Chapter 810: The Protagonist’s Love Story (Finale)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 810: The Protagonist’s Love Story (Finale)
The bells ceased, the light and shadows faded, and everything finally returned to its original state.
Ariel looked up. The courtyard, where nothing remained, was overgrown with weeds. Faint traces of the once-raging inferno were still visible, and the low, narrow house was now nothing more than broken walls and debris.
Only in the center of the yard stood a small mound of earth, piled up by unknown hands.
There was no headstone, no proper tomb; the fire and time had erased everything. Yet, in front of the small mound lay a bouquet of white chrysanthemums. At this time of year, chrysanthemums were rare; they must have been forced to bloom using expensive magic.
The flowers were still fresh, swaying gently in the breeze.
"Idiot."
Ariel took a deep breath and cursed softly, but a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.
Her heart felt warm. Now that all her defenses had been stripped away, she could finally experience the sweet joys and trivial worries of a young girl.
"I’ll come back to see you, Mother."
Ariel gently stroked the white chrysanthemums, making a promise to her mother—a promise that no longer required her to lock away her heart.
She would walk in the sunlight, forevermore.
After paying her respects, Ariel turned to face the door.
As the phantom of the past intercepted from the River of Time vanished, the flow of time here finally returned to normal.
Though she had spoken with her mother for so long, only ten minutes had passed in the outside world.
Thud—Thud—Thud—
The door, reinforced by some kind of enchantment, was rattling violently. Something was slamming against it, and it looked ready to give way.
Without the barrier of time, the danger from the Evil God had caught up to Ariel once again.
She felt no fear, nor did she try to flee. She simply pushed open the crumbling, dilapidated door with calm composure.
Horrific whispers and roars instantly flooded her mind. Within the crystal standing before her, an unimaginable darkness and distortion were still brewing.
But unlike before, the image reflected in her eyes was no longer herself.
Or rather, it was no longer the pollution hidden deep within her heart.
It was a mass of deformed, throbbing flesh.
The tumor tore open a hideous eye, staring at her with fury and resentment, as if enraged by her previous deception and her current serenity.
"Teacher, are you there?"
"Always."
"Good."
Ariel slid the ancient ring back onto her finger. The Heavenly Fire Greatsword flew out, nuzzling the back of her hand affectionately.
She gripped the hilt, her neatly combed hair fluttering as the long-extinguished flames reignited:
"Next... I’m going to cause a real scene."
*
"It seems you are unwilling to accept my Lord’s love?"
Faced with Muen’s refusal, Pars remained patient. After all, proclaiming the great deeds of the Love God was a vital task for him.
"Cut the crap," Muen sneered.
"Why would I accept the 'love' of a disgusting, perverted Evil God? Like I said before, if He’s willing to kill Himself... I guarantee plenty of people in this world would 'love' Him. Forget me—the line of people wanting to lay flowers on His grave would stretch from here all the way to the Holy City."
After all, who wouldn't love an Evil God who sacrificed Himself for world peace?
The Pope might even write His epitaph personally.
"Alas... such ignorance. Such a pity."
Hearing this, Pars lowered his eyes in deep disappointment.
Why?
He had been so sincere, so persuasive, and so generous, offering the sacred love of his Lord to Muen Campbell without asking for anything in return...
So why did he refuse?
Accepting his Lord’s love was so easy, so pleasant, so blissful, wasn't it?
"I was once just like you."
Pars plucked the rose from his chest and toyed with it. As he tore the petals off one by one, a look of reminiscence appeared on his face, and he began to speak as if to himself.
Muen narrowed his eyes. Unsure of his opponent's next move, he remained still for the moment.
"When I was young, I met a girl. She was so beautiful—kind, gentle, and straightforward. In those years when I had nothing, she was the only one who didn't look at me with the same contempt as those snobbish fools."
The scene shifted in his mind. Pars seemed to see a beautiful girl smiling and reaching out to him when he was at his lowest, looking like a bedraggled beggar. She gave him bread and hot soup, providing a warmth he had never known.
"I fell in love with her at first sight. I believed she was the only true love of my life. I worked tirelessly, constantly improving myself. From the Lower District of Belland, from a penniless brat, I climbed higher and higher, step by step."
