Episode 158
- Shaaaah...
"Ugh...!"
My whole body is in pain.
"Aeuu..."
Was it the aftermath of being erased by the Goddess just now?
Or is it the emotional wound I suffered from assimilating with 'another me'?
- Swish...
Pushing aside the chaotic thoughts spreading through my mind, I rise from my spot and begin to carefully examine my body.
"Hmm."
My transparent body greets me.
It seems I was ejected from 'another me' who was assimilated with me at the moment of erasure.
Then where is 'another me'?
Surely he wasn't completely erased by the Goddess back there?
Also, where is this place?
Looking at the darkness all around, this doesn't seem to be the mysterious space I was in until just now.
".....!"
As I thought this and looked around, I discovered 'another me' standing motionless in the distance.
"Over there..."
Putting aside for a moment the question of why 'another me,' who should have been erased by the Goddess, is there, I began to carefully approach him, but.
[Deletion in 00:01]
Seeing the screen floating in front of him, I froze.
"...You've come."
"W-what?"
As I stared blankly at the ominous red window floating before my eyes, 'another me' suddenly turned his head and spoke to me.
Wait, he can see me?
How is that possible?
"Wh-who are you?"
I asked in my bewilderment, and 'another me' answered with a smirk.
"I am you from another iteration, who went through countless regressions and sought rest."
"Th-that means..."
"First, calm down and listen to me."
Saying that, he slowly rose from his spot.
"This is a space where characters briefly stay before being deleted. It seems to be the Sun God's ability... once that countdown reaches zero, every existence inside will be deleted."
"W-what!"
"Don't worry. I've temporarily stopped it for now."
Having reassured me, who was startled by the mention of all existences being deleted, 'another me' said.
"By the way, I have a favor to ask."
"A f-favor?"
In a low voice, he made a proposal to me.
"First, experience all the remaining trials and return here... and assimilate with me for a bit, will you?"
"W-what did you say?"
Seeing my confused expression at those words, 'another me' sighed and added.
"...It seems I need to receive judgment and disappear."
And with those final words, 'another me' forcefully pushed me out of the dark space.
- Bzzzt!!
"Uhek!"
Thanks to that, I was ejected from that black space and found myself back on the ground.
"F-Frey?"
Still in a daze from the situation, I stood before four transparent main heroines who were lost in spirit from what they had just witnessed.
"Where did you go? We couldn't sense you at all just now."
When transparent Perluce asked me with a flustered expression for the first time, I opened my mouth with an equally shaken look.
"Right, I'm not sure exactly. But it was a strange experience..."
"Perluce, is that true?"
"...Ah."
But my words were interrupted by Isollet, who had appeared beside me.
"First... I need to finish the trials."
I don't know what's going on.
But for now, it seems I need to focus on what these trials are showing me.
.
Meanwhile, at that same time.
"Perluce, is that true?"
"Mmm..."
Perluce inside the trial, who had been earnestly praying to the Sun God.
"You... killed Frey?"
As Isollet approached her and questioned her, she began to frown.
"Answer me, Perluce. To figure out how things unfolded... we need to make everything certain..."
"Everyone, please wait a moment."
Even so, as Isollet continued to question her, Perluce suddenly sprang up from her spot and looked at everyone as she spoke.
"If I offer the special prayer I've been giving every night, I can visit the spiritual space where the Sun God resides. So... I'll offer that prayer now to verify the truth."
".......Mm."
Hearing this, Isollet clenched her fist and said.
"Please do it as quickly as possible."
"Yes, I'll do it right now... everyone please be quiet so my concentration isn't disturbed."
Perluce, who had been watching Isollet's expression, said that and began to focus holy power throughout her body.
- Gooooooo...
"No, it can't be. Surely not."
Perluce, who had been emitting white light in all directions.
"It must be Frey's illusion magic or some scheme. If I go and check directly, I'll definitely find out the real truth."
She said this with a trembling voice, then closed her eyes.
- Shaaaaaaa...!
"...H-hello? Sun God?"
