As the Lord of Darkness revealed himself upon the earth, all the darkness that had once existed in the world gathered around him.
The dark clouds that shunned the sun. The shadows beneath the trees. The unrest that had settled in the hearts of the corrupted fairies. All of this darkness converged in one place, creating an abyss.
The moment one gazed upon it, it seemed as if they would be drawn into it, transforming into something as black as the deepest void. And within that darkness, a man emerged.
Is that... the evil god of darkness?
The man, whose appearance was plain and unremarkable, seemed like someone you could find anywhere without raising suspicion, but the overwhelming presence that emanated from around him was different.
Just by being there, the man made the difference in status clear, proving his divinity simply by his existence.
"The world is still bright enough to make me gag."
As the darkness receded and the sun was revealed, the man frowned, raising his hand, but nothing in the world happened.
The magic circle that Joy had added on the spot was what caused the effect.
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...Ha.
Hahaha!
Yeah. Even if he's called a god, he's just a loser who's been smacked around by me! Even if he's freed from his seal, the fact that he's weak doesn’t change.
“Is he up to some tricks?”
The man lazily tapped his chin with his finger, nodding as he did, then reached his hand to the sky once more.
And the world turned black. There were no clouds, no stars, no moon. A perfect night settled across the land.
“Now, this is more to my liking.”
Crazy.
What the hell is that?
A huge swarm of fairies, like grasshoppers devouring the autumn, charged toward the man, taking advantage of the moment when he was distracted by nodding in satisfaction.
“Oops.”
The charge that was meant to consume the world was swallowed up by the man's nonchalant voice, and that was the end of it.
The fairies, swallowed by the darkness, vanished completely.
“It’s been a while. I’m glad to see you’ve gotten even closer to the darkness.”
“I’m also happy to meet you. If I could take your power, I would be able to dream forever.”
“Haha! That’s a rather impure darkness, but I like it. Let’s save that for later, though. I have an appointment.”
Turning his back on the fairy queen rushing toward him, the man snapped his fingers, and the fairy queen's form sank into the darkness.
“Greetings. Is this our first time meeting in person?”
The man’s steps halted before a young girl.
She was the one most distant from darkness, standing as a beacon of light among her friends. Trembling, she held her hands tightly, yet her face showed nothing but confidence.
“Want to do it for the first time?♡ You must be bothered by being beaten by a kid like me?♡”
“Of course. It bothers me. Such pain is also part of darkness. How could I turn my back on it?”
“Trying to act gracious because you can’t win an argument?♡ Pfft♡ That’s even more pathetic, isn’t it?♡”
The girl, with a remarkable appearance that could remind one of a goddess, felt fear but refused to step back.
She had always been like that.
Even when she faced the man’s apostles.
When she confronted the flames that burned everything.
When she stood against the madman trying to turn the world back into a ball.
She always stood at the forefront, shining brightly.
She proved why the Lord loved her.
Even now, the girl stood, radiating light and proving herself.
The brightness of her light was so intense that the man couldn’t even notice the petty figures lurking around her.
He could see nothing but her light, and had no choice but to focus entirely on her.
“Do you think you can stop me?”
Seeing it firsthand only makes me desire it more.
I want to stain this light with black.
I want to drag this child, who is trying to remain light, into the abyss.
“Do you think the plan devised by the fragments of Erginus can suppress a god?”
What will this child’s face look like when the plan she trusted crumbles?
“Do you believe you can protect what’s precious to you?”
What will this child’s face look like when she loses those she tried to protect?
“Do you think what you believe in will never change?”
How will this child’s expression shift when those she trusted without a second thought swing their swords at her?
“Do you believe the impotent god you worship will save you from the darkness?”
When she screams in pain. When she hopes for salvation in despair. When she realizes that at the end of it all, she has been abandoned by the god she worshipped. How delicious will the hollow laughter be then?
“Let’s put it to the test.”
As he finished speaking, the man retreated behind the darkness, his form disappearing, leaving only Lucy and her companions behind.
‘How the hell did you defeat something like that!?’
Even the fairy queen had seemed unbeatable, but to defeat such a monster in an instant! Is that really possible!? No matter how much of a god he is, this is beyond excessive, isn’t it!?
<Calm down and raise your divinity! Look at the reality!>
‘I’m watching!’
Stepping back, I scan my surroundings.
Breathing is difficult.
I’m exhaling divinity more desperately than ever, but the air around me is still heavy.
Moving my body is painful.
The darkness around me, which should be something intangible, strangely clings to me, blocking my movement.
The voices around me are muffled. Everyone is desperately shouting, but the voices I hear are disturbingly hard to comprehend.
Everything. All my senses. Everything I have is cloaked in darkness and cannot function properly.
“The bloodline of Soladin. The child who has lost everything.”
Among it all, one thing is clear: the voice of darkness.
“Did you really think you could fill your emptiness with games of friendship?”
