Beyond the Eternity

"Shit! Shit! Shit! If I'd known this was coming, I would've spent my coins wisely and bought a decent skill," Park Joonhyuk cursed under his breath.

Despite the strange tone of his grumbling, he didn't slow his relentless sprint and picked up the pace instead. With Angelica clinging to his back, he tore down the alleyway at full speed.

He knew he was being pursued by an enemy who could fly, which made him an easy target in any open space. That's why he decided to run along an enclosed space where he couldn't be spotted easily.

He could run faster, but something was holding him back.

The issue wasn't Angelica's weight, his physical stats were high enough so he could manage that much. The main problem was that the enemy knew he was carrying an extra weight.

With this woman, things has become tricky. If I was by myself, I would have created clones of myself using the Devil Arcana and scattered them in all directions.

But that bastard knows I'm carrying this woman, so even if I do that, he would just ignore them and continue looking for me since I'm carrying this woman.

As such, I would have to create several clones using puppet creation and duplicate. Then change the appearances of the puppets to match this woman and scatter them apart.

That way I can create enough time for me to create distance. But that guy's hunting speed is no joke. It's ridiculous. It's as if he can appear at multiple places at once.

It wasn't just a metaphor. The disaster known as Keikoku Amane slaughtered Park Joonhyuk's clones so swiftly that it seemed as if he was everywhere at once.

It was an unreasonable strength that nobody should be able to reach at this stage.

"Tch."

Upon realizing the severity of the situation, Park Joonhyuk clicked his tongue in frustration. His mind which was already chaotic spiraled further into disarray.

He's not after me, he's after her—the one who can negate his Antimatter. If I leave her behind, there's a chance he'll stop chasing me.

The thought gnawed at him. Was abandoning her the right decision? Of course, he would consider it.

He had no connection to the woman named Angelica, and he wouldn't hesitate to throw her to the wolves if it could ensure his survival. The one person who could have stopped him was dead now. No, he wouldn't have to even think about this if that person were still alive.

But he wasn't. That person was gone, plain and simple. Even so, it was hard to accept that he had died so easily. Maybe there had been a plan he wasn't aware of.

Regardless, Park Joonhyuk was no hero. to begin with, he wasn't even a decent human being.

That much was indisputable. He had callously disregarded the lives of everyone in Seoul by trying to summon the Unknown God which resulted in the descent of a Disaster in hopes of building his <Theme> and now, he was selfish enough to contemplate running away when things had turned against him.

Many people lost the ones they loved because of him. If he hadn't made that wish, maybe they would still be alive. However, Park Joonhyuk hadn't developed a human heart or conscience to think about such possibilities.

He possessed the cunning of a 'devil' and the selfishness of a 'reader'.

He was both a devil and a reader, yet both of them were true.

Even though he was a terrible human being that would ever walked this earth, he would be a fool if he abandoned Angelica.

Firstly, there was no guarantee that person would let him escape. He was fast enough to eliminate multiple of his clones at once, so he would definitely be fast enough to kill Angelica and then him in a split second.

Secondly, there was absolutely no way that bastard would let him escape. Since they were given the role of stopping the corruption, Keikoku Amane would have likely received the opposite role of protection.

Thirdly, even if he manages to escape by some miracle, there was no way of telling what would happen if he fails to pass the Fifth Fable.

Lastly, Angelica was the only player who could successfully negate Antimatter with causing disorder. Therefore, she was the best chance he had if he wanted to survive the disaster.

[The constellations of the Korean Peninsula are looking at you with pity.]

[Constellation, First King of Heroes is looking at you with disgust.]

[You have received 800 coins from donations.]

Damn constellations... At the very least, they're giving me coins so I guess that's good. But what's the deal with this Hero King guy, anyways?! Arrogant son of a....

Park Joonhyuk wanted to say some really naughty words out (that were probably going to be censored) but immediately calmed himself by drawing a breath.

He pulled his smartphone from his pocket and opened the location where the Song of Nightmares (TXT) file was saved in his storage.

The very same text file that had supposedly disappeared from this world.

No one had been able to access it, yet here it was, sitting comfortably on his smartphone.

He had received the text file from a mysterious sender named Mr. Clown, but he couldn't extract any further information, as the sender had completely ignored all his messages.

Or could it be said that none of his messages reached that person?

