Chapter: 566
As the Lord of Darkness revealed himself on the land, all darkness in the world flocked to his side.
The stormy clouds that shunned the sun. The shadows lurking beneath the trees. The unrest dwelling in the hearts of the corrupted fairies. All those darkness gathered in one spot, creating an abyss.
The moment I looked at it, it felt like I would be pulled into something blacker than black. And from within, a man appeared.
Is that… the Evil God of Darkness?
The man’s appearance, devoid of any distinctive features, seemed ordinary, yet the overwhelming presence emanating from him was anything but.
Just by being there, he asserted the difference in their existence, proving why he was called a god.
“The world is still bright enough to make me want to vomit.”
As the man frowned at the sun revealed through the parting darkness, he raised his hand, but nothing happened in the world.
It was Joy’s addition to the magic circle that was taking effect.
…Ha.
Hahaha!
Yeah. No matter how you look at it, that god is just a pathetic loser to me! Even if he’s released from his seal, that doesn’t change the fact he’s sloppy.
“Are you messing around?”
The man, leisurely tapping his chin with his finger, nodded and reached his hand back to the sky.
Then the world was painted black. A complete night with no clouds, no stars, and no moon settled over everything.
“Now this is a bit more to my liking.”
Mad.
What the heck is that?
*
Seizing the opportunity while the man was nodding in satisfaction, a massive swarm of fairies, like the grasshoppers swallowing autumn, charged at him. But—
“Oops.”
Their charge meant to consume the world was swallowed by the man’s relaxed voice and vanished into darkness. That was the end of it.
The fairies engulfed by darkness literally disappeared.
“It’s been a while. It seems you’ve grown even closer to darkness during this time, and I’m glad.”
“I’m also delighted to see you. If I can acquire your authority, I could sleep forever.”
“Haha! I like that you’re not pure darkness, but let’s save that for later. I have prior engagements.”
Turning his back on the Fairy Queen charging at him, the man snapped his fingers, making the Fairy Queen’s figure sink into darkness as well.
“Nice to meet you. Is this the first time seeing me in person?”
The man stopped walking right in front of a girl.
Far from the darkness more than anyone here. A being radiating light, staying beside her friends. Even while desperately trying to control her trembling hands, she showed only confidence on her face.
“First time wanting to? ♡ It seems you’re bothered by getting scuffed up by a kid like me? ♡”
“Of course. I can’t ignore such pain; it too is a part of darkness.”
“Are you pretending to be generous because you think you can’t win a battle of words? ♡ Pfft ♡ That’s even more pathetic! ♡”
The girl, having a breathtaking appearance reminiscent of a goddess, felt fear yet did not retreat.
She had always been like this.
Even when she faced the man’s apostle.
Even when confronted with flames that burned everything.
Even when standing against the madman trying to roll the world back into a ball.
The girl always stood at the front, shining bright.
She proved why the Lord Jushin loved her.
Even now, she was shining, proving herself again.
The brilliance was so bright that the man couldn’t even notice the many thugs lurking around her.
All he could see was the light, forcing all his attention solely on her.
“Do you think you can stop me?”
Seeing her directly only fueled his greed.
He wanted to dye this light in black.
He longed to drag this child, who desperately tried to remain light, into the abyss.
“Do you think a fragment created by Erginius could oppress a god?”
What kind of face would this girl make when the plan she believed in crumbled?
“Do you believe you can protect your precious things from me?”
What face would she show when she lost those she wanted to protect?
“Do you think what you believe in won’t change?”
What expression would she wear when those she trusted without a doubt wielded their swords against her?
“Do you think the useless god you believe in could save you from the darkness?”
When she screams in pain. When she hopes for salvation amidst despair. When she realizes she has been forsaken by the god at the end of it all. How delicious would that empty laugh be then?
“Let’s conduct an experiment.”
As soon as the man finished speaking, he stepped back into the darkness, leaving only Lucy and her companions behind in the world.
*
‘How on earth did she defeat something like that?!’
Even the Fairy Queen felt impossibly strong, yet that monster subdued her in an instant! Is that correct!? No matter how much of a god he is, isn’t that going too far?!
[Calm down and raise your divinity! See reality!]
‘I’m watching!’
I stepped back and scanned my surroundings.
Breathing was laborious.
I was desperately emitting divinity like never before, yet the surrounding air remained heavy.
Moving my body was hard.
The surrounding darkness, clearly something without substance, strangely clung to me and obstructed my movement.
Voices around me were muffled. Everyone was desperately shouting something, yet the voices that reached my ears were strangely unintelligible.
Everything. Every sense. Everything that exists within me. None of it functioned properly, entangled in darkness.
“Child of Soladin. The one who has lost everything.”
Among all this, only one thing was clear. The voice of darkness.
“Did you think that by playing the friendship game, you could soothe your inadequacies?”
“Is that how you speak, ugly god? ♡ Is this how you comfort yourself? ♡”
I desperately yelled, infusing my voice with divinity, but it didn’t reach beyond the darkness.
