CHAPTER 353: RESOLUTION (6)

0% The inside of the Void Zone was like the eye of a goddamn storm.

Everything around it was unstable and chaotic, like, I wouldn’t be surprised if shit was about to collapse at any second, but the damn center was so calm that it was downright scary.

Of course, not many people could know this.

Not unless...

They were a freak who could wield two Holy Swords at once or someone who literally ascended to become a Devil.

“-You’re not half-bad, you know that?”

The Prophet said as she wiped the blood off her mouth.

We both looked like we’d been through a meat grinder after we traded blows all the way here.

Though she was familiar with my moves, as our fight dragged on, more variables popped up. Even her couldn’t smoothly dodge all my attacks like before.

Well, of course, if she was in that state...

My state was worse. Like, waaay worse.

“...I don’t wanna hear that from you.”

This woman was just bleeding from her mouth, while I had to rebuild my shattered limbs.

Now that my race had changed from human to Devil, my physical specs were already beyond human. Add in all the extra abilities I got in the ‘survival’ category, I was pretty much a half-immortal at this point.

And yet...

...This is so fucked.

I muttered inwardly, feeling my limbs slowly go numb.

Considering that I was able to regenerate even after having my upper body blown off, and yet I was still in this state, the implication should be clear.

The damage she had stacked on my body overwhelmed even my insane vitality.

Actually...

I died a few times back then, my heart quite literally stopped a few times.

Probably around 12 times

“—Alright, now that we’ve worn each other out on the way here...”

The Prophet looked around the surroundings as she said that.

All the bizarre phenomena we had experienced all the way here weren’t present in this place.

Instead, what was scattered around were...

‘Fragments’.

Remains of someone’s body were scattered all over the place.

My survival instincts kicked in as disgust flowed through my whole body.

The things lying around gave off an aura as if their very existence was meant to corrupt everything around them.

As if those things were something that should never exist in this world.

“...Hmph.”

I snorted and moved closer to observe them.

Well, ‘remains’ probably wasn’t the right word to call these things.

Because these things were too...‘alive’ to be called such...

...Like those chopped off bodies in those sci-fi life support tanks.

They really looked like they could get up and move at any moment.

“It’s your first time seeing the remains of the Devils killed by the First Hero, right?”

“...You’re talking like it’s not your first time.”

Who else in the world would have seen something like this?

Even I, a transmigrator, had never seen such a thing in the original game, even in the bad ending’s game over screen where the world was completely blown up.

“Well, I saw them once when I killed them.”

“...”

Ah, right.

She did say that she killed all the Devils in her original world.

No wonder she got such monstrous combat power.

“...Actually, I don’t think this is completely new to you either.”

Hearing that, I looked around with a bitter smile.

Yep, I got what she was trying to say.

Somehow, those scattered remains looked oddly familiar to me.

“You had a rough idea about the existence of Devils before, no?

Devils were beings that existed beyond the timeline. I’ve known that concept for a while now.

And as evident from the Prophet’s existence, it wasn’t hard to deduce the true nature of these beings.

Slowly, I raised my hand to caress the bodies in front of me.

Their eyes closed, lying motionlessly without being able to breathe.

The Devils’ remains, each emitting a colorful Demonic Aura—looked exactly like the ‘Vessels’ that housed them.

As if they took the form of the Vessels’ ‘future’ selves.

“Husband, Darling, Partner... No one would call someone they just met with such nicknames.”

Like how the Prophet came to the present timeline after paying some kind of ‘price’, I figured that beings who existed beyond the time axis could also dwell in their past selves.

“Isn’t it amazing?”

“What is?”

“The fact that beings who can observe other timelines only thought about their relationships with you and stalked you all the way here.”

“...”

I didn’t know where it all went wrong.

But her words cut through the core of everything surrounding me.

Befitting those who ‘existed’ beyond the time axis and world lines, able to remember and observe everything.

