YM778.TV Chapter 353: Her Regrets
Chapter 353: Her Regrets
"Demon God, where are you?"
Until just a moment ago, the Demon God, who was lying on the ground, was nowhere to be seen.
Why? Where could she have gone?
She needed to quickly ask her what was going on.
She needed to hear the Demon God\'s explanation.
By any chance, she didn\'t run away, right?
Her heart kept growing anxious.
"Where are you!!""Come forward."
In response to Ruby\'s increasingly panicked shouts, a commanding voice came from in front of her.
- Thump, thump...
Hearing those words, Ruby started to walk forward with trembling legs.
"You\'re finally here?"
As Ruby\'s sight focused, she saw a black peak rising high in the imaginary world.
"I thought you\'d come a bit sooner, but you’re late.”
The Demon God was seated with her legs crossed on a black chair atop that peak.
Unlike a moment ago when she was a mess, she now appeared composed, wearing a haughty smile on her face.
But Ruby didn\'t perceive any of that.
She was panicking for the first time in her life, and there was no way she would have the ability to think rationally.
"Th-there\'s a problem."
"A problem? What problem?"
"Frey was a regressor. He was a true regressor."
"Oh, really?"
As Ruby spoke urgently, the Demon God, looking down at her, showed an intrigued expression and put her cheek on her hand.
This behavior was completely different from her usual compliance with the Demon King\'s mood.
"...?"
Only then did the Demon King begin to notice the strangeness.
"Yes, Didn’t you tell me?"
But, she couldn’t just stop asking questions just because of a slight strangeness,
"Frey... He wasn\'t a regressor. Didn’t you say something like that could never happen?”
"Oh, that?"
"Turning back time is close to impossible..."
Ruby spoke with a trembling voice, but soon her words trailed off.
"W-what\'s with that expression?"
Because she saw the Demon God, who just looked at her with a smile and amusement in her eyes.
"What are you smiling at!"
Ruby raised her voice as she was thrown off by the Demon God\'s unexpected reaction. After a while, the Demon God finally opened her eyes slightly and spoke.
"Sorry, Ruby."
"Sorry? What\'s there to be sorry about..."
"In truth, it was a lie."
The Demon God spoke with a wide smile on her face. Then she whispered softly.
"Frey is a regressor."
"W-what...?"
Ruby\'s expression began to crumble.
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"What… What do you mean?"
Ruby began to emit killing intent from her entire body, her eyes looked crazed.
"What kind of bullshit is that!!!"
"It’s simple, really. You bitch just got deceived by me."
The Demon God just looked at Ruby with a disdainful expression, as if she was laughing at her. She lifted the corners of her mouth and continued to whisper.
"You\'re more naive than I thought. It was cute how you fell for my words so easily when I showed up out of the blue."
"What..."
"Well, that\'s how it is."
"What do you mean by that!"
Ruby exploded at the Demon God\'s brazen attitude. She gathered demonic energy in her hand and rushed towards her.
- Crackle, crackle...
"Uh, ugh?"
However, when the Demon God made a light gesture with her hand, Ruby stopped abruptly in her tracks.
"You might be strong, but... this is my domain."
- Thud...!
"Ugh..."
As the Demon God flicked her finger, black chains began to emerge from thin air, ensnaring Ruby.
"No matter what you do, you can\'t challenge me here."
As Ruby struggled against the chains, she staggered and sank to the ground at the Demon God\'s gesture.
"Ugh, ugh..."
"It\'s futile."
Trying to break free from the chains, Ruby thrashed around, but it was useless.
As the Demon God had said, this place was her domain.
Even as the strongest Demon King, she couldn\'t oppose the Demon God here.
"S-So is it true then?"
As the Demon King realized this, she gave up struggling, her expression grew increasingly pale.
"Did Frey really go through countless regressions just to save me?"
"I\'m not sure."
"And I, oblivious to it all, got corrupted and mercilessly killed him?"
