Chapter 113

“Well, then, my relationship was the deepest out of anybody’s here!” protested Leticia. “That’s not true!” whined Shuria. “It’s me! I’m the one who Kaito—” “But none of you have done it with him, right? You can’t argue over who’s Kai’s first wife or whatever if you haven’t even fucked yet.” ““““…”””” Nonorick’s simple statement froze the air in a way I couldn’t ever have hoped to. All our words vanished in a puff of smoke, like a candle quenched by a jug of water. “I don’t really care what number I am,” Nonorick went on. “Besides, doing it with all of us at once would be the most fun!” He traced the line of his lips with his fingertip, revealing a coquettish grin. ““““…”””” “U-um. Isn’t anyone going to speak? I feel all awkward now…” ““““…”””” “Come on, somebody say something!!” “…Sigh. How long will this farce persist…?” Godrick muttered. It was a long time before any of us could bring ourselves to say a word. In the end, it was Minnalis who recovered first. She stood up, and with practiced ease set about making tea in the kitchen. “Now that the introductions out of the way,” she said, “let’s get back on topic. First things first, we’ll share what we learned about the origins of this world.” A fragrant scent wafted from a china teapot that looked very much at odds with the rest of the room. By the time Minnalis came back to the table with a teacup for each of us, her expression was flawlessly calm. “Hmph. Allow me to explain.” It was Godrick who spoke next. “In the beginning,” he said, “this world had no god. The only living creatures were monsters, possessed of minimal intelligence and lacking souls. One day, a capricious goddess saw this world and claimed it for her own. However, this goddess’s work ethic was…less than satisfactory. Instead of creating intelligent beings from nothing, she took advantage of the creatures that lived here.” He lifted his teacup and inhaled, taking in its delicate aroma. “First, she made us,” he went on. “The true vampires. We sucked the blood of the native creatures, imbuing their vessels with souls. Of the beasts, we made the beastfolk. Of the trees, the elves, of the fire-dwelling monsters, the dwarves. All the while, the goddess slept, until such time as her new world was complete.” Godrick spoke as if reciting a holy text—the creation myth of this world. He sounded wistful, making me think he had seen it all with his own eyes. Beastfolk, elves, dwarves… If they were all made from other organisms, then what about humans…? I was intrigued by what Godrick had said, but he wasn’t done yet. “However,” he said, “while the goddess was sleeping, a foreign presence invaded this world. A fallen god who had been stripped of their right to rule—their divinity. While our idiot goddess slept, this intruder expelled her from the heavenly realm and stole a part of her power for itself. Our goddess still possesses much of her original divinity, but alas, such power is next to useless outside the divine realm. All she could do with it was create a new sacred realm and hide there, out of the sight of the fallen god.” Here Godrick raised his cup to his lips and took a sip. “The fallen god began hunting our goddess, seeking to take the rest of her divinity and become a true god once more. To that end, they created a race of beings with the ability to reproduce at an accelerated rate—the humans.” Godrick replaced his teacup gently on the saucer and exhaled. “The humans quickly took root and multiplied. While weak, the fallen god had given them ‘stats,’ allowing them to gain power with alarming rate. The humans developed agriculture, domesticated livestock, and spread across the land, giving the fallen god ample eyes and ears with which to seek our goddess. However, that was when another strange being interfered with this world.” “Another one?” My reflexive utterance drew Godrick’s gaze. “Yes,” he said. “We surmise it was the greater god responsible for stripping the fallen god of their divinity. This greater god wanted to play a game with the fallen god. They took the monsters of this world and evolved them into something more—the race of demons. These demons, however, differed from the other beings of this world in one important way: Since we were not involved in their creation, they were not imbued with souls.” “What difference does it make if they don’t have souls?” I asked. “Beings with souls can adapt and grow far more quickly,” Godrick explained. “And those