Codex Null: Simulation Through Madness
Chapter 34: Last Battle (1)

Chapter 34: Last Battle (1)

More than thirteen years ago, in a remote valley where the earth lay buried beneath a thick layer of snow and the wind howled with relentless force, crowds of people had gathered in hushed groups — all facing the same direction, murmuring among themselves.

Among them stood a young girl.

No — a child, no older than four or five.

Her silver hair blended almost seamlessly into the snowy landscape, and despite wearing only a light summer outfit — a sleeveless shirt and shorts — the biting cold seemed to leave her untouched.

Her gaze was fixed ahead, unblinking.

There, just beyond a narrow line that cut across the valley, the world no longer followed its natural shape. The air twisted, the space shimmered, and what lay beyond that warped boundary was no longer this frozen land — but an entirely different place altogether.

Behind her stood a group of more than fifty people, all watching her with reverence and admiration.

They stood in silence, their expressions devout.

Just then, one of them — a mature woman dressed in an elegant robe — stepped forward and said.

"Young Miss, there’s really no need for you to wait out here. The people inside might take a long time to die before the Trial Dimension unlocks. So, how about you enter the pocket dimension and rest until then?"

Elysia, the witch, advised gently.

But the young girl, Serah, gave no reply.

Instead, her gaze drifted from the overlapping space — where the Trial Dimension lay — to the groups scattered across the valley.

First, she looked toward a cluster of people dressed all in black, their faces hidden behind masks. Then her eyes shifted to a group made up entirely of women, all wearing robes like the one Elysia wore. From there, her gaze wandered across several smaller groups.

She took in everything around her with a gleam in her eyes. Then, finally turning to Elysia, she said, "Well, I feel like something interesting will happen soon. And you’ll likely be wrong."

She declared it with certainty.

And as if the world itself heard her words — the space ahead, that shimmering membrane dividing the two realms, rippled. The air shook.

Moments later, under the stunned gaze of more than a thousand silent onlookers, a young boy carrying a young girl stepped through.

Serah’s eyes twinkled as she stared at the beautiful boy.

Black hair fell to his shoulders, his gray eyes shone like distant stars, and the proud, arrogant expression he wore made her breath catch.

She was mesmerized.

And the people around her... most of them didn’t like that.

"Who is he?" Serah muttered.

Elysia, who had been watching the two children closely — assessing them, wondering what they could have possibly obtained inside — finally replied, her eyes still wide with shock,

"Well, that should be Noel from the Cross family. And the girl... she should be the Everen heir."

"That Noel?" Serah asked, raising an eyebrow.

Elysia nodded. "Yes."

"He’s even more beautiful than I heard!" Serah exclaimed, completely unconcerned about the emotions of those around her.

Her eyes never left Noel — the boy who had emerged already injured, now standing alone before thousands of people who wanted to steal whatever he had gained inside.

She watched as members of the smaller groups began to move, slowly surrounding him — until one voice barked out,

"Your Cross family isn’t here to protect you, so hand over everything you’ve got. Then walk away before you get yourself killed."

Another scoffed, "Better to live empty-handed than die clinging to a few worthless items."

They kept talking, each one throwing threats and demands, pressing him to surrender what he carried.

But Noel, with cold eyes, simply said, "Cease your bullshit, and come on — let’s see who dies today."

Serah watched as things escalated quickly after Noel’s cool reply.

She saw him gently place the girl he had been carrying onto the ground... and then, without hesitation, step forward and begin to fight.

"Those groups are just testing the waters," Elysia said calmly beside her. "No one’s willing to make a full move yet — not while three of the four major factions are gathered here."

"They don’t realize," she added, "they’re sending their men straight to their deaths."

Hearing her, Serah understood exactly what she meant.

Before her eyes, Noel’s body glowed with a deep, pure red aura — and despite his condition, he wielded the famed Destruction Law, condensing its power into a sword as he cut down everything that came his way.

His strength was undeniable. And no one watching could possibly dismiss him.

He was still young — only a few years older than her.

But even so, Serah couldn’t imagine herself reaching his level, not now... and not even when she reached his age.

With talent alone, it would be difficult. Even for her.

"He really is a monster," Elysia said quietly. "He reached the fourth stage of Law-Woven... at just eight years old."

Then, after a small pause, she shook her head and added with a sigh, "Such a pity... his fate is already doomed."

"What do you mean?" Serah asked, her gaze still fixed on him.

"It’s the Trial Dimension," Elysia replied. "He came back possessed... by a parasitic relic."

"But the issue isn’t just possession — it’s the rank of the relic. It might be beyond Apex."

Serah’s eyes widened in shock — and the others nearby all gasped in disbelief.

"Doesn’t that put it on par with our Hallowed Sun Cult’s core relic?" Serah asked.

She voiced the thought that everyone else had been too afraid to say.

And while Elysia hesitated... she still gave a small, reluctant nod.

There was no need to say anything more.

She already understood — more than enough — just how grim his situation was.

A parasitic relic is already problematic.

But one with a rank possibly higher than Apex?

That’s a short ticket to hell.

His only possibility of coming out alive...

Was if the four major factions gathered together,

Pulled out the relic encroaching on his soul,

And helped him survive the process.

But.

That’s impossible.