Ch.218Futri (2)

# 218. Futri (2)

Futri is a typical gimmick-type boss. That’s why he can be incredibly easy at times, but when difficult, he becomes frustratingly hard or so labor-intensive that you naturally give up.

Besides that, he would talk incessantly at random times or showcase patterns that were fundamentally the same gimmick but different in details.

Some people said it was refreshing and fun, not getting boring despite having to fight him for months, but even so, the excitement and enjoyment would fade within days, and many complained that the repetitive task became irritating and headache-inducing.

*Clap- Clap- Clap-!*

[System message unavailable]

[System message unavailable]

[System message unavailable]

But there was one thing both opinions agreed on—Futri was a pain in the ass. The messages that suddenly popped up seemed like they’d been malfunctioning for ages, and they were annoying as hell. If they’re going to be like that, they might as well not appear at all.

“Welcome, everyone. Let-me-say-once-again, that was a truly-entertaining performance!!”

“Of course it was fun for you. I bet we’d have a great time too if we put you in a stage we created and watched.”

“Ha-ha!! That’s quite an appealing offer. But I’ve waited so long to play with you all, so I’ll save that for next time!!”

He was still that bizarre creature who seemed to understand what you were saying but also didn’t.

Unlike other bosses who attacked or forced you to dodge right away, this one just clapped his hands and casually struck up conversations.

But we couldn’t let our guard down. Despite looking ridiculous, he was still an Archdemon. He was just too committed to his “fun” concept—a pervert who enjoyed tormenting others with false hope more than anyone else.

“As-someone-who has been watching your journey all along.”

“Voyeuristic perverted bastard.”

“Would you believe that I’ve been thinking about how to have more fun with you all?”

“How would I know?”

“Haha!! I love that look in your eyes!! I absolutely love it!! I’m so excited to see how it will change that my eyeballs might just fall out!!”

“What the hell…”

True to his word, Futri’s wildly rolling eyes suddenly popped out. Even though they were made of glass, it was a grotesquely insane action that made me flinch.

“Haha!! As-expected, you’re not too surprised!! Well, that’s fine. Shall we look at this first?”

“Before that, let me ask you something.”

“Oh? What is it?”

“Where’s Danya?”

“Oho.”

After hearing my question, Futri inserted his floating eyes back into their sockets and grinned.

“Well now, no matter how much I’ve observed you, dealing with you in person feels quite different.”

“Just answer the question.”

“Even though you’ve grown close to her, this world is just a passing place for you all, isn’t it?”

“What—”

“Don’t ask ‘What? What nonsense is that?’ You understand what I’m asking, and pretending not to while stalling for time is a truly boring response.”

Futri, who had been smiling all along, suddenly turned serious. The atmosphere changed in an instant.

“After all, your goal is to find a way out of this tower and leave if possible, isn’t it?”

“…”

“The Ayor you call Danya is a being of the tower, while you are beings from outside. I couldn’t observe what you were like outside the tower, but I can guess. How you thought about and treated Ladiniya there.”

I had nothing to say. Since Mensima was a prime suspect, it wasn’t unreasonable that Futri, another Archdemon, would know many things.

Instead, I had many questions. After hearing about a way out of the tower, how could I not? I could see the raid members were also unsettled.

But of all people, it was Futri who brought it up. I doubted he would answer if asked. Even if he did, it would be hard to believe.

Rather, it seemed like he was baiting us to provoke a reaction, so I kept my mouth shut. The raid members probably had similar thoughts.

“Ha-ha, let’s stop with the boring talk. Now, shall we look at this first and then chat?”

As Futri snapped his fingers, something like a video appeared in midair.

Before I could say “What the hell is this bullshit,” our attention was naturally drawn to the video.

– Brother, brother.

– What?

– If we go up… can we go home?

– We can.

– Really?

– Yes. We can go home.

A boy around ten years old and a girl who looked two or three years younger appeared. The girl was clinging to her brother, asking questions, while the brother answered with a forced smile.

– Brother.

– What?

– Do we… really have to go up?

– Why are you asking that suddenly?

