Chapter 40:
Brought into my Unfinished Game World
Dave's warning came too late.
Laughter echoed across the scorched desert. Aristi's body twitched, then convulsed. Streams of data from the nearby Horizon Canvas gathered around her injuries, wrapping her form in luminous threads. The charred flesh began to knit itself back together at an unnatural speed. Bones snapped back into place with sickening cracks. Skin reformed over exposed muscle, accelerated by the raw code flowing into her wounds.
Within seconds, she pushed herself upright. Her laughter grew louder as her body continued to regenerate, erasing the catastrophic damage as if it had never existed.
— I finally understand, Aristi said, her voice filled with genuine admiration as she looked toward the collapsed Suzaku. You are truly remarkable.
She flexed her restored fingers, examining them with fascination.
— Your flames are not like ordinary magic. They are laced with your own life essence, not drawn from the world around you. That is what makes you legendary. That is why your spells can harm even me.
Suzaku remained on her knees, unable to even lift her head. Her breathing came in shallow gasps.
Aristi continued, almost conversational now.
— Casting from your own life force allows you to strike faster, bypass defenses that would stop normal magic. But it comes at a terrible cost. No amount of mana regeneration can restore what you have spent. You burn yourself away with every spell.
She looked down at her restored body, flexing her fingers.
— I must admit, even I am no longer at full power. Your attack damaged me in ways that go deeper than flesh and bone. But what remains should be more than enough to end this battle.
She turned her gaze across the battlefield, assessing her opponents.
Kuria leaned heavily on her staff, barely able to stand after channeling the chains. Suzaku could not move at all. Bolg still twitched on the ground, his body fighting against the status effects that paralyzed him. And Alpha stood alone with his sword raised, his arms shaking from exhaustion.
Aristi smiled.
— You fought well. All of you. But now there is no one left who can stop me.
Dave watched the streams of data flow from the Horizon Canvas toward Aristi's body. She was manipulating the Canvas even in the middle of battle, drawing power from it to enhance her regeneration and bolster her strength.
An idea struck him with sudden clarity.
Why had he not thought of this sooner? He could do the same thing. He could access the Horizon Canvas himself and use its raw power to change the situation.
Dave clenched his translucent fists in frustration at his own slowness. But he took a breath and forced himself to focus. There was still time.
He floated quickly to Alpha's side and whispered directly into his ear, explaining his plan in urgent, quiet words.
Alpha's eyes widened slightly. His grip on his sword tightened.
— Are you certain that will work? Alpha whispered back.
— No. But do you have a better idea?
Alpha was silent for a moment. Then he shook his head.
— Alright. Let us try it.
Alpha suddenly burst forward, charging directly at Aristi with his sword raised. His battle cry echoed across the desert as he closed the distance between them.
Aristi barely glanced at him. Instead, her head turned sharply to the side, tracking something invisible to everyone else.
Dave had been moving during Alpha's charge, trying to slip past her toward the white glow of the Horizon Canvas behind her position.
Aristi's hand shot out with blinding speed. Her fingers wrapped around Dave's throat, and for the first time since entering this world, he felt solid pressure against his ghostly form. She could touch him. She could hold him.
Dave struggled against her grip, his hands trying to pry her fingers loose.
Aristi lifted him higher, studying his face with cold amusement.
— Did I guess your plan correctly? she asked, her voice carrying mock curiosity. You wanted Alpha to divert my attention while you gained access to the Horizon Canvas. Use its power to turn the tables against me. How predictable.
Alpha skidded to a halt, his charge now pointless. He raised his sword, but hesitated. If he attacked, Aristi might kill Dave instantly.
Aristi's grip tightened around Dave's throat.
She turned toward the white glow of the Horizon Canvas, Dave still suspended from her grasp. Her eyes reflected the infinite light at the edge of reality.
— You wanted so desperately to reach the Canvas, she said, her voice soft but carrying absolute certainty. Allow me to assist you in achieving your goal.
Dave's eyes widened with sudden understanding. The horror of what she intended crashed over him.
She was not just going to kill him. She was going to throw him into the Horizon Canvas and follow him in. The enhancement process. Multiple beings merging together, their essences combining and fusing.
But Dave was different from any demon or human. He was a singularity in this world. The creator. Someone who existed outside the normal rules of reality.
If Aristi integrated his essence with her own through the Canvas, she would not just gain his abilities. She would absorb the fundamental nature of what he was.
She would become a creating god.
Dave struggled harder against her grip, his translucent hands clawing at her fingers.
— No! Wait! he shouted. You don't understand what will happen!
Aristi's smile never wavered.
— I understand perfectly. And I have waited long enough.
She began to float toward the white horizon, carrying Dave with her.
The memories rushed through Dave's mind. The first Demon Lord's failed peace mission. The ambush. The desperate sacrifice. The endless cycles of death and rebirth. All of it traced back to him. His carelessness. His incomplete world. His selfish need to escape his own reality by creating another one.
He had never thought about the consequences. Never considered that his creations would become real people who would suffer because of what he left unfinished.
Aion Moraisa had tried so hard to bring peace, and failed because Dave had coded hatred into the very foundation of existence. Aristi had lost everything she loved because Dave was focusing on the wrong things while developing his game.
Even Alpha had wandered alone for who knows how long, questioning his existence, wondering what he was, all because Dave had never bothered to finish character customization.
Dave's hands stopped clawing at Aristi's fingers. His struggling ceased.
Maybe she was right. Maybe she could fix his mistakes. She understood this world better than he ever had. She cared about it in ways he never could.
He had only ever created this world to fill the void in his heart. To escape his loneliness. It had always been about him.
Aristi continued floating toward the white light, and Dave let her carry him forward without resistance.
Alpha saw his friend giving up. He broke into a run, his legs pumping as he tried to close the distance. Every step felt heavier than the last. Kuria's enhancements were fading from his system, and exhaustion crashed over him like a physical weight.
Behind him, the rest of the party watched helplessly. Kuria leaned on her staff. Bolg still struggled against the status effects. Suzaku remained on her knees.
Dave's form began to shimmer. His translucent body became more solid, more visible. For the first time, everyone could see him clearly as Aristi carried him toward the edge of the world.
Tears rolled down Dave's cheeks. His expression carried complete resignation.
Suzaku's hands clenched into fists. She pushed herself up slightly, her voice cutting across the desert.
— Do not give up!
Dave's head turned slightly toward the sound.
— Your dreams are yours to fulfill! Suzaku shouted, her voice raw but powerful. You did nothing wrong! Everyone is responsible for themselves!
She struggled to stay upright, her body shaking from exhaustion.
— If you want to make things right, then you need to truly want it! You need to put in the effort to create the changes you wish to see! Life was never easy for any of us! But if I started shifting the responsibility of my own life onto someone else, then it would no longer be my life!
Her sunset-colored eyes blazed with intensity.
— You can move forward! You can make things right! Because you are not alone anymore! We are here! We will help you reach the right decision for you!
Alpha continued running, his sword forgotten in his hand.
— Dave! Suzaku's voice cracked. Do not give up!
The words reached him just before Aristi crossed the boundary between sand and white void.
Something shifted in Dave's chest. His hands, which had been limp at his sides, suddenly shot up and gripped Aristi's wrist. His legs kicked against the air. His translucent form blazed brighter as he struggled against her hold.
His mind still filled with shame. Regret still weighed on him like chains.
But hope burned in his heart.
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