We continued to push further into the unknown world we are sent to, a world filled with vast darkness with millions of stars twinkling. The land is glowing with blood-red light and in front of us is a tall pillar with a gate.
There are no devils, which makes everything much creepier. Asagao and the others know this, however, they still continued forward. I don’t care whatever to me, however, I need to stay close to Asagao to protect her from potential danger.
“Wait…”
Even Mana who was going berserk for a while senses something. The tense atmosphere seems to calm her down as she becomes timid. As we set foot near the gate an impending evil crept over us, a much more horrid evil that we just have to take a stop right in front of the gate.
Right in front of us, unknowingly, unnoticeably, a devil descends from above.
My body immediately tenses, the same as everyone as the devil with an appearance that completely imitates a human with even a smiling face and short black hair. It wears no armor but baggy pants and fancy colored shirt.
“Good day to everyone.”
“Eh?”
The devil in front of us, not Topaz, but the devil who just arrived. We are confused but even for Topaz to tilt her head in question, it seems this devil is different.
The devil bows down to us and speaks.
“I am the extra devil, The Joker Devil. By now, you are all thinking what happened to the other devils. I’ll be frank, they are all defeated. Do not be wary as I am not hostile.”
“How can we be sure that you won’t do anything? It’s hard to believe coming from someone like you!”
“My, how hypocritical of you. What makes me different from the traitor beside you, right? What’s her name again? Topaz was it?”
“Guh…”
Being called a traitor, Topaz could only look down as Asagao bit her lips because her argument was shot down. I could not back her up as I really don’t know what to say in this situation. I can only give a viable opinion if its something related to politics and governance which I studied recently under my mother’s supervision.
The devil though, true to his words, didn’t send any bloodthirsts or signs of hostile actions. He is just there standing with an annoying smiling face.
“Then are you saying that you are the only one alive from the ranks of the devil generals?”
“The traitor herself can confirm that.”
“Topaz?”
We look at Topaz and she nods meekly. It seems that she already knows, however, didn’t see fit to tell anyone about it since it won’t change our situation. Asagao can also understand Topaz reasoning so she just rubs her head in satisfaction.
Once Asagao confirmed that Topaz wasn’t really that affected, she once again faces the devil who is guarding the gate.
“How…?”
“It is not important how little miss. Now is what you need to focus. Right this very moment, all of you are at the heart of Erestivatria, the very place where the life of devils starts and where their deaths flow to.”
“You mean…that this is that red moon?!”
“That is of certainty. I have lived in this place for over eons. I have memories of every revision. I have a memory of everything that started from Astlan’s crusade for atonement. I have witnessed all of the gods and goddesses quarrels and countless debates for this world that was about to fall apart.”
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“Fall apart?”
“That is to say, the very fabric of the dimension of this world has been stretched so much to accommodate the repetitive revisions. It is being torn now as we speak as Nil’s power continuously expands to that level of a god or already surpassed them. Nil’s power that you have witnessed is nothing but a fragment.”
“Wait…are you like…a prophet or something?!”
“That of I am and I am not for I am a devil, the sworn enemy of this world created by Eresti’s pure vile anger. The only reason Eresti could not do anything is that of Nil’s existence, an existence that halted this world’s destruction through revision.”
“If Eresti’s goal is destruction, won’t be better if he just let the revision tear the dimension apart?”
“Destruction and complete obliteration are two separate things, my dear. Eresti has no benefits for an empty space.”
“Then what about you? I’m sure you have a reason to stand in our way!”
It is as Asagao said who is doing all the talk, there must be a reason he stands before us. Like what this devil said earlier, he won’t fight us, however, we stick closer to Asagao in case something else happens. It will be inconceivable to me to be careless two times a day in a row.
Topaz, Casablanca, and Hibiscus gather closer to Asagao’s back while the mad girl, Mana, watches with indifferent face while Rose stays behind her.
Devil just made a simple fading smirk unbefitting of his title, the Devil Joker.
“I am sick and tired of being alive. Being made to watch how this world ends for more than thousands of years, I am already worn out. Among all the devil generals, I am the only one who retains my memory in each revision. I am the only devil who has not died and experienced respawn once in my life.”
“Then don’t get in our way! If you do…”
“If I did, even with divine ascension, with those summoned heroes, and everything you do, I will not perish. I am bound to do my duty to the bitter end. So with that, I am to give all of you one last challenge. Unfortunately, it is not a hot-blooded battle that you people are expecting.”
