1.
“[Soon, the sealed memories will begin to awaken. Depending on what choice you make after seeing them, this world could be destroyed.]”
Ria’s words were incomprehensible.
“Did you only learn to lie while you were dead?”
“[…Would I?]”
Through her reaction, Peter realized she was telling the truth and mulled over her words.
There were three key points.
The sealed memories,
His own choice,
And the possibility of the world’s destruction based on that choice.
‘The world might be destroyed depending on my choice, huh.’
No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t make sense of it, so Peter bluntly demanded:
“I think I’ll need a more detailed explanation.”
“[That’s……]”
Ria opened her mouth as if to say something but then silently closed it again.
After hesitating for a moment, instead of answering, she hugged Peter and whispered.
“[Peter. I’m sure you’ll overcome it.]”
“What? What the hell are you talking about──”
“[I’m sorry. This is where our reunion ends.]”
Cutting Peter off, Ria waved her hand as she began to fade back into the memories.
“[It was nice to see you again, Peter.]”
A faint smile.
And so, another farewell.
Thus, Peter watched Ria as she returned into the memories and thought:
‘If I destroy the mental world, I should be able to get out of here.’
He had no intention of caring for Ria.
From his point of view, Ria had dragged him into the mental world, showed him her past, and spouted nonsense.
With the essence of evil awakened inside him now, Peter no longer had the emotions to care for her.
‘First, I’ll get out and tell the Captain… no. It’s better to just wander alone like before.’
Just as Peter was gathering his remaining strength to escape this place──
【<God of the Vanished World> announces that the wager has begun.】
【After reaching the ending of <Ria???>, the chooser – <Peter (EX-)> may add several new endings.】
The flowing scenery of the past rapidly shifted into an orphanage on a certain night.
– Peter, you’re not strange at all.
While Peter was looking toward the hill and unconsciously recalling memories with Ria, golden divine power rose beyond the darkness.
Then appeared a golden army, surging forward with torches in hand.
“Charge!!”
At the shout of a man pointing at the orphanage, dozens of Inquisitors followed.
“There she is!!”
“Kill everything related to her!!”
“Revenge against the demon!!”
Blades glinted coldly.
The tips of those swords were aimed at the orphanage. Peter watched Ria’s reaction closely.
At first, she was momentarily flustered, but quickly composed herself and led the children to evacuate.
“Everyone, don’t come out no matter what.”
“But Ria──!!”
“I’m a free nun, but still a nun, right? I think it’s just a misunderstanding. Once we clear it up, they’ll leave.”
“…Really?”
“Of course.”
At her gentle demeanor, the children nodded and retreated.
“I’ll be right back.”
Waving to the children, she turned her head just before stepping out the door.
Peter’s viewpoint moved with her.
Ria winked at young Peter, who had once again become part of the story.
“If I’m not here, you’re the leader. Protect the kids, Peter.”
“Why me?”
“Who knows? If you don’t like it, just do whatever you want.”
And with that, Ria left the orphanage.
“Wh-What should we do!?”
“What do you mean! Ria said stay put!!”
“B-But still!!”
As soon as Ria left, the panicked children pressed against doors and windows, and in the middle of the commotion, Peter realized.
‘This is it.’
A piece of his childhood memories that Ria had sealed away along with the essence of <Evil>.
‘It makes sense that the demon sealed the evil… but why the memories?’
That thought barely surfaced when──
“Huh…?”
Thud!
The child who had been peeking through the door crack slowly stumbled backward and fell.
“What the heck! Why did you suddenly fall over!!”
“Get up! Hurry!”
“Something’s happened to Sister!!”
The glasses-wearing child, who loved reading books, ran past the fallen kid toward the door.
“W-Wait!! Don’t go!!”
The fallen child shouted belatedly, but the door was faster — it opened.
Creeeak…
A dark, ominous shadow loomed beyond the slowly opening wooden door.
Bloodshot eyes,
A haggard appearance,
A scruffy beard.
“Found you.”
The man standing with the moonlight at his back looked at the children and seemed momentarily confused, but then, as if something inside him shattered, he twisted his face into a grimace and muttered.
“I won’t be fooled anymore… you’re demons too.”
“P-Please, s-save us…!”
“Stop pretending… There’s no way monsters like you could cry…! You… you’re the ones who killed my brother first!!”
The massacre happened in an instant.
“Ugh… Mister, it hurts… Why…?”
As the child’s face paled, the man’s tightly gripped sword trembled.
“Why…? Why are you crying…? You’re supposed to be demons… T-Treatment!! Someone…! I just… I just wanted revenge for my brother who was killed by demons…!!”
