The Final Sacrifice
The final hour flows on. The dark mages stride boldly together toward the Frost Territory. Among them, Venice wears a hollow expression. As if he had already foreseen the shape of his own ending.
“Everyone… gather the demonic energy into one place—! We’ll wipe out the entire territory in a single strike!!”
Black insects strewn across pure white snow. The dark mages pour every ounce of their power into the gathering mass. When the old man adds his own strength, an enormous bomb of demonic energy begins to take form. The instant that bomb touches the Frost Territory, not only the mages but every soul inside and the land itself would vanish without a trace.
And the moment every dark mage wrings out their last reserves to feed the bomb—
Venice, who had been waiting for his chance, steps forward.
“…Kal Vent! What the hell do you think you’re—!”
“Do I still look like Kal Vent to you?”
“What—!”
With a single wave of Venice’s hand, the demonic bomb ripples, scatters into the air, and vanishes completely. The dark mages stared in disbelief at the fading energy. The old man, finally grasping the situation, had veins bulging across his forehead.
“…Haha. How can a species be this stupid and repulsive?”
“You… what the hell are you—! How did you use Inverse Calculation…!”
“That? I’m Venice. The butler to a very ordinary, yet beautiful young lady.”
Even though I belittled you, looked down on you, and trampled over you like that… why do you still call yourself my butler? You should be cursing me, despising me—more than enough reason for both. So why are you still so pure, so foolishly kind?
When the mask slipped from Venice’s face, a brief silence fell over the group. The old man’s face flushed crimson as if it might burst. He pointed a trembling finger and screamed.
“Traitor—no, spy! All of you, drag that disgusting bastard in front of me!!”
At the old man’s roar, the stunned dark mages charged at Venice all at once. Every one of them burned with killing intent. Watching them rush forward, Venice let out a hollow laugh.
“…So this is how I end.”
He gave a small chuckle, then slipped the mask back on. From that point on, he dismantled every spell the charging mages hurled at him and turned their own power against them. The dark mages were shredded by his overwhelming, fluid counters. With nothing left to hide, Venice burned his own lifespan to keep cutting them down.
The overwhelming yet miserable battle was cut short by the old man’s intervention. Most of the dark mages had already fallen, but the old man’s power dwarfed all of theirs combined by dozens of times. Struck by the enraged elder’s blow, Venice couldn’t even react before he was sent flying. Blood poured from his abdomen.
“How dare you… how dare you interfere with our great cause…! You won’t be allowed to die!! I’ll keep you alive and make you writhe in agony for the rest of your days…!”
“Cough… cough. Give it your best shot.”
What followed could only be called one-sided violence. The old man unleashed devastating attacks, yet Venice could do nothing but desperately reverse them.
“How… how is it possible for you to use Inverse Calculation…! That is supposed to be the Demon God’s authority…!”
“Heh heh… cough. That so-called Demon God can go fuck himself.”
“…You bastard!!”
The old man continued his assault with bloodshot eyes. To any onlooker, victory seemed certain. Yet life still burned brightly in Venice’s gaze. No—his eyes looked as though they were aiming for something. After reversing the old man’s reckless, emotion-driven strikes, Venice glanced into empty air and laughed bitterly.
“…Yeah. If this can land even one hit on that bastard, then take it all.”
Waves of the Void
The moment he whispered those words, an immense torrent of demonic energy began converging around Venice. It was as if every speck of dark power in the world was being sucked into one point, creating a violent storm. The area surrounding Venice and the old man was swallowed by darkness so complete it felt like they had fallen into the void itself—nothing but endless black stretched in every direction.
“Th-this is…!”
Even the old man had never witnessed such a phenomenon. Cold sweat poured down his face. Venice looked at him and offered a mocking smile. When he raised his trembling hand, something began to manifest within the darkness encircling the old man.
Daggers, longswords, spears, wolves, tigers, dragons—every form created from demonic energy turned its gaze upon the old man. The elder instinctively realized something had gone terribly wrong.
“…Safe travels.”
“U…AAAAAAGH—!”
Swords tore into the old man’s body. A tiger of darkness sank its fangs into his shoulder. A black dragon’s breath engulfed him in flames. Arrows of shadow pierced straight through him. No matter how much demonic energy the old man tried to gather in resistance, he was reduced to nothing more than a human standing before a dragon.
“I… I will return…!”
“…Cough. When that time comes, it won’t be me. Others will take care of you. Now… go quietly.”
“GYAAAAAAAAGH—!”
As if everything until now had been mere play, the wave of pure void swallowed the old man whole. He was smashed, shattered, and sliced apart until not even a trace remained.
“…Cough.”
Once it had devoured its target, the curtain of darkness vanished. It disappeared in an instant, as though it had never existed. Where the void had spread, a massive crater now lay—like the aftermath of a tremendous explosion.
“Cough… cough.”
