I Became A Ghost In A Horror Game

Chapter 78

"Haa..."

Ariel. The Little Mermaid devil sighed.

This was because the sight of herself becoming a hedgehog with sacred arrows pierced into her body looked very shabby.

She must shine.

She must be beautiful.

If her appearance doesn't shine, Mephisto Pheles won't even pay attention to her.

...How miserable.

Even though she was in considerable danger, the fact that there hadn't been any contact meant he wouldn't even consider meeting her in person.

Ariel frowned and raised her head.

She made eye contact with the Institution's agents, who were looking at her in front of a pile of corpses of the Cathedral's priests.

Surely, they weren't trying to capture her, right?

It would be troublesome to kill them, and her body was a wreck.

...They don't seem to have any hostile intent.

Ssss...

"Urgh..."

The Archpriest had been stronger than expected.

Because of the divine power that did not disappear even after death, pulling out the arrows was not an easy task.

Or maybe the tool was just good?

After spitting out the blood that had accumulated in her mouth, she waved at the agents.

The bare minimum courtesy of fighting together.

Thinking there was no hostility, she created a water droplet to return to her place.

"Huh? Those kids..."

At that moment, she saw the children, who had been with Alice, running out.

She didn't like Alice.

But that was that, and this was this.

She had to keep her promise to protect the children as the minimum compensation for Alice joining the Fairy-tale Tea Party.

That's what she had planned when coming here, but she didn't expect that the Cathedral would suddenly intervene.

Because of that, she had to engage in a fight that wasn't worth it.

"Hmph. I've done my part. If I knew I'd get this hurt, I wouldn't have come in the first place."

But contrary to her words, Ariel cast a spell on the running children.

A spell that consumed a fair amount of her power.

A bubble of healing.

A secret technique to ensure they could breathe even in the sea of death.

A death prevention measure.

"...Haa... This is my minimum sincerity. I'm done."

Ariel, looking exhausted, shrugged her shoulders and returned to her place.

...

POV Switch - Alice

I glared at the completely devastated Machine God.

It's body looked completely different from the beginning, with scratches and scorches all over.

It was literally like a piece of junk.

One of the arms had been cut off and was already in ruins.

However, our side also suffered damage to the extent that we had no strength to spare.

Pinocchio fell and all the monsters went back into the mirror.

for the first time in a while, I had no choice but to take up my knife and stab the bastard myself.

"Haa... Haa..."

[You look exhausted.]

The bastard shamelessly spoke to me.

I was annoyed that he seemed to be pretending to be relaxed.

"Shut up, you damn scrap metal. You have only one arm left, so stop acting all high and mighty."

[High and mighty? It's clear to anyone that both sides have suffered great losses.]

"Hah!"

I scoffed, but it wasn't entirely wrong.

The power gap between me, who had lost allies and was barely holding a knife, and the giant with his large body, albeit damaged, was clear.

...I thought I had become stronger, but strong enemies just keep coming.

[Don't be discouraged, little devil. You're the first to push me this far. When I first met Pinocchio, I was a bit surprised, but he wasn't enough to defeat me.]

"..."

I was dumbfounded and didn't say anything.

Was that supposed to be encouragement?

[Humans and devils. Monsters with anomalies. Among them, you could be called special. But that's the end of it. From the moment you failed to destroy my stage, you had already lost.]

"Stop the nonsense. I haven't lost yet. Why? Are you trying to act like a wall that can never be overcome again with your so-called divine behavior?"

[You don't believe me. How unfortunate.]

I remembered Carol's warning not to be swayed.

He's definitely trying to sway me with those wicked words.

I can still move and swing my knife.

If I just recover a little, I might be able to summon more monsters.

Seeing that I wasn't giving up, the bastard suddenly showed four strands of thread.

[Do you see these four strands of thread? I can manipulate the threads of fate. To control a large number of humans, a stage is necessary. Controlling just four children is a simple matter, but I claimed it was impossible without a play. Yes! Shamefully, I lied.]

"...!"

I knew very well what the Machine God was trying to say to break my will.

The hand holding the knife began to tremble.

[I have twisted their fates into ruin.]

"The kids are being protected! You're buying time. If I defeat you before that happens...!"

When I said that, the Machine God shook his giant head.

Accompanied by a creaking sound that didn't originally occur.

[...You thought the Institution and your allies would prevent it. How unfortunate.]

"...?"

[Manipulation and entanglement are different.]

...Entanglement?

[Did you think there were no other threats? Have you forgotten that humans fought and died in the factory due to entangled threads?]

What the Machine God was saying that it was possible to twist and entangle fate without the need for a cumbersome play.

He might have been using that ability from the beginning.

Anxiety flashed in my mind, and I simultaneously recalled.

Mason and his comrades.

They had once fought and self-destructed when I wasn't around.

The Cathedral and the Institution.

There might even be organizations I didn't know about; could they avoid intended conflicts?

