"Hk—?!"
The Netherworld of Salvation was trembling.
He could feel it. Well, he no longer had distinct sensory organs in the traditional sense, but he could feel it with his soul. The world itself was shaking, cracking apart.
This was—could it be?
"...It's starting to collapse."
Theta stated exactly what Yurugen had feared.
"The Netherworld of Salvation can no longer be sustained. ...Well, that's hardly surprising. Katia's Magic Inscription Liberation is still incomplete. Creating an entire world is an extraordinary feat—it was never going to hold forever."
"Hk—does that mean Katia is all right?!"
Yurugen asked, dead serious, with more urgency than he had ever felt in his entire life.
Even Theta appeared to have not anticipated this situation, as cold sweat beaded on her brow.
"I can't say she's all right. This Magic Inscription Liberation was already pushing her limits from the start—that's exactly why Ermes tried to stop her, telling her she mustn't do it."
She answered in a voice that carried its own note of panic.
"At this rate, she won't be able to withstand the burden of sustaining the world herself. She's already losing control. If things go wrong, Katia herself will be swallowed by the Netherworld of Salvation... and she'll never be able to come back."
"—"
That was, without anyone needing to spell it out, tantamount to death.
He had to do something. There wasn't a moment to spare.
But what could he do? What could he—
The answer came to him almost immediately.
"...Ah."
"You figured it out? I was thinking the same thing. ...It's something only you can do. Will you take on the burden?"
"You don't even need to ask—!"
He didn't have a second to waste on further conversation.
She had already shown him everything he needed to see. From here on, there was nothing left for either of them but to do what had to be done.
...Part of him wanted to linger, but he forced that thought aside.
What he had to do now was, above all else, escape this world. Fortunately, as someone who shared the same Bloodline Magic, he had at least a vague understanding of how to do it. With the world destabilized like this, it should be possible.
With that conviction, he focused his consciousness inward and took a step forward—
—when a hand seized his ankle from below.
"Wh—"
Not just one. Two, three, and then more kept appearing, until countless hands—like those of the dead—grabbed at Yurugen's legs, trying to drag him down into the abyss.
(This is...!)
He realized what they were almost at once.
Spirits of vengeance.
Souls whose negative emotions toward the living world had grown overwhelmingly powerful. The malicious spirits that had fueled Yurugen's revenge all this time, that he had wielded freely to his heart's content, were now seizing him, refusing to let go.
Of course. This was the land of the dead. If he and Theta could come here, then there was no reason the dead spirits Yurugen had been commanding could not follow.
And their voices reached him—without a sound.
—
You think you're the only one who gets to run away?
—
Hk!
—
After everything—after wallowing so deeply in the path of vengeance.
—
After using us however you pleased, after adding so many of our brethren to that blood-soaked path.
—
Now you think you can just turn around and walk back toward the light?
"...Hk, ah..."
—
We won't allow it.
—
It must not be allowed. We have been reduced to this, and yet you alone get to escape? Never.
—
You belong here with us. You walked the path of vengeance—now pay the price!!
...He couldn't deny it.
What Yurugen had done was absolutely unforgivable. There was no clean way to just pretend everything had never happened and return to how things were. If he tried to force that, he would be no different from those nobles he despised.
He wanted to go back. An ending where he lost Katia was unthinkable.
But... but the spirits had a point. And more than anything, he himself agreed with their reasoning. So there was nothing—
Just as Yurugen was being torn apart by agonizing conflict and anguish—
"...You're right."
A soft voice rang out.
Theta had walked toward him.
He noticed that something about her had changed.
Specifically, her body was faintly glowing. Her entire form was enveloped in a gentle, pure light that seemed to stand in perfect opposition to the vengeful spirits clutching at him.
"...Theta?"
"There's no time, so I'll be brief."
In response to Yurugen's bewildered voice, Theta spoke with a brevity that matched her words.
"I will purify these spirits."
That was her answer.
"The temperament of my soul is closely aligned with the nature of Katia's magic. If I use everything my soul possesses, I should be able to offset their hold and tear you free."
"Th-that's... no, but if you do that, you'll—"
"Yes. As you've no doubt guessed, I won't be able to stay here anymore. But don't worry—I won't be completely destroyed. I'll simply return to the cycle of reincarnation... and this time, I'll finally move on properly."
She drew closer to Yurugen, her light growing brighter.
"I agree that you deserve to pay the price. So I'll make sure you do—I'll give you the most fitting one imaginable, a punishment no one could question, for everything you've done with your own hands."
She placed her hand against Yurugen's cheek and smiled.
"—You will lose your wife before your eyes once more.
Not once, but twice. The joy of reunion, barely grasped before it slips away. And this time, you will watch her vanish right in front of you, fully aware of what's happening."
...Yes. That was—
What an exquisitely harsh, cruel—and yet, impossibly kind punishment.
There were no words left for him.
Or rather, he must not speak any more. He had no right to exchange another word with Theta; the longer this lasted, the harder it would be to appease the vengeful spirits.
So instead, he committed to memory her smile—the same one she had worn ever since the day they first met—as the hands gripping his ankles gradually loosened, and at the same time, her form grew fainter amid the light.
To bear the price of "losing his wife before his eyes," he watched to the very end.
"...Thank you."
Those words alone, as his final offering.
With that, Yurugen escaped the world of the dead.
Theta—the last of the previous generation, who had been gone since the beginning yet continued to play a vital role at critical moments throughout the story.
With this chapter, she has finally fulfilled her role. This is the first time in the series that an ally's departure has been depicted so clearly, and that is why I wanted to give her a named chapter. I would be happy if even a small part of what she represented—a woman who, even in death, never stopped thinking of her family—resonated with you.
Next time, Yurugen and Katia return to the living world, and at last we reach a turning point. I hope you'll read it!