Even now, Yukino still felt like she was dreaming. Everything her body and soul perceived was screaming at her that this was real.
Raised under modern education, her sixteen years of understanding had been completely overturned.
Had she lived all the way until now just to become a sacrificial offering—meant to awaken some terrifying weapon for a Demon King in another world?
Though she hadn't been devoured, it didn't feel much different. In this situation, she likely wouldn't have any good outcome anyway.
A bitter expression surfaced on her face.
As if sensing her trembling despair, she felt her limbs being tightly held in a protective embrace—another person was shielding her.
It was a goddess.
She could feel this goddess desperately trying to protect her, but also sensed the goddess's own fear and terror. It made her think—aren't so-called goddesses not so different from humans after all? This goddess seemed just like an ordinary girl.
But even so, this goddess was still trying her hardest even now. So could she, Yukino, just give up like this?
No. Even if she truly had no strength to resist, she must not fall into despair.
She should hold firm to that unyielding human pride she had just now—right up until the moment her body and soul perished. She would not bow to the terror of the Demon King.
"Oh, I can feel it now—the unified divine realm is watching. Watch closely! Watch as your beloved hero and goddess fall into corruption!"
As the Demon King spat out these mocking, cruel words, black flames—like venomous serpents—erupted from the scepter in her hand and shot toward the two.
"Spatial Barrier—Floating Bubble!"
This was the goddess's final act of protection for Yukino.
Yukino could feel that the goddess had exhausted all her power. Her body was icy cold, and after casting the spell, she slipped into a semi-conscious state. Now it was Yukino holding and protecting the goddess in return.
However, the so-called spatial barrier was as fragile as paper under the assault of the serpent-like black flames. It was effortlessly pierced through.
And then, the two were supposed to be engulfed—twisted in both body and mind, stripped of all morality and ethics. The hero would become a demon king, and the holy goddess would be twisted into a malevolent evil deity.
That was how it should have gone. But the black flames meant to merge with their bodies vanished into smoke in that very instant.
Yukino was stunned.
This was just like what had happened before—when the black ice seal cracked and she and the goddess had been engulfed by the black flames within the altar. It had seemed like the spatial barrier protected them, but in reality, some of the flames had leaked through.
They were meant to fall on her… yet strangely, they had stopped and vanished like mist.
It was bizarre. At first, she'd thought the leaked flames simply lacked energy. But no—that flame, she was certain, could have turned her to ash.
And yet it had vanished.
Now, seeing this again, she no longer believed it was coincidence—especially since the Demon King herself was visibly shocked at the sudden disappearance of the flame.
But more importantly, reflected in Yukino's widened blue eyes was the scene of black mist emerging from the Demon King's scepter… and behind her, it was forming a figure—first transparent, then gradually solidifying.
It was a figure around three meters tall—a massive skeleton. To Yukino, it looked like a giant.
The skeleton was jet black, like something straight out of the abyss or hell. Its empty eye sockets gave the impression of being portals to the underworld. Then, ghostly grey-white flames ignited within.
The skeleton was clad in armor, giving off an aura that unmistakably declared it as the King of the Undead.
At that moment, the Demon King finally reacted—too slowly—and turned stiffly to face the towering undead figure.
"Y-You… who are you?"
Her face was filled with caution as she instinctively backed away, but noticed that black mist was still pouring from her scepter into the body of the undead king.
What was this? If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she wouldn't have sensed anything at all. It was like an illusion.
"No matter what you are—undead or not—disappear! This is not your era!"
The Demon King's face twisted in fury as she shouted. Her tail and demonic wings suddenly transformed into sharp blades and lunged at the undead figure.
In that instant, the impact pierced not just the target but the very space itself, tearing holes in the world. Due to the pressure differential, everything around the holes—tangible or intangible—was sucked out until the world finally repaired itself and sealed the breaches.
Though the holes closed, that portion of space remained unnaturally distorted—like a calm water surface disturbed by countless ripples overlapping with one another.
Yet despite all this, even though space itself was warped—something that would normally render anything within invisible or deformed—the image of the undead king remained perfectly clear.
It was as if it existed in a different dimension altogether, one untouchable by the Demon King. That was why it remained unaffected and unblurred.
The next second, the King of the Undead stretched out a claw toward the Demon King—and in that moment, her scepter flew toward him on its own.
"W-What?!"
The Demon King was stunned and terrified. She hadn't let go of the scepter… yet it was no longer in her grasp.
She hadn't let go—but her hand had been separated from her body without warning.
"Damn it!"
She lunged forward with her other hand to grab it.
She succeeded—or so she thought—but her hand closed around nothing. Just like when she tried to attack the undead earlier, she could feel no substance. It was like grasping an illusion.
"That's mine! Give it back!!!"
The Demon King screamed hysterically, swiping wildly at the figure, but nothing worked. All her attacks were useless.
Then, without warning, the Demon King turned around and fled.
Why?
Because the undead king's hand was slowly reaching toward her—and the danger it exuded made her instincts scream. She had to run.
But oddly enough, as the Demon King fled forward, she somehow ended up directly running into the undead king's grasp.
How? He had been behind her, and she hadn't turned… yet somehow she had ended up running into him.
It was as though the space in front of her had been twisted into her back.
The next instant, the undead king's skeletal hand, gripping the Demon King's head, drove its sharp finger bones into her skull.
"Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…!"
Her brain matter was churned. Her consciousness and memories were being violently rifled through.