Indomitable Will Against the 666th Terror

Whether the scene the illusion showed was something that had actually happened or something the Terror bastard had fabricated didn't matter. Whether I could inflict physical force on the illusion didn't matter either. What mattered was that I couldn't stand by and watch Kaya suffer in any sense of the word.

Until now, I'd held back just fine, so why the hell couldn't I hold back right this moment? I asked myself, but... I had no answer. I was just. Fucking. Raging. Immensely so. Even knowing the Kaya in the illusion couldn't possibly perceive me.

Her whole body trembling uncontrollably, her eyes pleading as if begging someone for help. And those eyes seeming to look right at me. Seeming to beg me for help. So I couldn't hold back. My head boiling over with fury, I charged into the illusion without hesitation.

"You fucking bastards!!!!!"

But in the end, my intentions and will meant nothing. The illusion retreated backward just as much as I advanced. Ignoring stamina management, I ran even faster. Of course, the illusion retreated even faster in response. Maintaining that infuriating, just-out-of-reach distance that made my blood boil and my chest tighten with rage. It was enough to drive me insane.

Meanwhile, the illusion continued unfolding. Kaya, stumbling back until blocked by the wall behind her, bit her lip. One of the men had slyly stepped back to stand watch, while another gripped her wrist.

"...Let go of me."

"Let go of this?"

"Agh!"

"You insolent bitch."

The Kaya in the illusion had never rebelled, not since she was a child. Whether she instinctively knew rebellion would bring even greater violence, or had realized she had no one on her side, I had no way of knowing. She didn't resist now either. Even as her wrist was gripped brutally, even as her cheek was struck.

But the moment the man who slapped her grabbed her collar...

"...No."

"What did you just say, you half-breed slut?"

"I've endured everything else... but not that."

"Ha."

For the first time, Kaya rebelled. The men seemed genuinely flustered, as if seeing her defiance for the first time. But it was only for a moment. Her refusal was verbal only, nothing more—and that was like pouring oil on their fiery tempers.

"What are you gonna do if I say no? Huh? Huh? Huh?"

The man sneered incredulously, jabbing her chest with his index finger. Kaya shielded her chest with her arms while resisting his attempts to strip her.

"Ha... a half-breed bitch like you, acting all ladylike."

His face grew increasingly savage as they struggled. Like a puppy that had never learned to bare its teeth suddenly doing so—it ignited his disgust. His grip tightened. Kaya resisted with all her might, but when the other man watching joined in, her wrists were quickly restrained.

"Ha. Aside from that dull hair color, her face and body are decent enough."

"Hey, if you're gonna do it, hurry up. No point sticking around here long."

"Tch."

"Please... stop..."

"Urk..."

One man held both her wrists, while the other repeatedly punched her stomach. The beating stopped only when Kaya was half-unconscious, and then he reached for her clothes.

"Don't do it! I said don't! You fucking trash!!!!"

It was a scream that couldn't reach. Tears poured endlessly, as if my tear ducts had broken. She was in agony, her appearance utterly wretched. Watching her, I was in agony too, my heart wretched.

Whether my heart ached or not, the man in the illusion half-tore off her top, revealing the necklace around her neck.

"Ha! Look at this, playing churchgoer already just 'cause you follow the nun around. Think you're somebody now?"

"Sister Kaya."

The man smirked and tried to rip off the necklace, but a third party's voice—someone absent from the scene—shattered the atmosphere in an instant.

Sister. The only one who would use that term was the periodically visiting nun from the Raella Order.

The mood shifted drastically. In this remote rural village far from the capital, the church's influence outweighed even the royal family's. Even backwater folk knew better than to mess with church members. They were treated as otherworldly to begin with. So the men clicked their tongues, glanced around nervously, and slunk away.

"Sister. I've been looking for you."

"..."

"Sister."

The nun silently straightened Kaya's clothes and gently embraced her. Kaya shed tears in her arms.

