Chick 351
by Cristae351
At the sudden recollection of the tune she’d been humming, Joorim’s brow furrowed sharply.
“…Tomato?”
Why am I singing such a stupid song?
Her head spun. A wave of nausea surged up from her gut.
She couldn’t hold it back any longer and doubled over.
A mass of vomit, speckled with seeds, splattered across the snowy plain.
“Hah…”
Only then did her mind begin to clear a little.
Staggering, Joorim got to her feet. Her whole body felt as heavy as if it were made of lead.
‘Where am I?’
Her gaze swept the snowy wilderness, then halted. Right in front of her, a child with snowy white, curly hair was looking up at her.
“…Mephi?”
“…?!”
The startled child flinched, his shoulders jerking.
“What’s got you so jumpy?”
Blinking her unfocused eyes, she set her hand atop the child’s head and gently smoothed back his soft hair.
Mephisto’s face flushed red, turning as bright as a tomato.
Then Joorim spoke.
“Where is Groo…”
“Groo?”
Mephisto cocked his head in confusion.
Joorim covered her face, as if her mind were muddled.
“That’s right, I heard Groo singing… so I was looking for Groo…”
Her words, brittle and broken, fell from her lips without cohesion.
Mephisto gazed at her with a look of pity.
What is this “Groo,” anyway?
Now she’s speaking nonsense—surely, nothing can be done.
‘This is the only way…’
Mephisto gripped the hilt of his ice-cold sword tightly.
It was at that moment, having finally resolved to act again.
“Peep!”
The stubby leg of a white bird kicked Mephisto hard on the cheek.
He lowered his sword and, rubbing his stinging cheek, looked up at the bird.
“Pee!” (Stop it!)
“…?”
Mephisto’s face went blank, while Joorim, watching, narrowed her eyes.
That was the Mephisto Kick, a move Mephisto often used when fighting the ugly hamster.
‘If that’s the case…’
…Did Mephisto just hit Mephisto in the face?
Even before she could ask why there were two Mephistos, she seemed to realize something, pressing a hand to her forehead.
“…Ah.”
A low sigh slipped from her lips.
Right. She’d entered the dungeon because of her brother.
In that case, the child before her wasn’t the real Mephisto, but Mephisto from the time when Shea was being sealed.
As if to confirm her theory, the ice-cold sword was gripped in Mephisto’s hand.
‘I can’t get sealed here.’
Was it time to fight?
Joorim was gathering her magic lightly when—
As if reading her intent, the white bird transformed into the child with snowy white, curly hair.
The boy, now in human form, shook his head at Joorim, as if to say there was no need to do anything.
Then he threw his arms around his past self, the one holding the sword.
She was briefly startled by the sight of the plump bird transforming, but before she could react—
“H-Hey, let go…!”
Past Mephisto, caught suddenly in the embrace, struggled with all his might to break free, but the child only tightened his hold even further.
“It wasn’t really your decision to seal Father.”
“…!”
The breath of the boy crushed in his own arms faltered. The word Father seemed to fluster him even more.
“You’re just being controlled by Kabaron.”
His past self shot back, sharply.
“So? You want me to stand by and do nothing?”
Mephisto whispered into the ear of his younger self.
“This world can’t be saved anymore.”
Past Mephisto flinched at those words.
“If… if I become emperor in his place, if I become a god, then I can still save it…”
Mephisto shook his head.
“It’s impossible.”
The world he tried so desperately to protect was destroyed, after all.
Mephisto pressed his forehead to his younger self’s.
Through that contact, memories of everything he had experienced in the past began to flow across.
Kabaron, using the Cradle, sealed Shea on the 99th floor to sustain the Tower, and himself took position on the 100th floor.
The Tower, which claimed it must become an ordeal to drive progress, ended up destroying the world, then set its sights on Earth, seeking a new prey.
Thus began the Great Cataclysm on Earth.
The denizens of the ruined world crossed to Earth, becoming the masters of the dungeons, while Mephisto sacrificed himself to lay the system’s foundation.
All for the sake of protecting at least Earth.
Sealing Shea was the start of it all.
“…”
The sword dropped onto the snow.
“Liar…”
The child gritted his lip, looking as though he refused to believe it.
Had the future he dreamed of truly been meaningless?
Mephisto once again hugged his younger self’s trembling shoulders.
The confused child now let tears spill endlessly down his cheeks.
“Then… was I just foolish?”
“Yeah.”
Mephisto paused briefly, then gently added,
“…Everyone was at fault.”
“…”
Everyone’s fault.
