I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game

Chapter 487

The three sisters grew up looking out for each other.

Although Stheno and Euryale never blamed Medusa, Medusa always felt guilty towards her two sisters.

Because she was born cursed, and because of that, her sisters had to live unhappy lives.

Deep down, she constantly worried if her sisters harbored resentment towards her.

Thus, she looked up at the stars and made a wish.

Clasping her hands together, she fervently recited her unspeakable wish to the stars.

On a day like any other, as she was making her wish,

- Are you longing for something, child?

That being appeared.

It was a night when her two sisters, having returned from fishing, had fallen asleep early from exhaustion.

Medusa, too, had secretly left the house that day, sitting by the sea, gazing at the Milky Way, making her wish.

That's when the being descended.

The one who came down on the starlight was someone in a black robe. The voice was androgynous, resembling both a newborn baby and a dying old person.

- I've heard your prayers and have come to you. I think I can help you.

It was Medusa's first time talking to someone other than her sisters. Hesitantly, she cautiously asked.

- Who are you?

- I am a messenger of those stars. Since you always look at us, I came to hear your story.

A black shadow inside the robe smiled slightly.

- Do you have a wish? Tell me. I can help you.

Medusa, staring blankly at him, blurted out as if enchanted.

- I want to look like my sisters.

- The same appearance?

- Yes. I hate getting scornful looks because I'm different from my sisters. I hate seeing them suffer because of my cursed appearance... I want to look just like them.

The robed being readily nodded.

- Alright, I'll grant your wish.

- What?

- It's not difficult, watch!

Clap! Clap! Clap!

The robed being clapped three times loudly and pointed to the cabin not far away where the three sisters lived.

- Go home and sleep well. By tomorrow morning, everything will be as you wish.

Medusa, getting up awkwardly, bowed to the being and ran towards her home.

She couldn't fully trust the shadow, but a glimmer of hope was sprouting in the heart of the young monster.

Maybe, just maybe.

By tomorrow, she might be living as a beautiful human, not as a hideous monster... She harbored such hope.

But the next morning, what Medusa found upon waking up was,

- Kyaaaaaaaaak!

Her two sisters had turned into monsters just like her.

Stheno and Euryale, their limbs twisted grotesquely, their hair transformed into snakes.

Their small lips, which used to sing lullabies, were torn long with fangs, and their affectionate eyes now held a petrifying power and became blurry.

Medusa, dumbfounded, gazed at this scene, hearing laughter.

- Ahahahaha! Ahahahaha!

The robed being had opened the cabin door and entered.

- Congratulations, Medusa! I sincerely congratulate you!

The being, who had removed its robe hood, was made entirely of shadows.

The pitch-black shadow, with a mouth like a white void, was laughing heartily.

- Your wish has been fulfilled!

- No... this isn't what I wished for.

Medusa ran to the being, grabbed its robe, and pleaded.

- Please return my sisters to their original forms! This isn't... this isn't what I wanted!

- What are you talking about, Medusa. This was your true wish.

The existence did not stop laughing.

- Every night, looking up at the sky, praying, the darkness in your heart, this is it!

- No...

- Jealousy and anger towards your beautiful sisters, unlike you... Wishing that all other existences become hideous monsters like you. This is your real wish, isn't it?

- No! I never wished for this! I...

Medusa glared at the existence with trembling eyes.

- What the hell are you?

The existence shrugged its shoulders,

- A devil that grants wishes, the owner of the Monkey's Hand, a fallen constellation... Well, I have many nicknames.

It pulled up the corners of its white lips and laughed wickedly.

- ...Many call me the Demon King.

- Demon, King...?

- Isn't who I am less important right now?

The Demon King gestured towards Medusa's two sisters.

The transformation process was almost complete.

Stheno and Euryale, who had lost all human form, desperately moved their lips, looking at Medusa.

- Medusa, our dear, there's something...

Trying to convey something to their sister, with a breathless throat.

- There's something, I must tell you...

- ...Grrr.

Spitting out a monstrous voice as if their blood was boiling.

Soon, the light vanished from the two sisters' eyes, becoming cloudy and dull.

