Chapter 458: Proof of Existence (46)
Chapter 458: Proof of Existence (46)
Blood trickled from my mouth at the sudden, unexpected ambush. Staggering backward, I couldn't even manage to let out a groan.
The pain, far exceeding my threshold, caused my muscles to seize up in a gruesome chill.
That was my fatal mistake.
Celine’s unconscious body creaked as it sprang into motion. Thwack, thwack. Her legs kicked my abdomen in rapid succession before snaking around my neck.
Then, with a heavy thud, my body was flipped in mid-air, and I slammed headfirst into the ground.
My vision blurred. Through the flickering gaps in my consciousness, I spotted thin, blood-red threads burrowing into Celine’s body.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake…!”
Just as I was about to think it was a relief Senior Elsie was there—
“I told you! There is no such thing as God!”
A voice drenched in pure madness erupted.
“Urgh, aaaaaagh!”
Senior Elsie suddenly shrieked and collapsed. Sparks crackled from the dog collar around her neck as an electric current surged through her.
I couldn't bring myself to strike her neck with the hand axe, so I had only severed the chain.
To make matters worse, it seemed Sir Reynold had also reached his limit.
“Cough!”
Vomiting a mouthful of blood, Sir Reynold sank to his knees.
His eyes were already growing dim. It seemed he couldn't withstand the mana backlash any longer.
I had to move. I had to.
But my own vision was swimming. From the start, the physical strength of the possessed Celine had been enhanced beyond imagination.
From the moment I was pinned, escape was impossible.
To think I’d meet my end between my childhood friend’s thighs.
It was as hollow as it was absurd.
Her thighs tightened further around my throat, and I thrashed, letting out a strangled groan.
My sword and hand axe had already been knocked far away from the impact of the assault.
“Ma—Master… Aaaaaaaagh!”
Senior Elsie tried to reach out, but chanting was impossible while being subjected to continuous electric shocks.
The only being left standing on two feet in this secret room was the girl.
Looking at the groaning, sprawled figures, the girl burst into loud laughter.
“Ahaha… Pfft, haha! Didn’t I tell you? It’s all useless… I told you I’d make you despair!”
With light, airy steps, the girl began to walk.
It wasn't toward me. It was toward the kneeling, collapsed Sir Reynold.
The fire that had been burning in the middle-aged man’s blue eyes was faint. The damage he’d taken seemed substantial.
“For an old geezer… did you think you were actually something?! Just because you’re a Great Mage… hmm?”
The girl, who had been spitting out her rage, suddenly tilted her head.
Since her back was turned to me, I couldn't see her clearly, but she looked as if she had made a new discovery.
After tilting her head a few more times, she finally burst into laughter.
“Aha, ahahahaha! Aha, so that’s it! Right, right… we’ve met before, haven't we?”
The middle-aged man’s bewildered gaze turned toward the girl.
The girl was now clapping her hands and leaning forward. I couldn't see her face, but it was obvious.
She would be wearing a full-faced smile, her eyes sparkling.
Sinisterly so.
“How many years ago was it? It must have been in the Holy Kingdom. It was my very first mission.”
Sir Reynold’s face looked as if he wanted to ask what on earth she was talking about.
The girl trembled, as if she couldn't contain her joy.
“You saw me back then! I was still just a child!”
At those words, Sir Reynold’s expression instantly turned hollow.
His wide-open eyes began to scrutinize the girl’s features.
“I made the memory intentionally vague, so I suppose it can’t be helped if you didn't recognize me. But how did you end up looking for me… You ran away, didn't you? After losing your lover and all your comrades.”
She looked around, her gaze darting here and there as if searching for the reason. Then, her eyes locked onto something.
At the end of her gaze sat Lia, slumped over and groaning.
“……A-ha.”
The girl wore a look of realization and gave a thin, crinkling smile.
Like a friendly merchant greeting a precious customer.
“You saw the fake who resembles me, and your memories returned? If I had known you were such a valuable client, I would have taken better care of you sooner….”
“……Y-you.”
Vomiting another mouthful of blood, Sir Reynold stammered out a question.
“You… are that girl…?”
“That’s right, exactly! Since my very first customer is asking, I have no choice but to answer honestly!”
Lightly crossing her legs, the girl gave a polite bow.
“Allow me to introduce myself once more… My name is ‘Greed’! I am a peddler who deals in the fates of the miserable.”
“Then, my comrades….”
