章節 54: Advent. (Part 1 Complete)
Bam! I was hit head-on by Pierrot's fist and fell into a building with a loud noise.
It felt like my thoughts were paralyzed by a strong shock I had never felt before.
"Urgh."
The blood tried to rush up my throat, but I barely managed to stop it. Ha-rim is watching.
I don't want to be seen coughing up blood!
Pierrot didn't care whether I took damage or not.
He just coldly said what he had to say.
"The artifact was destroyed. It was hard, but I was able to destroy it with my own strength and some time. So if you want to have hope, think in another direction."
While saying that, Pierrot walks step by step.
He is approaching slowly but surely.
Despite paying attention to Pierrot in an extreme state of tension, I couldn't follow his punch at all.
It seems like all the fighting so far has been nothing more than a joke.
I created a mirror.
Clink!
But it was completely destroyed.
"There are no mirrors left in this world. I destroyed them all. But is it even possible to make more after it was created this late?"
"What's happening!"
The children, James, and Maria came running.
Because time was skipped without understanding what was happening, they needed a moment to understand the situation.
Since I was attacked and they saw me knocked down on the floor, they were even more confused, taking more time to understand the situation
"Mister Pierrot?"
"Why all of a sudden?"
"Please step back."
Maria was the first to react.
She wielded a gun she had not used before.
A trump card.
A golden bullet filled with divine power headed towards Pierrot.
Crack!
The destructive power was so great that Pierrot's head exploded.
"It's not that powerful considering it can only be used once."
Countless balloons floated in the sky, and when one of them burst, Pierrot's head returned to its original state.
Maria tried to take out her cross, but Pierrot's subsequent attack knocked her out.
James also pressed the button on his gloves and rushed in to stop him, who was trying to finish her off, but his gloves were broken while blocking the attack and he was unable to inflict any effective damage.
"Outsiders are excluded."
When Pierrot made a gesture, the soldiers' guns turned into toys and became useless, and his monsters overpowered all the soldiers.
"Urgh..."
"How long are you going to lie down? Director."
"Damn you son of a bitch..."
"Enough time has already passed, powerful monsters that even I would struggle with have appeared, and the half-devil is about to be born on the other side, even if they are imperfect."
"..."
"The reason why my mind and mouth are intact despite being eroded. The half-devil decided that there was no need to stop you because you couldn't defeat me no matter if I gave you a warning or a hint. This is not the time for you to slack off. If this continues, you'll die."
As I listened, I felt unjust and angry, and began to curse.
"Director or whatever! I'm not that. What am I supposed to do here!!"
While saying this, I quickly created a mirror behind Pierrot.
Behind him, Bloody Mary attacked him.
Pierrot didn't even look back.
Clang!
"Can't hurt me. Not with this."
"Damn it. Urgh?!"
"The mirror ghost story you showed when you cleansed Mary and Arachne is a completely different power disguised as a ghost story. But why don't you completely release that power?"
"A different power..."
"Stop it!"
Ha-rim attacked Pierrot with crudely attached items from her bag. Pierrot dodged the attack.
"Ho. By attaching items with supernatural power together, the output is strengthened... That's interesting. But I don't think it's time for Miss Ha-rim to step forward. Because it's a crisis, because it's something you can't overcome."
"Kids, run away!"
"You can't defeat me. That's why it's impossible to overcome. As you said, inside Ella. You're going to create a happy ending even if you have to force it. Keep your word. Twist this despair and create something new."
Pierrot grabbed Ha-rim.
The children desperately tried to stop it, but they were all gone with a single wave of his hands.
That wasn't the end.
Pierrot took out a small dagger and pointed it at Ha-rim.
"You. Don't do it."
"Please. Do not let them die by my hand."
"Don't do it. Stop, stop!!!"
Pierrot's dagger is getting closer to Ha-rim.
It was clearly a blade meant to take a life.
Memories from the past pass by.
I don't care if I die.
It's okay to be separated from the kids.
I have already received a great gift from them.
However, I don't want to see them die.
Because they are my precious friends.
...Friends.
I always thought.
Am I the kind of person who can cry when a friend dies?
I couldn't cry when my only precious friend, a senior, died.
Is it possible for me, who had no feelings, to get along well with the children?
Wasn't I just a reflection of Ella?
Wasn't I just a mirror reflecting what the children wanted to see?
I'm sure Ella and I are different people, but.
Do I really love them?
My fears and wishes engraved deep in my heart.
Water droplets formed at the corners of my eyes.
It ran down my cheeks.
That's how I proved that my feelings were real.
POV Switch - 3rd Person
Kwaaaah!
