Chapter 147: Fractured Fantasy Heart [3] — I Will Save You No Matter What

With a fierce roar, her Fantasy Heart surged. The empty black void of her domain flooded with color and vivid images.

Mirai had expected a hellish nightmare or a sea of pure chaos—and those elements did appear—but something more emerged.

Dozens of memories swirled everywhere: Mirai and Louis together, the precious time they shared, that unforgettable date that had filled her with such joy.

Up until the previous regression, when she had no choice but to use her Nirvana Flames to let Louis pass peacefully, unable to save him.

“Louis…!”

Tears of blood streamed down her face. From her shadows, a devil-like figure rose—composed of flames, black metal, and dark-red alloy. It grinned wide and laughed.

“There you are!”

Mirai smiled through her tears as the Devil laughed, glancing at the charging dragon then back at her.

“Yeah… a lot of terrible things happened.”

“Gyehehe…”

The Devil patted her shoulders, then merged with her in an instant, transforming into armor that wrapped her already enormous, transformed soul.

Her eyes widened as overwhelming power flooded through her. Mirai knew this was her only chance—she had to act now or lose everything.

She stopped running and stood firm. Dozens of dragon breath attacks converged on her—each one a devastating beam aimed to obliterate her Fantasy Heart.

Black energy gathered in her left hand, drawing on the raw power of Chaos.

Red flames blazed in her right, summoning the fury of Pandemonium.

Her Aura exploded outward. The silhouettes of those Ancient Beings—whose identities Mirai still didn’t fully grasp—manifested before her.

Their hands reached forward as she fused Chaos and Demonic Power, compressing it all into one devastating spell.

“Abyssal Demon Magic – Pandemonium of Chaos!”

Darkness and infernal flames erupted in a cataclysmic surge, consuming everything inside her Fantasy Heart. The enormous dragon tree groaned in resistance, pushing back desperately, but the flames devoured it faster and faster.

“Leave!”

BOOOOM!

With every ounce of her strength, Mirai incinerated the dragon to ashes. A massive explosion followed, reshaping her entire Fantasy Heart into a volcanic wasteland beneath a dark, chaotic sky.

“It’s done…! I have to wake up!”

Mirai focused intently, forcing her eyes open and gasping for breath. The air was thick and heavy, saturated with the stench of blood and ash. Confused, she looked around and found herself inside a small bubble of Psychic Energy.

“Eh?”

“Mirai! You’re awake!”

“T-Thank god!”

Tisha and Pekorine knelt beside her. Helena clenched her teeth, pouring the last of her Psychic Power into a trembling barrier that shielded them from countless black-wood branches and roots snaking everywhere, their hollow eyes fixed on the group.

“W-What happened?” Mirai asked, scanning the chaos. She spotted Catrise standing there, her face etched with utter despair, staring silently at the ground. “Lady Catrise?”

“…” She gave no reply, her gaze empty and lost.

“Don’t you remember?” Tisha asked, voice trembling. “T-That bastard…! She killed our King! A-And then…! Louis lost it—his Fantasy Heart shattered, everything spilled out, and he became a Grievance… this thing!”

“I… I don’t know what to do honestly,” Pekorine sighed heavily. “It’s such an enormous Grievance, and it’s also Lord Louis… I-I… I’m so worried about Anastasia…”

Catrise said nothing and made no move while they spoke. She simply stared blankly at the floor.

She was utterly broken.

“Nngh…! I’m running low on energy…” Helena sighed weakly. “Mirai…! C-Can you fight? We have to get out of here, but we won’t make it without cutting through everything…”

“Helena! Are you planning to abandon the Queen who might still be here—and her son?!” Tisha demanded furiously, gripping her sword so tightly her knuckles whitened.

“Tisha, what else do you expect us to do?!” Helena shot back, tears streaming down her face. “Louis is a monster now! He’s… he’s practically dead! There’s no way to reverse what happened to him!”

“But his uncle was also like an Entity, a Sinner, and…” Pekorine murmured.

“His uncle is a completely different case!” Helena snapped. “I… I will die here though. I don’t have anywhere else to go. This was my home. I’ll die here. You all… should leave. I’ll open a spatial portal, a tunnel. You can escape through it. Go and don’t look back.”

“What?! Are you insane?!” Tisha roared. “I’m staying to save the Queen and the prince!”

“How are you even going to do that, Tisha?! Stop talking nonsense—you’ve lost your mind! Can’t you accept reality?!” Helena cried.

