Chapter 86

Zzu…

The chains piercing through Snow’s chest begin to change color.

A dark, liquid-like magical power flows through the chains, pouring into the Demon King’s mummy.

“No, stop…!”

“Hahaha, it’s going well, Snow. Come on, don’t get angry. Don’t hold hatred. If you do, the Demon King will awaken, you know?”

“Wh-why!? Takihito has nothing to do with this! Why drag him into—ah…”

With her keen mind, she realizes.

The reason why Kasuya Takihito is being targeted is obvious.

“So, you figured it out? It’s because you care about him. It seems it had the desired effect.”

“St-stop it… Takihito is… going to die…”

“Oh, look closely, he barely has any fingers left. Heh, the knights have been thorough.”

“No, no, no…”

“It’s your fault, Snow. You’re the one who dragged him into this.”

Lux’s words corner Snow.

From her chest, a thick, black liquid begins to seep and drip down the chain.

“Reincarnated heroes are all so naive. Perhaps it’s because they’ve been granted power by those beings. Sometimes, I think… that you all treat life like some kind of game.”

“Wha—what are you—?”

“It means you lack awareness. Both you and I are just toys to those beings. And yet, you act as if you’re someone capable of fulfilling some great purpose. Ah, how adorable, Snow… that idealism, unaware of reality—so very charming.”

The prince grabs Snow’s face and strokes it.

A shiver runs through Snow.

“D-don’t… touch me…”

“Hahaha, so stubborn. Oh, I’m looking forward to it… the moment when you give up on everything after facing reality, and cling to me. Oops, it’s almost time.”

“—Huh?”

A scene appears in the crystal.

A gruesome scene of torture.

All Snow can do is watch as her friend suffers.

“Pain and fear make people honest. That man you care so much about, once you strip away the layers, is just another helpless weakling. It’s not right for someone as strong as you to be so concerned with the likes of him, Snow.”

“G… gyaaaaaaaaah… Agh, the… the watering… the watering of the fields…”

“Hehehehehe! How’s that lightning stone massage feel? Wait, did he just mention watering the fields?”

“No way, that’s got to be a mistake, he’s losing his mind.”

“Hey, isn’t it about time to kill him?”

“Yeah, I think so… hey, kid, listen up. At this rate, you’re really gonna die.”

Purple lightning burns through Kasuya’s body.

It’s unleashed from a yellow sphere held by one of the torturers.

Snow can only watch, mouth agape, as the scene unfolds.

“Tell us where Snow is. Oh, it doesn’t even matter if it’s a lie at this point. You’re in this pain because of that brat.”

Barely able to breathe, the battered Kasuya forces out a strained voice.

“If… if I tell you where Snow is, if I give her up… will you save me?”

“Yeah, I promise. A little give-and-take. We’ll even heal those wounds.”

A grin spreads across their faces.

When things go their way, people all wear the same expression.

“W-will you really spare my life?”

“Nihi, yeah, we’ll save you.”

“Look closely, Snow, look well at his true nature! No, look at the wretched reality that humans are cursed beings who think only of themselves—!!”

The prince stands before the crystal, with a broad smile—.

“However, I refuse.”

“—What?”

The prince froze.

“…It’s not like I enjoy saying ‘no’ to those who think they’re strong, but I don’t sell out my friends.”

He declared from the other side of the crystal projection.

Despite being in a gruesome state with no fingers left on his hands or feet, he still said it—firmly.

There was a cracking sound deep inside Snow’s chest.

“…Ta…ki…hi—”

“Kill him.”

“Roger. Die.”

Bzzzzt!

Lightning fired from the torturer’s sphere pierced through Kasuya’s heart.

“…Wha—”

“Gah…”

Kasuya’s head slumped forward, lifeless. Black smoke rose from his body, evidence that the lightning had scorched him.

Kasuya Takihito died swiftly and without fanfare.

Snow could only watch as he died.

He passed away without ever cursing or resenting Snow, protecting him until the end.

“Lies…”

Snow couldn’t do anything. He hadn’t been able to repay Takito, and instead, had just let him die.

“Aha, that’s a lie, aha, hahaha, hahahahaha, it’s a lie, a lie, a lie, lie, lie, lie… aha, huh? It’s a lie… I… I haven’t even told you yet—”

“You’re even more foolish than I imagined. Ugh, how disgusting. But, well, the trash seems to have done its job, at least.”

“Huh—?”

Squelch.

At the moment Snow witnessed Kasuya’s death, the chains covering him were enveloped by a black, viscous fluid and disintegrated.

Without resistance, the conditions were met.

Snow and the Demon Lord.

Their connection was now fully awakened, sufficient to unleash both of them.

—I won’t forgive you.

“I won’t forgive you…”

“Oh, immediately syncing up, are we? Not bad, Snow. Keep it up. After this Demon Lord falls, why don’t you become the next one?”

Crack, crack, crack.

The cross that had bound Snow shattered. A dull rainbow-colored magical power enveloped his body. Spirits distorted into light, illuminating the surroundings.

“No, no, no! I’m not a Demon Lord! I am Snow!”

“Heh heh, yes, you are Snow. Snow, the incompetent, useless, good-for-nothing.”

“Ah… ah…”

“Kasuya kept thinking about you until the very end. Hahaha, what a pathetic man. He died like trash because he overreached.”

“Stop… it.”

“I won’t stop. You killed him, Snow. You—”

“Stop it!!”

Snow’s eyes gleamed. Yellow light contracted and surged towards Lux.

“Fufu, magnificent.”

The outburst of spirit magic was dense enough to leave nothing but dust if it struck an ordinary person.

Yet the prince only laughed.

Direct hit. Dust filled the air, but—

There was light.

“Hah… hah… what?”

Snow saw it.

White wings layered upon one another, forming a sphere to shield against the magic. Slowly, they unraveled.

“Haha, hahahahaha, hahaha, hahahaha, hahahahahaha!! Hahaha, hahahahahahaha!!”

Laughter. Laughter, endless laughter.

It was like the most beautiful music played by the heavens.

Before Snow stood a being of otherworldly beauty.

“Wonderful, my divine child! The greatest drama of life played out by a mortal!! Ah, Snow, how lovely you are! Truly!!”

“Ah…”

From within the dust emerged a glowing woman.

She wore an ornate necklace with a chain motif around her neck and had wings as white as snow.

“Nice to meet you, Snow.”

“Ah, ah…”

Snow’s body trembled.

Having trained in manipulating magic, becoming attuned to it, and mastering it as a mage, he understood.

The overwhelming presence of the woman before him—

“I am Lutos, the foremost of the Seven Great Gods, the deity of Courage and Duty. I have been watching you all this time.”

Her magic power was on a completely different level.

Just looking at her could make one lose consciousness. She was an unfathomable being.

And there was one thing that was absolutely clear:

She was not an opponent a human could ever defeat.

“I couldn’t help myself. I just had to see you up close, so I descended into Lux’s body, fufufu, hahahahaha!! Hahahahahahahahaha! What a pitiful face! Your cute face is ruined!”

“…”

“Oh my, hahaha. The look of despair on a mortal’s face is truly refreshing. Look at this! My wings are more radiant than ever!”

The goddess laughed endlessly, thoroughly amused.