Karag slowly turned his head back toward Noah.
The vast dreamscape had fallen strangely quiet.
Nexoria stood in the distance, motionless, while Daig remained at Karag's side. The stars above them seemed frozen in place, as though even the dream itself was waiting to hear Noah's answer.
Karag's expression was calm again.
Almost gentle.
Karag: "Noah… I only want what is best for this world."
He took a slow step forward.
Karag: "Humans are a mistake of the universe."
Another step.
His gaze never left Noah.
Karag: "But I am giving you a choice."
Karag extended his hand toward him.
Karag: "Join me."
His voice carried across the endless dreamscape.
Karag: "You already know that this is the only way to break this eternal cycle of suffering."
Noah stared at the hand in front of him.
Karag's fingers remained open, waiting.
Karag: "Think about your friends."
Karag's voice softened.
Karag: "I can guarantee that they will live beautiful lives. No wars. No hunger. No suffering. They could live peacefully for the rest of their lives."
Noah's eyes widened.
Suddenly, figures began appearing behind Karag.
Noah froze.
His friends.
Anna.
Heinrich.
Johann.
Karoschi.
Barry.
They stood silently behind the Monster King.
For a moment, Noah couldn't move.
His mind was flooded with questions.
What if Karag really could protect them?
What if joining him could actually save them?
What if refusing him only brought more suffering?
His gaze moved from his friends to Karag's extended hand.
His thoughts became increasingly chaotic.
Then—
A voice echoed through his mind.
The same voice he had heard while sleeping.
The same mysterious voice that had warned him before.
Traveler: "You must not trust him, even if he keeps his promise. You have to stop him for as long as he lives."
Noah's eyes widened.
The words cut through the confusion inside his mind like a blade.
He remembered the warning.
He remembered the mysterious voice.
And he remembered the feeling that something far greater was coming.
Noah slowly looked at Karag's hand.
Then—
He struck it away.
Karag's hand was knocked aside.
The sound echoed through the dream world.
Daig immediately reached for his katana.
Nexoria suddenly stopped.
Even she seemed to react to Noah's decision.
And Karag…
His smile disappeared.
For the first time, there was nothing playful or reassuring in his expression.
Only silence.
Noah stood his ground.
His body was trembling, but his voice was firm.
Noah: "Never."
He clenched his fists.
Noah: "I will never join you."
His eyes burned with determination.
Noah: "What you're planning is mass murder. I won't let you do it."
Silence.
Karag stared at him.
Then Noah heard something.
A low sound.
At first, it was barely audible.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Karag's breathing became louder.
His chest rose and fell.
The sound of his heartbeat began echoing through the entire dream world.
THUMP.
THUMP.
THUMP.
The stars trembled with every beat.
The ground beneath Noah's feet began to vibrate.
Karag's entire face slowly filled with anger.
The calm Monster King from moments ago was gone.
The illusion of the merciful savior had shattered.
Behind him, Noah's friends suddenly began to distort.
Their bodies twisted into unnatural silhouettes.
Their faces disappeared.
Their forms changed.
The illusion dissolved completely.
They were not Noah's friends.
They were the Holloweds.
Noah stared at them.
Karag's voice finally broke the silence.
Karag: "You can't simply refuse me."
His voice shook with fury.
Karag: "You… you destroy everything!"
Noah stared directly at him.
Despite the fear running through his body, he refused to back down.
Noah: "Look at yourself!"
His voice echoed through the dreamscape.
Noah: "You're losing your mind just because I rejected you!"
Noah took a breath.
Noah: "What kind of ego do you have?"
Karag's eyes widened.
For a fraction of a second, the entire world seemed to stop.
Then—
Karag vanished.
Noah barely had time to react.
A hand suddenly closed around his throat.
Karag lifted him effortlessly from the ground.
Noah gasped as his feet left the surface.
Karag's other hand slowly moved forward.
Dark energy gathered within his palm.
A sword materialized.
Its blade appeared with an unnatural clarity, as though the weapon had always existed within the dream and Karag had simply decided to reveal it.
Karag stared directly into Noah's eyes.
His voice was cold.
Karag: "You are exactly like Elias."
Noah struggled against his grip.
Karag tightened his hold.
Karag: "And like every one of those who wielded your sword before you."
Noah tried to pry Karag's hand away.
It didn't move.
Not even slightly.
Karag continued.
Karag: "I don't know why you are hunting my strongest monsters just as Elias did."
His expression became colder.
