From Trash to Demon Lord: I Can Turn Heroines Into Villainesses

Chapter 96: Tyler’s Dream [3]

Tyler slowly walked around the enormous table.

His hands trembled.

This no longer felt like a simple memory.

He could hear their voices clearly.

He could smell the aroma of the tea.

Even the board itself seemed to radiate a strange warmth.

Spread across its surface was a massive map.

Mountains.

Forests.

Deserts.

Seas.

Cities.

Everything was divided into seven distinct territories, each belonging to one of the gods.

Aurelius held small golden figures.

Solarian moved silver soldiers.

The bearded man commanded enormous beasts carved from stone.

Young Nox placed tiny dark figures across the board.

Tyler took another step.

’Relictia... They’re really playing with this world.’

Then one of the gods burst into laughter.

The enormous bearded man picked up one of his pieces.

A gigantic creature with tusks, four arms, and a body covered in spikes.

He moved it directly into young Nox’s dark territory.

The boy raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure you want to do that, Ragnar?"

The bearded man laughed again.

"Of course."

He rested both hands on the table.

"It’s fun watching my beasts fight your villains."

Nox smiled.

"That thing won’t last very long."

"You always say that."

"Because I’m always right."

The other gods laughed.

Even Astraea smiled.

Only Yamila continued staring at the board with quiet concern.

Tyler took another step.

He wanted a better look.

He wanted to understand.

Then...

He felt the board beginning to pull him in.

"What...?"

The map grew larger.

Or perhaps he was getting closer.

He couldn’t tell.

The mountains became enormous.

The forests expanded.

The cities no longer resembled game pieces.

And then...

Everything disappeared.

◇◆◇

The wind struck his face.

Tyler fell to his knees in the middle of a vast prairie.

He opened his eyes.

In front of him...

A war was raging.

A gigantic green-skinned monster roared as it smashed trees apart with its fists.

It stood over ten meters tall.

Its tusks looked like swords.

Around it, dozens of warriors fought desperately.

A man engulfed in flames struck one of its legs.

Another fired bolts of lightning from both hands.

A third warrior soared through the air propelled by the wind.

"Don’t let it advance!"

"Protect the village!"

"Now!"

The beast roared.

A single swipe of its arm sent five people flying.

Two of them never stood up again.

But no one retreated.

They kept attacking.

They kept fighting.

Tyler watched everything from only a few meters away.

He could hear bones breaking.

He could hear blood splattering onto the grass.

The monster lifted an enormous boulder.

An archer fired a glowing arrow.

The boulder exploded.

Another warrior appeared atop the creature’s back.

His sword pierced one of its eyes.

The giant roared and staggered.

Then it collapsed forward.

The ground shook.

Its massive body crushed several warriors before they could get out of the way.

Tyler closed his eyes for a moment.

When he looked again...

The survivors were celebrating.

"We did it!"

"The village is safe!"

"We won!"

No one seemed to mourn the dead.

They simply raised their weapons and celebrated.

Tyler slowly turned his head.

Only then did he see the true battlefield.

Corpses everywhere.

Furry four-legged creatures.

Winged beings covered in feathers.

More giants like the one that had just fallen.

All dead.

’This... This was just another match for them.’

A chill ran down his spine.

The air began to distort once again.

The prairie vanished.

◇◆◇

He returned to the hall of the gods as though he had never left.

Young Nox was laughing.

"HAHAHAHA!"

He pointed at Ragnar.

"I told you your beasts were too weak."

Ragnar snorted.

"That was a bad move."

"It was a bad strategy."

the boy corrected.

"My villains always hunt monsters like those."

Ragnar shook his head.

"Don’t get cocky."

Nox rested both elbows on the table.

"Come on."

He looked around at everyone present.

"I want to see which one of you is brave enough to invade my territory."

He smiled arrogantly.

"My army is ready."

Laughter filled the hall once more.

Aurelius was smiling.

Solarian too.

Amon looked thoroughly entertained.

Even Astraea laughed.

Only Yamila remained silent.

Watching her board, worried about the people living in her lands.

Tyler continued walking around the table.

’To them... all of this is just a game.’

Space warped again.

Once more.

◇◆◇

When he regained his balance...

He found himself standing before a cliff.

Clouds completely concealed the abyss below.

Beside him stood a young man.

No...

He was no longer a child.

He was a black-haired teenager.

Small scars marked his forehead.

The same defiant gaze.

Nox.

Standing before him...

Was Aurelius, the god covered in jewels.

The argument between them had grown intense.

"You cheated!"

Aurelius shouted.

Nox answered immediately.

"It’s not my fault you can’t accept defeat."

"You didn’t beat me fairly."