If they fought like Mason's team and created a gap, and the children got caught in it?

[Not just machines, but everything is entangled, leading your children to a horrific fate. Don't you understand yet? The end for those children is the worst! All the threads will entangle and finally meet their end! Even without a stage, your children will die more tragically than in any play, movie, or novel! This is inevitable! Humans cannot resist fate! Oh! You could stop it if you were there, for that is your power and essence! But what can you do? You are not by their side.]

I couldn't hold back any longer and rushed at the Machine God.

As if he was aiming for this moment, he instantly restored his arm and grabbed me.

His grip, capable of crushing even a tank, tightened around me.

"Urgh!"

[Ah! Do you trust those children? Of course, you would say you do. How pitiful.]

"Don't be ridiculous!"

[Young and foolish devil. No matter what you did with those children to gain that power, no matter what emotions you shared, or what bonds you built, the stage has already changed too much. The children will die because of you. Can the children wound a giant bigger than a building? Can they dodge my attacks fast enough? Or at least are they strong enough to withstand your attacks?]

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!!!!"

Due to the rising anger, my physical strength increased rapidly and I tried to escape from his grip.

However, the Machine God spoke without paying any heed.

[It has changed too much! You can't go back to how it was before! You must have agonized over it constantly! You must have been in conflict endlessly! You wanted to adventure together like before?! But due to your involvement, they will meet a horrific end! Oh my! Do you want to go and save those children, leaving me behind? It's too late. Far too late!]

"Ahh!"

The Machine God threw me to the ground.

Because it was so high, I flew like a cannonball and rolled on the floor with a loud noise.

Not yet... Not yet.

[You're still getting up.]

"Take it back... Take it back... Say that everything you said is wrong!"

I screamed with rage.

Like a child.

A child crying and asking an adult to untangle the knotted threads.

[Unfortunately, young devil. One of your children's lives is already unstable. They will die soon. That much is true.]

"Liar! It's a lie!"

I covered my ears and didn't want to hear any more.

Then.

"...It's not a lie, Alice. This world is full of truths you wish were lies."

Pinocchio, who I thought was down, appeared calmly.

"...You definitely collapsed."

"Yes, that too was a lie."

I couldn't understand his words.

Why was he standing now?

Why did he lie?

It felt like he was waiting for me to get tired.

Seeing my puzzled face, Pinocchio showed me an object resembling scales instead of explaining.

"?!"

And when it activated, my body began to be crushed by something intangible.

"You were special because you could break the stage, Alice. Breaking the Ruler's authority requires having the same or greater power. But because of that, I was disappointed. You haven't fully utilized that power."

"What are you..."

"You need to be more suspicious of others. You've been living by always being swayed. Ah, well, does it matter now?"

Pinocchio activated the scales once more.

Suddenly, the Machine God's body started to creak severely.

The same phenomenon as mine.

With an unbalanced body, being crushed by something, his body was being compressed.

[That is...]

"Yes. As you can see, it's a tool. It's only natural for a blacksmith to create tools."

Pinocchio proudly held up his tool.

"The ultimate tool. We always lack something, so we circumvent, divide, and combine. But there is one thing that doesn't change. Equal or greater energy. Yes, to put it simply, equivalent exchange."

Equivalent exchange... ?

[This is truly a dead end, Pinocchio. But interesting. Whatever you intend to do with my power... It will ultimately be dominion. Ah... Everything is entangled in chaos. Fate is indeed fascinating.]

Creak! Creak!

The Machine God's body crumbled, leaving only its core, which was compressed to the point that the once-building-sized being became a single cog, falling to the ground.

Pinocchio picked it up and placed it inside his body.

Then his body began to emit tremendous energy.

The energy is so similar to the Machine God, it's like... Like the Machine God had been resurrected.

I had the illusion of hearing the Machine God's laughter.

"Thank you, Alice. This is thanks to you. And I wish you luck surviving."

Pinocchio left without looking back.

"Urgh! Wa-wait! At least check if the kids are safe..."

I couldn't finish my sentence.

Because my body was disintegrating.

I screamed.

Trying to escape, I created a mirror, but it was swiftly absorbed by the scales' energy.

The price of turning a Ruler into a component.

It was impossible to estimate how much the corresponding price would be.

The pain grew, gnawing at my mind, and I saw my death before my eyes.

This wasn't the end I wished for.

If this was the end awaiting me, I would rather have died behind the curtain.

As these thoughts ran through my mind, a familiar and nostalgic voice called out.

Simultaneously, the force disintegrating my body vanished completely.

I lifted my fallen body and looked up, my eyes widening.

"...What are you doing?"

"Uh?"

Mephisto Pheles. And my senior.

"Ah... I'm disappointed... Alice. I worked so hard to prepare you, but you can't even fulfill your role?"

"Se-senior, is it really you?"

He simply frowned, not answering my question.

