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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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A net of blades, an inescapable celestial web. That’s what they saw, what they all thought of, witnessing that impossible feat.
“What…just happened…?”
They had seen it with their own eyes, but seeing and comprehending were two different things. The man had swung his sword in the blink of an eye, a flash of white light engulfing their vision.
That much they understood. But the aftermath, the battlefield littered with dismembered undead, was beyond comprehension.
“He did that…with a single sword?”
They had never seen, nor heard of, anything like it. Annihilating thousands of undead usually required an entire fleet of Alliance airships, their cannons unleashing a barrage of fire. No single person possessed such power.
Not the Murderer, not the Frost Duchess, not even the Vice-Captain of the Holy Knights.
The farmers stared, their weapons clattering to the ground, their relief overshadowed by awe.
“Captain.”
“Yes?!”
“Send the collected letters to the Saintess. She will identify those who gathered here and reward them.”
“Yes, sir!”
The captain’s body stiffened as he responded to the man’s instructions. He didn’t recognize the man, but judging by his words, he must be a high-ranking official in the Alliance.
“I’ll send them all to the Alliance headquarters!”
“The Alliance? What’s that?”
“Excuse me?”
The captain stared at the man, dumbfounded.
He didn’t know about the Alliance? Had he just fallen from the sky?
“The Alliance is…”
Despite his confusion, the captain patiently explained, detailing the events of the past two years, the formation of the Alliance, its purpose, its members.
The man listened in silence, his expression unreadable, as if processing a flood of information, his mind grappling with complex emotions.
“So that’s what happened…I understand.”
“Yes. I’m glad I could be of assistance. Um…may I ask your name?”
“My name…”
The man smiled, a chilling grin, and stroked the girl’s hair.
“Tell them…Michael Jackson is back.”
“…?”
And then, he was gone, vanishing as quickly as he had appeared, as if he had urgent business elsewhere.
A short while later, a magnificent airship descended from the sky, and the Frost Duchess and the Murderer arrived on horseback.
“What…”
The Witch, stepping off the airship, stared at the scene, her mouth agape. She had expected to find the farmers slaughtered, sacrificing themselves to buy time, but…the battlefield was littered with the remains of the undead army.
The surprise attack, a desperate gamble to breach the perimeter with their entire force, a threat that could have plunged the world into chaos…had been thwarted, effortlessly, inexplicably.
“What happened here?”
“Well…someone…appeared…and…obliterated the undead…with some…unusual techniques…”
The explanation was strange, but not inaccurate.
The Witch and Transylvania exchanged wide-eyed glances.
A single person…defeated them all? It sounded absurd, but the grim atmosphere suggested it wasn’t a joke.
“Who? Who was it?!”
“Huh? Who? Uh…who was it? I…I heard his name, but…”
“What’s going on? Does anyone remember his name?”
“I heard it too, but…I can’t remember…”
Yerina’s expression hardened. They were all claiming amnesia, as if they had coordinated their stories.
“…It’s me.”
“Eek?!”
Yerina flinched, a sudden sensation of something touching her shoulder, and drew her sword. But there was no one there.
The others, startled by her reaction, stumbled back.
“What’s wrong, Frost Duchess?”
“It’s nothing…”
An unsettling feeling, a sense of something missing, something she shouldn’t have forgotten…
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“What in the world is going on…?”
How long had it been?
I learned upon arriving in the mortal world that two years and three months had passed since I vanished into the dimensional void. The first thing I saw was my own grave, a tombstone beside the withered World Tree.
One of the inscriptions, written by Yulia, read:
‘I couldn’t accept what you left behind. Come back and retrieve it.’
I knew what she meant.
The Demonic Sword, the one I had entrusted to her, promising to retrieve it upon my return. I retrieved the sword from the broken tombstone, and while I was eating, the emergency call came.
I had arrived just in time to obliterate the undead army. It was surprising that they were still around after all this time…
“Still…it’s good to be back.”
The warm sun, the green fields…tears welled in my eyes as I took in the familiar sights. I learned from the locals that much had changed in the past two years.
An international organization called the Alliance had been formed, led by the Holy Empire, Petenburg, and Palana, uniting the world against Draken.
Though participation was low, with most nations offering only token support, the major powers, including Elvenguard, were actively involved, making the Alliance a formidable force. It made sense.
All those nations were led by the main heroines and Mia.
‘The Holy Empire’s involvement is…unexpected.’
The Holy Empire’s active participation was surprising. The Saintess held considerable power, but not as much as the Oracle in Elvenguard.
That meant the Pope was supporting the Alliance, which…
‘No, it’s not that surprising, actually.’
The Holy Empire, after Elvenguard, had suffered the most from Draken and his followers. The Archdemon had killed the mayor of Cologne. Luna had resurrected Kali, who then ravaged Cologne. And the Hameln Cathedral had collapsed shortly after its completion.
It was understandable that they would be eager to eliminate Draken. And with Draken’s true nature as a world-sized being revealed, eliminating him was also necessary to preserve the Church’s authority.
“They’re handling the situation.”
I looked back and saw a massive airship patrolling the sky, then vanishing into a cloaking barrier.
On the ground, Yulia, her face hidden beneath a hat, directed the cleanup efforts with practiced hand gestures.
She looked every bit the charismatic admiral, a far cry from the anxious, stammering introvert I knew.
“…Aren’t…we going?”
Undecided nudged me. I wanted to go, but I knew I couldn’t.
“Wouldn’t it be awkward if I suddenly reappeared after dying so dramatically?”
“…”
“Just kidding…”
Resurrecting at a funeral was a major faux pas, but they were probably hoping for my return.
That’s why I had fought so hard to come back, to see them again, to keep my promises…
But I couldn’t keep my promises now. And the reason was…absurd.
“Excuse me, sir!”
I stopped a passing farmer.
“Yes? What is it?”
“Could you tell me how to get to Cologne? Is this the right way?”
“Yes, it is. But…who are you…?”
“I’m Yoo-jin.”
“You’re…who?”
“Yoo-jin. Yoo-jin.”
“Huh? What? Uh…who was I talking to?”
The farmer scratched his head, his eyes unfocused, as if I had vanished.
We could converse normally until I mentioned my name. But the moment I revealed my identity, I became invisible to them, forgotten.
It wasn’t just that they couldn’t see me. Their memories of meeting me vanished as well.
I had just tapped Yerina on the shoulder, but she hadn’t even registered my presence.
Perhaps because she already knew me, her mind simply…skipped over the encounter, its defense mechanisms filling in the gaps, minimizing the inconsistencies.
They would never know who I was.
“Profile.”
[Username: X X]
[Age: XX]
[Data corrupted.]
My existence…had been erased from this world.
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[Michael fucking Jackson is back baby!!! but fuck aint nobody remember him fuck man.]
Noo, I was hoping he could finally get some time with the heroines 🙁
Well thats a load of bull, wonder how long this will be dragged out.
No reader thinks that the MC becoming suddenly collectively forgotten is something cool or interesting to read. It reeks of fake drama and is a sign of author’s mental exhaustion. So why I’m still finding it anywhere at all? For those who might like it: the Japanese light novel series “Seirei Gensouki” is a prime example. For those who don’t: avoid it like a plague.