Even though Pierrot was being controlled, he almost ran away for a moment.
A wave of transcendental existence that can be felt even if the senses are blocked.
Pierrot let out an exclamation even though he was shaking.
"Oh oh... That power. That is the strength I was looking for. One who twists despair and surpasses insurmountable crisis. Even if there is a scenario, the director ignores it and shows the audience something completely different!"
Pierrot ran to check its power.
He inflated his arm like a balloon and swung a massive fist like a giant's hand.
Ella took out something.
"Eat me."
When she ate the cookie, her arms became huge.
She grabbed Pierrot's fist, which was inflated like a balloon, and threw it away.
Pierrot's fist was crushed as a result of briefly being held by her hand, but he smiled happily.
He flew away and threw cards like throwing stars.
Ella didn't evade it, taking it head-on.
She looked at Pierrot without receiving a single wound.
Ella nonchalantly threw one of her daggers and Pierrot's head flew off.
"If you don't get rid of these countless balloons, my life is basically infinite. Now, what are you going to do?"
Then she said.
"Humpty Dumpty."
Then the balloons developed mouths and eyes.
The balloons laughed unpleasantly.
They laughed so hard that their mouths continued to widen and tear until it reached their backs.
And just like that, the top of the balloon fell off as if a lid was opened and disappeared.
"...!"
She caught Pierrot in the air with her hands stretched out like rubber and knocked him down.
Pierrot was unable to resist gravity and fell to the floor, receiving a fatal shock.
He laughed even though his body was damaged from the fall.
"Hahaha!! Excellent!! With that power you have proven yourself well!"
He was unable to move and was quickly overpowered.
It was what he wanted, so he started to relax his body.
"Now... There is no time left. Thanks to you, I am satisfied and can rest at the back of the stage."
"..."
His body became transparent.
It was about making one's wish come true and attaining enlightenment.
Pierrot didn't know why he had hoped for such a wish.
But he was already happy enough, so he was satisfied and planned to leave the stage.
"..."
Ella created a mirror with a wave of her hand and held it towards Pierrot.
Will she offer salvation to the person who almost killed her friend?
"Heh. You're kind. That's your nature after all."
The mirror reflected Pierrot's past.
Pierrot, who saw it, sighed.
"It's not a very interesting story."
Pierrot showing a fun performance to the audience.
Just like how everyone else does.
He also had some precious people.
However.
"Because of the war, the children who came to see the performance lost their lovers and made a wish to massacre the enemy soldiers... Hehehe... This part is kind of interesting. I can't believe I did something like that and regretted it. It's so ridiculous."
Pierrot realized something while looking in the mirror.
The reason he sought out a director was because he wanted to prevent boring tragedies like war from happening in the first place.
He hoped that there would be an absolute being who could twist that huge flow.
A good being on the side of humans. It was something any human could wish for.
"...Okay. It's so ordinary. But it's not bad."
Pierrot seemed satisfied as he saw the brown-haired woman and children smiling happily in the mirror.
Pierrot thanked the blonde girl who saved him until the end.
"Thank you. Go to the church."
[Chapter 4 Cleared.]
[Obtained 1 Devil seed. (Qty: 4)]
[A word from MP: Pierrot was the most unpredictable one. Still, I'm glad it was of some help.]
POV Switch - Ella
"Ella! Your body..."
"It's okay."
When Pierrot fell and came to his senses, all the children ran to me.
My body that becomes transparent.
The children seemed to have already intuitively realized what was happening.
"For some reason, I vaguely knew it. That it would be like this. We didn't run out of key items for no reason. I was so arrogant. I was trying to get to the end through outside means. So, now I have to resolve the issue properly."
"Aaaah! Don't die!"
"Ugh... Why did this happen at the end?"
"Wait, there might be a way. So please hang in there!"
...Kids, don't cry.
I'm actually glad.
Because these tears and the pain that pierces my heart prove that I truly loved you.
Are you like that too Ella?
[That's right. I only realized it when it was over. My wish is to come out of the mirror and make friends. My father thought I was possessed or that I would hurt others. So I wanted to prove it. That I will not harm my friend until the end. And this is the end.]
That's good.
[Thank you so much, brother. My brother is not me, but he is also me. my wish came true. I'm glad! So much! ...Can you say one last thing to the kids?]
Of course.
[You were Ella's best friends! Please say that.]
"You were Ella's best friends!"
"And to me too."
"Ella! Are you really going away? I still..."
I stroked Ha-rim's crying face.
"...Bye."
This is the end for me and Ella.
[Chapter 1 Cleared.]
[Obtained 0 Devil seed. (Qty: 4)]
[A word from MP: Ella. You were a good vessel. Your virtue is great.]
