I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 518

《I’m not sure what you mean by ‘really’ becoming allies.》

Black Night replied calmly.

《I came here myself to form an alliance with you. Are you doubting my sincerity now?》

“I know it’s a lie. Both the Demon King and I are just stepping stones for you.”

Ash stated bluntly, causing Black Night’s eyes to narrow.

“You’re planning to use everyone for your own purposes and then discard them, right?”

《……Let’s say what you’re saying is true. Then shouldn’t you not tell me that?》

Black Night scoffed.

《If my true intention is to use you and then discard you, shouldn’t you quietly come up with a countermeasure? Why are you telling me this?》

“I told you. I want to truly be allies with you.”

The second song ended, and the third began.

The human commander and the undead legion commander continued to dance without a break.

“Whatever your hidden intentions are, you’ve helped us so far. We communicate well. And we’re even dancing like this.”

《…….》

“I don’t want to be your enemy. I want us to be on the same side until the end.”

Black Night couldn’t stop her cynical laughter.

However, Ash’s gaze was firm and unwavering. Black Night was honestly a little taken aback.

‘What is this? This atmosphere is like a proposal.’

Is this human really using a honey trap [a deceptive tactic using charm or seduction]?

‘But… I don’t feel bad.’

In this hellish world, how many people have approached her so honestly?

To her, a fake, copy-pasted existence, someone has approached with such sincerity…

So, Black Night decided to give a little lip service.

《Okay, I promise.》

Black Night, twirling and stepping closer to Ash, whispered secretly.

《I will truly be on your side.》

“Really?”

《Until the moment we defeat the Demon King and save the world from the brink of destruction… I will never betray you. Is that enough?》

There was no reason not to make such a promise. It was also somewhat sincere.

‘Until the moment we defeat the Demon King and save the world from the brink of destruction,’ she would be on his side.

Black Night winked with her red-painted eyes. A look of relief spread across Ash’s face.

“Good, Black Night.”

The third song ended.

The two leaders, having finished three dances, bowed to each other. Ash, slowly straightening up, gestured towards the inside of the banquet hall.

“Then, follow me.”

Black Night tilted her head.

《Where are we going?》

“To perform the blood oath ceremony.”

Ash’s guards hurriedly tried to follow, but Ash waved them away.

“Don’t follow. It’s something Black Night and I need to handle alone.”

《You too.》

Black Night gestured to the Jiangshi [a type of Chinese hopping vampire] following her.

《Stay here. It’s something the commander here and I need to do.》

A young female waiter who had been waiting guided them inside. The female waiter wore a red scarf around her neck.

“This way, please.”

At the innermost part of the banquet hall, a small private room was prepared.

On the table in the private room, there were two empty plates, two empty glasses, a wide-mouthed bottle of clear liquor, and two daggers.

The two sat facing each other at the table. Black Night tilted her head, examining the tableware.

《This blood oath ceremony, is it that old tradition?》

“Yes. The ceremony that the kings of this world perform when they form a blood oath.”

Ash rolled up his left sleeve and picked up a dagger from the table.

“We exchange and consume each other’s blood and flesh. This is how the blood oath is sealed.”

《You’re bringing out this old-fashioned ceremony… you’re serious?》

“I’ll go first.”

Ash boldly cut his left arm with the dagger.

A small piece of flesh fell onto the plate, and blood streamed down his left arm. Ash didn’t even flinch as he dripped the blood into the liquor bottle.

“I’ll stop the bleeding.”

The waiter took off her scarf and tied it around Ash’s arm to stop the bleeding. Ash nonchalantly gestured to Black Night.

“Your turn.”

《…….》

Black Night was wary of whether there was any magical principle involved in this ceremony, but she sensed nothing.

“Are you afraid of the knife? You’re not thinking of backing out now, are you?”

《…Of course not.》

Black Night, holding the dagger in front of her, smiled wryly at Ash before swinging the dagger with her magic.

A small piece of hard Jiangshi flesh fell onto the plate. Black Night dripped the cold, black blood flowing from her arm into the liquor bottle as well.

《I didn’t expect it, but you’re quite wild?》

“It might be a bit barbaric, but it’s good to stick to tradition in these matters.”