No one knew how hard it was to rise from the filth of the Lower District. Pars only remembered the endless mockery, the pain, and the confusion that had threatened to drown him like a tsunami.
Only at night, when he gazed at that distant, warm, and luxurious light from afar, did he find any comfort.
He believed she was waiting for him.
"But..."
Pars suddenly clenched his fist, crushing the petals into pulp.
Resentment and rage surged in his eyes.
"When I finally achieved success and stood before her in my finest clothes... she actually rejected me."
"She rejected me!! Can you believe it? She rejected me! She rejected the man who worked so hard and sacrificed so much just to stand before her!! and the most hateful part... Young Master Muen, do you know what the most hateful part was?"
Pars looked up, laughing maniacally:
"She actually claimed she didn't know me! She said she didn't know who I was, knew nothing about any bread or soup. She even told me to get lost... Of course, I wouldn't leave. I loved her. I wanted to be with her. I had crawled through a path of thorns for that very purpose... And then, then she had her husband—that’s right, she was already married—she had her husband come out and drive me away. They chased me off like a dog!"
"Being driven away once didn't bother me. I thought she just hadn't recognized me, or perhaps she was too overwhelmed, too shy... I went back to find her several more times. Every time, she hid from me. Eventually, she said she couldn't take it anymore, called me a madman, a pervert... She even had her husband beat me until I was severely injured. I had done nothing wrong! I only wanted her to remember our past love... Young Master Muen, you find that hateful too, don't you?"
Pars loosened his cravat and looked at Muen, seeking validation. "Right? It’s truly hateful, isn't it? I did so much for her. I even bought out every flower on the entire street and had them sent to her room..."
"...What kind of absolute bullshit are you spewing?"
Muen’s expression grew grim.
"That girl only helped you once, didn't she? Of course she didn't know you. You were stalking her. You deserved to be beaten."
"Hateful, isn't it? Is it hateful? Of course it is."
Pars seemed not to hear Muen’s words, continuing his delusional muttering:
"From that moment on, I knew. Women are fickle, despicable, and cold-hearted. They capture your heart so easily, only to discard you without mercy. You give them all your love, only to lose everything... So... so..."
"So, finally, I begged my Lord... I hoped He could make her willing to accept my love."
Blood-red roses began to bloom beneath Pars’s feet, like a flower bed before a tombstone.
Pars reached out into the blossoms.
"My great Lord answered me! He bestowed His sacred love upon me! That love is different—it is grand! Pure! Equal! It is enough to completely fill my empty heart! It is true love!"
With a sudden pull, Pars dragged a figure out from the flowers.
It was a figure dressed in a pure white wedding dress, breathtakingly beautiful amidst the roses.
But as the figure emerged, a faint stench of decay filled the air, making Muen frown.
He finally understood why Pars wore such heavy cologne... It wasn't just for style; it was to mask the subtle, lingering scent of a corpse.
As the figure’s veil fluttered, it didn't reveal the face of a beautiful young girl.
Instead, it was a semi-rotted, hideous face.
It was the corpse of a young woman.
Pars leaned down and kissed the girl’s decaying lips gently. "See? Now, she loves me."
I love you.
I love you.
The long-dead girl responded with deep affection.
"..."
Muen’s eye twitched.
Though he had already seen how disgusting the Love God and His followers were, he was still shocked by this guy’s depravity.
At the same time, a faint sense of pity and a mounting rage began to stir in his heart.
"Please, don't use your disgusting, twisted logic to defile the word 'love,'" Muen said, his voice cold with anger.
"That girl never loved you. Love is a two-way street, not your pathetic, delusional fantasy!"
"Defile? Fantasy?"
Pars shook his head. "It seems you still don't understand, Young Master Muen. But that’s fine. I’ll make you understand. That is exactly why I’m here... isn't that right, darling?"
Yes.
Darling.
The girl didn't speak—as a corpse, she couldn't—but Muen felt as if he heard the answer nonetheless.
Crack.
The corpse in Pars’s arms suddenly snapped its head around to look at Muen.
Her eyes were hollow pits, but through that deep void, Muen felt as if a pained and sorrowful soul was truly staring back at him.