His mind grew more unstable.
Thud.
“…Ah.”
The child’s hand slipped away — and so did the last shred of the man’s sanity.
“Puhah…! Fine, we’re all fallen anyway. Let’s fall together.”
Blinded by despair, his sword swiftly began taking the lives of the orphanage children.
“We’re sorry!!”
“P-Please save us!!”
“Shut up, shut up, shut up!!!!”
One-sided slaughter.
“Let’s all fall together…!! Grab my hand, you demon brats!!!”
Feeling the threat to his life, Peter instinctively backed away.
And then, Ria’s words came to mind.
– If I’m not here, you’re the leader. Protect the kids, Peter.
“…No.”
I’m not the leader.
I don’t need to protect them, nor do I have the strength to.
Born a demon, I’ll always be a demon. I just have to live the way I was born.
But why, then—
“Ahh… you’re a demon too, aren’t you?”
“No. They’re not demons.”
Without realizing it, Peter’s body moved.
“…Nonsense. I’ve been tricked too many times by monsters pretending to be human──”
“No. You figured it out midway. The ones you killed until now — they were human.”
The man’s actions came to a jarring halt.
“N-No…!! That can’t be…!!”
“Oh, you didn’t figure it out midway?”
Peter slowly approached the trembling man and spoke with a blank face.
“Mister, you knew they were human from the start and killed them anyway, didn’t you?”
Even while pushing the man into a corner, Peter waved his right hand behind his back.
The letters he waved toward the other children read: ‘Escape through the back door.’
Some of the children, realizing what he meant, clamped their mouths shut and bolted toward the back door.
But then—
Squelch, stab!
Splat!
With chilling sounds, the presence that had been lurking disappeared.
Thud, thud, thud.
Heavy footsteps approached, and a new figure appeared — the commander of the newly appointed Inquisitors. He seized the last remaining child by the neck and gave orders.
“The demon vessel that arrived first went berserk. No casualties yet, but too many wounded. Clean up here and head out to provide support.”
“I-I…!!”
“Tsk, pathetic bastard.”
The Inquisitor Commander walked over to the frozen man and shoved the strangled child at him.
“Kill.”
A hand was raised at the overbearing command.
“No, that’s not enough. If you want to truly break such a weak heart, a sword alone won’t suffice.”
Shaking his head, the Commander took the sword, handed the child over to the empty hands of the subordinate, and added.
“Crush them to death with your bare hands.”
“But…!!”
“Now you want to act noble?”
While the two argued, Peter looked at the last remaining child.
A little girl who had always been timid, barely able to speak properly — yet because of her warm heart, she had been the one to care for Peter the most after Ria.
She had been called a crybaby and a coward, much younger than Peter — and now she was waving her hand at him, mouthing words silently.
Escape, brother.
The moment Peter belatedly interpreted her lip movements—
【Essence – <Evil> awakens.】
【<Peter (D)> rank has risen to <Peter (S+)>】
Peter, who had awakened the essence of Evil, vanished in the blink of an eye.
“See!! That bastard’s a demon──!!”
Thud.
“Gu…h…”
The Commander’s head was severed in an instant.
“Ahh… I…”
Thud.
The crying subordinate was also killed in one swift motion. After that, Peter stepped out the door, following Ria.
“Damn it!! There’s another one──!!”
Thud.
“Everyone be careful──!!”
Squelch!
“You bast──!!”
Splat!!
It was like drinking water for the first time in his life.
He hadn’t realized it before truly killing, but the more he accumulated death, the more certain he became.
Those born with Evil inevitably, unknowingly, draw death close to them.
‘They started it first anyway.’
If he killed them all and left this place, maybe he could live normally again.
Thus, Peter killed.
Killed and killed again.
For some reason, his chest felt tight — and he killed even more, trying to relieve that suffocation.
Drunk on the scent of blood, bewitched by the crimson glow, he rampaged under the night sky as his stage.
After killing everyone near the orphanage, just as he was about to run to find Ria—
Squelch.
A stake pierced Peter’s shadow.
It felt like being tied to a post — he couldn’t move beyond the length of his shadow.
“…So it has come to this after all.”
The voice came from behind him.
“…Once entangled with death, is there no escape?”
Peter hastily turned his head, but the man’s swinging stake was far faster.
“…Are we truly unable to escape to the very end?”
Right after the man’s cryptic murmuring—
Squelch.
The swung stake pierced deeply.
But not into Peter’s body—
“Are you… okay, Peter?”
“…Huh?”
—Into Ria’s heart.
