He had returned to the living world.
Confirming it through the sensations of his own body, Yurugen frantically looked around—
"!"
He spotted her immediately.
Katia. His daughter.
She lay collapsed on the spot where she had used Magic Inscription Liberation. Unconscious.
And at the same time, he understood just how dire her condition was.
Her soul was thin. Magic had clearly gone berserk, pulling her toward it.
If this continued, just as Theta had warned, her very soul would be swallowed by the Netherworld of Salvation and vanish.
"—!"
Then what could he do?
There was only one thing he could try. Something only he could do in this moment.
He didn't know if it was possible, and the chances of failure were greater. But… he had no choice but to try.
With that resolve, Yurugen focused every ounce of his being inward, concentrating his consciousness deep within himself.
—He drew a breath.
And sang.
"—Three-pronged moonlight, crossroads of the journey, gather, gather, the azure torch, even in the present world of salvation, shadows fall!"
This had to be it.
The only way to save Katia right now.
"—Rotten flame-bones, stars of the abyss, forgive, forgive, the dark lineage, even the prison of endless darkness yearns for the sky!"
Yurugen had no talent for magic.
So this was, in all likelihood, reckless. A fool's attempt that had no business succeeding.
"—I celebrate the cycle of reincarnation, spinning the transition between worlds. She is the moon goddess, turned hunter, yet should she be the incarnation of ruin—"
But Yurugen had, in his own imperfect way, witnessed it. The pinnacle of it. The model.
So then—let it be imperfect. Let him at least try to lend a hand.
"—Beautiful are the living, and beautiful even are the dead. Sing of such a world."
Under that wish, with that feeling. Yurugen wove his chant together with a prayer.
"—Sing of peace on the eve of the end; dawn shall no longer come here; the age of salvation lies behind reality."
He unleashed that spell. Infused with a single, desperate wish.
"'Netherworld of Salvation'—Magic Inscription Liberation!"
The instant he spoke the words of liberation—
—His body. Even his soul. Was pierced through by searing, all-consuming pain.
"———! Ahh—!"
Pain so intense that a moment's lapse would have stolen his consciousness entirely. Gritting his teeth against it… Yurugen nonetheless raised one voice in his heart.
(—Alright, first stage complete…!)
Because pain meant something. The backlash of overexertion meant something.
It meant the activation had succeeded—at least in principle. And if so, he had won his first gamble.
Of course, as the pain made clear, the activation was far from complete. Attempting Magic Inscription Liberation when he was nothing like a genius like Katia had been reckless after all.
But even so.
(—Katia…!)
Enduring the pain that grew with every passing moment, Yurugen extended his hand toward Katia.
…Yes, imperfection was fine.
He didn't need the mastery to create a world. It didn't need to hold for long.
Just—for just an instant. For the briefest of moments, if he could earn the right to touch the throne of the netherworld.
If he only had enough power to drag Katia away from it.
Driven by that feeling, he reached Katia and touched her. Then, reaching further with his soul, with his magic—he felt the sensation of touching the throne.
With that, he had won his second gamble.
(Now the last one!)
One final step. …In truth, this was what he had the least confidence in.
Whether he could properly synchronize with Katia at the same level, handling magic from the same vantage point she had.
The Netherworld of Salvation was a magic that dealt with souls. At the same time, it was magic that was extremely selective about soul compatibility.
Therefore, the souls he could summon or manipulate were limited to those with a compatible temperament. Surely the souls he could resonate with for the same spell were no exception.
In short—if his soul wasn't compatible with hers, he couldn't even reach her.
…Someone like him.
Someone consumed by revenge. Someone who might harbor the capacity to summon those horrifying wrathful spirits.
Could he possibly touch such a pure soul? Did he even have the right?
As those thoughts and that cowardice threatened to overwhelm him, his consciousness beginning to waver—
'You are, at heart, a truly kind person. That has never wavered.'
Theta's words echoed in his mind once more, and they roused him again.
For now, he would believe. Believe that, and keep reaching out.
"Ah—!"
What he set trembling was his own heart.
The feelings he had carried before falling into revenge—when he could still believe that beautiful things existed. He recalled them once more.
Yes, truly.
Truly, all he had wanted was to fulfill his wife's ideal. To create something beautiful.
And above all—
(—If there could be a country where this child could live in health and peace.
That alone would have been enough. That's why—!)
He needed nothing else beyond that.
For that, he would give everything.
Just let him protect her. Let him, the fool who couldn't save his friends or his wife, at least save his daughter.
Burning with that resolve, enduring pain that had nearly gone beyond sensation—
He desperately reached out, reached further—until, at the very end—
He felt it. The sensation of arrival.
Exhausting every last shred of his remaining strength, he pulled her free.
His consciousness blanked out for a moment.
When Yurugen came to, he noticed—belatedly, by a heartbeat—that his hand was tightly gripping something. He looked toward it and—
"—Ah."
He was holding her hand.
There was Katia. His one and only daughter.
She lay sleeping peacefully, her chest rising and falling softly. He could hear her breathing, steady and sure. The dangerous pull on her soul—was gone.
Most of all… their joined hands were warm.
She was alive. Truly alive.
The moment he recognized that—
Everything inside him overflowed.
"————, ——!"
He clasped her hand in both of his, pressed his forehead to it, and let out a soundless cry.
His body and soul were both shattered.
Magic Inscription Liberation was something he could never use again—if anything, even its normal effects might be compromised. It wouldn't be strange if his lifespan had been cut short by several years. As a noble in this kingdom, he was as good as dead.
But… even so, at last—he had been able to protect something.
Clutching that single thing, Yurugen continued to pour out the myriad feelings that swelled within him.
And so—
The twisted, pure path of revenge forged by a man who had wished more than anything to make this country better—and had simultaneously wished to destroy it just as fervently—came to an end.
It left behind for him a great loss and recompense, and yet, at its very end, a small miracle.