Threat Elimination (2)
Was it thanks to my dedicated acting? Or perhaps Shin Yuhee’s own performance, which meshed perfectly with my situation, had truly reeled in the two royals of this city-state? This is actually working. King Lampades turned his head away. In a way, he had decided to remain a bystander to the death of another human—the only other person who could have witnessed the final moments of Lampades. It couldn't have been an easy decision. He had to judge based solely on the circumstances, and he had chosen not to stop one person from killing another, even without concrete evidence.
Think about it. If you possessed a superpower strong enough to stop a murder, and you saw someone about to kill another right before your eyes without any background knowledge, wouldn't your instinct be to stop them? Especially if you were a king of a city-state, accustomed to making the most neutral decisions possible—you would be even more cautious in your deliberations. If the conflict had been at a moderate level, he might have even thought to say, "I shall ensure you both enjoy the festival in this land without animosity, so let your conflicts be resolved within the festivities of Lampades," before the end came. But was the conflict they were clearly misunderstanding—the one Shin Yuhee and I had made them "mistakenly" believe in—just some ordinary spat? Not at all.
I had made King Lampades give up. Caught in a web of misunderstandings and delusions, I had woven a situation common in this dark fantasy world to make him look the other way. Of course, he had said he would take responsibility for his choice. In a city facing its doom, he had accepted the sin like a judge who had passed a death sentence on a human named Park Changsoo, and he had chosen to perish along with it. What would I have done if I were the me from the first playthrough? I don't know about anything else, but I certainly wouldn't have exploited someone's conscience. But things are different now. I am one who achieves his goals by utilizing the conscience of good people who are willing to face their own destruction. So, what must I do now?
"Guh-ugh!"
Eliminate the variable before it manifests. As soon as I opened the iron bars and stepped into the cell, Park Changsoo scrambled backward. Truly, it was fortunate—even as he recoiled in fear of my entry, he glared at me with eyes filled with hostility and rage. The more you act like that, the more you drive a wedge into their misconceptions. How would Park Changsoo look to King Lampades right now? A shameless wretch selling his comrades to a brothel? A villain who committed such sins that a man like me would lose his reason and try to kill him? A piece of trash beyond recycling who, even in the moments before his death, revealed his hostility toward me and looked for any angle to kill me?
Bam!
That is why I lunged forward and grabbed Park Changsoo by the throat. I slammed him against the wall and began to choke him with both hands. "Kuh, ugh...!" As I lifted his body, he began to struggle while pinned to the wall. He tried to grab my arms to push me away, kicking his legs against mine to escape. He even tried to knee me in the groin, but I ignored it and kept my grip on his neck. "Ugh, guh-guh...!" He seemed to have a lot to say. Just looking at his eyes, I could see him thinking, 'Why the hell are you going this far for me?' That’s exactly why I’m doing this.
Now that King Lampades has passed a death sentence based on a misunderstanding, I must kill this guy before that misunderstanding is cleared up. And the most fitting method of murder for this—naturally, strangulation. Squeeze. I pressed my thumbs into both sides of his neck, forcing his head to tilt back. I would crush his vocal cords so he couldn't make a sound, and then kill him. I never knew I’d use this in a way like this. It might look like I’m killing him while letting my anger take control, but wouldn't King Lampades know? 'Barbarian-style Mage Killing.' This is actually a method for killing mages. It’s a technique used when you have no blades or tools on you, and you have to kill a magic-using enemy with nothing but your own body. 'The most important thing when dealing with a mage is to prevent them from chanting.'
Park Changsoo, whom I am trying to kill right now, is not a mage. He isn't a mage, but the moment his gag is removed and he starts talking, I will be in a fatal situation.
—You son of a bitch!
Perhaps because I am pressing directly on his vocal cords with my hands, I can feel Park Changsoo talking to my hands. —Why are you acting like a psycho to me! —You killed me too, you bastard! —What did I even do wrong! —Come to think of it, you didn't even struggle to live when you fell back then!
At most, he could only make "ugh-ugh" sounds. Thinking he’s saying those things might just be my own projection, but—
"You son of a bitch."
I pressed my thumbs firmly into Park Changsoo’s neck with a voice filled with ecstasy. "You piece of trash who’d put cigarette ash in a meal."
"!!!"
