Chapter: 210
“Ugh…”
Iris’s head throbbed and spun like she’d just been swept away by a massive wave. She managed to clutch her head and get her body upright from where she lay on the floor. When she opened her eyes, she found herself in an endlessly vast, pure white space.
“Where is this…?”
Slowly getting to her feet, she looked around. The sky and the ground were blindingly white, creating an endless sea of whiteness.
There was no sound around her. Just a silent void filled with tranquility. The air was fresh and clean, wrapping her in a clear, invigorating energy with every breath she took.
Clack.
“…!”
Startled by the sudden sound of footsteps, Iris spun around. Standing in the space that had been empty just moments ago was a strange woman.
Iris momentarily lost herself in the woman’s beauty.
Her long, dark hair flowed smoothly like silk against the night sky, shimmering gracefully like waves. The black eyes, holding wisdom beyond human comprehension, were enchanting.
With a sharp yet soft expression, she appeared both regal and gentle.
Her skin was as pale and translucent as moonlight, contrasting beautifully with her dark hair and creating an aura of mystery. Her face was so stunning it evoked an almost religious awe.
Though she wore a dress similar to that of a maid adorned with lace, the elegance and nobility of her presence made it feel more like a knight’s uniform than anything else.
With such celestial beauty, the woman was staring at something other than Iris.
Without realizing it, Iris turned her gaze to where the woman was looking.
‘…! Noah! Jess!’
At the end of her line of sight were Noah and Jess, frozen in shock. Like Iris, they appeared slightly dazed by the woman’s beauty.
Clack.
Before Iris could even move her stiff body, the sound of footsteps echoed again.
One step.
The black-haired woman took just one step forward, but she vanished from Iris’s view.
“Maybe… it’s better to erase them?”
“…!”
“…!”
When she reappeared, it was right behind the stiffened Noah and Jess. She barged between the two of them, tilting her head curiously at the distance of about a meter.
Despite her breathtaking beauty, the words that flowed from her lips were chilling.
The three of them wanted to say something, but their throats felt clogged, and no words came out.
“I don’t like being hated, but… I’m jealous.”
She murmured incomprehensible words to herself and stepped forward once more.
Clack.
Despite staring wide-eyed at the woman, they lost her presence again. The three trembled in fright, frozen as if their bodies were glued to the floor.
It wasn’t that they were overwhelmed by the oppressive presence or that their bodies had truly stiffened, yet they couldn’t move.
‘I won’t let myself be powerless like before!’
The helpless past, when she could only watch Lian sacrifice himself, flashed before Noah’s eyes. She bit her lips so hard she could taste blood, barely able to take a breath.
With a disturbing feeling as her skin broke, the metallic scent of blood assaulted her nostrils. The dizzying pain made it hard to move. When she forced herself to try, her entire body shook uncontrollably.
Even so, Noah didn’t give up; she concentrated all her mental energy to move her frozen body. Not just her, but Iris and Jess also struggled to push their stiff bodies into action.
Maybe their efforts reached the heavens, because they could finally move a little. Even so, it was akin to a sluggish worm crawling, but at least they could stammer out a few words.
“Who… are you? Lian… is…”
Noah bit her frozen tongue several times before managing to spit out a few words. Then, the woman, who had been flickering like a mirage, appeared right before Noah with a clack!
She looked into Noah’s eyes. The woman’s gaze was inhuman, containing the vastness of the universe. Not wanting to discover something forbidden, a dizzying fear flooded Noah, yet knowing the greater despair, she didn’t dare look away, beads of cold sweat dripping down her face.
The sudden staring contest didn’t last long before the woman smiled and ended it.
“How annoying.”
Her voice, flowing gently between her charitable smile, held a sinister meaning.
In an instant, she reached out her hand toward Noah. Her long fingers seemed to plunge directly into Noah’s heart.
Noah couldn’t stop the approaching hand due to her vague words. Just as her hand threatened to pierce Noah’s chest, it froze mid-air.
At that moment, Noah thought she had spared her life as the woman’s hand halted. As if to contradict Noah’s thoughts, the woman furrowed her brow and applied more force to her hand.
Even though her arm trembled with effort, her hand could not reach Noah. She realized that some unseen force was protecting her.
Fizz, crackle!
“…!”
As she exerted herself beyond her limits, a transparent barrier that had been invisible began to shimmer and appeared. A blue shimmer enveloped Noah’s entire body.
“Hmm.”
Once the barrier fully materialized, she withdrew her hand. Then, she tapped the barrier with her fingertip.
The goddess of comedy mused with a pout.
‘Not liking this.’
Though she had only lightly pushed, she was a goddess of great stature. Just as a human foot would spell disaster for an ant, even her lightest attack could spell catastrophe for a human.
Yet the barrier holding up against such catastrophe radiated a familiar energy. It was the “power” of Lian, the profound potential she discovered in a crumbling world.
‘Had I known things would twist like this, I wouldn’t have kept him near the hero.’
With an internal click of her tongue, she retracted her hand reaching out toward Noah and slowly turned to approach Iris this time.
She peered into Iris’s golden eyes, recalling the form she had molded herself.
The body known as ‘Lian,’ crafted from her hair, blood, and tears, was special. More noble than any hero, it was capable of holding souls unlike any other.
Even if the soul inside held ‘divine qualities,’ her creation would not yield even to gold.
Reaching out her hand toward Iris, who trembled and struggled to move, she stroked Iris’s white hair behind her ear.
A chill ran through Iris as the beautifully impossibly delicate hand brushed against her skin, causing her heart to lurch.
It felt as if death was looming right in front of her, suffocating her.
‘Hmm… I didn’t expect to find a human with a similar hue. Wasn’t it better to have silver eyes instead of golden ones?’
As she softly brushed Iris’s eyelids, which bore a striking resemblance to Lian’s, her thoughts continued.
‘No, golden eyes suit Lian best. Instead of changing his eye color—…’
With an enchanting smile, she delicately stroked Iris’s trembling eyelashes.
‘Why not just pluck this one’s eyes out?’
Just as she felt murderous intent, the invisible barrier pushed against her fingers, causing her hand to retreat. Staring again at the trembling Iris’s eyes, she then shifted her gaze toward Jess.
Without needing a separate threat, she could clearly feel Lian’s power surrounding Jess.
“Why on earth did I end up loving these things?”
She furrowed her brow in confusion, crossing her arms.
“Sigh… If I had known this would happen, I shouldn’t have sent him out.”
She murmured in a tone filled with regret, resembling a parent upset by their child hurting themselves at school.
The three of them, including Iris, couldn’t comprehend her words. But if Lian were there, he would’ve been left speechless at the absurdity of it all.
Because it was all part of her plan—the very reason Lian had ended up living in the world of comedy, transitioning to the dark fantasy world, and the reason he’d found himself embodied as the ‘villain’.
To be continued…
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