The Sweet Taste of Ruin
My head was in a fog. My thoughts wouldn't connect, and a dull ringing buzzed in my ears. But despite my mind being as hazy as if I were falling asleep, the sensations throughout my body were crystal clear.
A tingling electric current surged up my spine, striking my brain. An intense wave of pleasure and burning pain rippled through my entire body. My skin felt sticky. The sweat I'd broken out in and the blood I'd spilled had mingled, giving off a metallic, fishy stench.
I was being dragged along the ground. My head bumped against a jagged rock, snapping my neck to the side. But the dull, throbbing ache in my skull was nothing compared to the agony scraping across every inch of my body.
...Huh? Where am I? What was I doing again? Who is dragging me around?
I blinked my blurry eyes, trying to piece my memories back together. My mind was as sluggish as if I were lost in a dream. Like groping around in the dark to find a misplaced object, I carefully retraced my steps.
Let's see... I had brought Yujin and Aris to the cherry blossom festival. I wanted to play matchmaker. Even without my help, those two are a match made in heaven, so they would have ended up together eventually. I just wanted to speed up the process.
For Yujin's sake, for Aris's sake, and of course, for my own. If they got together, Yujin would mature emotionally, Aris would have a dependable partner to lean on, and I would finally get some personal time to myself again.
I had drawn up a meticulous plan and triumphantly led them to the park... and then, right, we ran into Murmur. Yes. I remember now. I encountered Murmur.
Once I recalled that much, my head cleared up a bit. It wasn't that my brain was damaged; I had simply lost my senses for a moment under the relentless cycle of destruction and regeneration. As I calmly organized my thoughts, the dreamlike haze slowly began to lift.
I had blocked Murmur's path. I couldn't just let it slide. I knew exactly what kind of entity Murmur was, what it was capable of, and what kind of power it wields.
And so, I got absolutely pulverized! He-he. There was no way I could ever be its match. I knew that. I knew it, yet I flew straight into the flame like a moth, only to be thoroughly crushed.
Murmur isn't human. It doesn't comprehend human emotions, nor does it understand a human perspective. That only made it all the more cruel. It crushed my skull, tore off my limbs, stuffed those severed limbs down my throat to force me to swallow them, shattered my ribs, tore open my chest, and ripped my beating heart right out of my body. Even Frey never went that far!
It's honestly fascinating how it could do all that without a single shred of sadism. It was purely, systematically trying to break me. And because I kept enduring it, maybe Murmur got stubborn, because it only ramped up the intensity. Near the end, it literally shoved its fist straight into my abdomen. A stomach punch! My uterus got completely pulverized along with it, so now I can't even have babies anymore!
It didn't even stop there; it literally ripped my upper and lower halves apart with raw strength. Even with all the self-harm I've practiced, I've never gone that far. Being bisected at the waist... what a terrifyingly gruesome concept! Did it really promise not to kill me? Wasn't it actually just trying to murder me? It's only because I'm Lucia that I survived this; anyone else would have crossed the River Styx ten times over by now.
But when those pretty, pale fingers pierced right through my flesh... how should I put this? I got incredibly turned on. He-het! Self-harm really does have its limits. Lucia is a natural-born pervert, so she absolutely adores being violated by others. And now that I've become Lucia, I'm exactly the same. In fact, I might be even worse than the original.
How do I describe it... Well, it's vulgar, but I basically got a boner. I know, I know! I don't have that part anymore! Even if I wanted to, I can't! My crotch is completely smooth! But there's really no other way to put it. I was so intensely aroused that I was throbbing down there.
Ooh... Lucia is such a filthy pervert. Getting horny when my life is literally on the line. But I couldn't help it! Murmur was completely merciless! It thrashed, smashed, and severed me. With zero consideration for its opponent, it beat me like a butcher emotionlessly slaughtering a pig.
It hurt. It hurt so, so much. It was so tiny, yet its strength was monstrous. Every single blow shattered my bones and minced my flesh. If I hadn't immediately healed with my Super Regeneration, I would have been turned into a pile of ground meat in the blink of an eye.
