Chapter 110: The Tales of Cinder [4]
Everyone looked at him, expecting words just as hopeful and brave—but Mitsuki had none of that. Among all of them, he was the one who least wanted to die; he didn’t need to relive what happened in Holylight the first time, yet now every path led to certain death.
He hesitated, so he looked at the princess’s specter, searching for an answer.
’What do you want me to say? If all of this is going to lead us to death anyway, what else can we do but give up?’
There was no middle ground; every path led to the same result.
They would be brutally killed by this specter, there was no doubt about that—but it was still better than dying slowly in agony, surrounded by monsters, with their minds rotting away until they turned into ash statues.
There was no right choice. That’s what Mitsuki would have told them... but instead, he took a few steps toward the princess, keeping enough distance to avoid being attacked.
He looked at his companions and finally spoke.
"I’m scared."
He opened his heart to them—what else did he have left to lose?
"I’m really scared. I’m so scared that it’s hard not to just run away from this place."
Mitsuki Kirishima, the King of the Void, the arrogant gamer behind the screen, had never imagined fighting someone in real life. He had never imagined stepping outside the four walls that protected him from the cruel world.
And now he was here, between life and death.
"What am I supposed to tell you? Do you want me to die crushed by a monster without even hesitating, just because you’ll all be there to die with me?"
The truth was...
"That terrifies me. Thinking that even in death, I’ll be—"
The system gave him another message.
[ You are not alone. You will never be alone again. ]
The shadow, still fused with the system... Even after disappearing completely, it was still there to give him guidance.
He closed his eyes.
’I still don’t know what I truly want.’
He looked at the specter, shotgun in hand.
"But I don’t want to die either. So I have to fight with everything I’ve got, right? Because this is my only chance to survive."
When you reach a thorny, dangerous, broken crossroads that brings you closer to your destination... are you brave enough to walk through it? After all, courage isn’t the absence of fear—it’s facing it despite being afraid.
That was why, in the eyes of the old elf, Mitsuki had finally become brave.
Monar nodded, giving him a push with a gentle breeze generated by his magical staff.
"We’ll fight together, as one, because we’re friends."
"And we’ll win—even if I have to sacrifice my arms to do it."
"To make up for my stupidity..."
These three idiots were truly faithful to their convictions. Mitsuki felt like he could admire them—for facing life like suicidal lunatics and still smiling around the campfire.
Yeah. They were adventurers.
Mitsuki lowered his gaze.
’Huh... I’ve never felt like this before.’
A faint smile appeared on his face. His hands trembled with fear. His breathing made it seem like he was about to have a panic attack—but his smile showed how much he had grown alongside these people.
He summoned Viktor and, together with Igor, aimed at the specter.
Marco appeared beside him, raising his sword and pointing it at the face of the curse-corrupted princess.
"Let’s do this," Mitsuki said.
"Even if we don’t stand a chance, let our courage echo through this damn crazy world," Marco added.
From the rear, Azel drew his bowstring. A radiant arrow of light shone brightly.
At the same time, Monar planted his staff into the ground. He closed his eyes and began chanting an enhancement spell in the elven language. In the next instant, a magic circle formed beneath his feet, and his body gained a distinct glow.
That same glow enveloped his companions, granting them enough power.
However, it wasn’t enough.
"I’ll need your help. You can take as many memories as you need to burn them. All I ask... is that my friends survive."
The magic circle trembled and expanded, covering the entire basement. Its light shone intensely, overpowering the glow of the active ash, and roots began to break through the ground.
They spread from the walls to the ceiling, shattering it and clearing away debris to let natural light into the battlefield.
The specter sensed the group’s hostility—but did nothing. It was as if it didn’t care what these ants were about to do.
"The Lord of Green is watching our battle," Monar said.
Marco and Mitsuki nodded.
"Princess..."
"We’ve come to kill you."
The specter, with crimson tears running down her ash-covered face, opened her mouth, releasing a small cloud of smoke. Still covering her eyes with her hands, she looked toward those aiming their killing intent at her.
"Knight... battle mage... archer... support mage..."
She rose before them, standing to her full ten-meter height. Then she crossed her forearms in front of her face.
"A god watching... Are you the heroes who wish to free me, or the tragedy that will spread death?"
Mitsuki swallowed nervously, but put on his fiercest expression and replied:
"We’re the heroes who will free you!"
With a broken voice, the specter whispered:
"I see... So be it."
Flames wrapped around her hands, forming two double-edged swords made entirely of crystal, their color matching the flames that summoned them.
She then lowered one knee to the ground and leaned forward, looking at Mitsuki. Somehow, she was waiting for her attackers to make the first move, which confused everyone—normally, a monster would attack without hesitation.
But that wouldn’t be the case. Before being a monster, she had been a princess who fought in war. That explained her battle-ready attire and her defensive stance.
Marco stepped forward, and Mitsuki followed. Then, both of them charged at her with the full intent of unleashing their power.
Mitsuki used Ash Propulsion and appeared right in front of the specter’s face, ready to fire—but before he could even react, the blade of her sword was already just millimeters away from splitting him in half.