2nd Phase – 2
From the maw of the Creature that Devours the World, an unusual light began to gather instead of the usual obsidian breath. The crimson light coalescing in its mouth painted the world in a scarlet hue.
With its head bowed, it gathered energy. It was a motion I had obviously seen in-game before.
‘Laser pattern.’
As soon as I finalized my next action, the maw split open wide, and a blood-red beam erupted forth. A grand explosion occurred along the path the laser sliced through.
But the explosions didn’t stop there. The crimson beam twisted and turned along its writhing head, scratching and scarring in all directions. The surroundings were completely drenched in a fiery sea of red light and flames.
Rolling into a space where the laser wouldn’t reach, I glanced back. The entire boss room had effectively turned into a hit confirmation zone, and there was no way the women huddled near Eclipse would be exempt from that.
Eclipse intercepted the blood-red beam heading their way. The laser couldn’t pierce through the golden veil and instead refracted upward. A pillar of red light shot up into the sky.
As the Creature that Devours the World turned its head, Eclipse also lowered her golden veil. Just that moment was enough for her to visibly strain, her chest wrapped in rags heaving up and down sharply.
“Delta! Still not done?!”
I shook my head slightly at Lize’s cry. All sorts of eyes were watching me, restless and anxious.
It felt like they all were eager to help, but whenever I tried to halt them, they ended up paralyzed, unable to act in any direction.
The panic they had shown when they first witnessed me dying and resurrecting in every way imaginable was nowhere to be found. It had been quite a while since we began fighting the Creature that Devours the World.
‘I can’t help it. Charging in together is too dangerous.’
In fact, when the suggestion to help came up initially, I had accepted it too. I thought that if we all attacked together, we could finish it quicker. After all, there should be at least ten people who could use the True Death right away.
But that was a disaster.
The fake essence of the Creature that Devours the World dispelled all the incoming True Deaths, and the complexities turned chaotic enough for Kaiquilia and Nix to get seriously hurt.
As long as there was no way to dispel its fake essence, charging in together would be suicide. I might resurrect even if I died, but the others couldn’t.
We’ve come this far, and with just one more step left, I couldn’t let anyone die to a blind attack.
– Kwaaaang!
The Creature that Devours the World, having finished its laser show, clapped its feet together and bowed its head to the ground. It had already been in an area where the laser wouldn’t reach, so we were quite close.
I slammed my fist into its maw with all my force. The sound echoed like a thud as scales met fist. It probably didn’t take significant damage; at most, it’d register as something bumping against it.
However, the mental shock would be far beyond that.
‘Downward Strike Triad.’
Exactly the same anticipated attack followed.
It took a step forward, raising its right foot to smash the ground, then the left, and finally brought down its right foot hard in my direction.
Realizing that its recent actions matched that of the boss from Brightest Darkness 4, it emitted a furious thought.
– What have you done to me… human…!
“I know. You moved just like the final boss of Brightest Darkness 4 in your head, right? You can’t comprehend the situation mentally, but it feels like your body is moving on its own? I can imagine what that feels like.”
When I first fought here in the prison, that’s exactly how it was. My mind was in a daze, frozen while my body rolled and dodged effortlessly.
“I’ll let you in on a little secret. I’m not just battling the terrifying entity that’s devoured all of the goddess’s world and is left with only one left. I’m fighting the ‘Creature that Devours the World,’ the boss from Brightest Darkness 4. Does that help you comprehend the situation a bit now?”
– No…! That can’t be…! To be controlled by a mere human…! This is impossible…!
It soared into the sky, wildly emitting its thoughts.
It wasn’t actually controlled; it was just the laws of the world flowing this way. Accurate explanations would be useless to either it or me, so I decided to let it slide.
Naturally, that was also included in the patterns of Brightest Darkness 4, so I felt no shock. I watched the Creature that Devours the World unleash its breath upon the ground and moved to a safe distance, shouting at Eclipse.
“Goddess! Over here!”
Eclipse teleported with all the people around her in the direction I pointed. Just moments ago, the area where Eclipse had stood was swept by the obsidian breath.
I dashed to where the goddess had arrived—a safe zone untouched by the breath. As I finally got the chance to see her face properly, the women rushed in, surrounding me.
“Delta! You’re alive! That thing must have been lying, right?”
“I’m glad you’re alive, Delta. Truly glad.”
“I’m really happy to see you alive, Delta-san. I mean it.”
“Of course! There’s no way you could die that easily, Delta!”
“…I-I really tried hard. I fought until I could come back for you….”
“Truly late indeed. However, now that you’re back, that’s enough.”
“Hey, are you hurt? No psychological issues?”
“Holy One, it’s so good to see you….”
“I can’t express how happy I am to meet you again, Holy One.”
“Ah, Delta-san. I missed you so much.”
“Yes, Delta-san. We… we….”
“…Why did you take so long? Still, I’m glad you returned.”
The atmosphere grew noisy with the twelve voices filled with joy chattering away. The only one who remained silent was Eclipse.
