"For what reason should I help you?"
Riddled with holes, the consciousness of Huberos begun to fade.
He had won.
He had defeated the antiheroes.
He had ensnared them using their own arrogance, trapping them within an inescapable void.
However, somehow the crimson demon had managed to land an attack before he was transported into that void, despite violating the pact which should have immediately taken effect as soon as Huberos' head had been sliced off for the first time.
Huberos did not understand how or why.
His own memory was a blur. All he could remember was chaotic screaming.
Yet right now, everything became quiet.
All present stared directly at the demonic angel who stood before Huberos, one hand on her hip and the other by her side.
'For what reason..... eh?'
"If Huberos dies, then your antiheroes will be trapped within that void for eternity. There will be nobody who can free them. If you care about them-"
"What gave you the idea exactly that I care about anyone but myself?"
When Gormand begun to explain the situation, Claire immediately cut him off with a fanged smile.
It was at that moment that all who were present realized.
The woman before them was a true monster.
"When I try to help others, they reject me. They ostracize me. They fear me. And yet, when I give up on doing so, they come to me for assistance? Hahaha..."
With a smirk, the demonic angel looked down upon Huberos.
"I have no reason to lift a finger. Not for my own sake. Nor for the sake of others. Do you know why?"
At this point, Huberos had lost a grand amount of blood.
He could no longer feel the warmth of the three women who attended to him.
"Because nothing in this world is real."
As these words were stated, Huberos dropped his head to the ground.
"Huberos...."
"Lord Huberos....."
"Lord Huberos!!!!"
The two demonic maids as well as Tera begun to cry as the demon died without being shown a shred of mercy.
As they wept, the demonic angel merely turned around, walking away.
"However, even if nothing is real..... I suppose it would be a bit boring to leave things like this."
As the angelic figure said these words, the white demonic maid stood up with anger in her tear filled eyes.
Her mouth twitched with hatred and she shouted out in torment.
"How could you!? How could you just let him die like that!? How could you abandon your own comrades like that!?"
Rushing forwards, the maid was filled with emotions.
To a normal person it would look like she disappeared, appearing behind the back of Claire, however there was not a single normal person present here.
Every single being was at the minimum of the 7th tier, therefore while her movements were excessively hastened, they were not unperceivable to any.
Taking a slash at the neck of the woman, the collar of Claire's dress was shredded before the attack came into contact with her.
And then, time was reset.
The world around everyone became nothing, restoring itself to a previous point.
"How could you!? How could you just let him die like that!? How could you abandon your own comrades like that!?"
Turning around, Claire took a single step back, smiling with closed eyes.
"How could I abandon my comrades like that? It's quite simple, really."
Claire held out her demonic hand, catching the head of the maid within it as the maid rushed forth, taking a slash at the air with her claws.
[Set condition: Liquid]
It was at that moment that the girl within the demonic hand of Claire turned to a blood red fluid.
The liquid fell to the ground with a splatter, covering the stone floor of the arena.
"Ah. I suppose my shoes might become stained from this? I can't have that."
Tapping her own shoes with her demonic hand, the stains disappeared from them.
"There we go. Nice and clean. Now then.... is there anyone else who believes they can lay a single finger on me?"
----
'Was that..... the same as my own ability?'
Gormand merely watched as the woman before him was transformed into a pool of blood.
It resembled exactly what he had done to the family of Apathia many years before.
'Does she..... have.....'
As Gormand saw this, he came to a grave realization.
'All of our abilities?'
While his presumption was not completely right, it was also not technically wrong.
The fact of the matter was that with her own ability to set conditions and determine paths of the future, Claire was able to emulate all of the abilities of the seven hosts, and more.
However, this did not mean she held exactly the same abilities.
When the ability of a Host was used on an entity, that ability alone would remain active, so long as proper conditions were met.
Even with the death of the Host.
Therefore, with the death of Huberos, the seals were not undone.
Furthermore, Claire could not merely place a condition on the four to be freed even if she wanted to, for the conditions set by the Hosts could only be reverted by the Hosts themselves.
"Gormand..... should we fight her?"
Apathia looked up to the one who carried her in his arm, to which he nodded.
