Chapter 128

The Perfect Doll Ending is one of the conclusions Erica can reach.

As the embodiment of that ending, the girl rampaging in this reality stopped midway while tearing off someone’s arm.

The world is flickering.

And simultaneously, only when the world darkens, a woman in a black suit who appeared would tidy up the bodies missing both their arms and then vanish.

It was a ghostly phenomenon akin to something out of a horror game, but the current girl felt no fear at all.

Instead, different judgments repeatedly surfaced and vanished within her mind.

Only when the woman in the suit, who was gradually turning dark red with every disappearance and reappearance, finished cleaning up the scattered human garbage, did she stand still, waiting, before Erica.

Erica and, her older sister.

A girl who currently holds the strength that a heroine might possess after an ending, and the woman who must inevitably be defeated—the final boss—for the heroine to reach said ending.

Though related as family, they are destined to eventually fight, facing each other with a slight distance between them.

When the black reaper, known as the association’s enforcer, stopped disappearing, the sun overhead finally ceased its persistent flickering and completely disappeared.

For a brief moment, the city was cloaked in darkness.

If there was anything that indicated the current state of the sky, it was a solar eclipse. But if a solar eclipse involves the moon covering the sun, what should we call this prolonged obscurity?

People in this area might describe this phenomenon as such:

“It’s like a black mist has blocked our view, hence they call it the black mist phenomenon.”

“First, it seems you’re not in your right mind, so let me put you to sleep momentarily before we begin.”

Upon witnessing this absolutely unfamiliar phenomenon, Erica’s eyes revealed neither sticky resentment nor the indifference that cast aside such resentment, but rather a lifeless quality akin to that of a real doll.

Thus, the reaper standing before her already understood one thing—what this girl needed most was rest.

To prevent the situation from enduring too long, the reaper’s right hand reached toward Erica’s forehead but stopped just before touching it, red lines appearing on the halted hand.

The droplets of bl**d from the hand didn’t fall to the ground but instead floated in mid-air, staining something red, thereby revealing what had cut the reaper’s hand.

It was a thread. Silver threads that should ordinarily have no power to cut anything were installed like a spider’s web around Erica.

Though Erica’s defensive posture had been established to block the reaper’s approach, she showed no anger. When she extended her hand again, the threads snapped one by one.

Regardless of the identity of those threads, they were meaningless in front of the reaper’s touch. Seeing this, Erica’s body immediately shot up like a bird, diving straight toward the reaper’s face.

The reaper intercepted the knee aimed at her face with two fingers.

Erica’s body, influenced by gravity after soaring upward, crashed to the ground, trying to step on the reaper’s foot, but the moment never came for her to safely land.

As the reaper casually grazed her foot across the ground, Erica’s feet never touched it—rather, her back slammed down instead.

Just as [The Perfect Doll] was about to rush in again, the reaper’s shoe heel pressing on her forehead put her to rest peacefully, like a robot whose battery had drained and could no longer move.

“Are you coming out now?”

Having effortlessly dealt with the out-of-control Erica,

it was indeed worthy of a reaper from the association in this situation as Erica’s older sister turned around to face a lone woman slowly approaching.

The pungent aroma of d*ath that emanated from behind the casually dressed woman was sensed, yet both the reaper and the woman closed their eyes simultaneously.

When the woman opened her eyes, only the scene of Erica unconscious and the sun shining brightly again greeted her.

The government agents, the delinquents hired to h*rass Erica but had their arms torn off, and the supernatural interference device installed by the agent—

Despite the situation possibly unfolding in complex ways, it was concluded with Erica’s rampage and the intervention of the two women.

Whether this was truly the end or the starting point for everything would only be known later.

“Ugh, we’re going to fail the exam.”

Seeing that the test was about to start via her cell phone, the woman put it back in her pocket, gently cradled Erica in a princess hold, muttered the word “Lode,” and disappeared on the spot.

An empty street. The only clue left behind indicating that something had happened there were the deep bloodstains on the floor and walls.

“Hmm~”

From a direction different from which the women had vanished, a pink-haired girl emerged, smirking at the bl**d.