“The god keeps blabbering ♡ Doesn’t he need this nonsense to feel confident? ♡”
I desperately shout, adding divinity to my voice, but my words do not reach beyond the darkness.
“Lost things will not return, and temptation will never disappear. What you’ve done is not overcoming, but ignoring.”
But the voice of darkness was different. The voice etched into the darkness seeped into the ear like a familiar thing, sticking to the heart.
Through the faint sounds, I hear someone’s trembling voice denying reality, and then everything quiets down.
“Did you lose to a kid like me? ♡”
“You don’t understand emotions, child. Do you really think what’s etched in your mind is your heart? Do you believe your heart is in sync? Isn’t it just what you want to believe?”
The movements that had been continuous next to me suddenly halt. The silence feels as cold as the eyes I can see beyond the darkness.
“Pffhah ♡ Coward! ♡ You’ve been stuck in the dirt all your life, only able to run away!? ♡”
“A fabricated symbol. Do you truly believe that your faith is a strong belief? Isn’t it just a desperate cling to something with no meaning left in your life? Isn’t it just pretending to believe?”
The warmth of divinity flowing from behind disappears, and darkness takes its place.
“Look at me! ♡”
“Knight. Do you truly offer everything to serve your master? Or do you see yourself as nothing more than a tool to achieve your dreams?”
The divine figure that had faintly appeared before me disappears into the darkness.
“Look at me! You perverted bastard!”
In the place where everything disappeared, the man reappears. With a mocking grin, he steps forward, effortlessly receiving the mace I swing and meeting my gaze.
“Child who is loved by the god.”
This bastard. He took down my friends first and came to me.
He came to offer me despair.
“Do you really believe the god loves you? Have you ever considered that he sees you as a tool?”
But thinking about it, it’s strange. There’s still one person left. Joy. Erginus’s disciple. This bastard should be most troubled by that person.
“Think about it. Where is the one who pushes away what they truly cherish?”
You can’t see it, can you? Erginus’s magic hasn’t been broken. This is proof that the great mage who has kept his virginity for hundreds of years was right.
“That person sees you as a tool. When you disappear, they’ll just find another tool.”
Then there’s a way. As I don’t answer and take a step back, the man’s lips curl into a crescent.
“Do you think you can escape?”
The surroundings are dark, and my senses are dull, and nothing is as it should be, but none of that matters. I can replace my senses with experience.
“You’re cute when you hop around.”
Think. Imagine. Draw where what you’re looking for is. Find it on the map you’ve created in your head!
“I don’t want to play that way.”
My body, desperately trying to move, is blocked by the darkness, and within it, the man reappears.
I try to retreat in panic, forcing my legs to move. I crawl between his legs and head toward the other side.
“Let’s see if your screams can reach the sky. If that person truly cares about you, wouldn’t they desperately try to save you?”
As his hand touches my wrist, it tightens, and with a sharp snap, pain rises through my nerves.
Pain fills my head. The brain signals me to scream, but the pain is too overwhelming to do anything.
“Crack. Grrk. Cch.”
“Ah, sorry. Humans can’t even scream when the pain is too much. I forgot.”
The man laughs as he speaks and adds more force to his fingers. With that, his finger easily pierces my skin as if digging into sand.
“Cch. Cch. Aaaah!”
“Now it’s starting to sound nice. Shall we make a song so the heavens can hear it?”
The man’s humming and my screams mix together.
The blood that seeps from his fingers into my skin makes a nasty, sticky sound.
I struggle in pain, but his hand doesn’t let go of me.
Rather, my flailing only intensifies the pain.
Even if I realize this, I can’t stop struggling.
My body has already slipped out of control.
“Is this enough?”
The moment the man removes his hand from my arm, my body collapses forward.
The blood mixed with saliva falls to the ground from the wound on my lips, and soon the tears that fall blur my vision, my breath trembling, and while I crawl to escape, a rough hand grabs my neck and lifts me up.
With a sinister grin, the man spreads his hand and speaks.
“Look. No matter how desperately you scream, salvation will never come.”
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I was wrong. Please save me. I’m sorry.”
“Hmm? Already broken? No way. Ahh. What a strange curse. Tch. Who cast such a curse? Someone who doesn’t understand aesthetics.”
The moment the man places his finger on my forehead, the terror that had filled my head clears, and reason settles in.
Thanks to that, I could see my wretched form reflected in his black eyes.
“Answer me. Do you still believe in your god? Do you think they will save you? Do you believe they’ll come to help?”
“...No. I don’t need that bastard.”
“Ho?”
“If a useless god comes, you’ll just run away, won’t you? ♡ That would be inconvenient ♡ You’ll have to crawl at my feet ♡”
When my lips are pulled up in the reflection in his eyes, his gaze turns fierce. His focus sharpens on me.
“Alright. I understand. You want to sing more, don’t you?”
The man doesn’t realize that the magic circle on the floor is activated by my provocation.
“Useless ♡”
Was my broken face really that attractive?