What remained there were... two other monsters, resembling Medusa.

- Ah...

In front of her two sisters, now cursed and turned into monsters just like her.

- Aaaaaaah!

Medusa screamed.

There was nothing else she could do but scream.josei

***

"Grrk, Grrrgh!"

Stheno, blinded, was still staggering, unable to control her body due to the severe damage.

Kiing! Kiiiiing...!

The aura of petrification was erupting uncontrollably from her gouged-out eyes, indiscriminately petrifying everything around. However, the intensity was gradually weakening.

In front of Stheno stood five men.

Lucas, Torkel, Zenis, the Black Magician, and the Blind Swordsman.

Having naturally formed a party, they prepared for battle.

"The petrification evil eye is sealed."

Lucas glared at Stheno. The petrification evil eye had completely lost its power and could no longer turn the surroundings into stone.

Lucas casually threw away the now unnecessary mirror shield and gripped his sword with both hands.

"There's no need to be wary of petrification anymore. But, stay alert and-"

Before Lucas could finish,

Stheno slowly took her hands off her eyes, looked around with a vacant face, and then,

"That. Way."

Fixed her gaze precisely to the north.

The direction in which Lilly had fled with the golem.

"Dear... Aaaaaaah!"

Whoosh-!

Stheno lunged forward, pushing off the ground.

Despite being blind, her charge was now much more fierce than before. The five heroes gritted their teeth, blocking her path.

"Huup-!"

Torkel was the first to stand in Stheno's way, shield raised.

Crack-!

But Stheno powerfully pushed Torkel's shield aside with her shoulder, breaking through his block.

Torkel tried to withstand it, but the innate strength was just too different.

"Aaagh...!"

Eventually, Torkel was sent flying with his shield.

However, this weakened the momentum of the charge. Next, the Black Magician and the Blind Swordsman attacked Stheno from both sides.

"Can't you see anything, you blind bastard-!"

"That's not for me, right? That's for her, right?!"

Black magic and a true strike accurately hit Stheno.

However, Stheno wrapped her arms around herself and absorbed the attacks.

Whether her right arm burned in black flames or her left arm was cut off by the sword, she did not care and continued her charge.

"Uh..."

"Oh no."

The two standing in the path of the charge desperately tried to roll to the sides to avoid it, but,

"Kyaaaah!"

Stheno released a sonic wave, blowing them away.

The Black Magician and the Blind Swordsman coughed up blood as they rolled on the ground.

Then, Zenis, clad in holy power armor, and Lucas, drawing his sword of light, blocked Stheno's path.

Hwaaahak!

Lucas was in the state of activating his ultimate skill, [Divine Descent]. He intended to decisively end Stheno here.

However, Stheno quickly grabbed Zenis, who rushed in first, and thrust him in front of Lucas, who was attacking consecutively.

"Kuk?!"

Lucas had to urgently retract his sword, exposing a gap.

Stheno swung Zenis and hurled him at Lucas. The two were swept away by the force of Stheno's strength and their own weight.

"Grrk, Kyaaaah..."

Thinking she had eliminated all the obstacles, Stheno was about to leap again when,

"Don't be ridiculous, monster."

Again, Torkel.

Torkel, who was the first to fall, stood again in front of Stheno.

"We'll entertain you for so long that you will be sick of it."

Behind Torkel, the other four heroes staggeringly stood up again.

All had bloody noses, split lips, and bruised faces, but they ultimately blocked the monster.

Then,

"Don't. Interfere."

Stheno, with her torn wide mouth, spoke a sentence for the first time.

"To my dear. I have... something to say..."

Rock armor sprouted all over Stheno's body, and then she faced forward, releasing a dreadful sonic wave.

"I have something to sayyyaaaah!"

Facing the monster, the five heroes each gripped their weapons and charged again. Lucas roared like a lion.

"You shall not passss!"

***

Crossroad. North.

The golem was lumbering along, carrying two people on a road.

Due to the golem's nature of being large and cumbersome, strictly speaking, its speed was slower than that of a normal person running.

However, it was the best means of transportation to move Lilly, who could not use her legs.

"I originally planned to just run away!"

The golemancer had a dazed expression.