"I think we have to at this point."
Gritting his teeth, Gormand looked down at Huberos.
'Another one of us....'
[Removal of Will]
Holding out her hands, Apathia used her skill on the angelic figure.
Immediately, the eyes of the angel became blank and she fell to the ground.
Falling onto her back, the angelic figure merely lay there, as if she were dead.
"I never imagined that I would kill someone as they were completely robbed of the will to fight back, however.... for this one I'll make an exception.'
Placing Apathia on the ground lightly, Gormand rushed towards Claire, who was laying on her back without the slightest hint of emotion or brain activity.
Thrusting his own claw at her, he aimed for her throat.
However it was at that moment that Gormand felt something grab his throat.
'What!? She.....'
When he looked, the arm of the figure had become completely blackened like tar.
The tar was crawling up the shoulder of the lifeless girl, and it was this arm alone which moved to grab Gormand by the throat.
'How is she moving!? She is under the skill of Apathia, isn't she!?'
"Apathia!! Are you still targeting her!?"
"Huh? I've got my skill locked onto her. Why is she...."
It was then that the tar which flowed through the body of the figure reached her face.
The red eyes of the woman regained life and she flashed a fanged smile at the dragon whose throat she held within her hand.
"It really is nice to be two in one. After all.... no matter which one of me you seal, you always have to deal with the other."
Standing up with the dragonic demon in her hand, she lifted him into the air with immense strength.
"Go ahead, sweetheart. Switch your skill to this one of me. But when you do so, the angel will just take over again. Though to call her an angel anymore..... hahaha....."
The demonic woman grinned with an immense bloodlust as the clenched the throat of the man she held.
"I think a better term for her would be a fallen angel."
It was at that moment, for the first time since they had become Hosts of Sin, that both Gormand and Apathia felt a specific emotion.
Fear.
Looking into the eyes of this demon, even without testing his own ability on her, Gormand knew immediately.
'There is nothing I can do against her.'
Apathia, filled with confusion at the explanation of the woman, begun to tremble as she saw something.
'There... are two targets?'
And in that moment of terror, a message appeared before Claire.
[Quest completed! All Hosts of Sin have been either killed or made submissive. Granting new form]
[New title: Queen of Demons]
[Origin of Sin] and [Origin of Virtue]
As she held up this man, the woman smirked as she threw him to the side.
"There is no further need to torment you."
And then, a rumbling was heard.
An earthquake which spread all across the world shook the very foundations which they stood upon.
This earthquake was not catastrophic, yet it's vibrations reached to every last corner of the world.
To the people of the human realm, and to the people of the monster realm.
Every place on the planet felt this rumbling.
And then, above the woman, seven colored crystals appeared.
These large crystals floated around above her, lowering themselves as they made circular motion around the woman.
And then, they shattered.
The next moment, the woman's dress had become pure white.
Her beautiful feathered wings had become a pitch black, and her halo as well was made from what appeared to be a black metal.
Her horns and fangs remained on her head, and her eyes flashed between red and silver.
Then her eyes settled.
Her left eye red with white sclera, and her right a silver color with black sclera.
Her skin became smooth, free of wrinkles or veins and a dark grey in color.
Her left hand however, remained pitch black and clawed, and her right hand remained a pure white.
The necklace of skulls which she wore and the bones which she used to tie her hair formed a ring which then decorated her halo in eerie manner.
Looking at her own two hands, the woman smiled gently.
"Ah....."
Looking up to the people before her, they were all staring in horror.
The woman held forth a hand, and immediately these people were pressed to the ground with a terrifying pressure.
"I guess I'm officially the Queen of Demons now."
----
'Is this right?'
'Is this wrong?'
'Should I care?'
'Why am I even here?'
'Doesn't matter.'
Not a moment of Claire's life since she entered this world had she not been filled with doubt.
Doubt in who she was. Doubt in what she was doing. Doubt in those around her.
Yet with everything she witnessed, she came to a single conclusion.
'I need to do this.'
Every fiber of her being hated herself for what she did, for how she treated those around her, yet she did not stop.
She continued to treat them like dirt.
