Something's Wrong
"Um, excuse me... Frey. Wait, just a moment."
"Enough. Please stop."
As the goddess who had introduced herself as the Sun God urgently tried to speak, Frey cut her off.
"It's all over now. The Demon God is gone, and the world has regained its peace."
"B-but..."
"This is the happy ending the world—and you—wanted, isn't it?"
"But..."
Frey slowly closed his eyes, and the goddess cautiously continued.
"For you, this ending is..."
"Goddess, if you're truly a divine being... you must have seen it."
But Frey interrupted her again and resumed speaking.
"The countless tragedies, the endless sorrow, and... the despair that unfolded across innumerable timelines."
"......Ugh."
Hearing that, the goddess let out a pained groan, unable to continue.
"I was sealed away by the Demon God, so I could only catch fragments. But I can imagine the depth of your suffering..."
"Anyway, you understand."
"...Yes."
"Then, please erase me."
As Frey pleaded once more, the goddess replied with a sorrowful expression.
"I'll remove your memories for you."
"My memories...?"
"Or I could alter them. You could live out the rest of your days in peace with those changed memories... and then come to my heaven. How does that sound?"
The goddess approached Frey as she spoke.
"Every time I saw you in pain and grief... it tore my heart apart."
"........."
"I was so pathetic, sealed away by the Demon God and unable to intervene. But now that the Demon God is sealed and I've regained control... I can't even repay your grace."
As the goddess took his arm, Frey's eyes trembled.
"If you truly hate life on earth... you can come straight to my heaven, full of happiness and peace."
"Hea...ven."
"Yes. Even if you don't fully fade away there... you could live the free and peaceful life you always wanted."
The goddess glanced at Frey subtly as she added,
"And the person you longed for most... is waiting for you there."
"......!"
Frey's eyes widened at her words.
"No way."
"Yes, exactly. It's who you think it is."
"Really? Is my mother... really waiting for me?"
The goddess nodded quietly at Frey's trembling question.
"Ugh... ughhh..."
Frey's tightly clenched fist began to shake violently.
"You've worked so hard all this time, Frey."
"Ughhh..."
"You deserve happiness more than anyone."
Embracing Frey warmly, the goddess patted his back and whispered,
"...So please, don't make such a sad choice."
Frey's trembling stopped abruptly.
"Goddess."
"Yes, Frey."
The goddess looked down at him as he lifted his head slightly to meet her gaze.
"...I'm sorry, but please erase me anyway."
"What?"
As Frey's expression darkened suddenly, the goddess stammered in confusion.
"Wh-why? I've finally found a way to give you happiness. I may not offer wealth or glory, but I can promise peace and comfort... Why...?"
"I've already tried erasing my memories."
".....!"
Frey's eyes were lifeless as he spoke.
"There was one time I tried to give up everything, forgetting it all. I just wanted to retreat to a quiet countryside village... and live alone."
"B-but...?"
"It was good at first. As an ordinary person with no memories, of course it was. But then..."
Stepping back from the goddess's embrace, Frey continued with a tormented expression.
"One particularly exhausting day, I woke up... and all my memories had returned."
"And without realizing it, I'd caused chaos not just in my house, but throughout the village. Can you guess why?"
"N-no way...!"
The goddess's face paled as realization dawned, and Frey continued with a hollow look.
"No matter how many times I erase them, my memories keep reviving... So yeah, my soul must be shattered beyond repair."
"W-wait. Maybe I can fix it..."
Peering into Frey's soul as he spoke, the goddess's jaw dropped.
"...Oh my god."
Countless regressions had utterly destroyed Frey's soul—beyond even her power to mend.
"How can this..."
"Can you fix my soul?"
"I... I..."
"You can't. I figured that out when I learned you'd been defeated and sealed by the Demon God. You're divine, but not omnipotent."
Gazing at Frey's soul, still crumbling pathetically in that moment, the goddess faltered.
"In the end... it's pointless."
She stared blankly as Frey dropped all formality.
"Even if you wipe my brain's memories... the ones etched into my soul over eons could drive me mad at any time."
"Ah..."
"And get this?"
"Wh-what?"
Turning to her, Frey suddenly exuded terrifying killing intent.
"I've been holding back my patience to the max this whole time."
"Wh-what...?"
"I'm suppressing the urge to cut you down right now."
The goddess's face twisted in fear at his words.
"I know I shouldn't... I know better than anyone that hating you—who did your best to save the world—is wrong..."
"F-Frey."
"I understand perfectly that it's not the heroines on earth who are bad, but the Demon King and Demon God..."
His hands trembling, Frey continued.
"But I hate them all so much... I can't help wanting to slaughter them."
Staring at the goddess with unsteady eyes for a long while, Frey finally said,
"One last request. Before I hurt everyone, please erase me."
"......."
"I'm already stronger than your weakened self. If I lose control once, I'll destroy everything. Please, just erase me. I won't resist."