Simultaneously, a bone-chilling coldness swept over him, piercing his very soul.
Muen’s gaze sharpened. Sensing danger, he quickly leaped back.
He had been on high alert; there were very few people in this world who could ambush him in this state.
Yet, the moment he stepped back, his body jerked to a halt. He nearly stumbled.
Muen looked down and saw that, at some point, roses had bloomed beneath his feet. They were bright red, but upon closer inspection, Muen realized they were nothing like the roses he grew in his garden.
These roses were originally pure white, merely stained red with blood.
From within the flower bed, a semi-rotted arm reached out, tightly gripping Muen’s ankle.
An elegant-looking woman wept tears of blood, silently pleading for something.
"More than one?"
Muen spat. "I take it back. You’re not just a scumbag; you’re a necrophiliac scumbag."
Of course, a single corpse couldn't stop him. With a flash of his blade, Muen easily sliced through the woman’s flesh, regaining his freedom of movement.
"Sorry," Muen whispered. "I’ll set you free."
Clang—
The hum of the blade he had just swung suddenly grew deafeningly loud.
Muen might have been observing, but that didn't mean he was unprepared. While listening to Pars’s "how to become a lunatic" story, he had been gathering his strength.
Now, all that power erupted in an instant. Over a hundred stacks of blade momentum condensed within the slowed flow of time, finally forming a strike as brilliant as a rising sun.
"Heavenly Fire... No, I should call this move—Flame Flash!"
He almost habitually called out Ariel’s move, but it didn't matter. This technique was derived from Heavenly Fire Draw anyway.
Under the influence of time dilation, it was sharper and faster.
Like a surging, rotating sun, it contracted and fell in an instant!
Pars had no room to dodge. The blade light sliced right through his body, and even the crystal wall behind him was sheared apart like paper, revealing a glimpse of the night sky.
"Hmm?"
Muen frowned slightly.
Something felt wrong about that hit.
Given the Third-Tier level Pars had displayed, even a tenth of that power should have been overkill, even for an evil cultist. So why, after the blade passed through, did it only cut his body?
Shouldn't he have been completely annihilated?
Muen knew better than anyone how resilient these cultists were, so he hadn't held back... yet the result was unexpected.
"...#￥% Body Enhancement..."
As if answering Muen’s confusion, a strained, garbled chant rang out, sounding like the wail of a ghost.
A woman dressed as a mage stood behind Pars. She was also semi-rotted, yet she could still use magic to reinforce Pars’s body.
"#￥% Holy Light..."
Next was a nun in tattered robes. Her Holy Light flickered like a faulty lightbulb, but it worked.
"Giggle giggle..."
Even a woman in a nurse’s uniform, who was little more than a skeleton, crawled out from the flowers, tremulously aligning Pars’s wounds to ensure they healed correctly.
More and more corpses rose. In the blink of an eye, there were over a hundred. The once-empty hall of the crystal palace was now packed. Looking around, these were all Pars’s... "harem."
"This is insane..."
Muen said expressionlessly, "Just how many women did you ruin?"
"Ruin? No, no, no. I gave them happiness. See? They’re all very happy, aren't they?"
Pars, now fully restored, smiled.
"How about it? One last chance. If you enter my Lord’s embrace, you too can have this much true love!"
"Forget it," Muen said coldly. "I don't want any part of this. Take your 'love' to hell with you!"
Before his voice finished echoing, Muen blurred and vanished from his spot.
The number of female corpses was high, but he didn't panic. He could tell at a glance that most were useless ordinary people; only a few were slightly stronger mages or martial artists.
Breaking through this army of fodder wouldn't be difficult at all—
Ting!
A cold glint flashed. Muen’s pupils contracted, and he came to a dead stop.
His reactions were incredibly fast, yet a sharp attack still grazed the edge of his neck.
If he had been a fraction of a second slower, his head would have been taken off.
"..."
Muen used his pure white short blade to parry the incoming strike, his eyes landing on the person before him.
This was clearly a powerful martial artist, at least Fifth-Tier. Her body showed the least amount of decay, which allowed Muen to clearly see the tree-like wrinkles on her face.
"Can I ask... how old are you?" Muen’s cheek twitched.
The old woman didn't answer.
