Chapter 140
Chapter 140
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 140
Chapter Title: The Slime's End
There is one characteristic that slimes typically exhibit when they devour another being.
Namely, their most important body part—the core—becomes exposed and vulnerable.
This becomes even more pronounced when they morph into the form of another being; some slimes even become completely immobile and stay put.
"...In the end, it's a good thing you were just a slime and not a human."
I let out a rough breath as I watched Memoria, her core shattered, begin to melt away into a watery stream.
I almost had my memories and abilities devoured. It felt like a black tide was washing over me, piece by piece of my being fragmenting and disappearing.
In the end, even this creature couldn't escape being merely a slime. No matter how many humans it had consumed, it could never become the being it so desperately wanted to be.
It was the complete opposite of the fake Victoria.
The being that wanted to become human couldn't shed its slime nature until the very end, while the being born a slime ultimately wished to die as a human.
"...Ah, haha, hahaha. So you used the fact that I was solely obsessed with humans against me."
Laughter after a few seconds of silence. Memoria, now melting away completely, was still trying to reach me to kill me until the last moment.
I lightly parried her final desperate struggle with my Coresword and watched as she slowly declined.
"Right. If you had devoured an elf or a druid and absorbed their memories or abilities, the story might have been different."
"How could that be? Even with transformation, cases where the appearance changes like yours are rare."
Memoria burst into laughter directed at me, mixed with a bitter sneer. After all, the other Astal in her memory was different from me.
"Now I understand why the Demon King left you alone. Yes, that must be it."
"I don't think he left me alone."
Crunch.
I spoke as I slammed my sword down, interrupting Memoria's attempt to buy time and gather the remaining fragments around her core.
The one who sent Durahan to my peaceful hometown was the Demon King, and the one who slaughtered humans, turning half the continent into a sea of fire, was also that bastard.
Even though his activities had quieted down after my companions and I came to the demon realm, the danger hadn't completely vanished.
"If you're buying time thinking you might be able to resurrect, you should give up."
I was burning Memoria's core to ashes, leaving not even a speck of dust, so she could never be revived.
"Ah, haha, you know nothing. In the end, even you are just a means for the Demon King to obtain what he desires."
Memoria spat out mocking words at me until her death, but I didn't pay much attention.
Eyes filled with terror.
And a voice gradually losing reason, tinged with madness.
Memoria cried, laughed, then suddenly looked up at the sky and began screaming like a madwoman.
"In the end, we are all sacrificial offerings. No matter how much we struggle, we are mortal beings who cannot defy fate."
"...Is that so? From my perspective, it looks like you're spouting nonsense to beg for your life."
It wasn't the first time I'd heard such talk.
After Demon King Ergothum invaded the continent, there were fanatical cults that incited people, claiming the end of the world was nigh.
And there were quite a few traitors who judged that humans couldn't win against demons or monsters and chose the enemy's side instead.
"Ugh, heh, haha. I didn't think you'd be this foolish! You must know about the concept of 'routes'!"
Memoria let out a laugh resembling a deflating sound, now completely melted, with only her mouth barely clinging to the ground.
Her form was now grotesque, hardly something you could call human. I frowned, wary of what her final struggle might be.
"I know about the life the other you lived. Aren't you curious?"
"Not really. It's irrelevant to me now. No matter if it's another world's me, it's not the same person."
"What if the Demon King is deliberately holding back because of the potential shown by the other you?"
"What?"
Instantly, I felt a chill run down my spine.
It felt like a sinister gaze was watching me from somewhere.
"...Think about it. Why would he try to kill a mere brat from a rural village, not even the Hero? Did the Demon King see the future? If so, why specifically send Durahan?"
"......"
A sense of unease kept me from easily swinging my sword. Thinking about it, it didn't make sense why he tried to kill a mere village child, not the Hero, Kyle.
If he had the ability to see the future, or if he knew his own demise through an oracle or prophecy, there would have been no need to send Durahan.
Then what does Demon King Ergothum want? Is he looking for someone to kill him in place of himself, considered an immortal being?
"Perhaps from the very beginning, he made someone hold a grudge against him so they would come here seeking him. Hehe, hihi, hahaha!"
Memoria didn't stop laughing even as her existence faded from this world. At the sound, my companions, including Victoria, rushed over to watch the situation.
"Astal, don't listen to her. It's just a trick to drag one more person down before she dies!"
"A trick? You don't even know what the Demon King desires!"
"He probably just wants to kill humans. Or maybe he wants to fight stronger beings and is just playing around."
Victoria and Kyle refuted Memoria's death throes, clearing away the surrounding slime to make her vanish even a little faster.
"Wait, I think it's worth hearing out."
I momentarily stretched out a hand to my companions, expressing my intent for them to stop what they were doing.
Because we didn't know why a Demon King who destroyed countless parallel universes would repeat such acts.
If what Demon King Ergothum desires is neither world domination nor utter annihilation, there's a high possibility of something else behind it.
"Want to know? But what can I do? I'm about to die, and I absolutely won't let you benefit from this!"
As if sensing my agitation, Memoria let out laughter from the long hole that could barely be called a mouth.
The hole, moving larger and smaller with each laugh, made a sizzling sound, mocking us.
"Now I'm starting to get an idea. Thanks."
Disgusted by the sight, I swung my Coresword. With a single slash, the gathered fragments of Memoria scattered in all directions.
"W-wait! Aren't you really curious? If I die— Ah, ah..."
"I am curious, but seeing you raving like a lunatic makes it seem like it's not important at all."
I spat curses at Memoria. No matter what ulterior motive the Demon King might have, the fact that I needed to cut off his head and return to the continent remained unchanged.
Besides, it probably wasn't that significant a reason to begin with.
If it were something as important as she implied, Demon King Ergothum wouldn't have resorted to extreme measures like world annihilation.
"S-save me. Please save me. Please... It hurts, it hurts, it hurts..."
Memoria now clung to my pant leg, pleading in a pitiful voice. Her body had been so massive that it seemed to take a long time to fully vanish.
"The humans you devoured must have begged for their lives feeling the same way. Die feeling that same wretchedness."
"Please! Just spare me once! You said it was worth hearing out earlier!"
"That was to probe what you or the Demon King were scheming. Now that I've roughly figured it's nothing, it's fine."
If it were truly that important, the Heavenly God or other gods would have given some hint by now.
And instead of threatening me like this or massacring humans, they would have approached with a request for cooperation in a more moderate manner.
I kicked away the hand Memoria was clutching and spoke. Even this felt insufficient for avenging all the people who had been sacrificed so far.
In fact, it wasn't even certain if Memoria had proper senses of pain. There was a possibility she was just acting using other people's memories.
"Fuck, fuck, you damn bastard. You and the Demon King are the same. Going crazy and raving over just one human woman is just like..."
The last remaining eye of Memoria looked up at Victoria. Finding that gaze revolting, I intensified my efforts to swing my sword.
"Arian! It's Arian! If I tell you this child's name, the Demon King might view you a little more favorably..."
Squelch.
"I told you! I said I told you everything I know!! Damn it...!!"
Thud.
"Ugh, ugh, aah... Aaaaah!!"
Slice.
As if the creature named Memoria had never existed in this world from the beginning, I was erasing all traces of her.
"Lord Astal, that's enough. It's all over now."
"It seems he was really angry about Victoria's memories being stolen. I never expected this, since he always appears so calm and collected."
Only after my companions, including Victoria, managed to stop me could I finally cease swinging my Coresword at Memoria.