YM778.TV Chapter 25 - The Vain Man (6)
Chapter 25 - The Vain Man (6)
The snowflakes fluttered beautifully in the air.
Though they were an unnatural shade of black, their beauty was undeniable.
It was a scene born of paradox.
The thick frost that fell was tinged with shadows.
Even the bright spring that had just begun to bloom was now blanketed in a wintry night, as if it had never existed.
Those who witnessed this contradiction of seasons were mesmerized by the surreal beauty.
Meanwhile...
“Huff, huff…”
In the center of the arena, a girl was breathing heavily.
“Hack... Ugh.”
A rough cough escaped her lips.
The girl, standing on unsteady legs, was none other than Emilia.
Her delicate steps faltered.
Crunch.
Footprints were left in the snow that had gathered on the ground.
In front of the surreal scene, she mumbled to herself, dazed.
A pale breath escaped her lips.
"What…?"
What had just happened?
She tried to process it.
The last thing she remembered was her thousands of spears descending.
And then, in the next moment...
—Shatter.
Winter had shattered.
In an instant.
The vivid landscape that had been there a moment ago vanished as if it had been a lie, scattering into countless fragments.
“Ah.”
It felt like a dream.
If she closed her eyes and opened them again, would everything disappear, and she’d wake up in a soft bed?
Of course, the fantasy didn’t last long.
The snowflake that landed on her cheek, the cold seeping into her skin—those things were proof that this was reality.
Emilia lifted her head.
"......"
In her blurry vision, she saw the golden snake.
His slit-like eyes held a sinister smile.
The boy was completely at ease.
Unlike herself, who was now withered and worn, he stood there, calm and composed.
It was then that Emilia realized.
She was weak.
She had unleashed her magic, trying desperately to reach even the boy’s feet, but it was all in vain.
The gap between them was impossibly wide.
“Do you still want to continue?”
His voice was smooth and courteous.
It was hard to breathe.
A deep sense of despair swirled through her body.
Her legs trembled, nearly giving out.
But...
"…Yes."
She didn’t fall.
Her blue eyes still glinted with venom.
It was a horrifying tenacity.
Emilia bit her lip.
She forced herself to steady her breathing.
A distant memory echoed in her mind, a voice she had heard long ago.
—Get stronger, Emilia.
Her chest tightened.
—If you don’t, you won’t survive.
That memory was enough to force the girl to stand.
But she didn’t expect a miracle.
She had already realized the truth in the previous exchange.
The gap between them was vast.
So vast that even looking up at him was a struggle.
"It’s not over yet."
But Emilia didn’t know how to surrender.
To her, defeat equaled death, and she had never learned how to kneel.
It was the only way she had learned to survive the cruel fate she had been dealt.
This time was no different.
The girl clenched her fist.
She gathered what little mana she had left, managing to form a single ice spear.
A desperate, final act of defiance.
"I won’t lose... Not ever."
The atmosphere was filled with malice.
As she pointed her spear at the boy, she heard him sigh in exasperation.
“Oh dear... I didn’t want to be rough with you.”
The snake flicked his tongue playfully, as if he were genuinely enjoying himself.
Was it that fun for him?
Well, after all, it was like stepping on a bug that didn’t know its place.
‘This is only fair.’
She didn’t feel particularly wronged.
Wasn’t this exactly what she had intended to do?
If you’re prepared to stab someone, you should also be prepared to be stabbed in return.
The snake’s slitted eyes curved into a smile.
“It can’t be helped! I wanted to end this as politely as possible, but...”
Grinning wickedly, the boy’s expression turned sharp, a menacing aura radiating from him.
“This is the result of your choice, Lady Vanity.”
The snake clasped his hands together.
Around him, a dark mist began to swirl.
Sensing that something was wrong, Emilia tried to retreat, but the boy’s actions were faster.
He clapped his hands lightly.
Snap!
A sharp sound rang out.
In the next instant...
“...Huh?”
The gravity around Emilia flipped upside down.
Her body floated for a moment.
But only for a moment.
“Aaah... Kyaaahhh!!”
***
Her blue hair shot up toward the sky.
In the original story, Judas was portrayed as the ultimate villain.
He played the role of the protagonist’s ally until the very end, only to reveal his true nature at the most crucial moment.
He was the one who delivered the shocking twist.
[What the...?]
[?????????????????]
[Wait, is this for real? Judas betrays you?]
[Fuck, narrow-eyed characters are always a bad sign.]
[No way, are you serious?]
[Why is that guy so strong, though?]
[He must have been hiding his power because of his narrow eyes.]
Even in the strategy videos I uploaded, the reactions were intense.
Judas had always been a kind, sometimes goofy, comedic character.
He was a supporting character who had won over the players’ hearts, only to be revealed as the mastermind behind all the tragedy.
The foreshadowing had been so cleverly hidden that it was almost impossible to notice on the first playthrough.
But that wasn’t the only issue.
Judas’s power was nothing short of a catastrophe.
The protagonist and their party had no time to recover from the shock of betrayal before they had to save the world from destruction.
Judas’s strength was far beyond anything within the normal bounds.
[Is this difficulty for real??]
[If the guy who wrote the guide failed, then we don’t stand a chance.]
