Omniscient First-Person’s Viewpoint-Chapter 385: The End of the Story, After the Death of the God:

Shei had several reasons for disguising herself as a man.

The first reason was to safely end up in Tantalus during this iteration. Since Shei didn't know the exact trigger for arriving at Tantalus, she had to be arrested by the Military Empire to get there. However, surrendering her weapons and allowing herself to be captured by the Military Empire without resistance would have been foolish. So, she provoked someone with authority to ensure she’d be sent there.

That someone was Commander Patraxion, a knight of the old kingdom and the Northern Commander of the Military Empire, who revered duels. Shei systematically defeated the soldiers of the Military Empire, provoking Patraxion into personally challenging her to a duel.

That was all it took. While Patraxion loved duels, he had no interest in taking lives or wealth. After sparring with her for a while, if Shei hinted that she wanted to fight stronger opponents in Tantalus, he would laugh heartily and personally send her there. However, because Patraxion had a daughter about Shei’s age, not disguising herself as a man would have complicated matters. After all, older men tend to be overly lenient with someone their daughter’s age.

The second reason, more fundamental, was that Shei found it easier to disguise herself as a man.

In a world where chosen prophets and Saints openly existed, Shei’s actions, which often seemed as if she knew the future, naturally led to misunderstandings that she was a Saint. Perhaps it wasn’t even a misunderstanding. However, from Shei’s perspective, a Saint’s status was far from advantageous. Since her mission required uncovering countless secrets, she altered her appearance and clothing to avoid suspicion or hostility.

The Mask of Agartha was crafted for this purpose—a treasure obtained from the southern barbaric lands, fragmented among countless tribes. The mask could alter one’s impression without much effort. Using it, Shei frequently changed her identity.

However, the Mask of Agartha was not omnipotent. It was limited to planting an impression and making others believe it, but only to the extent of perception and belief. When the truth was revealed as clearly as it was now, it was useless.

Caught at a bad time by the worst possible opponent, Shei adjusted her torn collar and opened her mouth to explain.

“It’s not what it looks like...”

“It’s fine, Shei. You don’t have to explain.”

Surprisingly, the one who dismissed it nonchalantly was Tyrkanzyaka. She sighed softly, tilting her parasol slightly.

“That explains why your blood tasted so exquisite. I had my suspicions about a few things, but this clears up most of them.”

“W-Wait. You’re okay with this?”

“I’m a little taken aback, but does it really matter? A man liking another man doesn’t make sense. A woman disguised as a man, now that’s plausible.”

“That’s not what’s happening here!”

“Misunderstanding? So, if liking men is a misunderstanding, does that mean you actually prefer women? Perhaps your friendliness toward me, the princess, and the Thunder Overseer...”

“No, no, no! That’s not what I meant!”

As Shei struggled to clarify, she felt a small sense of relief. Tyrkanzyaka seemed unfazed by this turn of events. Her emotions, generally steady, showed no sign of drastic change here either.

Then Hilde chimed in.

“You’re so out of touch! These days, men can be with men, and women with women. Isn’t it stranger to disguise yourself as a man?”

“...? But that way, they can’t have children, can they?”

“Details like that don’t matter! Love isn’t about having children, after all!”

“That’s true. Even vampires experience affection... But this isn’t the time for such talk, is it?”

Cutting herself off, Tyrkanzyaka scolded Hilde with a tone of mild annoyance.

“It’s foolish to think my actions would change on a whim. Did you think one remark of yours would flip my attitude like turning a hand?”

“Oh my, now this is unexpected~.”

“Do you think a sea of blood would sway so lightly? I gave up such foolishness over a thousand years ago.”

Though vampires were inherently slow to react, the dullness of one who had lived for a millennium went beyond mere perception—it was shaped by the experiences and memories accumulated over countless years.

“I’ve seen it before, the arrogance of those who think they shape the future they’ve foreseen. It’s unpleasant when they try to realize their visions. Hilde, you may be disappointed, but Shei doesn’t exude that unpleasant arrogance...”

Tyrkanzyaka paused for a moment, choosing her words carefully.

“Not entirely, though, right? She has acted like she knows everything at times, hasn’t she?”

“I won’t deny it. There were moments when I wanted to hit her. But I didn’t sense any repulsive arrogance from her.”

Hilde pressed further, challenging Tyrkanzyaka’s reasoning.

“Really? She knows the future and even has treasures like Tianying and the Saint’s Pouch. Who else but the Holy Crown Church would have those?”

