Chapter 325: Fall. (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 325: Fall. (3)
Inside my head, which was a mess of pain, the sound of a coin flipping rang out.
“…What? I thought you were reflecting on your sins by dying so quietly. You’re still alive?”
Immediately after meeting death without any resistance, my wounds had been forcibly healed by the effect of the Double Coin.
It sounds ridiculous, but dying once actually cleared my head a little.
Of course, if someone were to ask why I wasted a trump card for such a stupid reason, I’d have no excuse. Still, the fact that I had regained even a shred of my senses was what mattered.
At the very least, I could finally figure out what I wanted to do.
I could probably escape right now if I swapped places with my clone and deactivated the Cloning Technique.
But before running away, I wanted to talk to Lee Yu-na, even if only for a moment.
“Wait…!”
However, it seemed the feeling wasn’t mutual. Instead of an answer, a flame with an all-too-familiar shape came flying back at me.
A symbol of immortality.
A phoenix made of pink flames.
Her signature technique soared toward me.
“Just for a second, please, just listen to what I have to say…!”
I tried to swallow the flames with my Black Shadow, but the demonic energy and divinity mixed within her mana repelled it. Because they formed a primitive Holy-Demonic Energy, the Black Shadow couldn’t fully consume the fire.
“What need is there for talk between us?”
Her words struck me like a dagger.
— What need is there for dialogue between you and me?
Those were the words I had said to her on the day I killed her.
“Back then, no matter how much I screamed for you to give me an excuse, you stayed silent. Why are you trying to make excuses now?”
When she had reached the truth behind Lilac’s death, she had pressed me to explain myself.
But I was the one who had ignored her.
I’m scared.
I’m so damn scared.
Neither Latis Erbashun, the Calamity-class villains, nor even the Demon King of Jealousy who descended upon the earth… none of them were as terrifying as the woman standing before me now.
Nothing was as frightening as the past that had finally caught up to me, or the weight of the sins that now stood in my path.
“What we have to do is simple. Either you die, or I die. There’s nothing else, is there?”
If there was one small mercy, it was that the flames she wielded were weaker than I remembered.
Then again, if she were as powerful as she was back then, I wouldn’t even be able to attempt to block her with this halfway-decent reinforcement.
What should I say first?
What on earth could I say to make this vengeful spirit listen to me for even a moment?
An excuse that I came back because I wanted to try again? An excuse that Lilac is still alive and that I worked hard to save him? No, that won’t work.
No matter what I say, it will only be an excuse in the end, and it won’t erase what I did.
Actually, I know exactly what I should say first in a situation like this.
It’s something I learned through bitter regret; there’s no way I’d forget it, no matter how panicked I am.
The problem is that saying it won’t make the situation any better.
“I’m sorry.”
I said it anyway.
Because if I didn’t, anything else I said would just be an excuse.
“I know an apology won’t fix anything. I know what I did won’t disappear. And I know that from your perspective, it must be disgusting that I ran away like a coward to start over.”
The onslaught that seemed determined to ignore my words faltered for a split second.
“But even knowing all that, I have to say it. I’m sorry.”
Of course, that brief pause didn’t mean she had forgiven me. Furthermore, it didn’t mean her anger had lessened in the slightest.
If anything, it was the opposite.
A deeper sense of loathing and rage flickered across her expressionless face.
“You’re disgusting.”
The flames grew even more violent, blooming as they began to devour the shadows. The Black Shadow alone wasn’t enough to block the attack; it was only after I channeled my demonic energy that the balance was barely restored.
“If you were going to apologize, you should have done it before things turned out like this. If you weren’t going to apologize then, you should have never done it at all. You shouldn’t have dragged the world into your pathetic self-gratification; you should have just let it be destroyed…!”
Even if I blocked the flames themselves, I couldn’t stop the heat from seeping through.
“You’re still as selfish and hideously arrogant as ever, aren’t you? You know your sins won’t disappear just because you turned back time? Then why are you doing this? It’s just so you can feel a little better while you atone, isn’t it?”
She was right.
“But that’s none of my business. I don’t know what you’re hoping to hear from me by saying that, but I’ll be satisfied just by killing you.”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t just die anymore.”
“Why? Even without you, this world has Lilac, and Professor Cathy seems to be alive too. The world will be fine without you now, won’t it?”
To resist the flames that were burning with even greater intensity, I finally drew upon my divinity.
“That’s right. In this world, both you and I are impurities. It would be fine if things like us disappeared. This world’s version of me is here, and this time, Lilac survived.”
For a moment, Lee Yu-na’s face contorted.
“Things like us are just in the way. It’s better if we just vanish.”
…If only she were jealous of the version of herself in this world. If she wanted to take Lilac for herself, I could have judged her as a fake and dealt with her.
But she says the world ‘might’ be fine even without me.
Of course, she might be right.
Everyone has grown strong now. Even if they wander for a bit at first, my death might eventually trigger them to grow even further, surpassing their original selves.
Yes, such a future might exist.
But I can’t let that happen.
No, I don’t want to let that happen.
It’s true that I’m conflicted.
Standing before my greatest sin, before the person I could never fully atone to even if I spent my entire life trying—is it really okay for me to say something so reckless?
The screams in my head were telling me to bow my head right now, to just accept death quietly.
Perhaps.
If I were the person I was immediately after regaining my memories, I might have made that choice.
No, without a doubt, I would have smiled and offered my neck, thinking I had finally found a chance to apologize.