When Perluce, now in her spiritual form, cautiously spoke in the mysterious space.
"Welcome, Perluce."
The mysterious space turned dark, and a woman slowly walked out from within that darkness, heading toward where Perluce stood.
"S-Sun God...!"
Perluce's eyes widened as she saw the woman.
"Why are you shrouded in darkness? Is something wrong..."
"Hmm..."
"Ah, that's not what's important. Please, explain what's going on. What were that strange woman and Frey I just saw? What's with Ruby's appearance? I just did what you told me to do..."
Seeing the woman change direction slightly and begin approaching her, Perluce urgently started pouring out questions.
"Perluce, I am not the Sun God."
"......What?"
"I am the Demon God."
When the woman said this, Perluce spoke with a blank expression.
"Wh-what do you mean?"
"Exactly as I said. I am the Demon God Eclipse. Not that wretched Sun God."
"What are you talking about? You're the one who appeared in this mysterious space every time I prayed each night, aren't you?"
Perluce said this, her face growing pale.
"The one who encouraged me, cheered for me, and told me what to do every night... was you..."
"That's because I copied that foolish Sun God lying over there, until now."
The Demon God, looking at Perluce with a sneer, pointed somewhere.
"Ah, no..."
The real Sun God was lying on the floor, gritting her teeth and trying to rise.
"What a shame, sister... If just one more day had passed, you would have recovered enough power to easily defeat me."
"Mmm..."
"Of all times, to erase the Hero not even a few minutes after being released from imprisonment. Pfft, puhahahaha..."
When the Demon God said this with a burst of laughter.
"Erased the Hero...?"
"Yes, I mean the poor Hero of Fake Evil, Frey."
Perluce's eyes, who had been listening intently to the Demon God's words, began to tremble.
"Right, Perluce. There was something I really wanted to tell you and your friends... This worked out perfectly."
The Demon God, who shot a dark energy at the Sun God and knocked her back to the floor, slowly approached Perluce and spoke.
"When you finish praying and return to the surface... make sure to tell your friends."
"Th-that's..."
"Thank you for betraying, killing, and hurting Frey in countless iterations... for making him exhausted."
"What do you mean..."
"Thanks to that, he chose 'erasure' himself, allowing me to make my final desperate move."
Hearing those words, Perluce.
"N-no."
Began to realize that something had gone terribly, terribly wrong.
"That can't be... it doesn't make sense..."
But what spilled from her mouth were words of 'denial.'
Because she couldn't easily believe that Frey, who had acted so wickedly all this time, was actually the Hero.
"It doesn't make... sense..."
Moreover, even if she was a 'Saint,' she was still a person, so her defensive instincts kicked in.
"Once I successfully subdue the Sun God, I'll self-destruct and plunge the world into darkness."
"What..."
"I was destined to be erased anyway. Right now, I'm only temporarily appearing due to Frey's erasure."
"What did you say...?"
But the Demon God began to shatter even Perluce's faint remaining defensive mechanisms.
"I need to make him pay for mocking me. By stealing the 'happy ending' of the world he wanted, even through countless regressions."
"Ah, aah..."
"Well, if Frey were here, he would have simply done a 'retry' and stopped it..."
The Demon God said this with a fed-up expression.
"What a pity? Since Frey was completely 'erased,' there's no one left to retry anymore?"
She said this with a wicked smile.
"So I can take my time."
"What does that mean..."
"Out of special generosity, I'll postpone plunging the world into darkness a bit."
At her considerably arrogant voice, Perluce trembled.
"Simply put, I'm giving you a grace period."
With a happy expression, she began her final declaration.
"I really love watching people despair, suffer, and grieve."
"........."
"So, I'm planning to enjoy my final amusement watching you all until I self-destruct... will you cooperate?"
"If what you say is really true... that's absolutely...!"
But when Perluce rose and raised her voice, the Demon God with a cold expression said.
"Then... shall we all perish together right now? In a world without the sun, let's all freeze to death slowly."
- Gooooooo...!
Gathering her power, she raised a massive dark energy in the surroundings.
