My Students Regret It After I Retired - Chapter 106



105 – The Death of the Celestial Sovereign, the Moment Nearing Its End

Swords began to fall in unison, and the Celestial Sovereign used her abilities to defend.

She shot flames, unleashed lightning, and poured all the stones and marble from the land onto Leos’ swords. But Leos’ swords pierced through it all.

“Unbelievable… How… How can a power I’ve acquired by selling my soul my entire life… be surpassed so utterly in a single moment…”

The Celestial Sovereign stared blankly at the beautiful swords falling from the sky.

The sight was so dazzling, like fragments bestowed by a god, that the Celestial Sovereign was blinded by it.

“Protagonist… Until now, I understood the meaning, but it never resonated with me. But now I understand. What it means to be a protagonist.”

*Thwack…*

Thousands of needle-thin swords pierced the Celestial Sovereign’s body, and she began to glow brightly.

“No matter the adversity…unyielding and advancing together…that’s it…that’s… the protagonist of the story…”

The Celestial Sovereign knelt heavily on the ground, coughing up blood as she muttered.

“There’s still…one last…trial remaining… Come forth, Belin…”

The Celestial Sovereign, her body near death, trembled as she called upon Belin.

Leos and Enas’ gazes turned towards Belin, who emerged from the corner.

Belin, with hollow eyes, was pointing his sword at his own sibling.

“What are you doing? You think you can threaten me with Belin and Belin’s sibling?”

When Leos questioned the Celestial Sovereign, she laughed.

“As if… Look closely, Leos… can’t you still feel the presence of Belin’s sibling?”

As Leos remained clueless, the Celestial Sovereign used her ability to manifest the memories of Belin’s sibling.

And in her memories, a familiar face came into view.

Her younger sister collapsed in the hospital, and Leos from Earth was watching her.

“Ah… ah… ah….”

Unable to utter a single word, she walked forward, dazed.

And then he spoke softly.

“Jia… you… are you… Jia…?”

L’Hessain remained silent. Bellin pressed a sword to her throat, forcing an answer. L’Hessain squeezed her eyes shut and opened her mouth.

“Yes… it’s me… Taeha oppa.”

When Leos lived on Earth as Kang Taeha, Kang Jia was his most precious family. One day, she suddenly fell into a coma.

Even after being possessed here, Leos worried every single day that his sister might have died. It was perhaps a self-loathing, a reflection on himself for not being able to properly protect even his own sister, that he couldn’t have a girlfriend, that he was so focused on protecting others.

“Jia…”

Leos slowly walked towards Kang Jia.

She’s alive.

She’s alive, not dead.

Relief spilled out of him. Meeting his sister, whom he had longed to see so much, made him feel as if all the hardships he had endured until now were melting away.

But it was Bellin who shattered that blissful feeling.

“Don’t come any closer. I’ll kill her if you do.”

Bellin pressed the sword to L’Hessain once again.

“Put that sword away, Bellin. Before I kill you. No, I’ll kill you right now.”

Leos spoke in a chilling voice, firing a dazzling array of swords at Bellin. But the swords did not pierce him.

“…!”

The reason was simple. Bellin had used Rusein’s body as a shield, blocking Leo’s sword.

The soul inside Rusein’s body was Kang Jia. That is, Leo’s own younger sister from back on Earth. Naturally, there was no way Leo could kill her with his own hands.

Because, in this possessed world, dying meant dying in the real world, too.

“Leo-nim, you know… I was so sorry to you. I don’t know if you’ll believe me, but I actually enjoyed the time I spent with you, too. Every single day was hell. I sent you plummeting to your doom, betrayed all of our comrades, and do you know what I got out of it? An elixir to cure my younger sister Rusein’s disease.”

“…”

“I’m not asking you to understand. It’s not like I didn’t do anything wrong either. I think I should take full responsibility and be punished in the end… If Rusein’s safety was guaranteed, I even considered going to prison myself… That’s how important Rusein is to me. More precious than my own life… She’s my only family… But!”

Bellin’s tears streamed down as he looked at Leo.

