Tap tap.
On land where fierce battles had just taken place, Rin sat by a campfire. The ground was too damaged from the intense fighting to be a suitable place to rest.
But since she didn’t have the strength to move elsewhere, Rin took a deep breath and sat back, almost lying down to relax.
It had been a while since she felt the fatigue seeping through her weary body.
Ever since she turned Sharcarl into her right-hand man, she thought it would be easy. No matter how powerful Kurika was, there were still things he could and couldn’t do.
Even if the opponent was Kurika, she thought it would be a piece of cake due to their overwhelming power.
Kurika was, in a way, a perfect match for being described as an absolute being.
No matter how much power the opponent had or what kind of existence they were, if one didn’t go all out against him, they would be bitten into pieces in no time. Remembering Kurika’s maniacal eyes as he charged forward with his army, Rin exhaled.
But in the end, they won.
That was what mattered.
The two powers that had joined her army today were indeed among the strongest in the continent.
“Just keep my wits about me.”
As long as Rin’s mind didn’t break, conquering the continent was no longer an issue.
“…”
Still, Rin didn’t feel thankful at all. Instead, she couldn’t help but realize that it was half-assured that she would have to kill everyone in the continent.
“Did they call it a treasure trove…?”
Having loosened her body a bit, Rin slowly stood up. She didn’t have time to rest like this. She intended to visit the divine treasure store that Kurika had been guarding.
Anything that could become a power needed to be obtained.
The way there wasn’t difficult.
Most magical beasts in the forest were already submissive to Rin, and the main obstacle, the storekeeper, was now hers.
The inside of the huge cave had a different ambiance compared to the stuffy air of the Forest of the Demon Realm.
“…What is this?”
Inside were items far grander than she had imagined. There were things she could use, but many seemed suitable for her friends too.
But that didn’t mean she called her academy friends. The moment she saw them, she felt like her heart would shatter uncontrollably, which made her anxious.
As those thoughts began to creep in, a particularly chilly loneliness started to blow into Rin’s hollow heart. Ultimately, she couldn’t help but reach out.
What appeared there was Daniel McLean, wearing Aios Academy uniform.
Still gazing blankly into space because of the curse from the sun god, Rin carefully held him.
“It’s cold.”
Daniel felt like a wax doll. Yet she didn’t let go. The remnants of Daniel McLean’s scent and touch were the only comfort she had.
“Daniel…”
She cautiously called his name.
Of course, she knew there would be no answer, but even so, Rin felt a pang of regret.
“…Huh?”
Then suddenly, a realization struck Rin like lightning. It was a moment of insight and awakening.
If Daniel were to regress, he would likely remember everything that happens now. He’s cursed, but not dead.
Then it dawned on her that there were things she could do for Daniel McLean besides just destroying the world and regressing.
Sharcarl had mentioned that his heart had fallen asleep over the years, and in truth, Rin was the same.
The heart of a girl who had to create an unwanted tragedy didn’t respond, other than a slight throb.
But right now, it started to thump again, thump thump.
“D-Daniel.”
Rin carefully sat Daniel down. Being a treasure trove, there was a box, and it turned out to be an optimal chair that didn’t hurt his butt.
After taking a deep breath, Rin pondered what to say first, only to realize that this wasn’t necessary.
There was no need to rush.
After all, there was still plenty of time.
Daniel McLean was always there with her.
“Daniel, listen carefully. The Chokugen Faction is more dangerous than you think. When they wiped out Dobelia Village, I discovered their base there. Also, shockingly, their leader is…”
“Finding the Pirate Lord wasn’t as hard as I thought. Elgrid being the trading hub brought many pirate contacts. Pirates and the Chokugen Faction have a somewhat special relationship. The drugs that harmed Sen were supplied by them…”
“Did Sharcarl’s staff really get swept away in his self-destruction? I’m checking it now, but it doesn’t seem like it. According to you, after Sharcarl self-destructed in the first cycle, the Priestess of Time came. It seems like she hid the staff somewhere. This staff is more than I thought…”
The information gained from destroying the world and causing calamity. The girl began to unravel the deep secrets of the world she discovered one by one.
*
In the dying forest.
Not a single corpse remained, but the city of elves living under the great tree Yggdrasil had completely crumbled.
In the center, Rin called for Daniel.
The girl, shaking and looking nothing like the girl who had just commanded an army of doom, opened her mouth.
“Daniel… Yggdrasil wasn’t just a tree. She is a life, possessing a soul. And don’t worry about the imprint of Artemis. That wasn’t only received by Lady Eris; it’s a mark handed down to various guardians over centuries. Thankfully, she isn’t… the end.”
*
As the days went by, Rin withered. The dark circles under her eyes indicated she hadn’t slept well for days.
She could hardly get an hour of sleep now. The act of taking innocent lives violently was breaking her down, but still, Rin called forth Daniel McLean. Though she didn’t want to show this side, there were things she needed to say.
“This is the City of Water, Aquaris. I thought about Artemis’ imprint and realized if Ares is my next apocalypse, then there should also be one after that. So, I’m looking for it now.”
Daniel McLean’s gaze still looked emptily into space. Rin wished he would just glance at her for once, but knowing it was a futile wish, she continued to speak.
