Is That My Alter Ego - Chapter 92



Chapter 92 – The End

– Now. Make that child rampage.

And finally, the time has come. Immediately sneaking into the lower levels, I made eye contact with the child who was seeing off its kin leaving the house.

—

—

Yes. Soon, it would transform into that beautiful sight. Ronan Ail began to wait, having chased away the owner of the café that overlooked his home.

Yet, the child did not change. An hour, two hours passed, and the wooden house that should have crumbled remained intact.

…What is this? Did I make some mistake?

-…It resists. Wait a little longer. It can be said to be resisting.

Graaah—!

Another hour passed, and truly, as if by divine decree, the child transformed into a monster.

It shattered the house and sent the noble it lived with flying.

As I watched that ecstatic movement, the eyes spoke, reflecting a smile for the first time.

-…Now, return that child. And… that man as well. Return to your mansion.

The child reverted to its original form the moment it met the gaze. It seemed to be shedding tears, but is that my concern?

The noble returned to the mansion as well. I dealt with the old beastman who tried to resist the command. At this rate, it would die.

-Wait. That bloodline will come.

Good… That means I can make that bloodline my slave as well.

This girl possesses remarkable talent, so surely that beastman must be the same. Or perhaps even more exceptional.

And indeed, that beastman came to find me, bursting forth with endless rage.

It began to take down the monsters that had once been children. A bit… strong, I suppose.

….Huh? The beastman was more powerful than expected. Even while shedding tears, I could see it growing stronger in the midst of battle. Now it was nearly invisible to the eye.

Finally, having dealt with all the monsters, the beastman looked at me, radiating a killing intent that made its body tremble.

-Now, mutate that beastman.

Ah… at last, this moment has come. The small cat beastman stepped forward. The expression of the beastman, once filled with murderous intent, turned blank.

“Kah…Kallea—!”

“What a… truly tearful reunion, isn’t it?!”

“You b*stard—! What the hell did you do to Kallea—!!”

“What did I do, you ask? Well… see for yourself!”

Piiing—!

Brrrrr—!

“Kallea… Kallea…!!!!”

Graaah—!

“Uaaah!!!!!!!!”

The beastman, clad in a tattered red dress, began to wail. The emotion of despair. That expression tainted by denial was utterly exquisite. How long had I waited for this moment…!

—

—

“…..Kuh!”

That surging rage felt as if death itself had drawn near, looming just before me.

Merely facing the sight of blood weeping from my eyes, it seemed the reaper’s scythe was aimed at my throat.

Good… Let your fury rise! And become my slave! Surely, you will surpass this beast in servitude!

If only you would change… If only you would fall into my grasp, devouring the empire would not be a mere dream!

“Divine One…! It is always by your grace…!”

– Kuh… Kuh.

At that moment, I felt the eye I held tremble in my grasp. Ah… Perhaps the Divine One is also reveling in this.

– Krah… Kha-ha-ha-! Kha-ha-ha-ha!

“Ha… Ha…”

The Divine One began to laugh with a cruelty that was almost terrifying. A nauseating sensation crawled up from my toes, yet Ronan forced himself to join in the laughter.

“Great… God! If I can just get past this hurdle, I shall seize the empire…!”

– Puh… Puhaha-! You foolish child! So blissfully ignorant and greedy to the very end!!

“Ha… What do you mean by that…”

Sss…

Ha ha… Perhaps the Divine One is so thrilled that he is playing tricks.

Yet Rugal failed to notice the eye artifact beginning to crumble in his hand.

– Kha-ha-ha…! Yes, if you wish to devour the empire, give it a try! If you can do it alone, that is-!

“….What? What do you mean…”

– Before that. If you can survive…

“…..Huh?”

Kwah-!

And at that moment, the monster’s form collapsed. Initially, Kali had only evaded, but now, tears streaming down her face, she resolved to slay the beast.

All flesh was torn and severed, until only the small head of Kalea remained.

Kali knelt, clutching Kalea’s head tightly, and began to wail.

“Kalea… Kalea…! No…! Stay with me… Please…!”

“….Un…ni…”

“Ah… No…! Please, stay with me! I beg you, Kalea…!”

“…..Do…”

“Ah… No!! Please!!! Don’t do this!! Please, don’t leave me…!!”

—

“….I love you. Sister…”

“No, please don’t do this, Kalea… just a little more strength…”

“….Forget me. Live happily….”

“……Kalea?”

A sly smile—

Kalea looks up at Kali, her face adorned with a beautiful smile. An endlessly serene, blissful smile.

For a fleeting moment. Time seemed to halt as the beastkin sisters gazed into each other’s eyes.

And Ronan, with a heart racing like a madman, could only watch from afar.

From the beastkin in the crimson dress, clutching her head after some conversation, an endless despair and pain radiated. And anger.

All those emotions surged toward the dazed Ronan Ael.

“Deity…! Please, enough of this jest..! It is no longer amusing…!”

A chill drenched his body. Anxiety swelled within him. Death approached. In desperation, Ronan Ael began to plead with his own eyes.

