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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“Hmm? What was that?”
The headmaster and the school nurse looked around the infirmary, startled by the sudden tremor.
The shadows seemed to be… menacing.
“Headmaster… this is…”
“Let’s go!”
The headmaster, ever mindful of his own safety, turned and ran towards the door.
He knew there were other students in the infirmary, but his own well-being was his priority.
But…
The door was consumed by swirling darkness.
“I’ll break it down!”
The headmaster gathered his mana and fired a spell at the door.
Despite being hastily cast, the spell, coming from the academy’s most powerful mage, possessed considerable power, but…
The darkness simply absorbed it. The headmaster stared at the spot where his spell had vanished, his mouth agape.
“What in the…”
He had never heard of darkness that could devour magic. He stammered, unable to form a coherent sentence, but…
The darkness rising from beneath the bed reached their feet, pulling them down into its depths.
“H-Help…!”
“Mommy!”
Whoosh!
Like sinking into quicksand, they struggled, their cries of terror echoing through the room, then vanishing into an unnerving silence.
Rin emerged from behind the curtains surrounding the bed.
Her face was expressionless as she walked out of the infirmary, the darkness following her like a loyal servant.
A boy and a girl approached from the end of the hallway.
“Oh, Rin? There you are.”
“We were looking for you. You ran off crying.”
Ares and Hare.
Rin’s lips tightened into a thin line.
A surge of killing intent, directed at Ares, flickered in her eyes, and the darkness at her feet thrashed, eager to obey her command, but…
She closed her eyes and extended her hand.
“You are also a victim.”
In this world, she alone was the perpetrator.
The darkness surged forward, engulfing Ares. He tried to speak, but he couldn’t resist, his form disappearing into the shadows.
“R-Rin?”
Hare stared at her, her eyes wide with fear.
Rin took a deep breath and reached out to her.
“I will never forgive you for betraying me, for deceiving Daniel. So please, don’t forgive me either.”
“W-Wait! What’s going on?!”
Hare, with agility unbecoming of a student, dodged the encroaching darkness, but there was no escaping it.
Even her own shadow betrayed her, rising from the ground to ensnare her. She vanished without a fight, unable to use her powers.
“……”
Silence returned, and Rin continued her advance, her expression unchanged.
“You. What are you?”
“……Sen.”
Sen stood before her, her face devoid of emotion, a dagger in her hand. She was a far cry from the small, cute girl Rin remembered.
Rin could see how much she had grown in just one year, the result of the Chokugen Faction’s training, but…
In this world, she wouldn’t have the chance to escape the Chokugen Faction, to grow and develop as an individual.
‘Because I…’
Rin closed her eyes and extended her hand. As if understanding her intentions, the darkness pursued Sen relentlessly.
The white-haired girl vanished.
‘I don’t know what it’s like to have a family, but… I think Daniel would be like an older brother.’
The memory of taking in Sen, who had nowhere to go during the winter holidays at Aios Academy, surfaced.
They had spent the holidays together at Rin’s house, sharing countless conversations.
‘He is a year older, so I guess he could be considered an older brother… but it’s more than that.’
Rin buried the memory of the small girl who had been learning about her own emotions and continued her advance.
Eve, crying in the library after being harassed.
Tana, the target of bullying.
Adriana, consumed by fear of her death prophecy, constantly watching her surroundings.
Elise, isolated by her noble lineage.
Hayun, a puppet controlled by her family.
With each step, Rin’s memories shattered, the bonds of friendship and rivalry broken.
Despite the pain of killing those she had once considered friends, Rin’s expression remained unchanged, her steps unwavering.
She didn’t see their faces, she didn’t hear their cries.
The apocalypse, burdened by human emotions, buried herself in mud.
A dark cloud descended upon the academy, but it was more than just darkness.
It was as if a bucket of black paint had been poured over the entire building.
The guards and citizens of Elgrid, sensing something amiss, approached the academy, but…
They too were swallowed by the darkness, their struggles ending in a forced slumber.
On the rooftop of the academy…
A girl with auburn hair took a long drag from her cigarette, her gaze fixed on Rin.
It was her last cigarette, and she savored it, her eyes filled with tears.
Rin knew she wasn’t the May she knew.
Even Daniel had said that May had been a terrible person at first. But through hardships and her connection with Daniel, she had grown.
A boisterous, easygoing, and beautiful girl.
Rin couldn’t deny a certain admiration for May.
Unlike Rin, May hadn’t relied on her childhood connection or first love status to pursue Daniel.
She had started with the worst possible first impression, yet May had transformed herself into a captivating woman, even earning Daniel’s respect.
Rin closed her eyes and whispered, just like she had done with the others,
“Candy suits you better than cigarettes.”
“You monster!”
May and her group were swallowed by the darkness.
Rin knew she would have to repeat this countless times, but…
She knew she would never get used to it.
“……”
Standing on the rooftop, now completely blackened by the encroaching darkness, she turned and looked out at the city.
Her darkness was spreading, consuming Elgrid.
“Ugh…”
Her carefully maintained, emotionless façade began to crack.
Her vision blurred, and she stumbled, leaning against the railing for support.
“Gasp… huff… huff…”
Her breath hitched.
She wiped her tears with trembling hands, hoping no one would see her weakness.
She didn’t deserve to cry.
As the apocalypse, the harbinger of destruction, she couldn’t show vulnerability, she couldn’t be pitied.
In this world, she was the villain.
And villains didn’t falter.
They didn’t crumble beneath the weight of their convictions.
They didn’t regret.
She had already killed hundreds. The weight of her actions, even just clearing out the academy, was immense.
She tried to stand, but her legs gave way, and she collapsed. A desperate urge to simply die, to escape this torment, washed over her.
Finally, the tears she had been holding back overflowed.
“Sob… Daniel… Mom… Dad…”
The darkness enveloped her.
Hidden from the world, unseen, unheard, Rin wept alone.
Time seemed to crawl.
No matter how much she rested, she never felt refreshed. Insomnia plagued her, and even when she closed her eyes, sleep eluded her.
She barely managed an hour of sleep each day.
As summer approached, the heat intensified, but Rin never removed her robe.
“……”
In the stillness of the air, her gaze fixed on the forest, a darkness distinct from her own.
The Demon Realm Forest.
“I’m ready.”
In the zeroth iteration, when she had destroyed the continent, she had delayed her assault on the Demon Realm Forest. It was a dangerous place, teeming with powerful magical beasts.
But this time was different.
Having conquered the forest once before, she knew how to utilize its resources to bolster her forces.
‘I have to.’
She could feel herself growing weaker with each passing day.
A year, at most.
She couldn’t maintain this for much longer. Either her body or her mind would break.
With heavy steps, she walked towards the forest.
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