Volume 12 Chapter 43 A New Family
Let me explain what a black hole is for a moment.
A black hole is a term that describes a celestial body with high density. It's the end of a collapsed star. It is said to have gravity so strong that not even light can escape from it.
It swallows everything that comes close and doesn't let go. Even the fastest thing, the speed of light, cannot escape the gravity of a black hole.
Now, this extremely small thing. It's a tiny black dot floating at my fingertip, a micro black hole.
However, it's not just a small black hole. If such a thing appeared, it would easily swallow the entire world.
That's why this micro black hole is under restrictions set by the gravity god, Newton.
First, it cannot be created just by chanting a curse because of its overwhelming power. Specifically, it can only manifest after gathering enough mass equivalent to an entire city.
Second, when activated, the micro black hole can only target one object at a time. So, it won't swallow everything around it.
These are the two restrictions. And by adding deep gravity to it, this micro black hole gains conceptual attack power.
The target I specified is the Domain Control itself, Ragnarok.
Therefore.
My victory is assured.
"──────."
Everything is being swallowed.
Falling stars, the blowing snowstorm, the twilight that paints the world anew, all stretch out like spaghetti and are sucked into my fingertip, the micro black hole.
It's not just that. Even Surtr, Fenrir, and Jormungand were swallowed by the micro black hole. Then, stripped of their illusions, the forms of the 3 we defeated back then appeared in the world.
From my close range, the fire of Lævateinn, which burns chakra, was also sucked in. The strength supported by fate itself was probably seen as Ragnarok.
That lasted about ten seconds.
By the time it was over, only Loki, standing helplessly, was left in that place.
"Eh... uh, eh..."
Loki held Lævateinn in her hand, standing alone on the ground where not even rubble remained. Meanwhile, my side was mostly battered, and I was the only one who could stand properly.
"Well then,."
I lifted Durandal.
"Are you still going to fight, Loki?"
When I said this confidently, Loki trembled.
But Loki's spirit didn't break.
"W-Well, I'm still going...! I haven't lost yet!"
"I see. Then let's do this."
I readied Durandal. But it was more than just courtesy.
"Yaaaaaaah!"
Loki swung Lævateinn and charged at me. However, there was no power like when Ragnarok was unfolding.
"[Stop]."
At the command infused with the magic of Vishuddha Chakra, Loki paused for a moment.
But the god, no, the Demon King. She broke through with her strength, saying, "I won't be stopped by something like this!" and charged again.
At that moment, I used Weight Increase.
"Object Weight Increase."
"Ugh."
Loki's body sinks. Loki is skilled in situation manipulation abilities, but weak in strength battles.
But Loki pushes her frail body and wobbles toward me.
"Not yet...! Loki can still fight...!"
"...Yeah, come on."
Loki and I clash. I lightly swing Durandal and deflect Loki's sword. Loki's whole body feels heavy, and just a slight shift in his stance makes him fall to the ground.
Thud... Loki sinks into the ground. She puts her arms down and desperately tries to stand up with his trembling arms.
"Still...! Loki can still...!"
I kick Loki's hand, making her drop Lævateinn. The magic sword slides across the ground with a hard sound. Loki loses her only weapon and looks up at me.
Loki has tears in her eyes. But she doesn't let them fall. She grits her teeth, raises her hand, and tries to create an illusion by snapping his fingers.
I gently hold her hand down.
"That's enough."
I smile softly and tell Loki.
"Thank you, Loki. I appreciated your feelings. I seriously thought about continuing to fight you and ending this happily. No, until just a moment ago, I really felt that way."
I crouch down, release Weight Increase, and hug Loki.
"But I have things to protect. There are still things I need to do. So... I'm sorry."
"U...ah...ahh...!"
At those words, Loki's tears fall.
"Uwaaaahhh...! Aaaahhh...!"
Loki cries loudly and tightly hugs me back.
"I'm sorry...! Loki wanted to make you happy...! But I lost...! I couldn't make you happy...!"
"Yeah... I'm sorry I couldn't respond..."
"I really love you, Master... I didn't want you to be unhappy...! But it didn't work out...! I'm sorry...! I'm sorry for being weak...!"
"Ah, I understand... thank you."
"Ahhhhhh...! Aahhhhhh...!"
Loki realized defeat and just cried.
The fate of the creator. Ultimate glory and ruin. A future that will come. The same madness as Emperor Roman.
Loki took the best action to avoid that. She forced it, anticipating rejection. And even after failing, she decided not to make me unhappy until she killed me.
If she had killed someone else first, or just Ice, it would have been a successful challenge.
