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"Ruby, answer me."

"..."

Until now, she had always responded immediately to Frey\'s words. But now, Ruby simply remained silent, bowing her head deeply.

"Shit."

Frey cursed under his breath, sweat dripping coldly.

"Why..."

Ruby\'s soul was shattering in real-time.

It wasn\'t like the time Frey had artificially shattered his soul, and then used Ferloche\'s abilities to take it away from his physical body.

Her soul was genuinely crumbling.

Normally, it would be a good thing.

Something to applaud and be happy about.

After all, she was the most dreadful and repulsive existence in the world, the total opposite of Frey as the Hero.

That existence\'s soul was completely crumbling.

- Drip...

But Frey\'s expression as he looked at Ruby, who was sitting on the cold floor shedding tears, wasn\'t pleasant.

"...This isn\'t right."

The initial plan to attack Ruby using the Fourth Ordeal had been put on hold for a long time.

A quest appeared a few days before entering the Fourth Ordeal.

Frey had intended to observe the situation of the ordeal and decide on the way to deal with her afterward.

But he had never expected her to take the initiative to make a \'sacrifice.\'

"..."

If things continued like this, Ruby would either become a demonic monster or turn into a soulless husk.

That was the fate that awaited her until the final battle scheduled by the \'system’ arrived.

When that day came, he would pierce her husk with the Hero’s Armament and end this tragedy.

Then everything would be over, and his desired \'happy ending\' would come.

Sudden Quest - Ruby\'s Salvation

Details: Accept the Sudden Quest - Corruption.

[Reward: Fixing the Fourth Ordeal Bug...]

However, there was another reason why Frey had put the choice on hold.

[... Opening the True Ending Route]

The system mentioned a ‘True Ending’.

Something that had never been mentioned anywhere, not by the prophecy, nor by the system… until now.

If it truly existed, they had to reach it by any means necessary.

He had immediately accepted the quest upon seeing it, probably because of that reward.

Probably.

- Shaaaa...

Ruby\'s soul in front of him was now crumbling uncontrollably.

If it continued to crumble, the existence known as \'Ruby\' would disappear.

- Rustle...

So, after standing blankly for a while, Frey quietly placed the ring he had been wearing onto Ruby\'s finger.

When Frey’s soul was shattered, Ruby, in a panic, took everything that had the possibility to recover a soul, even if it was just a rumor.

Among those items, this ring, which was also mentioned in the prophecy\'s setting book, was actually a rare item that had the effect of holding onto souls.

"Hmm..."

As he put on the ring, Ruby\'s crumbling soul began to stabilize slightly.

But that wasn\'t enough.

Ruby\'s soul, which had been going through Retry to the limits like Frey and Ferloche, was too much of a mess to stabilize with just one ring.

- Drip...

So, as Frey pondered with his lips bitten, he soon grabbed a sharp stone rolling on the ground and drew it across his own arm.

- Drip...

It was to make the most effective way to stabilize the soul, by making a blood oath.

"Drink, Ruby."

"Gulp."

For humans to make a blood oath to each other was an unprecedented event for millennia.

Even more uncommon was the scenario in which someone who had received a blood oath from another person then returned it to that same individual.

"Gulp, gulp."

For the first time, Frey, who had always been on the receiving end of blood oaths, felt a dizzying sensation as he gave one, that too to the Demon King.

- Shaaaa...

Was it the side effect of the dual contract? Or was it because of the contradiction that they had dedicated their souls to each other?

Their souls briefly mingled for a split second.

"Ugh..."

At the same time, Ruby’s memories began to flood into Frey\'s mind.

Scenes that he had vaguely recalled over the past few days began to replay vividly before his eyes.

"..."

As Frey watched those scenes, his expression began to harden.

"What is this..."

Gradually, with a pale face, he muttered incredulously.

"What in the world..."

Like blood flowing from Frey\'s arm into Ruby\'s mouth, time flowed and continued to flow.