“They say your sister’s soul stole my sister’s body. And I, like a moron, didn’t even know it and spent over five years thinking she was truly my sister. I abandoned my comrades to treat her, abandoned you, and killed countless people, committing all sorts of sins. But, you know what’s funny? That illness Rusein had… that disease, right? It turns out it was a side effect of your sister, Leo, possessing my sister’s body.”

Bellin started laughing like crazy. It wasn’t a joyful laugh, but a laugh of madness.

“Like a moron, I didn’t know anything and only focused on my sister. I spent my whole life trying to treat the side effects of my sister’s body being stolen, even growing attached to that disgusting human pretending to be my sister. What is this… how could this even happen?”

Looking at Bellin, who seemed to have lost his mind, Leo tried to calm him.

“Think rationally, Bellin. If you kill Rusein, you’ll die too.”

“Oh my, that’s a good thing, isn’t it? Anyway, I can’t live without the real Rusein, can I? I don’t have any comrades, I betrayed everyone I was with and left, and I don’t have a job, money, or a house. I’m even being chased by the Empire. What do I have left? There’s not a single person who would mourn my death even if I just died like this, right?”

To save Rusein, Bellin had given everything.

But after learning that Rusein’s body was actually stolen by Leo’s younger sister, Kang Jia, Bellin started to run completely wild.

His reason for living had disappeared, and everything he had done up to that point had gone up in smoke.

Because his life had been solely focused on his sister, because he had taken every step for her sake, Bellin could no longer walk and had collapsed.

“Leo-nim, I was going to apologize. But what do I do now? I’ve become more miserable than you, haven’t I? That damned sister of yours not only stole my younger sister’s body but deceived me for years, too? I even threw away everything I had to save that b*stard…?”

Leo lowered his sword.

“It wasn’t intentional. Neither I, nor my younger sister, wanted to be possessed by this world. We were moved against our will, and if we could, we’d want to leave this place too.”

“And my sister’s soul? My sister’s soul, stolen and vanished when her body was taken? That kind of talk… no matter how much you rationalize it with that kind of bullshit, the real Lusein isn’t coming back, is she?”

Beline’s hand, gripping the sword, trembled.

“Leos, you have everything. Enas is willing to risk her life for you, and from when we fought before, it seems you’ve gained a lot of new comrades. You’ve even created a safe zone where countless people cheer for you and follow you, and you’ve finished your revenge against the Emperor. You have everything, the power to do anything, and all your precious people by your side. But… I have nothing that you do. I’ve lived only looking towards my sister…”

Beline looked into Leos’s eyes and asked.

“You… hate me, right? Even though things have turned out like this, you hate me for sending you to prison, right? Even if your sister’s soul stole my sister’s body and I was deceived by that act, you still hate me, right? You’re going to kill me, aren’t you? Right? You’re going to abandon me like the others. You’re going to try to kill me like the others! I gave everything in my life for an elixir to cure my sister… but in the end, you’ll hate me too…”

“To be honest, I hated you. And I wanted to kill you. I even tried to kill you.”

Beline looked at Leos with empty eyes, as if she knew it. But Leos continued to speak.

“But, not anymore. Fighting the Emperor, fighting the Heavenly Assembly Master, and talking with my former disciples who had distanced themselves, changed my mind a lot. Relationships that were once perfect can break at any time, but conversely, relationships that have been shattered can return someday.”

Leos slowly walked towards Beline.

“D…Don’t come… I’ll kill you… I’m going to kill Lusein!”

Leos ignored her and walked towards Beline. And then he took her hand and brought it to his throat.

“It wasn’t intentional that your sister’s body was taken by our Jia. But in saving my younger sister, you have lost a lot.”

Leos spoke with a blank expression, calmly.

“I resented you. But not anymore. How can I resent you now? You gave up everything for my sister, and even if you weren’t aware of it, my sister would have died without the elixir you obtained… Process is more important than result. Thank you for protecting my sister. And on the other hand, Beline, I will apologize for my sister’s soul taking your sister’s body, and I will pay the price for it. If you want to, stab me. But please forgive my sister.”

“D…Do you think I can’t?”

