Chapter 54: Final Act (Part I)

The earthquake tremor isn't very intense, but it catches everyone off guard. 

The sky continues to flash, still without sound. 

The only noise heard is the crackling of flames coming from the lower floors of the school building. 

It looks like an apocalyptic scene. 

Sirens in the distance are getting closer.

[CREATE ELDRITCH TENTACLE]

I create another tentacle, this time smaller. 

Its purpose is a secret infiltration mission.

Deedee still has her bow drawn, ready to unleash her ultimate attack. 

But she's hesitant. After seeing what I did to Guli, she knows it might be true that I cursed him.

The arrival of the three on the roof changes the dynamics. 

Rero and Luysia are on my side. 

Kanna is a wildcard, but I think she'll side with her friends. 

We still have the advantage.

Luysia points her sword at the ranger, who aims her bow at me.

Rero joins Bicrista, who is inspecting the defeated giant.

"Then you didn't need us!" 

Rero scoffs with a playful remark that seems inappropriate for the moment. 

But that's Rero. That's how she is, and that's why I like her. 

"I always need you, Rero," I reply nonchalantly. 

She chuckles at my my shameless response.

"Drop the bow!" Luysia orders the ranger coldly to cease hostilities. 

"Fuck me! Chand's paladin siding with a demon. Can't you hear the goddess's command? I can, and I'm not even devout!" 

Deedee recognizes Luysia Camclair. 

Luysia doesn't respond. Her eyes are as icy as ever.

"He's the fucking enemy!" the detective yells at her.

"I know well. He's the enemy of the gods and the enemy of the church. He's a monster of the worst kind," Luysia says with an emotionless voice.

"So why are you pointing your damn sword at me?"

"Because, as much as I hate him, he is my master, and I owe him absolute obedience."

"How many women have you manipulated, bastard?" the detective asks me irritably, turning towards me.

"Not enough," I reply with a smile.

"Strauss!" the professor grabs my attention.

I look at her without saying anything, waiting for her to do so. 

It's time to rip off the bandage. It will hurt. 

She hesitates for a second. 

Then, clenching her hands, she asks me, "Have you deceived me all this time?" 

"About what? Regarding my feelings, no, I haven't lied to you. I love you," I reply sincerely. 

"So all these women who are ready to die for you?" 

"I love them too." I have no reason to deny it. 

I can see Rero and Bicrista light up at my words. 

Luysia hints at a half-smile, but it's so faint it could seem like a spasm. 

Kanna's expression, on the other hand, is painful, betrayed.

"Kanna! He cursed Guli! He cursed me too!" Deedee screams at her. 

"DON'T THINK ABOUT ME! Kill the demon!" the barbarian yells. 

Kanna startles. 

"Do you know the type of curse?" the professor asks. 

"If I hit him with my final blow, the damage will be reflected back to me. It's called [DEATH REFLECTION]."

"A similar curse was described in the compendium..." She looks at me. 

The woman is conflicted. 

"I can remove it; I have enough details," Kanna forces herself. 

"As soon as you remove it, I'll kill the bastard! Hurry!"

The woman casts [REMOVE CURSE]. 

A purifying light envelops the ranger.

"Did you remove it?" Deedee asks, ready to shoot. 

I burst into laughter.

"N-no, it's impossible..." Kanna can't explain why. 

She knows the type of curse, she knows the name of the curse, and she is sure the target is cursed. 

At this moment, she wonders why she couldn't remove it. 

"FUCK, that bastard completely fucked us!" the policewoman curses in despair.

"Professor, you can't remove my curses. You can't even detect them." 

As long as I wear this ring, she is powerless. 

"Who are you really? What have you done to me?" the woman cries.

I advance slowly toward her. 

I reach her and stand in front of her.

"Do you really not know who I am? Do you think what you feel for me is a deception?" 

"You lied to me from the beginning!" she accuses me. 

"The love I feel for you is real," I tell her, looking straight into her eyes. 

I take her hand. "You know it." 

She withdraws her hand. 

"How can I accept that you've fooled me until now?" 

She now looks at me with contempt. 

"Do you want to give up your happiness for this? For your pride?" 

"It's not just my pride! You represent evil! I studied curses to fight against them! You used me to learn how to harness this wicked power!"