At first, I at least tried to put up a fight, but eventually, I could do nothing but take the beating. Ah, seriously... it was the absolute best. The absolute best! Was this my reward for holding back all this time? If so, I am thoroughly satisfied.
If I could, I would have gladly licked Murmur's boots. If the one beating me like that had been Frey, I actually would have done it. Only a tiny shred of conscience and reason held me back, whispering that I shouldn't declare myself a slave to a Main.
Lucia is a heroine. The heroine who supports Yujin. I can't just fall head over heels for the enemy. Fufu... You endured well, me! Good job, Lucia! Yes! Thank you for the praise! There's really no one like Lucia!
"I told... so... half-dead..."
"What... even if... would have..."
"...Angry? I... blocked me..."
My body floated into the air before rolling across the ground. Was that a conversation? Really? I could hear something, but my ears were ringing so loudly that I couldn't tell if it was an hallucination or not.
As I forced myself to keep thinking, my mind cleared up a bit, making me feel better than before... but ugh, no. If I let my guard down even slightly, I'll slip right back into that daze. The relentless onslaught of pain had triggered an endless stream of pleasure, melting my brain into mush over and over again.
Having been so thoroughly abused both physically and mentally, I was practically half-unconscious. I was awake, yet my consciousness was as hazy as if I were fast asleep.
"Where do you think... spouting that shit... you bastard...!"
"Ahaha... playing innocent...?"
Simply put, I couldn't tell reality from a dream. I was definitely hearing the sounds clearly, but my brain couldn't process the meaning. But if there was one thing I was absolutely sure of, it was that I could still take more.
My Super Regeneration still had plenty of juice left. I was in a complete daze, but that wasn't because I couldn't use my regeneration. It was purely because I was completely intoxicated by pleasure, like I was high on drugs. Right now, Lucia is a pickled cabbage. Thoroughly pickled in brain-made aphrodisiacs.
I gasped for air, struggling to pull myself together. The agonizing pain throbbing through me tried to drag me down, but I held on resolutely, keeping my goal in mind. I can take more hits! Ah, no! I have to stop Murmur!
I didn't know Murmur's exact goal, but it was easy to deduce. It was definitely going to open a Rift in Space and throw the world into chaos. Though I am hardly a girl overflowing with justice, I cannot simply turn a blind eye to the suffering of innocent people...
Murmur! I will never let you have your way! No matter how much you beat me, knock me down, and crush my organs, I will never give up! But just so you know, if you hit me any more than this, I'm going to start calling you Master, so keep that in mind!
"No... way..."
I crawled along the ground and grabbed the ankle of the child in the white cloud mask. I wanted to stand up, but I had no choice since my legs were missing. Why were my legs in Murmur's hands anyway? Ah, right. I got ripped in half.
It's a real problem; my mind keeps slipping away the moment I let my guard down. Maybe it's because I've lost too much blood. Even if I immediately replenish it with Super Regeneration, it keeps pouring out of my severed waist like a leaking dam.
If I unleash my Super Regeneration at full power, I could grow a brand-new lower half. But that would drain too much stamina. It's much easier to just reattach my original legs, so let's get my lower half back from Murmur first.
"Y-You... can't... pass... never..."
I mumbled, but thinking about it now, there's no way that would work. Since I can't tell dreams from reality, my judgment must be impaired. Honestly, I'm not even sure if the person I'm holding onto right now is actually Murmur.
It is Murmur... right? I'm not actually grabbing the pants of some innocent bystander, am I? Oh gosh, if that's the case, I'd feel so bad. A legless girl crawling toward you while leaving a trail of blood—what is this, a horror movie?
This won't do. I need to regain full consciousness first, or I won't get anything done. Even for Lucia, being ripped in half is a massive blow. It's on a similar level to getting my head chopped off. And the circumstances are completely different from when Astaroth decapitated me. Unlike back then, when it was a clean cut, I've been beaten to a pulp now, so my head is spinning.