Eclipse merely looked at me, silently wiping her tears.
I checked the position of the Creature that Devours the World, patiently waiting for them to express all their feelings. Given its nature, it would’ve likely mocked them throughout our fight, claiming that I had died.
I could afford to help them release the flooding anxiety and sorrow from back then now.
“…”
A little time passed. For some reason, it wasn’t a situation where we could just celebrate, so the excited voices gradually quieted. It was now my turn to speak.
“I’ll get straight to the point since we don’t have time. I’m not dead. To be precise, I died and came back to life. Just like you all have seen dozens of times here.”
I showed the immortal mark engraved on the back of my right hand. Everyone’s eyes widened in astonishment.
“You… that’s… Wait a minute. Didn’t your mission end when you saved the world last time…?”
“I thought that was the case too, but no. My real mission was to get revenge on that damn dragon.”
“….”
Eclipse’s expression went blank. It seemed she recalled the words I had spoken when I returned to my original world.
I confirmed that the Creature that Devours the World was staggering and coming down again after burning the ground underneath it and continued talking.
“I’ll take care of that. You all keep an eye out on it so that it doesn’t cause any trouble in the world we live in.”
“Surveillance, you say?”
“Do you remember that damn blue train? It did petty things just to irritate Eclipse, and we don’t know what it’ll do when things turn against it. So I’m saying this.”
The Creature that Devours the World began to move again. There was no time left for talking.
I naturally pushed aside Floretta and Luna and Kaiquilia, rushing toward the creature. I felt worried gazes from all around me.
“Don’t worry. There’s nothing to fret about. As long as I carry the immortal mission on my shoulders, I won’t die. Right, Eclipse?”
Eclipse, hands clasped in front of her chest, nodded. With the goddess affirming it, the tense expressions of the others eased a little.
As I walked forward, I suddenly realized something.
‘…Come to think of it, I didn’t just use informal speech with the goddess, did I?’
It slipped out so naturally that I hadn’t even noticed I was using casual speech.
– Did you know this much, human…?
I faced the Creature that Devours the World. It seemed to have realized that its action of defying the laws of the world was also in the memories of Brightest Darkness 4, as its thoughts were filled with intense displeasure.
“Did you just realize after using your breath that it was already too late? Haven’t you got a bit slow on the uptake?”
It curled its lips, readying its next move filled with anger, only to suddenly freeze in place, pausing for a moment.
It seemed to be checking if the action it was about to take matched yet again with the patterns from Brightest Darkness 4.
Its front paw, which had been slightly lifted, touched back down to the ground.
– Then I understand….
Its eyes turned an even deeper shade of crimson. A roar mixed with draconic language erupted from its mouth. The ground, already unstable, crumbled under the shockwave of its roar.
– I shall destroy the world you are meant to protect… first….
“…”
I said it just in case, but I never expected to use it this quickly. I glanced back. Eclipse, along with the other women, was already busy moving around.
Golden light masses appeared, and familiar silhouettes quickly vanished inside them. Seemed they had already divided their roles.
Finally, as Eclipse’s figure disappeared, confirming it was just the two of us left, I turned my head back. Then I smirked and said,
“Guess I stunned you a bit too much with all those punches, huh? How embarrassing to present that as a strategy, don’t you think?”
– Laugh all you want… How long do you think those humans… will last against my creations…?
“Last? You seem to be quite mistaken about that.”
I closed the distance first. The Creature that Devours the World reacted by swiping its paw at me. Its colossal claws skimmed close by. Ignoring it, I charged in closer.
That moment it realized that even that action mirrored the patterns from my memories, it hesitated for a fraction. However, it didn’t hesitate for long. Another series of actions similar to a boss battle from the game followed.
Its massive mouth chomped down next to me. The clash of teeth produced a vicious sound. But I had already moved out of its attack range.
– Kwaang!
My fist struck its left cheek. It tilted slightly, startled.
The fact that a human smaller than its own eye had hit it and caused its head to tilt clearly shocked the Creature that Devours the World. It leaped backward, its four legs pounding against the ground as it retreated.
– You…
“Why don’t you take a look around? What does it look like here right now?”
Its blood-red slit pupils scanned the surroundings. As I spoke, I noticed a low growl escaping between its maw.
Even in this moment, the words I used were growing stronger in real-time. The more my perception melded with Brightest Darkness 4, the more the laws of the world applicable to it were reinforced.
And right now, this space was transforming into the boss room of the Creature that Devours the World.
“This is all the space designed by Eclipse. So, you will die because of the work of that goddess you mocked and disrespected for being weaker than you.”
It was truly ironic. A being that was merely filled with Eclipse’s imagination and experiences had its own actions restricted by the original.
“Earlier, you asked how long I thought you’d last, right? Let me tell you beforehand, the one worried about how long you’ll last isn’t us, but you.”
I relaxed my shoulders. It was the idle state of the main character in Brightest Darkness 4 when barehanded.
“From now on, you won’t even have the luxury to create something like that anymore.”
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