55 - Chapter 52: 52[Demon God]
Am I at the very end of hell?
A temptation so sweet it made my head tingle.
And I felt the hell that would befall me if I didn't succumb to it.
The World Tree, above all else,
showed me sweet happiness,
and then, terrible pain.
It was a clear carrot-and-stick approach.
But if that stick far exceeded what I could endure,
if that carrot offered a happiness I'd never experienced in this life,
I'd have no choice but to succumb, even knowing it.
Yes, this is unavoidable.
I rationalized it to myself, over and over.
Yet, a pang of conscience ultimately caught me.
My mouth opened and closed countless times.
My vocal cords closed again, words dying on my tongue.
Perhaps my hesitation frustrated her,
"Haa, this won't do. You've squandered your chance."
The moment I heard those words, my heart sank.
Aah, aaaaaah.
It felt like hell was opening up before me.
I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing myself for whatever would come next.
"Yuria!"
But the voice I heard was one I hadn't expected at all.
It was a voice I had heard countless times during my journey to defeat the Demon King.
"Cynthia?"
Why was Cynthia here?
Did she come to save me?
No, if I thought about it, the World Tree she served was right in front of her, so she'd obey the World Tree's command rather than save me.
I felt that there was truly no escape now, no way out—this was the end.
Yes, let's give up now.
Before my mind completely collapsed and I became a doll.
Just as I was about to open my mouth toward the World Tree,
"World Tree, were you... raping Yuria just now?"
A sharply honed voice.
It was an unimaginable hostility, directed at the very World Tree she served.
"Yes, I had a little taste, child. But you... no, wait, is that...?"
The World Tree's reaction seemed a little strange.
At first, her expression was surprised.
Then, it gradually began to twist.
"You... how did you get my Essence—"
"That's not important. Why did you rape the Hero?"
"Hah, I did it because I wanted to. What business is it of yours—"
At that moment, the Golden Vines that had bound me disappeared.
"You... what is this—"
"It's annoying. So annoying."
"What?"
"World Tree, no, World Tree, the fact that you were holding Yuria, and that you raped him—"
"It's all so annoying, so annoying, and why is it annoying?"
Looking up at the World Tree, I saw an expression of utter bewilderment.
"I don't know anymore. I'm just taking Yuria with me now."
"No!"
The World Tree hastily tried to stop her,
"With all your power already lost, you think you can defeat me?"
"Gah!"
At the World Tree's gesture, Golden Vines rushed at Cynthia.
Those vines were different from ordinary vines.
"Cynthia, be careful!"
Still held in the World Tree's embrace, I shouted, but
"Oh, you're going to face me with such depleted power?"
At Cynthia's gesture, those vines immediately changed direction and began to bind the World Tree.
"Gah! Urgh! Damn it, just—"
"Why resist when you've had all your Divine Power stolen?"
Soon, the vines carefully removed me from the World Tree's embrace and moved me into Cynthia's arms.
"Cynthia?"
"Yeah, I came to save you, Yuria."
At those words,
tears streamed down my face.
Washed away in her embrace,
negative emotions like fear, dread, and anxiety melted away.
"Sob."
Thank you. Thank you so much.
"Heh heh, a-ahem, no, it's nothing for this much—"
I could see her subtly trying to hide the corners of her mouth twitching upwards,
but that no longer mattered.
What mattered was that she had saved me.
She whispered softly to me.
"Just wait here for a bit."
"Huh? Where are you going?"
Afraid she might disappear, I clung to her.
"Oh, no. I just have something to discuss with the World Tree."
I hadn't expected her to use such informal language with the World Tree, but since she'd saved me, I had no intention of stopping her.
"Mm, okay."
Cynthia approached the World Tree, which was bound by Golden Vines.
"Ugh, a child treating their parent like this?"
Cynthia, who had approached her, began to touch every part of the World Tree's body.
"W-what are you doing!"
"So this is Yuria's seminal fluid."
"W-what about it!"
"Why is it so annoying that this is inside Mother's belly?"
Thwack!
"W-what are you doing! If you're truly an Elf!"
Cynthia, who had pierced a hole in the World Tree's belly with her hand,
then whispered into the World Tree's ear.
"I'm inheriting your mother's Divine Throne."
"Ugh, y-you don't mean—"
"N-no!!!!"
With those words, the World Tree crumbled and disappeared.
And in its place, a giant seed remained.
Cynthia grabbed the seed with her hand and began to absorb it.
Once the absorption was complete, she turned to me with a bright smile and said,
"Alright, ready to go back now?"
"Mm."
At her gesture, the world collapsed.
When I opened my eyes, I was still in the Womb of the World Tree, in the exact same spot.
And, as always, a Notification Window appeared before my eyes.
[Coitus Stat has increased.]
Yes, whatever the process, at least this makes me safer.