"I'm already furious enough about being destined for erasure because of a mere mortal, and if you resist too... I'll want to die even faster."
"...Ugh."
"Will you cooperate? Or not? If you cooperate and show me your final despair, I'll let you live that much longer."
Perluce, grinding her teeth as she watched the Demon God threatening the world's destruction while gathering dark energy.
"For now, listen to the Demon God's words."
".......!"
She flinched when she discovered the Sun God in the distance conveying that message with moving lips without sound.
"I'll find a way."
The Sun God, who had secretly conveyed these words to Perluce, grit her teeth and began emitting a faint light from her body.
"......Alright."
Finally, Perluce.
"I will... follow your words."
Had no choice but to answer while trembling violently.
"Good."
Then, the Demon God who had approached right in front of Perluce.
"Please take good care of this, Perluce?"
With a chilling smile, she snapped her fingers.
.
"...Uhek!"
Perluce, who had been praying, exhaled at once and opened her eyes.
"Huaah... haa..."
Perluce, who had been kneeling on the cold garden floor breathing roughly.
"So, did you find out anything?"
"Perluce! What is going on?"
"Why did Ruby end up like that, why did Frey disappear like that, and why is the sun shaking again?"
When the girls surrounding her began asking questions all at once.
"Mmm... mmmm..."
She made a devastated expression and began to tremble violently.
"Th-the Hero..."
Perluce, who had been shaking for a while.
"He was the Hero..."
Though she still couldn't believe it, she began to slowly voice the truth she now had to accept.
With a face full of guilt.
"Frey... was the Hero..."
And silence flowed for a moment.
"Perluce must be very sick."
"Right, she must have been too shocked."
"...First, she needs to rest."
When the heroines slowly spoke, most of them didn't believe Perluce's words.
"U-um... so you see..."
"Now, stand up, Saintess. First, calm down..."
It was only natural.
No matter that Perluce was their leader, there was no one who would readily believe such absurd words that Frey was the Hero.
No matter how much truth those words held, that was a normal person's reaction.
".....Ah."
Except for Isollet, who made a hollow sound upon hearing those words.
".....!"
And Serena, whose eyes went wide.
"Mmm..."
Perluce, who was forcibly pulled to her feet by the hands of those who looked at her with disbelief and pity.
"Frey was the Hero... and Ruby was the Demon King... ah."
Struggling to speak with the determination to buy time from the Demon God, she reached one conclusion.
"Aah."
The one who pierced his heart and shattered it to pieces, without giving Frey time to leave last words or time to persuade him.
"....Uuaa."
Was herself.
"...What should we do? Should we use a mental recovery potion?"
"Rest comes first."
Thinking Perluce was starting to panic, the girls looked at her sympathetically.
- Hihing!!
- Kiiiik...!
"".........?""
They tilted their heads when suddenly a loud carriage sound came from right beside them.
"Frey, Frey!!"
"B-brother...!"
"Ah."
And Perluce, who similarly turned her gaze to that carriage.
"No..."
Only then could she realize that everything she had experienced was true.
"Well done, our son! Seeing my memories returned, you must have succeeded in defeating the Demon King after all!!"
"Brother... I-I'm sorry. It was all my fault...!"
At the same time, she began to feel terrible guilt and fear.
The people running down from the carriage and rushing over breathlessly were.
"Let me hug you. You've been through so much, haven't you? Is there anything you want to eat... hmm?"
Abraham, Frey's father, who came running with a bright smile, stopped briefly when he couldn't see Frey, and then caught his breath.
"I didn't know that... I... I...!"
And Aria, Frey's younger sister, whose nose was red and face covered in tear stains.
"Um... you all."
Abraham, who had been in a coma until now and whose stamina had deteriorated significantly but had rushed to the site of the final battle with only the thought of meeting Frey.
"Does anyone happen to know where our Frey is?"
He asked cautiously while patting the still-sobbing Aria's head.
""........""
The hell that the girls would fall into, no.
The hell that the entire empire would fall into, was just beginning.