Seeing Kaya's tears, I collapsed to the floor. Thank God, really thank God. I muttered meaningless words into the void. My face was already soaked.

But the illusion didn't end there. My body and mind were exhausted on both fronts, but I had no time to sit. I didn't want to see more. I had to escape fast. For now, harboring gratitude for that nameless nun, I pressed forward.

I passed the illusion zone featuring Kaya completely. At that moment, the voice burrowed in again.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Shut the fuck up. Just stop your tricks, and it'll all be fine."

"At least this godforsaken city that submits to terror, thrives on it, will be gone. Along with the disgusting cultist bastards and the pitiful sacrifices."

"What...?"

Did I hear that wrong? No way.

"What you said earlier. What does it mean? What the fuck does it mean?!"

"What the fuck, suddenly."

I'd stopped in my tracks before I knew it. Chills ran through my entire body. I understood instinctively.

"You... you fucking bastard... You... You!"

"No way! ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Don't spout bullshit, you piece of shit!"

It was dizzying. I closed my eyes, opened them. Still there. I plugged my ears. Useless.

"Shut... up."

"Shut the fuck up!"

I ignored it completely, refusing to respond.

My comrades are strong. Even if corrupted by terror now, they can recover. The resolve they've shown me carries real weight. After the rain, the ground hardens—as long as we break through Zone 1 and return to Seilroom.

If we could turn all this into bittersweet experience and memory.

We'd undoubtedly grow one step closer to truly being Heroes Against Terror.

"I can't give up. No. I won't."

"Dungeons will spawn again, terror won't vanish? Then just sit there rotting! Shut the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fuck up and stay quiet! If it's gonna come back anyway, like you say! If it won't disappear!"

Before I knew it, I was running.

"No matter what I do! What we do together! Just lurk there like a creepy voyeur jerking off, you goddamn bastard!!!!!"

Something whizzed past rapidly. Shattered heavy armor fragments, maybe. Bisected greatsword pieces, perhaps. Screams, whip cracks, the smell of burning flesh—something Shae-related, from the context... I gritted my teeth and ignored it. Seeing Shae now might really break me. So I ignored it and ran. Lungs burning, but I kept running. Eyes fixed forward, no side glances. Nothing here could rile me up anymore. No matter how much truth that fucking bastard spoke, even if all of it was true...

I was still the leader of the Heroes Against Terror. That never changed. Not until now, and not ever.

At some point, the shitty voice faded. The illusions vanished. The endless straight path that seemed infinite now showed an end. I scraped every last bit of strength from the bottom of my soles and pushed forward.

"This is..."

At the path's end lay a single worn book, all alone. I picked up the coverless tome. The pages rustled so fragilely I feared they'd crumble, so I carefully turned the cover.

The book with no title contained the full log of my Long Terror playthroughs so far. And at the end, my current story was being written in real-time.

"...Haha. Hahahaha."

Laughter bubbled up. I stared at it for a long time. Damn, I've done a lot, I thought... then memories from playing Long Terror on Earth flooded back. Freaking out, gasping in shock, cheering, getting pissed, raging, cursing, clenching my fists, holding my breath in immersion, feeling down... Never cried due to the game's tone, but sharing emotions with those in-game heroes, I'd felt so much. And now, breaking the fourth wall, actually becoming their captain, breathing the same air, fighting alongside them against terror—this moment.

Right now.

"Rough math says I'm just one run short of not hitting 10%..."

I reaffirmed my resolve once more.

"Gotta fill that 10%, even if it's uncomfortable. So yeah."

The black world split open, light seeping in.

"Get out of my body, you goddamn voyeuristic terror-quit-masturbating bastard."

The world brightened. Well, technically still dark, but relatively brighter. And there were Kaya and Shae, staring at me blankly.

Yeah. Kids. Your captain and savior is back.

"Everyone, snap out of it. Let's go. Forward."

Kaya and Shae nodded blankly.