Chapter 108

CHAPTER 5 The Dead-End Arena and the Downfall of Power Lilia collapsed to the ground with a thud. Nobody could find it in themselves to speak a word. In Leticia’s blood-soaked hand, she held a violet crystal of a type I had seen before, although the color was different. “Ah-ha-ha-ha!!” she laughed. “I’ve been waiting ever so long for this! I pretended to be clueless, calling you ‘dear sister’ like I used to, all so you wouldn’t suspect a thing!” The crystal she was holding was a demon heart. Sudden death awaited a demon without it, and yet for whatever reason, Lilia still drew breath. Nevertheless, the heart was the source of a demon’s control over mana, and so without it, her magic faltered, and a pair of black wings and a tail—her mother must have been a succubus, I guessed—came into view. That’s the heart of Leticia’s brother? The heart of the previous demon lord? “How…?” Lilia choked. Leticia refused to answer her and kept talking. “I knew. I knew all this time. You see, when this second world began, Guren provided me with all my memories from the first! Ever since then, I’ve been watching you, Lilia.” She spat the name with unbridled venom. “You did well to hide Brother’s heart, but as soon as I stopped to think about it, it was obvious it was you!” Leticia stood over her fallen sister and magically patched Lilia’s wounds. “I was conflicted at first, but in the end, I just couldn’t deny this hate. It’s not the result of some strange curse—it’s mine, all mine! You ruined my and Kaito’s happiness! You, Leon, and everyone else who interfered! My heart, my soul, and every nerve in my body cries out for revenge!!” Anger! Anger! Anger! A fury impelled her words, and there was nothing Lilia could do to stop it. “So I waited! I bided my time! I wanted you to trust me, so I could betray you right in front of your beloved Leon!” “Gaaaaaaaaaghhh!!” Leticia conjured spears of ice and used them to pin Lilia to the ground. “Does it hurt?” she jeered. “That’s because I took out Brother’s heart. When your body loses that much mana, your senses grow sharper to compensate! How about this?” “Grhhhh! Gggghh!!” Leticia brought her foot down hard on one of Lilia’s wings, making her scream in agony. “Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha! What an ugly cry! Come on, go ‘Eek!’ and ‘Eep!’ like a proper lady!” Leticia looked on with glee at Lilia’s suffering. The rest of us were all too shocked to move a muscle. Suddenly, who but Nonorick appeared beside the ecstatic girl. “Oh, look at Kai and his friends!” he said, his merry voice a stark contrast to the military garb he wore. “They’re petrified!” “Hmm? Oh, you’re right. I suppose they deserve an explanation, at least.” At last, Leticia scraped her sister’s wing against the ground, as though removing something unmentionable from her shoe, and glanced over at us. In a flash, her wrath became a playful smile. “Look at you,” she said. “Never have I seen you so utterly bewildered.” “L-Leticia? Y-you remember me…?” I asked. “What are you prattling about, you fool? Did I not mention as much just a few moments ago? I could recount some of our more private encounters, if that would serve to convince you.” “…Ha-ha… Ha-ha-ha… I don’t believe it…” I was so shocked that I couldn’t even think straight, but the realization forced its way down my throat, regardless. “I suppose you’re wondering how I regained my memories,” said Leticia. “Well, do you remember how I gave you my demon heart? Well, I decided to transfer my soul into it before I died, just in case. That just goes to show, does it not? Even I do not know where my genius will take me sometimes!” “Your soul was in that stone? B-but didn’t Alicia destroy it?!” I felt sick as I remembered the princess’s betrayal and the moment her blade almost skewered me. “By then, my soul had all but transferred into you,” Leticia explained. “I wanted to be with you, at least in your dreams. You looked like you were going to shrivel up and die after everything you went through to vanquish me.” Now that she mentioned it, I had dreamed of Leticia a lot after that. “I was only borrowing your vessel, but I could see everything. And I saw how you let that miserable princess betray you and destroy my precious stone.” “Eek.” Leticia glared daggers into my soul. I had no excuses there. “I sent you one last dream shortly after time was rewound,” Leticia went on. “In it, I distinctly recall asking you to come to my side. What have you been doing this whole time? And then, just when I thought I must start my vengeance alone, you decide to show up after all!” “S-sorry, but I had my reasons,” I stammered. “Hey, wait, does that mean when we met earlier in the forest and you didn’t remember me, you were just faking—?” All of a sudden, Nonorick started throwing a hissy fit. “Hey, hey, hey! Stop flirting right under my nose, you two, or I’m gonna lose it!” Leticia gave a displeased grunt. “Kaito and I finally get a chance to