“I never could read them well because of that damned chaos. Though I could roughly infer them…”

Not anymore. Karyan’s voice lacked the spiritual resonance characteristic of divinity. It wasn’t because he had withdrawn his power. It was because Khan’s status had risen to be on the same level as his.

“Your previous form wasn’t too bad. At least you didn’t look too unpleasant.”

“You brat.”

“Just kidding.”

Karyan had long since reverted from his red giant form to his usual self. The image of the red giant still lingered like a backdrop, but it was just that—a background.

The sanctuary had returned to its original temple form, and Karyan, seemingly no longer intent on fighting, slowly walked up to Khan.

“Consider the trial passed. At the very least, you’ve reached an equal standing. You won’t die a meaningless death.”

“Is it that strong?”

“Well…”

Karyan trailed off. The mere sight of Karyan, usually so armed with near-mad narcissism, hesitating to answer was a sufficient response.

“At the very least, if you can’t control chaos, you wouldn’t stand a chance. That’s also why I didn’t send you out.”

“Because I wouldn’t have stood a chance anyway? Then, what if I hadn’t been able to control chaos to the end?”

“We’d all be dead, and that would be it.”

He said it like that, but Khan felt he understood Karyan’s true intention.

‘He would have stepped in himself.’

Without even ascending to divinity, the actions of a man who had wielded supreme power within the world and sealed a void monster by imprisoning himself in the sanctuary spoke volumes.

“Is the Sorceress the only problem? Not at all. It looks like the God of Death was crushed by your hand, but the God of Light is just as tricky. At least in terms of being hard to kill… you could say they’re the pinnacle.”

“Even for our great Warrior God, is it impossible?”

“Who said it was impossible? It’s just a hassle. But… before dealing with the biggest issue, the God of Magic, we need to handle the external problem as well.”

“The external problem?”

Khan expanded his senses at Karyan’s words. Beyond the sanctuary—beyond Hoarfrost Gorge, past Northland, and all the way to the eastern continent where the Great Demonic Realm was located.

For the first time, his senses picked up on something. It was a land so saturated with chaos that his advancing perception hesitated.

‘That’s the Great Demonic Realm.’

In the game, he had seen the Great Demonic Realm hundreds of times. But seeing it in reality for the first time was a different experience. The sight of the Great Demonic Realm was nauseatingly horrific.

An immeasurable amount of death prevailed, and void monsters with no clear purpose roamed everywhere. The ground was stained with human flesh, blood, and chaos, losing its original color and becoming murky.

In the sky, lost souls screamed, and some force above sucked them in.

‘That is….’

It was like a black hole had opened in the sky. Souls being drawn into it screamed in agony, likely because they had felt firsthand the terror of whatever lay within that hole in life.

『Submit to chaos.』

As he stared straight at the black hole, a voice from the entity beyond it echoed. It wasn’t a voice imbued with clear intent. It was just residual thoughts repeating the same words like a recording.

Despite that, a faint headache began. The black hole’s gravitational pull was tugging at Khan’s soul.

『Not a chance.』

A sardonic smile curled on Khan’s face as he fortified the mental barriers in his mind. Despite his words, the pull had been quite bothersome before he had ascended to godhood.

‘For an ordinary human… their soul would be ripped out alive.’

Without hesitation, Khan cast his consciousness into the black hole.

『Insolent.』

The Arch Demon, recognizing the presence of the audacious intruder, greeted Khan immediately.

『Another rebellious entity refusing to conform has appeared….』

Khan grinned as he took in the Arch Demon’s appearance. It was much like the creature he had seen in the game, a slime-covered monstrosity engulfed in brimstone. The only difference was the newly sprouted maw near what was presumed to be its head.

The demon was absorbing the souls it sucked in through that maw, feeding its body and bringing it closer to a fully realized form.

『You will be no different. Like the two insects who dared to attempt an ascension the heavens did not permit. You will conform to the laws.』

“You won’t be dealing with me, they will.”

Khan, raising his middle finger, snarled at the threatening creature before pulling his consciousness out of the black hole. His consciousness then delved deeper into the Great Demonic Realm. Finding the person he sought was not difficult.

They had been connected even before he fully ascended to godhood.

‘So this is how it feels. The connection between a God and an apostle….’

The spiritual connection extended beyond the walls of the dimension. This was how divine gods could project their power onto earthly apostles and believers.

Faith, as an emotion, was firmer and more resolute than anything else. Finally, following the spiritual connection, Khan reached his apostle and summoned his holy power.

“Maya.”

***

“… My lord?”

Maya shuddered and turned her head. Somehow, she thought she had heard Khan’s voice. It was impossible for her to hear Khan’s voice here, and yet, Maya couldn’t dismiss it as an illusion.

Unlike other divine apostles, she had never been able to directly hear the voice of her God, as she was merely a half-formed apostle. But she was undeniably Khan’s sole believer, his paladin, and his apostle.

‘My lord…’

Even now, Maya felt Khan’s gaze upon her. Yet, direct communication remained beyond her reach. This was likely because she was still an inexperienced apostle.

So then, what was she to do?

The answer came to Maya naturally. There was only one way for a God and an apostle to connect. Quietly, she closed her eyes and focused intensely on Khan’s presence. Instinctively, a divine name brushed through her mind.

‘God of Victory.’

That was the divine title bestowed upon Khan, who had newly ascended to godhood.