"Well…?"
Although Demon God whispered with a teasing expression, the meaning behind her words was clear enough.
Tears began to fall from Ruby\'s eyes.
"Have you been deceiving me all this time? Are you?"
"Mhmmm..."
"And I, oblivious to it all, have been with you all this time..."
"Hey, you sure do talk a lot for a mere puppet."
Hearing those words, Ruby\'s expression turned vacant.
"Go quickly and finish off Frey’s soulless body. Then both you and I will be free."
"..."
"You never know. If you obey my words well, maybe I\'ll revive Frey, just for you."
As she finished her speech, the Demon God began to prepare to banish Ruby from the imaginary world.
"A pawn should just do as they’re told. Now get moving–"
"AHHHHHHH!!!"
"Huh? Ohoo?"
But then she widened her eyes in surprise.
"YOU!!! FUCKING BASTARDDDD!!!!"
With explosive force, Ruby broke free from the chains, tears streaming from her eyes as she charged towards the Demon God.
“W-What? How can she be this strong?”
“I’m going to fucking kill you!!!”
"Well, it\'s not my business."
But then, regaining her composure, the Demon God waved her hand and opened a portal in front of Ruby.
"Goodbye."
- Crackle...
With that small spark sound, Ruby was engulfed by the swirling portal created by the Demon God.
"Pfft… fuhahaha."
“What on earth have I been doing all this time…?”
The last scene Ruby saw was the Demon God, sneering and smiling at her.
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"Hmm."
As the portal closed, the Demon God wiped away the cold sweat on her forehead and began to mutter.
"That was quite a surprise. I never thought she\'d be that strong."
That was the end of Demon God\'s thoughts about Ruby.
With a very pleased expression, the Demon God continued.
“If I hadn’t been careful, I could have been in big trouble.”
Recently, due to consecutive losses of her divinity and strength, the Demon God had been living in fear, waiting for the day when she would finally fall as a mortal.
Her strength had been steadily drained by Kania, and it hadn\'t even recovered well.
With many people now realizing Frey\'s true identity, there was no longer anyone to create the emotions she enjoyed.
"It\'s a pity, but oh well, there’s nothing I can do about it."
So the Demon God, last night, made a deal with Ferloche, who had dared come to her accompanied by that dumb pigeon.
Denying Frey being a regressor, deceiving the Demon King, and exacerbating the misunderstandings by adopting an ambiguous attitude towards her just moments ago were all part of the deal.
Although it was a bit heartbreaking to deceive the Demon King who was on her side, she couldn\'t help it.
Ruby was the only person best suited to produce her own nourishment right now.
Furthermore, whenever Ruby used the ‘Help System, that power was transferred to the Demon God.
Therefore, the Demon God had recovered enough to regain some degree of her divinity.
In the long run, it was obviously a loss. Ruby had been completely deceived by those bastards’ tactics, and the chances of her and the Demon God winning these fights were extremely low.
"Well, let\'s start preparing slowly now."
However, the Demon God no longer cared about such things.
She had decided to leave this dimension.
From the beginning, she had felt that something was not right when she was being manipulated by that \'eye bastard.\'
So this time, she decided to abandon this place and spend her remaining years hiding in another secluded dimension.
And when the time came...
Maybe after a millennium, she could come back and devour the world.
If necessary, she could invade other dimensions, just like that eye bastard.
Whatever happened, the Demon God was determined to escape from this tiresome place.
Whether it\'s the Hero, the Demon King, Dark Tale Fantasy, or the system, they can all handle it themselves.
With that thought, the Demon God stood up with a relaxed expression.
Power was rapidly accumulating inside her.
Soon, she would be able to attempt a dimensional leap.
The sight of Ruby crumbling was even sweeter than she had anticipated.
"Miss Eclipse."
"...Hmm?"
As she thought of what she saw earlier and regained her appetite again, she tilted her head at the sound from ahead.
"You did everything you were told to do perfectly."
"How on earth are you able to freely enter this imaginary world? Even if you can manipulate souls–"
"You did well."
"...Well, I did everything you told me to do."
Then, without realizing it, the Demon God began a conversation with Ferloche, who had suddenly appeared in front of her.
"I told her that he wasn\'t a regressor, and I even made her ask if he had ever bought \'Absolute Love\' skill on purpose, and just now, everything... Anyway, I did it all as you instructed."
"You did well."
"By the way, I\'m curious about something."
Then, she tilted her head and asked a question.
"So why did Frey buy \'Mind Control\'?"
"Instead of \'Absolute Love,\' he used that to briefly love Ruby, I guess."
"So... what about the memories Ruby saw while reading Frey\'s soul? What was that all about?"
When the Demon God dug deeper unexpectedly, Ferloche frowned.
"It must be a memory from the previous cycle when Frey was Ruby’s subordinate. He showed them to make Ruby misunderstand. Is that enough now?"
"But there were parts where his memory was blocked, right? Could it be that this isn\'t Frey\'s first regression?"
"..."
"Maybe he\'s already entered multiple cycles regression, but he\'s not the one regressing? So all those memories are just traces left in his soul?"
At the Demon God\'s sharp question, Ferloche fell silent.
"The demon king seemed to be drawn to those traces of memories, whether knowingly or unknowingly... Hmm..."
"What are you trying to say?"
"If what I\'m saying is true, then out of all those many cycles, has Frey truly never succumbed to Ruby even once–"
"Until recently, you didn\'t even notice the retries, and yet you\'re acting high and mighty now."
When the Demon God subtly provoked Ferloche, she replied in a cold voice.
"Come on, hand over your power."
"Huh?"
"It was a deal. Instead of cooperating with each other, you were supposed to replenish enough power to not fall into mortality and give the rest to us."
"Oh, right."
Hearing that, the Demon God chuckled and clapped her hands.
- Whirl...!
"...?"
At that moment, black chains sprang from all directions and ensnared Ferloche.
"But, I\'ve changed my mind."
With Ferloche restrained by the black chains, the Demon God began to whisper with a chilling smile.
"I\'ve regained quite enough power after recovering. It’s enough to handle you, at least."
"..."
"Giving Ruby the \'Help System\' was a godsend. Every time she borrows the power of that function, her power flows into me."
As the Demon God spoke, she gathered demonic energy in her right hand, emitting a mixture of purple and ruby-colored light.
"The deal is off."
"Ha..."
"It’s your fault for believing in me, the Demon God, in the first place. Isn\'t that... Gyaah!?"
The Demon God, who was confident in her victory and preparing to leap dimensions, suddenly collapsed to the ground.
"...Hah, was that prickling sensation just now because of this?"
Finally noticing the feather stuck behind her, the Demon God muttered while pulling out the feather with a sardonic expression.
"If it were me from before, this might work. But now? This can’t stopped m–"
"It was an attempt to create a small gap. I’ve already bought enough time."
"Hmm?"
"You\'re going to feast today, Miss Kania."
As Ferloche said that, someone came out from behind her, leaving the Demon God wide-eyed.
"Y-You, how did you get here...?"
- Shaaa...
"Uh, uh? W-Wait a minute...!"
At that moment, the power that had filled her body began to drain away.
"This truly is a divinity, isn’t it? How fascinating."
"This is insane!!"
Kania was absorbing the Demon God\'s power expressionlessly.
"W-When did you become this strong? Wait, what are you? Why do you have more divinity than–"
“That’s because you are no longer the Demon God.”
"Huh?"
"Now? You\'re nothing but a mere divinity dispenser."
Kania\'s divinity was several times greater than the one she had already recovered.
The Demon God was sweating profusely at the unbelievable situation, then she opened her mouth with a subdued voice.