Even after counting out Gray who could turn back time, their obsession towards me stretched to every single timeline they could interfere with.

Such situations repeated countless times, as if it was a law.

As if that kind of nature was engraved on my ‘soul’.

To the point that those possessed by Devils fall for me at first sight.

“But, the chancellor once told me that there were others with such qualities besides me.”

“Ah, that’s bullshit.”

“...What?”

“Those are all people born with your soul. Your ‘soul’ just happened to enter their bodies.”

“...”

No, wait, that was actually fucking terrifying, wasn’t it?

That meant they tracked me down and stalked me to the depths of hell, keeping track of my reincarnations and all that shit?

But then, why...

“...If that’s the case, why those two...”

“What?”

“Why did Red and Brown hate me so much?”

The Red Devil was closer to being indifferent to me, but Brown clearly hated my guts. She was dead set about killing me, no?

“What? You really didn’t know?

“...Why are you staring at me like I’m an idiot for not knowing?”

“Brown was just pissed that everyone but her was fucking you. They say people tend to become hostile toward those they’re convinced they can never be romantically involved with, you know?”

“...”

“Just think about it. How else could you subdue a damn Devil just by fucking them? What? Did you really think that you’re the king of the bedroom or something?”

“...”

Actually, I did. Kinda.

“Trust me, you’re not that good.”

“...”

“You never beat me in bed even once when we got old—”

“-Let’s stop talking about that, shall we?”

The damage would be twice as hurtful if I were to hear that from someone who claimed that she gave birth to my kids.

As I let out those words in half a groan, the Prophet cackled.

“Alright, what about Red then?”

“Couldn’t you tell right away from the way she treated you?”

“...What?”

“Even during the Crimson Night Incident, she could have burned you to death with her Authority anytime she wanted, but she just stood by.”

“...”

“That gloomy bitch was secretly looking out for you here and there while pretending not to. There’s a reason why she immediately melted when you gave her a single kiss.”

“...”

“While yes, you’re great and all, but if the Devils’ hearts weren’t completely captured by you, you would’ve died hundreds more times before you even got to this point. Now, do you get it?”

“...”

I got it, I got it, jeez!

You really didn’t need to stab that fact into my chest repeatedly to drive that point home!

“—Of course, now that you’ve ascended into a Devil, things might be a bit different.”

The Prophet continued with a smirk.

“Anyway, I still can’t believe the shit that you said earlier. You know, the thing about how there’s a way to make the Devils non-threatening.”

“I was just telling you the truth.”

Alright, time to recap.

My goal was to make it so that the Devil-related beings could live ‘with me’ without problems.

To be more specific, I was talking about the Vessels carrying the Fragments and the Devils ‘themselves’.

“Hey, Iliya.”

“...I’m not used to being called by that name.”

She replied in a somewhat fierce voice, but...

I ignored her reaction and continued.

“You are the future Iliya, no? I’m just calling you by your name.”

“...”

“Anyway, I got the hint from your world too.”

“...What are you getting at?”

“The reason why problems arise is because the Fragments and the Vessels are combined.”

“...What?”

“You see, when you stick a Fragment into the...’main body’ like this...interesting things happen.”

The Fallen’s Seal glowed.

At the same time, the various Demonic Aura I’ve collected rose from it like a mirage.

“...What are you trying to do?”

“Speaking of preferences, I happen to like rice bowls1.”

“...Huh?”

“Just think about it, a woman from the current time and a woman from the future exist on the same timeline. That would be two different flavors combined.”

Well, she probably wouldn’t understand what the hell I was saying at all.

But, she knew that I was spewing up some crazy shit again, it was clear from the way she was staring at me.

FOOTNOTES

1. Kinda a slang for threesome, but for more specific things like Shimaidon (threesome with two sister) or Oyakodon (mother and daughter), and so on. The 'don' here means 'donburi' which is japanese for 'rice bowl'.