CHAPTER 509: IF STORY - A WORLD WHERE ONLY THE HERO AND THE DEMON KING REMAIN (1)

0% -— I... I want to see you again... Frey...

“...Seems we don’t need to see further than this.”

The Magic Tower Master, watching Serena kneeling on the ground through a hazy screen, spoke in a cold voice.

“Still, the gods certainly have a twisted sense of humor. No external forces interfered back then, yet they had already predetermined such a fate.”

“...It was nothing more than a discarded possibility.”

“But one that remained in some form in this world.”

The World’s Laws, taking the shape of Glare, stated as much, but the Magic Tower Master paid no heed, continuing her speech.

“And, in the end, it manifested and granted me victory.”

With a glimmer in her eyes, she took a step forward.

“In that world, though the Demon King was slain, the Hero, Frey, also met a tragic death.”

Behind her, the massive screen displayed Frey’s grave, left buried on the battlefield without even a proper headstone.

“Furthermore, his fiancée lost her sanity.”

The screen shifted, showing Serena holding Frey’s letter, endlessly shedding tears.

“And the princess... lost her light.”

The image changed again to Clana, lying motionless on her bed, as if dead.

“The number of tragedies that followed... too many to count.”

Following that, the screen revealed Kania’s body and the servants, burned instead of being buried beside Frey.

Then, it showed Aria, clutching a newspaper, sobbing uncontrollably.

“With that, our wager has come to an end.”

Sensing the divine power surging within her, the Magic Tower Master snapped her fingers at the screen before her.

“It’s time to uphold your promise, oh Laws of the World.”

As the world before her vanished in an instant, she realized that she had now been granted the authority to govern the world.

“Now, nothing will interfere with my plan—“

—Crackle...!

“...!?”

She had stepped forward confidently, but for some reason, she found herself unable to proceed beyond a third of the distance to where Glare stood.

“You’re being too hasty.”

“...What do you mean?”

Realizing that the authority she had gained was incomplete, unable to fully seize control of the world, the Magic Tower Master narrowed her eyes.

“The wager was simple. If the story ended in happiness, you would win. If it ended in tragedy, I would.”

“It seems you’ve misunderstood something.”

With a soothing smile, as if to placate the now-icy expression of the Magic Tower Master, the World’s Laws made a small gesture in the air.

—Srrrk...

“Two more worlds remain.”

Before them, two more projections emerged.

“If you truly wish to become complete, you must win two more wagers.”

“...For a transcendent being, you’re quite petty.”

“When it comes to protecting the world, there’s no room for fairness.”

“...Hah.”

Realizing she still had two more hurdles to overcome, the Magic Tower Master furrowed her brows and sighed.

“In the end, all of them are destined for tragedy.”

Then, as if unable to contain her irritation, she raised her voice.

“That’s why these fates were discarded in the first place. Changing them is impossible. Do you think I don’t know that?”

“...”

“Why stall for time when defeat is inevitable?”

Her sharp question hung in the air, met only with silent contemplation from the Laws of the World.

“...Well, it doesn’t matter.”

Shaking her head, the Magic Tower Master scoffed and turned her gaze forward.

“After all, nothing will change.”

As the second story began to unfold before her eyes.

“...”

She failed to notice that the first world she thought erased had, in fact, remained—shrunk but still lingering.

.

.

.

.

.

The sun, the moon, even the stars were absent.

It was a day where no one could tell what time it was.

“...Mmm.”

Slowly rising from her seat, Ruby furrowed her brows, pressing a hand against her chest.

“It seems I dozed off for a moment.”

In a rare moment of slumber, she had dreamt of the Hero’s sword piercing her heart.

“...”

Normally, she would have dismissed it as a meaningless nightmare.

But today, it felt different.

It felt as if she had truly been there, as if she had experienced it firsthand.

The sensation of a blade plunging into her back, the Hero’s sword running through her heart—so vivid, so real.

“How peculiar.”

Throughout her life, the times she had experienced “pain” could be counted on one hand.

And yet, she had felt it in a dream.

Pain she had never known before.

“Could it be that fool’s last trick?”

With a momentary flicker of doubt, Ruby muttered to herself, then let out a soft chuckle.

“No... That would be absurd.”

Her gaze shifted toward the window, where the once-great capital of the Empire was now engulfed in crimson flames.

“...Everything is already over.”

Gazing at the sight with satisfaction, she brushed off the lingering feeling and began to walk.

“Well then, I suppose it’s time for my daily visit.”

Behind her, the ruined throne stood in utter desolation.

.

.

.

.

.

“Hm-hm-hmm~♪”

Walking down the cracked hallway, she hummed a tune to herself.

She recalled how fierce the battle here had been.

—Princess!! Get behind me!!

—Damn it...! Is the teleportation spell not ready yet!?

The terrified faces of the soldiers who had desperately tried to protect that princess were still fresh in her mind.

“Not that it mattered in the end.”

The palace lay in ruins, its corridors still soaked in blood—a testament to the Empire’s downfall at her hands.

The outcome had been obvious from the start.

The disorganized Imperial forces could never hope to withstand her elite army.

And there had been no one in the world capable of stopping her.

No one... except for him.

“Still, that one put up a decent fight.”

The only existence in the world who could stand against her.

The Hero.

In their final battle, he had fought with everything he had.

And for the first time, she had sustained real injuries.

