Episode 156
"Cough... Ugh..."
Blood began to flow from the lips of the Demon King, whose heart had been pierced.
-Drip
At first merely a trickle, the blood soon began to pour uncontrollably, and in an instant, a pool of blood formed around Ruby.
"Heeeero!!!"
"No!!!"
The heroines, who had been fiercely battering the barrier Frey had created with magic, screamed in despair upon witnessing that sight.
"Frey, you fucking bastard!"
"No... No... This can't be..."
"The s-sun... The sun is going to go out..."
Some collapsed having lost hope, others frantically pounded on the barrier with mad expressions, and some murmured in despair-filled voices. Leaving these heroines behind, Frey...
"Ugh... F-Frey..."
"Persistent, aren't you. As expected, a Demon King is still a Demon King."
...was looking down coldly at Ruby, who was groaning while clutching the sword that had pierced through her heart.
"Wait, just listen to me for a moment."
Ruby, looking at such a Frey with a desperate expression, began to speak.
"......."
When he simply glared at her without taking any action, she hurriedly continued.
"Hear my story... and then decide whether to kill me or not. I beg you."
Having said that, Ruby watched Frey's reaction, and when he remained silent, she slowly began her tale.
"Actually, the reason I tried to overturn the world was... not because I was tired of everyday life, nor because I needed stimulation."
"Is that so?"
"Really. So... at least let go of this sword..."
As Frey responded with an interested expression, Ruby tried to put strength into the sword, but then...
"...Ugh!"
"Take your hand off the sword."
At Frey's firm words as he slightly twisted the sword, she quickly released her grip.
"Surviving even with a sword piercing and twisting through your heart, how fascinating."
"Haah... Ha..."
"I didn't know that when I couldn't land effective hits because I hadn't awakened the Hero's armaments... Well, it doesn't matter now."
Looking at her with slight curiosity, Frey frowned and spoke.
"Continue speaking. But if you try even the slightest trick... I'll finish you off immediately."
"Ah, understood. I understand, so just hear me out to the end."
Having obtained Frey's permission, Ruby let out ragged breaths and began her story.
"The reason I tried to burn the world was... to defeat the Demon God."
"Defeat the Demon God?"
"Yes, you already know that the 'Path of the Evil One' system you possess was given by the Demon God, right?"
When Frey slowly nodded at those words, the Demon King continued with an expression that said she knew he would know.
"Then this will be easy. As you know, the Demon God is an evil god who wants to take this world into his hands and mold it as he pleases."
"Yes, I know that well."
"Then, do you also know that if I defeat you, the evil god will descend upon the world?"
"Of course."
At Frey's unhesitating answer, the Demon King spoke with a dark expression.
"I had decided to defeat you in the final battle and make the Demon God descend upon the world... and then defeat that bastard."
"You, a Demon King, why the Demon God?"
"Because that bastard... made me into a Demon King."
As Ruby spoke those words and vomited blood again from her mouth, Frey began to show a slightly surprised expression.
"Making me into a Demon King, forcing me to brutally slaughter people, and furthermore controlling me to bring about the world's destruction... it was the Demon God who did all of that."
"...Hmm."
"Of course, I had no means to fight against a being existing in a dimension I couldn't reach... and because of that, I had to live as that bastard's puppet for a long time."
Deep sadness tinged the Demon King's face as she spoke with a voice full of resentment.
"That's why... to escape from this accursed fate... I had no choice but to do something like this."
"Hmm."
Looking at the Demon King's face for a while, Frey frowned and asked a question.
"I don't quite understand."
"W-what do you mean?"
"If that's really the case... you could have just lost to me."
Saying that, Frey tilted his head with a puzzled expression.
"If I win, the Demon God disappears from the world. Then you would have been freed too. But... why did you insist on making the Demon God descend?"
"Th-that's..."
"Surely it wasn't out of personal vengeance? Not caring what happens to the world... did you do all this just for your revenge?"
"Ugh... N-no! That's not it!"
When Frey coldly began twisting the sword again, the Demon King desperately shouted.