“Doesn’t she seem to be resisting the future instead? What I sense from Shei isn’t the prophet’s arrogance, but a will to oppose it. Her actions here and now matter more to me than her identity or the past.”

Relief washed over Shei, starting from her fingertips. Her efforts hadn’t been in vain. She had worked hard, and Tyrkanzyaka trusted her.

It was only natural. At the end of destruction, Shei had tirelessly worked to unite light and darkness. Her actions had fostered connections, even with vampires, once considered only enemies.

But when did this connection with Tyrkanzyaka truly form? As Shei tried to recall, Tyrkanzyaka smiled gently and spoke.

“So, answer me this one thing. If you do, I will remain by your side.”

No matter how kind she seemed, Tyrkanzyaka was still the progenitor of vampires, the Queen of Shadows, and a foe of the Holy Crown Church. A millennium of existence wouldn’t change her essence, even if she spent a short time with Shei or Hughes.

“When I lead the bloody charge against the Holy Crown Church, will you help me slay the Saint?”

The chilling proposal caused Shei to hesitate for a moment, but Tyrkanzyaka continued, her tone soft.

“I don’t mean to burden you. I wouldn’t ask for everything. Just one—only one. Would you be willing?”

Shei immediately recognized it. This wasn’t just a question—it was a test, a chance. A final opportunity to prove her loyalty.

Nodding now wouldn’t mean attacking the Saint right away. In fact, Tyrkanzyaka and the Saint might not meet for a long time, possibly not until the King of Sins appeared.

She could escape her current predicament by nodding or siding with the vampire, even just for this iteration. But Shei’s lips moved on their own.

“I can’t.”

Tyrkanzyaka’s smile froze, like drying blood.

Shei could have lied to escape trouble, but the Holy Crown Church had helped her many times. She had grown attached to them and couldn’t imagine excluding them from the future she sought to achieve.

“I will stop the apocalypse coming in the future. The Holy Crown Church and the Saints are my greatest allies. It will be hard without them, and I don’t want to try.”

Honesty isn’t always a virtue. A sweet lie might have led to better results.

But Shei couldn’t lie. She wasn’t skilled enough to present a different face to everyone while keeping herself intact.

And Tyrkanzyaka knew this as well.

This played right into Hilde’s design. She must have known all along that, given their personalities, Shei and Tyrkanzyaka were bound to clash at some point.

“Shei, have you truly made your choice?”

Tyrkanzyaka let out a small sigh, severing the last thread of her lingering attachment. She wasn’t entirely unaffected, but this was something she had done countless times over her thousand-year existence—firmly, though not coldly, simply out of habit.

Snap. Just like that, the emotions ended. Tyrkanzyaka turned her calm gaze to Shei.

“This is where it ends. It was enjoyable, for a time.”

She moved to turn away, shedding any remaining connection. Desperation creeping into her voice, Shei called out to her.

“Wait. Just wait! When the apocalypse comes, all of this will end anyway!”

“Another prophecy. If you lack the will to defy prophecy, it will bind you, repeating endlessly. This is my earnest advice to you.”

“No, I’m serious! The King of Sins will destroy everything—me, you, Hughes! Are you really okay with that...?”

At that moment, Tyrkanzyaka’s gaze sharpened, and a torrent of darkness poured forth like a waterfall. Shei instinctively raised her arm to shield her face.

Though it wasn’t overtly threatening, it was a clear expression of rejection. Tyrkanzyaka’s low voice delivered a stern warning to Shei.

“Do not speak his name. You’ve already forsaken him with your choices.”

“What are you talking about? I haven’t abandoned him! I’m not a vampire or anything like that!”

“No, you wouldn’t understand. But you did forsake him, in a way.”

“What nonsense is this?”

Shei didn’t know Hughes’ true identity as the King of Humanity. It was an open secret, but Tyrkanzyaka had no intention of revealing it to her.

Though Tyrkanzyaka believed in the existence of prophecy, she didn’t trust its content. While the prophecies themselves might be true, she doubted the messengers who delivered them spoke only truth.

She trusted Shei as a person because of her consistent actions, not because of the prophecies she spoke. To Tyrkanzyaka, Shei’s words were just words, not truth. This distinction was clear to her as she joined Shei on this journey.

And during their travels, Tyrkanzyaka had come to suspect something else:

The King of Sins that Shei sought to stop might very well be the King of Humanity. And Hughes... might be that king.

