Chapter: 566
As the Lord of Darkness appeared upon the earth, all the darkness in the world began to flock to him.
The dark clouds that had been avoiding the sun. The shadows lurking beneath the trees. The unease that had festered in the hearts of the corrupted fairies. All of that darkness gathered in one spot, creating an abyss.
The moment I looked, it transformed into something so black that it seemed I’d be swallowed whole. And from within that void, a man emerged.
Is that… the Evil God of Darkness?
He looked like an average guy you could find anywhere, but the oppressive aura radiating from him was anything but ordinary.
Just by standing there, he was proving why he could be called a god.
“The world remains painfully bright.”
Peering at the exposed sun, the man frowned and raised his hand, but nothing happened in the world.
Joy had instantly worked her magic circle’s effects.
…Ha.
Hahaha!
Exactly. Even if he calls himself a god, he’s just a pathetic loser to me! Just because he’s been freed from his seal doesn’t mean he’s no less of a joke!
“Trying to play some tricks, huh?”
The man, casually tapping his chin with his finger, nodded and reached skyward again.
The world turned black. There were no clouds, no stars, and no moon—just a pitch-black night had settled over everything.
“Now this suits me better.”
Crazy.
What the heck is that?
*
Taking advantage of the man’s preoccupation, a massive swarm of fairies charged at him like locusts devouring autumn crops.
“Oh dear.”
The fairies, meant to invade the world, were swallowed up by the man’s totally laid-back tone. That was the end of them.
The fairies engulfed by darkness simply vanished.
“It’s been a while. I’m glad to see you’ve grown closer to darkness.”
“I’m glad to see you too. If I could gain your power, I’d be able to dream forever.”
“Haha! Such impure darkness pleases me, but let’s save that for later. I have prior engagements.”
Turning his back on the Fairy Queen rushing toward him, the man snapped his fingers, and her figure sank into the darkness as well.
“Nice to meet you. Is this our first real encounter?”
The man’s steps halted before a little girl.
Here stood someone who was the furthest from darkness. Radiating light with her very being, she remained by her friends’ sides. Even as her trembling hands fought to maintain composure, her face radiated confidence.
“Wanna go for a first time?♡ Worried about being trampled by a brat like me?♡”
“Of course. I’m concerned. That kind of pain is still darkness, so how could I ignore it?”
“Are you pretending to be generous because you think you won’t win in a verbal sparring match?♡ How cute! That’s just more pathetic!♡”
The girl looked incredible, reminiscent of a goddess, in every way except her face. Though fear lurked, she didn’t step back.
She had always been like this.
Back when she faced his apostles.
When confronting flames that burnt everything.
When standing up to a madman who sought to rewind the world.
She always stood at the front, shining bright.
Proving why the God loves her so.
Even now, she was proving herself, radiating that light.
So bright that the man couldn’t even register the lesser beings lurking around her.
He saw only her, blinded by the light.
“Do you really think you can stop me?”
Seeing her like this only fueled his desire.
He wanted to dye that light into darkness.
He wished to pull her, this child who was desperately clinging to the light, down into the abyss.
“Do you really believe Erginus’s plans could pressure a god?”
When that plan he believed in crumbles, what face would this child make?
“Do you think you can keep your precious ones from me?”
What face would she make when she lost those she held dear?
“Do you really think what you believe in won’t change?”
When the ones she trusted without a trace of doubt wield their swords against her, how would her expression shift?
“Do you believe that the incompetent god you have faith in would save you from the darkness?”
When she screams in agony. When she hopes for salvation amidst despair. When she realizes she’s been abandoned by her god at the end of it all. How delightful would that futile laughter be?
“Let’s test it out.”
As the man finished speaking, he retreated into the darkness, leaving only Lucy and her comrades behind.
*
‘How on earth did he defeat that thing!?’
The Fairy Queen had felt unbeatable, yet that beast was subdued in an instant?! Is this for real? Even if he is a god, this is crossing the line!!
[Calm down and raise your divinity! Face reality!]
‘I’m watching!’
I stepped back, scanning the surroundings.
Breathing felt like a struggle.
I was emitting divinity more desperately than ever, yet the air felt heavy.
It was hard to move my body.
The darkness surrounding me was surely something without substance, yet it oddly clung to my body, obstructing my movements.
The voices around me were blurry. Everyone was shouting desperately, but the words that reached me were strangely hard to comprehend.
Everything. Every sense. Everything I thought existed. Was ensnared by the darkness, failing to function properly.
“You, child of Soladin. The one who’s lost everything.”
Among it all, only one thing was crystal clear. The voice of darkness.
“Do you think friendship games can heal your deficiencies?”
“The god is just babbling!♡ Is that the only trick you’ve got?♡”
Desperately infusing my voice with divinity, I yelled, but my words didn’t reach beyond the darkness.
