Chapter 186

“…….”

I, without a shadow of a doubt, had no will or intention to take this over.

So instead of holding her hand, I tried grabbing her arm, attempting to hold onto her as she seemed ready to vanish at any moment.

…But she disappeared.

All that remained was a tiny flame floating in the air like a firefly.

And for a while, I just stared at it, dazed and lost.

Then, the memories… the sensations… everything that came rushing through me the moment I touched her arm.

It felt like… the memories she experienced while crossing the bridge of death. Like a slideshow of fleeting moments.

Yeah, maybe it was something like that.

But that wasn’t all.

The curse of pain.

Not just hers, but the accumulated suffering of countless others—embraced all at once.

Even though I didn’t experience it firsthand, revisiting those memories filled me with overwhelming empathy.

It was truly horrifying.

Truly cruel.

My breathing stopped momentarily, and even now, it feels like my whole body is endlessly being gnawed away.

“…You must’ve seen everything, right?”

……

“What’s going on here? Explain it to me properly so I can understand. Right… now.”

I glared into the void.

And there, as if they’d been there all along…

The Golden Girl, the Demon King—they were both present.

They casually glanced around.

A hill.

A massive tree that had somehow appeared.

A place from which the entirety of Rutania could be seen—but such a space doesn’t exist in reality.

As the sun set and darkness flooded the world,

not a single star or moon graced this pitch-black sky. It was dark, utterly bleak, as if the world itself had entered eternal slumber.

“Do you really need more words? If you have questions, ask them clearly.”

“……”

I forced down my rising emotions and voiced the first question that sprang to mind.

“What happened to El?”

“You should have a rough idea by now, shouldn’t you?”

“…Cut the cryptic nonsense already.”

“Hmm.”

She shrugged nonchalantly.

“You know most of it already… as a human, she reached her limits. Not just limits, but extremes beyond extremes. When she appeared before you, she was almost divine.”

“Is that even possible?”

“Carrying a legacy means exactly that. It signifies gaining qualifications. Resisting or altering the world… whatever it may be.”

“So what happened?”

“Why don’t you ask yourself? Dead or alive? If you’d just asked directly, I would’ve answered immediately.”

“You know exactly what I mean.”

“But I have no obligation to spoon-feed you every detail.”

“……”

“Dead or alive? To put it simply, half dead and half alive. Does that satisfy your curiosity?”

“…Her body lives, but her mind… her spirit is dead. Is that what you mean?”

A soul cannot die.

Which meant… the consciousness, the spirit residing within her vessel, had perished.

But then… what difference does that make compared to actual death?

“What about recovery methods?”

“Isn’t reviving a corpse harder than just injecting a soul back into it?”

“……”

“It’s not a lie. It’s that difficult. If her soul had merely left her body, we could’ve tried bringing her back using some method. But this situation is different.”

“What do you mean?”

“That so-called legacy of the Great Demon King—it’s stuff like Aegis or Astrape that you borrowed from Jeupse. They’re all fundamentally similar, just varying in power levels.”

“……”

“In the Middle Realm, these are personal achievements: knowledge, skills, or sometimes specific treasures. In the past, I mentioned how rare such things are in the Demon Realm, but Demon Armaments compensate for that.”

“Are you talking about ancient history?”

“And these legacies of god-like beings serve as their final wishes, attachments, treasures—and obsessions.”

Hibaitein.

Just a different pronunciation of Rebaitein.

But Heeba, Regarn, they staked their divine names on this.

When later unearthed by the Great Demon King, these attachments became powers and divine authorities resurrected.

Eventually, it leaked into the Middle Realm under the will of the Golden Demon King.

And its chosen master, companion, or wielder was none other than an imperial princess of some empire.

Being able to foresee far into the future, her selection was undoubtedly significant.

“To handle it means losing oneself in the process.”

That’s what wielding divine power entails.

“……”

“If that was all, it might’ve been manageable, but… the circumstances weren’t good.”

Apparently, she clashed with the current Demon King in some form and narrowly escaped by a miracle. The situation was dire. And coincidentally,

Ellie herself was the strongest at enduring pain at that exact moment.

Having faced countless trials, including one where she had to burn her own body alive to tame her flames, made her uniquely capable of bearing this burden alone.

“Judging by the situation, several companions might’ve died if she hadn’t taken it upon herself. So she chose to shoulder it alone and embarked on her journey.”

Afterward, meeting Zora, hearing her story, entering the temple, fighting, and eventually reaching her goal…

There, she received something Heeba had entrusted during her lifetime.

Based on that, she burned her own body.

“And that’s why it got so ridiculously intense.”

“……”

“While Misiltain helped drive others away, possessing a legendary sword without a competent wielder is useless. But when someone exceptional wields it… well, it becomes a serious threat.”

