“Damn you...!” Chronos growled in fury after realizing that he was trapped in an entirely different realm. “Where are you going in such a hurry? Do you have an important meeting or something?” Siegfried sneered while smirking. “Was it you who trapped me in here? You dare? You dare imprison me, Chronos, the Harbinger of Death?” Chronos growled, clenching his teeth and seething with rage. “Well, technically... You’re not Death itself, right?” “Stop acting all high and mighty when you’re nothing but a copy. You’re nothing more than a manifestation of one of the universe’s laws—Death. That doesn’t make you Death itself.” “You insolent mortal...!” “If you’re really Death, then start acting like you are. Don’t run away with your tail tucked between your legs like a coward. I got secondhand embarrassment from watching you, y’know?” “I’m going to kill you. I’m going to tear you apart!” Chronos was absolutely blinded by rage. He was so furious that he swung his scythe wildly. However, Siegfried was not someone who would fall for such attacks. He immediately cast Embrace of Despair and amplified it with Discharge. Then, he used Absolute Zero to shred Chronos’ Movement Speed. “D-Damn... you...!” Chronos cursed through gritted teeth. He found himself floundering after being slowed down by the debilitating debuffs. Normally, he would not be affected this badly by the debuffs, but this was the World of Despair. The World of Despair was ruled entirely by the Lord of Despair, Siegfried. Not even Chronos, the Incarnation of Death, was safe as long as he was within the Lord of Despair’s domain. Well, it didn't mean that the Blue Knight of Death was completely helpless. Chronos, with sheer force of will, forced himself out of the slowing debuffs and lunged at Siegfried. He swung his scythe with all of his might, but Siegfried effortlessly dodged it. The title "Pesky Brat," which had been inactive for quite a while now, flashed above Siegfried’s head. The title granted Siegfried an explosive increase in his Movement Speed in return for receiving increased damage. Siegfried instantly widened the distance between them and hurled aura blades infused with freezing energy at Chronos to refresh the slowing debuffs on the knight. “You damn slippery rat!” Chronos roared in frustration. “Oh! Thanks for the compliment! Tee-hee!” Siegfried grinned from ear to ear and flashed a punchable face as he continued to evade the scythe with ease. “Y-You...You little...!” Chronos gnashed his teeth and burned with fury, but there was nothing he could do. Catching Siegfried inside the World of Despair while "Pesky Brat" was active was impossible. Thus, the battle turned into a game of chase where Chronos was utterly humiliated. No matter how much he swung his scythe, he couldn’t even graze Siegfried. Finally, the World of Despair dissipated. “I knew it! There’s no way you could maintain such a dimension forever! I got you now, you wretch!” “I’m going to kill you!” Chronos growled, still seething with fury. He turned to Siegfried and was about to finish him off when his eyes widened in shock. Standing before him was none other than the Incarnation of Life, Terra. “Oh well, I guess I can take a break now.” Siegfried sat on the ground and leaned against a rock. He had done his part to buy time until Terra descended, so there was nothing more for him to do. “Kyuuu! Good job, owner punk!” Hamchi exclaimed, scurrying over and handing him a warm towel. “Yeah, I really worked hard, didn’t I?” Siegfried said with a smirk. He had absolutely no strength left. Fighting the Incarnation of Death, Chronos in a prolonged battle was exhausting enough, but running around inside the World of despair completely drained him both physically and mentally. He hadn't taken any damage the entire time, which was precisely the reason he was so exhausted. He had to make sure the scythe did not even graze him, nor did their weapons clash. It was all because he would die. Thus, he spent over an hour and a half running around for dear life, and this pushed both his body and mind to their absolute limits. He dodged every single attack as if he was playing dodgeball, and the sheer mental strain could only be described as excruciating. But now, it was over... ‘I did my part. And it’s finally over,’ Siegfried thought while watching Terra, who descended into Brunhilde’s body. She was standing before Chronos, which meant that Siegfried had already done his part. All that was left for him to do was to watch what was going to happen next. “You miserable bitch.” The first words out of Chronos’ mouth upon seeing Terra were filled with malice. However, Terra did not seem to be offended at all by his hostility. “Do you have some grudge against me? Why are you getting in my way again?” “Getting in your way? I never did anything like that,” Terra replied with a shrug. “What?!” Chronos roared in anger. “If anyone’s interfering here, it’s you. You’re the one who keeps extinguishing the flames of life, not me.” “I am Death. I am merely doing what I must.” “And I am Life. I am also doing my duty.” “Silence! It is my duty to snuff out the flames of life that you ignite! Why do you insist on standing in my way?!” Chronos roared in fury. “Because you keep extinguishing them before their time is up.” As the incarnations of life and death, Terra and Chronos were polar opposites, and they were destined to struggle against each other eternally. ‘Is this what Yin and Yang look like?’ Siegfried found himself intrigued by their conflict. The two were like fire and water, darkness and light, or oil and water. Life and death were two forces that could never truly mix. They were destined to clash for eternities without any compromise, fated to be locked in an endless battle where neither could ever concede. ‘So this is the cycle of life and death...’ Siegfried thought while observing their exchange. “Let’s put an end to all of this,” Terra said. “What do you mean by that?” Chronos asked. “Let’s return to nothingness.” “You know the truth, too, don’t you? We were never meant to exist beyond the beginning of creation. We should have merged naturally into this world long ago.” “Shut up! Why should I abandon my—!” “You claim to be the incarnation of a universal law, yet you refuse to abide by the very same laws you claim to be?” “Come with me,” Terra said, stepping forward. “S-Stay back! Get away from me, you bitch!” Chronos shrieked. He attempted to flee, but it was too late. Terra had already wrapped her arms around him, embracing him from behind. “N-No! I don’t want to!” “We will dissolve into this world... together.” “Let me go! I said, let me go!” Chronos thrashed violently, his voice turning from anger into desperation, but it was futile. “Stop embarrassing yourself. It’s time to go.” “Shut up! I’m not going! Not until I kill the Creator of this world!” “Give up. It’s over,” Terra said. Then, she held him firmly and added, “Let’s go in peace.” With those final words— —Terra and Chronos shone. One glowed red while the other glowed blue. Their forms shimmered as they slowly merged into one. “E-Eh?! What the hell?! Why are they fusing?!” Siegfried shrieked, shocked by the scene unfolding before his eyes. He expected them to start fighting, but instead of that, Terra and Chronos merged into one. However, their fusion was not the birth of a new entity, but rather, it was their dissolution into nothingness. The moment they combined, their forms dissolved into particles. What remained of them was dispersed by the wind, vanishing without a trace. As if they never existed in the first place... Thus, the Incarnations of Life and Death disappeared into the world itself, forever fading into the fabric of this world. Just like life and death, they would always linger in the world after finally becoming one with this world. Brunhilde collapsed to the ground. Siegfried, who had been watching in stunned silence, instantly rushed over to her side. ‘Ah, thank goodness. She just fainted,’ he let out a sigh of relief after realizing that she just fainted. The aftermath of having a being like Terra in her body most likely drained her, but fortunately, her life was not in any danger. Just as he sighed in relief— [Alert: You have defeated the Blue Knight of Death: Chronos!] A notification popped up in front of his eyes. [Alert: Congratulations!] [Alert: Due to your efforts, the Incarnation of Death and the Incarnation of Life have fused and have fully assimilated into this world!] [Alert: With this, the final chapter of this world’s genesis has come to an end!] [Alert: You have accomplished a great achievement that even the Creator could not achieve!] [Alert: Achievement Unlocked!] [Alert: You have obtained the achievement – Genesis Closer!] A flood of notifications covered his vision. A ray of divine light pierced through the stormy clouds and shone down upon Siegfried. [Alert: The Creator has blessed you!] [Alert: You have received the Creator’s Blessing!] “What... the hell was that?” Siegfried muttered. Then, he frowned after seeing no changes even after receiving the Creator’s Blessing, which sounded like an amazing buff. If the Creator of the world Himself had blessed him, then it ought to be something amazing, but... ‘Is this some sort of honorary title?’ Since there was no way to confirm its effects, Siegfried decided to just think of it as an honorary title without any benefits. Now that the crisis in the Northern Great Rift was averted, the four calamities threatening the world had been finally put to rest. Even the former Chief Archangel, Michael, had deemed it impossible to stop Chronos, but even that insurmountable crisis had been overcome. Of course, many threats still lurked in this world. “Great job,” Siegfried said to Cheon Woo-Jin. Cheon Woo-Jin shrugged and replied, “It was nothing.” “Thank you for your hard work,” Siegfried said with a bow to Beowulf. “Not at all. You were the one who put in the real effort. Running around all over the place... I can’t imagine how exhausted you must be right now.” “Hahaha...” Siegfried let out an awkward laugh while scratching the back of his head. Then, he said, “Come on, things would not have gone so smoothly if it was not for you.” “I will be counting on you from here on out too. Ah, shall we meet up in real life sometime soon?” “Well... I have some personal matters, so meeting offline is a bit difficult right now. But maybe we could meet someday if the opportunity arises.” “I will be waiting then,” Siegfried replied with a bright smile. However, beneath the friendly smile were completely opposite thoughts. ‘This bastard is just making excuses,’ Siegfried thought. He strongly suspected that Beowulf was the Master, the leader of the Illuminati. No matter what Beowulf said, Siegfried couldn’t help but find him to be suspicious. ‘Just you wait. I’m going to get to the bottom of this and reveal who you really are.’ Even while smiling on the surface, Siegfried remained suspicious of Beowulf. He was not a hundred percent certain that Beowulf was the Master, so for now, he needed to observe him for a bit longer until he uncovered undeniable proof. “I’m going to head out now. Let’s go, Hamchi.” Carrying Brunhilde in his arms, Siegfried turned around and left. ‘I hope that punk is doing all right. Just wait a bit longer; I’m coming to save you, Metatron,’ he thought. His first priority once he returned to the Proatine Kingdom’s royal palace was to check on Metatron. Now that the Blue Knight of Death had been dealt with, it was time to help his loyal servant. All Siegfried could do right now was hope for the best, as saving Metatron would no longer be possible if the latter was already dead.