Until the End
Until the End
A long silence followed.
Seeing her lips part, it seemed she was choosing her words.
As I waited for her answer, meeting Bersia's gaze directly.
Bersia, who had kept her mouth shut, quietly began to speak.
"That......"
Just as I thought I might finally get an answer from Bersia.
Kwa-gwa-gwa-gwa-gwa——!!
The bookshelf was sliced along the drawn line, and the fallen books rolled across the floor.
It was because Bersia had swung her sword.
If I hadn't ducked, that blow would have severed my neck.
"What are you doing all of a sudden...! Bersia!"
I shouted at Bersia, who was attacking me out of nowhere.
There was no reply.
Bersia simply prepared her next attack in silence.
This time, the sword came down in a vertical strike.
I twisted my body to dodge it in an instant, but because I couldn't completely avoid it, my skin was slightly cut.
Red blood flowed from the wound, trickling down my arm.
"Bersia......!!"
No matter how loudly I called her name, Bersia showed no reaction.
...Her condition was strange.
I hadn't seen any killing intent in Bersia recently.
But now, Bersia's two eyes were filled with murderous intent.
Because of that, I could immediately feel it.
That Bersia was not normal right now.
Swaaaaeek—!!
Bersia's sword once again sliced through the air and came towards me.
The distance was too close to dodge.
Since I had no choice but to counterattack, I quickly grabbed the dagger lying on the nearby table and swung it with all my might.
Kaaang!!
...My wrist, which had blocked the attack, was numb.
No... it wasn't even really "blocked."
It was merely enough to deflect its trajectory.
If this offense and defense continued for long, I would surely die.
The way to survive was either to return Bersia to her normal state.
Or to stop Bersia from moving.
"Snap out of it...! You bitch...!!!"
So, I continued to shout at the irrational Bersia and attack her.
Fortunately, what I was holding now was a dagger.
Being light, it offered far more attack opportunities than a typical longsword.
Therefore, I thought I could lead the flow of offense and defense....
...But that's what I thought.
'......Is this bitch really a monster?'
Was she not fighting with her true strength when she fought me before?
Bersia dodged dozens of attacks per second with minimal steps.
Even though her body would only sustain minor injuries if stabbed anyway.
"Just... get hit!"
I even imbued my body with Demonic Energy to subdue her, swinging the dagger.
Kwaddeudeuk——
Bersia grabbed the blade and shattered the dagger with her grip.
Then, she violently kicked me in the abdomen.
"Keo-heok...!!"
I crashed into the bookshelf, and an indescribable pain shot through me, simultaneously making me cough up blood.
My body wouldn't move, so it seemed my bones were broken from the kick.
Even though I had focused all my Demonic Energy on defense in that fleeting moment, it was still like this.
An overwhelming difference in skill.
Just as I saw Bersia approach me and raise her sword, thinking this was the end.
Puuuk!
Bersia plunged the sword in.
Not into me, but into herself.
"......!?"
"...Now I'm finally coming to my senses a bit."
I raised my head and met her gaze; the murderous intent was gone... Bersia's characteristic empty eyes met mine.
"Bersia...!"
"I apologize for startling you unintentionally. ...And for hurting you so badly."
Seeing Bersia's reaction, my doubt turned into certainty.
Bersia's attack just now was not her own will.
This was....... Yes.
It was similar to a Corrupted Hero.
Like a rampaging monster that had lost its reason.
'...No way.'
A hypothesis then came to mind.
That perhaps, for some reason in the past, Bersia, who was once a Hero, became the Demon King....
An absurd hypothesis.
But for it to be absurd, the pieces of the puzzle fit together too perfectly.
It felt as if the pieces that were somehow misaligned were now fitting into place because of that assumption.
"......Bersia. I'll rephrase my question slightly."
"Ask."
"In the past, were you... a Hero?"
Bersia was silent for a moment at my question, then replied.
"...No. I was not a Hero."
Bersia answered that she was not a Hero.
But for a brief moment, I saw it.