“N…no… Venice…”
Venice’s condition was visibly critical. Blood streamed from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. Massive hemorrhaging had begun. Yet he staggered forward, step by painful step, heading toward the Frost Territory.
Crunch… crunch.
Red tracks stained the pure white snowfield. Each step looked agonizing, but Venice never stopped. Every time his foot fell, it seemed to add another layer of guilt onto Erielle’s heart.
In the end, Venice reached the Frost Territory without ever halting. He looked up at the towering walls, then down at his own body, which was beginning to turn translucent.
“…Cough.”
Without being noticed by anyone, Venice made his way toward Frost Castle. Residents who spotted the vivid red trail left behind looked on in confusion. Some of the people who had fled the destroyed Snowfield Village and been relocated here on the Frost Lord’s orders could be seen among them.
“…………”
While walking through the village, Venice stopped in front of a certain house. He approached the window and peered inside.
—Hehe! It’s so much fun, Teacher!
—Really? Then I’m glad.
Kyahahaha— Kyahaha.
Beyond the glass, the orphanage children were laughing with pure joy alongside Leni and Berry. Watching them, Venice smiled softly. He took a note from his pocket and slipped it into the window frame.
“…Take care of yourselves, kids…”
He smiled brightly at the children one last time, then turned away as if he had no more lingering attachments.
“…………”
Soon after, he stopped in front of another shop.
“It’s delicious…! Freshly baked bread…! Please, just try one…!”
Inside the humble store, the girl he had seen in Snowfield Village was offering bread to passersby. No one spared her a glance. Her face fell into a lonely expression.
Venice watched her for a moment, then smiled. He approached without anyone noticing, placed several gold coins on the table, and left another note beside them.
“…I’m sorry, miss. It looks like… I won’t be able to keep my promise.”
Don’t wait for me.
After offering her one last smile, Venice staggered onward toward Frost Castle.
Though his steps had grown heavy, he reached the castle grounds. A powerful anti-dark-mage barrier artifact had been installed there. Any dark mage who passed through it would suffer unbearable pain while triggering a loud alarm.
Venice circled to the rear of the building and, without hesitation, stepped through the barrier. His entire body felt as if it were burning and tearing apart. Fresh blood stained the white snow, but he forced himself through.
WHOOOOOOONG—!
A massive alarm rang out, loud enough to be heard across the entire Frost Territory. Venice quietly scaled the wall, opened a window, and slipped into my room.
“Cough… cough.”
Spitting up far more blood than before, Venice approached the sleeping me.
“I’m sorry… for being late.”
With a pitiful smile, he placed his hand on my forehead. The remaining energy inside my body began flowing into him through his palm.
“…………”
I couldn’t even speak anymore. My throat felt sealed shut. All I could do was watch through a curtain of tears.
Eventually, every last trace of energy left in my body was gone. After confirming this, Venice stroked my forehead with a refreshing smile.
“With this… all the demonic energy is gone, Lady Erielle…”
Please… wake up. Even now, wake up and hold him tightly. Can’t you see that sad smile… those sorrowful tears? Please… wake up right now.
“…Take care. Goodbye…”
But the me who had dismissed it all as a dream never woke. And so Venice left with a relieved smile.
He climbed back down the wall and slowly walked out through the hole he had torn in the barrier.
“Cough… cough.”
Even more blood flowed than when he had arrived at the Frost Territory. His steps had slowed even further. Without a single person to acknowledge him, Venice slowly died. Completely alone, with no one by his side, he walked on.
His aimless footsteps finally stopped in front of the place where he and I had first met. Gazing at the cave entrance, Venice wore the warmest smile imaginable. Then he slowly walked inside.
He settled himself within the dark mage’s workspace deep in the cave.
“Ha… what a hell of a finale.”
With an expression both relieved and faintly regretful—like someone about to depart—he smiled.
Erielle stared at the scene with empty eyes.
“This is the end. ‘Demon,’ no… ‘Me.’”
“You…”
“We won’t meet again. In truth, the fact that we’re meeting even now is something that should never have happened.”
“…………”
“…I’m truly envious. Because this is an opportunity that will never be given to me again.”
The angel—no, I—looked at myself and shed tears. They were sorrowful, deeply resentful tears that made anyone who saw them want to cry along.
The end of the crumbling world came into view. While I was being pushed out of that world, the angel remained at its center, crying as she watched me.
“…Goodbye. At least you…”
Her words never reached me.
When I came to my senses, Erielle was back inside the cave—the place where everything had begun, and the place where Venice had arrived.
…Wait. Venice?
“…Venice!!”
No… no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no—
With tears streaming down her face and the most desperate expression she had ever worn in her life, Erielle ran toward the dark mage’s workshop inside the cave.
“……………”
In the disappearing world, the angel quietly watched Erielle.
“……At least you. Please make Venice happy. I… am already too late.”
Goodbye. The me from another world.
Thus the angel slowly faded away, leaving no trace in anyone’s memory. In the end, nothing remained in that place.
Only a small dark magic artifact was left behind.