Chapter 254: The Pure White Queen
Chapter 254: The Pure White Queen
Spatial Teleportation, was it?
Ignoring The Queen in front of me, I surveyed my surroundings.
The Throne Room.
Would that be the appropriate term?
When I heard "royal palace," I had imagined a massive hall out of a fantasy novel, but the reality was far from it.
It was a large room, certainly, but the decor was remarkably simple. If a modern wealthy family hung some art and went for a slightly antique aesthetic, it would look exactly like this.
In fact, the room I had stayed in back at the Dining Hall could be considered more luxurious.
However, there was one thing that clearly stood out.
Three steps. A raised, circular dais following those steps.
And atop that dais sat the Silver Throne.
I call it a throne, but in truth, it was a bit—no, very—strange.
I had thought it was silver, but that was merely an illusion caused by the reflection of light.
Its actual appearance was more akin to a web woven from threads of light.
Four threads touched the ground, bending at right angles to form what could certainly be called a chair. But could such a thing truly be said to exist in the physical world?
The threads were so incredibly thin that if I shifted my gaze even slightly, I would lose sight of it.
A chair made of eerie lines of light, visible only from specific angles.
That was the true nature of the throne she sat upon.
“…I did say ‘welcome.’ But it seems you’re more interested in my chair than me?”
And sitting upon that throne…
A being of pure white.
Except for her face, she was entirely white. She was the one who spoke.
“….”
I didn't answer.
For now, she was still my enemy.
I was only holding back because I had a demand.
“No, don’t just shut your mouth. This is important. Can you see this chair?”
“…Depending on the angle. Slightly.”
There was no need to be unnecessarily antagonistic, so I gave her an answer this time.
“Hmm. So you don’t just have power; you’ve already crossed the line. Good. That makes this story much more interesting. Congratulations. The number of options you can choose from has increased a little.”
Still spouting nonsense. I had no idea what she was talking about.
Since she was sitting, I looked around the room to see if there was anything for me to sit on.
Perhaps because it was a Throne Room, the only objects nearby that looked remotely sit-able were the four beings I presumed to be the Guardian Corps.
Lina, Lin’s older sister.
The oldest Guardian, the tiger Bushi.
The waiter… what was his name again?
And one I was seeing for the first time: a being holding a spear, looking like a Rabbit Doll.
…Is that a Guardian too?
They were lined up in pairs on either side, so they seemed to be Guardians, but their appearances were eccentric to say the least.
Nothing for it, then.
It’s not like I could beat up the Guardians and turn them into a human chair right now.
I crossed my arms in dissatisfaction, tapped my finger against my arm, and spoke.
“So, why did you leave me alive?”
“Listen to you. I didn’t ‘leave’ you alive; I saved you. If I’d left you alone, you would have vanished by now.”
I had to concede that point.
No matter how I looked at it, my body hadn't been in a state where it could regenerate.
I had reached that realm by burning away something vital.
Thanks to that, I learned one more thing.
My limiter existed to protect the world from me, but it also served to protect me from myself.
I’d had a hunch for a while, but since this was the first time I’d achieved a full release without any safety measures, it was the first time it had been proven.
And I also learned that the backlash meant certain death.
It must have been the Guardians or The Queen who healed me.
However.
“I’m not particularly grateful. If you lot hadn’t done something suspicious in the first place, I wouldn't have ended up like that.”
I’m the victim here, hey.
Furthermore, that waiter I’d killed once was staring off into the distance as if he were ashamed to face me.
And then there was the tiger, who had bandages wrapped all over his face and hands, as if desperately trying to show off that half his body had been blown away.
I could see his muscles twitching; he’d clearly recovered ages ago.
Shameless bastards.
In the end, I hadn't actually caused any lasting damage, while I was the only one who suffered. Shouldn't we balance The Scales?
“Hmm. I gave you your body back in one piece. Oh, are you talking about the emotional suppression? Don’t worry, I’ll lift that when you leave. I only did it because this is my world; doing that outside would be against the rules.”
Don't you, The Queen, know better than anyone that that's not what I'm talking about?
“Stop playing dumb. There’s something much more important than that, isn't there?”
