༺ Truth (1) ༻
It began with Locrion’s breath.
From the void, black hands emerged.
Then, an eerie wail echoed through the expanse as beasts howled in chorus.
Enormous fists hammered down with tremors, shaking the fabric of space itself.
It was an onslaught of attacks by the Ancient Species against Alaysia.
The Apostles and Heroes fled out of the way to avoid harm.
The sole one remaining defiantly in the center was Vargo.
“Such an irritating noise…!”
With his entire body encased in crimson divinity, his mace shattered Alaysia’s bones as it swung past.
In the landscape resembling the end of times itself, Renee, who had been moved to safety with Marie’s aid, struggled to compose her chaotic thoughts.
‘Could Vera be…?’
The truth that dawned on her and the missing pieces that gradually fell into place shook her to the core.
Vera was the reincarnation of Ardain.
In the previous life, Vera died.
And was temporarily brought back to life by her.
Adding to Alaysia’s words from earlier that Ardain would become the Tenth, Renee realized.
If she had failed to stop Alaysia in the previous life…
If Vera had become the sacrifice for the Tenth…
‘Then, the one who killed Vera was…’
Herself.
The sudden surge of emotions was akin to apocalyptic flames, scorching her heart with unbearable sorrow and burning away all of her thoughts. No words could properly express the feelings which overcame her.
‘I have to stop this…’
It had to be stopped.
It must be stopped.
If he became the sacrifice for the Tenth, she would have to kill him.
Should she not be the one to end the life of the man she loved with her own hands?
Renee wasn’t someone who could do such a thing.
“Saint, this way!”
“Wait…!”
She tried to go forward but was held back by Albrecht.
“No! I have to get Vera…”
“We can’t get there! We don’t have the power to break through! His Holiness has stayed behind, so we have to retreat for now!”
They had to move, but Renee could only be wretchedly led away by Albrecht as she was unable to walk properly on her own.
Booooom—!
The earth-shattering explosion only amplified Renee’s anxiety, and the events that followed swiftly made it a reality.
In that moment.
“Too late, you silly things.”
A bizarre phenomenon occurred.
Amidst the deafening explosions and the tremors shaking her whole body, a faint voice whispered chillingly in her ear.
“It’s time to return now.”
It was a playful voice trailed by a shadowy despair.
Clap—
With the sound of a clap, all noises ceased.
[What…?!]
Gorgan’s horrified groan rang out.
Alaysia laughed, her body crumbling halfway.
“I was prepared for everything from the start.”
Thump—
Vera’s body convulsed.
It was a clear anomaly.
The sight of his lifeless body shaking uncontrollably, Alaysia’s laughter, and the ominous dread triggered the survival instincts of all those present.
Thump—
Albrecht’s grip on Renee loosened.
Yet, Renee could only collapse in place.
Thump—
The one nearest to Vera was none other than Vargo himself.
He looked upon Vera with an uncharacteristically horrified expression.
Crraaack—
All of Vera’s joints snapped backwards.
His skin and muscles twisted and coiled, as if wringing out a rag.
His physical form gradually contorted, amalgamating into one.
And his clothes and armor fell away.
Squelch—
Vera’s body congealed into a lump of flesh, shaped like an egg.
In the midst of the stunning silence lingering around this abhorrent phenomenon…
“Aru…!”
Alaysia called out his name, her voice overwhelmed by emotions.
Splurch—
The lump of flesh split in half.
From the descending silence, only the gruesome sounds of flesh being pierced through could be heard.
[Ah…]
What came out was an emaciated arm.
An arm of the purest white emerged, tearing through the lump of flesh. A head followed, dragged out.
Splash—
Black blood splattered on the ground with a viscous noise.
“The Tenth…”
Trevor’s mumble alluded to its identity.
Its human head was devoid of facial features.
Ten irregular horns sprouted atop it.
Six faces followed, pulled out after.
What emerged was no longer a fetus—
It was the Tenth.
In a grotesquely blasphemous form, it began to rise.
[Aaah…!]
It flailed like a newborn calf.
The black blood trickling down seeped into the six faces attached all around its body.
[Ahh…]
The Tenth crawled towards Alaysia.
Alaysia spread her arms, welcoming it.
“Aru…!”
She called out that name with loving eyes despite her ravaged body.
[Halt!]
Locrion opened his mouth at the Tenth.
Booom—!
An inexplicable phenomenon caused his head to burst.
The ice and sea forming Locrion’s corporeal body cascaded down. It swept past Alaysia and the Tenth, the puddle mixing with the black blood to take on the form of a swamp.
Then, the Tenth arrived before Alaysia’s very eyes.
[Ah, aaah…]
“Mm, you’re hungry, right? Of course you are. You haven’t eaten anything yet.”
Alaysia slowly got to her feet and embraced the Tenth to her chest, speaking with a lively face.
“Eat up.”
The Tenth hugged her back.
Then, the mouths on all seven of the Tenth’s faces tore open and began to devour Alaysia.
Cruunchh, grrrind.
As the sounds of masticating flesh and bone echoed all around, the Ancient Species began to move, one by one, too late.
[Incomplete!]
Terdan’s outstretched fist smashed down on the Tenth, only to immediately burst apart.
[We can still stop this! Move!]
Gorgan’s white arm shot out to grab the Tenth, but instantly splattered into the air as flesh and blood.
Even Nartania’s twelve-handed mudra, Maleus’ wedge dragged out from the darkest abyss, and Vargo’s mace.