An insult that would be impossible to understand in Lampades. An insult that even Park Changsoo, the recipient, looked at me with eyes that seemed to ask what the hell this human was talking about. That is why it has meaning. I said this not just for Park Changsoo, but for King Lampades to hear.
"Ugh, guh-guh...."
"Die, you son of a bitch."
Squeeze.
However, if I were to convey one sincere word in this last moment, it would be this: "Don't get in my way." If the existence of Park Changsoo becomes an obstacle in my second playthrough, I will clear him away, even if it means killing him. Him, and everyone else in the future.
Slump.
Park Changsoo’s resistance faded, and he went limp. Without being able to make a sound, the fist he was trying to swing at me dropped down. His consciousness faded, and if I applied just a little more force, Park Changsoo would die right there.
[Warning.]
A strange phenomenon that has never appeared before.
[Prospective Hero Yu Siwoo's action is a clear 'Comrade Killing'.]
I realized in that moment that I was in a bit of a bind, but I didn't loosen my grip. Squeeze. I didn't stop my actions. Even though he was already dead, I applied force as if I were determined to keep killing him, as if I would tear his head from his body with my bare hands. Intense malice. All to show King Lampades. And—
[You have already taken revenge once. If you kill Park Changsoo now-]
"Screw that."
Ignoring the status window, I pressed my hands into his neck until all the strength left Park Changsoo’s body. "...Phew." Relief. It felt like finishing a task that had been bothering me for days. Like completing a long-festering revenge, a thrill surged through my entire body. And—
"Prospective Hero Yu Siwoo."
The world stopped. "Do you know what you have just done?" In a gray world where even King Lampades had frozen, an angel—the only being possessing light—appeared before me. An angel. Estiel. "You have just...."
"Hehehe~"
And behind Estiel. "Hmm, what should we do about this?" An angel with red twin-tails and multiple wings appeared, floating in the air before me. "A prospective hero who commits open comrade killing."
"......."
I remained silent. In the gray, time-frozen space, I caught my breath. The look in Estiel’s eyes as she stared at me was extremely cold and neutral. It even looked like there was a hint of hostility. Of course, that was acting. I had already talked enough with Estiel. When? From the moment I gained Goddess Points and told her I would eliminate Park Changsoo. From the moment Estiel said the Archangels and other high-ranking angels were watching. In other words, Estiel was also acting right now. Just as I had acted against King Lampades to build a justification for killing Park Changsoo 'inside' this stage. Now, I had to deal with the fact that I had killed Park Changsoo completely 'outside' the stage, making it impossible for him to act as a hero ever again.
Now is the important part. Park Changsoo’s removal. And since I’m removing him, I’ll remove the problems tied to me along with him.
"Hey, Prospective Hero Yu Siwoo. Do you know who I am?"
"...I’ve heard that if an angel has multiple wings, they are a high-ranking angel."
"Where?"
"The Bible?"
"Pfft. Really? Well, that’s not important. What’s important is... that you’ve completely disqualified a prospective hero."
Snap.
The red-haired angel snapped her fingers. Suddenly, Park Changsoo, who should have had no movement, twitched—
"Huk?!"
Something translucent popped out of Park Changsoo. "I, I... you son of a bitch!" Park Changsoo’s soul. Even though he had been disqualified by being killed by me in the pleasure city of Lampades, his soul still remained. "You fucking bastard!!"
"Ah, so noisy."
Snap!
As the Archangel snapped her fingers once more, Park Changsoo’s mouth disappeared. Park Changsoo couldn't make a sound, and burning handcuffs, like those of a sinner, were shackled to me.
"So, Prospective Hero Yu Siwoo. I, the Archangel Michael...."
The red-haired Archangel, Michael.
"I cannot help but seriously consider whether I should give you a penalty for [Comrade Killing]. What do you think?"
"What do I think?"
What do I think, indeed. "What did I do wrong?"
I consider this an opportunity. An opportunity to establish a firm connection with the Archangels before the selection of my assigned angel. "Comrade killing? Penalty? Don't make me laugh. Furthermore."
And.
"Even if I had known there was a penalty for comrade killing, I would have killed that son of a bitch anyway."
An opportunity to erase even the suspicion of being a that they might be harboring. "That guy isn't my comrade, nor is he a hero?"