Karag: "Whatever your reason is…"
The sword in his other hand began to rise.
Karag: "I will erase it."
Noah's eyes widened.
Noah: "W-what do you mean?"
Karag looked at him.
Karag: "It's simple."
He spoke with horrifying calmness.
Karag: "I will erase some of them."
Noah froze.
Karag: "And I will transfer their strength into the ones that remain."
For a moment, Noah couldn't speak.
The implications struck him all at once.
The nine fragment monsters.
The pieces that had to remain.
The monsters whose existence was connected to Karag's freedom.
If Karag destroyed some of them and transferred their strength into the others…
Noah didn't know what would happen.
Would the remaining fragments become stronger?
Would the method of freeing Karag become impossible?
Could the fragments even still be used to release him if some of them were destroyed?
His mind raced.
We have to free Karag to defeat him…
But if he destroys some of the nine…
Can we still free him?
Noah looked at Karag.
For the first time, uncertainty flashed through his eyes.
Karag noticed it.
And smiled.
Karag: "I truly hoped you would join us."
His voice became quieter.
Almost disappointed.
Karag: "But apparently… you were nothing more than a waste of time."
He raised the sword.
Noah stared at the blade.
Karag: "Then say goodbye to your life."
Karag swung.
The blade descended directly toward Noah.
Noah's eyes widened.
There was no time to escape.
No time to think.
No time to fight back.
He closed his eyes.
Then—
A brilliant green light erupted through the dreamscape.
The darkness vanished beneath its radiance.
Karag's sword stopped.
Noah slowly opened his eyes.
Someone was standing between him and Karag.
A figure surrounded by an intense green glow.
Noah stared in disbelief.
His eyes widened.
Noah: "…Elias?"
Elias stood there.
His hand was wrapped firmly around Karag's sword.
The blade had stopped completely.
Karag stared at him.
His expression changed instantly.
Shock.
Disbelief.
Fear.
Karag: "Y-you…"
His voice trembled.
Karag: "You were supposed to be dead!"
Elias slowly turned his head toward Karag.
His eyes were cold.
Completely emotionless.
Elias: "I am."
Karag's expression froze.
Elias tightened his grip around the sword.
Elias: "But I won't let you kill him."
He looked directly into Karag's eyes.
Elias: "Not even if protecting him means breaking a rule."
Daig suddenly moved.
His katana flashed from its sheath.
He charged toward Elias with incredible speed.
Daig: "You will not interfere!"
Daig swung.
The katana struck Elias.
Nothing happened.
Elias didn't move.
The blade simply failed to affect him.
Daig's eyes widened.
Elias slowly turned toward him.
Daig pulled his weapon back, preparing to strike again.
But before he could—
The dreamscape began to collapse.
The stars above Noah started disappearing.
The ground beneath them fractured.
The distant landscapes dissolved into darkness.
The entire world began breaking apart.
Karag looked around in panic.
For the first time, genuine fear appeared on his face.
Karag: "No…"
The dreamscape continued collapsing.
Karag: "No, no, no!"
Karag turned toward Elias.
Karag: "What is happening?!"
Elias stared at him.
His expression remained cold.
Elias: "I'm erasing you."
Karag's eyes widened.
Elias's green aura intensified.
Elias: "And I'm erasing your influence over Noah's mind."
The world began disappearing around them.
Elias: "So he can finally be free of you."
Karag reached toward Noah.
Karag: "NOAH!"
But his voice was already fading.
The dreamscape shattered.
Nexoria disappeared into the darkness.
Daig disappeared.
The stars disappeared.
Karag disappeared.
And finally—
Everything became black.
Completely black.
No sound.
No light.
No dream.
Nothing.
Noah suddenly opened his eyes.
He gasped and immediately sat upright.
His surroundings slowly came back into focus.
The forest.
The trees.
He was back.
The dream was gone.
Noah remained still for a few seconds, trying to understand what had happened.
His hand instinctively moved toward his throat.
Then he looked around.
His friends were already moving through the forest in the distance.
Noah quickly stood.
He didn't know how much time had passed.
He didn't know what Elias had done.
He didn't know whether Karag could still reach him.
And he had no idea what the destruction of the dream world truly meant.
But one thing was certain.
He was free.
At least for now.
Noah took a deep breath.
Then he began running toward the others.
He disappeared between the trees after them, leaving the shattered dream behind.
Yet somewhere beyond the boundaries of his perception…
Something had witnessed everything.
And the consequences of what had just happened had only begun.