She seemed lost in this "sweet" love, relentlessly launching attacks at Muen.
Pars, standing to the side, helpfully provided the answer:
"Why ask about age? Bier is only a youthful one hundred and thirty-five. She’s in the prime of her life."
"..."
Prime of her life?
She’s old enough to be your great-grandmother.
As expected, to be a follower of the Love God, not only does your brain have to be broken, but your tastes have to be beyond bizarre.
Muen cursed inwardly. He wanted to break away quickly and take down Pars—the bastard who wouldn't even spare a 135-year-old grandmother—but the old woman was relentless. She entangled Muen with a speed and ferocity that completely defied her appearance.
He had thought it was just a crowd of fodder, but the situation changed drastically once a true powerhouse joined the fray.
The grandmother could pin Muen down, while the other female corpses with some level of power provided constant harassment.
Muen felt his stamina draining rapidly.
More importantly, while being harassed, he suddenly felt an itch on his skin.
He scratched the back of his hand and found several thin plant roots wriggling on the surface of his skin, seemingly trying to burrow into his flesh.
Muen’s expression grew heavier. His gaze fell on the girl in the wedding dress, whom Pars was still holding.
She had been watching Muen with those hollow eyes the entire time.
"It seems... if I don't think of something, I’m either going to be worn down to death or turned into fertilizer for these roses."
In the narrow gaps between the attacks, Muen thought rapidly.
What should he do?
Use the Black Flame?
No. There was a reason the Love God sent Pars to deal with him. From the moment he felt that pained gaze from the corpse-girl’s hollow eyes, Muen had sensed it... the souls of these women hadn't been completely corrupted.
It wasn't because the Love God was merciful; it was because He had seen through a small weakness in the Black Flame and Muen himself.
If those souls were already corrupted, Muen could simply burn and devour them all... but they could still be saved. Could Muen really ignore those souls and use the Black Flame indiscriminately?
In this high-pressure melee, Muen didn't have the fine control required to burn the bodies without harming the souls.
The Black Flame’s "burn everything" property had become a liability.
"I have to hand it to you, Love God. You’d use so many dirty tricks just to deal with a plain, ordinary blonde guy like me." Muen muttered irritably.
"Oh? Why are you slowing down?"
Pars watched Muen’s increasingly ragged state with appreciation. He stroked the rotted cheek of the girl in his arms and asked with mock concern:
"Is it because your love isn't enough? If you want, I have plenty more here~"
"..."
Muen took a deep breath.
Regardless, he had to make a decision, or he really would die here.
Should he sacrifice the souls of these innocent, deceived women, or take a desperate gamble?
Or perhaps...
"Hmm?"
Just then, Muen’s brow quirked as if he felt something.
He looked toward a certain direction, and his movement suddenly changed. A moment ago, he was trying to break through the old woman’s guard to assassinate Pars; now, he turned and fled in the opposite direction.
"What are you doing?"
Pars was genuinely confused.
"Trying to run? Haven't you noticed? This place is sealed. Unless you kill me, you’re never getting out."
"Run? No, why would I run?"
Muen smiled.
"I’m just clearing the stage... for the true protagonist who’s about to arrive."
"True protagonist?"
Pars scoffed. "What nonsense are you talking about? There is only you and me! Are you talking about Miss Ariel? Pfft, don't be naive. She is the one my Lord is personally bestowing His love upon. How could she—"
BOOM!
Before Pars could finish, a massive explosion made the entire crystal palace shudder violently.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
One explosion followed another, as if calling down meteors from the sky to hammer against something solid. Each blast sent a violent tremor through the palace.
And the sound was getting closer.
Pars turned his head stiffly, just in time to see the final layer of the crystal barrier buckle. Within the clear crystal, a crimson hue suddenly appeared and deepened rapidly.
The crystal melted at a visible rate, and then...
A torrent of fire erupted from the melted gap, instantly condensing into a massive fire dragon that swept across more than half of the hall!
Half of the female corpses were incinerated instantly. However, their souls were not affected by the flames; instead, guided by a powerful soul force, they were all shielded and protected.
"How... how is this possible?"
Pars stared blankly at the girl walking out from the flames.
"My Lord went to find you personally. How could you... Ugh!"