*

She’s dreaming.

In the familiar white room, a girl with her fist bruised red bandages her bloody right hand with her other hand while staring into space and mutters—”Idiot.”

Who was this directed at? The delinquents who didn’t know better and brought their friends? Or the agent who tried to exploit her and ended up dying miserably?

This laughter wasn’t directed at the victims of this incident. The word ‘little sister’ echoing behind the girl’s voice confirmed this.

The one who the white girl considers a fool is the one who has taken her body. Since they judged based on the flesh rather than the spirit—considering aspects like gender or age—it’s not entirely wrong.

If we think in terms of the age of the soul, then the current master of Erica’s body was certainly not the little sister of the girl in this white room. But judging only by the flesh, the term ‘little sister’ isn’t entirely incorrect.

“The correct path would have been to quietly and swiftly finish without anyone calling out, my little sister.”

The girl, continuing to stare at her hand without lifting her head, avoided looking at something by not gazing ahead.

Though there was no one in this room, what was she avoiding? It was evident by what stood in front of her—a full-length mirror, with the presence of ‘me,’ the listener of this story.

…Though the statement that I am her little sister was incomprehensible, since we meet in a state of souls, in terms of soul age, I should be the older brother, not her.

Unreasonable and incomprehensible. However, the reasons why she thought so flowed into my mind, allowing me to judge the strangeness of this space.

“Both the power of the ‘Perfect Doll’ and the image of a bl**d-covered witch were weaker compared to me. And that’s only natural. The power drawn from that potential originates entirely from protection.”

The girl spoke confidently about information unknown to me.

Despite revealing information unknown to me, her expressions were not filled with superiority but rather with pure joy of aiding someone close to her.

The shocking confession—that the powers of the Perfect Doll and the bl**d Witch both stemmed from protection—was perceived as anything but shocking.

“Then, what is this protection? It means that a special existence has lent me its power to protect me. Just as the power of the Perfect Doll originates from the doll maker, and the power of the bl**d Witch originates from you, my sister.”

Through her words, I learned why Erica had been frustrated watching my actions. The powers on this list, the powers this body was destined to acquire in the future, had already been decided.

Thus, had I thought a little deeper, I could’ve easily deduced what powers I could gain upon reaching that ending.

“The essence of protection is just that. However, it’s my decision what kind of power I receive in that protection. If you remember all that I have reminded you of, it will help.”

After finishing her words, the girl stopped gazing at the bandaged hand and lifted her head to look at ‘me.’ At that moment, her body seemed to crack as if it were shattering.

No, it wasn’t true.

Through the scene embedded in Erica’s eyes, I realized it wasn’t the girl who was cracking but the mirror I dwelt in.

“Our next meeting might take even longer, but if you remember and utilize what I’ve told you, you should be fine for now.”

The world that constituted my existence is breaking.

The room I knew so well is gradually fading away.

Gradually, the distance between me and Erica is widening.

“Protection can protect me, but it cannot protect others. Remember that the master of protection is fully complete and perfect only when alone.”

Erica smiled slightly and turned her back on me.

“See you later.”

[Dream Meeting – Erica managed to communicate information to you by creating cracks in the “wall” using her unique power. However, due to this, she won’t be able to relay her voice to you for a while should an emergency arise.]

“Did you wake up?”

Three voices are heard simultaneously. Under the unfamiliar ceiling, I see the face of a boy hovering over me as I alternately tense and relax my hands.

Why was I so troubled that Erica had to intervene directly and speak to me?

Of course, what she told me didn’t completely resolve my doubts—it only led to more questions.

For example, if I’m using other people’s powers through the form of ‘protection,’ she didn’t explain how they were processed into this protective form.

There were many unresolved mysteries about the original owner of this body, but they could wait for later. I needed to take the exam quickly, so I arose from what seemed to be a clinic bed.

“The exam?”

“You should be able to enter right now. Even if you hurry, you’ll lose at least twenty minutes. Is that alright with you?”

“Let’s go.”

It didn’t matter if the children were subdued by the power of the ending or whether this boy had come and saved me late. I had more pressing matters at hand, like the exam.