The World After the Bad Ending

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Disaster Dragon Maiden.

Nikita Cynthia.

Facing her, I felt an icy chill that froze me to the bone.

Nikita’s gaze, directed at me, was chillingly cold.

Though her face appeared dignified, she usually held warmth in her heart.

But today, there was not a trace of kindness left in her.

Instead, only the flames of vengeance roared within her heart.

“……You’ve come, haven’t you?”

Nikita’s low voice spilled forth.

She echoed my words back to me.

“Does that mean you knew I would come?”

Our senior, Nikita, was quite perceptive.

“Yes.”

I replied as I tossed the sword I held onto the ground.

Clang—

The sword clattered against the frozen ground, rolling away.

At this sight, Nikita slightly furrowed her brows.

She had not expected that I would give up my sword right before her eyes.

“I was waiting for you.”

Nikita still held a glint of doubt in her eyes.

But soon, that doubt faded away.

Instead, a bitter wind carrying an unbearable chill swirled around her.

“Hand over Iris Haishirion.”

At her next words, my eyes went wide.

“If we hand over the princess, you’ll spare our lives?”

“Yes, it has nothing to do with you.”

Even as she wielded the magic of the Storm Dragon, it seemed rationality had been partially consumed.

Nikita only sought the head of her enemy, Iris.

She had no intention of harming others.

That’s why she likely waited until everyone else could no longer resist.

It was a characteristic kindness of hers.

However, I could not lean on her kindness now.

“I refuse.”

“……Hania, I know you care for the princess, but you must think of your own life.”

“Of course, my life is precious too.”

Instead of a sword, my hand raised defensively.

Setting down the sword, I felt oddly at ease.

“However, there is something more precious than my life.”

Not leading this damned world to a bad ending.

Only then could I protect my own life.

“So Iris is that precious to you?”

Nikita said this, lowering her gaze.

Tears welled up above her eyes, crystallizing into ice droplets.

I could feel an unbearable sorrow emanating from her.

“I lost the one I cherished most.”

Nia Cynthia.

The only brother of hers who had supported and trusted Nikita.

He was wrongfully murdered.

“So I will take yours.”

The moment Nikita finished that sentence, her figure vanished.

In her place, there was nothing but a single footprint left behind.

She’s coming.

The moment I sensed it, I immediately swung my hand.

[Kwaaaang!]

A fierce sword light resonated before me as I turned my back to Iris.

Nikita’s white sword collided with my hand.

Krrrk!

The chill contained within Nikita’s sword began to freeze my hand instantly.

True to the Storm Dragon’s magic.

Just touching the sword felt like my hand would shatter.

Kiiing—

But knowing this, I had come prepared.

The magical seals engraved on my steel skin began to glow in unison.

Consequently, the temperature of my entire body skyrocketed, flames bursting forth.

Steel skins conduct heat well, as expected.

The magical seal I had engraved on my steel skin in preparation for today was fire magic.

Specifically, it was magic directly requested from Sharine.

The intense heat coursed through my body.

Though I did not possess the spirit of battle like Lucas,

I could mimic it, just a little.

Noticing the heat radiating from me, Nikita’s eyes narrowed.

“Is that all you’ve got?”

As those words left her lips, the chill emanating from Nikita grew even fiercer.

The magic of the Storm Dragon trained in her was supreme cooling magic.

The reason the mountains of the Storm Dragon are perpetually covered in eternal snow is precisely due to the dragon’s chill.

One could regard it as the strongest among freezing magics.

‘Nikita possesses no other talents in magic.’

Ironically, she was extraordinarily gifted when it came to the Storm Dragon’s magic.

However, even Nikita could not escape the unique side effects of Storm Dragon’s magic.

The more she used her magic, the more she underwent dragonification.

In the end, the worst consequence would conclude with her being swallowed by the magic.

The chill emanating from Nikita clashed against my heat.

Perhaps because the temperatures were so dissimilar,

[Kwaaaang!]

A massive explosion echoed, as white smoke surrounded us.

I felt Nikita take a step back amidst the smoke.

In that moment, as her eyes scanned for me,

Thud!

I grabbed Iris and dashed away.

The explosion magic inscribed on my feet activated.

I fled the place at a desperate speed.

Realizing too late, Nikita pursued me fiercely.

Her expression was twisted like that of a malevolent spirit.

‘First, I need to escape from here.’

Confronting Nikita head-on would lead me nowhere.

So, I must lead her to the place I had prepared.

“Hmm.”

Perhaps due to the explosion and my heat,

I sensed Iris letting out a faint sound.

But I didn’t pay it any mind.

I merely ran desperately to escape, swinging my legs with all my strength.

Boom! Bang!

In the meantime, Nikita approached me in an instant.

Nikita’s abilities were competent enough for her to serve as vice president before her mastery of Storm Dragon’s magic.