– It’s not sudden! Everyone has died or been badly injured! You and I almost did too!

At some point, the now-grown siblings were arguing about the same topic.

– The moment we give up, it’s over. Don’t tell me you’re thinking of settling down here?

– That would be a hundred times better than you dying.

– Who says I’m going to die?

– Brother! Please, come to your senses…!

– I am in my right mind! This place, this place is definitely not where we should be!

If this had been a movie or anime viewing session, I might have given it a good review. It was incredibly realistic, and both siblings had excellent visuals and acting skills.

But it was uncomfortable.

Because this wasn’t just about fictional characters—it was pointing to our situation.

– Finally… we’ve finally reached the top.

– Brother….

– We can go. We can go home! We didn’t die, we didn’t lose our limbs, we didn’t lose our minds! We did it!

The scene changed again. The siblings had somehow made it to the top. The summit they had reached after losing comrades, friends, and lovers over a long time was less impressive than the top of a neighborhood hill.

A pure white floor that reminded me of salted milk, with a clear sky above. The scenery was beautiful, but the siblings hadn’t gone through all this hardship just to see a nice view.

The joy of reaching the summit and the expectation that there must be something there didn’t last long.

– Why, why? How can this be?

– Brother….

– They said we could return home if we reached the top! They said they would provide a way!

The brother cried out, but only his sister was there to hear.

– Hahahahaha… I see, we were deceived? We were tricked. We struggled like dogs without knowing. It was all meaningless sacrifice. Meaningless hardship. Yeah. How amusing must it have been? Huh?

*Slap!*

– Brother! Snap out of it!

The half-crazed brother rambling while his sister slapped his cheek in tears. The shock therapy helped him regain his senses momentarily, but that didn’t change the empty space around them.

– Ha, hahaha… I’m sorry. Your brother is sorry.

– You idiot! Open your eyes and look properly! There! Calm down and look over there!

– There’s nothing to see… Huh?

– You see it? There’s something there? Let’s go check. Okay?

– Y-yeah. Why didn’t I see that before? It wasn’t there earlier?

– Is that important right now?

No, there was one thing.

A single, casually glimmering light.

A small light they hadn’t noticed because of the colors of the sky and ground.

The siblings ran toward the small light. They kept running without even blinking properly, afraid it might move somewhere else or disappear.

The surroundings were all identical and white, making distance perception strange, but fortunately, the light stayed in place, so they didn’t lose their way.

– This is…

– A key…?

The small light turned out to be a key. A small key placed on a tiny altar was shining brilliantly. The siblings approached the key as if entranced.

And just as they both reached for the key simultaneously, the quietly shining key floated up into the air.

Right after that, words began to appear below it.

「Only one glorious person may claim the dream」

The siblings’ hands, which had been reaching for the key, stopped abruptly. They looked at each other.

What words would the siblings exchange, what thoughts would they have, and what decision would they make?

If I were the brother and the raid members were the sister, what choice would I have made?

*Clap- Clap- Clap-*

The video ended there.

“Well-well, it might not be a masterpiece, but wouldn’t you say it’s at least a decent piece of work? You were all so engrossed until I clapped my hands!!”

“You forced us to watch it and now you’re being shameless. Oh right, you’re a demon after all.”

“My, my. Humans must have it so easy. Whenever something goes wrong, they can just blame it all on demons!!”

“Don’t try to deny it. I clearly felt some transcendent will forcing us to watch that.”

“Oh, of course!! I did exert a little force at first. But other than that, it was purely your own focus. Let’s not deny that much, shall we?”

He’s so arbitrary. That’s why it’s unpleasant.

Subin’s expression grew colder as she faced Futri. She seemed to be highly wary of his intention in making us watch the video.

“Well!! So, everyone, I actually wanted to hear your thoughts on the video, but that seems too much to ask from you all.”

Futri put his hand inside his clothes. Soon, a key identical to the one in the video appeared.

“Shall we play now?”

Futri threw the key into the air. The key shone brightly, and the world began to change.

“Everyone be careful!”

“Stay alert! Keep calm!”

The Futri raid had begun.