Ch.302Chapter 302: Stop the Ascension (3)

The moment I heard it, doubt crept in first.

Why wouldn’t it? Besides me, who experienced the miracle of turning back time and was given another chance at life, there was someone else who had escaped from the timeline before my regression and come here.

And that someone happened to be Shizu, whom I wanted to protect with everything I had—how could I readily believe such a thing?

But no matter how much my mind tried to deny it…

The pair of rings that, despite being covered in ash and having lost their original luster, still revealed a subtle shimmer, and…

“…N-no, don’t say it…”

Imperfectio’s panicked expression as he opened his mouth to stop Desire’s statement made such denial meaningless.

I had no choice but to accept it. That the agent of the demon god named Imperfectio standing before me…

Was actually Shizu from that timeline—the one I had believed without a doubt would be living a happy life after everything returned to normal with my death.

Once I realized this, a feeling of powerlessness washed over me as if all the blood was draining from my body.

Seeing her suffering as Desire’s puppet, looking no different from how I was before my regression, and thinking that this was the fate of the Shizu I had wanted to protect…

I felt an inevitable sense of helplessness, as if everything I had done before my regression was being negated.

It felt like sinking into a bottomless swamp, and even my will to escape from that swamp was gradually fading away.

I was about to accept that powerlessness without resistance and surrender to it, letting it take over my mind, but…

“Hng…hnngh!!”

Despite her rough breathing and body trembling in pain, she was desperately struggling to retrieve the ring that had fallen from her possession and put it back—this sight made me stand up again when I was about to collapse.

“Hooh…”

I could hear Desire expressing admiration as she watched me continue to step forward despite being confronted with such a harsh truth.

It was admiration bordering on purity, without even a hint of the sarcasm one would typically expect in such a situation.

But right now, even Desire’s admiration was grating to my ears.

If only she hadn’t said those things… No, if she hadn’t seduced Imperfectio—Shizu—and dragged her to this timeline, she wouldn’t be suffering like this.

For the mastermind behind all this to express admiration because I wasn’t falling for the trap she had set, fully expecting me to collapse and despair…

It was no different from a hunter admiring prey that escaped their trap without getting caught—it was simply disgusting.

I couldn’t stand it. I wanted to raise my sword and permanently separate her head from her body.

My legs, which had momentarily paused in hesitation, began to move again—no, to sprint.

Despite the precarious situation of forcing my increasingly exhausted body to move…

The pure anger I felt toward Desire seemed to breathe mysterious vitality into my body.

My body was now in turmoil.

Thump-!!

My heart was racing so wildly that “exploding” would be a more fitting description than “beating.”

Tap-tap-!!

My legs took powerful steps one after another, as if they had never been tired.

Grip-!!

The strength in my hand holding the dragon sword, ready to separate Desire’s head and body simultaneously with a single swing.

As artificial vitality entered my increasingly exhausted body, only one thought crossed my mind.

What was that desperate thought that pushed aside even my desire to deliver righteous punishment to Desire with rage-filled eyes?

I’ll save you.

“Shizu!!”

You…

I… I didn’t know. In the timeline before my regression, where I believed everything would return to normal with my death…

I never imagined that Shizu, who had defeated me and sealed the demon god, would fall into the same state as the current Imperfectio and come here.

I believed without a doubt that after burying me and all of the demon realm in history…

You would be properly recognized and treated as the hero who saved the world, living a comfortable and happy life.

To make sure you could cut off any lingering attachment you might have had for me…

I spoke those cruel words to you and accepted my fate in silence until my dying moment, without revealing anything to you.

You, who should have forgotten someone like me and found new happiness for a peaceful life…

I don’t know why you appeared in a form not much different from what I was before my regression, but…

“Ugh…urgh!!”

Your desperate attempt to grasp the floating ring, extending your arm despite the pain you felt from forcing your body to move…

“Don’t touch it carelessly… It’s not something for someone like you… to handle.”

The genuine purity I sensed in how preciously you regarded that ring…

Made me realize that you were the one I wanted to protect even if it meant turning the entire world against me.

That alone is enough.

As I indulged in these emotions, the distance between Desire and me—which felt incredibly long despite being short with each step I took—was finally closing.

Desire’s stance as she waited for me was quite awkward for receiving the fierce attack I was about to unleash, but…

“Hehe.”

She let out a light laugh, seemingly delighted by my approaching figure, with an expression of ecstasy.

Seeing her show not tension but leisure even as I approached with all my might, she clearly treated me not as an equal opponent but rather like prey she could easily devour.

Crunch-

My teeth ground together unconsciously as anger surged within me.

“Yes, get angrier. Don’t hesitate to be angry when you see something that feels unjust.”

Even my anger was treated as entertainment by Desire, whose seemingly careless attitude exuded a danger that couldn’t be easily imagined.

Like someone deliberately taking an awkward stance that appears to invite an attack…

With the intention of effortlessly deflecting that hasty attack and completely subduing the opponent.

There’s an expression called “striking second but hitting first” that applies to such situations…

Desire’s current stance and aura matched this expression so perfectly that no other description would suffice.

The instincts I had honed after my regression—strengthening my resolve to save the world through countless training sessions…

Crossing swords with numerous powerful enemies from the demon realm…

And growing stronger by defeating them—were now warning me about Desire.

They warned that if I rushed into her range with only the desire to save Shizu, it would lead to irreversible consequences.

I know that well. I know it all too well.

Desire had boldly declared earlier that she would steal the divine power residing in Imperfectio’s—no, Shizu’s—body, the Shizu who shared the same timeline as me.

The reason she referred to me as a “vessel” while showing both affection and greed was because I possessed divine power that could be awakened through effort.

If I carelessly entered her range and was neutralized by her counterattack, allowing her to steal the divine power within me, that would truly be an irreversible outcome.

Normally, the right choice would be to stop my rushing steps here and regulate my breathing, but…

Right now, I have a means to withstand even a demon god exuding such pure malice.

Extending my right hand holding the sword forward, I channeled energy into the ring I always wore on my right index finger for emergencies, and…

“…Fafnir!!”

As soon as I called the name of the dragon who was no less than a master who had trained me harshly after my regression…

Whoosh-!!

Armor enveloped my body, forged from bright red flames—that was my means.

“…Hmm.”

Around that time, a sigh with unclear emotion escaped from Desire’s mouth, which had been showing leisurely appreciation.

Not just the sigh—it was difficult to tell what she was thinking through her slightly dreamy eyes as she looked at the armor, but…

Grip-!!

“…Urgh!!”

As she raised her right hand that had been idle toward the sky and clenched it, further restricting Shizu’s movements and widening her own range of motion…

“It looks much more splendid than when I saw it just after waking from sleep…”

I could tell she was expressing something close to a nostalgic appreciation.

Even though it came from Desire, who could express anger in a calm tone due to her wide spectrum of emotions, I didn’t think there was any hidden meaning in her words.

Of course, whether she would limit herself to mere appreciation while reminiscing about something…

“But thinking you can oppose me with just that seems too naive.”

Instantly changing her voice from nostalgic to dry while flicking her left hand toward me, unlike moments before when she had focused solely on stealing divine power…

“Come. I’ll show you what an insurmountable wall truly is.”

I could tell she had chosen to fight with me—or rather, play with me briefly—as an appetizer before enjoying her main dish.

Whoosh-!!

As soon as her light provocation ended, I shifted my weight and took a decisive step, instantly closing the distance between Desire and myself, and then…

Clang-!!

The metallic sound that rang out as the unparalleled sharp blade of my famous sword clashed with the demon god’s physical body announced the first exchange in my first encounter with Desire since my regression.