Chapter 25: Change
Nelly couldn’t grasp the meaning of the sentence for a moment.
The world is about to be destroyed? But Karsus hasn’t done anything. How could that be?
In response to her question, the system replied mercilessly, “Please step out of the Demon’s Lair and look at the world outside.”
Nelly’s heart pounded. She walked very, very slowly along the top-floor corridor to the terrace. She pushed aside the vines in the rooftop garden and looked out. The wind from the high altitude rushed toward her, its biting temperature heralding the departure of summer. She was slightly taken aback. Unknowingly, winter had passed, and even spring was a distant memory.
She fixed her gaze on the distant horizon and was horrified.
The sky of the Demon City was still its usual crimson, but this strange color had now spread all the way to the heart of the kingdom, which should have been a clear blue. Even though it was too far to see clearly, smoke was rising from the castles in the hills, and the glow of fire was faintly visible. The peaceful monasteries were gone, replaced by raging flames. The once clear-flowing streams had dried up, and in the exposed riverbeds, flocks of vultures were pecking at something, a nauseating sight.
It was an apocalyptic scene of the end of the world, of the twilight of the gods—miserable and desperate.
Where did it all go wrong? Why did it turn out like this?
Nelly’s ears were ringing. She leaned against the stone pillar beside her, her palms cold.
“But he didn’t do anything…” she murmured in disbelief, her voice hoarse. But reality was right in front of her; she could no longer deceive herself. She had said that if Karsus ever harmed Wildia, she would leave.
The system calmly pronounced Karsus’s guilt. “The very existence of the Demon King is a sin.”
Nelly’s whole body shook, as if she had been plunged into a glacial river in the abyss.
“As long as he does not die, the world will head toward destruction,” the system continued its statement. “That is why we need guides to lead the heroes to save the world.”
Her voice trembled, tinged with a sob. “But… but he didn’t do anything. Is he not even allowed to just live?”
“The Demon King is the king of demons, the source of all evil in the world. Even if he is temporarily dormant, he will one day reveal his true form.” The system paused, as if considering how to better persuade Nelly. “As long as he exists, malice will expand infinitely until the world is destroyed.”
As if that wasn’t enough, images from all over the continent were suddenly projected in front of her:
Rats ran rampant in the slums. A pregnant woman collapsed weakly on the side of the road, trying her best to protect her swollen belly, but could only watch as red-eyed giant rats swarmed her. The magnificent palace of Mez was engulfed in flames, and the surrounding shops were also consumed by the fire. People screamed and fled the hell, only to be met with the even more terrifying specters of hunger and plague. Pirates, long absent from the Misty Coast, reappeared. Fishermen were bound and taken onto ships as slaves. To the east, the iron-hoofed cavalry of heretics trampled through peaceful villages, broke through the capital of the old empire, and rode west into the heart of the Balkans, leaving piles of white bones in their wake…
Nelly’s face was stiff, and she was speechless for a long time. She covered her face with her hands, slowly slid down the stone pillar, and sat on the ground.
She had been too optimistic, too naive. Now, it could only be called foolish.
The happiness of the past half-year had been nothing but an illusion. Her love, her joy, was a flower of evil that had grown on the blood of countless innocent people.
The only thing she could do was to cut it off with her own hands.
“What should I do?” Taking a deep breath, Nelly looked up, her voice cold.
“Kill the Demon King.”
Nelly closed her eyes and smiled weakly. “I don’t think I can do that.”
The system was silent for a moment, then compromised. “Please open the gate of the Demon’s Lair. The Demon King has forcefully sealed the entrance for a long time, and the heroes cannot enter.”
Karsus had told her everything. She knew all of Sloth’s secrets and possessed half of a demon’s power. Yes, she knew how to open the gate’s seal.
“And then? Wait for the heroes to come and kill him?”
The system didn’t answer.
Nelly let out a low, somewhat unhinged laugh. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and said softly, “I will atone for my sins, but… after this is over, can I go home early?”
After a brief silence, the system gave its reply: “You may.”
Her long-held wish had come true, but Nelly felt no joy at all. She stood up, her face numb, stretched out her hand, and closed her eyes. Concentrating, she drew a not-so-complex magic circle. After the last stroke was connected, the muffled sound of a door opening came from below. Nelly closed her eyes again, tired, and asked flatly, “I’ve always wanted to know, what would happen if I died in this world?”
The system clearly hesitated for a moment, but still gave an answer. “We keep the souls of all guides in our custody. As long as the soul is not destroyed, you can still return to your original world after completing the mission.”
But Nelly keenly caught the loophole. “So there are situations where the soul can be annihilated?”
This time, the system simply refused to answer. “Guide No. 1028, the hero has entered the Demon’s Lair.”
Hearing this, Nelly’s shoulders hunched. She buried her face in her knees and said in a muffled voice, “Mhm. System, I have one more request.”
The other party didn’t reply, so she took it as a default. “Can you give me… a weapon that can truly annihilate a soul?”
“Why?”
“I know demons better than you do.”
After a moment of silence, with a soft ding, a translucent blue cone with a rounded tip appeared in her storage. The instructions for use read: “Click on the character card to annihilate the soul.”
Nelly nodded in satisfaction. “Thank you.”
“Guide No. 1028, hero’s mission failed, team wiped out.”
“Is that so?” Nelly wasn’t very surprised. The power Karsus possessed far surpassed any hero’s. He had just been letting others kill him before.
She carefully smoothed out the wrinkles in her skirt, stood under the trellis, and held her head high, watching as the Demon King in black descended from the sky. She twitched the corner of her mouth. “Our time is up.”
Karsus’s voice was cold. “Why?”
Nelly pushed aside the drooping briar rose vines, revealing the devastated Wildia before him. She seemed even more indifferent than he was. “That’s a question I should be asking.” She looked him in the eye, and a look of pain gradually appeared on her face, her voice growing lower. “I was willing to share your power and loneliness, but I didn’t know it would bring sin.”
The black-haired, red-eyed Demon King looked very innocent. He looked at the miserable state of Wildia without a change in expression and said, “I didn’t know this was what you called sin. I don’t care.”
He paused, his eyes flickering. “But, I didn’t do anything.”
“I know,” Nelly said miserably. “But that’s even more terrifying than if you had done it intentionally.”
She pointed to her own heart. “It was I who accepted the power of a demon. I mistakenly underestimated it. Or rather, from the very beginning, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have hoped, shouldn’t have taught you about this world, because in the end, you would destroy it. What could be more cruel than that?”
With that, she placed her palm on her chest, and a red light suddenly flared up.
Karsus’s face changed drastically. He took two steps forward, but it was too late.
The seal was broken. Black smoke shot out from Nelly’s left chest and, freed from its restraints, quickly entered Karsus’s body. The sudden influx of immense power made Karsus momentarily unable to stand, and he fell to his knees.
“I’m returning this half of the power to you, taking back my promise, and fulfilling my original vow to leave you.” Nelly collapsed to the ground and smiled. “Kal, I really like you. I can’t bring myself to kill you. Even the thought of it is painful.”
She stood up shakily, backed away, and stood on the stone railing of the terrace.
“Goodbye, Kal.”
She jumped.