"If you win, the Demon God gets sealed! By the gods, in another dimension, he gets sealed!"
...Is that so? I didn't know that."
"Since it's sealing rather than destruction... he can no longer interfere with this world, but he can continue to interfere with me."
Looking at Frey who had stopped twisting the sword with trembling eyes, Ruby continued.
"If I could have lost to you and died to find peace, I would have gladly let you kill me."
"And yet?"
"However... even if I die here by your hand, the Demon God won't leave me alone."
Ruby, continuing her words, began to form teardrops in her eyes.
"He'll resurrect me in this world again and again, the vessel of the strongest Demon King in history. Even if sealed, since he's a Demon God with such immense power, that much is as easy as eating cold porridge."
"Hmm..."
"So, I had no choice but to choose the method of defeating you and summoning the Demon God into this world. So please..."
"How do you intend to defeat such a powerful Demon God?"
When Frey asked that, Ruby swallowed and opened her mouth again.
"If I received power directly from him, I should be able to use that power in reverse to deal a blow to him."
"That's an assumption, not a certainty?"
"...Yes, it's an assumption."
At Frey's sharp pointing out, Ruby closed her eyes gently.
"An assumption, but... isn't there hope to hold onto?"
She answered with a trembling voice.
"I'm tired of the life of a puppet. Tired of hurting people, tired of burning the world, tired of the hypocrisy too."
"Tired... you say?"
"Yes, you also look quite tired."
When Frey's eyes wavered at the word 'tired,' Ruby began to form a faint smile.
"So you're tired too. The life as a puppet, the life of being hurt by people, and... the life of the Evil One."
"........."
"Looking at that... it seems we have more in common than expected."
Before long, Ruby continued with difficulty in a fading voice.
"In that sense, may I make one last proposal?"
To Frey, who was looking down at her expressionlessly.
"Let yourself be corrupted by me."
"...Corrupted?"
"Yes, because I revealed everything to you just now, the Demon God has already noticed my plan, but... if I'm with you, perhaps there might be a chance."
She began to make her final proposal.
"Originally, I didn't include you in the plan because I thought you'd be much weaker than me even if you awakened your power. But... for some reason, you're stronger than me."
"...Hmm."
"So, let's fight together."
Saying that, Ruby slowly reached out her hand to Frey.
"If you take this hand..."
With a sincere smile for the first time.
"...I'll take it as you agreeing to be with me."
She finished her words.
"Hoo..."
After those words ended, Frey, who had been looking at Ruby's hand extended toward him for a while, slowly began to reach out his own hand.
"So that's how it was."
At the same time, Frey, looking at Ruby's face.
"Then..."
With the same sincere smile as hers.
"Let's be together."
He took Ruby's hand.
"Together, saving the world isn't so bad eith..."
"Pfft."
And, at that moment.
-Zzzzt!!!
The fatal magic that Ruby had secretly been gathering in her hand from earlier flowed into Frey's hand.
"Ugh!!"
Dealing him a fatal blow.
"Ughhhh..."
Looking at Frey, who was sent flying backward by the aftermath and groaned after hitting the barrier of stars he had created, Ruby.
"Puh, puhuh... puhuhuh..."
With her heart still pierced by the sword, she burst into laughter.
"How foolish, so foolish. To think you'd fall for such a hastily concocted lie."
...What?
As Ruby continued laughing for a while and spoke in her characteristic arrogant voice, Frey wore a blank expression.
"Everything I said until now was a lie made up to land that one hit on you."
"W-what..."
"Why would I, who has a close relationship with the Demon God, pointlessly pick a fight? I guess I was too careless thinking I had already won?"
Looking at Frey with a sneer on her face, Ruby reached out to the sword that had been stuck in her heart until then and spoke.
"But you see... I don't die from just having my heart pierced. The same goes for having my head cut off. To not know even that fact and be careless... truly a pathetic fellow."
"Ugh...!"
Hearing those words, Frey gritted his teeth and tried to rise from his spot, but.
".....!!!"
At that moment, a dagger plunged into Frey's side.
