I’m the Madman of This Family

Episode 378: A Future Without Me (6)

Walt scattered sword strikes at Thanatos.

Thanatos, who hadn’t even blinked at Keter’s attacks, raised his sword to counter.

With movements devoid of any unnecessary flair or technique, Thanatos effortlessly blocked the sword strikes.

Walt’s brow furrowed deeply. These weren’t just random strikes meant to test the waters. They were full-powered attacks, yet Thanatos, with his head on the ground, blocked them with ease.

As if to show that having his neck sliced didn’t matter, a new face instantly grew from the severed surface.

Walt glanced down. The tips of his fingers had turned black.

‘I won’t last much longer.’

Thanatos is the embodiment of death. Standing before him is akin to constantly dying.

‘At most, ten minutes. If Keter doesn’t find an exit, I’ll die here too.’

Walt had managed to reach the 6th Layer before Keter thanks to the Grand Duke. A secret passage from the 1st Layer directly to the 6th Layer. Back then, the Grand Duke had warned him.

“I won’t stop you if you insist on going. But know this: there’s no secret passage from the 6th Layer back to the 1st.”

Though the Grand Duke seemed concerned for Walt’s life, Walt felt something else.

‘The Grand Duke thinks I’m no longer useful.’

In the past, if Walt were to venture into dangerous places, the Grand Duke would always prepare something for him.

He’d provide reliable companions, hand over a couple of Artifacts, or generously supply Supreme Elixirs.

But this time, the Grand Duke sent Walt empty-handed.

Just before coming here, Walt bowed deeply to the Grand Duke.

“Please create a world where everyone is equal.”

The Grand Duke nodded slightly.

It was a feeble response, but it was enough for Walt.

He didn’t mind dying. After all, changing the world was something he couldn’t do. He knew nothing but swordsmanship—how could he change the world?

But the Grand Duke was different. He was someone who could truly change the world.

Countless lives would be lost. But Walt hoped at least two people would survive.

Stella, the woman he had loved his entire life.

And Keter, whom he regarded as a younger brother.

The reason he had come to find Ruquer this time was also to protect Keter from the Grand Duke.

Of course, Keter wouldn’t understand this. That’s why Walt tried to force him into submission.

‘Forgive me, Keter. If I don’t do this, I won’t be able to protect you.’

Walt planned to ‘seal’ Keter away. For a hundred years. Then, by reporting to the Grand Duke that Keter was dead, everything would be over.

After a hundred years, Keter would awaken in an equal world. He could live happily there.

But everything went wrong with the appearance of Thanatos, the ruler of the 6th Layer.

Outwardly, it seemed like Walt and Thanatos were evenly matched, but their expressions told a different story.

Walt’s complexion grew darker, while Thanatos smiled.

“Hoooh.”

His breathing was ragged, his lips parched.

Yet, Walt’s sword grew faster, pressuring Thanatos, who in turn matched the speed.

‘Keter. You can do it.’

Walt trusted Keter, who was behind him. If he had to choose the most trustworthy person in Ruquer—no, in this world—it would undoubtedly be Keter.

Though it was their first time in the 6th Layer, and they had no clues, Keter would find the answer. He always had.

Then, Keter shouted.

“I got it!”

“Good. Where is it?”

“There’s no exit here.”

Walt considered cutting Keter down.

*

Keter, who had been observing the situation, also joined the battle.

His left arm was severed, and Amaranth, which he had carried for so long, was destroyed, but Keter acted as if it had never existed.

Using a prosthetic arm made of mana, he began firing arrows, but strangely, half of them had no effect on Thanatos.

Keter understood why in his head. It was because his attacks lacked ‘intent to kill.’

But completely controlling such intent against a formidable foe like Thanatos was incredibly difficult.

“Keter. Don’t give up. Look for the exit again. I’ll hold him off as long as I can.”

Walt spoke calmly, but Keter responded by firing more arrows.

“I’m not giving up. Just like the 4th and 5th Layers, there’s a special condition to escape here. It’ll take more time to find it.”

“Then at least put your will into your actions. Only then can you fight a god.”

“I’ve been doing that since forever.”

“Similar, but different. In my case…”

As Walt tried to explain, Thanatos suddenly increased the tempo of his attacks. He was angered by their display of will to live even in the face of death.

With a single swing of his sword, Thanatos unleashed thousands of sword auras like a storm. Even a graze from these auras meant death, so Walt and Keter wrapped themselves in Ain Soph.

Even then, Ain Soph was quickly being worn down, forcing them to grit their teeth and dodge through the gaps in the sword auras.

Walt had no chance to speak. Thanatos wouldn’t allow it, relentlessly pressing his assault. Forget advice—they were too busy running for their lives.

But the attacks aimed at Keter were relatively sparse.

Keter didn’t recklessly try to help Walt. Instead, he carefully observed the battle between Walt and Thanatos.

Walt’s sword strikes were affecting Thanatos. Unlike his own arrows.

‘What’s the difference? And what was Walt trying to say?’

This wasn’t the time for leisurely observation and analysis. Deep contemplation while dodging death’s attacks in the Land of Death.