[Stats Window]
【 Name 】
Yuria: Lv 94
【 Abilities 】
▷Strength: 92
▷Agility: 85
▷Stamina: 90
▷Mana: 81
▷Holy Power: 87 → 90
▷Coitus: 17 → 40 [Sealed value 50]
At 40, I might not have to worry about daily life anymore.
Yes, phew, let's think positively... positively...
As I shook myself off and got up,
an unexpected figure caught my eye.
"Lily?"
"Ah, yeah, long time no see, Yuria."
I hadn't expected to meet her so suddenly.
I'd wanted to alleviate the guilt she felt towards me, which she'd expressed in her letter,
but meeting her so abruptly like this left me speechless.
......
Silence hung in the room.
Cynthia's voice broke the silence.
"Yuria, are you okay?"
Cynthia rushed to me, checking my body.
I asked her about something that had been bothering me.
"Cynthia, what happened to your skin?"
"Ah, this... I absorbed the World Tree's Essence, you see. It must be an aftereffect."
"Really? I see... no, wait, that's not it!"
"Th-that, it couldn't be helped. If I hadn't done that, I wouldn't have been able to save you."
"That's not... no, more importantly, are you okay?"
"Hah, Yuria, who's worrying about whom right now?"
"No, it's not that, it's that the World Tree's Essence was corrupted."
"Corrupted? Well, my skin did change a bit."
And then she seemed to think for a moment,
"Well, it's fine~ it's fine~"
"No, what... first, let's go meet the Goddess. It was her oracle, and she might be able to solve this."
And Lily...
First, it's okay to put out the urgent fire and then sort things out, right?
So, I'll just convey this feeling,
"Lily... what happened to me isn't your fault. I've always wanted to tell you that."
"Thank you... I'll go first."
"Lily!"
Lily bowed her head and said as she left the room.
"Yuria, I'll definitely find a way to break your Curse."
With those words, she rushed out of the room.
Haa, it seems I didn't convey it properly.
First, let's take Cynthia.
"Cynthia, let's go."
I grabbed her wrist and started walking.
"Mm."
Her face seemed to have reddened for some reason,
but it must be my imagination, right?
And so, Cynthia and I set off again towards The Capital.
We were inside the sacred Chapel.
I'd asked for people's understanding and was able to use it with just the two of us, like last time.
"Goddess, I've brought the World Tree's Essence as per your command."
However, the Goddess's reply didn't come down as it had last time.
What was it?
Just as I was a little dumbfounded by the unexpected situation, Cynthia stepped forward.
"Wait a moment, I think I can do this."
Saying that, she tore open space in front of the Goddess statue.
"Huh?"
"Let's go in."
"Mm?"
Confused, I followed her inside.
We arrived in a space with endless pure white pillars soaring towards the sky, just like when I first met the Goddess.
"This seems to be the right place."
This time too, I started walking along the pillars, just like before.
Then, a huge circular hall appeared.
Unlike last time, the desk and chairs were gone, and a single massive bed was there.
On it, two women were intertwined.
Aria was clinging to the Goddess, touching her body.
"Aria!"
I rushed over to check,
and Aria had disheveled the Goddess's pure white dress and was touching her body.
Aria's delicate hands were kneading the Goddess's breasts inside her dress,
while her other hand stroked the lower abdomen and her lips touched the Goddess's ear.
The Goddess, as if all strength had left her body, was embracing Aria on the bed with a completely uninhibited expression.
It was a scene difficult to comprehend even after seeing it.
"Aria, what are you doing?"
I reached out to pull her away from the Goddess.
"Yuria, no!"
The moment I tried to stop her,
Whump!
CRASH!
My body was flung and slammed into a pillar.
"Gah... Aria, what are you doing?"
Cynthia rushed towards me urgently.
But her expression was a little strange.
With eyes as if she'd seen something terrifying, she quickly hid me behind her back.
"That's not Aria. This darkness... no, this is the Abyss. Is this the Demon God?"
"Demon God?"
"I don't know what happened either, but that's not Aria. It's the Demon God."
"What do you mean—"
Aria, still touching and kneading the Goddess's body, looked towards us.
"Goddess, why are you just standing there?"
I shouted, almost wailing,
"Pant, pant."
"My older sister won't have the luxury of speaking, will she?"
"What do you mean—"
As the Demon God released the Goddess and stood up, the Goddess collapsed weakly onto the bed.
The Demon God gradually approached us.
"You absorbed, no, even inherited the World Tree's Essence, didn't you?"
"..."
Cynthia merely glared at the Demon God in silence.
"What did you do to Aria?"
"She's probably sleeping, isn't she?"
With those words, the Demon God launched a Dark Sphere.
It seemed to approach very slowly.
"CRASH!"
Cynthia threw herself forward, pushing me away and blocking it.
The huge pure white pillar shattered.
Because it was a sphere that absorbed all light, I couldn't gauge the distance of the magic.
It was simply Cynthia, sensing the danger, who saved me.
"Yuria, run away! I'll buy you some time, somehow..."
CRASH!