"Ugh..."

And so, some time passed.

"...Frey?"

Ruby slowly opened her eyes and began to gaze at Frey.

Retry Quest

[2 - 01]

[Recover Frey\'s Memories (1/1)]

[You have cleared Stage 2 of the quest!]

"Huh?"

In front of her eyes, the message of quest completion appeared.

"....As expected of Frey."

Ruby, who momentarily stared blankly at the message, then muttered with an expression that said she knew that this would happen.

"So, you\'ve managed to do something again, huh...?"

The Frey in front of her, wearing a bewildered expression, was confused.

Due to the temporary mixing of their souls as a side effect of their mutual blood oath, Ruby\'s precious memories resurfaced and were transmitted to him as they were.

"What are these memories...?"

Thanks to that, the system was able to recognize this situation as \'cleared,\' but for Frey, it was quite a shock.

"These memories... are they real? That\'s impossible. There\'s no way."

"Frey..."

"There was no such cycle!!"

What Frey saw were scenes from the original first cycle.

Similar scene he had drawn countless times back in the Demon King Castle.

In a cave that looked familiar, two young people were staring at each other.

Ruby conversed with Frey and the five main heroines in Sunrise Academy uniform.

Sharing wheat bread and potato soup Ruby had brought during the academy\'s field trip to the desert region of the Western Continent.

Watching a play, buying clothes, eating ice cream.

Holding hands and looking at the starry sky from the rooftop.

"Are all these memories... real?"

Not just the drawings, but also the false acts of affection Frey had performed with the intention of destroying Ruby.

And Ruby\'s acts of affection toward him were also mixed in.

"Impossible."

It was natural for Frey to panic.

"The subconscious... is a terrifying thing."

Looking at him with a sympathetic gaze, Ruby forced herself to stand up, despite feeling as if her soul might tear apart at any moment.

Retry Quest

[Final Quest]

As the \'Final Quest\' appeared before her, she abruptly stopped in her tracks.

"..."

Then came the silence.

"A-Ahahaha!!!"

Breaking the silence that had lasted for minutes, Ruby burst into awkward laughter and spread her arms wide.

"It\'s all going according to my plan!"

"... Plan?"

And then, Ruby shouted loudly at the bewildered Frey.

"You fell for the false memories I planted and ended up sacrificing your soul in the end! You really are foolish, Frey."

At those words, Frey\'s gaze began to waver.

.

.

.

.

.

"What is this? Did you actually believe that those were our memories? You\'re more naive than I thought!"

Ruby wore a contemptuous expression as he unleashed her attacks on Frey.

"You fool! Every action I\'ve taken so far has been nothing but \'deception!\'"

"Deception... you say?"

"All the backgrounds I\'ve mentioned so far have been lies. You were almost the victorious Hero, and I was the defeated Demon King. I only guided you to sacrifice your soul to me!"

"..."

"Even explaining how to make a blood oath was all according to my plan!"

Ruby sneered.

"Now you can\'t command me anymore. We can only fight each other with our strength!"

The smiling Ruby and the cold-faced Frey clashed their demonic energy simultaneously.

As a result, the basement began to shake wildly, almost collapsing.

"I\'ve been waiting for this moment. I wondered what would happen if you didn\'t sacrifice your soul... Well, the gamble paid off..."

With a villainous demeanor, as if returning to her former Demon King persona, Ruby increased the intensity of her demonic energy to pressure Frey.

"...Ugh."

Then, suddenly, she stopped using demonic energy and knelt down.

"Cough, cough... Ugh... This can\'t be. Maybe... my soul wasn\'t fully restored..."

With an awkward expression, Ruby muttered.

"Urgh... My body, my body won\'t move..."

With a furious expression, she looked up at Frey.

"..."

And then came the silence.

- Swish...

As Frey quietly drew his sword, Ruby muttered with a resentful expression.

"Darn it... Is this a failure?"

"..."

"What are you doing? Hurry up and stab me. Are you playing with me?"

- Rustle...!

"I guess I will give up this physical body. But stay alert. My soul will soon find another vessel–"

Continuing to look at her with a cold expression and aiming his sword at her neck, Frey spoke.

"Cut the crap."

"...What?"

Then, with a pale face, he opened his mouth.

"Why are you pretending?"

"W-What are you talking about?"

"Are you... deliberately trying to die by my hand?"

At those words, Ruby\'s gaze began to tremble wildly.

.

.

.

.

.

"W-What are you talking about? Stop talking nonsense and just finish me off."

“Your soul is on the brink of destruction right now. If I pierce you with this sword imbued by the Saintess’ power, even you won’t be able to escape soul annihilation.

"T-Then hurry up and do it. Why are you hesitating?"

Ruby, who was kneeling in front of me, smiled at my words and replied.

"If you kill me, everything will be over. Don\'t tell me you lack the confidence to do that? You\'re not a man, but a coward, Frey."

"..."

"Cough, cough... Well, fine. If you won\'t attack me... then I\'ll..."

It was definitely an act.

The sudden change in her attitude, despite being honed through countless regressions, still contained a hint of falsehood.

And, most decisively, the moisture in her eyes.

"Are those memories of us meeting in the cave, talking at the academy, traveling together... are they all real?"

"I-I told you, they\'re fake..."

"Then why are you trying to force yourself to die now?"

At my question, Ruby chewed her lips and stared into space.

What was she looking at?

That kind of behavior usually only occurred when someone was checking the system.

Did she get a new quest?

"Could it be... could there really have been... a forgotten cycle...?"

"You\'re so naive, Frey."

When I asked with a puzzled expression, Ruby flinched for a moment before changing her expression to a cold one.

"There\'s no such thing as a forgotten cycle. They\'re all fabricated false memories I created."

"..."

"Actually, you still have your original memories, don\'t you?"

My heart pounded.

She already knew that I had my original memories?

"Do you think I wouldn\'t have noticed your trap?"

"Trap...?"

"You deceived me into believing we had a past connection, and tried to trick me into falling for the \'Fourth Ordeal.\'"

With an angry expression, Ruby flared her demonic energy.

"So... I used the same tactic. I created false memories and manipulated you into sacrificing yourself for me."

"..."

"But I messed up adjusting the intensity of the soul-breaking force. Hurry up and kill me. I need to move on to a new body."

My head was spinning.

If this was true, it roughly explains everything.

All the information I recalled so far has been false memories created by Ruby, who saw through my scheme during the Fourth Ordeal.

She used it to make me swear a blood oath for her sake, aiming to regain an equal footing with me, and even tried to kill me but failed, leading to this situation.

- Swish...

"Hurry up and kill me. This body is disgusting."

It was a perfect explanation.

With this, I could kill Ruby without any guilt.

And yet…

- Drip...

Tears were flowing from her eyes.

"Hurry up and kill me, Frey."

If I killed her now, I could have a happy ending.

The five main heroines and the sub-heroines.

My family, and the world, would regain happiness.

"Kill me... please..."

As the Demon King, she would either become a demonic monster or an empty husk

"..."

But then, the truth would be buried forever.

Ruby, realizing that lies no longer worked on me, shed tears and decided to use threats.

"If you don\'t kill me now, I\'ll kill one person every minute."

“...”

"Starting with your sister. I\'ll brutally tear her apart."

"..."

"Then it\'ll be the first-year students. With the system\'s restrictions gone, it\'s possible now."

Ruby continued with a terrifying expression.

"Then it\'s Kania. Then it\'s Irina. Then it\'s Clana, Serena, Ferloche..."

"Tell me the truth."

"If you don\'t want to see your loved ones die, you have to kill me now."

"Tell me... the truth."

"30 seconds left."

Suddenly, the sword I put against her abdomen started trembling.

"20 seconds."

If I pierced her abdomen now, I would receive a happy ending.

"10 seconds."

The eternal tragedy would finally come to an end.

"5 seconds."

But… the truth would also be buried along with her death.

"4 seconds, 3 seconds..."

What choice should I make? What choice should I make in this situation?

"2 seconds."

I don\'t know. I don\'t know!

"1 second..."

"W-Wait a minute..."

As Ruby counted down, she reached out to where the children were.

At that moment, when she extended her hand, something suddenly happened.

- Crackleee...!!!

“Kya!?”

“W-what…!”

The basement, which had been designated as the respawn point for regressions, was engulfed in darkness.

- Crackle, crackle...! Crack, crackle...!

Soon, grotesque and horrifying tentacles started sprouting everywhere.

"What... what is this...!"

"Agh!?"

"...Ruby?"

While I was puzzled by the familiar grotesque sight, Ruby paled and collapsed to the ground.

"What\'s happening–"

- Do you want to know the truth?

"W-What the..."

Surprised by the sudden question, I stuttered in response.

As I took a step towards her, something gigantic loomed before us.

"What... what is this?"

It was a colossal eyeball.

.

.

.

.

.

- Welcome, Frey.

"You are..."

- It\'s been a while.

Frey, who looked at the suddenly appearing eyeball with a shocked expression, soon cooled his mind and asked.

"...Who are you?"

- I don\'t think I can give you an answer you\'d understand.

Upon hearing that, Frey, with a puzzled expression, took a step back.

A power that even he could not fathom was blooming from the eyeball.

- If I had to provide an answer that you could understand... I’m the one behind the Demon God.

"...Are you the mastermind?"

- Nothing is as displeasing as being questioned by an insignificant existence.

"What do you want here?"

Instinctively realizing that the eyeball before him might be the mastermind behind all this, Frey questioned it with a tense expression.

- I\'ve come to reveal the truth on behalf of the main body.

"Why? Why now?"

- It\'s the highlight we’ve prepared most diligently for you. It would be a waste if the truth never sees the light.

Responding in a leisurely tone, the eyeball continued.

"Frey, kill me."

As soon as those words were spoken, Ruby suddenly stood up and shouted.

"Kill me now!!"

- I won\'t stop you. I\'ll respect your free will.

"Don\'t listen to that bastard! Just kill me!!"

- However, could you at least listen to what I have to whisper?

As Frey stared at Ruby with a sword in hand, seemingly poised to strike, he found himself inadvertently tuning into the murmurs of the eyeball.

- You hated rye bread with a passion, yet what made you start liking it?

"That\'s...! Those were implanted false memories... Ugh!?"

As she was about to interrupt the eyeball\'s question, Ruby was struck by a tentacle and collapsed to the ground.

"R-Ruby..."

- Why did the former Demon Lord, once stripped of her position due to your actions, suddenly develop a \'girl\' disposition?

As Frey reached out to Ruby, his gaze began to waver.

"What exactly are you trying to say–"

- Why was Isolet Arham Bywalker eliminated as the 6th main heroine?

"...!"

Initially raising his voice in anger, Frey froze upon hearing the question.

- Why is your shop\'s ultimate skill is \'Mind Control\' while Ruby\'s is ‘Absolute Love\'?

"..."

- Why did you accept the Salvation Quest as soon as you saw it?

"...What."

After remaining frozen for a while, Frey, with a trembling expression, finally opened his mouth.

"That\'s... to see the True Ending..."

- Just by seeing \'Ruby\'s Salvation’ and immediately accepting it? Your mind was filled with the thought that it must be done, even without knowing the reason.

"...Huh."

It was only then that Frey realized he had pressed accept upon seeing the words \'Ruby\'s Salvation\' without knowing anything. He then put his trembling arm into his pocket

- You still have that pendant, don\'t you?

The Easter Egg pendant given to him by the Star God was in his hand.

- Sha...

For some reason, he felt like it would open wide if he were to open it now.

- Inside, the truth is recorded.

"...What truth?"

"Frey. Don\'t. Please. Just kill me. Don\'t listen to that."

"Tell me. What truth is inside?"

As Frey asked with a tense feeling, the eyeball answered with narrowed eyes.

- The initial draft.

"What...?"

Without even touching it, the pendant opened wide with those words, filling the surroundings with light.

"What\'s happening..."

- Let\'s say... Yes, it\'s like the Zeroth Cycle.

"...!"

Frey, who was disappearing into the light, looked at Ruby, who was bowing her head with a devastated expression. The eyeball continued with narrowed eyes.

- It was a long wait indeed. We are very much looking forward to it.

- Bzzzzzz...!!

At the same time, Frey vanished with the light.

- Sometimes, the truth is harsher than falsehoods.

The last voice he heard in his ears was a sarcastic tone full of anticipation from the eyeball.

.

.

.

.

.

"Haah, haah...?"

Struggling as if his whole body was being torn apart, Frey finally regained his senses and looked around.

"This place...?"

What he saw was a familiar scene.

"It\'s... the Demon King\'s Castle..."

He was on none other than the top floor of the Demon King\'s Castle.

"Hmm..."

Frey, still trying to adapt to the sudden situation, looked around, then sighed as he realized his predicament.

"Is this spectator mode again?"

His body was transparent.

It felt just like when he observed the world during the 2nd and 3rd ordeals.

"First... I need to confirm what\'s happening inside..."

Realizing his situation, Frey pondered whether he should enter the top floor.

- Bang!!!

"...!?"

But the need for that soon vanished.

"Kek... Kek..."

"You useless wench. Your talent diminishes as you grow."

The door of the Demon King\'s room on the top floor shattered, and a girl was flung out, tumbling down the corridor. Someone with a cold expression emerged from the broken door.

"...Huh."

Frey, noticing the pale and icy face through the cracked door, muttered in bewilderment.

"The First Demon King."

He was already familiar with the image from the prophecy.

Before him stood none other than the First Demon King.

He was a demon king from a thousand years ago who was said to have been brutally defeated by the First Hero Han-Byeol and the First Hero Party.

"Then... is this... a thousand years ago...?"

Thinking so, Frey turned his gaze to the girl rolling down the corridor.

"...Huh."

Soon after, his eyes widened.

"Ugh, uuugh..."

"Running away again will only result in a worse fate."

The face before him was too familiar.

"...Lulu?"

Pink hair.

Obedient, lifeless eyes.

It was unmistakably young Lulu.

"...What\'s going on?"

"Lulu."

Caught up in the sudden turn of events, Frey\'s gaze shifted to someone who quietly emerged from the adjacent room a few minutes later.

"Are you okay...?"

"..."

A girl with ruby-colored eyes was cradling the seemingly lifeless Lulu in her arms.

"What the hell..."

It was unmistakably young Ruby.

"Sis... I don\'t think I can take it anymore..."

"Ugh..."

After embracing Ruby, Lulu began to murmur in a trembling voice.

Observing her, young Ruby, with an anxious look, whispered in her ear while glancing around.

"Lulu, let\'s run away."

"Hu-huh?"

"Shh, be quiet."

As Ruby urgently covered Lulu\'s mouth, the latter quieted down. But her eyes still looked anxious.

"If Dad and Mom find out... we\'ll both be killed."

"It\'s okay, there\'s a way."

Patting her on the back, Ruby whispered again.

"Let\'s go to a future where they can\'t find us."

"...What?"

"A thousand years later. Let\'s go to a place where no one can interfere with us."

"Ugh, ugh..."

The young Lulu\'s eyes began to waver at those words.

"What is this..."

And Frey felt the same.

"What the hell is this?"

The redacted truth was unfolding before his own eyes.