"No, this is just your pride. It hurts you that all your knowledge is useless against me. Years of study have proven to be a waste of time. That's what truly hurts you. You couldn't do anything against me."

"N-no, it's not true!" She tries to deny what she knows to be part of the painful truth.

"At my side, you could leverage your knowledge and, at the same time, learn much more than you could have ever imagined learning."

My words catch her off guard. 

Normally, she should vehemently deny them. 

But due to the feelings she has for me, she can't help but consider them.

"Don't listen to that motherfucker! He's manipulating you!" Deedee shouts.

"There can be a happy ending, Kanna," I say, ignoring the ranger.

"How could there be when my goddess keeps commanding me to kill you?" the woman asks me desperately.

"Don't listen to Chand. For the gods, we are nothing more than objects. They are indifferent to our feelings and our sufferings. We are just pawns on their chessboard," Luysia Camclair tells her.

Kanna turns to the former paladin. 

"She was so cold when I prayed, I could feel all her disgust..."

"For her, you're a ruined, tainted toy. You have no value. If you're lucky, you'll receive indifference. Otherwise, they'll despise you," the blonde woman replies.

"In what way would you be different from a toy for that demon?" Deedee asks irritably.

"Despite being broken, he accepts me completely. He has taken on the suffering he caused me. He didn't abandon me. To him, I might be a toy, but I'm a loved toy," Luysia asserts.

"You're a fucking crazy!" the green-haired woman insults her. 

She just can't comprehend the paladin's reasoning. 

Clearly, she hasn't experienced that kind of pain.

"Professor, only with Strauss can you find happiness," Rero says, behaving somewhat like the testimonial in a commercial. 

I smile at her.

After hearing from my women, Kanna is becoming more and more conflicted. 

She knows Deedee is right, but she can't help but be undecided.

But Kanna wants answers. 

She points her finger at me and prepares to interrogate me.

"Did you really kill those men?"

"Yes, I did," I answer without hesitation.

"How could you kill in cold blood?"

"I will kill again, Kanna. I will kill my enemies if necessary. I will kill those who deserve it. But, as you can see, I don't kill needlessly," I respond.

"Gulihelmus is your friend, right? For me, he means nothing. I could kill him right now. But I know it would make you suffer," I point to the submissive giant.

"Deedee has tried in every way to kill me. She's a threat to me. But it would be a waste to kill her," I continue, looking in the direction of the policewoman.

"Vonner? A bully and a criminal. Drusla? A junkie who would sell his mother for a fix. Filth that pollutes the world."

As I speak, the third tentacle reaches the woman with green hair. 

Slowly and unnoticed, thanks to its snake-like size, it slips into the pockets of the shoulder bag that Deedee carries.

Kanna, clenching her fists, looks at me with disdain at this moment. 

"Who are you to judge who is worthy of living?!"

I raise my fists to the sky like an orator ready to deliver his final monologue. 

"Who are the gods to judge instead? Who is Chand to decide that I must die? I want to live. I aspire to become the one who can judge. I have the strength and power to shape my destiny, and nothing will stop me."

"Fucking megalomaniac!" Deedee insults me.

"Yes, I am. That's what I am. I want to rise above everything. I want to own everything," I admit.

The ground trembles again, this time stronger. 

We struggle to maintain our balance.

*RUMBLEEE*

A thunder, and this time, we can feel the roar.

The tremor stops. 

Kanna has fallen to her knees.

I reach out my hand to her.

She looks at me.

"Free Guli and Deedee from the curses," she asks.

I snap my fingers.

"Guli is free. But I can't free Deedee. The moment I do that, she would kill me." I partly accept her request, to show my goodwill.

"You can count on it, son of a bitch!" confirms the detective.

Bicrista tightens the blade against the man's neck, knowing that he might attempt something foolish now. 

Rero also increases her attention, ready to plunge her sword in case of any sudden movements from the barbarian.

"There are two endings available, Kanna. In both, I win, but in the bad ending, I'll be forced to do what I don't want to do. I beg you, don't force me to do it. I love you, Kanna. Truly," I tell her with my heart on my sleeve.

My hand is still extended toward her. 

Conflict rages in her eyes.

The sky cries and despairs behind me, thunder flashing and shaking the earth.

"Take my hand, and together, we will take this world."