She had dedicated even the time others used for sleep to training.

Naturally, her martial prowess was top-notch.

With the addition of Storm Dragon’s magic, her overall physical abilities had increased dramatically.

It was not easy to shake her off.

That was why I had prepared for several days.

[Kwaaaang!]

At that moment, the ground beneath Nikita’s feet exploded, shaking the space.

Underneath the frozen surface,

I noticed torn scraps of parchment from the explosion.

What Nikita had just stepped on was an explosive magic scroll.

Magic scrolls.

An artifact from a bygone era.

These had been adapted in the present day.

Though their performance may fall short compared to real mages,

The scroll I just used was on par in terms of functionality.

‘Crafted by a mad sorcerer.’

These were certainly from the mid-boss, Vinesha, so their reliability was assured.

Whoosh!

At that moment, Nikita burst out from the explosion, chasing after me again.

Despite facing the explosion magic head-on,

Nikita was merely singed a little.

She charged towards me without any visible damage.

It was to be expected.

The body of the Storm Dragon doesn’t get harmed by mere explosive magic from a scroll.

Only the limitations of vision and instability of the ground

were enough to give me time to widen the distance between us.

Boom! Bang!

But as if fortune had its limits,

Nikita madly stepped on the explosive scrolls while racing towards me.

Perhaps incensed even further,

Her eyes were filled with a menacing glare.

But not yet.

Before long, I ascended a sloped surface.

Within the frozen ground, I glimpsed more magic scrolls.

I promptly stomped down.

Whoosh!

Black smoke billowed from the ground.

In an instant, the surrounding air was filled with black smoke, obstructing my view.

In the meantime, I stepped on yet another magic scroll right in front of me.

Thud!

Suddenly, I heard a loud crash from behind me.

The source of the sound was Nikita.

The activated magic had turned the floor surface into a slippery mess.

With visibility obscured by the black smoke and a slick ground below,

Nikita had no choice but to slip and fall.

This widened the gap even further.

I was utilizing every means at my disposal, desperately increasing the distance from Nikita.

‘Just a little further.’

I was nearly at the last point I had prepared.

Just then, as I hastily moved my legs,

A chill ran down my spine.

Instinctively, my body leaned forward.

[Kwawagh!]

A beam of ice shot out behind me.

The icy ray grazed past me.

It overshot and struck the wall of the art museum.

Boom!

The wall was obliterated by the icy ray, sending me tumbling to the ground.

A prickling sensation lingered on my back.

Looking back, it seemed the spot where the icy ray had brushed past was now frozen solid.

Flick—

Even with the heat from the magical seal, my frozen back showed no signs of thawing.

“Ugh.”

Swallowing my cries, I forced my body to rise.

There was no time for that.

Before I could steady myself, my eyes filled with the sight of a sword.

Hurriedly, I ducked.

Hooosh!

The gust from the sword that whizzed over my head caused my body to sway.

Nikita, with her silver hair flowing wildly, bore scales on her face.

Had she narrowed the distance after firing that icy beam?

What insane prowess.

Despite my staggering form, I seized the chance to jab my fist into the exposed side of Nikita.

Thud—

However, Nikita remained unfazed by my punch.

If anything, I felt a bone-crushing pain in my own hand.

Currently, Nikita’s body was immune to most physical attacks.

Thanks to the Storm Dragon’s magic, she wore a durable ice-like biological armor.

Knowing this, I chose to flee instead of fighting back.

But Nikita was faster than I anticipated.

She swung her sword towards me once more, and I desperately evaded.

Each swing felt like a ticket to the afterlife.

My desperation was undoubtedly evident.

[Kwaaaang!]

Just as I managed to create some distance with the explosive force of the magical seal, I gasped for air.

Thanks to the heat of the magical seal, the chill was bearable.

But the heat was so intense that my stamina wore down quicker than expected.

Nikita slowly lowered her sword and looked back at me.

“Hania, I understand now how earnest you are in protecting the princess.”

Unlike me, Nikita showed no signs of fatigue.

Having consumed a considerable number of magic scrolls that would exhaust even wealthy nobles,

Nikita emerged unscathed.

“But this is where it ends.”

Nikita presented me with a final opportunity.

“Lay down the princess and head for the exit.”

If I did so, she’d spare my life.

Upon hearing Nikita’s words, I fell silent.

Then, I soon broke into a blood-curdling laugh.

Nikita’s eyes displayed a hint of confusion at the sight of my laughter.

Was she perhaps questioning my sanity?

Seeing her reaction, I took a deep breath before exhaling.

“Nikita-senpai.”

I decided to share a certain truth with her.

“Have you perhaps misunderstood something?”

Misunderstanding?

Nikita’s eyes filled with questions upon hearing those words.

