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Chapter 257: Secret Research (3)

I silenced the sound.

I couldn\'t protect her.

I instinctively realized that the Dorothy I first met was this woman.

[Hello, Benefactor.]

Surely… this is a hallucination.

“Dorothy…”

Dorothy Gale approached across the ice lake. With each step, ripples spread across the calm waters that not even the chill of the wind could freeze.

The flowing white dress remained pristine even under a rain of blood. The starlight magic surrounding Dorothy\'s skin repelled the rain.

It was noble and sacred.

I used to jokingly call Dorothy a goddess, but the Dorothy before me truly looked close to the concept of a goddess.

Dorothy stopped in front of me. Despite looking older, her beauty was unchanged. Her lips were vividly colored as if she wore red lipstick, and her eyes held mysterious clouds where new stars were born.

[Hoping this message reaches you someday.]

“…?”

[This is not a conversation, so even if you speak, I will only say what I have to. As long as the Evil God lives, this is all I can convey to that world. I apologize, but I am unable to help you properly.]

Of course... I expected that.

In the book written by Dorothy Gale, there was a mention that she was “on the verge of losing her mind.” Therefore, the Dorothy before me must be her from the past.

One of the reasons Dorothy told me to find Aria seemed to have been to convey the message to me.

There was no way they wouldn’t have noticed Aria\'s arrogant research challenging the truth in the Nether. It seems she exploited the rift with the Nether.

I recalled what I read on page 5 of the unknown book. It said that if any god intervened in this world, the “victory” of the Evil God was guaranteed. I didn\'t know what it meant, but that seemed to be why the message was left.

I quietly faced Dorothy.

[I do not remember who you are. But I know you tried to save me. I know you saw me as a woman, and that you loved me. So I dressed up a little. How do I look...?]

Dorothy fiddled with her hair, embarrassed.

How does she look? She looks utterly adorable.

[Ahem, putting that aside…]

Dorothy cleared her throat and looked to the side.

[This is the ice lake. The end of all places. The very bottom of all places. It is somewhere far, far away from where you are.]

The view of the ice lake filled with icebergs. There was an unfathomably large hole in the sky, above which was filled only with pitch-black darkness.

The ice lake emitted a glowing mana, making it as bright as midday.

The rain of blood couldn\'t soil the ice lake, which was as clear as the azure sky, and with each drop, it sank beneath the lake.

The contrasting combination of the eerie sky and the beautiful lake evoked a sense of mystery and awe.

[Anyway, let us get to the main point.]

Dorothy looked at me again. Her expression became serious.

[It is sad to say, but if things continue like this, you will be unable to defeat the Evil God.]

What?

[You must be confused… Let me explain this first. Powerful demons are born with abilities. The Evil God is no exception.]

In ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, the Evil God\'s abilities weren’t revealed.

It was just overwhelmingly powerful, and its abilities weren’t revealed throughout the battles in the game.

What kind of abilities would the pinnacle of demons, the Evil God, possess?

[The power that the Evil God possesses is the \'Authority of Godslaying\'. If a god sets foot in that world, it can instantly take their life, absorb them, and become stronger. All gods are at a disadvantage against the Evil God. That is why no one can directly help you.]

“…”

What is that?

It was an absurd story.

But it made sense. In the Evil God\'s subjugation battles, Gods never intervened. In the game, only the Lord, Heavenly God, and Evil God were mentioned. Even the Lord was just a religion. There was no opportunity for the Evil God\'s ability to manifest.

Hearing that, I could understand. Why divine beings remained still when all worlds were perishing, and why it was said that the Evil God\'s victory was certain if a god intervened.

[If the Evil God revives, everything will be over. So, someone has to defeat the Evil God, and that someone must not be a god. That is why you were chosen. I do not know the selection criteria, though.]

Dorothy extended her right index finger upwards. Above it, a cluster of stars formed a vivid, tiny figure of the Evil God. It looked like a small doll.**[But in the countless futures the gods saw, there was no way to defeat the Evil God. It was inevitable that you would fail to defeat the Evil God initially. So the gods thought of this method.]**

Dorothy then extended her left index finger upward, causing a cluster of stars to form.

Above her left index finger, the starlight magic sculpted a small figure of the Evil God. She clenched her fist and destroyed the Evil God she created on the right.

[To reverse time entirely and find a way to be saved from inevitable failure.]

Reverse time?

[They say there is a being here that can control time. It is currently sealed by the Evil God and is unable to move, but when the Evil God destroys everything, the seal was broken. I had heard it has already reversed time once.]

A being that can reverse time.

I remembered the system window I saw in the Trial of Sandstone. The content of the system window was to survive until the reset.

The being that made that possible was now in the Ice Lake.

[There was a huge risk that you had to be defeated by the Evil God and somehow survive, but fortunately, things turned out well.]

First attempt, second attempt.

Those terms were just a way for me to understand easily.

Even reversing time was part of the route to defeat the Evil God. It wasn\'t a retry; it was a continuation.

Of course, I couldn\'t understand all the details, but Dorothy\'s continuous words helped clear some of my doubts.

[The reversed flow of time cannot affect someone like me. I think I have become quite an extraordinary person after dying... No, even calling myself a person does not seem right anymore.]

Dorothy gave a forced laugh.

Even if everyone\'s time went back, it didn\'t for Dorothy.

