Chapter 165

CHAPTER 100 The Ex–Demon Lord and His Journey in the Underworld (Part 2) The moment we arrived in the next area, I quickly checked our surroundings. The place looked to be a battlefield in the aftermath of a fight. At my feet were countless corpses that were lying atop an ocean of blood. In the middle of this place… “We even lost…Lady Olivia…” Ginny trembled, her face pale. We had started with a party of six. Now, we were down to the three of us. Lizer, Sylphy, and Olivia. Ginny was clearly shaken after losing them, yet it wasn’t because she feared for her own safety. No, Ginny was worried about the lives of those comrades who’d been left behind, and it had started to instill faint distrust in me. While she wouldn’t say it out loud, I could tell from her gaze that she wanted to ask why I chose to abandon Sylphy. If I hadn’t taken that choice, we might not have been able to avoid losing Lizer, but perhaps we could have kept the other two safe. “The three of them haven’t fallen victim to anything. Our separation is temporary. Once we’ve taken care of this matter, we’ll reunite safely.” Ginny gave no response. She simply continued to stare at me in silence. Undoubtedly, a conflict raged within her. She was wavering between a feeling of wanting to put her faith in me and the thought that she couldn’t trust my words without solid proof. Although Ginny had always counted on and supported me, I understood why she doubted my choice. Additionally, the miasma of the underworld was affecting her. It was natural that she’d be skeptical. On the other hand, Verda seemed to be of the same mind as I was. “I also think there’s no need for concern about the others. After all, I don’t think Al’s after revenge or victory.” Verda glanced down at the countless bodies and pools of blood on the ground before turning her eyes to the gray sky. “This is part of the underworld and is a manifestation of Al’s mindset. I sense a great deal of obsession with the past and sadness…and an extreme desire for death. While Al isn’t trying to lose intentionally, he has no intention of winning.” She was right. I’d felt the same the moment we’d arrived here. The sight of the fake Lucius and Garp had only reinforced that notion. “I don’t know what it was like at the beginning. At the very least, though, I don’t think Al harbors any malice toward us now.” “Yeah. If there was any hatred within him, even if he was trying to get us to destroy him, he’d make sure to find a way to eliminate our own prospects of future happiness and take enjoyment in that… But his heart no longer holds those emotions. He’s just that worn and exhausted.” Ginny remained dubious of my and Verda’s remarks. “How can you be so certain?” “Well—” Had she asked that in the past, I would probably have tried to deflect the question. Actually, I would have probably behaved in a way that ensured she carried no doubts of this kind. There was no need to do that anymore, however. Ginny wouldn’t fear me now, regardless of what she knew of my identity. There was nothing that would harm our friendship, which was why— “Miss Ginny. I’ve kept it a secret until now, but, I’m…” —I was going to correct the lie I had told in the past. “Ard, are you the Demon Lord?” I had denied it when Ginny had asked that in the past because I was worried that she would be frightened of me. The incident at the Megatholium had changed my mind, though. True friendship wasn’t so fragile that it would be shattered by fear. So I had no intention to deceive my friends any longer. I would reveal my identity, explain my relationship with Alvarto in detail, get Ginny to understand, and remove any uncertainty plaguing her heart. “While I’m Ard Meteor, I’m also…” I didn’t hesitate in the slightest, and I was about to confess the truth, when… “Hey, you two, looks like now’s not the time for a chat.” Verda’s voice was unusually tense. …the sea of blood at our feet began to swell, shoving aside the many bodies. Slowly, the red liquid began to swirl and form into the shape of a person. Crimson. That was all that I saw at that moment. Hip-length hair, eerie eyes, full lips, an outfit that looked like a military uniform, the aura that emanated from her body—all of them were crimson. I felt a sentimental twinge at the sight of her, and something like sadness stirred in me as I spoke her name. “…Luminas wol Croft.” An Evil God…no, an Outer One I had slain by my own hand. She looked just as she had in life, but… “Alvarto. Alvarto. Alvarto. Alvarto.” …she was the same as the others. This Luminas was a facsimile of the real thing, an artificial creation that had been built from the faintest echo of her information that lingered in the underworld. “…Even if she looks