"Swoosh— —"
In the blink of an eye, the entire world before Mash Kyrielight's eyes shifted drastically.
Everything around her transford into a scorched, desolate wasteland. The surroundings were utterly ruined, with lifeless bodies scattered everywhere across the earth.
Upon this barren ground, she saw many familiar figures: rlin, King Gilgash, Leonidas, and Siduri. Alongside them lay a vast number of Uruk's citizens, their limbs severed and torn apart.
It didn't stop there. She even saw the remains of her comrades from Chaldea: Romani Archaman and Da Vinci. The friends she had spent every single day with were dead.
Then, she saw Fujimaru Ritsuka. Only his head remained, his face frozen in an expression of profound regret.
"No... I don't want this..."
An indescribable pain and a suffering that struck her soul directly forced Mash to let out a scream of intense agony.
"Pah——"
In the next second, a single droplet fell from the sky. The mont it touched the ground, ripples began to spread. The entire horrific scene instantly dissolved into an illusion, like a flower in a mirror or the moon reflected on the water's surface.
[Mash Kyrielight, is this the sight you wish to behold?]
The voice echoed in Mash's ears once more. However, this ti, the voice was far clearer than before.
"No... sothing like that... I don't want that at all."
[Then, sign this contract. Every tragedy occurs because of a lack of ability from those involved. As long as you possess great enough power, nothing will be a problem.]
"Nothing... will be a problem?"
[Exactly. Gorgon, the Goddess of Magical Beasts? The Singularity's crisis? Or even that mysterious Solomon, the King of Magecraft? As long as you are strong enough, none of them are an issue anymore.]
A deeply seductive voice rang out, and the scent of manipulation began to spread through the air.
The temptation was so potent that let alone a girl in her mid-teens who had grown up in an experintal facility, even a genius would find it impossible to resist.
The feeling of helplessness, the despair, and the burning desire to protect her comrades—even at the cost of her own life—would drive anyone to make a choice. Even if that choice ant plumting straight into hell.
This kind of noble quality wasn't exclusive to the saviors of the world. On the contrary, the knights who fell on the battlefield were often far nobler than the saviors who survived.
"No, this is wrong. I shouldn't do this."
At the final mont, a flash of consciousness flickered in Mash's eyes, and she managed to recover a fragnt of her reason.
[So, do you wish to watch them die tragically before your very eyes?]
"Puh—"
Suddenly, a scene played out right in front of Mash. Ritsuka Fujimaru was beheaded right before her.
His head fell from his neck. At that mont, Ritsuka's eyes were filled with "doubt" and "lack of understanding."
It was as if he were questioning Mash—asking her why she didn't save him, even though she actually had the power to do so.
"Senpai—!"
The tragic death of the person she loved most dealt an instantaneous, massive blow to Mash.
She ran forward, wanting to cradle Ritsuka's body. But in an instant, everything returned to the void once again.
[Mash Kyrielight, tell , do you want to see such a thing happen?]
"No, don't... I don't want it."
[Then, forge a contract with . I will grant you unparalleled power. In exchange, the individual known as 'Mash Kyrielight'—your body and your soul—will belong to .]
"As long as I can save Senpai... I am willing to forge a contract with you."
The impact of Ritsuka's death was simply too much for Mash to bear.
Sacrificing oneself to protect the protagonist was the resolve held by everyone who walked alongside the main character.
To give up oneself to save the world, and to step into hell to help one's comrades.
[Very well. With this, the contract is ford. Should you break this contract, your soul will be branded with a slave's mark, and you shall never escape the darkness for all eternity.]
"Click——"
Clumps of black mud began to seep from the surroundings, enveloping Mash's body.
Subconsciously, Mash wanted to break free. However, rembering that voice, she endured the overwhelming discomfort and chose to let it happen.
In the next second, Mash realized that her Magical Energy was increasing at a staggering, geotric rate.
Furthermore, dark Magical Energy began to fuse into her very being.
A special power began to modify her body. The weak genetic chains that were originally the result of artificial cultivation began to be filled and repaired in sequence, eventually evolving.
Inside Mash's body, her internal organs also began to change. Within her chest cavity, seven hearts began to form, one by one.
The scene shifted back to the outside world. Under the gaze of Gorgon's petrification beam, those holding the shields continued to be pushed back.
"It's no use, this won't hold for long. Fujimaru, fall back for now!"
rlin looked toward Mash, who could barely hold on anymore, and couldn't help but speak up.
After all, neither he nor Ritsuka Fujimaru could afford to get hurt, or everything would co to an end.
"Click——"
At that precise mont, a massive explosion of Magical Energy suddenly erupted from Mash's body.
This level of Magical Energy—even if reinforced by a Command Spell—could never be this terrifying. Its sheer horror was equivalent to the arrival of an incredibly powerful Demon God.
"Boom——"
In the next heartbeat, Mash, who had been struggling just monts ago, slowly opened her eyes. Her body radiated an aura equal to that of a Demon God.
Then, she channeled the Magical Energy into her shield, directly shattering Gorgon's petrification beam.
"Hey, you're joking, right? That little girl has Magical Energy this strong?"
"Mash... Mash..."
Ritsuka Fujimaru was also stunned. As a comrade who had crossed through so many disasters with her, he had never seen Mash like this. Beyond that, he had a very bad feeling about it.
At this mont, Mash slowly raised her head, staring toward the giant snake goddess, Gorgon, in the distance.
"Impossible... how can you possess Magical Energy of this magnitude? This shouldn't be possible!"
Gorgon felt a wave of disbelief. This level of Magical Energy actually made her feel a prickle of fear.
"Is this... this incredible power?"
Mash felt her current strength and the overflowing abundance of Magical Energy. It was truly extraordinary.
Moreover, she also realized that her body had undergone a drastic transformation.
She was no longer a little girl with limited strength, but a warrior who had obtained great power. Her current self had the strength to protect everyone.
For the first ti, Mash felt a surge of confidence, and this confidence was born from her imnse power.
However, at this mont, Mash didn't realize that the subject she was protecting—the one she had risked everything for through a dark contract—was looking at her with a strange, unsettling gaze.
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