I was so upset that my hands were shaking.

"Tale devils were created to counter Rulers. Specifically, to suppress and overcome beings that humans could never defeat. You were supposed to perform a very special task... But you struggled so much against the first Ruler. Disappointing."

"..."

Why did he suddenly appear and say this?

I didn't become like this because I wanted to.

I suffered so much because of the devil in front of me.

But.

...When I heard the word disappointing, my heart hurt and I couldn't say anything.

"I paid the price. Thanks to you, I have used up all the power of Oz I had. This wasn't part of the fucking plan, and it will cause setbacks in future events."

"..."

"Next time, do better, Alice. I won't help you anymore."

With those final words, the senior disappeared again.

I couldn't stop him from leaving.

Pinocchio, the Institution's agents, the Machine God, my senior, the Cathedral. Everyone left, leaving me alone in this void.

I looked up at the sky.

It was full of dark clouds.

I staggered as I stood.

All the threads were tangled, filling my mind with chaos, and I knew I wasn't in my right mind.

"...Ahaha... What the hell am I?"

Betrayed, disappointed, endangered, left alone, shattered... I laughed emptily.

Even so, I staggered forward.

"I am, I am..."

Where am I going?

The answer was clear.

"...Huh? Huh? Huh?"

I found the children.

Driven by a sliver of hope, I was trying to ensure their safety.

But that hope was shattered again.

"A-Alice... You were here..."

Ha-rim, lying on the ground, looked at me with difficulty.

...I could pay attention to Ha-rim's face.

Because I was staring at the numerous wounds on her body and the fatal injury to her abdomen, which is leading to her death.

My expression crumbled into despair.

"Ahhh..."

Then screamed.

"Ahhhhhhhhh!"

They were dragged into this because of me.

They might die because of me.

"It's Alice! Ha-rim's there too!"

The children ran towards us from afar.

I wasn't looking at their faces either.

I could only see their injuries.

Severe wounds on every one of them.

POV Switch - 3rd Person

Alice's was nearly broken.

An ominous energy began to emanate from her.

Startled, the children flinched.

Alice began to mutter.

"Forget it. Forget everything."

"Alice! Snap out of it, Alice!"

The children shouted, but Alice couldn't hear it.

Her eyes reflected a dangerous aura.

"I was too careless. Too foolish. And selfish. Honestly... If I wanted to avoid this entirely, I could have hidden my identity completely. When I dealt with that trivial anomaly, I thought it would be okay not to erase memories. I pretended it was inevitable! Used coincidence as an opportunity! But what is this? Everyone got involved because of me... Ha-rim is dying."

"Wait, I don't understand. But I'll say this. Ha-rim got hurt while luring the monsters for us. It's not your fault..."

"Yeah... Haha... You're all always the same. We would go on adventures and dive into dangerous situations together. Right, if we hadn't gathered in the first place, none of this would have happened!"

Alice, seemingly mad, ruffled her hair.

She burst into tears and, using all her strength, created a mirror.

"...Alice."

"Please don't come closer... Because I'm going to do something really bad."

Alice ordered the monster.

-They'll die easily around you, even if you're fine. It's best for both you and them.

-Young and foolish devil. No matter what you did with those children to gain that power, no matter what emotions you shared, or what bonds you built, the stage has already changed too much.

-Now Alice. Your power is too great, and the enemies are too strong for them to stay with you. They have the right to live safely within God's protection.

"Erase Alice's existence and the Mystery Exploration Club itself from their minds. I'll ensure their safety... I'll keep them safe at all costs. No more need for adventures. No more running from scary things. No more getting hurt."

Alice smiled brightly.

The smile was somehow twisted.

The monster of forgetting looked troubled.

It was the first time it hesitated at Alice's request.

Monsters: No, no Alice. If you do that, you'll lose everything.

"Please..."

As Alice began to cry, the monster of forgetting erased all of their memories.

Then something strange happened.

The carefully created mirror shattered, the monster of forgetting vanished, and all power left Alice.

Alice stumbled again.

"What is that...?"

Alice looked up at the sky.

A giant red spear was flying towards her.

...

"When Little Mermaid intervened, I thought the plan had failed. Ah, it's fortunate things proceeded as planned. Or were we part of the fate the Machine God induced?"

Losing Archpriest Kinus was unfortunate, but the operation was successful, so it didn't matter.

"Gray Fox... Then?"

"Yes. Now that she has denied human potential and locked it within a cage, she has lost all her power. Now is the time to deal with her."

Gray Fox ordered the high priest.

"...Launch the Red Holy Spear."

...

Tearing through the dark clouds, a massive red spear shot like lightning.

It was an absolute judgment.

Alice, caught in the entangled, unsolvable knot, had no way to avoid it.

Perhaps the true power of the Machine God's authority, which she had overlooked, was this.

It was too late for regrets.

Alice could only look miserably at the sky and the approaching spear.