exactly like the genuine article, she’s still not real. Even though he knows that it won’t restore her to life…I guess he had no choice but to try.” Yes. You and I are both hopeless. How would the women we loved react if they were here right now? If Luminas and…Lydia were here? Would they shrug their shoulders in exasperation? Or would they weep with pity? Regardless, we were both fools who couldn’t let go of our weakness, our desperation. “…Ard. Now’s not the time to dwell on sentiment.” “…Yes, that’s true.” While she appeared to simply be standing still, Verda had already completed her preparations for battle. Ginny, who stood next to her, readied her crimson spear and glared at our opponent. I needed to switch my mindset. Fake or not, we were facing an Outer One. She was on a completely different level from Lucius and Garp. “First, we need to figure out just how much of her power he’s been able to re-create.” “Yes. Let’s focus on defense at the start. Miss Ginny, you have no objections?” “I’ll follow your lead…!” It seemed that any of the doubts she’d harbored earlier had been blasted away. She needed to concentrate all of her thoughts on fighting. Ginny had intuitively detected that Luminas was a foe that demanded as much. As though to prove that our judgment was right, the crimson monster made her move. “Alvarto. Alvarto.” Luminas continued to repeat the same words as she spread her arms. “Ah! Miss Ginny! Jump to the side!” Ginny responded to my shout and reflexively leaped sideways. No sooner had she done so than a crimson bolt of lightning fell upon the spot where she had stood. “…As expected, he’s re-created the basics.” “Yes. At least in that respect, she’s at a comparable level to the original.” Luminas’s powers were relatively simple. In essence, she was able to command crimson lightning. It was hard to predict when it would manifest, which made it extremely difficult to avoid, and a direct hit vaporized the target, soul and all. The speed and power were both extraordinary. However… …when viewed by the standards of the ancient world, Luminas’s ability was a weak one. She and her forces had built a reputation as a peerless and powerful army based upon the overwhelming talent for battle that Luminas herself possessed. She was able to read the enemy’s moves perfectly, always find the right course of action, and execute it in an instant. Her tactics were varied and numerous, and she would switch them from appearing finely calculated one moment to being completely incomprehensible the next. I, too, had once been caught up in the web she weaved with her tactics and had struggled several times as a result. “That’s not something he could re-create, though.” “I agree, but…the thing that’s so scary about Luminas is that even a fake copy of her makes you believe she might pull off the impossible.” I couldn’t deny that, which was why I stuck to moving cautiously. I focused on trying to read the enemy’s thoughts while defending. “She’s nowhere near the real thing.” Because this Luminas was a copy, she had no ability to think. All she did was blindly fire off bolts. The crimson lightning was first-rate in terms of power and speed, and it couldn’t be nullified, even with my special power. However, it could be easily managed by full-powered defensive magic. Thus, we held an overwhelming advantage in this battle from start to finish. “Al…varto…A-Al…varto…Alvar…to…” Luminas had suffered a great deal of damage. The uniform she wore was torn in multiple places, and the skin that peeked out from the tears was dyed red from her blood. Without her intelligence, she was far too easy to defeat. As someone who knew Luminas at her peak, I felt a pang in my heart. Yet at the same time…her perseverance evoked a healthy respect from me. “Al…varto…Alvar…to…Al…Alvarto.” Her gaze remained fixed in my direction. Luminas was looking only at me. However, the creature was only an automaton, so that had to be a coincidence. Still, I couldn’t help but feel guilty. “You’re going to break the promise we made, aren’t you?” It seemed like that was what she was saying to me. Her gaze appeared accusatory. “…Forgive me, Luminas. There’s no other way.” Conflicted though I was, I tried to land the final blow to finish off the fight. The least I could do was use full-powered magic to make sure she didn’t feel any pain. My heart stung as I took aim at Luminas— “Al…var…ra…va…Al…va…ra…” —the split second before I was going to unleash my attack spell. The aura. The dangerous presence that emanated from her entire body. It swelled in power. “Va…Var…Va…” No. That’s impossible. I tried to reject the possibility as absurd, but the automaton paid that logic no mind. “Var…vatos…!” Crimson lightning