"I did."

"No one conquers all of Relictia in a single match!"

Nox stepped toward him.

"Maybe you’re the problem."

Aurelius clenched his teeth.

"Admit you cheated."

"Because I won?"

"Because it’s impossible!"

Nox laughed.

"That sounds exactly like something a loser would say."

Tyler looked around.

All the gods were there.

Solarian.

Ragnar.

Amon.

Astraea.

Yamila.

None of them intervened.

They simply watched.

Aurelius raised a hand.

"I’m seriously considering banishing you."

Nox stopped smiling.

"Oh?"

"Yes."

Tyler stepped forward.

"Stop!"

No one reacted.

He ran toward Aurelius and tried to grab his arm.

His hand passed straight through the god as though he didn’t exist.

"Damn it!"

Nox took a deep breath.

Then he looked at each of his siblings in turn.

"You’re all trash."

Silence.

"Every single one of you."

No one answered.

"This world doesn’t need useless gods like you."

His eyes burned with fury.

"I’m going to conquer it again."

He pointed all around him.

"I declare war on all of you."

Aurelius let out a dry laugh.

"Alone?"

"Yes."

Nox smiled.

"That’ll make it fairer. Me alone against all of you."

For the first time, Aurelius completely lost his patience.

"I’m tired of listening to you."

He lifted his leg and drove a brutal kick into Nox’s chest.

Nox was launched straight into the abyss.

Tyler ran toward him and tried to grab his hand.

"NO!"

He reached the edge.

Too late.

The young man’s body disappeared into the clouds below.

Aurelius didn’t even look back.

He simply turned around.

"It’s time to reset Relictia."

The others began walking away, as though nothing unusual had happened.

Only Yamila remained.

She waited until everyone else had disappeared.

Then she slowly walked to the edge, looked down into the clouds, and spoke with a voice filled with guilt.

"I’m sorry."

Tears began streaming down her face.

"I promise I’ll help you."

She lowered her head.

"I regret..."

She clenched her fists.

"...being such a coward, little brother."

A brilliant light erupted from beneath the clouds.

Tyler felt reality shifting once more.

◇◆◇

Now he was falling.

Beside Nox.

The wind roared around them.

The young god wasn’t screaming.

He wasn’t struggling.

He simply kept his eyes closed.

"So this is my reality..."

he murmured.

"I’m going to become another piece on the board."

His body began to change.

His skin turned crimson.

The scars on his forehead split open as two enormous black horns emerged.

His fingernails lengthened into claws.

Even his breathing changed.

Tyler watched the transformation without being able to look away.

Nox slowly opened his eyes.

They no longer looked human.

They burned with an indescribable fury.

"I’ll become..."

He looked at his own hands.

"...something they’ll hate."

The clouds rushed closer.

Closer.

Closer still.

Then...

Nox turned his head.

And looked directly at Tyler.

It shouldn’t have been possible.

But he could see him.

Tyler felt his heart stop.

"You..."

he whispered.

Nox smiled.

A smile overflowing with rage.

"It isn’t for nothing that I’m the being who embodies Wrath in this world."

The wind roared.

"If this is the role I’m destined to play..."

His claws slowly clenched into fists.

"...then I’ll prove that sins cannot be the gods of a world like this."

The clouds swallowed them completely.

And Tyler felt everything disappear once again.

◇◆◇

Tyler’s eyes flew open as he gasped for air.

For a moment, he had no idea where he was.

The white light was gone.

The gods.

The board.

The real Nox.

Everything had vanished.

Before him once again stretched the hall of the abandoned church.

The smell of damp stone.

The shelves covered in dust.

The silence of Mireveil.

His hands still rested on an open book.

The same diary.

Tyler slowly lowered his gaze.

"..."

He was still in his demonic body.

The claws.

The crimson skin.

The horns.

Everything was still there.

He placed a hand against his forehead.

’No... That couldn’t have been just a dream.’

He could still remember every word.

Every face.

Aurelius.

Solarian.

Yamila.

The other gods.

And above all...

The look on Nox’s face as he fell into the abyss.

A chill ran through Tyler.

’So... he really was betrayed.’

He remained completely motionless for several long seconds.

Then he looked back at the diary.

The pages were exactly where he had left them.

He frowned.

’No. This book is definitely doing something.’

He slowly turned several more pages.

Only then did he notice a detail.

"...What?"

The diary was incredibly thick.

He looked at the pages he had already read.

Then at the ones that still remained.

His eyes widened.

"...No way."

He had only made it through a third of the book.

Everything...

The memories.

The war.

The gods.

Nox’s fall.

It was only a small part of the story.

Tyler slowly closed the diary.

’How much more is left to uncover...?’