talk, and you just have to go ahead and ruin it… Very well, I suppose this can wait. There are more pressing matters at hand, are there not?” “Rh… Gh…” “Uh… Hh…” Leticia snapped her fingers, and the ice spears pinning Lilia to the ground vanished. Both she and Leon were lifted off the blackened sand and suspended magically in midair. Then Leticia clicked her fingers again, and a large metal cage slammed down over the pair. “Now, we must not forget to heal these two as well,” said Leticia, turning to face the fallen Yuuto and Mai and clapping them both on the shoulders. Just like with Lilia, a wave of magic spread out from where she touched them, healing the battered duo. “…The light…it’s warm…,” Mai said, groaning. “My wounds are healing…,” said Yuuto. “Not only that, but my stamina and mana are returning as well.” “And for you, Kaito,” said Leticia, turning to me. “I have a very special spell prepared.” “Oh, you don’t need to— Mph!” She wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me without letting me say another word. As she did, a golden light enveloped her. “Mwah!” “Hey!” cried Nonorick. “I thought I told you to cut that out!” Mai’s eyes went blank. “…Dear brother?” she asked. “Come on, Mai, try to keep it under control,” offered Yuuto. Meanwhile, I could do nothing but writhe beneath the watchful gaze of my partners in crime. The kiss lasted all of ten seconds before Leticia finally let go. “My, Kaito, you have been wasteful with your mana. But you should be all topped up again now.” Nonorick, however, was displeased. “You told me this wasn’t going to be fun and games, but look at you!” he cried. “How come I don’t get to kiss anyone?!” “That kiss,” said Leticia, “was not just fun and games. It served an important purpose. This nitwit here went and used up nearly all of his mana, plus he has a lot to restore, so it would take a while otherwise. The fastest and surest way of transferring mana is through fluid contact.” “…” Leticia’s facile explanation conveniently ignored the fact that her ridiculous power level made such measures completely unnecessary. I avoided pointing this out, however, for fear of exacerbating the prickly gazes already directed our way. “Now then, I’ll put up a barrier to keep our conversation private,” said Leticia. She twirled her finger, and a semitransparent wall of light enshrouded us. “So let’s talk business.” Mai and Yuuto came over to join us. “Yes, let’s,” I said, clearing my throat. This entire time, I had assumed Leticia saw Lilia as her beloved sister, and would turn against me after I killed her. I had known I needed to be prepared to fight her, if it came to that, but to be honest, I still didn’t feel ready, even now. She had showed me what it meant to love, and to repay that lesson with violence was too much to bear. Recently, I had been having nightmares in which she cursed me, spat at me, ordered me to die. Nightmares from which I awoke with a cold sweat and a broken heart. They had happened more times than I could count on all my fingers and all my toes. So I wanted to cry. To fight alongside Leticia again was beyond my wildest fantasies. But this wasn’t about her—it was about revenge. My doubt was lifted. My path was clear. We didn’t need peace and love where I was going—just a thick, black, inky hate that stained everything it touched. I was a monster that lurked at the bottom of a swamp, and I needed to stay there until my vengeance was complete. Otherwise, everything I had worked so hard to obtain would be for naught. “Though having said that,” said Leticia, “I’m afraid I don’t have an awful lot to contribute. The extent of my plan was to earn Lilia’s trust and betray it, like she did to me. Now that’s done with, I was merely going to have Nonorick help me torture her to death.” “Hmm, I see…” I nodded. It sounded like they didn’t have a plan of their own, which effectively meant we had gained Leticia and Nonorick to aid in our own vengeance. Plus, Lilia had joined the onstage cast. As chance would have it, I had considered some revenge scenarios involving both Leon and Lilia already, as I had assumed the two of them were lovers. When I saw Lilia with Leticia and Nonorick, I figured I had been mistaken, but it all came together just a few moments ago. “It looks like you’ve already started on Leon,” said Leticia, “so how about we share? You take him and leave Lilia to me.” Leticia grinned and cocked her head gently to one side. “Besides,” she said. “Doing it together is far more satisfying than doing it alone, is it not?” Her eyes were like blackened pearls of tar. I could just barely make out their original crimson hue. I thought back to the first time I’d ever seen them, when they stunned me into silence, unable to speak a word. Back when the gulf between us had felt like a vast, interminable void. Back when we’d lived in different worlds. …Now our eyes were the same. “You bet,” I said. “Wait until you see what I’ve cooked up for us this