("She once was a true love of mine.")
The male protagonist held the female protagonist in his arms, and although she was shy, there was a look of uncertainty in her eyes, like a deer caught in the headlights.
It should have been a sweet scene, but with the sorrowful melody in the background, fans couldn't help but feel more uneasy.
The next scene brought their unease to life.
Despite her shyness, despite her reluctance, the girl suddenly pulled away from the male protagonist's gaze, making the painful decision to leave.
In the blackness, the red-haired girl held her sword, running toward the future.
"Chtholly, keep going!"
Memories began to resurface, and it was as though she was falling from the warship
Crying, she ran into the arms of the one she loved, but a flash of red in her originally blue hair
High-fiving her friend, it seemed they were making a promise, but her hair, once pure blue, was now streaked with more and more red
("Tell her to make me a cambric shirt")
Chtholly: "I once swore to be with him forever."
The two of them, happily shopping for fruits at the market...
Chtholly: "This vow makes me incredibly happy."
("Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme.")
William: "I once swore to be with her forever."
The two of them happily browsing a bookstore together...
William: "This vow brings me unparalleled peace."
Chtholly, standing on tiptoe, still couldn't reach a book placed higher than her.
William smiled, reaching down to grab it for her. The joy in their expressions made the moment seem perfectly happy
By the river, for some reason, Chtholly pouted and stared stubbornly at the male protagonist's profile...
("Without no seams nor needle work")
Chtholly: "I once thought I really liked this person."
Under the moonlight, tears streamed down their faces as they embraced, as if bidding farewell
William: "I once thought I truly cherished this person."
William smiled gently, ruffling the girl's hair...
("Then she'll be a true love of mine.")
Chtholly: "Having such feelings makes me so happy."
Under the moonlight, the two of them shared their feelings... A hint of soft red appeared in her hair.
Chtholly, still smiling, wore a thin veil in the room, her red hair now even more prominent.
Her face, adorned with a shy expression, seemed more delicate than before...
William: "Having such feelings makes me so joyful."
Chtholly, with her full red hair, walked through the battleship, her eyes hollow and emotionless...
Chtholly: "He once told me he would make me happy."
William: "I once told her I would make her happy."
The girl leapt from the sky, her pure white wings unfurling behind her...
Chtholly: "Hearing him say that makes me so happy."
William: "Being able to say that to her fills me with satisfaction."
A vast and endless horde of beasts!
The battle, relentless and unceasing, would only end in death, never halting until the very end!
Chtholly: "I've received so much happiness from him..."
William: "I've received so much from her... but I..."
Chtholly: "So now, no matter what others say..."
"I will be the girl he loves the most in this world!!"
The scenes of battle and memories intertwined, the sorrowful music never taking a break.
And then... the curtains fell!
(Tell her to find me an acre of land.)
(Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme.)
(Between the salt water and the sea strands)
(Then he'll be a true love of mine.)
Chtholly: "William, thank you."
Under the girl's colorful wings lay William and Insania, both unconscious.
At the end of the scene, beneath the brilliant, blinding sunset...
Chtholly, now with her red hair, stood with the holy sword, facing the endless "beasts" below her.
As the video ended, countless fans were still staring at the screen, dazed.
Even though the scenes had little dialogue or explanation, despite knowing nothing about the two characters' relationship, the sincerity in their monologues made the fans feel...
The undeniable truth of their feelings.
It was this truth that left them stunned, unable to snap out of the video's grip.
The fitting background music added layers to each scene, making it all the more powerful!
Minutes later, the fans with the deepest empathy were crying uncontrollably.
The average fans had tears in their eyes, each drop falling heavily as their noses tingled.
Below the post were endless comments already flooding in.
"I don't even know what the story is, but I'm already crying, sobbing..."
"The last time I cried this badly was from Anohana! But this video... I don't even know these characters!! Why is it so emotional??"
"Is the fucking author just straight-up ruining us now!? Is this a direct sign that the next work will be a tragedy!?"
"But I still want to watch it! Am I insane!?"
