Last words

Axel hurriedly reached out and opened the book.

“This kid… If you are reading this book, it means I am dead.”

Axel stiffened as he read the first sentence.

“I don’t want you to be involved. The life of a Challenger is extremely dangerous. I did my best to fight and clear as many dungeon floors as I could. The Tower of Erase hasn’t unleashed its terror on the human world yet, but once it does, 70% of the population will be ‘erased’.”

Erased…?

“I just want you to know this is not the life I wanted for you. I live every day imagining my baby brother graduating from college, living the life of an artist that you always wanted.”

Axel’s finger subconsciously touched this sentence. A slight, gentle breeze blew on his face. With a snap, a heavy, overwhelming feeling possessed him. Axel looked up in surprise.

Sitting a few steps away from him was his brother. His left leg was missing. Blood continued to flow from his side. His other hand was holding onto his stomach, where the unbelievable amount of blood was coming from.

Surrounding Nyx were the dead bodies of challengers like him. Axel’s eyes widened.

He… he recognized these people. Most of them were Nyx’s loyal friends. They had been with him for nine years and had never left his side.

Why were they lying lifeless around him?

What exactly was going on? Didn’t Nyx die on a dungeon floor because he insisted on challenging the 50th floor by himself?

“Nyx, sorry. But we need you dead,” a man murmured. He bent down to pick up Nyx’s sword and struck his heart mercilessly.

“Wha—wha…?” Axel was too stunned to speak.

“Nyx!!!” He forced his weakened legs to stand up and run to his brother’s side. But when he tried to touch him, Axel’s hand only passed through Nyx’s body.

“Wha—what?!” Axel gritted his teeth and reached out once more. But he could not touch anything except thin air.

The whole room was blazing with fire. It was impossible for Nyx to leave with his legs impaled. The man who just stabbed Nyx, Axel remembered him very well.

He was the man who did not stop shedding tears at Axel’s side. He’s the one who handed Nyx’s ashes to him and patted his back for a while.

Axel growled. The man could not see him. His eyes were glued to Nyx. He laughed heartily before he turned around, summoning the other surviving teammates to leave the dungeon room.

A total of twenty people left Nyx in the burning dungeon room to die. Axel soon shivered, seeing the last person that left.

It was his instructor!

He could not forget that man’s back. That was the last image he saw before he died, that terrible and excruciating pain that smashed his insides. Axel was shaking all over.

So this man… not only watched my brother die and did nothing to help him, but he also watched me suffer and die unreasonably.

Axel had looked at this instructor’s face many times. There was not a trace of humane emotion in his eyes. There was only an indifferent gaze that seemed to say, ‘Ah, this powerless trash.’

A soft, gentle wind blew, and in an instant, the world plunged into shadows. It seemed time had stopped. Only Nyx and Axel moved in the space. The monstrous fire that cornered Nyx stopped in mid-air.

At once, Nyx’s expression tightened. His bloodied face wore a guarded expression, as if he were looking at an enemy.

A figure emerged from the shadows. It was the petite woman Axel had seen a few minutes ago!

“Wh—why are you here?” Nyx asked. His voice was too hoarse and low. It was obvious he had a hard time speaking.

The woman did not speak; she just bent down and flicked his hair. A black mark was engraved on Nyx’s forehead. It was a symbol of the Tower.

“The Tower placed its ‘erase’ mark on you. You’re as good as dead,” she said simply. Her expression remained indifferent even though Nyx was dying right in front of her. Her actions showed no sign she was willing to help.

Instead, she snapped her fingers, and an identical book floated in front of Nyx, oddly similar to the book Axel was holding in his hands right now.

“Write your last words.”

Nyx dumbly stared at the magical empty book. When he looked up, she was gone. Axel also did not notice when she had left.

Soon, Nyx’s light chuckle floated in his ear.

“Brother, are you okay?” Despite knowing Nyx could not hear him, Axel still squatted down beside him.

Axel examined his brother’s leg. At the part where it was cut, Axel could see the white bone beneath the skin, muscle, human flesh, and overflowing bright red blood.

When he caught a glimpse of Nyx’s bleeding stomach, he noticed a mangled flesh that was forcibly stuffed by Nyx’s arm. It took him quite some time to realize it was innards.

Nyx’s internal organs were on the verge of spilling out, and he was holding them together just by his arm.

The reason for Nyx’s chuckle was that he had started leaving his last words. He encrypted the words he was not able to say to his brother he left behind.

For the first time, Axel saw his brother shed tears.

The first legendary Challenger.

The leader of the strongest guild.

The man who did not falter or back away from any obstacles he had to overcome finally shed tears in the face of death. Not because of fear, but because he was sad he had to leave his younger brother behind.

Axel’s heart was wrenched into numerous pieces when he saw what his brother pictured in his mind.

What his goal was.

It was Axel’s safety and happiness.