“Challenge?”
“I may be a jester at heart, though a little rusty, I am still compelled to play tricks on you. It will be a challenge that only I can give with my power. I am once like that traitor, a devil with a solid personality.”
“Like Topaz? What do you mean by that?”
“I am also blessed by divinity in Goddess Nivalis desperation. However, it miserably failed and put me into this circle of constant suffering. Even so, I am still responsible to halt every single soul to pass here and put them to an article of the test. The question is…are you ready?”
“Let me get this straight…you mean that if we defeat you, we can end everything? No more battles, no one will show up anymore and no one will threaten the safety of this world?”
“It is as simple as that.”
“I don’t believe you! We have fought so much, we have lost many things, many people were killed, and you are saying that everything is that simple!? It just doesn’t sound right for me!”
“……”
Asagao bursts in frustration, in anger and utter rage as the Joker Devik said that it is easy as that. Even I think that this is too much of a walk in the park. Suddenly, all of the devil generals are dead like they are not really meant to hinder us. The devils, even though strong, are easily overpowered by us with much more power.
This is weird. There is something completely wrong with everything. That’s what I feel because everything is going so well. There has to be more than this, there has to be more stored for us other than just a walk toward our common objective.
There’s no way something like this would end simply like this!
“Then, why don’t you see it for yourselves then? Take my challenge obediently, save the world from the devils and be the champion and hero of this world in the brink of breaking down.”
“If that is how you will keep quiet about it, then we have no choice but to take that damn challenge! So, what is this challenge?!”
“It is simple.”
“……”
“I will show each and everyone their greatest fears. Overcome it and you shall be able to pass through me. Force yourself to get past me will only lead to a slow death for you.”
“Get real…I’ve listened to you too much. There’s a line that separates from talking to you about trusting you. Using Topaz again as an excuse won’t work!”
“You mean all of you are willing to fight me? Then be it. I’ll just stand here and let you all stab me.”
“Guh…”
Asagao backs off a little from the Devil Joker’s resolve to get killed. Even at this moment, Asagao can’t even think of walking to his direction and stab him outright.
Everything is easy as it sounds and making that provocation, Asagao took a little step back.
“Fine then…I will overcome that challenge of yours.”
“Everyone of you, you mean?”
Asagao stops for a moment and turns to look at us. Her face pales as a little guilt and anxiety wash over her. She might be thinking that she might have dragged us again in something dangerous, something that we shouldn’t be involved.
“Umm…”
“Asagao…it’s fine.”
“No, it’s not…”
“Try us! We believe in you so believe in us.”
“Damn…using that embarrassing line against me…”
“Heh.”
We can only smile at Asagao. Each and every one of us is here because of her. Going through this challenge with her is nothing for us. It made her a little complacent and gave her a little wry grin. I feel a happy seeing her smile with confident but I do feel like seeing her face when I tease her.
With face filled with confidence on us, Asagao turned around and face the devil again.
“We accept. We start right away! We will conquer this and move on.”
“How admirable…if I was far younger, I could have made a punchline. Then, here I go.”
In that very instant, the whole world darkens, no, my senses darkens. It seems that everyone will experience that same thing.
I don’t care what will happen to me. I know that I have long forgotten how to fear or so I think. I can feel my very core passing through many senses. I can feel my soul being dyed with the power of the devil but the divinity inside me protects me from it.
Maybe the reason we, those who have divinity inside and blessing are the only ones allowed inside is for this very reason.
.
.
.
In front of me are two figures…
One is my father. The father that I loved so much but was only able to be with for at least seven years…
The father who gave my mother so much heartbreak with his death but nevertheless, I love him so much. His rough and big hand that gently rub my head, his body that cradles me and carries me with so much care and speaks to me with a gentle voice.
I can remember all of those fatherly sensations and I love it so much.
The other one is Asagao…
The girl who gave me the freedom I’ve always longed. The girl who help me and showed me the outside world and I can still feel everything about her.
Her flower fragrant hair, her blue eyes that make my heart skip a beat and her very own being that gives me all those fluffy feeling. She is the girl that I fell in love and in the worst case, become obsessed with.
The two of them…
Right in front of me…
Are lying down on the ground…
Dead…
…
……
No…
Please…
Not this…!