I let out a shout, letting my suppressed anger leak through.
One step forward.
It was a threatening gesture, but the Guardians didn't even shift their stances to protect her.
The tiger even looked bored, unwrapping and re-wrapping his bandages while scratching his arm.
“Hmm. I wonder what it could be. Oh, perhaps the time wasted on the plan? If it’s that, you certainly have a right to be angry. Yes, on your world, Earth, they say that, don't they? Time is money.”
How much did she know? How much had she seen?
I couldn't tell, but one thing was certain.
This being was completely broken.
Just as she lacked a face of her own.
I took another step forward.
“You already know, don't you? I’m talking about Un-ho.”
“Ah, the UN Entity? 1-10, was it? Why is that important?”
“…Don't play innocent.”
One more step. Closer.
“You brought back the dead Guardians.”
“The Guardians might just be special.”
That was a possibility. However.
“You’re not denying it, then?”
“I didn't affirm it either.”
I was sick of the wordplay.
“I have one question. Can you save him? Or not?”
“Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.”
“…I don’t know what that means, you bastard.”
“How ignorant. Well, I suppose that’s part of your charm. It means that what must be, should go to the place it belongs. 1-10 must have gone to a good place.”
My anger exploded.
I lunged forward and grabbed The Queen by the collar.
“You son of a bitch. Cut the wordplay. If you can save Un-ho, say you can.”
The moment those words left my mouth…
Grin.
I heard it.
Clearly, in my ears.
The sound of her smiling.
“Yes. That’s what’s important. Someone’s origin must be clearly forged through words.”
Shedding her playful tone, she slowly stood up from her chair and looked at me.
Even though I had her by the collar, it seemed to have no effect on her whatsoever.
“No matter how much you babble inside your shell, it’s useless. What matters is whether you can affect the outside or not. That is what’s important.”
A bizarre pressure descended.
A pressure that far surpassed that of the Guardians or the Avatars.
Even though I had experienced all of that.
The pressure was so immense that I, overwhelmed, couldn't say a word and could only barely maintain my current stance.
“Guardians.”
She spoke, her voice thick with that same pressure.
“…Yes?”
Only the tiger answered The Queen’s call.
And even then, his voice was listless.
“Everyone, leave the room.”
“We are supposed to be guarding Your Majesty from this ferocious being, though.”
“If you wish to face The End, I won't stop you.”
“We shall leave immediately.”
No sooner were the words out of her mouth than the tiger grabbed everyone by the scruff of their necks and vanished.
And then, a single word echoed in my ears.
The End.
The moment my brain grasped its meaning…
Blackness spread.
From her face, to her clothes.
From her clothes, to her skin.
From her skin, to the world.
And the world was dyed black.
* * *
In that place…
There was only me.
And The Queen of Black and White.
No.
The silver chair that was nothing but a frame.
And The Queen of Black and White sitting upon it, and me.
It was as if I had never even grabbed her collar.
We were standing a short distance apart.
She sat in her chair, chin resting on her interlaced fingers.
The moment I saw her, I understood The End.
My own end.
When I had fought her before, I thought my body was crumbling because of my own limits.
But that was only half the truth.
The other half was simply the consequence of perceiving the existence known as "her."
To perceive a being of a different phase was, in itself, an immense burden on everything I was.
“…In the Throne Room, you were an… Avatar?”
“That’s right. If I went around in my Main Body all the time, even the Guardians couldn't endure it.”
“…Is this the end?”
The Root of all this.
The being that had to be erased from the world.
Or, if that was impossible, the being that had to be pushed away from Earth.
I felt the height of The End, not with a crumbling body, but with a whole one.
“It’s a little different. This is a suppressed state. There isn't a specific term for it, but shall we call it a terminal? However, unlike an Avatar, you could call this The End. It is my true self, though there are operational limits based on the rules. Just by the fact that my thought patterns are similar to yours, that we can communicate, and that I feel the same things as you, I am already in an infinitely weakened state.”
She elevated herself to an even higher heaven.
“Just as what you perceive is broader and deeper than an average person, I think, see, and experience far more than you do. Of course, the difference between you and me is many times greater than the difference between you and a normal person.”