“Accept reality?! The little girl I watched grow up, the adorable Benladra her father and mother loved so much…! I cannot let her die here! And I cannot let her son die either! I cannot leave him as a monster!” Tisha’s voice cracked with anguish. “I came here to protect them!”

“What?! You’re mad, Tisha! T-This is beyond hopeless—return to Yggdrasil and tell the dragons to come! Let them handle this instead…!” Helena pleaded. “It’s the only realistic choice…! It is…! It’s…”

“I will bring Louis back to normal.”

“…?”

“…?!”

Everyone turned to Mirai in stunned silence. The girl rose slowly, her long black-and-red hair whipping in the fierce winds as she stared upward at the shattered ceiling.

“I will do everything I can to save him—even if it means dying,” Mirai said quietly but firmly. “Auntie Helena, please let me do this.”

“But Mirai…!” Helena whispered, horrified. “You don’t have the power—you’ll—”

“I do have the power… I’ve had it since I was born,” Mirai sighed, gazing at the rings that restrained her overwhelming strength.

“You don’t mean…?!” Helena’s eyes widened in terror. “No! Mirai, you can’t!”

“I have to…” Mirai said softly. “Louis is… the man I love.”

“…?!”

“…!”

“You do?” Helena asked amid the shocked gasps. Even Catrise, who had remained frozen staring at the floor, shifted slightly—her empty eyes lifting to Mirai. “But you two haven’t even known each other that long…”

“I know,” Mirai said with a small, sad smile. “But… Prince Louis is someone I love. I guess it’s hard to explain. You could say it’s a love that has been growing for more than one lifetime.”

“…?” Helena looked bewildered. “What does that even mean, girl?”

“I don’t think I have to explain anymore,” Mirai replied gently. “My feelings are mine to hold. I’ve said enough, Auntie Helena. There’s no need to explain or justify how I feel about him.”

“Mirai, I…” Helena faltered, pausing as fresh tears welled. “I’m sorry… If I had known this would happen, I…”

“That’s enough,” Mirai sighed. “I know you feel sorry… and I’m grateful that you and Uncle Gustaf raised me in that lab. You were always kind to me. You did so much for me… working day and night to help me, to save me. It’s time I repay the favor…”

Helena stared, stunned by how much Mirai had changed. Just a day ago she had been a clueless girl who knew nothing of the outside world. Now she sounded seasoned, though still reckless—someone who had tasted far more of life’s cruelty than her years should allow.

“Mirai, you don’t have to do this. You don’t have to play the hero,” Helena murmured. “This world… it only knows pain and suffering. The only ones who survive are those who know when to run and live another day. This world, drowning in misery, does not reward heroism. Even Queen Benladra—our invincible beacon of hope—fell into an eternal slumber. And now her son, our dear Louis… is a monster. This world only destroys you. It tears you apart and leaves you in pieces. Only those who can gather what remains, walk away, and hide… can survive.”

“Helena! How can you say such a thing?!” Tisha confronted her furiously. “Our King is dead, the Queen’s fate is unknown, the prince is a Grievance! You want to abandon everything?!”

“Tisha, stop…” Pekorine gently held her arm. “This isn’t like you…”

“…!” Tisha clenched her teeth, a low groan escaping. “I just… don’t want it to end this way… and I’m terrified for Anastasia…”

“The only way we can find her and save anyone else who might still be alive is by destroying the Grievance and bringing Louis back,” Mirai said calmly.

“But don’t you understand that’s impossible, Mirai?!” Helena pleaded desperately. “There has never been a single report of a Spiralwalker returning to human form after becoming a Grievance! Especially not someone of Prince Louis’s caliber! He’s likely a Level 5 Entity—monstrously powerful! Only the Great Gods of the Fantasy Worlds could hope to fight something like that…”

“But isn’t the power sealed inside me strong enough to destroy the world?” Mirai asked, fingers tightening around her restraining rings. She now possessed the strength to shatter them effortlessly.

“But Mirai, what if you lose control? What if you become the same as Prince Louis? Then everything you’ve done would be for nothing…” Helena begged. “Think about it for a moment! Consider what you’re doing before you act so recklessly!”

“…I can’t,” Mirai said with a bitter smile. “He always charges into danger, risking his life without hesitation. He never stops to wonder if he should, he simply does what he believes is right. I… I want to be a little more like Louis.”

—–

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep