Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody

This is Satou. I feel that prophecies tend to increase their accuracy by being vague. Since their meaning changes depending on the interpreter’s perspective, it feels like you can always give some answer after the fact.

Now then, a prophecy in a world where gods exist—

◇

Leaving behind a trail of blue afterglow, I streaked across the sky above the Royal Capital using flashstride.

—Found you.

A man in black clothing leapt from rooftop to rooftop before landing in front of a high-level scout belonging to the "light of freedom."

Crossing my arms and landing with my feet together, I couldn’t help but want to ask myself, “Who exactly am I supposed to be?”

As the scout recognized me and turned on his heel, I circled around and called out.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

At my words, Arisa retorted through Tactical Talk, “That should be ‘Where do you intend to go?’” but I wasn’t in the mood for jokes, so I ignored it.

“Hand over the items you stole from the Royal Castle’s Treasure Hall, thief.”

“■ Item Box”

The scout obediently opened his Item Box and took out a small pouch.

I thought it might be a fake, but when my radar detected the marker I had placed on the ‘chanting’ precious pearl, it reactivated, confirming it was genuine.

“Good attitude. I’ll spare you from being torn apart.”

Without a word, the scout tossed the pouch containing the ‘chanting’ precious pearl high into the air—probably trying to catch me off guard.

I fired about ten short stuns towards him, then quickly approached the pouch using flashstride.

Alright, caught it safely—

‘Return’

—Just before I could grasp the pouch, it vanished.

Below me, the scout used his shadow as a shield and sank into it, clutching the pouch in one hand.

—Damn, shadow magic.

Wait, he was supposed to have light magic and holy magic.

Then this must be an ability of an item he carries.

“Not a chance you’ll get away!”

I dove into the shapeless shadow the scout created.

With a splash-like sound almost audible, I entered the subspace formed by the shadow.

With no light, I couldn’t see anything, but AR display and radar were unaffected.

Both the scout himself and the marker attached to the ‘chanting’ precious pearl showed me his location.

When Mia was kidnapped and I dove into the shadow of the Immortal King Zen, I couldn’t do anything.

But this time was different.

I flew through the shadow space using flashstride, stole the pouch from the scout, and stored it in my own storage.

Immediately, I moved all the precious pearls from inside the pouch to a separate folder in the storage.

Safe. I could finally relax.

Now, time to escape.

Last time, I shouted with spirit and was able to get out.

Same method should work again.

“Recovery complete!”

The pitch-black space shattered, and I returned to the Royal Capital.

“Im-impossible! Who are you?! This is absurd. Interfering with space not by magic but by sheer spirit...”

—LWEEEEENN.

I heard a sound like glass shattering.

What was that noise?

“C-could it be... you’re not the hero? No way, you must be Kami—no, that’s impossible.”

The scout’s speech started slurring as red rope-like patterns appeared across his skin.

His back distorted with a sickening creak.

Apparently, he was also a habitual user of demonic enhancement potions.

I don’t know the cause exactly, but probably, like demon king transformations in reincarnators, when mental stability is lost, the demon factor inside the body activates.

I have no obligation to save him, but I don’t want to witness a splatter scene right in front of me.

If I drain his magic power, it should stop the demon transformation.

Just as I was about to activate “mana drain,” several cherry blossom-colored tentacles descended from the sky to interfere.

I immediately cast a spell, materializing the holy blade and slicing through the tentacles.

The marker I placed on the scout disappeared after being swallowed by the sakura mochi demon.

I checked the map but the scout was still alive.