“What’s lost will not return, and your delusions will never fade. What you’re doing is not overcoming, it is avoiding.”
However, the voice from the darkness was different. The voice engraved in the darkness seeped into people’s ears as if it were a matter of course, clinging to their hearts.
Amidst all the barely audible sounds, a trembling voice denying reality could be heard and eventually hushed.
“Did you scorn a kid like me?! ♡”
“Child who does not know emotions. Do you truly believe what is engraved in your head is heart? Is it truly feeling? Is it not merely a desire to believe it?”
The incessant movements beside me suddenly halted. The silence was as cold as the eyes that peeked through the darkness.
“Puhaha ♡ Coward! ♡ Being stuck in the ground your whole life, running away is all you can do?! ♡”
“Made-up symbol. Do you think your firm faith is a true belief? It’s merely clinging on, isn’t it? Even like this, your life loses all meaning, yet you’re pretending to believe?”
The warmth of divinity that had been flowing from behind faded, and darkness took its place.
“Look at me! ♡”
“Knight, do you truly serve your master with all you have? Or do you see me merely as a tool to achieve your dreams?”
The knight’s faint presence that had existed before me vanished into darkness.
“Look at me, you perverted bastard!”
From the place where everything disappeared, the man reappeared. Taunting with a grin, he approached me and effortlessly caught the mace I swung, meeting my gaze.
“Child loved by the god.”
This guy. He just subdued my friends and came to me. To hand me despair.
“Do you truly believe the god loves you? Have you ever considered that you are seen as a mere tool?”
But thinking that seems strange. There’s still one person left. Joy. Erginius’ disciple. The one he should be most wary of.
“Think about it. Where is the person who truly cherishes you that pushes you into the abyss?”
He can’t see it. He’s unable to dispel the magic created by Erginius. This is proof that the magic of the great wizard, who has maintained sympathy for centuries, is not wrong.
“That person sees you as a tool. If you vanish, they’ll just look for another tool.”
Then there’s a way. When I take a step back without replying, the man’s smile turns crescent.
“Do you think you can escape?”
The surroundings are dark, senses are blurry, and nothing is in order, but that doesn’t matter. Experience can supplement senses, after all.
“It’s cute how you’re jumping around.”
Think. Picture it. Draw where what you’re looking for is. Find what you desire within the map you’ve drawn in your head!
“I don’t want to play like that.”
As I desperately moved, my body was blocked by darkness, and the man emerged from within it.
I was about to recoil in horror but forcefully took a step forward. I slipped between the man’s legs and pushed forward.
“Let’s see if your scream reaches the skies. If that person truly cherishes you, wouldn’t they desperately try to save you?”
As his hand reached my wrist, a crack rang through my nerves, bringing pain flooding in.
Pain filled my head. The signals from my brain urging me to scream couldn’t even move due to the intensity of it.
Gack. Cough. Grrk.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Humans can’t even scream when it hurts too much, can they? I had forgotten.”
The man spoke with a smile, pressing down harder with his fingers. Instantly, they pierced through my skin as easily as digging through sand.
“Gurk. Gahh!”
“Now, it’s starting to sound nice. Shall I play a tune loud enough for the heavens to hear?”
The man’s humming mixed with my screams.
The blood oozing from the fingers digging into my flesh turned into a squelchy, disgusting sound.
I thrashed around in agony, but his hand wouldn’t leave me.
In fact, my struggle only increased the pain.
Even if I realized it, I couldn’t stop thrashing.
My body had already slipped free from control.
“Is this enough?”
The moment he lifted his hand from my arm, my body staggered forward.
Blood from my lips mixed with saliva and dripped onto the floor, while fresh tears blurred my vision, and my ragged breathing trembled through my whole body. In the midst of it all, a rough hand gripped my neck and lifted me up.
The man, grinning, spread his hand wide and spoke.
“See? Even if you scream desperately, salvation does not come.”
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I did wrong. Please save me. I’m sorry.”
“Hmm? You’re already broken? No way. Ahh, a strange curse has been placed on you. Tsk. Who would cast such a curse? Someone without aesthetics, it seems.”
The moment the man placed his finger on my forehead, the dread that filled my head dissipated, and reason returned.
Thanks to that, I could see my distorted reflection in his black eyes.
“Answer me. Do you still believe in your god? Do you think that person will give you salvation? Do you believe they will come to help you?”
“…No. I don’t need that guy.”
“Oh?”
“That sloppy god will just run away as soon as he shows up! ♡ That would be troublesome! ♡ You have to crawl under my feet! ♡”
As my lips curled up in the reflection of his eyes, the man’s gaze turned fierce. His attention was solely on me.
“Very well. I see you wish to sing more, so I—Huh?”
The man, caught by my provocation, noticed the magic circle on the ground activating.
“*Sloppy♡”
My ruined face must have been alluring enough, huh?
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.