She gazed at the face of Cid, who seemed adorably asleep. Cid was soundly sleeping in Lilly's arms.

"But damn it, what's with this human compassion... Seeing a monster going after a newborn, how could I just run away. Eventually, I joined in."

Lilly bowed her head deeply.

"Thank you so much."

"Ah, no need for thanks. It was the right thing to do as a human. Now, let's safely get out of here, raise the kid well, and..."

The golemancer stopped speaking and jerked around to look behind.

"...What?"

Thud...! Thud...! Thud...!

The north gate of the castle they had exited was shaking violently and then,

Crash-!

It was effortlessly smashed.

And what burst out was Stheno.

The monster looked ragged from the intense battle.

It had no legs, its side was torn off, its chest was deeply gouged, and its neck was half severed, flapping loosely.

And with that battered body, it bizarrely balanced itself and charged forward again.

"This is crazy! Damn, damn, damn...!"

In a panic, the golemancer tried to speed up the golem but realized there was no way to do so. So,

"Just keep going straight!"

She shouted, leaping off the golem.

The golem continued down the road, while the golemancer gritted her teeth and stood in the path of the onrushing Stheno. A panicked Lilly shouted.

"Don't do this, get away! That monster is after me... after my child! If you avoid it, you'll be fine-"

"Ever heard of the term 'sunk cost fallacy'?"

Stheno rapidly closed the distance. The golemancer, trembling, began alchemizing a new golem from the surrounding materials.

"In gambling, when you lose money, you pour more in because you can't bear to lose what you've already lost, even though you know you can't get it back. That's how I ended up ruined."

"..."

"What can I do? I've already put everything into this game."

Koogooogoo!

A new golem, made of dirt, stood up, blocking the path. The golemancer shouted.

"If I'm already ruined, might as well go all in with what's left!"

Kwagwang-!

Stheno pounced, and the newly created golem shattered into pieces.

The golemancer flew through the air like a puppet with its strings cut, crashing into a ditch on the side.

Lilly couldn't even scream. Suddenly, Stheno, having leaped forward, was right in front of her.

Bang! Wooddeuk!

With a light kick, the golem carrying Lilly and Cid lost its lower half and collapsed.

Lilly rolled on the ground, holding Cid tightly. Startled by the sudden event, Cid burst into tears.

Waaaah...! Waaaah...!

"..."

Stheno, standing numbly in front, looked down at Cid.

There should be nothing visible in those destroyed eyes. Yet, as if she still had sight, Stheno was looking exactly in the direction where Cid was crying.

Was it an illusion?

Lilly thought that Stheno's empty gaze... somehow seemed sad.

"...Little one."

A human voice leaked from the monster's mouth.

"There's always been something, I wanted, to say."

Lilly, about to unleash her fire magic, stopped herself unknowingly.

Stheno, with unclear articulation but desperately, said,

"Your birth is not... a curse."

"..."

"We don't... resent you."

Lilly didn't know to whom this monster was speaking.

"By coming to us... we were happy. You were... a great blessing... to us."

But instinctively, she understood.

"Dear."

This monster was... a mother who had raised a child.

"Thank you for being born."

A mother who had been persecuted and pointed at, just for bringing a child into this world.

"This world is cruel... but also filled with... beautiful things..."

Stheno's hand slowly stretched out. The metallic hand of the monster had no fingers left.

Lilly did not stop it.

"May your life be filled with joy... just as much joy as you brought us..."

Tock.

The tip of Stheno's hand touched Cid's forehead.

Cid was no longer crying. He opened his large green eyes, clearly looking up at the face of the monster reaching out to him.

The monster was smiling.

As if, in the distant past.

Relieved, having conveyed all the words she wanted to say to her sister, whom she had raised like a daughter...

"I bless you."

And then,

Ta-at-!

"Get down!"

Lucas, bloodied, charged from behind Stheno and thrust the blade of light.

Lilly closed her eyes, holding Cid tightly.

Stheno did not evade.

Denggeng...!

The cleanly severed head of the monster flew into the sky.

--TL Notes--

Hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you want to support me or give me feedback, you can do it at patreon.com/MattReading