Perhaps the mysterious fellow known as Mr. Clown was the author of Song of Nightmares.

In any case, he had received the text file from that person.

He quickly opened the text file and read through the chapters one by one while continuing his spirit.

Information of the Fable was contained in the Song of Nightmares. But finding the right page while was under stress was rather taskful.

Even so, It was the only reason he was able to survive till this point.

[Antimatter Lv. 10 has activated.]

"Damnit. That's not good..."

Park Joonhyuk reflexively jumped. It was a jump with no regard for his landing.

In the next moment, there was a loud crahd and an explosion occurred at the where he was previously standing.

No. Something had fallen there with blinding speed that It seemed like an explosion had occurred.

Someone nonchalantly stepped out of the smoke screen.

"Tch."

Park Joonhyuk squeezed out his remaining magic power to create clones. Some of those clones scattered in all directions while some charged towards the black silhouette within the smoke.

Those clones were practically useless. But they would be able to buy enough time for him to escape.

Even if It was just for a split second.

Therefore, he would continue this deadly game of tag until Angelica regained consciousness.

But...

"I don't understand. Don't you know what you're doing is completely meaningless?"

The voice said it as if It truly couldn't understand.

The smokescreen and the clones were Instantly sliced apart by an invisible thread simultaneously.

Park Joonhyuk, whose senses had increased a great degree, sensed something was amiss and reflexively ducked almost at once.

SWIIIISH!

He successfully evaded the attack and the building infront of him was sliced instead. However, the problem was what happened afterwards.

The entire building structure had been sliced clean through by an impossibly thin line, so precise that It would remind one of the world's greatest chef cutting a piece of turkey.

Of course, there was huge difference between a brick wall and fleash meat.

"!!"

Park Joonhyuk's eyes widened as the building slowly collapsed towards his way.

What would happen if that building fell on top his head?

Obviously, It won't be anything pleasant.

Without thinking, he kicked the ground with all his might and leaped out of the way.

Thud!

The collapsed building struck the ground an instant later with a heavy sound. An incredible amount of gravel flew up into the air and a cloud of sand scattered throughout the surroundings.

"Cough* Cough* Where did he...Cough*... go?"

The cloud of dust surrounded Park Joonhyuk in all directions and completely robbed him of his vision.

His anxiety was now showing on his rather pale face.

He did not know when or from where Keikoku would slice through that curtain and attack him. Park Joonhyuk felt like an helpless rabbit cornered by a predator with no means of escape.

But instead, he heard a voice coming from in front of him.

It was as if Keikoku had no intentions of hiding his location.

"Heh! What did you think of that attack? Came up with it during my first time in another world. Naturally, I obliterated that place. It was crawling with revolting insect women and wolfmen—disgusting creatures, all of them. And the worlds after that?

Same story. Tch, none of those popular isekai stories ever mentioned how disappointing those worlds would be. Tch. Tch. Maybe I was the one that had such high standards, but can you blame me for that?"

Keikoku's expression twisted as he recalled those unpleasant memories.

"Ah..."

At some point, he realised he had completely gone astray from the story he was trying to tell.

He continued speaking.

"What was I saying again? Oh, right. That attack—I developed it in that world. By focusing antimatter into an invisible thread, I can slice through anything as easily as a sword through air. And there's no way to defend against it. Try, and you'll only speed up your fall into oblivion.

Those foolish wolfmen never saw it coming—they crumbled into despair before they even knew what hit them."

"You idiot, won't condensing antimatter make it unstable?"

Park Joonhyuk finally opened his mouth. "Contact with any form of matter such as solid, liquid or even gases will always result in an explosion. One wrong step and you could have completely ruined yourself!! No matter how you look at It, It's a fraudulent power that can even kill you in your sleep. Why would you ever want something like that?"

"I guess that's true." Keikoku only smiled. "Antimatter always seem to want to explode. Lose focus for a moment and you'll be blown into oblivion. But that can't be helped. That's the nature of antiparticles. I didn't choose to possess this power or my role as a villain.

However..."

He wore a calm expression that said there was nothing to worry. "... Thanks to a gift from a certain someone, such accidents will never occur."

"A gift?"

"That's right. To be more precise, someone else crafted it for me. But I won't waste your time with the scientific details—it's obvious someone like you wouldn't grasp them anyway."

"....."