Long ago, there were five lords who killed the King of Humanity and divided his power among themselves. If that legend were true, then the King of Sins might be a fabrication or merely the Church’s fear of the king’s return.

If Shei were even remotely connected to the Holy Crown Church, then staying away from her would be the only way to protect Hughes, whether Tyrkanzyaka liked it or not. If Shei ever tried to kill Hughes preemptively, Tyrkanzyaka could only save him by turning him into a vampire—an option she wanted to avoid.

Her disdain for the Church, coupled with her desire to protect someone precious to her, drove Tyrkanzyaka to mock Shei, as she often did with prophets.

“Why not use your all-knowing foresight?”

“It’s not foresight! Ugh. Fine. I’ll talk to him myself. Where’s Hughes?”

Perhaps he could mediate this mess with his usual playful demeanor. Shei’s voice carried a faint hope as she said his name, but Tyrkanzyaka’s parasol swung violently in response.

Darkness surged forth like ink swallowing the world, an unmistakable act of aggression. This time, Shei had no choice but to counter it, drawing Tianying. The thunder-imbued blade tore through the darkness with a resounding crack of lightning.

Through the dissipating shadows and roaring thunder, Tyrkanzyaka’s voice cut through.

“If you truly intend to abandon us for the Holy Crown Church...”

“That’s not what I—!”

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Before Shei could finish, a pale hand shot out toward her. It was Tyrkanzyaka’s hand, moving far faster than Shei anticipated.

Since regaining her heart, Tyrkanzyaka could no longer extend her blood manipulation outside her body. However, she seemed to have converted that power into extraordinary physical strength. Shei instinctively understood that being caught in her grip would spell disaster.

Shei’s reflexes kicked in, and she swung her other hand.

Jizan. The blade that repels all without recoil, a relic of a grandmaster. She used it to deflect Tyrkanzyaka’s hand, feeling a heavy reverberation course through her arm.

Lowering her stance, Shei looked up to see two crimson eyes glowing in the darkness. Tyrkanzyaka loomed over her, radiating unmistakable hostility.

“Do you know what it means to make me your enemy? I will carve that lesson into your very being.”

They had faced each other before. Back then, Tyrkanzyaka was under Finlay’s control, but her power had been overwhelming nonetheless. The endless waves of black knights she commanded forced a grueling war of attrition, and even reaching her true form offered no guarantee of victory.

It had taken Hughes’ ingenuity with an electric shock to bring her back, but now she stood before Shei with her full will intact. The stakes were far higher this time.

Yet...

“Bring it on!”

Shei’s defiance burned brightly. Tianying, Jizan, and the power of the Thunder God were all meant for moments like this. She swung Jizan in a wide arc, deflecting Tyrkanzyaka’s strike. No matter how strong, even she couldn’t resist the weight of the earth itself.

As Tyrkanzyaka was pushed back, Shei shouted, her voice filled with frustration.

“Stop being so stubborn! I need all of you—The Church, you, Azzy, Hughes—without everyone, no one will survive!”

“A person only has two hands. To gain something new, you must let go of what you already hold. That’s the way of the world.”

“To hell with the way of the world! If we don’t pull everyone together, it’s over!”

“Then call it my selfish desire. I’m too jealous to share the people I care about with anyone else.”

Though her words were mocking, an image flashed briefly in Tyrkanzyaka’s mind—Hughes’ carefree smile as he casually spoke with Shei. She had never shown it, but she instinctively knew that he always kept an eye on Shei. Now that Shei’s true gender was revealed...

“If it’s a petty love triangle you want, then so be it.”

Tyrkanzyaka stepped forward with a force that carried a faint trace of sincerity.

There exists a technique called jin-gak—a skill where the practitioner channels energy into the ground upon stepping, spreading its impact across the terrain. Without exceptional control, such an act would cause the user’s foot to sink or even shatter under the force.

Tyrkanzyaka, however, executed it flawlessly in her own unconventional way.

For a brief moment, her foot burst open under the immense pressure. Yet, her absolute control over her blood restored it instantly, as if nothing had happened.

That fleeting moment was all she needed.

The shockwave traveled through the entire Lightning Tower.

Even the tower, designed to channel and withstand lightning strikes, couldn’t endure the overwhelming power of the progenitor vampire’s blood force. With a deep rumble, the Lightning Tower began to tilt under the weight of her unleashed fury.