“Yare yare, Yuri-chan, what are we going to do now?”
What to do?
Now, with her strength utterly spent, the idea of defeating the gargoyle before her was pure fantasy.
And with those wings on its back not just for show, but actually letting it take flight… Even if the Wolf King hadn’t fallen, even if he carried her deeper into the forest to flee, capture was inevitable.
For her right now, this was nothing short of a dead end.
Even so, Yuri would never just sit and wait for death.
She gripped her dull, lusterless longsword tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force, pain so sharp it was almost unbearable. All of this told her that her body was already at its limit.
If she kept fighting, nothing would change; death was still certain. In fact, she might collapse from exhaustion before the gargoyle even landed the killing blow.
Beside her, the little Evil God with white hair and crimson eyes was waiting for her answer.
Yuri tightened her hold on the sword and took a step forward, but the moment she tried to move, she froze in place.
What was happening to her?
Did her body not even have the strength left to take a single step?
The world before her eyes slowly faded into darkness; she could feel her consciousness slipping away from her body.
Was just taking a step really enough to make her body collapse first?
Was this… her end?
So, it would just end here, so unceremoniously…
Everything around her was quickly stripped away, leaving nothing but endless darkness.
Looking around, there was only impenetrable blackness. The heaviness, the pain she’d felt moments ago, all vanished, replaced by a lightness beyond words.
So this is what it feels like when consciousness leaves the body?
But she hadn’t yet seen her own body collapse with her own eyes, so why had her consciousness left it first?
At the very least, she wanted to…
In that pitch-black space, she saw a blurry shadow.
Instinctively, she moved towards it, and gradually, the figure became clearer.
It was a magnificent throne made of some unknown material, and right now, the white-haired, red-eyed girl was sitting on it, smiling at her with upturned lips.
Just like their very first meeting.
“Iris, where is this?”
“Welcome back to your own consciousness space, Yuri-chan.”
Her consciousness space?
Why had she suddenly come to a place like this? What about her body—after her consciousness left, did it remain where it was? Or had she collapsed right after taking that step, only to be smashed into a pulp by the gargoyle?
“Hold it, hold it, you’re asking too many questions all at once.”
Huh?
These were just thoughts in her mind, so why did it feel like Iris could see right through all of them?
“As I said, this is the space of consciousness. Right now, our minds are communicating, so there are no secrets here. I can naturally feel every thought you have.”
As she spoke, Iris snapped her fingers, and the darkness before Yuri’s eyes rippled like water, revealing a clear scene. It was her own body after her consciousness had left—right now, her battered form was desperately rolling aside to dodge the gargoyle’s attacks.
Her longsword was nowhere to be seen; perhaps it had been knocked away during one of the assaults. Now, all she had left was a short dagger, struggling on in vain.
“See, this is what your body looks like now.”
If her consciousness was here, then how was her body still moving?
“Yuri-chan, oh Yuri-chan, why do you have so many questions?”
As she spoke, Iris on the throne sighed and, with some patience, continued explaining.
“Just a moment ago, I separated a sliver of your consciousness to bring here and chat with me. Most of your mind is still in the real world, struggling in vain. At any moment, you might go splat and become Yuri-chan in the most literal sense.”
Thinking of that scene, Yuri fell silent.
“So, why did you pull me here?”
“Why? Yuri-chan, do you really not know, or do you just not want to admit it?”
Iris leaned forward slightly on her throne, a dangerous glint flickering in her scarlet eyes. “Given that your body might turn into ‘Yuri-chan’ any second now, I’ll keep this brief. Come on, Yuri-chan, make your choice.”
A choice…
“You can choose to obediently offer up a part of your body and gain a portion of my authority, buying yourself a chance to survive at this moment, with the price being nothing more than sacrificing a piece of yourself.
From then on, your body and soul will be slowly devoured by me, awaiting your own slow death. Or…”
Iris’s tone suddenly shifted, a cold gleam in her eyes.
“Or do nothing, and just watch as your body is smashed into ‘Yuri-chan’ and meet total death?
Come on, Yuri-chan. Clever Yuri-chan. Good girl, Yuri-chan. It’s time to make your choice.
You don’t have much time left, you know.”
To live, or to die?
To end it now, or trade the future for a sliver of hope in the present?
No matter which she chose, the final result would be the same—only a difference between execution now or with a reprieve.
Staring at the little Evil God with white hair and crimson eyes before her, Yuri gave a self-mocking laugh.
“Do I really have a choice?”
No matter how unwilling she was to accept it, Yuri knew that, with the curse clinging to her, she didn’t have much time left.
The next time the curse flared, it would probably be the day she died.
If she died here, she wouldn’t even have the chance to fight back when the curse struck again.
She couldn’t die here, even if the price meant gambling everything she had left.
But that didn’t mean all hope was lost. As long as she was alive, there was still a chance to turn things around.
“Iris, if you want it, then come and take it yourself.”
“Oh?”
Iris licked her lips, thinking she’d have to keep persuading Yuri, but since she was willing, this was undoubtedly the best outcome.
“A wise choice.”
The moment her words fell, Yuri felt a strange sensation under her feet. Looking down, she saw black mud surging up, winding around her ankles like tendrils and quickly climbing up to wrap her calves.
The black mud kept rising, threatening to swallow her whole.
“The deal is done. Now, once you’re out, Yuri-chan, make good use of it. After all, you paid with a piece of your body for this~”
A playful laugh echoed by her ear as the black mud crept up, covering even her mouth and nose. In the instant of suffocation, her consciousness spun, and the once-dark world began to clear.
She saw the gargoyle above, fist raised, smashing down toward her. With nowhere to dodge, she could only cross her arms in front of herself, trying vainly to stop the mighty blow.
Damn…
She closed her eyes, bracing for the agony of being pounded into ‘Yuri-chan’, but the pain never came. Opening her eyes, she saw something astonishing.
Black mud had erupted beneath her, forming tendrils that ensnared the gargoyle’s fist, holding it in place no matter how hard it struggled.
She glanced instinctively to the side—the little Evil God wore an innocent expression.
“Has nothing to do with me~”
Was this… her own doing?
Her head throbbed… In a daze, Yuri realized that all of this was the power she had gained in her deal with Iris. The cost was letting Iris occupy a part of her body, and from now on, she would be devoured, bit by bit, until Iris had taken her over completely.
A deal with an Evil God… Truly a heavy price.
But what surprised Yuri was that, for a power she had only just acquired, she should have been awkward with it.
Yet, looking at her own hands, it felt strangely familiar, as if this was a power she’d possessed all along.
So, the deal even improved her proficiency.
Getting up, she looked at the gargoyle bound before her. Yuri raised a hand, and the black mud surging at her feet responded, condensing into several black spears that floated around her.
[Simulation · Shaping]
Now, it was time to fight back.