The face confronting him twisted in anguish.
Suddenly, feathers scattered into the air.
The boy’s fingertips began to dissolve into pure white plumes.
He looked down at his vanishing hand and murmured quietly,
“I just wanted to protect them.”
“I know.”
“At least there’s one thing that’s a relief…”
“What?”
“…It’s a relief that this was a foolish choice.”
Past Mephisto gave a faint smile, as if comforted.
“The truth is…”
He drew a small breath. His trembling fingertips seemed to clutch at the feelings that still remained.
“I never wanted to stab Father.”
Clang!
With those final words, the sound of something fracturing rang out.
The dungeon had begun to collapse.
Past Mephisto slowly closed his eyes, as if surrendering, as if awaiting the inevitable end.
The world shook as cracks spread, the ground twisting, splitting open with gigantic fissures.
The white snowscape broke apart into fragments.
Mephisto gazed silently at his past self, now vanishing entirely in a flurry of feathers.
Joorim, staring out over the broad plain as it scattered into frost, seemed suddenly to think of something and seized Mephisto’s shoulder in haste.
“Groo’s here too, right?”
Mephisto nodded.
“We have to leave, fast. Groo’s in danger.”
Meanwhile, a short time earlier.
Confronting the child, Kabaron barely suppressed a laugh.
Platinum blond, almost beige hair. Large coral eyes. Tiny, delicate features.
‘Is this supposed to be the witch?’
This is not Gnosis.
Just a little child pretending to be the witch.
A child so small and frail he could have crushed her slim neck one-handed.
Kabaron reached out for the child’s slender throat.
But for some reason, his arm wouldn’t move—as if some enormous weight anchored it.
“…!”
While Kabaron’s movement stalled, the ugly hamster gestured with his head toward the fat bird who had spread his wings wide.
“Myu, myu.” (Mephisto, you head for the Cradle.)
Knowing what that meant, Mephisto flapped into the air.
“Pee!” (Take good care of Groo!)
Shouting over his shoulder, Mephisto flew toward the gate to the snowy plain.
Worried for Groo, but knowing one of them had to go after Shea.
There was only one reason Kabaron had come here.
It was to buy time for his past self to seal Shea.
So it should be his job to stop that.
As Mephisto departed, Bailach—now in a child’s form—stepped in Kabaron’s way.
Even as he faced off with Bailach, Kabaron struggled to conceal his surprise.
The aura wafting from this child was definitely Bailach’s.
But Bailach was supposed to have been ditched along with the shadows.
What on earth was this in front of him? Some trick of Gnosis?
But—
‘It doesn’t matter.’
Kabaron’s brow knitted.
Even if he couldn’t move, it didn’t matter. He had Gnosis’ Eyes.
The Eyes of Gnosis.
A power capable of control in every sense.
From issuing simple commands, to bestowing power, or ripping it away.
Kabaron immediately activated Gnosis’ Eyes.
He stilled Bailach’s power and bound his body.
Only then did Kabaron turn toward the little witch.
He now immobilized the witch’s body in the same way as Bailach.
Whatever trick Gnosis had pulled, with the Eyes he could resolve it all.
He would strip every ounce of power from Bailach and the little witch alike.
As the triquetra shone in his eyes—
A duck-billed tongs snapped viciously at Kabaron’s backside.
Sting!
“Ah!”
Kabaron couldn’t help but yelp. His eyes flew wide.
He couldn’t grasp what was happening at all.
Their bodies should be locked down, unable to move.
“…?”
Except—he was the one who couldn’t move.
Bailach had bound him.
‘His eyes… they don’t work?’
Bailach rolled his eyes in mock amazement, then flashed a wide grin.
“Looks like it didn’t work, huh?”
“Impossible!”
As Kabaron tried once more to activate his power, his eyes gleamed.
The duck tongs came slicing through the air again.
“Bad! Thief! Bad!”
Sting! Sting! Sting!
With the furious duck tongs snapping down repeatedly, Kabaron’s mouth fell open.
“Ah! Ah! Ack!”
He was being hit by a child, and already his rear and thighs throbbed and went numb.
But the real blow was to his mind.
‘I’m… getting beaten?’
By a brat like this?
He could barely believe it, while Bailach laughed uproariously and egged Groo on.
“Hit him harder, master. Trash like that needs a beating to come to his senses.”
With both hands gripping the duck tongs, Groo snorted vigorously through her nose.
“Give back the witch’s eyes!”
Sting!
The tongs flew once more.
“Ah!”
Kabaron’s eyes trembled violently.
‘This is… impossible!’