Bersia's two eyes trembled ever so slightly for a fleeting second.
"First, let's treat your body. It seems your bones are broken, and you can't even stand properly."
"...Tell me the truth, Bersia."
I earnestly pleaded with Bersia, who was holding me.
"I've noticed that you're hiding something."
At my words, Bersia stared intently at me.
Her eyes were as empty as usual.
However... her gaze felt somehow wistful.
Just like that time.
"......Even if I were hiding something, there's no reason for you to know."
"Bersia...!!"
"I'll arrange for separate treatment. Rest well in your room."
With those words, the entire scenery changed in an instant.
My body was somehow lying on a bed.
There were still many answers I needed to hear....
Even if I wanted to go to Bersia, my body wouldn't obey.
"......Damn bitch."
So, all I could do was... curse Bersia, who wouldn't tell me anything.
***
"Haaah.... Haaah......"
After sending Rubel to his room, I exhaled the breath I had been holding.
It was dangerous.
If I hadn't barely regained my senses at the last moment....
Rubel would probably have died right then and there.
"Damn it...."
Day by day, my reason was being eroded by Demonic Energy more severely.
In fact, I considered it a miracle that I had held out this long.
Because I had given up being a Saintess and accepted the power of the Demon King.
If it weren't for my promise with Rubel... I would have been Corrupted long ago.
"Hoo......"
The moment I sat down, exhaling a long breath to try and calm the Demonic Energy even a little.
'You know it yourself, don't you? That there isn't much time left.'
An unpleasant voice flowed into my head.
"...Shut up."
'How long do you think you can last?'
I shifted my gaze to the mirror, and a black-haired woman with a face identical to mine was embracing me from behind.
It was my Corruption.
'You, who vowed never to break... are slowly being consumed in the end, aren't you?'
"I haven't broken yet. And I won't in the future either."
'No. You will ultimately be destroyed.'
Corruption gripped my chin tightly, forcing me to look directly into the mirror.
'Look. Can you find the sparkle that used to be in your eyes anymore?'
Staring into the mirror, I couldn't find any light in my two eyes.
Only emptiness resided there.
......I try hard to deny it, but I actually know.
That at the end of this story, I will either die.
Or become a monster, completely losing my reason due to Corruption.
'Isn't this enough? You've repeated countless times, but you... haven't changed anything. And you won't in the future either.'
Corruption's whispers continuously entered my ears.
'So now, just give your body to me. You'll be at peace. Both of us.'
......At peace, huh.
Honestly, I had thought about giving up countless times.
Because if I didn't use Regression, I could always die and find eternal rest.
However.
Not yet.
My Hero. Rubel.
And the world Rubel will live in.
I still have a long way to go to protect them.
"...I'm sorry, but I can't yet. There are still things I need to do."
Kwajik!
I shattered the mirror right then and there.
'If you think I won't come back just because of this, you're gravely mistaken.'
"Come whenever you want. I'll drive you out every time."
'Alright, alright. Let's see how well you can endure.......'
As the mirror shattered into pieces, Corruption vanished abruptly.
But perhaps to prove that it was still by my side.
A part of my hair had turned black.
"...If you think I'll ever yield to the likes of you, you're gravely mistaken."
I retrieved the scissors from inside the drawer.
And immediately cut off the hair that had turned black.
"I've endured through tens of thousands of Regressions already. So I will continue to endure."
I tightly gripped the black hair cut by the scissors.
Tens of thousands of Regressions.
Tens of thousands of lives and tens of thousands of deaths.
Many things had changed during that time.
As small changes accumulated, the life I had lived gradually transformed.
However... something remained unchanged even through all that time.
My heart.
The desire to protect Rubel had not changed.
I had regressed tens of thousands of times and nearly fallen hundreds of thousands of times.
But in the end, I hadn't broken and had come this far.
So, until Rubel's blade reaches my heart.
I will not be Corrupted.
In this final life... I will surely.
Die with the sight of Rubel living on etched into my eyes.
This vow will remain unchanged until my Regression comes to an end.