time.” “Pleased to meet you. My name is Lilia.” I had first met the woman at a ruin on the empire’s soil. I had learned of its existence from ancient texts, but as ill luck would have it, the guild came across its location while I was still traveling. It would be considered far too dangerous for a member of the royal family to join the official expedition, so I had little choice but to assume the guise of a wandering archaeologist. As for Lilia, she always kept her hood raised in order to conceal her demon heritage. Her skills as a mage were more than sufficient to get her onto the team, and it was common knowledge that one never pried too deeply into an adventurer’s background. We entered the ruin and began our investigation. After a while, just as the rest of the team were about to return to the surface, I wandered off by myself. The ancient texts had spoken of a secret passage, and by following their instructions, I was able to gain access to the innermost depths of the ruin. It was there I came across an ancient monolith, covered in writing. I set about deciphering it, and when I had finished, Lilia called out to me. She said, “Are you searching for a means to slay a god, as well?” Lilia was another fool, like me, chasing after the same foolish dream, and it didn’t take long for the two of us to become close. We were fighting against a fate that only we understood, while the rest of the world went about their peaceful lives. For a year or so, we delved into ancient ruins, risking our lives in search of knowledge, sharing in joys and sorrows. It was no surprise that we became intimate. I may have been on a mission to save the world, but I discovered that Lilia was the first person I wanted to protect specifically. “We must save this realm, Leon. The place we both call home.” “Yes. We must overthrow God and create a world without any more tears.” To me, the words we exchanged in bed that night were no less than a solemn vow. I was not only fighting for the world. I was fighting for her as well. “Aaaaaaaaaggghhhhhhhhh!!” The faint sound of a scream drifted into my ears from far away. Hmm? Wh-what happened to me…? A throbbing pain coursing across my entire body roused me awake, and the blurriness of my mind began to take shape. “First things first, we need to have you remember what you did. How’s this feel?” “Urgh! Wh-what are these memories? I…took the arcstone? You…are the hero? Then who is the kingdom’s silver-clad champion? …No, wait, we defeated you, and then…we…” “Yes, you killed me. I remember it well, and now, so do you.” Everything came back to me when I heard that voice. “Urgh…” “Oh, looks like our other leading actor is awake. Perfect timing.” “Kaito…” I opened my eyes to find the monster we had birthed. It didn’t seem like we had been moved to another location. The earth was blackened and scorched, but I could still smell the mana in the air. In fact, it was even stronger than before. The Fairy Tree is dead, as is the queen and her orb. Perhaps the ley-line energy has already begun accumulating. Soon, the realm would be saturated with locations like this, rich in mana. At least it was aiding my natural regeneration. As I was still puzzling out the situation, Leticia spoke. “I suppose you could say it has been a while, Leon. You’re looking a lot manlier already.” She was Lilia’s younger sister, and the possessor of the arcstone. I had thought her one of my few allies. “…So, I suppose you have decided to betray us, then?” I asked. “Yes, I have. That’s why I’ve was working to earn your trust this whole time.” I couldn’t fail to notice the murky look in her eyes as she said that. …I see. Then this is another monster we gave birth to. It seemed they had not seen fit to restrain me, so I sat up and gave my surroundings a cursory glance. A short distance away knelt Lilia, panting with ragged breaths. The Fairy Spring lay behind me, bursting with ley-line energy, while ahead of me stood my captors, Kaito and Leticia and their teammates I’d met at the guild, Nonorick, Mai, and Yuuto. They all seemed to be in full health again. The odds I can fight my way out of this are slim… I grimaced as I faced the unwelcome truth. My main concern was getting Lilia to safety, but such an outcome didn’t seem likely. At the very least, it appears this vengeance of Kaito’s requires keeping us alive for a while longer. For now, I should wait to see what he does. Any rash decisions seemed destined to end in failure, but there wasn’t much merit in waiting around, either. As I deliberated over what to do, Kaito suddenly clapped his hands. “Now, then. It’s time to explain the rules. Leticia, tell Lilia what she needs to know.” “Leave it to me, Kaito. But first, I shall create our playing field. We could do with a bit more space around here.” Immediately, a crimson flame leaped from her palm and incinerated the trees around us. Before I knew what was happening, everything had turned to ash, down to the very last blade