With my body in ruins and my mind barely holding on, my IQ is plummeting. It feels exactly like being completely wasted. Yep, that's it. Lucia is totally drunk right now. My thoughts are just spinning in circles.
"The goal is... go."
"...The aftermath...?"
"You..."
"Eh...?"
"Originally, that was... left to you."
"That's... I was only planning to watch today... Hmm, well, fine."
The voices gradually grew clearer. The sensation in my lower half was returning as well. Someone was touching me. Who is it? I squinted through my blurry vision. A boy with hair as dark as obsidian and contrasting eyes like the blue sky was reattaching my lower half.
...Eh, Yujin? Why are you here? I'm sure I lured Murmur in the opposite direction? Wait, eek. Don't touch Lucia's organs! This is my precious body that I've never allowed anyone to lay a finger on... *hic*. Lucia has been defiled. Yujin has no choice but to take responsibility now. Take responsibility and raise Lucia!
...No, that's not it. Since Yujin is literally stuffing my organs back in to help me heal, I need to hurry up and fuse my lower half back on. I restored the missing parts with Super Regeneration. Shutting out all external sensations, I focused entirely inward. Expelling any impurities from my body, my internal organs, muscles, blood vessels, tendons, bones, and nerves... everything snapped back into its proper place.
With that, my wildly fluctuating consciousness rapidly stabilized.
"...Yujin?"
I called out the name of the boy who had helped me regenerate. But Yujin didn't answer. Or rather, he couldn't. He was currently facing off against a girl wearing a red fox mask.
Astaroth? Why is she here? Where is Murmur? Huh? Gone?
"I only came to watch Murmur work, but it ended up passing the baton to me. Talk about unscheduled labor. My day off turned into a workday. I seriously want to complain and tell them to respect standard working hours! It's not like they're paying me overtime either... Isn't this place a total sweatshop? What do you think, Oppa?"
Ah... Did they tag out? Maybe because I bought enough time, Murmur's 'active hours' ran out? If that's the case, then my efforts weren't entirely in vain.
"Actually, no. You've got the wrong opponent. Shouldn't you be worrying about something else?"
"What is that supposed to..."
"Ah, fuck, those goddamn masked bastards are already pissing me off enough."
But it seemed that wasn't the main issue. Aris spat out a stream of harsh curses that didn't suit her at all. It was probably Frey. My sweet Aris would never speak like that. I looked up at the sky. A bizarre phenomenon of twisted space was unfolding across the blue expanse. I knew exactly what that was. The Rift in Space. A gateway connected to the other world. That was why it was also known by other names, like the dimensional gate or simply the gate.
It opened after all...
I failed to stop Murmur. The gate was open. The very air had changed. A damp, spine-chilling energy was slowly creeping in, encroaching upon the atmosphere.
"Let me tell you in advance. I have no intention of getting in the way of Oppa and the fake-innocent lady. We made a promise earlier, right? *I* really won't do anything, I won't kill anyone, and I won't harm either of you."
Astaroth folded the parasol resting on her shoulder and leaned on it like a cane. Bending slightly at the waist, she rested both hands on the handle. Resting her chin on top of them, she hummed a playful tune.
"That promise still holds. Today, I haven't done a single thing, okay? Murmur did it all. I haven't killed anyone either. Because the people who are about to die won't be killed by me. Likewise, I won't hurt you two. And as a bonus, I'll let Lucia off the hook. It looks like she's already been bullied plenty."
That was a small mercy. Thinking back to our field training, while Yujin—who had completely captured Astaroth's fancy—might have been fine, Frey and I had been in real danger. If Astaroth dropped her playful act and genuinely tried to kill us, we would have been dead meat. Or worse, we would have been forced into a Red Fox Mask and turned into her slaves.
"So, do your best."
Thud. Thump.
The ground began to tremble. A beastly roar echoed, swallowing the screams of the fleeing crowd.
"Go save the people, just like a real hero."
Astaroth's voice was sweet and dripping with amusement. Was it just my imagination? Somehow, even the Red Fox Mask seemed to be grinning.