“Lost things won’t return, and illusions never fade, so what you’ve done is not overcome but avoid.”
However, the voice of darkness disagreed. The sound embedded in the darkness slipped into the ears—a natural truth soothing the heart.
Through the indistinct noises, I heard a trembling voice denying reality, then it fell quiet.
“You’re being toyed with by a brat like me?!♡”
“Little one without emotions. Do you truly believe what’s engraved in your head is a heart? Is it really your heart? Or do you just want to believe it’s so?”
The restless movements around me suddenly stopped. That silence was as cold as the eyes peering through the darkness.
“Ha! Coward!♡ I bet you’re stuck to the ground your whole life, all you know is running away!?♡”
“A mere symbol. Do you think your faith is a steadfast belief? It’s merely clinging onto it, isn’t it? And yet, pretending that it gives your life any meaning?”
The warmth of the divinity that had been flowing from behind disappeared, being replaced by darkness.
“Look at me!♡”
“Knight. Do you truly serve your master, risking everything? Or do you see yourself as a tool to achieve your dream?”
The form of the knight that had been faintly present in front of me vanished into the darkness.
“Look at me! You perv!”
From where everything had vanished, the man reappeared. Grinning smugly, he approached me, catching my mace without a care, locking eyes with me.
“Child favored by the god.”
This guy. He had first subdued my friends before coming to me. To give me despair.
“Do you truly believe the god loves you? Have you never considered being seen as a tool?”
But if I think like that, it’s strange. There’s still one person left. Joy. Erginus’s disciple. The one he should be most wary of.
“Think about it. Where would you find someone who pushes away something they cherish?”
He can’t see. He hasn’t managed to break Erginus’s magic. This is proof that the archmage’s magic, maintained for centuries, is infallible.
“That guy sees you as a tool. If you disappear, he’ll just seek out another one.”
Then there is a way out. As I took a small step back without replying, a crescent moon formed on the man’s lips.
“Do you think you can escape?”
The surroundings were dark, my senses cloudy, and nothing felt right. But who cares about that? I can make do with experience instead of senses.
“Your little jumps are cute, though.”
Think. Visualize. Imagine where what you seek might be! Find what you desire on that mental map!
“I don’t want to play that way.”
My desperate movements were blocked by darkness, and the man emerged from within.
Shocked, I tried to retreat but forced my feet forward, diving between his legs.
“Let’s see if your screams reach the heavens. If the man truly treasures you, wouldn’t he try desperately to save you?”
My wrist was in his grasp, and with a sudden squeeze, pain surged through me in a sharp snap.
Pain filled my head. The signals from my brain urging me to scream were thwarted by the intensity of the agony.
“Crack. Gack. Guh.”
“Oh dear. I’m sorry. Humans can’t scream if the pain’s too much. I had forgotten.”
As the man continued to speak with a smile, he pressed more forcefully with his fingers against my skin, piercing it as easily as digging through sand.
“Guh! Guuuh!”
“Now it sounds nice. Let’s see if we can make music that’ll reach the heavens.”
The man’s humming intermingled with my cries of anguish.
The blood seeping from the fingers piercing my skin added a squishy, gross sound to the mix.
I thrashed in pain, but his grip would not relent.
In fact, my struggles only served to escalate the suffering.
Even knowing it was futile, I couldn’t stop squirming.
My body had already slipped out of my control.
“Is this enough for you?”
As he removed his hand from my arm, my body crumpled forward.
Blood mixed with saliva from the wound on my lips dripped to the ground, and tears blurred my vision while my labored breaths resonated throughout me. In the midst of it all, a rough hand grasped my neck as I tried to crawl away.
The man, grinning ear to ear, opened his palm to speak.
“Look. No matter how desperately you cry out, no salvation will come.”
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I was wrong. Please let me live. I’m sorry.”
“Hm? You’ve already broken? No way. Ahhh. There’s an odd curse upon you. Tsk. Who put such a curse on you? Lacking an appreciation for aesthetics, I see.”
The moment his finger touched my forehead, the dread that had filled my mind dissipated, and reason returned.
Thanks to that, I was able to witness my horrifying appearance reflected in his black eyes.
“Answer me. Do you still believe in your god? Do you think he’ll grant you salvation? Do you think he’ll come to help you?”
“…No. I don’t need that loser.”
“Ho?”
“If that pathetic god showed up, you’d just patch things up and run away, wouldn’t you?♡ That’d be troublesome for you, right?♡ You have to crawl under my feet!♡”
As the corners of my lips tugged upward, the man’s expression twisted into a fierce glare. His focus sharpened on me.
“Fine. I understand. You want me to keep singing, huh…?”
The man I had provoked didn’t notice the magic circle activating beneath us.
“Pathetic!♡”
Looks like my broken face was quite the sight, huh?
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