Recalling Dorothy\'s abilities I had seen, it wasn\'t hard to deduce what she had become.

One of the conditions for those who could attain a transcendental state to finally reach it is death.

Having used [Last Light of a Dying Star], she lost her life. Dorothy had become like the Candy House Witch that Gretel loved.

[I remember meeting someone after I died. Everything I am telling you now, including your situation, was told to me by someone. But no matter how much I think about it, I am unable to remember who told me...]

It must have been "Higgs". The developers of ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱. Who else could it be?

I couldn\'t understand why Dorothy couldn\'t recall her conversation partner.

Did Higgs deliberately make Dorothy forget? Or did she simply forget?

If it was the former, for what reason?

[Anyway, I promised to help you. And when I woke up, the time in that world had already been reversed once.]

Dorothy placed her hand on her chest.

[I was the one who sent the Primordial Magic Beast from the ice lake to aid you. It was free and unbound by anything. I judged it suitable to become your strength. It also chose to serve you as its master on its own.]

In the first attempt, The Floating Island was not subjugated.

However, in the second attempt, thanks to Magic Beast Daikan the Primordial Beast of Ice, serving me as its master, I was able to subjugate The Floating Island.

How is that possible?

Dorothy was now saying that she was the answer to that question.

I, who tried to save Dorothy, was instead receiving help from the Dorothy standing before me.

So that I could defeat an unbeatable enemy.

[Did you manage to save me well?]

Dorothy was just a character in a game.

[Actually, if you don\'t mind... there is one thing I really want to know.]

Dorothy had lost everything.

[Are the two of you in love with each other now?]

But she still asked me with a sly smile.

My fists trembled, and my throat tightened. Dorothy\'s question turned into a sharp awl, tearing through my chest.

[Nihihi. Unfortunately, I am unable to hear the answer anyway...]

Dorothy came closer to me. Soon, her expression turned serious.

[But even with the Primordial Magic Beast, you will still meet defeat at the hands of the Evil God. No matter how many strong comrades you bring, no matter how strong the Child of Light becomes. It is true that the situation improves the stronger you get, but still, it is not enough to defeat the Evil God as you are.]

So, in the end, it was Higgs who transmigrated me into this world and said that, right?

“Then what am I supposed to do?”

If I can\'t defeat the Evil God even after sacrificing Dorothy in front of me and going through hell, what am I supposed to do?

In ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, Ian defeated the Evil God. Did they downgrade the difficulty of the Evil God in the game, or what?

A feeling of frustration surged within me.

[I am not saying there is no hope. I am trying to tell you that there are two ways to increase your chances of winning. These are the methods I have heard of. It will be my mission to convey those methods to you.]

Dorothy lowered her eyes.

[This is... something that could not be recorded in a book.]

If it were recorded in a book, someone could see it.

It seemed like she was about to talk about something so important or cruel that even the slightest possibility had to be eliminated.

After a brief pause, Dorothy spoke.

[The first of the two methods is the most realistic. If successful, your chances of winning will increase significantly. It is also the reason I gave you the power to save another version of me.]

I had a bad feeling.

[It is to strike the Evil God with [Last Light of a Dying Star].]

“No way.”

I rejected it firmly.

The condition for casting the 9-star starlight spell, [Last Light of a Dying Star], was Dorothy\'s life.

Sacrifice the current Dorothy, whom I\'ve managed to save, in the final showdown?

So, the power of the Primordial Magic Beast was given to me to create the option of sacrificing Dorothy in the final battle?

I couldn\'t accept it.

No, I would never accept it.

[…You probably will not agree.]

Dorothy seemed to have already guessed my feelings.

Even if she didn\'t remember who I was, she remembered that I liked her.

[But the second method is nearly impossible.]

“Tell me.”

Since the first method involved sacrificing Dorothy it was absolutely out of the question.

Then the second method was the only choice.

[The second method is for you to come to the ice lake.]

The place I see before me now?

[To come here alive and obtain the ultimate ice magic.]

Dorothy continued.

With your living body, go against the truth and head to the Nether.

Everything in the Nether will target you.

Even the Nether King will block your path.

Throw yourself into hell.

Defeat the gatekeeper, Veronica Aslius, the Primordial ice Sovereign, and reach the ice lake.

There, meet the Transcendent Being sealed by the Evil God and master the ultimate ice magic.

That is the way to increase your chances of defeating the Evil God without sacrificing anyone.

The second method.

[That is about all I wanted to say. I hope this message reaches you.]

Dorothy stepped back from me and stared at me silently for a while.

She seemed deep in thought. Since it was a hallucination, no status window appeared, so I just gazed into Dorothy\'s mysterious eyes.

[Well then.]

Soon, Dorothy waved her hand in farewell, turned around, and walked toward a small house.

I was lost in thought, quietly watching Dorothy\'s back.

Dorothy suddenly stopped and exclaimed, "Ah."

[Let me emphasize one thing.]

Dorothy turned to look at me.

[Never trust her, the one who is helping you in the most intuitive manner.]

"What?"

As expected, there was no answer.

Dorothy hastened her steps again.

As she walked away, the view of the ice lake in my sight quickly receded and faded.

Next, my vision was filled with pitch-black darkness.

"...Isaac!"

Then, a familiar voice called out.

"Isaac!"

"...!!"

I opened my eyes.

In my vision was the worried face of Aria Lilias looking down at me.