“Kurika said that an ordinary god can’t destroy the continent. That’s true. Just look at the Goddess of Death and the Sun God; they’re high gods. So I looked for followers of Poseidon, the god of water and sea… but there was no one with Poseidon’s imprint.”
*
Leaving behind the giant dragon, Rin called Daniel McLean again. It was fall, and the days were getting colder.
The girl’s eyes were losing focus, and it seemed hard for her to even stand. If someone saw her, they would say she should be laid up in bed immediately.
Even so, the girl spoke.
“This is the land of dragons. Daniel, the dragon called Shakallim, is said to be asleep, but that’s not true. He’s awake. He’s just pretending to be asleep out of deep disappointment with the Dragonkin. The dragoness Jane knows, so seek her out.”
In the zero cycle, she had also conquered the land of dragons, but back then, she didn’t roam about as she did now; she sent her army of doom to destroy everything, so she didn’t know these intricate details.
“To prevent the following apocalypse, stopping the meteorites is the top priority. And maybe the dragon god Shakallim could help with that? Moreover, I think we could also receive help from Yggdrasil to stop the meteorites.”
*
“Daniel, couldn’t you say something?”
“I-I’m so tired… the screams of people always echo in my ears. I don’t want to kill them, but I have to…”
“Please, Daniel. Just once, let me hear your voice. Please, Daniel… please.”
*
On the flickering brown ground, amidst all the tools handled by the squat dwarves, Rin carefully drew out a white dagger in front of Daniel.
This was the sealing dagger entrusted to Kurika by the Goddess of Time. But Rin pulled out another sealing dagger from her bag.
It looked identical to the first.
“Daniel, look at this. Besides the sealing dagger that Kurika had, the dwarves had another one. I can no longer communicate with the Goddess of Time, so I’m not sure, but please check it out. She hasn’t told us everything yet. Maybe it’s a promise with other gods?”
Gently running her fingers over the dagger.
“If there are two daggers, could that mean two apocalypses? The Earliest Apocalypse and The Following Apocalypse could be the end, right? I found a boy who received a mark from the lightning god, but it turns out not. It seems there aren’t any with the marks of high gods.”
With her head hung low, Rin whispered softly.
“If I’m truly the only one with Ares for the apocalypse, why were we chosen?”
*
Amidst the world’s destruction, there was a small village here.
Starting from the human kingdom to the elves’ Yggdrasil, beastman kingdom, dwarfs’ cooperative, and dragonkin’s shrine—all nations had perished except this one.
No one knew when or where the apocalypse would come, but still, the people lived energetically, supporting each other.
This place wasn’t limited to a specific race.
Humans and elves smiled and helped each other, beastmen and dwarves built houses together, and the Dragonkin distributed food to everyone.
This truly was a place where all races harmonized.
And in such a place, a small girl was working hard to weave clothes in preparation for the coming winter.
She was perhaps about ten years old, and the girl was eagerly making something while her mother was away.
And a woman passed by in front of her.
How many hardships had she endured? The traces of time and tempest were evident on her robe. The man walking behind her was wearing a uniform that was also frayed to the point it should be thrown away.
Having learned to share with others, the girl couldn’t hold back at the sight.
“Miss! What’s wrong with your clothes?!”
“…Did you call me?”
Rin turned her head carefully to look at the bold girl. The moment their eyes met, the girl was taken aback as Rin looked as if she could be mistaken for a zombie summoned by a necromancer.
The beauty that once graced the academy had become frazzled, her shoulders slumped, and her hair was badly damaged.
Having realized it wasn’t just about the clothes, but the girl had nothing else she could do, she bravely spoke again.
“You can’t survive the winter in those clothes. I’ll give you some secretly, so choose.”
“…”
“Hurry up! Your brother will be really cold in the winter, too, right?”
“Ah…”
That wasn’t incorrect.
Daniel, wearing summer clothes, wouldn’t be able to withstand the harsh winter. Rin had hidden him in the dark recently, but she was always walking hand in hand with Daniel.
“Then, I’ll count on you.”
Rin accepted the girl’s suggestion and picked out clothes.
Thinking Daniel looked good in black, Rin matched everything from the shirt inside to the robe outside in black.
“…That’s nice.”
Having changed Daniel’s clothes, Rin smiled slightly at his much neater appearance. It was the first time she had smiled since regressing, so her lips trembled as if stiff.
The shop girl noticed that and beamed at Rin as she handed her something.
“Please wear this! It’s a couple robe!”
“A couple robe…”
“Your brother looks sick, but he needs to hang in there!”
And then, the girl quickly raced back to her stand. Rin tossed aside the robe she was wearing and carefully put on the robe given by the girl.
Identical black robes as Daniel’s.
This time, Rin wore a soft smile that melted her frozen nerves rather than an awkward smile.
But at that moment.
“Th-the apocalypse is here! Calamity has arrived!”
The frightened scream from the girl’s mother returning to the clothing store echoed. The girl had intended to boast about her good deed to her mother, but what returned was.
“I’m really sorry.”
Rin’s heartfelt apology drifted away in the fierce wind that heralded the approaching winter.
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