Black Night stopped the bleeding herself. The two, having finished their preparations, sat facing each other at the table.

The waiter picked up the liquor bottle, shook it to mix the contents, and then poured it into their glasses.

“First, please drink the liquor mixed with each other’s blood.”

Ash drank it without hesitation. Black Night wondered if there was any special magic on the liquor, but she sensed nothing.

‘It’s just a pure ceremony…?’

After finishing the drink, the waiter brought a long pair of tweezers and picked up the pieces of flesh from the plates.

“Next, please swallow each other’s flesh.”

《I’d gladly swallow the flesh of a young living person, but are you okay, Ash? It’ll taste like a corpse.》

The waiter first picked up Black Night’s flesh and brought it to Ash’s mouth. Ash smiled and opened his mouth.

“It’s the flesh of an ally, I should gladly swallow it.”

And he really did, swallowing it without even flinching.

Next, the waiter picked up Ash’s flesh with the tweezers and brought it to Black Night.

Black Night was wary until the end, but she sensed nothing from the flesh, the tweezers, or the waiter.

*Gulp.*

Black Night swallowed Ash’s flesh.

Ash, watching the enemy general swallow his flesh, declared.

“Having shared each other’s flesh and blood, we are now blood allies.”

《…….》

“We are as one body, so we will fight together for each other. Also, betraying each other is a violation of the natural order, so the betrayer will be punished by any means necessary.”

A mischievous smile formed on Ash’s lips.

“So, please take care of me from now on, Black Night.”

Ash extended his hand, and Black Night slowly extended her hand to grasp it.

《…….》

Was it because of this cumbersome and bloody process?

The other person really felt like a special existence.

“Now, let’s get rid of this bloody, tasteless liquor and snacks! Bring out the real delicious liquor and snacks! Let’s drink until we’re completely wasted today!”

Ash, sitting next to Black Night, casually put his arm around her shoulder.

“Let’s set this party on fire, ally!”

《…….》

Black Night, staring blankly at Ash, put her arm around Ash’s shoulder in return.

《Okay! I’ll keep you company until the end of this world!》

***

The party ended, and the alliance was sealed.

Black Night and the Lich Legion began fighting together as allies of Crossroads.

They officially declared rebellion against the Demon King and crushed other monsters together on the monster front.

The third year of the battle on the monster front was terrible and harsh. But because they had gained a powerful ally in Black Night, Crossroads was able to continue the difficult fight.

At first, everyone was wary of Black Night, a monster, but when she fought alongside them, risking her life, everyone soon recognized her as a comrade.

Black Night became close with the people of Crossroads. They fought fiercely as members of the front lines, trusting each other with their lives.

…….

The battle continued endlessly, and death piled up like hills. Countless sorrows and tears also flowed like rivers.

Crossroads managed to endure the third year of battle.

They defeated the endless waves of nightmare legions.

They defeated the demon guard corps, and exterminated the black dragon groups…

Finally, the last desperate force faced the Demon King in the deepest part of the Lake Kingdom.

And Black Night was also proudly among the members of this force, the elite of the human world.

*Crack-!*

A giant eye floated in the air, then blinked.

Black Night’s instant death skill – direct intervention through the gaze of an outer god – was able to inflict damage even on the Demon King.

《Haha, this is something. I thought I was raising a cat.》

The Demon King, critically injured by Black Night’s attack, laughed while spitting blood.

《I guessed that you would become a tiger someday, but I never thought you would bite my neck…》

*Crack-!*

One more hit.

After completely killing the Demon King, Black Night succeeded in seizing the Demon King’s throne as originally planned.

As Black Night, who had usurped the divinity from the Demon King’s corpse and devoured it greedily,

The outer god who had lent her power all this time directly conveyed his will.

『Congratulations. You have succeeded in the rebellion, ant.』

《…….》

『Now you are the new Demon King.』

Darkness from another world sprouted all over Black Night’s body. As her entire body was covered in black shadows, the outer god’s cry continued to echo in her mind.