[He wiped out the entire Gallimard faculty in 30 seconds?]
[This is just broken.]
There were many intense scenes in the game.
But the most iconic was Judas’s “continent-wide gravity reversal” during the final battle.
{Things are starting to get a bit boring.}
{Shall we make the world a bit more interesting?}
He defied the laws of physics.
With a single clap of his hands, Judas reversed the gravity of the entire continent.
People fell toward the sky.
The world was hurtling toward destruction.
It was a scene that still lingers in my mind.
[How do you even beat that?]
Of course, such a feat was only possible because Judas was Judas.
With the power I have now, it’s out of the question.
Even after three years since my reincarnation, the “Lies” ability was still difficult to control.
With my current level of power, it was impossible to reach such heights.
Flipping the gravity of an entire continent?
How does that even work?
It was a level of power that was beyond my comprehension.
But.
That doesn’t mean it’s completely impossible.
The ability to manipulate reality with lies.
Even if my output is low, the nature of the ability hasn’t changed.
As long as I keep it within a manageable range, I can easily defy the laws of the world.
Snap!
Just like now.
“Aaah... Kyaaahhh!!”
It was the same “gravity reversal,” but on a much smaller scale.
In the original story, Judas’s target was the entire continent.
My target was just one girl.
Her figure shot straight up into the sky at a rapid speed.
As I watched her accelerate, a bittersweet smile crept onto my face.
—I won’t lose... Not ever.
As expected.
Emilia didn’t surrender.
She was too stubborn to give up.
To break that stubbornness, I had to use a bit of force.
If she insisted on standing back up, despite knowing the difference in power...
Then all I had to do was shake her so thoroughly that she wouldn’t be able to stand again.
“Hehe.”
The judge didn’t seem to have any intention of stopping me.
It was a sign that I could continue the duel.
When Emilia’s head nearly touched the clouds, I clapped my hands again.
Snap.
Immediately, the gravity around Emilia returned to normal.
Her blue hair, which had been soaring toward the sky, began to plummet.
For a moment, she seemed to float in the air before she started to fall toward the ground.
A faint scream reached my ears.
“Ugh, ugh... Aaah...!”
Emilia was rapidly descending.
No matter how strong her body was, a fall from such a height would surely cause severe injuries.
Especially in her current state of mana exhaustion, fatigue, and despair.
She wouldn’t be able to brace herself for the impact when she hit the ground.
Of course...
“Back up you go.”
Snap!
I didn’t let that happen.
Just before she hit the ground, I clapped my hands in time.
Emilia’s face receded into the distance again.
“For someone who spoke so grandly... Your screams are quite adorable.”
The ultimate villain tormenting the little villainess.
I kept clapping my hands.
Snap!
Snap!
Snap!
Just as she was about to touch the sky, I’d let her fall, and when she was about to hit the ground, I’d send her back up.
Sometimes, for variety, I’d switch the direction of gravity to horizontal.
“......!!”
For a while, the only sound that echoed through the arena was her pitiful screams echoed through the arena.
How much time had passed?
I stopped clapping only after a notification from the system appeared.
- Ding!
[The output of the unique ability ‘Liar’ has been mostly depleted.]
[Current remaining output: 4.7%]
“Is it time to wrap things up?”
Snap!
I clapped one last time and waited in place.
Standing with my arms extended, I soon saw the girl falling at a terrifying speed.
Her blue hair left a long tail.
“Oh dear.”
I gently caught the falling girl.
Using my ability to erase the acceleration, I softly embraced her weakened body.
“Are you finally thinking of giving up?”
“...”
Emilia, in a daze, I whispered deliberately close to her ear. It was a threat to show her something worse if she didn’t surrender immediately.
Her delicate shoulders trembled with fear.
“Hmm.”
I set the villainess down on the ground.
Her legs wobbled the moment she touched the surface.
As expected, Emilia slumped down immediately.
Her chin trembled like aspen leaves.
“Lady Vanity.”
“...”
“Lady Vanity?”
“...”
No response.
Realizing something was wrong only then, I noticed a peculiar detail.
Had I played too roughly?
She was a student with notable skill, so I had relaxed and toyed with her. But her response was troubling.
‘Wait a minute.’
A setting that belatedly came to mind.
“Come to think of it… Emilia had severe acrophobia, didn’t she?”
It was a detail I vaguely remembered from an extra booklet released long ago.
A chill ran down my spine.
“Oh no.”
= I fucked up.
I hurriedly examined Emilia.
The villainess was on her knees with a blank expression.
It was already too late.
“Lady Vanity! Are you okay… Eh?”
The girl’s pants were wet.
A small puddle formed around where she sat.
The black snowflakes from previous attacks quickly melted upon contact with the wet ground.
At the same time, white steam rose.
“Uhh.”
My brain froze.
Yellow liquid.
No matter how you looked at it, it was water that had come from under the girl.
I hurriedly looked away, but I happened to meet her blue eyes.
“...”
“...”
Her pupils wobbled as if they might break.
Tears gradually filled her eyes.
The trembling grew more intense.
And finally.
“Wahh…! Huu, wahhhh…!”
Emilia burst into tears.
Oh dear.
I’ve made a mess.