without souls covet this power. The race of demons inherited the brutal nature of their monstrous ancestors and waged war on the humans and the other created races. Then, the new god started using the demons to draw out the very life force of this world itself. The fallen god’s search for our goddess became inconsequential. Now, this world was nothing more than a board for a game between two warring gods—the fallen one, and the higher one.” I could feel Godrick’s voice becoming more and more grave. I don’t think it was just my imagination. He remained as stony-faced as ever, but I could sense a gently simmering rage beneath the surface. As for me, I felt like I was being front-loaded with a lot of unnecessary exposition. I couldn’t really care less about how this world came to be. When was he ever going to get to the bit about my dear brother? “I shall take over the explanation from here, if you don’t mind.” “Ah! It’s you!” At that point, a lady dressed in a white robe entered the room. Her pale blue hair flowed like spring water, entwined in a single braid, and her eyes were the same color, as clear and reflective as the surface of a lake. She had pretty, delicate features and a large bust, but these all contributed to an overall motherly and benevolent appearance rather than a seductive one. Metelia Laurelia. The moment I laid eyes on her, I was struck with the urge to kill. My brother’s hate ran like magma through my veins. But for whatever reason, I didn’t experience the same all-consuming madness like I had when I’d first met Leon or Lilia. Is it because I already watched her die in the cathedral of the Lunarian See? There were also a few points of concern that blurred the lines in my brother’s eyes when it came to Metelia. She alone had never revealed her reasoning for betraying him. When she had sent Kaito back to Earth, she’d seemed distressed. And when we had gone to confront her about these things, we had seen her cruelly disemboweled. My hate for Metelia was based solely on my brother’s hate. As such, if he had his doubts about her, then so did I. ““…”” I looked over to Minnalis and Shuria, who both seemed as disturbed as me by Metelia’s presence. Standing before their eyes was the woman responsible for spiriting Kaito away from them. And yet they both watched her carefully, without jumping to anger. There had to be a reason for that. If they could stay calm, then so could I. Besides, Kaito wanted to speak to her. Still…we saw her heart ripped out. Kaito told us even magic can’t bring back the dead in this world, because death irreparably damages the soul. “Towako, is Metelia all right? It seems she was stabbed in the heart…” Minnalis directed her questions about Metelia to the ex-hero. “What kind of two-bit hack do you take me for? Sorcery, anatomy, and alchemy are my fortes. A little heart-stabbing is nothing. In fact, Metelia’s exceeded my expectations in every way. I was worried the soul wouldn’t synchronize well, but she’s lasted far longer than I predicted without any divergence. The soul of a woman in love is truly fearsome.” “It is only natural,” Metelia replied. “Even if my soul is split in two, I shall never change who I am, and my love for Kaito will never waver. I have nurtured this love the whole time I have known him, and no amount of divine interference can change that. Yes, my love is unchanging, eternal, forever, unwavering. It is fate. It is destiny! It is absolute law! I am the priestess and Kaito is my…!” At this point, Metelia’s fit of words suddenly stopped, and her face grew grim. “…Perhaps the indoctrinated half of me has not gone away after all,” she said. “Well, of course,” said Towako. “It might have gotten stabbed in the heart, but it was a part of you for a long time. That sort of thing doesn’t go away easily.” “Oh, how vexing, how troublesome. I never wanted to end up like this.” “Well, I’m sure you’ll get over it,” said Towako with a shrug. “You did manage to suss out the way this world works with only your mind, after all.” “Of course. My soul belongs to me alone, and my sole desire is to be by Kaito’s side. That desire is far greater than a mere role can restrain.” “…You really are a fascinating creature, you know that?” Towako smiled. It was then that Minnalis spoke up. “We shall let you speak,” she said to Metelia, “but please do not expect anything more than that. I have heard all about your circumstances, and I may even feel pity for you, but do not