Mid-sentence, Pars’s eyes bulged.
A look of intense agony quickly replaced the blankness on his face. His suit tore open, and his flesh began to twist and mutate. White spinal fluid dripped down, while flesh and bone spiraled and churned... Soon, Pars lost his human form, transforming into a bizarre flower of flesh.
In the center of the flower, a hideous, deformed tumor opened its eye—furious and majestic!
[HUMAN! HOW COULD YOU!!]
"So noisy. Can't you keep it down?"
Ariel rubbed her ears.
"And why do you call that guy by his full name but call me 'human'? Am I beneath him?"
"Heh, maybe it’s because I draw more aggro?"
Muen’s gaze bypassed the avatar of the Love God and landed on Ariel.
She was still in her white dress, though the hem had been torn to allow for more flexible movement.
It didn't diminish her beauty; instead, it made her look even more heroic.
"Did you get my gift?" Muen asked.
"Yes, I did."
"How was it?"
"It was..."
Ariel tilted her head and thought for a moment. "Not bad."
"Is that so? Good."
Muen breathed a sigh of relief. "I’m glad you liked it. I was worried you’d be mad at me for digging up your past."
"You worry too much. It’s not like I have anything to be ashamed of. How could I—"
[SHUT UP!]
Seemingly unable to tolerate the two of them chatting as if He weren't there, the flesh flower vibrated violently. Sharp, discordant noise sent cracks spider-webbing across the crystal.
The two couldn't talk anymore, but Ariel tilted her chin slightly and gave Muen a look.
Muen nodded with a smile.
They hadn't made a plan beforehand, nor had they discussed how to deal with the Love God during their brief exchange.
But in that silent gaze, their mutual understanding told them exactly how to strike.
Ariel gripped Heavenly Fire, her body crouching slightly.
The surging flames suddenly contracted, focusing into a single point.
Muen also withdrew all his blade light.
They stopped looking at each other, their eyes fixed on their enemy—the Love God, who was shrieking in rage at being insulted by two ants once again.
Then.
BOOM—
CLANG—
Sword and blade struck simultaneously!
[HUMANS! DO NOT THINK... I WILL LOSE TO YOU AGAIN!]
The flesh flower contracted. Twisted tentacles reached out from the center, using the remaining female corpses as a shield.
All the petals closed, completely protecting the hideous tumor within, leaving only Pars’s face to wail in agony.
It was a perfect defense. Over a hundred sturdy physical bodies, combined with the power contained in this avatar, far exceeded what a peak Fourth-Tier and a Fifth-Tier martial artist could break through.
Any direct assault would come at the cost of those hundred innocent souls.
But...
Though they struck at the same time, Ariel’s flames arrived first.
The scorching fire of divine blessing roared, swallowing the female corpses in an instant. The tongues of fire licked their physical forms, gradually turning the wall of flesh into useless charcoal and ash.
The corpses were burned away, but the souls were carried to safety by a powerful soul force, just as before. And right after that, Muen’s blade light arrived with perfect timing!
The concentrated blade light tore through the petals of the flesh flower. Black flames seized the opportunity to slip through the cracks, beginning to devour the deformed flesh!
[ROAR!]
The hideous tumor let out a roar, its black veins thrashing like a nest of mad snakes.
The Love God was enraged. More deformed tentacles regenerated at an eerie speed. While Muen’s flames devoured the petals, even more bloody petals bloomed to take their place.
The two sides reached a brief stalemate. The Love God, having come prepared with more power, began to slowly push back as Muen and Ariel’s spiritual energy drained rapidly.
Until...
A pale, slender hand reached out from a gap in the petals.
It was the girl Pars had been holding—the one he "loved" most.
Because she was so close to Pars, half of her rotted body had fused into the flesh flower. But while the Love God was focused on fighting Muen and Ariel, her uncorrupted soul momentarily regained control of her body.
She didn't run. Instead, she pulled a dagger from somewhere and plunged it into Pars’s agonizing face.
"I don't love you," she said.
"AAAHHH!!"
Pars let out a soul-shredding scream. The entire flesh flower began to convulse violently. Although the Love God was in control, the flesh still belonged to Pars; thus, the girl’s strike created a fatal opening.