"D-die...!"
The owner of that dagger was someone who had stabbed Frey through the hole the heroines had created by diligently attacking the barrier.
"You monster bastard!!"
It was Rosewin.
"The Hero's armaments grant overwhelming attack power, but they don't grant 'defense,' do they? I figured that out to some extent from the earlier fight."
"Ugh..."
"That's why I deliberately aimed that way, and just as expected, those girls didn't disappoint my expectations."
Just as Ruby said, the moment Rosewin's attack ended.
-Boom! Boom!
-Crunch! Crackle!
"Ah...!"
All the heroines' attacks began to pour in through the hole in the barrier that Frey, sitting on the ground, had been leaning against.
-Shaaa...
In that situation, Frey urgently used the star's mana to fill that hole, but.
"Huu, huuuh..."
It was already after he had allowed all the heroines' attacks that had poured through the hole.
"My victory, Frey."
Looking at Frey collapsing while bleeding from his whole body thanks to that.
"You're strong in momentary attack power, but weak in vitality and defense. Because of that, you've already reached a near-death state from those attacks just now."
Ruby continued in a haughty tone.
"In that situation, if another hole opens up, you'll have to face all those girls at once."
"Demon King..."
"Moreover, I'm also diligently preparing a follow-up attack... so I'd say there's no more hope for you."
As Frey lowered his head at Ruby's continued mockery.
"You should have just quietly let yourself be raped by me and become a sex slave."
She grabbed the sword's hilt while laughing loudly.
"Well, what's done is done. You made the wrong choice, and thanks to that, you'll meet a miserable death."
Having mocked Frey until the end, Ruby.
"Then... let's slowly pull out this annoying sword..."
She began to put strength into pulling out the Hero's sword stuck in her heart, but.
".....?"
Before long, she ended up with a bewildered expression.
".....???"
Because no strength was going into her body at all.
"So, how does it feel?"
In that situation where even her voice wasn't coming out, when Ruby began to break out in a cold sweat.
"How does it feel to experience the helplessness of not being able to move even a single finger?"
Frey, who had been sitting on the ground until then, began to make his final statement in a cold voice.
"Sorry, but I knew from the beginning that what you were saying was a lie."
".....!"
"I've heard that bullshit from you several times across many loops, and there was a time I fell for it and did something pointless."
Saying that, Frey let out a brief sigh and continued.
"That's why, while pretending to listen to your words earnestly... I was separately preparing magic as well."
At those words, Ruby's pupils shook.
"Yes, what I cast the moment I held hands with you... was the 'Brand of Slowness.'"
Frey said with a smile.
"Right now, I've lowered the intensity, so only your body is slowed and your consciousness is fine... but if I raise the intensity to maximum, even your consciousness will slow down."
-W-wait a moment.
"By now, you probably know what I'm going to do, right?"
Ignoring Ruby who was urgently using telepathic magic to speak to him, Frey continued.
"From now on, I'm going to make the Hero's armaments, including the sword stuck in me, go berserk and take you down with me. That's the only way to kill you."
-You...
"Unlike me who possesses the star's mana, you who possess opposing energy will die feeling considerable pain."
-You wouldn't...
He continued with a relieved expression.
"But if that moment is fleeting... wouldn't that be my loss, having regressed countless times because of you?"
-You wouldn't...!
"That's right. That's why the moment I make the Hero's armaments go berserk, I'll also slow down your consciousness."
As Frey said that, Ruby's urgent voice poured into his mind.
"Then you will die slowly feeling terrible pain over an eternity of time."
-N-no...
"What do you mean 'no'? You need to pay for destroying the world for your entertainment and making me and everyone else suffer across countless timelines."
-No...!!!
Having declared that with a firm expression.
"They say demons and demonkind go to purgatory rather than hell when they die, so think of this as a rehearsal for that."
He slowly rose from his spot.
"Then..."
-Shaaaa...
Looking at Ruby who was wailing like that, Frey began to infuse his remaining life force into the Hero's armaments.
"...Mm."
Suddenly turning around to look behind, he froze.
