kingnovel Chapter 145 Rinne's Story: "The Wounded Ruler"
Chapter 145 Rinne's Story: "The Wounded Ruler"
"You...you are the one in my dreams..."
Shido stared wide-eyed in astonishment at the spirit that had suddenly appeared and attacked him, only to discover that she was the girl who had appeared in his dream.
"...Yes...I share dreams with you..." the girl said, her voice carrying a hint of coldness.
"You...you're an elf too...!"
"..."
Faced with this obvious question, the attackers tacitly accepted the answer by not replying.
Why...why did you attack me?
Shido, utterly bewildered, questioned him, but the only reply he received was, "...You don't need to know, because you'll soon forget all of this..."
Then, the elf who had suddenly attacked him clasped his hands together, and at the center of the clasped hands, a pink energy sphere formed from a vast amount of spiritual power suddenly appeared and locked onto him.
Shido's expression gradually changed from initial astonishment to fear and apprehension.
"Hey! Wait! Stop it—!"
Seeing the ball of light already aimed at him, Shido subconsciously clenched his teeth.
The attacker, however, stared at the terrified Shido, muttering to himself:
"Goodbye, Itsuka Shido. Back to your daily life. I hope you have a happy dream next time..."
A torrent of dazzling light swept towards him.
'I can't avoid it... Is this how it ends...?'
As Shido realized he was about to die, many happy moments with everyone flashed through his mind.
...Holding the soybean flour bread, she looked at herself with satisfaction. Tohka could be bought off with just a little food!
...Origami, a top student who can be a bit unconventional at times but also helps himself with his homework!
...while Mr. Rabbit was eating his popsicle in small bites, and Yoshino was also extremely gentle with him!
...Gently patting her own shoulder, comforting her older brother—Kotori!
...embracing himself, he used an indescribable tenderness towards his beloved cat girl—Kurumi!
Recalling all this, Shido understood that he didn't want to abandon everyone...
'I don't want to abandon everyone who's important to me... I have to save everyone... I absolutely must save everyone! So... I can't end here!'
The beam of light struck him, and Shido closed his eyes in resignation.
"hateful--!"
However, the expected excruciating pain did not occur.
Shido slowly opened his eyes and found himself completely unharmed. The spirits he had just recalled, the "everyone," had also miraculously appeared in front of him.
"ah……?!"
The attackers stared at the elven girls who had regained their spiritual power and were momentarily stunned.
"That was a close call! Seriously, don't scare me!"
Shido opened his eyes, and Kotori's dissatisfied voice was the first thing he heard.
Standing beside her were all the spirits she had dated, except for Origami who was wearing a wired display device, who had come to her aid.
"Hehehe... This is so dangerous~ I don't even dare to watch anymore." Kurumi said jokingly, leaning against the corner.
"Shido-nii... I'll protect you!"
"That's right~ Shido-kun!"
Yoshino and Yoshina also chimed in.
"Although I don't know what your purpose is, you hurt Shido, so you are my enemy!" Tohka raised the [Slayer] she was still tightly holding and pointed it at the attacker in front of her.
“This needs to be corrected. Shido’s enemy is my enemy,” Origami followed up with Tohka in a slightly angry voice.
"Everyone...everyone! Even Kurumi..."
Shido was deeply moved, and his eyes reddened slightly.
"Oh dear~ So I was just an accessory after all?"
Kurumi looked at Shido with a feigned resentment.
"No...no, that's not what I meant..."
Gazing down at Shido and the other spirits who were talking amongst themselves, the attacker hovering in the air grew increasingly serious with a mixture of confusion and anxiety on his face.
"...How did you all get here?...Besides me, no one should be able to interfere with this [Paradise of Calamity]..."
"You're the culprit behind all this, aren't you? Let's destroy it together and return to the world we once knew, Shido!"
Tohka pointed her sword at the attacker, her eyes filled with determination, but Shido stopped her.
"Wait...wait a minute, Tohka! Can I talk to her!?"
Shido looked at the attacker in the air. Although he knew who she was, he was still curious and wanted to ask her.
"Hmm...but isn't she the culprit who trapped us here? Once we defeat her, we'll be all set."
"Tohka is right. As long as the spirit is still under the influence of the barrier, there is still a risk of it going out of control!"
Despite Kotori and Tohka's advice, Shido was still determined to communicate with the attacker, so he looked at the two of them with a firm gaze.
"I...I know...but as long as there's a glimmer of hope, please, Tohka! Kotori!"