“The rest is exactly what you witnessed.”

Realizing she couldn’t bear the burden anymore, she ultimately attempted to pass it on to you.

“How do I return it?”

“Not easy.”

At my words, she clicked her tongue.

“You’re probably hoping that some lingering spark remains within it, housing her soul and spirit, right?”

“……”

“Surprisingly, you’re correct. However, it’s better for you to keep it for now.”

“…Does that mean her physical state is that bad?”

“Yeah. Her container is essentially destroyed. If you try to pour something into it now, it’ll just spill out like water scattered in mid-air. What happens then? You’ve just wasted effort wetting the ground. And after that? Once spilled, water can’t be collected again—it’s over.”

“At least it sounds like there’s a way.”

“True, but it’ll still be quite troublesome.”

“……”

Looking around, the scenery remained unchanged amidst the darkened world.

“Since you haven’t outright said it’s impossible, this must be relatively easier compared to the other hardships I’ve faced.”

“Well, given who you are now… yeah, probably.”

An involuntary sigh escaped me.

Frustration and irritation churned inside me, along with various irrational emotions, but…

“At least there’s some good news.”

“It only shows how much you’ve endured so far. Cheer up, kid. Hardship always leads to happiness eventually.”

Now, it’s your turn.

“To dominate and reshape the world according to your will, you’ve gained the means and qualifications.”

“……”

With the same dry smirk she often displayed.

“I was told to use any means necessary, but this isn’t what I had in mind. Whether because it’s not the form I wanted or something else… it’s extremely frustrating and unpleasant.”

“Ellie would feel hurt hearing that.”

“……I’m not the type to accept self-satisfaction and casual disregard for others’ well-being.”

If she were standing right here,

I’d surely have slapped her hard by now.

“I hate nothing more than when someone devotedly sacrifices themselves only to be disregarded.”

Good people leave too soon, while bad ones stick around forever. Isn’t this injustice what ruins the world?

In that sense, what kind of person was Princess Ellie?

…At the very least, she never lived for herself even once.

And thinking about it now, that fact bothers me deeply.

“El. One of the reasons I fought so desperately included you.”

I believed she could lead the world in a better, more righteous direction.

Because I trusted her.

“……”

But that wasn’t meant to push you into self-destruction, was it? Why did things go so wrong for you? Thinking about it made another sigh escape me.

This damn reality is utterly lamentable.

====

Blood-red skies.

Pitch-black earth.

Everywhere you looked, barren wasteland devoid of even a blade of grass.

Amidst this desolation stood a solitary, colossal throne.

Formed from blackened bones and rusted metal, it exuded an ominous aura.

Upon it sat something resembling a shadow interwoven with dark mist.

Its elbows rested lazily on the armrests, chin propped up, gazing indifferently into the void.

The only hint of life amidst the enveloping darkness were its crimson eyes, faintly revealing its form and emotional state.

Suddenly, a dimensional portal opened, spilling out a girl onto the pitch-black ground.

Clad in obsidian armor, with fiery red hair and equally crimson eyes, she struggled to rise, repeatedly collapsing while coughing up blood.

“Lucesia. Damn it, what’s so hard that you keep retreating like this?”

The man seated on the throne abruptly stood up.

Black mist swirled around him as if following his movements.

Step by step.

Twenty steps from the throne.

Crouching beside his fallen ruler, he grabbed her by the hair, lifting her head.

-…

Though her gaze was lifeless, the malice and hostility within it remained undiminished.

Like the eyes of a long-dead, rotting beast, devoid of vitality, yet the entity embracing the darkness acknowledged her as living nonetheless.

Simply…

“This pathetic woman. Claiming to be half a Demon King yet incapable of launching an invasion. And despite your vaunted strength, you always return battered and bruised. What’s the point? Have you grown fond of retreating? Or is this some sort of game?”

-…

“Communication is impossible. I can’t fathom why the Sacred Tree chose someone like you.”

His tone was monotone, yet distinctly human.

Though this “humanity” manifested as extreme arrogance and egocentrism.

“Just try harder, my lord. I don’t expect much, so please take this sincerely. Remember it deeply.”

Releasing her hair, her head fell limply to the ground.

“Haa.”

With a heavy sigh, the man shuffled back toward the throne.

Seemingly dissatisfied with something, he returned and dragged his ruler by the hair.

He unceremoniously dumped her onto the throne.

“Am I not being considerate enough? Honestly, I think I’m too lenient.”

The being cloaked in darkness dissipated into swirling black mist and vanished.

-…

And the current Demon King, Lucesia, lay motionless atop the throne, her eyes closed.

Beneath the blood-red skies and pitch-black earth,

the only adornments in this desolate world were the sinister black-and-crimson throne and the girl resting upon it.

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