—Why must I, do this?

“This… this cannot be happening! How could you…!”

—Hah… Hah hah… What a truly amusing expression you wear. Then farewell. You ignorant, greedy wretch.

Rustle…

The moment the voice of the eyes vanished, the eye artifact flared and faded from Ronan Ael’s hand like a dying ember.

Ronan Ael hurriedly tried to gather the fragments, but the form of the eye had vanished as if it had never existed.

He wore the expression of one standing at the precipice of despair he once cherished.

“Ugh… Ugh… you… fucking b*stard…”

“Uh….?”

Tremble, tremble, tremble…

Ronan Ael’s head creaked as it turned toward the sound. At the end of that sound, a half-monster, on the brink of beastification, glared at him.

That endless hatred and fury seemed to flow like blood from his eyes and lips. A vast crimson aura that could engulf a great chasm.

Step by step.

Death approached. Ronan Ael sank to the ground. The thought of fleeing was beyond him.

“….What have I done so wrong? I merely… wished for a little happiness… for our simple days.”

“Uh…. uh…?”

Step by step.

With each step Kalea took, Ronan began to crawl backward, one step at a time.

“You have… taken everything from me. My love… those dearer than my own life.”

Kali’s gaze fell upon Venice, bloodied and motionless beside the throne, and then to Kalea, who lay peacefully with a smile upon her lips.

“I only… wished to share every moment with them…”

Kali looked up to the sky. The twilight of dusk cast shadows that veiled her eyes.

Yet the tears of blood that streamed down her cheeks seemed to embody the very essence of the life she had lost, falling helplessly to the ground.

Step by step.

At last, Kali’s footsteps halted before Ronan Ael, who trembled, soaked in his own pants, and slumped down.

“Choke… cough… ugh…”

“Ronan Ael…”

Ronan Ael, overwhelmed by the aura of death, could scarcely draw a breath, his complexion paling.

His eyes, once proud and cunning, now stained with terror.

It felt as if he might suffocate under the gaze of the crimson death that loomed over him.

Thud-!

Kali seized Ronan by the collar. With one hand, she lifted him, locking eyes with him.

“Ugh… ugh…”

“I told you.”

Please… please let me live. No… grant me a peaceful death.

But Ronan’s hope shattered as he beheld the twisted visage of Kali, a face contorted like a demon.

“I will tear you apart… and kill you… while you’re still alive… I will devour you whole.”

“Ugh… please… spare me…”

“Feel… even a fraction of my pain. You b*stard.”

And this, too, belongs to all those who have departed, and to those who have suffered.

Crack-!

“Ahhh!!!”

Ronan’s arm twisted grotesquely. For the first time in his life, he experienced an unfathomable agony, screaming as if his throat would tear apart.

Crack-crack-!

His remaining limbs, too. Every joint contorted. Ronan’s eyes rolled back, frothing at the mouth as he cried out.

If he remained like this, he would either faint or die from shock. Yet, Kali would not allow it.

Snap-!

“Ah… aahhh!”

Creeeak—creeeak—creeeak!

“…Did you think it would be easy?”

Ronan’s head twisted several times, his eyes beginning to roll back. He had thought he was surely dead, yet the death before him still glared with a fierce intensity.

“…The pain you’ve wrought—!”

Crack—! Crack!

“Gahhh—!!”

His nails began to tear away. A horrific agony surged through him, as if he were being burned alive, and he felt he might faint at any moment.

Yet, each time, a tingling sensation remained on his cheeks, snapping him back to awareness.

“Jeba… Jeba, save me…”

“More than the pain you endure now…”

From noble mtl dot com

Snap—snap!

“Ughhh—!!!”

Fingers, stripped of all their nails, began to twist grotesquely.

Ronan flailed like a bug on the brink of death, but Kali halted him with a brutal kick to his gut.

Thud—! Thwack!

“Crack… cough…”

“Infinitely incomparable…!”

A barrage of punches rained down upon Ronan’s belly and solar plexus. Each blow was calibrated to deliver the utmost pain without crossing the threshold into death.

With every strike, Ronan felt his breath forcibly stolen, a disorienting sensation pulling him further from reality.

Creeeak—!

“Ugh… ah…”

“…Open your mouth.”

“U… uaaah…!”

He tried to close his lips, but the grip on his jaw forced them apart against his will.

He could only tremble, watching helplessly as fingers approached his own teeth.

Crack—crack—snap—!

“Ughhh… ughhh—!!!”

“………….”

One by one, all of Ronan’s teeth began to be wrenched from his mouth. A torrent of blood erupted forth.

Yet Ronan could not die. The pain was excruciating, threatening to shatter his mind, but death had no intention of releasing him just yet.

Squelch!

“Ahhh!!”

Carly ripped out Ronan Ael’s tongue. Now, Ronan Ael could utter no more than screams, unable to form a single word.

For the first time in his life, Ronan cursed the mental prowess that set him apart from others.

Carly’s fingers began to creep slowly into Ronan’s line of sight. His pupils shrank.