Park Joonhyuk felt the sting of the insult—it was blunt and without the slightest attempt at subtlety. Still, he listened carefully to Keikoku's words, turning them over in his mind.

He mentioned receiving an item that enabled him to sense and control his antiparticles with precision, eliminating any chances of a catastrophic accident. This meant he always kept that item on him at all times.

I see. So it was that item this whole time.

Park Joonhyuk stared at Keikoku's left hand. To be specific, he was staring at the metal claw he wore like a glove.

But wait, wasn't that item supposed to be on his right hand?

He recalled, then realized the truth—it was now on his left hand, which he noticed while staring at one of his clones. It made sense since Keikoku could no longer use his right arm.

Wasn't he able to heal her right arm?

"...!"

It suddenly clicked.

He didn't heal his right arm because he couldn't. If not, he wouldn't have wore that metal glove on his left hand.

If he was truly unstoppable, why couldn't he heal his arm?

If he was truly unbeatable, would he have chased him down so relentlessly?

Why was he after a single woman in the first place?

It was because he was afraid.

That's it, huh? I can't believe we lost to a guy like this.

Upon realising his weakness, the disaster didn't seem all that impressive.

Park Joonhyuk suddenly burst into laughter which caught Keikoku Amane off guard and made him raise an eyebrow.

"This guy... Have you gone insane?"

"Nothing of the sorts. I just realised you aren't worth shit."

"Huh? Is that something you should really be saying after running around like a lil chicken?"

Park Joonhyuk smirked as he wiped the dust from his face. "Running around? Maybe so, but not for the reasons you think."

"Oh, please explain. I'm just DYING to know."

Keikoku did not make an effort to hide his sarcasm. Even then, Park Joonhyuk's smirk did not leave his lips.

"You're actually desperate, aren't you?"

"What? What nonsense are you saying?"

"You're running just as much as I am, but in your case, it's from the truth. You've been hunting me because you're terrified of something—specifically, her. Isn't that right? That's why you won't stop chasing me, and why your right arm is still useless. You can't heal it, can you? People are always afraid of the unknown.

You are not that much different."

For a moment, Keikoku was truly shocked. He wss definitely not expecting to hear those words.

In the next moment, his face was filled with annoyance. "Afraid? You think I'm scared of a nobody like her?"

"Then why not finish me off right now? Kill me. You had plenty of chances. But It seems you're maintaining a certain level of caution. Don't you know you're a terrible actor?"

Silence hung in the air.

The only sound was the distant settling of rubble from the building Keikoku had sliced apart. Then the Disaster of Storms laughed. It was a deliberate sound that was far from amusement.

"Haha! You know, for a second, you almost had me fooled. Your acting skills are top-notch. You have done well."

He truly sounded like he was praising his opponent from the bottom of his heart. But the gritting of his back teeth betrayed his true intentions.

"But to think you would look down on me like this? You said I should kill you, right? You said it yourself so I can't be blamed for what happens next. YES, I'LL FUCKING DO IT SO DON'T BE DISAPPOINTED, KAY? SO BE PREPARED FOR A LOT OF PUNISHMENT!"

Keikoku lowered his centre of gravity amidst the cloud of dust.

With a roar, the brown haired disaster shot out with speed that surpassed a bullet and became a cannon shot.

There were 30 metres between them, but he brought that to zero in two steps.

The dust was blown away and Keikoku ran up to Park Joonhyuk who was frozen still like a statue.

Everything would have ended if he used Antimatter, but he didn't want to end things like that. He had to make him pay for speaking so condescending despite lacking any real power.

His hand was stretched.

With one more step forward, he could read and tear apart Park Joonhyuk's heart.

However...

"I can't believe It was really that easy. I guess characters will always be predictable."

Park Joonhyuk's smile widened to the maximum. He really seemed like a dokkaebi who had given a human rotten tomatoes in exchange of coins.

"Ack!"

Before Keikoku could process the situation, his body was blown away by a huge impact on his cheek and crashed through a building wall.

There was someone approaching with a sheathed sword. Seeing the familiar face of the woman, Park Joonhyuk wiped the sweat from his forehead and mumbled under his breath.

"Oh my, that was too close for comfort. If you'd been any later, I'd truly be a goner. But I guess the protagonist always knows how to make a dramatic entrance."

It was the fully recovered Soo Jinyoung.