A Villain's Will to Survive novel Chapter 262

Chapter 262: Phantom Ball (1)

Ruuuumble—!

Rain fell in a drizzle, and thunder growled through skies dark as ink, lightning tearing through the darkness. For a moment, the ghosts blazed in the electric glare, but they returned moments later, their faces even more grotesque and vicious, charging with a rage born of the storm.

"This is getting annoying. Hey, we’ll handle the distraction—Sirio, take them to the room," Jaelon said.

All at once, dozens of the Altar’s soldiers broke formation, scattering in all directions through the corridor.

"Let’s go~" Sirio said, scooping up Epherene and Ria in his arms and shooting down the corridor like the wind itself.

Bang—!

"Whew~" Sirio murmured as the door clicked shut, setting Epherene and Ria onto the bed with a bright smile. "Great—you both seem okay."

Epherene and Ria stared at Sirio in silence.

Plinnnnnk...

The sound of rain tapping against the old mansion seeped into the silence.

“... Why,” Epherene muttered, her words slipping from her lips. “Why did you come? Was it because... of that self-proclaimed God?”

“Hmm? Hahaha. A self-proclaimed God? That’s pretty funny,” Sirio said with a chuckle, dragging a chair over, flipping it around, and straddling it with his chest pressed to the backrest. “But yeah—it’s Him we’re here for”

"How many temples were destroyed?" Ria asked.

"All of them. Not a single one remained. It’s a shame—we never even had the chance for a prophecy," Sirio replied with a bitter smile.

“... So you’re here to assassinate Her Majesty’s again?” Epherene asked, her eyes narrowing.

"Us? What are you talking about? We’ve never killed the Empress," Sirio said, his eyes going wide as he shook his head.

“... Of course not now. But before the regression—”

“Not before that, either.”

"What are you talking about? That’s a lie—you guys don't even remember what happened before the regression."

As she spoke, Epherene stretched her words, her eyes distant with thought, calculating every variable in her mind, wondering if her magic could possibly bring down Sirio.

"Nope. I’m serious. I don’t remember everything, but I heard about it—straight from the self-proclaimed God you are talking about."

“What? Then who was it that assassinated Her Majesty?”

"It’s simple. The Empress committed suicide. We just arranged it to appear as an assassination."

At that moment, Epherene’s words caught in her throat, and Ria, watching in silence, blinked—clearly taken aback that she couldn’t hide it.

Before and after the regression? The Empress’s assassination and suicide? Both are way off from the official scenario of the game. Sure, there are dozens of endings in this world... but this is definitely a different route, Ria thought.

“Bullshit!” Epherene barked.

"I’m telling the truth. At some point, for reasons of her own, the Empress came to realize who she really was. That’s why she committed suicide," Sirio added, shrugging.

Epherene remained silent.

"But it was you who revived her. Or rather, we made you revive her. You might even say we guided you along."

At that moment, Epherene’s brow furrowed, tension knotting her features, and outside, the darkness pressed against the window, tangled like a spider’s web left to ensnare the night.

"You probably thought you’d done it yourselves..."

Slap—!

Sirio clapped his hands.

"But oops!" Sirio continued, a wide smile stretching across his face. "The scenario was manipulated from the beginning."

Then, Epherene’s eyes stretched wide.

Is she beginning to understand what I mean? Sirio thought.

“Epherene, do you still not see it? We were the ones who set off that bomb to force your regression. We were the ones who killed Deculein over and over, who destroyed the continent every time you regressed. Every bit of it—it was all us, all of it forced upon you,” Sirio said, his smile deepening, finding her expression almost charming.

“Like we were telling you to hurry up—bring her back. Don’t leave the Empress dead,” Sirio continued, dipping into a chuckle at the end.

“A body is required for God’s descent? We were the ones out there collecting the materials for it? Says who? Did God say that to you? No—of course not. It never happened, did it?” Sirio added, brushing his fingers through his hair, his eyes flashing beneath the sweep of loose strands.

“You just interpreted what we said and did—and misinterpreted it yourselves as if it were real. But, of course, our followers believed it enough. But you know the saying—if you want to fool the enemy, first fool your allies[1] and, well... anyway.”

Sirio's words died away, and then he raised his head to the ceiling.

“What matters is that every step you took was part of His plan all along,” Sirio said, his expression touched by a trace of melancholy. “Even when you twisted and detoured, when you revered and delayed, or wasted time sitting here and there... it was all part of the path He prepared for you.”