Please, don’t. He writhed, begging for death, but to Carly, his pleas were as insignificant as dust.

“….Do you finally grasp the weight of the evil you’ve wrought?”

Puff—puff.

“Ahh—khaaak!!!!”

She pierced his eyes, blinding him. Ronan was engulfed in excruciating pain, losing the light along with his vision.

Squelch—!

Fingers plunged into the gaping sockets, tearing out the eyeballs as if they were mere fruit.

“Kuh…haa….”

Slick—! Squelch!

After raking her nails across his cheek, she seized his nose and ripped it away. Now, his voice was hoarse, unable to scream even a proper cry.

Crisp. Crack.

She folded his ears back and shattered them, tearing them apart once more. Ronan flailed like a dying insect, but Carly’s relentless fists struck him down, silencing him once again.

“Crack…kugh…k…”

His body lay in tatters. He had died countless times already, yet miraculously, he still clung to life.

Drip.

As Carly looked down upon him, tears streamed from her eyes once more.

This wretched, feeble, disgusting creature had brought ruin upon everything, and the realization was unbearably pitiful.

Carly’s hands began to twist grotesquely. They grew large like a tiger’s, with claws sharper than any weapon.

The sheer size of her hand could cover more than half of Ronan’s body.

Sizzle…crackle…!

The dress she wore to show off to Venice tore apart. Yet, Carly’s heart had shattered long before, into a million pieces.

“…..May you suffer eternally in hell. Even in death, I will pursue you.”

Once, twice.

Her claws sliced through Ronan Ael’s flesh. Blood gushed forth, etching lines across his body.

Three times, four times, five times.

The repulsive body of the insect begins to be torn apart.

A hundred times, a thousand times, and then ten thousand.

A strike so subtle it is nearly invisible concentrates in one place. Ronan’s body is shattered into pieces so small that it is impossible to discern how many parts remain.

The lovely red dress becomes stained with blood. Like the hue of a blooming rose.

Drip… drip.

Swoosh—!

At that moment, droplets began to fall above Kali’s head, soon transforming into a torrential downpour.

When the count surpassed a hundred thousand, I ceased to keep track. Aside from the blood-soaked ground and fragments smaller than pebbles, no trace of a human form remained.

“………….”

Kali’s eyes lost their light. They began to fade slowly when Kalea departed.

When she gazed upon Venice, impaled and motionless, it was as if all life had fled.

Her hollow eyes turned skyward. The beautiful light of dusk, and the dark clouds, crafted a stunning tableau.

Ding—!

[Your unique ability awakens.]

[Unique Ability (Blood of the Beast King): You are born of the blood that once instilled terror across the continent. The eternal loyalty of all beastmen, king and ruler alike.]

[Awakening Condition: The death of a beloved one, for whom you would sacrifice your life.]

[Unique ability strengthened!]

[Unique ability strengthened!]

[Unique ability strengthened!]

[Unique ability strengthening….]

.

.

.

.

[Potential: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (Out of 100! You possess the qualities of a hero who will reign over this era!)]

Something has awakened. It shattered the wall named Limit.

In this moment, I feel a power that seems capable of achieving anything.

Yet, nothing was needed. It mattered not.

The world is filled with hatred.

Did I… wish for so much?

I only longed for the mundane moments with those I love.

Is this water streaming down my cheeks tears? It feels as if a gaping hole has been carved into my chest, one that cannot be mended.

I have lost everything.

With my own hands, I had to take the life of my last remaining kin. Kalea, whom I loved more than anyone.

Before I could convey my love to Venice. Before I could save him, he became a cold corpse.

The scent of my beloved lingers, sharp against the damp smell of rain and the heavy stench of blood.

That warm essence only deepens my pain. So tender, so inviting, yet it chills me more than the cold rain.

I hate it. I hate the whole world.

I do not wish to live. Nothing remains for me.

The world is filled with loathing. I want to burn everything away, to make it vanish.

…Surrender yourself to me.

Then, a voice began to echo in my head. It was my own voice.

The world is so ugly. It is filled with hatred…

Yes. The entire world is ugly and hateful. I wish everyone could feel my pain.

My own voice is so seductive, warm enough to thaw my frozen body.

I will help you. I will make everything burn.

“…..Yes.”

Crack-crack!

Kali’s body begins to transform. The shape of a human starts to fade away.

A mane of red and stripes of black. Wherever it moves, it leaves a trail of crimson.

An aura of a king reborn after centuries, as massive as a mountain.

And as every form shifts, the last remnant of a face remains. From those hollow eyes, tears flowed one last time.

“….I have nothing left.”

I need nothing. Not my life, not anything of mine, not even this world.

And from that very spot, a monster was born, one that could engulf the empire.

The king of all beasts, a calamity forged from endless rage and hatred, with teeth and claws that devour all.

*

Twitch…!

“Cough… cough…!”

And in that moment, the monster destined to engulf the empire was born. The heart, long dead, began to faintly thrum for one last struggle.