Crack.

Death’s collapse began to affect Keter’s body too. Yet, without even blinking, Keter intently watched Walt’s sword. Then, his eyes widened.

As if realizing something, Keter unleashed Arrow Wing.

An Arrow Wing made of 200 Milky Ways. It was undoubtedly powerful, but not enough to harm a god.

But Keter, as if testing something, fired it at Thanatos.

Thanatos didn’t even glance at Keter’s attack, and as expected, the arrow passed through Thanatos’ body and exploded into the sky.

Boom!

A magnificent explosion lit up the sky, but it had no effect on Thanatos.

If anything, Keter’s attack, now weaker than before, made Walt anxious.

“Dracula!”

Walt had already summoned Dracula back when Amaranth was destroyed. But now was not the time to hold back.

Though Dracula looked displeased, the summoning and commands were compulsory, forcing him to fight Thanatos.

But Dracula’s Blood Magic, which uses the power of life, was completely incompatible with death. The Blood Magic disintegrated upon contact.

Still, it bought Walt a brief moment of respite, allowing him to quickly advise Keter.

“Don’t worry about what your opponent is. Impose your will upon this world. That’s how you fight a god, and that’s the process of becoming one!”

The reason Walt’s sword could reach a god was because of his conviction to correct the world’s order with his blade.

‘If I can change this world, I’ll cut down anything.’

This conviction of Walt’s even allowed him to cut down a god.

Keter glanced at Walt. Then, he fired another arrow. This time, it was Goodnight Milky Way. Perhaps due to the massive mana consumption, it was a single shot instead of three.

Keter, having received Walt’s advice, fired another arrow, this time without worrying about Walt and Thanatos getting caught in the blast.

But before the arrow could even reach Thanatos, Walt knew.

‘It’s wrong.’

Thanatos didn’t even bother to defend against the arrow.

This meant Keter either didn’t understand his words or his conviction wasn’t strong enough to reach a god.

Whoosh.

As Walt had sadly predicted, Keter’s Goodnight passed through Thanatos and exploded into the sky.

Though a single Goodnight was more powerful than 200 Milky Ways, causing the sky to tremble as if collapsing, it didn’t affect Thanatos. Instead, it only hindered Walt.

Then, Thanatos spoke.

“How pitiful.”

At the same time, his attacks ceased.

Under normal circumstances, Walt would have taken this as an insult, but he simply caught his breath.

“If you pity us, let us go.”

“No. But I’ll tell you how to escape. It’s not hard. This land rejects the living. If you die, you can naturally leave.”

Thanatos’ words sounded like a riddle, but Walt understood the underlying meaning.

If the condition to escape the 6th Layer was ‘death,’ how could any survivor’s information have spread above? Could they resurrect after dying?

No. Such a convenient trap couldn’t exist.

“So, it’s not necessary for oneself to die.”

At Walt’s words, Thanatos smiled.

“That’s right. As long as someone dies, the exit will open.”

In other words, if one comes to the 6th Layer alone, they will inevitably die. But if two or more come, the story changes. Only one needs to be sacrificed for the others to survive.

And now, there are only two people in the 6th Layer: Keter and Walt.

Thanatos spread his arms, showing how unharmed he was.

“If Keter dies, Walt, you can live. If you wish, I can send you back to the surface instead of the 7th Layer.”

“……”

“I’m not telling you to kill Keter with your own hands. Just step aside. It won’t take long. If time runs out, both you and Keter will die… Is that what you want?”

Thanatos could kill both Keter and Walt at any time. It was only a matter of time.

The collapsing 6th Layer. Perhaps due to Keter’s attacks, the collapse accelerated, and now spatial rifts were appearing right before their eyes.

Walt couldn’t easily answer. Knowing that Walt was stalling for time, Thanatos urged him.

“If you’re dragging this out to recover stamina, that’s foolish. This world is about to be severed. At that point, even I won’t be able to send you out.”

As Walt was about to respond, Keter interjected.

“Can’t it be the other way around? I want to live.”

At Keter’s words, Thanatos made a genuinely disgusted face.

“How pathetic. I’ll kill you with my own hands.”

“Can I trust that?”

Then, Walt asked. His voice slightly trembling.

Thanatos spoke with a benevolent expression.

“I swear on my name.”

When a god swears on their name, it’s as good as saying ‘absolutely.’

Believing that Walt wouldn’t interfere anymore, Thanatos turned his gaze to Keter.

At that moment—

Slice.

His neck was cut again.

“But I refuse.”

Thanatos, whose neck had been cut twice, shouted with a furious expression.

“Stalling won’t change anything. Both Keter and you will die in the end.”

Thanatos’ words weren’t a curse. They were the future.

But Walt spoke with a confident voice.

“Keter isn’t a fool who attacks knowing it won’t work.”

Walt trusted Keter, who had tried to make him the sacrificial lamb.

And Keter responded to Walt’s trust.

“You know me too well. It’s creepy.”

Keter’s voice had changed. It was filled with confidence, as if he had found the answer.