Kotori and Tohka exchanged a glance. It was Shido's request. Neither of them refused and eventually nodded in agreement.
Shido took a deep breath, looked up at the attacker in the air, and shouted, "Listen to me! Who are you?!"
The attacker paused for a moment, her cold, beautiful pink eyes fixed on Shido, and said coldly, "My name is—[The Ruler]. The god who governs this paradise..."
"god……"
“Yes, God—it is my mission to maintain and preserve this [Paradise of Calamity]. I must now fulfill my mission…”
As she spoke, the Dominator raised her hand, and a pink beam of light shot towards her, but it was easily blocked by Tohka, who was holding the Executioner's Blade.
But Shido heard a helpless sadness in her words, like that of an ordinary girl.
Before she could react, the Dominator raised its hand again after the attack was blocked. This time, an enormous amount of energy gathered in its palm, making Tohka feel uneasy.
"What's going on... This ominous feeling is getting stronger, watch out! Shido!"
"Tohka is right! Continuing to negotiate with her is too dangerous!"
Kotori and Tohka looked anxious, their voices revealing deep worry and unease, trying to persuade Shido to give up for the time being.
But he fearlessly looked up again, facing the Dominator whose powerful beam of light had already coalesced in his hand, and asked once more with unwavering determination:
"Wait...wait a minute! You said your name is 'The Dominator'? Can you forgive everything? And are the memories remaining in my mind real? If you are the culprit, tell me! Why did you do this!?"
Upon hearing this, the girl hesitated for a moment. Her determination to unleash the powerful beam of light she had already gathered vanished as a result.
"The culprit? You're denying [Paradise of Calamity]? Denying what is called your paradise...?"
Shido was somewhat puzzled, "Amusement Park...you said it's an amusement park?"
“That’s right, you can do whatever you want here. Whether you make a vow with Tohka, act alongside Kotori, promise to spend time with Origami, spend a day with Yoshino, or live with Kurumi, it’s all up to you.”
"Ah...what!"
Shido carefully recalled those fleeting memories... Yes, although the reason was unknown, he did indeed have these memories.
Moreover, the spirits, like Shido, suddenly felt those fragments flash by, and memories flooded into their minds, startling them all.
Tohka: "What...what exactly is going on?! I did indeed communicate with Shido about my feelings..."
Kotori: "Shido chose me...this memory..."
Origami: "It's incredible, I can still feel Shido's warmth..."
Yoshino: "...Shido and I...worked together."
Kurumi: "Hehehe... Shido-san really... gave me a lot."
Shido looked at everyone who had recalled those memories and fell into deep thought. Only he had a problem with his memory and couldn't fully recall those events...
"Your questions are not important to [Paradise of Calamity]. This is a paradise that can grant you eternal happiness, fulfill all your dreams, and satisfy all your desires."
The Dominator spoke coldly, looking only at Shido, but her eyes beneath the veil and her trembling voice told Shido of her current exhaustion.
"You can do whatever you want here, except touch the forbidden fruit (the truth)."
Shido frowned. "The truth...?"
She stood like a silent statue, offering no answer to Shido's question. Yet, in this eerie silence, countless pink orbs of light suddenly surged around her body, like twinkling stars in the night sky.
These orbs of light converged in this crimson space, their rays intertwining, and numerous orbs of light faced the crowd below.
"You know too much, you're close to the truth. So, I have to make you disappear. And... you don't need to know, just enjoy the bliss of paradise. I will grant you all your wishes, give you any future, any ending..."
As Shido looked at the pink orbs of light that were raining down from the sky, he felt fear, but even more so, determination.
"What are you talking about?!"
Meeting Shido's gaze, the Dominator could only try to hide the fatigue in his eyes and continued speaking:
"Anything can be achieved in this paradise."
Shido felt something strange... that these absurd and nonsensical words, which seemed so utterly nonsensical to him, possessed a mysterious magic that made him involuntarily believe them...
But...but...this won't work!!
"If the paradise you speak of truly exists... then... you should be able to arrange everything for me, good or bad."
To Shido, this was nothing short of a farce; everything seemed so unreal. Therefore, with unwavering resolve, he refuted these "wonderful" claims to the Dominator:
"But... can this really be considered a paradise!? Can this kind of happiness, which can be arranged at will, truly bring satisfaction?"
Shidou said loudly.
The Dominator was slightly taken aback; she hadn't expected Shido to deny the contributions she had made to the paradise he had built for him.
