Chapter 73
“Did we win?”
An ominous line briefly crossed my mind, and I shook my head to dispel the thought.
Agatha had gazed at me until the very end, then leisurely retreated into the Layered Circular Formation.
At the same time, the white faction began to slowly withdraw.
Whether they sensed the retreat or received some sort of command from Agatha,
The apostles who had been fighting my comrades also began to disengage from battle, retreating into their formation one by one.
“Are they running away?”
“Those cowardly bastards!”
Darwin and Caltain Ilion were fuming, huffing and puffing as if they wanted to chase after them.
But no matter how frustrated they were, they weren’t the kind of people to act recklessly.
As we watched the retreating enemy forces,
A kind voice spoke behind me, causing me to turn my head slightly.
“That was truly impressive swordsmanship, Captain.”
The owner of the voice was Winfred.
Though his words praised me, I honestly didn’t feel like this victory was solely my doing.
I offered a weak smile and replied,
“Thank you. Your swordsmanship was incredible as well, Winfred.”
At my words, Winfred’s eyes widened briefly before returning to normal, and a relaxed curve formed on his lips.
“Ha-ha! I’m glad this old man could still be of use!”
It seemed my words made him feel good.
Winfred gave a hearty laugh as he patted my back a bit too roughly.
But seriously… where does this man get all that energy from?
Was he really in that intense fight this whole time?
“Ha-ha-ha…”
I forced myself to laugh along, though my body was in no condition to be cheerful.
Honestly, it would’ve been stranger if I wasn’t exhausted after using all my energy on Fire Dragon’s Flight.
Barely managing to keep myself upright, I forced strength into my trembling legs.
I couldn’t collapse now, not when the battle was over.
Perhaps noticing my weakened state,
“Those forces are retreating, Wendy.”
Yeriel came running up to me and infused energy into my back.
As the warm energy settled into my body, the exhaustion that had overtaken me began to ease.
I bowed my head in gratitude to Yeriel after the treatment.
And as soon as he finished, my comrades started gathering around me one by one.
“Did we win, Sister?”
Lyria’s uncertain voice accompanied a notification window that appeared before my eyes.
Reading the text displayed on it, I couldn’t help but smirk.
[The white faction is retreating from the Thousand Origins Stronghold. The peaceful occupation process has resumed.]
[67%, 68%, 69%…]
“…Yes, it seems so.”
The notification window indicating peaceful occupation drew everyone’s attention.
For a moment, silence followed.
And then…
“We won!”
“Whoooo!”
“It’s our victory!”
Cheers of triumph erupted, each one louder than the last.
[The black faction has occupied ‘Thousand Origins!’]
It was the message I had longed to see.
Feeling as though all the strength had left my body, I bit my lip to stay focused.
Honestly, seeing this notification with my body intact felt like a dream.
I had nearly died countless times.
As I stood there, staring blankly at the sky in disbelief,
Ding!
The sound snapped me back to reality as another notification window appeared before me.
[Stronghold Occupation Status]
[Black Faction: 6 / White Faction: 3]
[With a majority of the nine strongholds occupied, the black-and-white war has ended.]
It was the announcement that declared the end of the black-and-white war.
If Lyria hadn’t awakened at the stronghold of Fire…
If Sienna hadn’t helped eliminate the mushroom spores…
If Agatha’s selfishness hadn’t shaken their resolve…
We might never have seen this.
But despite everything, we had succeeded.
[Black-and-White War Result: Victory of the Black Faction]
A single line signifying a hard-fought and precious victory.
It was the result of relentless struggles and sacrifices.
Of course, the long and brutal flow of the Three Lives Chronicle had not even reached halfway.
Today’s victory might seem small and modest to some.
But still, we had climbed another mountain.
There were countless mountains left to cross, but as always, we took another step forward.
Endlessly struggling, endlessly wandering.
That was how we earned this precious step.
The only way to survive in a destroyed world was to take one step after another, no matter how difficult.
At the center of Thousand Origins, in the temple bathed in artificial sunlight,
The people who had walked with me stood side by side.
Everyone who had supported me raised their heads to gaze at the sky.
[As a reward for victory, all members of the Black Faction receive an advantage in the next stage.]
[As a reward for victory, all members of the Black Faction receive the ‘Elixir of Growth.’]
[The Black Faction Commander is awarded the ‘Resurrection Stone,’ the prize for winning the Black-and-White War.]
As the same rewards described in the original story were distributed, the reality of the war’s end finally began to sink in.
“We really won.”
I calmed my pounding heart with a deep breath and quietly turned my head.
My comrades were each facing the victory in their own way.
“Wow!”
“An Elixir of Growth? With this, we can all become stronger!”
Some cheered, simply overjoyed by the victory.
“We survived.”
“I really thought we were done for this time…”
Others collapsed to the ground, utterly drained.
“Come on, don’t joke around. We won. So please… open your eyes.”
And some…
Held fallen comrades in their arms, sobbing as they mourned those lost in battle.
In this way, each of us celebrated the end of this cruel war in our own way,
Seeking solace for our weary bodies and hearts.
Though our forms of celebration differed,
Together, we marked the conclusion of the Black-and-White War.
***
After the war, everyone safely returned to the Base Camp via the magic circle.
The next stage wouldn’t start until tomorrow, so we would have time to rest.
“Even if it’s just for one day…”
Still, it was better than nothing.
Given how exhausted everyone was, even a single day of rest was precious.
After running endlessly, my comrades, drained of all energy, collapsed into whatever spot they could find, their bonds strengthened by surviving life and death together.
Looking around at the relaxed atmosphere, I walked away quietly.
Fortunately, the time flow between the war zone and the Base Camp seemed to differ.
The food supplies were still intact, with nothing spoiled or damaged.
“At least I don’t have to run around searching for ingredients for dinner while exhausted.”
Thinking about this, I rubbed my eyes as the fatigue overwhelmed me.
“I really pushed myself.”
To exaggerate a little, I felt like I could fall asleep anywhere if I rested my head.
But not yet.
There were still things I needed to do.
“Everyone, I know you’re all tired, but could you gather for a moment?”
Technically, the Black Faction had been disbanded after the war.
Aside from my original teammates like Lyria, Xenon, and Eden,
The others had no reason to follow my words.
Yet, despite their exhaustion, my comrades began to gather one by one.
Seeing them, warmth spread through my heart.
“…Um.”
I looked at those who had gathered around me.
Some might see this as unnecessary meddling.
But rather than regret not saying anything later, I wanted to speak up now.
“As the commander of the Black Faction, there’s one last thing I’d like to say.”
The countless eyes staring at me made me feel a bit embarrassed,
But also deeply moved.
When I found myself in the body of Wendy, the villainess from a novel,
All I had done was struggle to survive.
And yet, I had earned the trust of so many people.
It wasn’t in vain after all.
“First, I’d like to thank everyone who trusted and followed me.”
I deeply bowed my head, offering my gratitude to those who had made me who I was.
This time, I didn’t use any skills like Provocation.
Even if not everyone understood me, even if they hated me,
I simply wanted them to accept me as I was.
“Thanks to you all, I was able to survive. And we were able to win.”
Slowly, I looked at my original team members,
Caltain’s group,
And the new allies we had gained.
Lyria, Xenon, Yeriel, Eden, Sylvester, Celestine, Nia, Darwin, Winfred, Chrissy, Caltain…
And so many others that I couldn’t even list all their names.
The deep trust and support they had given me filled my heart to the brim.
“Thank you for being with me.”
—
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