—“Kh... How amusing...!

—Why... why won’t you die?

But in the end.

—Why...!!!

—Crackle...!

“Ugh...”

The Hero failed to defeat her.

He was strong.

But he lacked the decisive power to finish her off.

—Why... why...

—You should’ve protected the princess more.

“...!”

Had the Princess not lost herself to bloodlust on the night of her engagement, had she not awakened as the Monarch of Blood...

Perhaps, the story would have ended differently.

But that was nothing more than a hypothetical.

Everything had already concluded.

“...What a wonderful scent.”

The acrid smell of burning filled the air, seeping through the broken windows, drawing a satisfied smile from her lips.

“Heh.”

Before she knew it, she had arrived.

“I can’t wait to show you this world.”

The iron doors before her shimmered with layers of magic and enchantments.

No one but her could enter.

And no one inside could ever leave.

Within that room resided the one she had been waiting to visit.

“Frey Raon Starlight.”

The Hero of the Stars.

A being of pure goodness.

The Embodiment of Absolute righteousness.

Unblemished by any corruption.

—Creeeak...

As the doors, sealed for over a year, creaked open, a lone figure bound in chains, suspended against the wall, came into view.

“...D-Demon King.”

Once noble and radiant, his form had withered after a year of solitude in total darkness.

“Demon King!!!”

Yet, just as she had expected, those beautiful eyes of his...

Still burned with defiance.

“Hero.”

“RAAAAAAGH!!!”

And that made her so very happy.

For a moment, she had feared the darkness might have consumed his light.

But no.

Just as she had hoped, he was still here.

Still resisting.

Still hers.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

How exquisite would it be...

To finally break him?

“I’ll kill you!!!”

“Fufu...”

Oh, how delicious his despair would be.

.

.

.

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— Step, step...

“RAAAAAAGH!!!”

As Ruby entered the room, Frey let out a beastly scream, thrashing violently in his shackle.

“I swear... I’ll kill...!!!”

— Crack!

“...Kh!?”

But his desperate cries were silenced by Ruby’s fist slamming into his stomach.

“Ugh...”

His breath caught, his face drained of color, and moments later, he coughed up blood.

“...How long?”

Ruby lovingly wiped the blood from his lips, her eyes filled with twisted adoration. Frey, however, spoke through clenched teeth, his voice filled with hatred.

“How long has it been?”

“...Who knows?”

“ANSWER ME!!!”

As he screamed and writhed against his chains, Ruby simply smirked and whispered softly.

“That doesn’t matter, Frey.”

“...Hrk!?”

“Because everything is already over.”

Then, with an eerily affectionate motion, she ran her tongue over the blood left on his lips.

“...You’re wrong. This isn’t over yet.”

His face contorted in revulsion, Frey stared at her with pure disgust and spat out his defiant words.

“I don’t know how much time has passed, but by now—“

“The princess who obtained the power of the ancients is coming to kill me?”

“...!”

Before he could finish, Ruby cut him off, her smile widening. Frey froze, his eyes widening in shock.

“Y-You... How do you know that?”

“I’m sorry, but that won’t be happening.”

With a firm voice, Ruby reached into her robe and pulled out a familiar blood-soaked crystal orb.

“...Ah.”

And then, the wall behind her shimmered, revealing a horrifying scene.

“The princess is already dead by my hands. Her heart has been offered as a sacrifice.”

“...”

“As expected of the imperial princess’s heart. It only took a few seconds before the entire Empire was engulfed in flames.”

Clana’s lifeless body lay motionless, her chest hollow where her heart had been.

Kania, who had fought to reach the palace where Frey was imprisoned, ultimately lost control and was swallowed by darkness.

Irina, who resisted until the very end, was effortlessly crushed in Ruby’s grasp.

Ferloche, who had been praying in terror with a noose around her neck, struggled desperately for minutes before finally falling still.

And—

“Se... Serena!”

“Ugh...”

The last memory of Serena, who had thrown herself in front of Frey to block the curse aimed at him in the final battle.

“This... This is fake. This can’t be real—“

“It’s the same record crystal the princess used, isn’t it?”

“A—Ah...”

“This crystal is special, it’s imbued with divine power to prevent any kind of tampering. I am no exception to that rule.”

As the crystal played the image of the Empire burning, Frey, trembling, turned to face Ruby in disbelief.

“Did you know?”

Ruby took a step closer, wrapping her arms around him in a tight embrace.

“I just finished slaughtering all of my servants.”

“...No way.”

Then, the words Frey feared most left her lips.

“You must understand by now.”

“No...”

“The only ‘living beings’ left in this world are...”

“...Stop.”

“Just the two of us.”

The light in Frey’s eyes began to fade rapidly.

“Just us, the last two intelligent beings in existence.”

“Stop...”

“I love you, Hero.”

Like a bashful girl, Ruby placed a gentle kiss on his lips.

“In this beautiful paradise, let’s live happily together.”

“It’s... It’s all a lie... This is all a lie...”

“Without anyone to get in our way. Forever. And ever”

Holding his limp, unresponsive hand in hers, Ruby smiled blissfully, resting her head against his chest.

— Throb...!

“...!?”

Then, for the first time in her life, Ruby felt a pain she had never known before—an unbearable headache.

“...What?”

And at that very moment—

Unfamiliar memories began flooding into her mind.