And then I would have run away again.
I would have tried to vanish through death, escaping from the guilt, from my original sin.
“Are you just going to keep blocking like that? Say something. Or have you finally decided to die for me again?”
But because I am the selfish human you say I am, I ended up hesitating and reaching for the warmth.
Because I found I couldn’t bear to let go.
Because I’m still not satisfied at all.
“I’m sorry. It’s true that I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry. But I…”
— Don’t make me laugh.
— There’s no way you’ll be forgiven.
— Are you really going to say that? Are you insane?
— How hideous. Beyond foolish, you’re utterly selfish. It’s revolting.
Shut up. I know. Fuck.
I know better than anyone that I’m being incredibly selfish and absurd, and that anyone who knows even a shred of my past would point their finger at me.
But I can’t help it.
“I…”
“You what? What nonsense are you going to spout now? That you’ll shoulder their karma instead? Or that the world might end if you’re not here? What other bullshit are you planning to annoy me with?”
— Don’t do it. Don’t do it. Don’t do it. Don’t do it.
— There’s no way you have the right.
I told you to be quiet.
“I want to be happy.”
“…What?”
I used the short sword in my hand to block the flames that were piercing through my demonic energy, divinity, and shadows.
The Black Camellia that bloomed at the tip of the blade swallowed the beautiful bird of fire, blossoming in a quiet, elegant hue.
Normally, it would be right to end things after finishing my apology.
Even if I were to be a little greedy, perhaps I should be satisfied with creating a happy world and watching the people living happily within it.
But I’ve reached a point where I can no longer be satisfied with just that.
If I can be forgiven, I want to be among them, feeling happiness together, and being able to say proudly that I am happy.
“…You’ve gone mad, haven’t you?”
“Yeah, I’m crazy. Would anyone but a madman try to regress?”
“Ah, right. You were always crazy. But what can we do? I don’t know about the ‘me’ of this world, but as a ghost of the past, I have no intention of forgiving you.”
The petals that had erased the flames scattered, wiping away even the lingering scent of her remaining mana.
“I don’t know how you came back to life, or if you’re really the Lee Yu-na I know.”
“Ha.”
“But since you have Lee Yu-na’s memories and you harbor loathing toward me, I’m going to treat you as Lee Yu-na.”
“And? Why don’t you kill me before my mana recovers? Just like you did before. It’ll be even easier than last time since you’re in such bad shape.”
In the past, I had grabbed that neck and snapped it, eventually even burning the corpse.
But this time, it wasn’t her neck I had to grab.
No, since I had no right to grab her, I had to hope that she would be the one to reach out.
“Since I’ve become able to feel happiness, I’ll make sure you’re happy too. So, come with me.”
But once the words left my mouth, not only Lee Yu-na but also the Evil God occupying Seo-ha’s body and the surrounding Calamity-class villains all looked at me as if I were a lunatic.
…Was that too much?
Saying “I’ll make you happy” to someone who’s trying to kill me right now was a bit of a stretch, wasn’t it?
“Bullshit.”
I was being serious, though.
I knew I’d be rejected, but it was still a bit disappointing when it actually happened.
Still, I had blocked Lee Yu-na’s maximum output, so if I could just hold out like this, wouldn’t I be able to persuade her somehow?
As if mocking my thoughts, a voice resembling my friend’s rang out.
“Ah, I’ll admit it. You’ve recovered more than I thought, and you’ve become quite sturdy. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to do this.”
The moment the Evil God gave a signal with a clearly displeased face, the Calamity-class villains, excluding the Red Butler, began to move.
“…Why aren’t you moving?”
[Because the request I received today was only to bind his movements for a moment without harming him. If you wish to give me an order, please use your last remaining ‘request.’]
“Well, whatever. There’s no need for you to step in when we’re attacking an opponent who isn’t even resisting.”
With that, the Calamities began to pour out their attacks.
Not toward me, but toward Lee Yu-na.
The wounded woman’s body rose into the air.
Seeing her accept the attacks without even a basic attempt at resistance, I couldn’t understand what was happening for a moment.
Of course, her wounds were healing naturally, but no matter how great her recovery was, she couldn’t keep enduring attacks from Calamity-class villains without guarding.
And the moment that thought crossed my mind, I understood what they were planning even as I started running.
Ha.
Fine, I have to admit it.
This really is the most effective method against me.
If I won’t die quietly at Lee Yu-na’s hands, they’ll use her as a hostage that I absolutely cannot ignore.
It was almost absurd how well they knew me.
I dashed forward and blocked the Calamities with my artifacts.
To protect Lee Yu-na from the disaster, I used the Ruyi, the Black Shadow, the Touch of the Devil, and the Will of the Saint.
As I endured the onslaught using every artifact I possessed, Lee Yu-na, who had fallen, healed her wounds and stood up.
Since those bastards had betrayed her without any consultation, it would be great if she joined our side now, but things were never going to be that convenient.
This plan was likely something Lee Yu-na had also agreed to.
Behind my back, which was left defenseless as I blocked the attacks from the front, I felt an ominous level of heat.
“I didn’t think you’d actually throw yourself away for me. I’m a little touched.”
“Then why don’t you say that with a voice that actually sounds touched…?”
“Sure. As a reward for that nonsense you spouted.”
Ah, right. I guess it won’t be that simple after all.
“I’ll kill you as painfully as I can.”
The threat of death, which I had already faced several times today, was once again looming right behind me.