POV Switch - 3rd Person
Immediately after Ella left, the children were overcome with grief.
But all was not over.
This is because terrifying monsters still remain and they have no way to escape this world.
"I won't give up. Ella. Because Ella gave me that strength."
The kids stood up.
They did not give up under any dire circumstances.
Ella made them that way.
Then something mysterious happened.
The key items responded to their hopes.
The church.
"Let's go. We'll finish this!"
POV Switch - Ella
I was at the back of the stage.
A ghost waiting in the background after completing the stage called life.
Then I heard a noisy voice.
[Give me the seeds.]
"I can't do that."
[Give up. Look at those monsters. Terrifying monsters that neither you nor I know about. A giant that feeds on human fears. Do you think the children left alone can overcome it? Shin Ha-rim will lose all her friends, be brokenhearted, and despair. And, just like in the game, I will be born and fulfill the context of a gigantic evil that appears in the bad ending. A perfect birth is possible as long as I have those seeds left by my father. So hand it over. Hurry!]
I told the half-devil who was threatening me.
"Oh you stupid Jabberwocky, Jubjub bird, and Bandersnatch. Even if you say that, I believe in them. Those kids are already grown up. They can show strength in the face of scary creatures. No matter what monster attacks them, they will be able to overcome it. They don't get bad endings."
Oh.
Look at that brilliant pillar of light.
The kids succeeded.
The half-devil began to sob.
[No... Father... Did you want them to defeat me? Then why did you create me? I hate it. I don't want to remain a part of the program and disappear along with the world. I want to live. I want to enjoy life. Game bosses. I was jealous of you guys.]
I left the vanishing Devil behind and surrendered myself to rest.
Now I can face the end comfortably.
The story shown on stage is over, and after the ending, I leave behind the curtain and fall asleep with the lingering emotions.
I will spend this long night with a smile that I will never wake up from. Then someone spoke.
"What are you doing? Are you planning on sleeping comfortably?"
A voice I miss.
"...Senior?"
"Come out quickly. I worked so hard to make you, but it would be difficult if you did that."
I felt ominous.
"...Go back."
Giggles.
"You got four devil seeds that consumed a lot of power within your pure soul. It fulfilled the context of recreating a game I made myself and changing an ending that could never have been overcome in the original. I worked hard to create you. My precious daughter is not going to shyly hide in the back of the stage (death), so come out."
...
"Okay, now, let's be honest. You want to see the kids again, right? Behave as you please. Because that's what devils are."
I spoke in a trembling voice filled with fear.
"No. I'm happy with this ending. This is where I belong. I will not defy death. I will die as a human being."
"...That's troublesome."
Rumble.
"Can you hear it? I'm sure you have some idea what this is. Yeah. It's a nuclear missile. Were is it heading?"
"No..."
"Of course it's headed towards the children! So what should we do now?"
I begged.
"No. No. No. No. No. No!!! Do not do that! This is my end. This is the best ending I could have hoped for. I couldn't be happier. I want to fall asleep with this lingering feeling. Please. Please let them go."
"...Alice."
"Don't say that!!!"
Senior chuckled.
"Even if you struggle like that, you'll get motivated with just this one word. It's so cute how angry you are. You can never throw them away. They are so precious to you! In the end, you would do anything for them."
The senior laughed and then said coldly.
"Your precious children are going to die."
POV Switch - 3rd Person
Alice lifted the stage curtain and descended.
Mephisto: Through the vessel named Ella, he created an appearance resembling Alice, and to befriend the children, he transformed the soul into that of a child.
Utilizing that peculiar nature, he adjusted the soul, revived the dulled emotions, and ultimately made Han Yoo-hee rediscover his true heart.
The monsters were happy to follow Alice.
It's Alice.
Alice has come to visit us!
Monsters: We are people's disturbing thoughts, stories, and fears.
We are a stimulus.
That's why it's fun.
We love Alice.
Mephisto: Alice in Wonderland is a book full of wordplay.
However, if experienced in reality, its absurdity can turn into eeriness and fear.
There is a difference between fear and entertainment, because of you, the main character.
You have no idea how much thought I put into matching that context Alice looked at the flying missiles.
Look at those strange objects that will maliciously twist the children's fate into the worst possible outcome.
How strange this is.
It was truly a strange thing for a human being who worked hard and never gave up to face this in the end.
Strange thing.
It's really strange.
Mephisto: A being who deals with fearful beings called monsters and turns fear into entertainment (adventure).
That's Alice.
It can't help but be a good being and a Devil at the same time.
Alice isolated her strange ending in Wonderland.
Because that is natural.
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