"Did no one notice? The female voice had joy in her words, while the male's was full of sorrow, the contrast was stunning!! And with the music and visuals, it was pure perfection!!"
"What song is this? It's amazing! Perfect for the video!"
"I found it through a song identifier it's 'Scarborough Fair'!"
"This song is incredible! I'm setting it as my ringtone!"
"Respect to the person above, not afraid of crying, huh!?"
"So what's the new work called!?"
"..."
And then, suddenly, the tone shifted in the comments!
"If happiness had a color, it would definitely be the blue dyed by the crimson of the end!"
"Chtholly! William's Chtholly!! Sob sob sob..."
"So that's it! These two old men teamed up, huh!!"
"I was flipping through the third volume, just a few pages in, and bam, I saw this video. I can't even bring myself to watch it!"
"No wonder 'Warrior of Love and Hope' is doing the illustrations. It was always planned to turn this into a manga, wasn't it!?"
"Although this is exciting, all I want to do right now is cry!!"
"For the first time, I have a favorite manga artist and a light novel I love. Two happy things overlapped and gave me even more joy... It should be a dream come true, but why... Why did it end like this?"
"Doesn't anyone feel bad for William? This man, isolated from the world, finally formed a connection, only to be left like this!?"
"Though the second volume already hinted at the ending, I still held on to a little hope, hoping for a miracle... Sob, I just want to cry out loud!"
It was clearfans who had read WorldEnd instantly recognized the two characters in the video. After all, they looked exactly like the illustrations.
It wasn't hard to tell!
Other fans who didn't understand the context asked:
"What's going on? Are Chtholly and William the main characters?"
"WorldEnd, I know that light novel. A few months ago, the mangaka said he'd be doing the illustrations for it! So are you saying his next work is a light novel adaptation?"
"Is this real? I'm not into light novels, but if that's true, I might check out the novel first."
"Exactly! This light novel is just amazing! Read the novel first, then the manga, it will be an unparalleled experience!"
"You're trying to trick me, right? Just earlier i was crying like a baby, and now you're trying to lure me into this?!"
"Not saying much more, this time I'm not sending knives to the mangaka, I'm sending them to Shadow-sensei!!"
"Warrior of Love and hope put so much heart into this video! Just a little token of appreciation, I'll send something to Shadow-sensei!!"
"This kind of aching pain, I don't think I'll get over it anytime soon."
"Only for this work, I won't call Chtholly my wife, because only William can give her happiness!!"
"..."
Countless fans discussed in the comments, sharing their sorrow and sadness over Chtholly and William's fates.
Naturally, many fans who weren't interested in light novels before couldn't help but feel curious.
They were now planning to read the novel before the manga comes out.
And for those who had just finished reading WorldEnd volume three, they were finally unable to hold back the tears.
After seeing this video, they were sobbing uncontrollably.
[131] Chtholly!!
"Chtholly!!"
"Wuu wuu wuu..."
A man in his thirties, sitting in his small room, is crying uncontrollably.
Despite the immense sorrow, the emotions that had been building inside him were finally released, perfectly.
A similar scene unfolds all over Japan.
Only those who have read the "WorldEnd" trilogy would truly understand what real sadness is, and how precious the love between these two characters is, after watching this video.
Others might feel sadness or sorrow too, but their emotions are only skin-deep.
The discussions from fans of the artist and the author, the heated debates, and the controversies surrounding the work...
All these things came together, creating an unstoppable flood of emotions that eventually erupted all over the internet.
But that's a story for another time.
For now, there are more people like Hikari Nohara, loyal fans of the work, who, after venting their inner sorrow, couldn't help but pick up their pens and write long posts of reflection.
"I'm a man who's almost 30."
"My daily life is rather dullworking, overtime, and sometimes going out with colleagues to a izakaya... There's nothing much beyond that."
"When did things start to change? Looking back now, it's kind of funny."
"That day, my boss unexpectedly didn't assign me overtime. I had an early shift and suddenly felt lost, not knowing what to do with all this free time."
"That's when I noticed a group of young guys, their eyes sparkling as they passionately discussed everything related to the world of anime. It reminded me of my younger self."