All the heroines he had protected and saved until now were all looking at him with expressions of disgust and pounding on the barrier.
"Ugh..."
Because of that, unknowingly trembling, he drew the emergency sword at his waist.
"Ughhhh...!"
With a resentful expression, Frey who had been emitting terrible killing intent.
"No, no, no, no."
Exercising the superhuman patience cultivated across countless timelines, he opened the 'Item Shop' for the first time in a long while.
-Information Search Lv2 300pt
Description) A function showing a person's disposition is added to the information window skill.
"B-buy."
Before long, having purchased the additional skill he hadn't bought until now.
-Bzzt...!
Gritting his teeth, he opened his information window.
"........."
And Frey stood blankly for a moment, looking at the information window.
"I knew it would be like that."
Having stared at his own 'Disposition' floating before his eyes for a while.
-Zzzzzzt!!!
He simultaneously made the Hero's sword stuck in the Demon King's heart and the Hero's armaments he was wearing go berserk.
-Ah, aah...
At the same time, activating the seal that would make the Demon King experience at least a fragment of the hell he had endured.
"Indeed, I am... no matter what..."
In case any of the berserk energy leaked outside, he added another layer of star's mana to the barrier.
"...ultimately a Hero."
He quietly closed his eyes.
[Disposition: Hero]
Yet before him, his disposition still remained floating.
.
-Rooooar...
The berserk energy that had filled the barrier white for quite some time slowly began to subside.
-Crash!!!
At the same time, the star's barrier that had held out until the very end shattered into pieces.
"Ah, aah..."
The heroines looking at the scene revealed inside the barrier all began to wear expressions of despair.
"......."
Ruby inside was dead with her whole body torn apart.
"Hmm."
And Frey was standing unharmed.
"Good, there's time to wrap everything up."
Looking at his body with a curious expression for a moment, Frey looked around at the heroines near the broken barrier.
"You all..."
He tried to say something, but.
-Boom!!!
".....!"
Before long, he stopped speaking and froze.
"Because of you... because of you..."
"Oh my."
"Because of you... the sun...!"
Because Perloche, standing at the front of the heroines, had pierced his heart, even using the 'Sun God's Protection.'
"The sun has lost its light...!"
Because of that, Frey wore a hollow expression, while Perloche, speaking in a fierce voice with tears flowing from her eyes.
"...Huh?"
Before long, began to wear a puzzled expression.
"Why is the sun..."
The sun that had been shaking greatly and losing its light until just moments ago.
"...not losing its light?"
Before they knew it, it was shining more brilliantly than ever.
"Even at the very end..."
As Perloche began to show an increasingly flustered expression, Frey, who had been watching her.
"...I wanted to leave some last words at least."
Wearing an expression with slight regret.
-Shaaaa...
Before long, scattered into countless light particles in all directions.
"H-huh?"
The moment all the heroines including Perloche felt something was wrong.
".....What?"
Was right then.
.
"Hmm."
Frey, who had clearly turned into light particles and disappeared.
"...What?"
Surprisingly, slowly opened his eyes.
"U-um, hello..."
Looking around at a somehow mysterious, dreamlike space.
"...Mr. Frey."
"Who are you?"
He tilted his head looking at the dazzlingly beautiful woman who had appeared before him.
"I, I am... the Sun God."
"Ah."
Before long, Frey, having received the woman's introduction.
"Mr. Frey, I'm at a loss for words... but if I may dare say. If you would please give me a chance to reward you..."
"I want to rest now."
He said with a bright smile.
"Yes, I see. Of course Mr. Frey has that right. Then, I'll make sure you can take the most comfortable rest possible with my power..."
"Forever."
"...What?"
When Frey spoke in a quiet voice, she froze in place.
"Destroy... me."
"W-what do you mean...!"
Looking at the Sun God.
"Please."
Frey, shedding a single tear from his eyes for the first time in ages.
"...I'm tired now."
Finished speaking while choking up.
"......Ah."
What broke the deep silence that followed was the goddess who made a dazed sound while wearing a devastated expression.