of grass. The ground became glowing molten rock, and when Leticia waved her hand, it sank down into the earth, while the surrounding soil moved in to cover it, like a pair of sliding doors. When she was done, all that remained was a barren expanse. “Hmm, hmm. It’s a lot easier when there’s so much mana in the air. What do we need next? …Ah, I’ve got it.” Leticia snapped her fingers, and the earth at the edge of the expanse rose up like walls, taking the form of an octagonal stadium. It was roughly twice the size of the training grounds in Zolkia, but most concerning were the empty seats. Directly ahead of me was a box like the ones usually reserved for distinguished guests. “Put a barrier around the whole thing, and we’re done. Hmm, hmm. Not bad, if I do say so myself.” Leticia held her arms high, and a pyramid-shaped barrier enclosed the colosseum whole. It looked so strong that I couldn’t believe it was the work of a single person. I would have little chance of penetrating it alone. A second, smaller barrier enclosed the seating box. “Looking good,” said Kaito. “Did you expect anything less? Now, come, Sister. Let me guide you to the seat of honor.” “Urgh…” Leticia snatched Lilia by the hair and began dragging her along the ground. My captors all followed them away, save for Kaito. “You mentioned rules,” I said. “What are you planning?” “That’s a bit of a stupid question, isn’t it?” asked Kaito. “Can’t you guess by now? I mean, what else is a colosseum for? Fighting. Do battle, and be rewarded beyond your wildest dreams.” He sneered. “Beyond…my wildest dreams?” “That’s right. I know exactly what you want, and this is the place where you can win it.” He gestured theatrically, like a mad clown. “Here you will fight wave after wave of deadly monsters. All you have to do is defeat them. Not exactly complicated, is it? And if you make it through…” The former hero cracked a wicked smile and spoke his rotten words. “…then, in exchange for your life, Lilia will go free.” “This barrier,” he continued, “will cease to be, once all life within this arena is extinguished. That includes you, of course. If you pass my trials and die, I promise I won’t lay a hand on her.” “…And why should I believe your promises?” “You are free to think otherwise, but it won’t change anything. However, if it’ll motivate you, then how about this? I want to watch her suffer the grief of loss. I can’t do that if she’s dead, can I?” “…You’ve become a true monster, Kaito.” “Well, you only have yourself to blame for that, I’m afraid.” Kaito’s dry words made perfect sense to me, now that he had granted me my previous memories. Perhaps I truly had sacrificed too much in the pursuit of justice. “You’re not getting out of this one,” Kaito went on. “Either you fail the trials and die with Lilia, or you pass them and sacrifice your life for hers.” Kaito’s eyes were deep, dark, and murderous. “That being said,” he continued, “this is a game. And it wouldn’t be a game without a way to win, would it?” Kaito glanced to his left, where a horde of monsters appeared on the shore of the spring. In all of my travels, I had never seen creatures of this kind. At first glance, I thought them to be a variant of an ogre or some such, but upon closer examination, I noticed that transparent mucus dripped from their muddy green skin, and that the upper body of a small figure—most likely a fairy—grew from their heads. Their necks were also draped in the cadavers of fairies, like some kind of macabre scarf. I needed not to understand any more of the monsters’ nature to know that they were vile and depraved. “Oh,” said Kaito, noticing my alert response. “These creatures aren’t who you’ll be fighting. They’re your precious allies. Don’t worry.” The look in his eyes meant I could do nothing but. “These are your restoratives, your power-ups, and your penalties all in one. What’s that? You don’t understand? Then listen up! I’m only going to explain this once.” Kaito explained with pompous affectation, while the monsters began marching in perfect lockstep, like an army of darkness. “By now, your body is similar to that of a fairy, thanks to the effect of my soul blade. Incidentally, these guys were also made using fairies. They look quite frightening, as I’m sure you agree, but they’re not actually corporeal. They’re made out of mana, the same way fairies are.” “…You’re sick.” Kaito confirmed my initial suspicions. These monsters were nothing but chimeras—artificial creatures constructed through some foul alchemy. “Thank you very much,” Kaito answered. “I was hoping you’d say something like that.” The creatures by his side were an affront to all life in this world. But Kaito only smiled. “Back to the point,” he said. “You probably wonder where I’m going with all this. These guys are going to be your health potions in order to see you through the fight.” “Health…potions?” “Indeed. We’ve healed you a little bit, but you’re still in a rough spot, aren’t you? I wouldn’t