"Back then, I was just like them, wasn't I?"
"Except, back then, anime wasn't something people could openly talk about."
"I had to keep my interests a secret and couldn't share them with others the way they were doing."
"My past passion was slowly wiped away by the demands of life, but the memories it stirred led me to a bookstore."
"And there, I picked up a book that, looking back now, I'd call a fateful encounterWorldEnd."
"The first volume, with its sorrowful and out-of-place tone, captivated me."
"It felt just like my own experience, coming to a big city alone, trying to survive, unable to fit in anywhere."
"By the second volume, I was even more engrossed."
"The heartbreak of the battles lost on the frontlines tore at me. Chtholly's revival brought me joy, but the author's writing made it clearthis was going to be a tragedy."
"And then, the story reached its peak in the third volume!"
"The love between Chtholly and William was heartbreaking, yet I couldn't help but envy it."
"At least from Chtholly's perspective, we could see how happy she was. She had no regrets about their love."
"Her wish to be remembered, to leave behind a bond, had been fulfilled!"
"Just like the edited video said, no matter what others think, I'm surely the happiest girl in the world right now!!"
"So, Chtholly's death, while tragic, made me feel deep sympathy for her. At least, in her final moments, she found love and the kind of bond that many people would envy!"
"In contrast, William, still alive, makes me feel even more sorrowful."
"Their love burned so brightly, and compared to the deceased Chtholly, Williamalive, still thinkingmakes me want to pity him even more."
"Ultimately, William is the true protagonist of this story, and Chtholly is just one part of his long life."
"His life has been filled with tragedy, driven by the belief that even if he couldn't protect the whole world, as long as he could protect one person, it would be worth it."
"He even reached the limit of human endurance for that."
"Yet, in the end, it was all for nothing."
"He couldn't protect her. In the end, it was her who protected him."
"There will probably be other characters in the future, and I imagine they'll face similar tragedies, right?"
"Going back to the present, we can see the emotions between the two from their dialogue. But compared to Chtholly's passionate love, William is clearly lost."
"Because even he realized, does he truly love her, or does he see her as just a tool for his own redemption?"
"The answer lies in William's heart. We, the outsiders, will never know."
"As of now, William, still alive, seems directionless. I think the story might eventually take us to the prequel?"
"The true ending must be drawing near."
This post was naturally written by Hikari Nohara.
After going through such intense pain, he instinctively wrote this long review, spilling his emotions.
As expected, after posting it, the review received countless praise and admiration.
"This is amazing! This review really speaks to my heart!"
"Even though Chtholly's death left me heartbroken, it's William who really tugs at my heartstrings."
"I'm a little worried, though. After such a climactic moment, how will the story continue to bring sorrow?"
"I just hope the ending doesn't disappoint!"
"Shadow-sensei!!"
Akifumi, looking slightly annoyed, pushed his phone away.
After hearing silence on the other end, he finally brought it back to his ear:
"I know you're excited, but can you keep it down? My ears are about to go deaf."
"Sorry, sorry."
Machida Sonoko laughed heartily, though her voice was softer than before.
But her joy was no less intense.
"So, any good news this time?"
"Shadow-sensei is always like this!" Machida sighed helplessly
"Am I the only one who is happy here... doesn't that make me look like an idiot?"
"I'm happy too, I just don't know how to show it."
"Sure, sure." Machida tone was dismissive, clearly not buying it. "Although the first-day sales of The WorldEnd Vol. 3 were 22,000 copies, that video from last night really ignited everyone's enthusiasm!!"
"Today, the printing department is working overtime, and many bookstores are frantically restocking. It looks like this month's sales will hit a new record!!"
"That's wonderful." Akifumi finally smiled.
The second volume of The WorldEnd sold 126,000 copies in its first month!
It was a massive improvement over the first volume's sales.
The online promotion during that period played a big part in making this happen.
With the current level of buzz, it's likely that the third volume will reach new heights in sales!
On top of that, the sales of the first two volumes will also benefit from the increased popularity and see a boost!