It was his final ultimatum.
"I can't even retry anymore. Before it's too late... hurry."
"Ugh..."
"If I hadn't defeated the Demon King, or if there were other goals left... I could've retried endlessly."
Watching Frey approach with an expression that said he could no longer hold back, she realized,
"But a world after everything ends... is just another hell for me."
"Ughhh..."
The trembling goddess finally relented.
"I... I understand."
"She decided to respect his will.
"I'll... erase you completely."
"Finally..."
Frey smiled more brightly than ever before.
"...Thank you."
He stepped right up to her and bowed deeply.
"My power is still unstable since the seal broke recently... but erasing you won't take much."
Gently stroking Frey's head, the goddess said,
"I'll remember you—the noblest being in the world's history."
Brilliant light emanated from her hand.
"So... rest now, noble hero."
She whispered softly.
"I'm sorry... for being stubborn."
Gazing at her, Frey replied,
"But now... I just want to rest."
For the first time in ages, a pure smile crossed his face as he began to fade.
"................."
Silence lingered for a long time.
"Hoo..."
Breaking the quiet with a sigh, the Sun God wore a mournful expression for a while before
"....Huh?"
Her eyes suddenly widened.
"Wh-what is that?"
Suddenly, dark energy began overflowing before her eyes.
".....!!!"
Watching the inexplicable scene unfold, the Sun God
"It's been a while..."
gasped in shock upon seeing the entity emerge from the darkness.
"...Sister?"
The dark being smiled chillingly at the Sun God and whispered,
"You should've been erased with the Demon King...!"
The Sun God began questioning in a trembling voice.
"Eclipse, how are you here...!"
Ignoring her, the woman called Eclipse extended dark tendrils and whispered with a mad grin,
"If I get erased alone like this..."
"...it'd be too unfair, wouldn't it?"
The next instant, brilliant light clashed with profound darkness,
unleashing a massive explosion.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"Wh-what's going on?"
The sun, brilliantly shining in the sky, began shaking once more.
"Th-the sun...?"
"What is this? What's happening?"
The heroines, gathered in the imperial palace garden, stared at the sun in confusion.
"".....?""
Suddenly, someone kicked open the collapsed palace doors and stepped out, prompting the startled girls to turn their gazes.
"Wait, everyone. Hear me out."
Isolet, who had drawn all eyes and finally snapped out of her daze as she exited the palace, began speaking in a trembling voice.
"Something's wrong. Terribly wrong."
"I watched the battle closely from the top floor. But the movements of all the combat executives... they were off. Way too off."
"What... do you mean?"
Her new disciple—the youngest holy knight of the church, who had led the garden battle—asked.
"There were so many flashy, varied attacks, each one lethal, and you were fighting for your lives, so you probably didn't notice. But from the top, watching it all... I definitely sensed something strange."
Isolet spoke with an incredulous expression.
"After all that fighting... does anyone have even a single wound?"
The girls checked their bodies and tilted their heads in unison.
"Huh? Why no wounds...?"
"It's spotless. Not a speck of dirt."
"...Does that make sense?"
Despite hours of dodging life-and-death strikes in fierce combat, not a single scratch marred their bodies.
"Do you know what I thought while watching your fight?"
Isolet gazed at the confused girls.
"It felt like a scripted play... or a pre-arranged sparring match."
"Th-that means..."
"All the combat executives were acting on someone's orders, putting on a perfectly rehearsed performance."
Sharing her discovery deepened the girls' confusion.
"I'm certain. I guarantee it."
Isolet, now possessing experience and skill rivaling the former Sword Saint, affirmed.
"Frey's actions were suspicious too. He defeated the palace defense team and me using only the back of his blade. And... his final words were..."
Trailing off, she walked toward the girls.
"Where are Frey and Ruby? We should join the fight, take down Frey, and interrogate him."
"Um... Professor..."
"Maybe there's a misunderstanding. Or it could be that cunning bastard's scheme. But it's worth investigating..."
"The battle's over."
"...What?"
The holy knight informed Isolet of the battle's end.
"Look over there... Frey killed Ruby."
"What?"
She pointed to the distant, torn-apart Ruby as she began explaining, but
"What happened next is complicated, and we don't fully understand it ourselves, so I can't explain right away... Huh?"
She froze mid-sentence.
""........!!""
All the other girls did too.
"Ruby... why is Ruby...?"
Ruby's body, shredded by Frey,
"...in that form?"
had horns on her head and wings sprouting from her back—the unmistakable form of the Demon King.
"Frey."
Breaking the cold silence among them was
"Where is Frey?"
Isolet, pale-faced and urgently questioning the girls, and
"What.....?"
Perloché, who had been praying to the Sun God at the back to grasp the truth of recent events,
"....What the hell is all this?"
overhearing the conversation between the goddess and Frey, muttering in a dazed voice without realizing it.