Nyau’s mind was a fog.
A stinging pain radiated through her entire body. Perhaps because the agony was so intense, she eventually lost all sensation in her limbs. Her vision blurred, leaving her unable to focus on anything in front of her.
Still, I have to fight...
The thought hounded Nyau like a curse. If she gave up now, countless people would die. Besides, she was the one at fault. If only she had been able to protect Hero Eligion back then, none of this would have happened.
She had a duty to see this through. Steeling her resolve, Nyau tried to force herself up. Her legs refused to bend, ignoring her commands entirely. Still, she gripped her rod, determined to use it as a crutch. If she could just stand, she could surely keep fighting. She had to believe that.
"Die."
A voice reached her ears.
Demon King Zoga was standing right before her eyes. Nyau was so exhausted that she hadn't even sensed him until he was inches away.
Ah, I see. This is where I die.
She no longer had the strength to resist. Her death was an inevitability.
In an instant, her life flashed before her eyes like a revolving lantern. She saw her parents; the Forest of Elves where she had spent her childhood; the school where she had studied magic; the various dungeons she had cleared as an adventurer; and the time she had been invited by Hero Eligion to join the party for the Demon King Subjugation.
But more than any of those memories, Kiska’s face stood out with vivid clarity.
Looking back, the time Nyau had spent with Kiska felt like a mere heartbeat in the span of her life. Yet, if Kiska hadn't been there, Nyau’s heart would have broken long ago. She wouldn't have been able to keep fighting this long.
The only reason she had managed to stand was because of him.
Kiska-san, thank you.
She offered a silent prayer of gratitude in her heart. Since meeting Kiska, Nyau had discovered so many things to love. If she had never known that emotion, her life would have been a far grayer place. Because she had met him, she could die feeling happy.
But, if she could be selfish for just a moment, she wanted to see him one last time.
"I made it in time..."
The voice was unmistakable.
To Nyau, it felt like a miracle. He was a person who wasn't supposed to be here. She had gone out of her way to make him withdraw from the front lines because she wanted him to live.
And yet, he had returned to the battlefield—to the very feet of the Demon King.
"Wh...y...?" she croaked.
"Because I want to be by the side of the person I love," Kiska stated clearly.
In that moment, Nyau realized it once more. She loved this man beyond all hope.
Thank god...
Truly, thank god.
Nyau was still alive. Her body was a total wreck, battered so badly that she could have slipped away at any moment, but the fact that she was still breathing was a blessing.
"Who are you?" Demon King Zoga asked, looming over me.
Even though we had crossed paths several times by now, he looked at me as if we were strangers. Apparently, someone like me hadn't even registered in his mind.
"I’m Kiska. I’d appreciate it if you at least remembered my name."
"Is that so? My apologies, then. But I have a policy against memorizing the names of small fry."
"Fair enough," I replied with a bitter smile.
My head had been so full of thoughts about Nyau that I’d jumped in front of the Demon King without a second thought, but did I actually have the power to trade blows with this monster?
『Master, a word of advice?』
"What is it, Puppeteer?"
『I suggest giving up. You can't beat him.』
"...Yeah, I figured."
I’d suspected as much, but hearing Puppeteer confirm it made the reality sink in.
"Nyau, can I ask one favor of you?"
"Yes... what is it?"
I leaned in and asked Nyau to use a specific spell.
"I understand," she whispered. Nyau nodded, gripped her rod, and began her chant. "Water Magic, Third Tier: Thick Fog Diffusion: Niebla!"
In an instant, a dense, white fog erupted from Nyau, swallowing the area.
"Playing more annoying tricks! Damn you!"
Zoga must have realized we were trying to slip away again. He clicked his tongue and charged. There was a slight delay before the fog completely obscured everything, meaning I had to withstand his opening move.
I intercepted Demon King Zoga’s fist with the Parasitic Sword: Puppeteer. The impact was horrifyingly heavy; it felt as if my entire frame would be crushed into the dirt. I didn't try to stop the blow—I focused everything I had on parrying the momentum and letting it slide off.
I managed to redirect the force just enough. Without waiting, I scooped Nyau up and disappeared into the mist.
With the walls breached, the Demon King Army was already flooding into the city. Furthermore, while Nyau was busy with Zoga, the dragons had been left unchecked, allowing them to ravage Larichmond from above.
The capital had already fallen. That was a fact that no amount of resistance could change now. The only thing I could do was carry Nyau and run.
"Damn it all!"
Demon King Zoga roared in frustration. He searched through the thinning mist, but Kiska and Nyau were long gone.
He didn't care about the man, but letting Nyau escape would be a nuisance. Still, with the state she was in, she couldn't have gone far.
"An order! Gather every dragon and demon who isn't occupied. Find that elf mage who escaped!"
He still had a massive force at his disposal. Finding them was only a matter of time.
"We should be safe enough here for a moment..."