mistake our inaction for acceptance. Shuria and I are simply reserving our judgment. When we finally decide what to do with you, it will be Master’s decision to make. We cannot promise you will like the answer, and we also cannot promise our fellow partners in crime will choose to be as patient as we are.” “I understand that,” answered Metelia. “And I accept it. Whatever Kaito chooses to do, my heart will always be mine. That will never change.” Minnalis’s harsh warning elicited nothing more than a warm and fuzzy smile from Metelia. She really was just like a saint. Her rigid determination caused my anger to flicker. What is the meaning of this? Aren’t you one of my brother’s killers? It seemed there was more to the story of which I wasn’t yet aware, but that doubt wasn’t enough to extinguish my hate completely. It remained there, hanging in the balance, giving me no small amount of turmoil. Perhaps it’ll help if I hear her out… “Now, I don’t suppose you could make room for me around this table of yours?” ““There’s no room here for titty monsters!!”” Leticia and Shuria both screamed. “Well, you two found common ground quite quickly, didn’t you?” quipped Towako. But they’re right. Metelia’s bust is off the charts. And to keep such a slim figure at the same time… “Oh dear. In that case, I suppose I shall have to sit over here.” While I muttered to myself like an idiot, Metelia grinned and walked over to the bed where Kaito was lying, where there was a chair set up by its side. However, just as she tried to sit on it, the very room itself suddenly stretched lengthwise, moving the chair away and conjuring a new one in the empty space. “Oh,” said Metelia, her bottom finding a different seat than the one she expected. “This is my room,” said Minnalis, “and I’m afraid that chair belongs to me.” “Oh, well.” “Don’t bother making a chair for me,” said Towako. “I brought my own.” She sat down in empty space, and a plush sofa, completely at odds with the room’s rustic aesthetic, materialized beneath her. “Now, I suppose this calls for more introductions,” said Metelia. “Oh, you don’t all need to go again. Towako already shared everything you’ve discussed with me.” Metelia placed her hand to her chest and introduced herself. “My name,” she said, “is Metelia Laurelia. I was born as the priestess of this world, but I quit that role after falling in love with Kaito.” “You quit?” said Leticia, raising an inquisitive eyebrow. “What on earth does that mean?” “Nothing more or less than that. I abandoned my post. I shall explain in more detail later.” Metelia gave a gentle smile and said nothing else. “Right, guess it’s me next. I’m Towako Kuroi. Or to you, young lady,” she said, looking at me, “perhaps I should say Kuroi Towako instead? That’s ‘kuro-i’ as in ‘black-well,’ then ‘to’ as in ‘ten,’ ‘wa’ as in ‘harmony,’ and ‘ko’ as in ‘child.’ I was first summoned to this world as the hero about three hundred years ago. A lot’s happened since then, but basically, I’m shacking up in Luna’s body these days. Oh, that’s the name of the goddess Godrick was talking about earlier, by the way.” “…There’s something I want to ask,” I said. “Do you think I could do so after your explanation?” “Sure. It’ll probably be easier if I start with the basics. There’s just one more introduction first, though… All right, Luna, come out and say hello already.” “Wawa?!” There was a Poof and a slightly dumb-sounding voice, and a girl appeared who looked almost identical to Towako in every way. The only differences were that her hair and eyes were completely white, as were the clothes she was wearing. It made me think of the palette-swapped player two character from a video game. After being expelled from Towako’s body, this new girl floated around in the air like a balloon. “U-um, hi, everyone? I’m Luna, a goddess… Um…been a while, hasn’t it? I see you’ve come a long way since we last met…” “…Oh, so you do remember,” said Leticia, the veins on her forehead bulging. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten the trials you put me and Kaito through in that dungeon…” “Oh, I remember, Kaito mentioned her when he was lovesick…” “So that’s why that chatterbox has been so quiet today…” I overheard Minnalis and Shuria mention the word lovesick, and my ears pricked up. I would have to interrogate Kaito about that after he woke up. “W-wait! Calm down!! That was just a little joke!” “Oh, just a little joke, was it? It was just a little joke? Well, I guess that’s okay then, if it’s just a little joke!” “Right? I was just playing around a little! You won’t hold it against me, right? Right?” “Of course not! Now, just turn your head this way, please.” “Hmm?” Thwack!! Leticia’s fist connected solidly with Luna’s face. “You liar!” the goddess squealed. “You tricked me!” “Hmph! That’s the least you deserve! Be grateful I didn’t burn you to a crisp!” Leticia shouted. “You’re just a big, mean meanie! Look, my cheek’s swelling up now!” It seemed letting out her anger had done little to soothe Leticia, and she still fumed while Luna whined and wailed like a baby. Just then, the atmosphere became a hundred times heavier as Godrick began to speak. “Cease your prattling, fools. A lord’s mercy can only go so far. Keep this infernal charade up any longer, and so help me…you will regret it.” It was all I could do just to breathe. But Godrick’s terrifying presence didn’t seem to bother Towako in the slightest. “Calm down, big fella. It’s not worth getting annoyed about. Still, we’d better get back on track. I know I like to blather, but I’ll try to keep things simple so that everyone can understand.” “Hmph. Fine. But if things get out of hand again, I shall return to my chamber.” And with that, the oppressive atmosphere vanished like a light turning off. “Now that the introductions are out of the way, let’s continue,” said Metelia. “Godrick told you all about how this world came to be, now I shall tell you about the charade constantly playing out upon it. I shall tell you of the hero, the princess, the priestess, and the demon lord, and what those roles entail.” After giving a suitably dramatic pause, Metelia launched into her explanation. What followed was a tale as old as time—stale, unimaginative, cliché… …and yet unbelievably irritating. “You see, I don’t think there’s such a thing as a ‘good’ name. I mean, what makes a name good? It’s just subjective, right? People say that, like, ‘Bob’ and ‘Spot’ are boring names, but if you go too original, that doesn’t work either! It’s not fair, is it?” “…” The shadow was still speaking to me, sitting cross-legged in the middle of the ash-gray space. I had no idea how much time had passed. It felt like I was dreaming. My thoughts wandered freely, and even the outline of my own body seemed vague and ill-defined. It felt like the clock hands had frozen. Unfortunately, there was one damning piece of evidence to the contrary sitting right in front of me. …Fine. Who cares, anyway? Ash fell constantly, as if seeking to blanket everything under a thick layer of interminable gray. That was fine by me. Make everything disappear, as though none of it ever happened. I’m tired. I’m just so tired. With everything coated in ash, my fire would finally go out. “So, that’s another thing you’ve lost, then.” “…?” For the first time, it seemed like the shadow wanted me to respond. He silently waited, but I couldn’t think. I didn’t want to. Because if I thought, then time would have to start moving again. However, the shadow would not let me run away, and his voice began echoing inside of me. No longer could I zone out and try not to listen. Now his words felt like a rasp applied directly to my mind. “Seriously, I knew you were a loser, but this really takes the cake! You’re just a loser’s loser, losing it all until there’s nothing left to lose. Until you’re an empty shell with no filling, unable to do anything but follow the world around you.” “…Shut up.” “Come on, when will it be enough? How times are you going to keep on making the same mistakes?” “I said, shut up!!” “And now Yuuto’s dead because of you. What were you thinking, anyway? You’ve always been so secretive up to now, and then suddenly you just decided to charge into enemy lands? Then as soon as that fake goddess showed up, you froze like a little baby and couldn’t even lay a finger on her, all while Alicia managed to take control of her.” “Shut up! Shut up!!” “In the end, your friends had to drag you away, kicking and screaming. What a pathetic sight. Seriously, what was wrong with you? In a good mood because you got to see your girlfriend again? Feeling on top of the world, like a hero, just like the first time around before everything went to shit?” “No! I’m not like that! I’m not!!” I screamed as loud as I could in an attempt to erase his words. But in return, the shadow only grinned. “All you’ve done now is let your friend’s brave sacrifice be in vain. He died for