“...”

    With tears streaming down her face, Ruby held up Frey who was about to collapse.

    “Cough, cough...”

    Frey, whose heart was pierced by his own sword, was coughing up blood in her arms.

    - Hmm.

    the Eye quietly observed them before turning its gaze to the ceiling.

    Ending the Ordeal... 5% complete

    - It seems there are many adjustments to make. Well, it has been going on for a long time.

    the Eye, looking at a window only it could see, muttered to itself before turning its attention back to the boy and girl.

    “...Ah, Ahhh.”

    Finally, Ruby’s eyes widened as she began to touch Frey’s wound.

    - Sizzle...

    As healing magic emanated from Ruby’s hands, her hands started to burn and smoke.

    “No. No...”

    But she paid no mind, focusing solely on healing Frey’s wound.

    “W-Who do you think I am? I am the Demon King. I can fix this.”

    “...”

    “J-Just hold on a bit, okay? I’ll fix it.”

    Ruby began to slowly pull the sword from Frey’s heart as she spoke.

    “...Stop.”

    “Shut up. Do you think I’m going to let you go like this?”

    “Ruby...”

    “Be quiet and stay still.”

    Frey, with a fading voice, tried to stop her, but she was relentless.

    - Fizzle...!

    “Hnnngh...”

    Finally, Ruby forcibly pulled out the sword that had pierced through Frey’s heart, threw it aside, and quickly applied healing magic to the wound.

    - Sizzle...

    “I can even regenerate a decapitated head. Of course, that’s by monster standards, but this is nothing.”

    Just as Ruby said, the gaping hole in Frey’s chest began to slowly close.

    “...Ugh.”

    After some initial healing, Ruby discovered a problem: residual stellar mana still permeated the wound.

    She chose the simplest and quickest solution—absorbing it herself.

    “Haa, haa...”

    In less than a minute, Frey’s heart was completely healed.

    “Y-You bastard... you scared me.”

    “...”

    “How dare you try to die in front of me, you shameless bastard...?”

    Ruby wiped the cold sweat from her brow. But, she noticed something and her expression began to harden.

    “Why... why?”

    It was truly strange.

    Her previously irreparable soul was gradually recovering.

    No, it seemed to be regenerating anew.

    The restored soul wasn’t in great condition, but it was undoubtedly better than her state moments ago, where she could have crumbled at the slightest touch. ?

    “...!?”

    Conversely, Frey’s soul was now deteriorating, just as hers had been.

    It was as if their soul damage had swapped places.

    “Why...?”

    Moreover, despite having perfectly healed his body, Frey was dying rapidly.

    At a clearly abnormal rate.

    “B-But, I healed the wound completely...”

    No matter how much healing magic she poured into him, there was no improvement to his condition. Ruby, now on her knees, cradled Frey in her arms, her voice trembling with tears.

    “Why is this happening...?”

    - Hahaha... hahaha...

    the Eye that had been quietly watching them started to chuckle as if finding the situation amusing.

    - Who would have thought he would defy fate in such a manner?

    “What...?”

    - Indeed, it was an unforeseen method.

    the Eye’s gaze gleamed with a sense of exhilaration.

    “You... you did something! You did something to him!!”

    Ruby screamed, her eyes wild with fury, as she glared at the Eye.

    - The co-subject of this Ordeal, Frey, sacrificed himself in your place.

    “...”

    - He is merely paying the price of that sacrifice.

    Ruby froze upon hearing those words.

    If what the Eye said was true, then Frey had taken on the damage to her soul, dying in her stead.

    “Oh...”

    If that were the case, his end was inevitable.

    As his life extinguished, his soul would shatter completely, causing Frey’s very existence to vanish.

    He would go neither to heaven nor hell.

    He would completely disappear from this world.

    “Don’t die.”

    [Ending the Ordeal... 98% complete]

    As she reviewed all these tragedies, Ruby’s face grew gaunt, her tears had dried up.

    [Ending the Ordeal... 99% complete]

    As the final moments approached, Ruby closed her eyes and hugged Frey tightly.

    - Rumble...

    At that moment, the tendrils in the room started closing in on her, and the world began to turn upside down.

    - This is the end.

    .

    .

    .

    .

    .

    - Crackle...!

    “...?”

    Ruby’s eyes flew open at that very moment.

    - Shaaaa...

    Something in her embrace was glowing brightly.

    “T-This is...”

    - Hmm?

    As Ruby, who had lost the will to live, took out the glowing object from her pocket, the Eye frowned for the second time at the unexpected turn of events.

    “...A scroll?”

    Ruby had pulled out an old, crumpled scroll.

    “Why is this glowing now...?”

    It was a scroll she had purchased a year ago from a shabby scroll shop in a back alley.

    The drunken owner had tried to rip her off by charging 1500 gold, but she had used magic to buy it.

    Despite her best attempts, even as the Demon King, she couldn’t decipher it.

    She had kept it with her, attempting to decode it out of boredom, but never understood its true nature.

    Why was it glowing now?

    - Shaaaa...!

    While she was lost in thought, the scroll in her hand began to shine even more brightly, illuminating the dark room. Ruby’s eyes widened in surprise as she looked around.

    - Shashak...!

    The Eye, not missing the opportunity, sent tendrils rapidly toward Ruby and the scroll.

    - Pow...!

    But before the tendrils could pierce them, the area around Ruby and the unconscious Frey shattered, and they disappeared.

    [Ending the Ordeal... 99%]

    Error occurred!

    Entities not detected.

    Abnormal termination.

    Troubleshooting the problem...

    Troubleshooting failed.

    The Eye, which had been watching this with an irritated gaze, soon regained its interest and looked up at the ceiling.

    The Ordeal has concluded.

    “See... I told you. The world is running on a script. Over and over again, relentlessly.”

    In front of the Eye appeared a woman with a serious expression.

    - Star God.

    “You’re not the only one who can plant a backdoor, eye demon.”

    The Star God’s voice was cold and resolute.

    The energies of the stars and chaos clashed fiercely.

    .

    .

    .

    .

    .

    - Crackle...! Crackle...!

    “Ah!?”

    After being engulfed by the light, Ruby regained her senses. When she opened her eyes, she found herself in a strange place.

    “W-where am I...?”

    “Huh?”

    Captivated for a moment by the mysterious place she had never seen before, she suddenly became alert when she sensed a presence.

    “Wh-who’s there?”

    At the same time, Ruby held the still-cooling body of Frey close, as if cradling her own child.

    “Lunar... what do we do...”

    “...”

    “Do we have to... tell the truth?”

    The Sun God, watching Ruby, whispered in a trembling voice to the Moon God beside her.

    “Identify yourself. Are you an enemy or an ally?”

    “Do we have to tell her that Frey’s soul has completely shattered?”

    Hearing this, Lunar tightly shut her eyes.

    “More importantly, help me! I don’t know where this place is, but we need to heal this boy as soon as possible! So...”

    “There’s no way... not even a wish can bring him back now...”

    “Fuck...”

    The two goddesses looked at Ruby, who was filled with hope, and the heroines in the real world, who were in a panic, with eyes full of fear.