lit the area, and a thunderous boom rang through the air. The immense bolt from the heavens didn’t hit us. It fell, instead, upon Luminas. “Urr…Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaagggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” Crimson energy flowed from her entire body. That alone posed no danger, but I recognized that the power was growing with every passing second. “This is bad. She intends to self-destruct.” “If we let that happen…” “She’ll definitely annihilate all of us.” Verda fell into thought, rubbing her chin with her hand… However, I had no time to worry about that. Luminas. Have you also done it? When Sylphy lost control of herself, Lydia’s soul that lingered within me had regained a sense of self and saved Sylphy’s heart. Was this the same? Luminas. Have you also brought a miracle into being? To protect Alvarto. To make sure he wouldn’t die. Faced with such emotion, I…felt an extraordinary surge of anger. “If you loved him that much, why didn’t you take him by the hand…?!” There were limits to selfishness. She had chosen a path that left behind those she loved. Luminas decided on crushing loneliness, taking a gamble based on delusions. She selected an impossible future—happiness after death. “If you had done something different…! Had you cared for that man first and foremost…! Then it all could’ve been avoided…!” Luminas, like myself, was one of the main causes of this entire incident. She had driven Alvarto into solitude, crushed his heart, and crafted him into the man he was today. What right did she have to get involved now?! “Luminas wol Croft…! There’s no place for you on this stage any longer!” My compassion and sadness had evaporated, replaced with fury as I pelted her with every attack spell at my disposal. However…she was unharmed. Luminas absorbed my magic, her aura only growing stronger. “Var…vatos…!” I felt a strong will emanating from Luminas’s crimson eyes, even as it appeared that she would explode at any moment. She seemed determined not to let me break my promise and kill Alvarto. A mother protecting her child. I found that more infuriating than anything. “Stop with the foolishness! You have no right to take that stance!” My mind and heart were utterly swallowed by rage. There wasn’t a single part of me that was calm. Naturally, I wasn’t able to make the right decisions in that situation…so Verda stepped in. “You know, you’re usually so relaxed, but you become an uncontrollable ball of anger when something ticks you off… You really haven’t changed, have you?” Verda commented with a chuckle before she leaped from the ground. “Ah!” “Lady Verda…?!” She jumped at Luminas. “I won’t let you get your way.” Verda used her momentum to push the crimson woman to the ground. Waiting below them was a black hole… …that the two women plunged into. “…!” As Ginny and I stared in astonished silence, the black hole immediately closed shut and vanished. A moment later… “Ahem, one, two, test, test. Can you hear me? Both of you?” …I heard Verda’s voice in my head. “First off, communication from a parallel dimension is one-way. So there’s no point in responding to me.” With that out of the way, she launched into her main topic, retaining her usual nonchalance. “I did the calculations, and by my math, I concluded that if Luminas self-destructed, our chances of survival were zero. Meaning there was only one choice.” “You understand, right?” Her tone filled in what she had left unsaid. “The one who’s expendable dies and saves the others. Now, I suppose it’s a cliché, but there’s one thing that’s different… I’m…an immortal god of scholars…” Something must have happened on the other side. Verda’s voice began to break up. “Even if this me…is…era…ed…there’s…still…hun…s of mill…of me…left… So don’t…sad…okay…?” I had no idea what was happening, but she would probably be smiling whatever the situation. Her voice remained bright until the very end. “Leave…in your hands…I’m…take…nap…” That was the end of her communication. “Lady Verda…!” Ginny’s face twisted in despair as she processed the shock of what had just transpired. I…also struggled to deal with it. Verda seemed to be convinced she would be safe, but…there were no absolutes. I believed Alvarto would save Lizer, Olivia, and Sylphy before they were killed. But with Luminas…it would be difficult. She had regained her own will. She wouldn’t accept Alvarto’s control. Unlike the others, I couldn’t say for sure if Verda would survive. “…If I had remained calm, would I have been able to find another way?” No, Verda’s choice was probably the best one, and there was nothing else I could have done. Even then…the doubt, the second-guessing, the self-reproach swirled in my chest. “Ard…”