'Because this is the only way.'
'I am supposed to be evil..... therefore I must play the part.'
'If I am not a villain, then what else could I become? A hero? Don't make me laugh. That spot has already been taken by a man who lacks any heroic qualities.'
Pressing those around her to the ground with immense pressure, the girl smiled gently.
'The only way I can face him is as a villain. After all, that was the reason I was brought to this world in the first place.'
Claire and Clarice.
One and the same, yet completely different.
A kind girl who wanted nothing more than for others to gain happiness, living out their lives peacefully without suffering.
For this reason, this girl knew well that she had to become a figure of power.
If she wanted those around her to gain happiness, she would first have to become controlling enough to force suffering out of existence.
And for that reason, she would take on all the scum of the world.
'Yet..... there are so many people who can be saved from themselves. Should I not also work hard to do exactly that?'
Claire had witnessed changes in heart before.
There was nothing which brought her more happiness than seeing someone who was once scum turn to the light, using their own experiences and suffering for the sake of others.
Therefore, she wished to help all.
She desired to save all.
Yet she could not save all.
'For there are some who are unredeemable. Unsalvageable trash.'
'And perhaps I am among them.'
Clarice.
The side of Claire who held hatred in her heart for those around her.
The side of her who wanted nothing more than the eradication of scum.
The darkness within her who took pleasure in killing and listening to the screams of the people she tormented.
This side of her which emerged as a result of her own hatred for Oscar- the man who had killed Claire in cold blood.
The side of Claire who she loathed with all her heart, causing her to grieve at her own deranged desires.
What was right?
What was wrong?
Would it be right to forgive?
To forgive a man who continued to harm all those around him?
Would it be right to forgive these demons who fought against her comrades?
'Regardless of whether it is right or wrong.... that doesn't matter. The fact is, I have no intention to stop what I have already started.'
"I'm sure you all now understand who I am. But allow me to spell it out for you. I am the very concept of evil. Now disappear."
[Undetermine]
And with that, both the fallen angel and the three hosts disappeared from existence.
----
"Coran..... where..... did her eminence and all those people just go?"
Alicia could not take her eyes off the scene before her, however Coran merely smiled.
"I've got no idea.", Coran responded blandly.
"Isn't this.... really bad then?"
"Don't worry."
Standing forward with a confident grin, Coran looked back at his slave.
"Whatever is happening, it's something far beyond us. But there's no need to worry. This is all surely according to plan."
----
Tera found herself in a bodiless state.
Surrounding her was nothing more than darkness.
Everything was chaos.
From the moment Huberos had taken over the people of the plantmen village, there had not been a moment of rest.
Save for one time.
When she sat down, speaking with Huberos on that night.
He was a demon.
A Host of Sin, at that.
A being of power who she could never even hope to match.
Yet he was kind.
He gave off the impression of arrogance, and he was easily irritated.
Yet there was a deep running reason for that.
After spending these past few days with him, learning about him, Tera was beyond devastated at his death.
She had no idea how to control the emotions which overwhelmed within her, but right now there was one thing which she felt more than anything.
Hatred.
'Why..... didn't she help him?'
She knew.
She knew in her mind that the woman who refused to help Huberos was a demon.
And the very Queen of Evil at that.
Yet there was one particular reason which made everything within Tera's heart churn with pain.
'When she was struggling so much internally..... why didn't she help him?'
"So you could tell? You're very perceptive."
Tera heard the voice of the demonic woman.
"Why?"
Tera said this one word, almost pleading with the woman who she could not see.
"Why? A good question. I suppose because.... I needed to reach this point."
The woman spoke with tenderness, with a hint of regret in her voice.
"I'm sick and tired of the evil within this world. Within people. Within everyone. Therefore, I've thought and thought and thought. And I came up with a single solution."
"A.... solution?"
"If I show them evil like they've never seen before, then won't that inspire people to run as far away from evil as possible?"
The voice began to crackle as it let out a light laugh.
"I want people to look at me as..... an anti role model. As someone who they look at with horror and say 'I never want to become like her.' For it is only through making people suffer that I can make people rethink themselves. When a hero helps people, they look up to them. They are reassured. They feel that they are safe. Yet this encourages them to stay where they are. They allow the hero to do all the dirty work while they don't bother improving themselves."