want you croaking right after I went to the trouble of setting this whole thing up, so if things start looking bad, just eat one of these guys. Their mana will become part of you, healing you and increasing your strength.” “…” “There are fifty of them in all. You’ve got fifty lives before it’s game over. So long as at least a single one of them remains, your opponents will neither strike the killing blow nor interfere with your attempts to heal. Every time you wind up at death’s door, I’ll feed one to you.” I could hear the excitement in his voice, as if he could hold it in no longer. “Mind you, these creatures aren’t exactly like health potions,” he went on. “Since they’re just pure mana, you won’t get sick or full up from consuming too many of them. Sounds too good to be true, right?” I was unaware it was possible for a human to be so twisted. Had we really pushed him to become like this? “So fight, fight, fight to your heart’s content. And then…” All of a sudden, Kaito’s voice changed, his hateful plea leaking out through the cracks in his twisted smile. “…die.” It was not a prayer. It was a curse. The next moment, I heard the monsters stomp over to their positions by the wall. They each stood upright and motionless, emitting only a ghostly moan. Just then, a personal barrier enclosed around each of the creatures. The center of the arena was the only area I could access. “Well, then,” said Kaito. “I’ll go take my seat. I recommend you start off by devouring one of your extra lives… Oh, that’s right. I still have to come up with a way to use the other two hundred chimeras I have left over. Let’s make them spectate, shall we?” Saying this, Kaito waved his soul blade, and the empty stands instantly filled with more of the horrible beasts. “Right, then, I’m off. Show me a good fight, will you?” Kaito left. My only exit—the colosseum door through which the chimeras had entered—vanished as though it had never been there at all. It was replaced by a stairway to the seating area. That also seemed to be surrounded by a barrier, as I saw Kaito leave a slight ripple as he passed though, after which he ascended the steps to the box where his allies were waiting. Meanwhile, things were happening in the arena, too. On the wall opposite the Fairy Spring, beneath where Kaito sat, a summoning circle appeared in a blinding flash of light. I continued to observe it carefully, while searching for a way out. Could I break through the barrier? …No, not a chance. Even at full strength, such a feat would be beyond my power. The barrier itself was completely invisible, yet so dense with mana that I could feel its presence without seeing it. I could think of no way through except by following Kaito’s orders and waiting for an opening. All of a sudden, a huge inverted tetrahedron appeared in midair. On the upper part were inscribed the digits 1000, while on the sides were projected images of the people sitting in the box seats. Lilia… Her exhausted form was with them, bound to a cross, but her eyes yet burned with determination. That’s right. We swore to save the world. We cannot give up, no matter how dire the situation becomes! I clenched my fist and renewed my courage. Just then, Kaito spoke up. “Oh? You haven’t eaten yet. What’s the matter, not hungry?” “You would have me devour this monster?” I replied. “What do you take me for?” “I took you for someone in need of healing. Look, you’ll love it. Just bite into that part around its neck, and you’ll absorb its mana into yourself.” “I shall pass your trial without stooping to such degradation.” “Whatever, it’s your funeral.” He could not expect me to eat a humanoid monster alive. It was beyond the pale. Especially not one with such a grotesque appearance. Besides, there was no guarantee that it wasn’t another of Kaito’s tricks. “Now it’s time to start the main event! There are one thousand monsters to defeat in total! Until this counter reaches zero, you fight for your life!” At his words, the summoning circle on the far wall glowed brightly, and a horde of monsters stepped through. “…Orcs?” I hadn’t known what to expect, but this was not it. Orcs were an even match for any D-rank adventurer, but they were nothing but a disappointing challenge for me. Still, I braced myself for what lay in wait. There were no guarantees when it came to Kaito’s abilities; he had gotten them from the Goddess herself. “““Bluuuuuuhhh!!””” The horde numbered twenty. Three of them drew close, to test my strength. I still had a sinking feeling about this, but I threw my fist at the first orc’s club nonetheless. “Bluuuhhh!!” “Wh-wha—?! Grh!!” For some reason, the orc was far stronger than I was; it knocked me off my feet and sent me flying backward. “Grh… Wh-what happened?” “That’s why you should have listened to me,” Kaito said, gloating. “You’re pretty much a fairy now, remember? And fairies don’t last long without their precious tree. Check your status—you’ll see what I mean.” “Wh-what?!”