Eve's Apple: The Final Deception
The factory surroundings had turned into a complete wasteland of ashes. Lyka's counterattack had been ferocious. His reputation as the strongest champion in the original story was no exaggeration.
I hadn't expected him to unleash this much power without the Soul Jar. Sure, there had been an unexpected twist, but the victor was me. Lyka's retaliation was nothing more than a minor hiccup before the grand outcome.
"Haa...! Haa...!"
As the battle with Lyka ended, Lumiia's pained groan echoed through the air. She emerged from the ash-covered ruins.
"Lumiia. You okay?"
"Haa...! That was close."
Blood trickled from a gash on her forehead. Her upper body was drenched in blood. The forehead wound wasn't deep enough to cause that much bleeding, though. It must be Achilles' blood.
"You beat Achilles?"
Lumiia nodded without a word. Not surprising. She hadn't gained any experience from sex with me, but Achilles lacked his signature weapon, Bucephalus. The two champions were evenly matched—maybe Lumiia had a slight edge.
"Finally did something useful at the end."
Her eyes sharpened at my jab, glaring daggers at me. But that feisty look didn't last.
"Eek! Don't touch me."
"I'll heal you."
"I don't need... Ngh! Where are you putting your hand!?"
I casually touched Lumiia's crotch. Not for healing—pure lust.
Her groin was soaked with sweat. It probably reeked down there. A good kind of stink. I could probably sell pics online and make a killing. Perverts who fetishize this stuff are everywhere.
"Light Heal. Light Cure."
Despite the teasing, I properly healed her. Now the real boss fight begins. I need to conserve stamina.
"In the end, we won. I really didn't see this coming. Haa...."
Lumiia spoke in a hesitant voice.
"You didn't get off my dick the whole survival game. That good, huh?"
"N-No! I just didn't have a chance to...!"
Really?
Lumiia herself probably knew the answer. Was she truly trapped with no escape, or had she become a slave chasing pleasure at some point?
"But now it's farewell! Haa~! It felt so long. It must've been short, but it seemed like a year."
"Your voice sounds reluctant. Sorry to see me go?"
"Hmph! Not at all! I'm relieved!"
"How about goodbye sex? Scenery sucks, but there's a thrill to it in a place like this."
I grabbed her ass like a volleyball. Her firm cheeks clenched tautly under my fingers. Her ass crack gripped my hand like tongs.
"Kgh! Vulgar and childish to the end! Being your champion is a disgrace I'll never live down in this life or the next!"
Lumiia raised her voice in her usual prickly tone, but for once, she didn't avert her gaze.
"Hah, but... We survived the survival game, so maybe one last goodbye fu—"
"Just kidding."
I cut her off before she finished. Her face turned beet red, like a ripe tomato.
"Ughhh! Go die!"
"Knew you wanted it. Feels good, right? Sex."
"No! I was just playing along with your mood...! Whatever! It's over anyway! We won the survival game—time for rewards and done!"
"Not over yet. One more step."
The hidden final boss of Summoner Survival.
We have to face that thing.
If it weren't for him, I'd be fucking Lumiia goodbye right now. What a shame.
Woooong!
Suddenly, a clear resonant hum came from the right. I'd anticipated this, so no surprise. But Lumiia, with no prior info, whipped her head toward the flapping wing sounds in shock.
"What's that...!"
A red-glowing orb floated in the air where our gazes met. Not a perfect sphere—anyone with sharp eyes would see it resembled an apple.
"That's Eve's Apple!"
The prize of Summoner Survival, the ultimate treasure all summoners covet. The serpent's fruit that grants the victor's wish—Eve's Apple.
Congratulations on your victory, glorious ones.
Lumiia, who only knew superficial info about Eve's Apple, muttered with wide eyes.
"That's Eve's Apple? Incredible. It feels like it has a soul!"
As your champion says, I possess a soul. As you know, the summoner who claims victory's glory gains the power to manifest hope! The summoner who aids that power receives a chance at reincarnation. Are you ready for your reward?
Lumiia nodded unconsciously at the serpent-like whisper. But I stared unmoving at the red fruit.
Speak, summoner! Your wish!
"Eat this."
I fired thirty Holy Missiles at Eve's Apple. Dozens of projectiles launched like from a rocket launcher, hurtling toward the red orb.
"Hey! Wh-What are you doing...?"
Lumiia yelped in panic.
Kaboom!
Not long after finishing Lyka, another massive explosion rocked the area. But there was no satisfying "hit" feedback. The attack hadn't landed true.
As your champion says. What is this?
The red orb floated through the dispersing smoke, like a glaring red eye. It pissed me off.
"Not going down easy, huh."
The moment I spotted it, I lunged. For close combat. But a red barrier formed around Eve's Apple, blocking me.
'Straight Fist.'
I punched the barrier dead-on, but it felt like hitting reinforced glass—my body rebounded. Blocking a Straight Fist meant it wasn't ordinary defense.
I asked what you're doing.
"My wish is for you to die."
...... I thought you were an unusual summoner, but your actions are all so outlandish. What do you gain from my death? Don't you want your wish granted?
"Wishes my ass. Who doesn't know you're a crystal formed from accumulated negative thoughts? Pretending to grant wishes is bullshit. You'll fake it and trap me in an illusion.
...... No idea where the leak came from. The previous winner was properly handled.
"S-Summoner! What does that mean!? Eve's Apple is a negative crystal? Wishes are fake!?"
Lumiia couldn't process the shocking truth.
Indeed. The power to fulfill all wishes. What a ridiculous power! They fall for the sweet talk, hating and fighting each other. Unaware that the hatred sprouting from their battles is exactly what I crave!
Eve's Apple revealed its true nature. The red orb stretched into a beam of light, forming a human shape. A tall, gaunt, hook-nosed man appeared before us.
"Th-That's Eve Apple's true form?"
"Just a shell for negative thoughts. My origin is the source of hatred—no body for me."
Its telepathy vanished. As it said, Eve's Apple had no flesh. That body was a linked puppet. Destroy it, and it revives.
'But that's not what I want.'
Annihilating it completely here is my plan. And preparations for that plan are done.
"No clue how you learned SS's secret, but... I'm not dumb or merciful enough to let a threat live. Die."
It swung its hand. A massive black-particle hand materialized ahead—its negative power taking form.
"Kgh!"
I rolled aside. Knowing its abilities in advance let me dodge. Ungainly, but effective.
"Summoner!"
"Lumiia! Fall back for now!"
"That thing radiates abnormal power! It might be stronger than anything we've fought..."
Lumiia's voice trembled faintly. In the original, its power was Lyka-level. But the ominous aura now was clearly beyond.
"All thanks to you, Summoner Gold Sun. The negativity and corruption you spread made me this strong. No SS had anyone as vicious as you. I love it. I'd recycle you without killing if possible... but you know too much."
Suddenly, a staff of withered branches appeared in its right hand. Its weapon: 'Branch of the Corrupted World Tree.'
"Die. In deeper illusions. Deeper despair."
Tap. Tap.
It tapped the ground lightly, like an old man in his seventies.
But the result was anything but light. Black smoke erupted from the tapped spot.
"Summoner! Looks dangerous!"
Lumiia reached for me.
"Stay back!"
Too late to push her away. Black smoke instantly engulfed us both.
Your despair tastes delicious. Farewell. My finest masterpiece.
Eve's Apple's snide words drifted like a breeze. The next instant, my vision went completely black.