But Loki didn't do that. Even leaving a chance for failure, she wished for my happiness.
"Master...! Waaaah...!"
"Yeah... that was tough..."
I hugged Loki and patted his back.
As I did that, it seemed the damage from being blown away by Jormungand was healed, and Ice approached, covered in dust, grabbing Loki.
"Get away."
She pulled Loki away and tossed her. Wow, no mercy.
"Ice... could you be a little more considerate, like, ugh..."
As I complained, Ice hugged me.
Then she turned to Loki and said one thing.
"Love wins, huh...?"
"Waaaaahhhhhh!"
She was going to deal a mental blow to Loki.
Loki was crying hard, tears streaming down her face. Ice watched her, wearing a smug expression like she had just won something. I rarely saw Ice look like that, so it felt special to me.
As a husband, I wanted to comfort Loki, but I held back and let Ice do what she wanted.
After a while, Loki lifted her face, looking all messy, and stared at Ice.
"...But, Ice-sama, you're already Hel too, right...?"
"Ugh."
At Loki's words, Ice's shoulders jumped a bit.
What does that mean? I tilted my head in confusion while Loki relaxed her expression.
She looked like a parent passing on a treasure to their child.
"Well, I guess it can't be helped... I can't take something that belongs to a child."
Ice's face turned as if she had been struck in the chest by those words.
Loki wiped her face and put on a brave smile. Her eyes were red and puffy, and her face was a mess from tears and dirt, but she forced a cheerful expression and said brightly.
"Ahh... a heartbreak, huh? Well, it all started with Loki's selfishness at the last moment, so this is how it ends, right? ...Oh, but! Both of you!"
Jumping up, Loki hugged both Ice and me.
"I really love you both, Master and Ice-sama, for real!~♡."
She squeezed us tighter. Her gentle yet strong grip felt like it held all kinds of love mixed together.
Then, Loki reluctantly pulled away from us. She looked really sad, her eyebrows drooping as she said to us.
"...Well then, when you go back to the surface, take care, okay?"
Loki smiled sadly like that and turned away. Then, she started walking away from us.
Seeing her like that, I tightly pressed my lips together.
I don't have the words to stop Loki. I alone must not stop Loki myself.
Just as I was thinking that, it was Ice who called out to Loki.
"Rollo-chan...!"
"...Huh, what? Ice-sama?"
Loki stopped, looking confused. Ice seemed to search for the right words, then asked, "Um, you know...?"
"W-What are you going to do from now on...?"
"Hmm? Well, since Hel is gone, I thought I'd work together with everyone and maybe become the Demon King. The city is, as you can see, completely empty, right?"
"It's a big deal~♡," Loki said, trying to sound lighthearted as she laughed.
Ice, probably not even knowing what she wanted to say, continued to speak.
"Th-That's really tough, right...? The demons might not be very cooperative, you know...?"
"Huh? Are you worried about me? But hell has always been like this, so it's okay! In the end, they tend to follow strength anyway~."
After saying that, Loki made a serious face.
"And I have to wake up Fenrir and the others too... How long will the recovery take...? I want to make sure it's ready before Masters die."
"Pfft, haha. Hey, you're suddenly saying something really gloomy."
When I pointed that out, Loki shot back, "Well, because~!"
"If everyone dies, they'll come to Nilfheim, right? If we're not ready by then, it'll be hard to live there, you know~♡."
"...Is that what you mean? Like dying of old age?"
"Yup, yup. Humans have short lifespans, after all~. Even if we estimate long, it's only a few decades, right? Wow, that's so little time! We have to hurry!"
Loki was fidgeting with her feet. If we left her alone, it seemed like she would run off somewhere.
And then, Ice pressed on.
"──So, Rollo-chan, won't you come to the surface...?"
"...Huh?"
Loki looked confused. Ice suggested to her with a complicated expression.
"If human lifespans are short, then it's okay to spend a little of that time with us, right...? In the end, we fought like this, but nobody hates Rollo-chan..."
Ice looked down and bit her lower lip as she spoke, and Loki blinked a few times. Then, Loki looked at me.
I looked at Ice. Ice looked back at me and nodded slightly. I stared at Loki and revealed the feelings I had been trying to hold back.
"Loki... Let's go together. It's lonely without you."
"...~~~."
Loki pouted, turned red, and started to cry. Then she ran over to us and jumped into our arms.
"I love you both so much!!! ♡♡♡ I won't let go until I die, no, even after I die!!! ♡♡♡."
Saying that, Loki started to cry again. We both smiled wryly and hugged Loki together.
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