How pure. How dazzling.
No matter how much gold or how many jewels, nothing could compare. Before them stood the miracle of the planet—a fantasy that no amount of treasure could ever reproduce.
They had wished, and treasures beyond counting were granted.
They had wished, and beautiful women were granted.
They had wished, and power to rival nations was granted.
Through wishing, they had learned—women were the planet's greatest treasure.
But this woman before them—this miracle incarnate—was beyond anything they had ever known.
Having all desires fulfilled, they had sunk into ennui. Now they craved something to fill the void.
For that, they would go mad.
The festival itself existed for this reason.
"Hand her over! A treasure like this cannot belong to just one man!"
"We've had countless women, but none like her! If we can have her, I'd trade away every wish we've ever made!"
"Ohh—grant us our wish once more!"
Shouts drenched in vice and desire filled the square.
Like wolves circling prey, they closed in.
To Crimson Moon and Ryouma, it was laughable.
Never before had they been met with such audacity.
"Give us that woman! Such a miracle cannot be hoarded by a fool like you! You're not worthy!"
The villagers had gone mad for Crimson Moon's beauty.
Forged by the planet itself, her allure was overwhelming to all living beings.
"Heh. They want to steal a woman—from me."
Ryouma sneered, cold killing intent rising.
He didn't know what gave them confidence, but his patience had ended.
Yet before he could act—Crimson Moon stepped forward.
"How repulsive. But those words I cannot ignore. To insult my little brother… surely you're prepared for your souls and bodies to be ground into dust?"
Her words carried no emotion.
What they saw instead was her resplendent smile—terrifying in its beauty.
The dull mortals had no inkling what it meant to provoke the queen's wrath.
The deadliest storms come without warning—silent, until the moment they rend the heavens.
"My heart and my body, every joy and sorrow I feel—the only one worthy of them is him.
This is the love of Crimson Moon Brunestud, and the only love I will ever give."
Her declaration rang out—and before anyone could react, a crimson tide erupted, flooding the square.
Blood fountained like a geyser.
A massacre. One-sided, absolute.
Only Ryouma could truly follow what had happened.
Crimson Moon had turned her Mystic Eyes of Enchantment upon the very air—bewitching it into scything blades of vacuum that slaughtered all.
Her Rainbow Eyes wielded power on par with divine authority.
Where once the plaza was full of voices, now there was only silence.
The ground was strewn with shredded meat.
But a few survivors remained.
Not by luck—she had chosen to spare them.
Those left alive screamed in terror, scrambling to flee.
"…I could've handled this, you know."
"No. You finish too quickly. That's no fun."
"…Your bad habits again. I'd have used the Eyes to force information from them before finishing. Wouldn't that be simpler?"
Ryouma sighed.
This happened often.
Crimson Moon always struck first, leaving him no chance to act.
Her overprotection knew no limits.
"They insulted my beloved little brother. That alone demands punishment.
The true despair comes only after hope is shattered—and that's the sweetest moment of all."
She walked through the blood-soaked square.
Scattered flesh crumbled into ash and blew away on the wind.
Only slick pools of blood remained.
She knew Ryouma was interested in what the villagers were hiding. That was why she had left some alive.
Her methods were cruel, but the result stood.
And since it was their provocation, there was no innocence here to spare.
The two did not let the survivors escape.
They followed leisurely, watching as the wretches stumbled toward the village's depths.
Soon, they arrived before a shrine.
At its center lay the object of worship.
"…Not a miracle… a monster… she's a monster… The Child of God! Only the Child of God can save us!"
"Quick! Bring out the Child of God!"
"They're here! Those two monsters are here!"
The villagers dragged out their so-called Child.
On the altar was a boy—his limbs severed, radiating a sacred, divine aura.
With the wisdom granted by the planet, Ryouma saw the truth.
The boy was born as a vessel of the planet's blessing—a "Child of God" with power beyond mortals.
Likely, it was a wish-granting ability.
That explained the villagers' obscene wealth.
They had hacked off his limbs to prevent escape, building their luxury on his suffering.
"So this is your trump card. Won't you use him against me?
If you wish to live, then kill me with your wishes.
You have until dawn. If you fail… then you all die."
Crimson Moon raised her hand, smiling imperiously.
Even before a planet-born wish-granting terminal, she stood as a queen.
If they were to despair, she would grind them down to utter ruin.
Like ants crushed in a hand—let them struggle first, only to be smeared into nothing.
"Kill her! Whatever it takes—kill her! Child of God, grant our wish!"
The maimed boy had no power to refuse.
He was drained of body and soul—made into a vessel of the villagers' ugly desires.
From fantasy stepped forth a creature of sin, a monster born of greed.
It roared defiance at the Moon King.
[End of Chapter]
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