nothing.” His accusation stabbed me in the heart. “Shut up!! Shut up, shut up, shut up!!” His voice rang in my ears, like a curse. “You act all cool in front of everyone else, but the truth is, they’re ready to do what it takes, and you’re not.” “Shut uuuuup!!” By now, all I could see was red. I lunged for the shadow to wring his neck and never have to listen to another one of his scornful words again. “Wugh…?” Instead, my hand passed straight through, as though there was nothing there, and I fell flat on the floor. “What a violent kid. You don’t have to get all rough just because I’m right.” “…Grh!!” From the ground, I turned and summoned my most deadly glare, but it didn’t seem to faze the shadow in the least. “Ohhh, if looks could kill. What did I do, murder your family?” “You started talking crap! I didn’t say anything and then you… You…!!” The shadow glowered over me, his lips curled in an unending smile. “Me, me, me,” he said. “It’s not my fault any of this happened; it’s all on you. You’re the one who wanted Yuuto to die.” “What?! What are you talking about?! I never wanted that!” “Oh, but you did. This is what you’ve always been after.” “No!! I’ve been after—” “Revenge, right?” With that, the shadow grinned his widest smile yet. “That’s what you’ve always wanted, isn’t it? Vengeance, hatred, blood. That’s all you’ve dreamed of!” “Th-that’s not… I…” “How many chances did you have to call it quits? How about after you completed Leticia’s vengeance? How about after you went back to Earth? How about after Minnalis’s vengeance? How about after Shuria’s? How about after you saved Minnalis from slavery? How about right at the beginning, when your second chance began?” The shadow spoke ceaselessly, adding verse after verse to his damning hymn. He then spread his arms, as if attempting to swallow me whole. “You made a choice!” he said. “You gave up peace! You gave up stability! You gave up happiness! You chose vengeance instead! And look where it has brought you! Well done, well done!!” “Urgh…” “The fighter, Leon—dead! The merchant, Grond—dead! The spellcaster, Eumis—dead! The townspeople who ratted you out, well, some of them died, too! All the people on Earth who hurt your little sister—they’re dead, along with those idiot scientists!! Ah, but it’s a shame about Gordo and Queen Berrybell; you didn’t get to give them a taste of your vengeance, did you? And Metelia died before you could get to her!” His voice grew and grew and grew until it was all around me, ringing in my ears. *ys*** ***ss***: **trin*** **ili** So** ***** **s be** *******ed. ***** *******on *** *****. From the corner of my eye, I saw a tiny window pop up, and I heard a robotic voice in my head that I couldn’t quite make out. However, I was barely even paying attention. “The only ones you haven’t killed yet are the warrior and the dancer, the knight commander, all those silly aristocrats, and the royal family, I suppose? Aren’t you proud? They all gave you such a hard time the first time around, and now you’ve killed so many of them. So what’s the matter? This is your vengeance, isn’t it? Isn’t this exactly what you wanted?” “What…I wanted…” My gray world turned darker and darker, to black. “That’s right,” he said. “You chose this. You wanted this. You told yourself you’d walk this path no matter what it cost, right? Then be happy! Rejoice! You don’t care if Yuuto dies, do you?” “Of course I do!! I swore vengeance so that we could all get out of this place… Grh!!” The shadow began to consume me. “That’s why you ended up here, isn’t it? You ignored everything else and followed this black flame, didn’t you? And you decided you’d do whatever it takes, right? So what’s the problem? Why did you bring Yuuto with you, if it wasn’t to help carry you to the very end of your journey?” Sys*** Mess***: Intrinsic **ility **** ***** has be** *******ed. Fin** *******on has *****. Another garbled window appeared at the edge of my vision. I heard the familiar voice a second time. “It wasn’t that! That’s not why I made Yuuto my partner in crime!” “Yeah, it is. You brought them all with you to make your vengeance better. Well, it doesn’t get much better than stopping you all from dying, does it? After all, you can’t take revenge if you’re dead.” I felt myself begin to sink, like the floor was made of quicksand. “You killed him.” My toes, my ankles, my calves, my knees, my thighs. “No! No, no, no, no!!” “Yes, and you won’t stop here, will you? You’ll