Having successfully fled into the forest, I finally sat down. I had pushed my vitality to its absolute limit.
"Hey, Nyau. Are you okay...?"
I was far more worried about her than myself. I laid her gently on the grass. She was covered in wounds so severe it felt like a miracle her heart was still beating.
"Kiska-san... Nyau... might be done for..." she whispered, her voice dangerously thin.
"No, don't say that. If we use healing magic, you can still—"
"Nyau has... already used it."
My face stiffened. She was so battered that I couldn't even see the traces of the magic.
"With injuries this deep, it’s hard to heal them with Nyau's magic. If she had a little more mana left, she might have managed... but current Nyau has almost nothing left."
"Wait... when I asked you to use Niebla back there... did that drain the last of it?" I asked, my heart sinking. I wondered if I had accidentally killed her by asking for that fog.
"No, that’s not it. Niebla doesn't use much mana. Whether Nyau used that magic or not... this was always going to be the end."
Nyau gave me a faint, fragile smile. I couldn't understand how she could find the strength to smile at a time like this.
"Most likely, Demon King Zoga will send his subordinates to find us immediately."
"Don't be ridiculous," I tried to say, but the words died in my throat. From the distance, the roar of a dragon echoed. They were already scouring the forest for us.
"Nyau can no longer fight. She can't even walk... she’s just a burden now. So please, Kiska-san... leave Nyau behind and escape. The Demon King only wants Nyau. He might let you go."
"No..."
The idea of leaving her was impossible.
"No, no, no! I’m not leaving you behind, Nyau!"
As I shouted, tears began to hit the forest floor, one by one.
"Please... don't be selfish," Nyau said, her expression pained.
"I don't care! I want to stay with you!"
"Those words... are more than enough."
She reached out a trembling hand toward my cheek. I grabbed it and held it tight. Her skin was deathly cold. The temperature of her hand felt like a countdown to the end, and the tears came even faster.
"Um... may I say something... a bit strange?"
I nodded, listening intently.
"Is it possible... that you possess a way to overturn this situation, Kiska-san?"
I knew immediately she was talking about my Skill: Save & Reset.
"Why would you... think that?"
"It’s just a hunch. But I always suspected... that Kiska-san was hiding something."
I see. She had seen right through me.
"I have the power of a Hero," I admitted. "With it, I can make it so none of this ever happened."
"By everything... do you mean even the death of Hero Eligion?"
"I can't say for certain, but... probably."
Nyau pressed her lips together, her brow furrowing as she processed the revelation.
"You don't believe me?"
"No, it’s not that. It’s just... it was more than Nyau imagined. She’s quite surprised."
"But if I do it... the relationship we've built will be gone, too."
That was what I hated most. I had finally reached her, finally built something real with her, and the thought of losing every memory of it was agonizing.
"Kiska-san... I love you."
My heart skipped a beat at the sudden confession. I had heard those words before, but they never failed to make me flush.
"I love you too, Nyau."
She looked up at me, her eyes clouded but full of affection. "Then... please kiss me."
"Yeah."
Nyau was too weak to even lift her head. I slid my hand behind her neck, gently lifting her face toward mine, and pressed my lips against hers. Her lips were small and soft.
"One more time," she whispered as I pulled away.
I silently obeyed, kissing her again.
"One more time."
I kissed her a third time.
"One more time."
One more time, one more time—she asked again and again, and I responded to every single request. After the final kiss, she looked at me with a serene smile.
"One more time... no, no matter how many times it takes, Nyau swears she will fall in love with Kiska-san again."
My chest tightened until it was hard to breathe. I didn't know how many times I would have to loop through time. It could be once, or it could be a thousand. But she had promised to find me every single time.
"Yeah, and I—"
Before I could finish, the tension left her body all at once. Her hand went limp in mine.
"Hey... Nyau?"
I shook her gently, but she didn't respond. She looked as though she had simply fallen into a peaceful sleep.
"No... no, no, no, no...!"
I shook her harder, over and over, pleading for any sign of life. I didn't want to admit it. I checked her pulse, her breathing, desperate to prove myself wrong. But the truth remained.
Nyau was no longer breathing.
I don't know how long I sat there wailing. I held her body close, unable to move from that spot.
"So, this is where you were hiding."
I turned toward the voice. Demon King Zoga stood there, flanked by a swarm of demons and dragons. We were completely surrounded. There was nowhere left to run.
None of it mattered anymore. If he was going to kill me, he could get on with it.
"Hey. Hand over the woman," Zoga said, reaching out a hand toward her.
No.
I wouldn't let him touch her. I slapped his hand away with everything I had left.
"Tch. Fine. I was going to kill you anyway."
Zoga gripped a sword—not the greatsword from before, but a different blade. Without any hesitation or mercy, he swung it down.
My vision turned a brilliant, violent red. The spray of blood was everywhere.
It was all mine.