Muen’s eyes sharpened. He blurred, appearing right in front of the flesh flower.
Ariel’s movement was almost perfectly synchronized with his.
They shared a look. Elizabeth and the Heavenly Fire Greatsword were thrust forward simultaneously, piercing the deformed tumor with precision.
The tumor tried to flee—even as an avatar, it didn't want to waste more power—but their coordinated attack had completely sealed off its retreat.
There was nowhere to run.
With a sharp clink, the blade and sword met within the flesh. Then, black and red flames erupted together. Amidst a piercing, shrill shriek, the deformed flesh was slowly incinerated into nothingness.
In the final moment, the Love God’s gaze was still full of resentment and malice, but this time, He couldn't even utter a parting threat... He simply let everything fade into the void.
*
After the flames subsided, not a speck of ash remained.
Through a shattered corner of the crystal palace, the sky was visible.
The night was clear, and the sky was filled with twinkling stars.
"Is it over?"
"Yeah, it’s over..."
Muen sat on the ground, nearly exhausted, watching the souls ascend.
The meddling avatar and Pars were both burned to cinders, the innocent souls were liberated, and the brave girl’s soul finally ended her tragic story... This incident at the end of their date had finally reached its conclusion.
Fortunately, it was a happy ending. The Love God’s scheme failed, and He had lost an entire avatar.
Even for Him, that had to hurt.
The event was over. If this were a movie, the credits would be rolling by now.
Muen stretched, thinking he could finally relax...
"I meant... is the date over?"
"..."
Muen blinked, then his eyes widened in surprise. He looked down to see Ariel had put away Heavenly Fire. She had tucked her legs neatly under her skirt and was looking away, twirling a strand of hair around her finger.
She looked exactly like a shy, blushing maiden.
Only then did Muen remember that for this story to have a happy ending at the end of the date, a certain condition had to be met.
And that was...
Gulp...
Muen swallowed nervously. Though the flames had long since died out, for some reason, he felt himself heating up again.
That heat didn't come from the outside, but from within.
From deep within his heart, which was pounding once again.
Muen tentatively leaned toward Ariel and gently took her hand.
Ariel was incredibly compliant, even nervously squeezing his hand back.
Muen moved closer until he was right next to her, feeling her heartbeat racing like a drum. He used his other hand to gently brush her cheek, turning her face—which was now as red as a sunset—back toward him.
Their eyes met. Her eyes and lips seemed bathed in the Milky Way, sprinkled with starlight.
"This time, will you reject me?" Muen asked softly.
"Who... who knows?"
Ariel pouted slightly, but her swan-like neck tilted upward.
"You don't know... I guess I’ll just have to try and see."
Muen cupped the girl’s face and slowly leaned in. Ariel, filled with bashfulness, closed her eyes...
"Ah!"
A faint figure emerged from Ariel’s ring.
"I need to go check if there’s any lingering corruption from the Love God. I learned my lesson last time; can't be careless now! You two carry on, carry on! Just leave this to me!"
Peles gave a couple of dry coughs and fled as fast as she could.
Muen and Ariel were left staring at each other, helpless.
The perfect atmosphere had been ruined.
"That didn't count. Again!" Ariel bit her lip.
"Okay."
Muen didn't say much. He cupped Ariel’s small face again and slowly leaned in...
"Wait!"
Ariel stopped him. "Let me get ready."
She patted her hot, flushed cheeks. Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale...
"Okay, I’m ready."
They leaned in...
"Wait again!"
Ariel looked away, panicked.
"I... my heart is racing. Let’s count down from three, okay?"
"Okay."
Muen found it hilarious, but also incredibly cute.
"Whatever you want."
"Then I’m counting?"
Ariel’s expression became serious, as if she were about to raid some terrifying ancient ruin.
"Count."
"I’m counting then... I’m really counting..."
"Go ahead, count already."
Muen waited patiently for Ariel to get ready and start the countdown.
"Three..."
Ariel counted to three.
Then she suddenly grabbed Muen’s collar.
Muen’s eyes widened. Before he could react, he felt two pairs of lips, soft as petals, press firmly against his own.
"Mmm... Muen, I love you..."
*
[Gluttony Progress: 100%]
*
End of Volume.