『Now, then… show me the true destruction of this world!』

《…….》

『Your predecessor, the Demon King, I don’t know what his purpose was, but he repeated this tedious world countless times! Do you know how boring it was to watch!』

The outer god was repeating the words he had been saying tediously all along.

『A guy who should be giving us, the audience, pleasure! He dared to use the destruction game as a means for his own purpose!』

《…….》

『Now, destroy it in one go! Pour water, burn it with fire! Declare the permanent end of this world!』

The outer god roared.

『Then your ascension will be complete! Let’s ascend to the heavens together and observe the destruction of all worlds together!』

Black Night’s entire body was completely covered in shadows, and in the place where her face had been, a white blank drew a long arc instead of a mouth.

“Black Night…”

Ash, looking up at the new Demon King floating in the air, shuddered.

“We weren’t comrades? Was this your plan from the beginning?”

《I’m sorry, Ash.》

Black Night smiled bitterly, looking down at her comrade with whom she had once shared sincerity.

《The blood oath ceremony we shared, the friendship we built… in the end, it was all just a matter of the lower realm.》

No matter how deep the relationships ants form among themselves, in the end, it’s just a matter among ants.

Now, looking down from above, everything was so small and insignificant.

Black Night flicked her hand.

*Kwaaaaaa!*

From the very bottom of the black lake, countless monsters were newly created and surged up. And they rushed towards Ash.

The last desperate force of the human world fought desperately, but in the face of the surging waves, they eventually lost their lives one by one.

*Crack*….

Finally, the flag of Crossroads was broken, and Ash himself finally knelt down.

*Thud!* *Squish*…!

Several dozen monsters that had rushed in used their teeth to pierce Ash’s entire body. Blood splattered everywhere.

Black Night did not turn away from the death of the first friend she had made after being resurrected as a Lich.

And.

“…It’s a pity, Black Night.”

Ash muttered slowly, his voice about to fade away.

“You failed the final test.”

《…What?》

“I really thought that maybe, just maybe, we could become comrades…”

Ash slowly raised his head.

His bloodied face was filled with an unprecedentedly cold light.

“So, it ends like this.”

*Thump.*

Suddenly, the world stopped.

Not only the monsters that Black Night had newly summoned, but also Black Night’s entire body, and even the outer god’s eye floating in the sky…

The entire world was motionless. As if someone had commanded ‘Stop’.

《What…?》

“Well, then.”

Ash, who had been torn apart by the monsters, lightly shook off his body. Then, the monsters surrounding him scattered like dust.

His entire body, which had been covered in blood, was already clean.

Black Night, not understanding the situation, stared blankly at Ash.

“It’s time to wake up from the dream, traitor.”

In front of Black Night’s eyes, Ash snapped his fingers.

*Snap!*

***

《…Huh?!》

Black Night woke up with a start.

Barely clearing her blurry vision, she realized that this was… the private room in the banquet hall where the blood oath ceremony had taken place.

Black Night realized that her entire body was immobile.

And that right in front of her, Ash was sitting with one leg crossed, with cold eyes.

“You said you would become blood allies with me.”

Ash poured the whiskey in his hand into a glass. The glass with ice clinked as it filled.

“But you betrayed me without hesitation. I’m very disappointed, Black Night.”

《This, what is this… what I just saw…》

“It’s an illusion.”

《An illusion…?》

Black Night stammered in a trembling voice.

《What I saw, that one year… was it all an illusion?》

“Yes. An illusion I showed you to confirm your true intentions.”

Ash shrugged.

“Well, I only directed the ‘direction’ of the illusion, and you created the detailed situation and results. You had a well-planned scheme? Thanks to that, I was able to understand your inner thoughts well. And also, various information that I couldn’t know before.”

Black Night, dumbfounded and stunned, shouted as if in a fit of rage.

《That’s impossible! I am the Great Magic Emperor! There’s no way I, of all people, would be so completely deceived by a mortal’s illusion…!》

“That’s why it wasn’t easy to prepare.”

Ash turned to look at the five heroes standing behind him.

Orange, Lime, Cobalt, Violet, and Scarlet.

They were the five key members who carried out this operation. Ash smiled mischievously as he looked at their faces.

“But pulling off such a difficult scheme and ripping off a sucker is what a con artist does.”