Sirio lowered his head, the smile slipping from his face as his calm, composed eyes landed on Epherene.

“... The One we speak of is the Emperor himself, and He is the Emperor in all but name. Now that the regression blocking His arrival has been removed, the time has come to usher in His coming.”

Sirio's smile crept back onto his lips, the corners touched with something almost mocking.

“The reason I’m telling you this is simple—cooperate with us. Stand with us, and even when God makes His descent, you’ll live. But if you don’t—”

“Hmph. But what if that self-proclaimed God fails to come? What if we defeat Him—and He’s kept from descending forever?” Epherene interrupted.

"That would be even worse. Sophien’s endless hatred would set this whole continent aflame. After all, that’s exactly what she was created for," Sirio replied, raising an eyebrow and nodding.

“... What did you say?”

"For now, Sophien’s wrath is directed at the Scarletborn. But once they’re gone, Sophien's wrath will turn to another tribe. And when that tribe is no more, her wrath will move to the Kingdom. And when the Kingdom falls, it will turn to the Principality."

“Sigh...” Sirio muttered, letting out a long sigh. "To be honest, the Empress’s last real opportunity to win was through that suicide. We were actually shocked—we never expected her to end her life like that. But now... thanks to the Professor, the Empress will never commit suicide again."

Epherene remained silent.

"The Empress has found her reason to live. Even if she’s a calamity, even if she’s a monster set to burn this world down, even if every truth comes crashing down on her... she’ll never commit suicide again," Sirio said, flashing a cool smile as he spread his arms wide. "Well? All those moves you thought were for the best ended up wiping out the only variable."

“... No, you are wrong.”

"Come on, don’t be difficult."

“No, you are wrong.”

“Yes, I am right~”

“No.”

“Yes~”

“Nope.”

"... Haha, well," Sirio muttered, letting out a laugh and opening his palm. "Anyway, now you get it, don’t you? Everything—all of you—was right here, in the palm of God’s hand, and everything you believed, all of it, played out exactly as we planned."

“Is that so?”

At that moment, a voice slipped through the room from outside, and Epherene and Ria flinched, snapping their heads toward the door.

"Your eyes are turned the wrong way."

Finding nothing at the door, the three turned as one, their eyes snapping to the window—where someone, no, a ghost, was pressed flat against the glass.

"It has been a long time, Epherene."

Epherene swallowed hard, tension knotting in her throat, while Sirio’s face hardened, and he drew his sword.

"Remain in that place, and the rot will find you."

A face resembling Deculein, but older, his presence colder—a ghost unable to sever the ties between life and death, left to roam the afterlife in regret...

“... Decalane.”

"Stand up and come here," Decalane said, extending his hand through the window. "Or will you let yourself be dragged down by those no worthier than fleas, cockroaches, and vermin?"

"Wow, your way with words hasn’t changed," Sirio said, letting out a laugh in disbelief and narrowing one eye as he looked from Epherene to Ria. "But tell me—no matter what you think, aren’t we still a preferable choice over Decalane, wouldn’t you say?"

Ria gave Epherene a nudge on the bum, and Epherene flinched, startled, but cleared her throat as if nothing had happened.

"How foolish. There is no filth fouler than you, even in the depths of the afterlife," Decalane said, his eyes blazing crimson.

At that moment, Sirio’s armor convulsed, metal rippling and mutating into living tissue—snaking out in twisting tentacles that wrapped tightly around him.

"Oh, what the? What kind of monstrous spell is this?!"

“Epherene! Let’s go! Hurry!”

“Okay!”

Then, without hesitation, Epherene and Ria sprang toward the window.

Craaaaash—!

As the window exploded in a spray of glass, Epherene and Ria tumbled into open air and fell into Decalane’s arms before the ground could take them.

"But nothing will change," Sirio said, smiling as he looked from the two living to the one dead.

***

Whoooosh—!

"Oh, I’m done! I’m going to bed—and I don’t even want to see the Empress’s face right now!" Adrienne yelled, flopping onto the bed.

"If you go to Iggyris, you will die."

The father Yulie had never dared to call Father had never once smiled at her; he had only ever resented her for the loss of his wife, and now, if he meant to end her life as well...

To Knight Yulie, Your Guardian Angel

Restaurant

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