Lusein cried out to Leos urgently.

“O…Oppa…What are you doing…Oppa…If there’s a price to pay, then I should…”

Leos stroked Lusein’s head and smiled.

“I’m sorry for being a useless older brother. Even without me, my comrades will protect you.”

Leos spoke to Belin, too.

“Promise me. After I’m dead, don’t touch my brother. I’ll end it with my own life. That’s the maximum responsibility I can take for your rage at losing your sister.”

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Belin looked up at Leos, who was looking down at him, and mumbled.

“Why… why do you always try to take all the responsibility alone… I’ve always just run away, so why do you seem like the good guy. I’m the one who lost everything… why only you…”

Tears streamed down Belin’s face, and he muttered, barely audible.

“How… can I kill you… With my little sister gone too, you’re the only one left.”

“Stab me, Belin. Let’s end our twisted fate here. For my sister’s sins, too.”

Enas and Lusein urgently tried to stop Leos’s sudden actions, but Leos used his power to freeze their movements.

Now, only Belin and Leos could move.

“Hey, there’s one thing I want to ask.”

“Ask.”

“I… I was so miserable, you know. I was really, really miserable… My sister’s… not here anymore either… so…”

“Say it.”

“Can you… forgive me…?”

While Leos was confused by Belin’s nonsensical words,

the Heavens Assembly Leader, who had been panting in the corner, noticed Leos’s unguarded state, and wrung out every last bit of his energy, focusing it on one point.

Intense mana, as if space itself were twisting, gathered in one spot, and it surged straight toward Leos.

“Leos, you let your guard down! You should have confirmed the kill. You fool!”

After seeing the Heavens Assembly Leader’s attack, Leos tried to block it, but it was already too late. He had used all of his power to keep Lusein and Enas from moving.

He couldn’t retract it now. And he didn’t have his sword either.

But there was a saving grace. The Celestial Lord, with that last attack, was completely dead.

An attack fueled by his very life force.

Leos spoke to Belin.

“Belin, keep your promise.”

And with those words, Leos closed his eyes.

But.

Drip…drip…drip…

Leos felt no pain in his body.

Belin had shoved him aside. Leos had fallen to the side, and it was Belin who had taken the blow.

“Why…? Why did you…?!”

Leos asked Belin with vacant eyes, Belin, his body pierced by the Celestial Lord’s attack, mumbled.

“My…brother…it’s like he’s already…dead…My comrades…too…they can never return… I have…no place…to return to…”

Belin coughed up blood, continuing to speak.

“The only thing…left…the only thing left is you…how could I…how could I kill you…?”

Belin fell to the ground, and Leos shouted at him.

“Get a grip, Belin! Belin!”

“You know…Leos-nim…actually…I was in pain. I was in pain from all the betrayals, but…betraying you to save my brother and putting you in prison, that’s what I regret the most…Every single day you haunted my dreams. I’m sorry…I’m sorry…”

Covered in blood, Belin barely managed to reach out and touch Leos’ cheek, and spoke.

“You said…you’d always help…when I needed it, right…? You said…to tell you if I ever needed help… I’ll ask you for one last thing. Please…forgive me.”

What did forgiveness matter when you were dying, but still, Leos spoke.

“I forgive you, Belin. And I’m sorry, that my brother stole your sister’s body.”

“Only now… I’ve been forgiven… If only there’d been…a little more time.”

Belin’s eyes are slowly closing.

Leos couldn’t bring himself to look at the tattered Belin and turned his head away.

“I’m sorry, Belin.”

“Unnie! Unnie!”

Watching this, Kang Jia, tears streaming, cried out towards Belin.

“Don’t die, Unnie… Unnie, please…”

Kang Jia, no. L’hsein, grabbed Belin’s hand and began to sob, and Enas watched it all.

A tangle of complex relationships. People unable to let go of each other.

Enas watched, desperately hoping.

Please, let this not be where their story ends.

That instant.

The arena, began to fill with a brilliant light.

[Enas, you wish it will not end in a sad ending.]

[Your wish for Leos to be happy, will be granted.]

[The broken threads of causality, are being restored.]