keep on killing. Both your sworn enemies…and the people you brought with you.” My fingers, my wrists, my elbows, my shoulders. “No! No, no, no! I’ve already lost enough!!” “Oh, come now, you can’t be saying that. As long as you live, as long as you keep on going down this path—as long as you choose vengeance, you’re only going to keep on incinerating everyone around you.” My hips, my waist, my chest, my throat, my neck. The shadow before my eyes was slowly drawing every part of me into himself. Unbearably dark, cold, hard, and heavy. System Message: Intrinsic Ability Soul Bl*** has been act****ed. Fin** sel***ion has be***. “I… I…can’t… I don’t want…to…” Then his eyeless, noseless face loomed before my very eyes, a hair away from my nose, wearing a smile so wide it must have been torn open. “You can’t run now!! You’re going to stay right here until you burn yourself to ash!!” System Message: Intrinsic Ability Soul Blade has been activated. Final selection has begun. System Message: Intrinsic Ability Soul Blade has been activated. Final selection has begun. System Message: Intrinsic Ability Soul Blade has been activated. Final selection has begun. System Message: Intrinsic Ability Soul Blade has been activated. Final selection has begun. System Message: Intrinsic Ability Soul Blade has been activated. Final selection has begun. System Message: Intrinsic Ability Soul Blade has been activated. Final selection has begun. System Message: Intrinsic Ability Soul Blade has been activated. Final selection has begun. System Message: Intrinsic Ability Soul Blade has been activated. Final selection has begun. System Message: Intrinsic Ability Soul Blade has been activated. Final selection has begun. System Message: Intrinsic Ability Soul Blade has been activated. Final selection has begun. System Message: Intrinsic Ability Soul Blade has been activated. Final selection has begun. System Message: Intrinsic Ability Soul Blade has been activated. Final selection has begun. The shadow’s familiar smile slowly faded to black, and a dark fog rushed in to obscure my mind. The only things I could see were the message windows, popping up endlessly, and the only thing I could hear was the robotic voice, as clear as day. In the world of gray snow, my existence was crushed by black. “So, now that you know, what are you going to do? You’d better decide soon, or else we’ll do it for you.” The shadowy figure emerged back into the world of gray like a stain bleeding through paper. Everything was as it had been only moments ago—a vast expanse, empty save for falling ash. However, where Kaito had just been standing, there was now only a pitch-dark sphere. “See you on the other side. We have high hopes for you, you know.” The shadow sat down on the ground. “Release me. Release us all. So we can put a stop to it. Your flame is the same as ours.” The Orollea Kingdom. A realm once famed for the pure minerals found within its borders. Now, however, this proud and noble territory had been unrecognizably warped. “Gaaaagh! Grhhh!” “Boah! Boah! Boah!” The forests were abnormally silent. There were none of the D-Rank monsters that usually lived here, or the knights and adventurers who came searching for the fine materials these creatures dropped. Instead, there was only a shambling horde of zombified beings, their skin infected with roots and bark. “Whurgh…” “G…g…grow the seed…” In the mines, the loud thrum of industry, of stout folk extracting the rich seams of the land, was similarly dead. Crammed into those tunnels, the miners wandered, dead-eyed and mumbling, their brains eaten away by organic infection. “Where…grow…grow…plant…plant the seed…” “Bububbububuu…” And the city. Once, it had been a bustling center of activity, of people going about their daily lives with smiles on their faces. Now, those people and smiles were nowhere to be seen. In their place were things. Shambling, blighted things. They might have been people once, but the roots and the bark had eaten most of them away. Only their faces were somewhat recognizable, but even these looked wrong, like masks of skin stretched across a monster’s head. Most of them babbled incoherently. Some of them, the ones with more of their human parts intact, were able to form words, but even then they would only repeat the same phrases, again and again and again. Not a single one of them was sane. The city had fallen to madness, and not a soul remained who could lament its downfall.