“Yes, are you asking if I killed them?”
The girl spun around once, as if dancing.
“Of course! Well, technically, it was partly your fault too… If you had been stronger, that wouldn't have happened, right?”
A series of eerie chuckles followed.
“Since you wanted it so badly, I gifted you power… an item that could force open the end of truth.”
The girl’s face turned slightly. Sir Reynold’s gaze naturally followed.
To the jet-black rod in his hand.
An item he had felt was extraordinary for a long time.
“It’s a staff that not only amplifies the wielder’s mana but also has the function of forcibly inducing the edge of truth beyond the ‘Boundary.’ And without any side effects! How precious an item must it be… and what, I wonder, did you have to offer as the price?”
The sound of the girl rubbing her palms together and licking her lips reached my ears, as if she were driven mad with anticipation.
“……Your lover.”
Silence descended upon the chamber.
It felt as if the room had instantly turned into a massive graveyard. I held my breath, and even Senior Elsie, who had been writhing in pain from the electricity, watched with a gaze full of horror.
Sir Reynold’s eyes were vacant.
“It was the last gift she gave you. Of course, there were other minor prices to pay… Pfft, ahahahaha!”
Clutching her stomach and laughing, the girl waved one hand dismissively.
Her attitude was that of someone who found the situation absolutely hilarious.
“Customer, I’ll let you live as a special favor. Since you’re a client with significant meaning to me… don't go throwing away the life you barely managed to save. Well then, farewell!”
With a cheerful goodbye, the girl raised one arm high.
Then, turning around, she began to walk toward us.
My field of vision was narrowing.
My breathing was being cut off. My already hazy consciousness was fading.
Is this the end?
I realized it instinctively.
That any further struggling was meaningless.
So, it was as she said.
There is no such thing as God. There is no salvation.
Even the miracle I had wrought was merely paid for with someone else’s blood.
A self-mocking laugh escaped my lips.
How… how were you able to win?
Through my fading consciousness, I thought I saw the back of a certain man.
It was a lonely and desolate path.
Yet, he walked it silently. I used to think that back was so far away, but suddenly, I realized.
The man’s shoulders looked so very lonely.
Wouldn't it be better to just leave everything to him?
A weak yet rational thought flickered through my mind. I wanted to reach out and grab that man’s feet.
Yes, just a little longer like this.
Right then.
Whir, clack.
A sound that shouldn't have been audible reached me from somewhere. My vision cleared instantly in surprise.
The world was submerged in silence.
Even the sound of the girl’s footsteps couldn't be heard. Even her golden eyes were staring blankly behind her.
Whir, clack.
The jet-black rod spun through the air and fell.
Staggering, a man was forcing himself up.
The girl placed a hand on her forehead and let out a deep sigh.
“Honestly, how foolish… and after I said I’d let you live.”
Whir, clack.
Regardless, the man finally stood firmly on the ground.
Blood trickled from between his tightly set lips. The dim light in his eyes told the story of a man who had also reached his limit.
Clicking her tongue, the girl turned to face the man again.
“Is the despair still not enough?”
Whir, clack.
No answer came.
“Is the defeat still not enough?”
Whir, clack.
The girl welcomed the silence with open arms.
“If that’s the case, then gladly… I shall give you as much as you want.”
A blood-red whip flickered, tracing a trajectory through the empty air.
The momentum of the whip, appearing like a flame, was as formidable as ever. The sheer density of the mana was enough to create a sense of overwhelming pressure.
There was no way he didn't know its power.
Yet the man was still walking.
Even though he stumbled every two steps.
Whir, clack.
His blue eyes were burning with intensity.
And the moment the man closed his eyes and composed his breathing—
The Great Mage returned.
The wheels of lightning floating behind his back began to rotate fiercely all at once. It was a speed faster than anything I had ever seen. The crackling electrical discharges flew wildly, disorienting sight and sound.
Even facing this, the girl’s expression remained overflowing with leisure.
“Ah, those eyes filled with rage… I wonder how beautiful a gem they will become when they are dyed in despair and broken.”
I watched Sir Reynold, entranced.
I couldn't understand why he was moving. No matter what he did, victory was impossible here.
Wouldn't it be better to run away and plan for the future?
I wanted to ask him right then.
But the question that escaped the middle-aged man’s lips was directed not at me, but at the girl.
“……Did I.”
Gasping for air, the middle-aged man spat out a fragmented question.