"Uh...? What's wrong with that? Everyone pursues happiness, regardless of good or evil, right or wrong. You already have everything, are you going to deny it?"
Shido took a deep breath and responded loudly:
"If my wishes could come true, that would be wonderful! But... this inexplicable power is meant to bring me happiness... how can it compare to the small happiness I create through my own efforts!?"
"...I—absolutely refuse to acknowledge such a paradise!"
When Shido's rebuttal reached the ears of the spirits, they unanimously agreed with it.
"Shido!"
"...As expected of Shido, well said!"
"Hmm... Shidou!"
"Oh, that's very well said."
"You've certainly got quite the nerve, Shido."
Shido is unanimously recognized by the spirits.
On the contrary, the Dominator trembled slightly upon hearing Shido's words, and the pink orbs of light swayed accordingly.
"Itsuka Shido... are you going to deny... this paradise that was created just for you...?"
The Dominator murmured incessantly, and finally the pink orbs of light dissipated. She looked at Shido again, as if she had made some painful decision, and gazed sadly at the boy.
"Since no one needs this world... [Murder Paradise] can no longer continue to perform its functions..."
"Functions?"
The moment Shido heard those words, the entire space began to tremble violently, like a house that had lost its support.
As the tremors intensified, objects in the space began to sway precariously, as if they were about to collapse at any moment.
"Wh...what!? Is...is it a spacequake?" Shido exclaimed instinctively.
The ruler simply continued to gaze sadly at the boy, while the space, which was beginning to completely collapse, murmured softly:
"Paradise...the entire [Paradise of Calamity] is weeping..."
"What's going on...?"
"...If this continues, this world will soon face 'death'...and the end will be near. Don't you want to reconsider Shido...? If you continue to deny this world...then...kill me..."
Looking at the ruler who was sadly saying "Kill me," Shido gradually felt a slightly different sense of déjà vu.
But the veil of the ruler concealed her face, and no one knew what her expression was like at that moment. She was just another ordinary person facing death at any moment, continuing to speak to herself:
"Before 'death' arrives in [Paradise of Calamity]..."
Shido was startled. He looked at the crumbling space and the sorrowful ruler, and fell into deep thought.
After the Dominator finished speaking, her body gradually became transparent, and in the blink of an eye, it dissipated into this scarlet energy space.
"--Why?!"
Before Shido could react with his wide eyes, the space began to completely collapse. The moment Tohka called out her name, the white light from the spatial rupture enveloped everyone.
"Shidou——!"
As they slowly opened their eyes, a familiar and clear feeling washed over them, and the surrounding scenery became real.
However, to their astonishment, the world, which should have been bathed in blue skies and sunshine, was now shrouded in a deep crimson.
The once azure sky has now been dyed a shocking scarlet red, as if the whole world is immersed in bloodshed.
"...What...what is this? Are we back in Tiangong City?"
"Wh...what!"
Upon returning to this space, Shido's eyes were met with the towering Heavenly Palace Tower against the crimson sky.
But... now it is tightly bound by a large number of blood-red spiritual vines. These vines are like the tentacles of a demon, completely enveloping the Heavenly Palace Tower, leaving only a small part of the tower exposed.
From afar, the Heavenly Palace Tower, wrapped in blood-red vines, resembles a castle used by a demon king to imprison a princess, exuding an eerie and terrifying aura.
"That...is that the New Heavenly Palace Tower? What's going on here?!"
Shido muttered to himself, while in the distance, countless guardians of the paradise, resembling angels, were flying out of the Heavenly Palace Tower toward the monument, water tower, shrine, and other places in this paradise.
On a tall building not far from the Heavenly Palace Tower, a masked figure stood wearing a robe imbued with spiritual power, rapidly recording information in the [Divine Eclipse Manual] in his hand, like a witness recording the 'end' of this paradise.
"Yes, even the sweetest dream should end eventually..."
As Ming spoke, he closed the "God's Eclipse Chapter" and looked in the direction where Shido was. Several guards flew overhead but did not attack him, and he simply stood there quietly.
“‘Hero,’ since you’re determined to go your own way, then go and kill the girl who was born to love you… and I am the ‘Demon King’ who is blocking you from seeing her one last time in the tower.”
Ming held two katana made of solidified ice in his hands, then looked down at the seven-story-thick ground below and jumped down without hesitation.
"Come on! Let me see the resolve of the 'hero' who will soon slay me in this crumbling paradise!"