The woman now spoke with disgust.
"Heroes aren't an inspiration to people. They're just a safety net. In order for people to really rethink anything, there has to first exist an unstoppable villain. Only then will they truly begin to change. And so..... I've become this villain. I'm a pretty good actor, aren't I? Maybe I should've gone into the theatrical arts when I was alive on earth. Ah, but that earth wasn't real in the first place...."
"You... but..... you killed... no..... you allowed Huberos to die..... and your own comrades with him..... how..... how can you live with yourself!?"
Tera shouted out to Claire with confusion, unable to understand the person she spoke with.
"That's the thing."
With smug tone, Claire replied.
"I can't.", Claire said with a light chuckle.
Silence overcame the two as Claire's laugh trailed off, however she then spoke once more.
"I'm going to redetermine your state. I do hope we can get along together in the future. If not, I might really have to kill you."
"No, you won't kill me."
Tera spoke back with confidence.
After hearing those words from the demon before her, she realized something.
'She..... is no different.'
'I..... should help her. There is no reason for us to be on different sides. Huberos.... myself.... all of us..... we are all... monsters.'
"I'll join your side, Determined. In exchange, I'll convince Huberos to join your side."
"Are you that confident you can do so?"
"Don't worry about that. I happen to be his weak point."
"I see. Love exists even among monsters I suppose. How..... beautiful?"
If the two had bodies, they likely would have been shaking hands at this point.
"Sound's like a plan. It's time to take over the world."
----
'Where..... am I?'
Huberos was in a state of nothingness, surrounded by a pitch black void.
'Is this.... death?'
"Nah. This is hell. Because I'm here."
A chill was sent down the nonexistent spine of Huberos as he heard the voice.
It was the sadistic voice of that demonic angel.
The one who had allowed him to die, mocking him with a smug grin as he let out his final breath.
"I....."
"Shh. You don't get to talk. So, you were the Host of Pride. Was it you who sent Vex to fuck all those people up?"
Huberos was confused by the question at first, but after some thought he eventually let out a statement.
"I was."
"And you intended to defeat me, taking my position as a demon lord? Although, the method which you chose to defeat me.... through a technicality..... haha..... don't you have any pride?"
"I..."
"Shh. You don't get to talk. I said that just now, didn't I? Ah, but I guess I asked you a question. It was rhetorical, that one. Maybe you don't have any common sense either. Anyways, I'm here to give you a chance."
It was at that moment that Huberos felt a horrid feeling.
It was as if his very bones were being rattled and his mind was electrified.
It was pain, yet it was also different.
He was in a bodiless form, and this pain was different from normal pain.
It was mental anguish.
If he could sweat, he would be drenched.
His mind was thrown into a panic, and he couldn't think straight at all.
He wanted to scream, but he could not.
'What..... is..... this!?!?!?!'
"Alrighty. Switch off. So here's the deal. I happen to have your little lover in the palm of my hands. And I plan on making her go through that for eternity. Sounds great right?"
"My..... lover?"
Huberos came back to his senses quickly, though he would have been chattering and shivering if he had a body to do so.
When he heard the word lover, only one person could come to mind.
"She is not my lover.", Huberos stated with terror in his voice.
"Ah, really? But you two seemed so close. And why did you know who I was referring to then? Anyways, I'mma make her go through that."
"W-wait...."
With fear in his tone, Huberos begun to plead.
"Don't..... you..... please..... don't do that."
"Ah, you were about to say 'don't you dare', weren't you? But now that you realize your position you instead resort to begging me? Interesting. Hey, why don't you say something?"
"Huberos...."
Hearing Tera speak his name, he became aware that the girl was also present within this void.
"Tera!! I..... how irritating..... I..... urgh..."
If he could he would be holding his head in anguish, however Huberos forced the words out of him.
"Please..... I'll do anything. Just save her."
"Anything?"
"I'll...."
Holding onto his last shred of pride, Huberos hesitated for a moment.
"I'll do anything."
"Very well. Then pay me back with your life."