Astrea Fortress Defense Battle (Part Four)
"What nonsense…! How could you… Who would believe such cheap emotions?!"
Roswaal began to stammer—he had always believed emotions were immutable.
A feeling born from revenge had to remain revenge, perhaps growing stronger or weaker, but never changing.
Similarly, if love had ever existed, it meant the person felt it from the beginning.
He could not accept the idea that Ram's feelings had changed.
It was impossible for him to believe that, because to do so would overturn everything he had done up to now.
"Weren't you after revenge?! Didn't you swear an oath?!
When you looked upon your homeland reduced to ashes, wasn't it you who swore to your fallen kin to avenge them?!
If my future strayed from the Gospel's prophecy, I was to atone for all my deeds, and offer myself—body and soul—to you!
Wasn't that the contract we made, driven by your revenge?!
This is contradictory!
If it doesn't align with the book, then why… Why did I—!"
"The important thing was to obtain Roswaal-sama's body and soul. I used to think that as long as I got you, it didn't matter if you became a broken shell!"
"But now... the witch's plan, or rather, Roswaal-sama's heart has wavered.
Emilia-sama returned alone, a war has broken out without warning, our action plan changed halfway through, and the final battle started early.
This is an opportunity.
I won't let you become a broken man, because I want something better."
'To steal you away from the witch's obsession. This is the one and only, final chance.'
"As for hatred, ten years is more than enough to change many things.
Back then, I naively believed that our true enemy was the Witch Cult.
I never imagined that the Night of Slaughter was caused by some bizarre book claiming Rem and I were necessary pawns.
Falling in love with you was something even I didn't expect.
But more than the dead, I prioritize my own feelings."
Ram spoke with conviction.
She had thought long and hard about it yesterday.
To put it bluntly, was Rem's hellish childhood a paradise for her? Of course not.
A village chief who wanted to kill them from birth, indifferent parents, villagers who mocked them—before she showed her power, it was hell.
Even after displaying her power, it remained a disgusting hell.
They didn't admire her, they worshipped the "Oni God."
All they wanted was her power.
Faced with Ram's sudden change of attitude, Roswaal was speechless.
He could only fall silent.
'So stubborn!'
Ram thought as she looked at him—despite everything she'd said, he was still conflicted, refusing to believe that hatred could turn into love.
"Stockholm Syndrome—it's said that hostages may develop psychological dependence on their captors.
Since their lives are in their captors' hands, they end up feeling immense gratitude for being allowed to live…"
Ram spoke again, repeating something Subaru had told her the day before.
Roswaal's eyes lit up slightly, as if a drowning man had grasped a final straw.
"Are you… really sick, Ram?"
Roswaal looked genuinely confused, as if accepting that he himself was the only one sick here.
"Ram's life is in Roswaal-sama's hands.
Without your regular mana transfers, I'd be weak and dead in a few days.
I can't leave you.
The fact that I'm still alive is thanks to you. I meet every condition for being 'sick.'"
"Ram is sick—but not with Stockholm Syndrome.
Because Ram's heart would never surrender to abuse.
I spent all night thinking about this and confirmed it: my love is real.
This lovesickness is incurable. So I'll just burn up with fever and struggle until I die."
Ram declared loudly the conclusion she had reached after a night of thought.
As Rem had walked free from her shackles, Ram too had let go of her final bits of resentment toward Roswaal.
As for the oni tribe's most cherished asset, the Oni Horn, Ram had no desire to become a god of destruction.
Now, her only emotion toward Roswaal was love.
Even the confused expression on Roswaal's face seemed adorable to her.
She really must be sick, she thought with a bittersweet sigh.
"El Fura!!"
At the Oni God's chant, a raging wind shattered the earth, tore up the forest, and formed a pillar of wind connecting heaven and earth.
Against this terrifying attack, Roswaal too unleashed his trump card: sixfold magic incantation.
Six-colored beams of light clashed with the massive wind pillar, triggering a violent explosion.
Mud, branches, sparks, hail, and stones fell from the sky. In an instant, visibility was reduced to just one meter.
'He just needed to outlast Ram's final assault.'
Roswaal remained cautious, sweeping his gaze across the forest to find where Ram was hiding.
That was the moment Ram had been waiting for, watching through her Clairvoyance as his gaze left her position.
"Ah… ugh."
Concentrating once more on her forehead, searing pain dyed her vision red.
The prolonged Oni transformation had her muscles and bones screaming—several tendons were snapping.
But she ignored it all.
The Oni blood within her boiled with fury.
With blood streaming from her eyes, Ram smashed through every obstacle in her path and appeared directly in front of Roswaal.
'Too slow.'
As Roswaal used his martial skills in defense, Ram simply tilted her head to dodge and gently touched his right hand—shattering his bones.
Etching his pain-stricken expression into her memory, she moved her hand to his body. Roswaal held his breath.
Seeing Ram drenched in blood, Roswaal knew—this was her final few seconds of full Oni transformation.
Even so, a single touch from her was enough to crush bones and rip out internal organs.
In that moment, he understood—he had lost.
But—
"What?"
The expected shock and pain didn't come.
Roswaal's voice trembled in confusion.
This was supposed to be the decisive moment.
Frowning, he looked at Ram's lowered hand—and saw something that shouldn't be there.
"That's—!"
"To Ram… this is the root of all evil."
Roswaal's face went pale as he tried to rush toward her.
Coughing up blood, Ram gave him a smile.
Without hesitation, she threw the Tome of Wisdom into the magical flames that were still burning the trees.
Roswaal screamed silently as the flames swallowed the Tome, growing even fiercer.
A flail crushed the final fireball Roswaal had released.
Rem, watching her kneeling sister and the collapsed Roswaal, looked deeply conflicted.
Soon, a soft blue healing light began to shine amid the ruins.