"W-wait. The deal..."
"The deal is off, right? Isn’t that what you said earlier?"
"D-Don\'t you want to recover Frey\'s soul?"
But when her urgent plea fell on deaf ears, the Demon God shouted desperately.
"Seeing as his soul is not only shattered but completely annihilated, it seems like there is a problem with your plan, am I right?"
"..."
"I\'ll help you the whole way. I\'m a complete expert in that kind of–"
"Are you talking about this?"
"...Huh?"
But when Ferloche took something out from her chest, the Demon God froze in place.
- Shaaa...
"It\'s a pity, but it\'s all part of the plan."
A small bead was shining in Ferloche\'s hand.
Somehow, it emitted a silver light.
"What the fuck–"
“Please take care of me today as well.”
"Aaargh! W-Wait! Just a moment!!"
The Demon God, who had just grasped the situation and tried to escape, started struggling as she was bound by the black chains manipulated by Kania\'s gesture.
"Stop it!!!!"
"Hmm."
Watching the Demon God\'s fierce struggle with a cold gaze, Ferloche quietly moved away.
- Swoosh...
Then, she closed her eyes and kissed the bead before gently stroking it while murmuring.
"You may be able to deceive the others, but you can\'t deceive me."
- Wriggle...
"If I hadn’t sent Gugu at the last moment, your soul would have shattered completely. That seemed to be your original plan from the beginning."
Ferloche poked the wriggling bead with her fingers and asked in a subdued voice.
"What on earth were you thinking? Do you want to commit suicide?"
- Wriggle, wriggle...
"If you won\'t speak, I have a way to find out."
Then she whispered, licking the bead with her tongue.
"Is there a way to ruin your mind instead of your soul?"
The bead fell silent.
"Hmph."
Staring at the bead intently, Ferloche closed her eyes and placed it in her mouth.
"Speak before I swallow you whole."
- Gulp, gulp...
As Ferloche began to roll the bead around in her mouth, her expression became increasingly pensive.
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"...Ah."
Ruby opened her eyes and let out a small sigh.
- Swoosh...
Then, she slowly looked around. The place she was in was undoubtedly the motel where she and Frey stayed.
"F-Frey."
Upon realizing that, she crawled over to Frey, who was lying next to her.
"F-Frey. I-I’m here. I\'m here now."
"..."
"W-Wake up, please."
Shaking Frey’s cold body vigorously, Ruby placed her trembling hand on his chest.
- Shaaa...
Finally, she began to perform healing magic for the first time in her life.
- Hiss...!
Naturally, since she was incompatible with healing magic, her hands started to tremble.
But undeterred, Ruby poured enormous energy into Frey.
"F-Frey. I\'ll fix you soon. Okay?"
"..."
"So please, just hang in there. Alright?"
As she continued to mutter with blood dripping from her mouth, Ruby bowed her head deeply.
"I-I\'m sorry, Frey."
Tears streamed down Ruby\'s eyes.
"I understand now. I\'ve realized everything. Your attitude, my obsession with you, our past, our love... I understand it all."
"..."
"T-That’s why..."
After a while, Ruby stopped the healing and collapsed onto Frey\'s chest.
"Please stop playing around and come back to me..."
She hugged the still-cold Frey tightly and started wailing.
"I-I was wrong. I\'m not asking for forgiveness. I just want to apologize for everything I’ve done so far. If you want me to crawl, I’ll crawl; If you want me to sacrifice myself, I’ll offer myself gladly; If you want me to commit suicide, I’ll do so with a smile; so please…”
Sadly, there was no response.
"No, no..."
Only after confirming that Frey\'s soul was truly gone did Ruby bury her head in his neck and start screaming wildly.
"No! It can\'t be!! Frey! No!!"
Frey\'s soul had already been completely obliterated.
His soul was totally annihilated, with no chance of recovery.
"Noooo!"
The regretful cry of a young girl filled the motel.