To clarify things for her, I slowly lowered Iris.

Instead, I carefully undid the bandage linking us.

As the bandage unraveled from Iris’s body, her form began to change.

The bandage’s true identity was one of the curtain’s bandages.

As Iris began to transform, Nikita’s eyes widened.

What stood before her was not Iris.

But the deputy of magic arts.

The idiot from Iris’s team who had fallen first.

Dorara Korajin.

I had disguised him as Iris using the curtain’s bandage and brought him here.

I tossed him aside like refuse.

“Guhk.”

The unconscious one rolled through the snow.

At the sight, Nikita slowly turned her head back.

“The real Iris is…”

“She should be somewhere over there.”

Nikita bit her lip and asked.

Her gaze slowly returned to me.

Within her eyes, annoyance brewed.

“Is it even worth stalling like this? I’ll take you down and return to the princess.”

“Nikita-senpai, nothing in this world is meaningless.”

Everything has its significance.

The reason why Nikita ended up like this, the reason why I acted,

All of it mattered.

Nikita had targeted Iris.

And drove her to the brink of crisis.

This fact had now become an established truth in this world.

Act 3, Chapter 6.

The Disaster Dragon Maiden was definitely in motion.

Now, there was but one thing needed for the scenario.

The protagonist must defeat the Disaster Dragon Maiden.

And the Disaster Dragon Maiden meets her demise.

Lucas would persuade Nikita repeatedly.

Yet, due to Nia’s death that shattered her world,

Even amidst Lucas’s desperate pleas, she would ultimately try to kill Iris.

And here, Lucas would have no choice but to decide.

Should he kill Nikita?

Or let Iris perish?

This would be the choice and trial bestowed upon the protagonist.

Nikita’s death was inevitable.

Due to the impact of her demise, the scenario would progress towards the main story.

What this world needs is the death of the Disaster Dragon Maiden.

But.

My thoughts differ.

I am.

“I’m not Lucas.”

Lucas is coerced by the world to make only two choices.

But I am Bickamon, not Lucas.

So,

I will make my choice that will advance the scenario, not the two dictated by the world.

For that, I have prepared and prepared again.

The only way to pull Nikita from the pit of despair and set her free.

[Oof!]

Somewhere, I heard the sound of a fire igniting.

“And Nikita-senpai, your premise is flawed.”

I decided to correct Nikita’s statement.

“First, you must defeat me.”

[Oof!]

Soon, Nikita too realized something was off with the situation.

In the Ice Museum, the sounds of flames were rising from various places.

Flames burst forth everywhere.

This was no ordinary fire.

The stone used to capture the Steel Empress.

The core of fire.

It is the body left behind after the Fire Spirit has lived its lifespan and perished.

In the meantime, I unfastened my chest.

Consequently, my form began to change slowly.

No longer Hania.

Now, it was Hanon Irey.

Nikita’s eyes gradually widened.

“Ah, Baron?”

It was a face that surely didn’t anticipate me being here.

“What are you doing here?”

Her bewilderment became my opportunity.

Inside the curtain’s bandage.

A single scarlet stone wrapped in bandages revealed itself.

Storm Dragon’s magic was undoubtedly a powerful one.

Thus, to counter it, the pure essence of fire was required.

But alongside the flame of resolve,

There was another means capable of countering Storm Dragon’s magic.

Spirit Sovereign.

A being at the pinnacle of Spirits.

With their power, they could stand against even Storm Dragon’s magic.

Yet, I could not contract with a spirit.

Therefore, I had prepared a workaround.

The essence of fire embedded throughout the museum blazed fiercely.

The flames surged as if drawn towards a single point.

The flames converged upon me.

More precisely, upon the stone in my chest.

“That’s…”

Nikita belatedly recognized what was engraved on my chest.

This wasn’t any ordinary essence of fire.

Essence of Fire

The Fire Spirit Sovereign.

It was the carcass left behind after its demise.

“Boy, state your wish.”

This was the gift bestowed upon me by the Whitewood Duke as per the Hero’s Special Law.

What I had requested of it was precisely this.

The most elusive object in the world.

An item capable of momentarily replacing the flame of resolve.

[Hwaaargh!]

The essence of fire enveloped by the spirit’s flame surged violently.

The heat pouring from the flame of fire hit my entire body with force.

Surrounded by the Fire Lord’s flames, I breathed silently.

Our gazes met; mine fixed on Nikita’s astonished face.

Watching her, I raised my hand in preparation.

The scorching heat incinerated my body.

Though the heat was suffocating,

The resolve contained within my steel skin held the heat firmly.

The Steel Empress had become a mirage chasing away the heat.

That was why the steel skin was also optimized to retain warmth.

My time to endure the flame of fire would not be lengthy.

“I surely said it would sting.”

Thus, within that time frame.

I would finish it with Nikita.