Chapter 446: Chapter 446 - Balance(Part 14)
I collapsed onto my knees, for real this time, struggling to catch my breath as my Soul Weapon faded...I’m completely out of steam now, that last move was essentially my final gambit.
I pretended like I had reached my limit to goad him into trying to deal the finishing blow, which he did and left himself wide open.
Please tell me that worked, because otherwise...
"Oh, looks like I didn’t get your head," I remarked as I shakily got back onto my feet and approached him.
"I...I cannot allow this to happen. You must not be allowed to exist," He responded.
"Guess I shouldn’t be surprised by this, but it is kinda unsettling that you can still speak when all that’s left of you is your head. Well, considering that you communicate telepathically, I guess it technically isn’t speaking. Whatever the case, it doesn’t really matter...because this is where you die," I declared, as I sent Magic Eater shooting towards what was left of him.
Suddenly, his head rapidly changed shape before vanishing, the surrounding barrier fading as he reappeared to the left of my head, having taken the shape of a hand.
As I leapt off to my left as the hand reached out towards my head, it managed to grab hold of my right shoulder, clamping around that spot.
"Indeed, my existence is all but ended...but I shall fulfill my duty, and take you with me!"
A shudder erupted across my body as I felt him absorbing something, I started to send Magic Eater to consume him...but before it could reach him, his grip on me weakened before falling off.
Cracks spread out across what was left of him, before it broke apart into pieces, which crumbled to dust as they hit the ground.
"Larrk!"
"You did it! Great work, that got really close!"
"Hm? Hey, are you okay!?"
I let out a dazed groan as I stumbled back and collapsed onto the ground, my vision darkening as everything began to fade.
Wh-what...what is this? I feel...I feel so...
It felt like my consciousness was detaching from my body, everything was a hazy blur as the others gathered around me, but I could hardly tell what was going on anymore, and then...suddenly...everything...went...dark...
.
.
.
.
.
.
Huh? What the...? Where am I?
"It has been some time since you were last here."
What? Who said that?
"W-wait...I remember you. You’re...you’re the Goddess who reincarnated me into this world. Why...why am I seeing you right now? N-no...no, no, no, no, no. A-Am I...?" I responded as my eyes widened in despair.
"Yes, I’m afraid so. You died. The Balancer drained most of your life force, more than enough to kill you."
"N-no, I...I..."
"Naturally, this must come as quite a shock to you. I suppose I owe you an explanation...I created the Balancer, the reason being self-explanatory. I’ll spare you the details, but with the nature of this world, keeping it balanced is crucial. That’s why the beings that are referred to as Demonic Grades were created by the Balancer, to keep humans in check and maintain that balance.
However, about two centuries ago, that balance was thrown off when several of the Demons, Dragon Kings and Elder Vampires were killed. I stopped reincarnating souls from other worlds in order to prevent that balance from being thrown off even further. But by the time you died in your previous world, the balance, while still off, was at least stable...and since this world fit the specifications you requested during your reincarnation, I figured one reincarnation wouldn’t hurt.
But then, the events that unfolded changed that...and the tipping point was the demise of the strongest Elder Vampire. Had the Demon Lord or one more of the Dragon Kings died instead, the result would have been the same. The world fell too far out of balance, and thus, the Balancer was reawakened. That’s why-...," Explained the Goddess.
"S-slow down! I don’t really care about any of that! This can’t be how it ends...there has to be a way, can’t you, like, reincarnate me again?" I interrupted her frantically.
"Yes, I can...but not into this world. Thanks to everything you’ve accomplished, most notably the creation of the nation of Arcadia, where humans have united with the other races, the balance of the world is no longer under threat. It is a bit unstable, but so long as this current state is maintained for the next few decades, the balance is very likely to steadily course-correct. However, that won’t be the case if I reincarnate you...if I do that, the balance will be irreparably damaged," She replied with a shake of her head.
"N-no, that’s...that’s not fair, damn it! You’ve got to be fucking kidding me...all I wanted, all I FUCKING WANTED, was to live a peaceful life! And I...I was so close! It was right within my grasp! But now, I-...that’s gone. And I’ll never see them again...," I trailed off as my voice cracked, clenching my fists and gritting my teeth as tears welled up in my eyes.
"That is the nature of death. Most people don’t get the luxury of getting to say goodbye to their loved ones, those who manage to get such closure before they die are truly lucky."
"But I...I just wanted to live peacefully with them. That’s all...my Skills, my Magic and all my other powers, I’ll give them all up, I’ll give up every single one of them if it means I can go back to that world! So, please-...!"
"I’m afraid I can’t do that. But...I suppose I can give you the opportunity to get that closure. The Balancer failed to drain all of your life force, he took enough to kill you, but there was a small bit of it left...using that energy, I can give you a temporary body, similar to the Balancer’s body.
But it won’t last long...twenty-four hours, that’s as far as I can stretch it out. You’ll be given no longer than a single day...you can use that time to say goodbye to those with whom you formed connections in this world. And after that...you can never return to this world again."
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