I was about to say she didn't need to explain.
“For example.”
But her mouth didn't stop.
“8HeavenlyDemon5Betrayal1Heaven3Purification6Descent4Me9Sky7Establishment0Snake∞MagicalGirl2World.”
She uttered a sentence that was incomprehensible, yet somehow, I knew exactly what she was saying.
For a moment, my heart stopped.
“If I say it like that, can you understand? Oh, I didn't just spit that out randomly. It’s a story of what I’ve seen, with a clear meaning.”
“You didn't… have to show me….”
What a… malicious bastard.
“I didn't have to, but it’s more interesting this way, isn't it?”
If the first "End" I met was like this, I was going to have a prejudice against all of them….
“Ah, come to think of it, I haven't told you my name. I am Ma (魔) and Ma (麼). You won't remember it anyway… Ah. I didn't need to say that. It’s become a habit.”
What is she babbling about?
“Anyway, let’s move the conversation along. From now on, you must choose. What it is you desire.”
As she spoke, she didn't seem to care that I was dying.
She unclasped her hands and tilted her head.
“First. The original reason I invited you. I will tell you what you are curious about.”
She waved her left hand, and images appeared in the darkness.
A bizarre being, faces overlapping faces, popping like bubbles.
“This includes simple information about what The End is.”
The horrific faces vanished, and a living room appeared.
Thirty years ago, a memory still vivid in my mind.
“Information about Magical Girls, too.”
The living room was erased.
I appeared, attacking someone with a Pry Bar.
I remembered that. It was a transformed Hero walking hand-in-hand with a Young Girl.
“And about the change in your essence. Lin brought me information with a very serious face; I can tell you why she was so serious. Now, what else is there?”
Flash, flash.
Various images appeared.
A phoenix soaring into the sky, fueled by the prayers of people.
A water elf howling and swinging a staff.
A nautilus sleeping beneath The Sea.
“Hmm. There’s also the reason behind the stories.”
A man holding a hammer, laughing as he smashed his own head in front of a glass window.
A golden-haired person, holding my hammer, laughing as they destroyed something.
A blue-haired person, holding my hammer, staring blankly at the sky.
A red-haired person, with nothing, weeping sorrowfully amidst the flames.
A grave in the rain.
And Lin, looking at me with a smile….
Static appeared on the last screen, it suddenly cut out, and another screen appeared.
A rolling pack of cigarettes.
“Hm? What was that? Well, anyway, it’s roughly like this. Depending on the type, some might only end as hints, but I’ll tell you as much detail as possible.”
Looking at all those screens, only one thing came to mind.
The word "Why."
“…What do you gain by telling me all of that?”
“Ah, right, gain. That reminds me, I’ll add one more. Why we dispatch Magical Girls. You were curious about that when you first came to the Magic Kingdom.”
Then, Lin appeared briefly.
She seemed to be fighting alongside Baek Si-hyun.
She was fighting Yumil.
Even though Lin and Baek Si-hyun were working together to push Yumil back, Yumil repelled them with a single roar and swung a Pry Bar at Lin.
It wasn't a very long video.
“…That doesn't answer my question.”
“Hmm. I’m not obligated to answer that. Let’s just call it a service. A Fated Encounter, right? Like in those martial arts novels from your world, where someone leaves behind something beneficial for another for no reason. I’m not interested in the ‘meaning of my existence’ or ‘raising a disciple’ stuff from those stories; I just think this will be more fun.”
She laughed.
A wicked, snake-like smile.
That laugh seemed to imply that some kind of problem would arise if I accepted this "Fated Encounter" from her.
But the fruit she held out to me was far too sweet.
It forced me to dive into The Sea of thought along with my dying body.
Struggling to stay afloat, I opened my mouth.
“…What is the other choice?”
If the first was this sweet, what on earth could the second be?
“It’s nothing much. Something simple.”
Swoosh.
She waved her right hand.
And there, Un-ho appeared.
Un-ho, stuffing his face with dumplings until they were hollowed out.
After eating the filling, he turned his head with a nonchalant expression.
The video cut off.
“You want it, don't you? Resurrection.”
“….”
Madwoman.