None of them reached the Tenth, yet still, they did not cease.
“Incomplete… Yes, it’s still incomplete.”
Trevor called out to the group.
“We must stop this now! Together!”
“Huh?”
“That’s only a vessel! The fact that we still possess our powers proves this!”
“Ah!”
Miller’s eyes lit up.
‘…That’s right, Completing the Tenth requires Ardain’s nine powers, soul, and body. The body belongs to Sir Vera, but the authorities remain with us. It’s impossible to guess how much of the soul has been gathered.’
In other words, they could still stop this.
“No!”
In that instant, a heart-wrenching scream suddenly cried out, drawing their eyes to Renee.
“Vera is…!”
Freeze—
They froze at Renee’s words.
Their expressions were ones of utter devastation.
However, this was a situation beyond their control.
“…It must be stopped.”
They could not make sense of this situation any more than she could.
Even if they did, what of it?
The Tenth had emerged, and Vera’s body had been defiled.
To hesitate in hopes of finding another way meant the world would come to an end.
Albrecht was the first to speak.
“…I’m sorry.”
Saying so, he drew his sword and charged forth.
Hegrion, the twins, and Friede followed suit.
The moment their footsteps faded, Renee sensed the divinity around her changing into specific forms.
The change was her comrades weaving their spells.
“Wait…!”
“There’s no time to hesitate!”
Miller’s words made Renee’s heart stop.
‘No.’
Vera will die.
If things continued as they were, it would be no different from their previous life.
‘What should I do, what can I do…?’
There had to be a clue.
If this was her past self, the one who had endlessly prepared for this, she would have figured out what to do.
‘I have to think!’
She had to deduce the intended outcome from piecing together the clues.
If it wasn’t an impossible feat, she could somehow make it happen through her power.
Renee’s mind was pushed to its limits.
As the sensations grew distant from her intense focus, her head burned hot.
Her complexion withered from anxiety and unease.
In the middle of that,
Tick—
The hands of a clock ticked.
All sounds, vibrations, and the flow of power ceased.
Though she couldn’t see it, Renee was certain.
‘Time has…’
Stopped.
In this frozen world, Renee heard a voice.
[This is the last.]
***
It felt like walking through mist.
That aptly described Vera’s current situation.
No, it was truly the only way to describe the situation.
‘Where is this…?’
He couldn’t see anything.
He couldn’t feel anything, either.
All that existed was the faint mist.
This space was where he had suddenly been transferred to the moment he stabbed his sword into Alaysia’s heart.
Having wandered for who knows how long, Vera suddenly halted and breathed heavily.
“Is anyone there?!”
His shout was met with silence.
This space devoid of any sense of direction gave Vera no answers.
‘Just what…?!’
A sense of unease took hold of him.
Not knowing what situation his comrades were in while idly walking here made his chest tighten anxiously.
‘Did I deal with Alaysia? What about the other Ancient Species? The legacies and souls…?’
At the end of his endless worries, one concern stood above the rest.
‘…Saint.’
Is she unharmed?
Clench—
Vera’s fists clenched tight.
His ashen-colored eyes, brimming with rage and impatience, scanned the surroundings.
[Come.]
In that moment, he heard a voice.
Vera turned his head.
[Come.]
He stared in the direction of the voice and scowled.
Then, a faint silhouette emerged from the mist.
‘Is that a human?’
The mist was too thick to properly discern it, but the silhouette was clearly human.
Vera’s foot stretched forth.
[Come.]
He followed the voice, which was growing nearer, and thought to himself.
This must be what wandering through a dream feels like.
Though he walked diligently, the distance between him and the figure didn’t seem to close at all.
Even though he stared intently, all he could make out was a silhouette.
His sense of time was becoming hazy, lacking even the passing wind against his skin or smells entering through his nose.
After following the voice amidst the incomprehensible space for some time.
‘…!’
The mist thinned.
And a scene emerged from within that hazy mist.
‘This place is…’
It was the very throne room he had just been in.
The people fighting Alaysia were there.
‘It’s not the present world.’
He realized that right away because there were only seven facing off against Alaysia.
Besides, their appearances were slightly different from what he knew.
Albrecht looked the same, but his uniform was tattered.
Hegrion was covered in hideous sword scars, and Aisha looked far more mature.
Friede was missing an ear, and Miller had grown a hideous beard.
And there was one thing that revealed this to be a scene from his past life, along with everything else.
‘…It’s me.’
The man standing at the forefront and wearing black armor.
It was himself from his past life.
Those thoughts didn’t linger for long.
He saw himself launch at Alaysia, only for her to block it.
The others followed up with their own assaults, while Renee prayed from the very back.
Then, something appeared over Renee’s head.
‘…The Crown of Rebirth.’
It was a luminescent, pure white crown.
She had a godly artifact that tethered souls destined for death to the mortal realm.
Was this showing him how Alaysia had been thwarted in his past life?
While pondering so and watching the unfolding scenes, one truth Vera had stubbornly turned a blind eye to resurfaced in his mind.
“Gah…!”
Alaysia had run his past self through.
She crushed his heart in her hand.
His body then contorted and warped into a lump of flesh.
Aside from the sheer horrific nature, the phenomenon itself raised questions.
As Vera gulped dryly at the sight, Renee’s voice whispered in his ear.
“I’m sorry…”
Vera’s eyes turned to Renee.
What he saw next was her tearfully activating the Crown of Rebirth.
