"Don’t make me laugh. Why, right when I’d achieved everything...?!"

The Inquisitor, now flustered, muttered while staring at the black hole forming behind her.

Why had that space appeared so suddenly? It didn’t seem like the Record Keeper had done anything.

My mind struggled to make sense of it, but my gut told me that somehow, this was my doing.

Was this... the awakening of my Super Coward Mode?

No, it couldn’t be. If it were truly an awakening, I wouldn’t feel this ambiguous. Normally, those who awakened had full control over their power.

This seemed more like a defense mechanism. Almost as if it were a trick boss designed to prevent a player from deviating too far from the game’s set storyline. But who had activated this defense?

And yet, it wasn’t as if nothing had happened. I could feel the space inside my mind—where the Foreign Entities dwelled—expanding significantly.

「As I thought.」

The Record Keeper murmured under her breath.

Wait, what? I wanted to ask her, but based on past experiences, I knew she wouldn’t explain anything further.

I had heard a voice earlier, but whose voice was it? I couldn’t tell.

For now, I needed to focus on the Inquisitor. Her panicked reaction suggested that whatever was happening could hurt her.

Of course, the Inquisitor wouldn’t just stand there.

"If I had known this would happen, I would’ve made my move sooner...!"

She looked around frantically, as if trying to escape. She must have assumed I was too injured to act right away.

But she had underestimated me, leading to her careless mistake.

"Uh, huh?! Hrrk!"

I swung my arm toward her face the moment I got up. My Meditatio-enhanced punch struck her squarely, leaving her off-balance.

Realizing she had failed to escape, the Inquisitor’s face contorted with rage.

Or was it beyond rage? Her expression turned icy, devoid of emotion.

"You seem to want to stay down for good. Allow me to grant your wish."

Something shifted in the Inquisitor’s aura. Suddenly, an overwhelming pressure bore down on me, pinning me to the ground.

The Inquisitor began to move, and I lowered my stance to counter, but she vanished in a blur before I could react.

Remaining tense, I tried to sense her presence, but by the time I pinpointed her location, she was right behind me.

"Ugh?!"

I couldn’t react in time. Her kick hit my side, sending me tumbling across the ground.

Once you lose momentum, it’s easy to lose control. As soon as I stopped rolling, she appeared again, stomping down on my back.

I couldn’t even scream. She grabbed the back of my neck, pulling me up to her eye level.

"Still sturdy, I see. But judging by your state, you’re almost done, aren’t you?"

"Nngh..."

There was still a sliver of hope. I wasn’t going to give up.

Meeting her gaze with resolute eyes, the Inquisitor sneered and began concentrating a red energy into her palm.

"This will be the end. See you in the afterlife."

I had to dodge it—no matter what. But with her grip on my neck, I couldn’t move.

Could I survive the impact? No, this would knock me out for sure.

I had finally gained an opportunity, only to face defeat again?

All those complicated thoughts vanished the moment I saw her hand move.

But then, just as the Inquisitor’s palm shot toward me, her arm swerved unexpectedly, and the blast of energy shot into the sky.

"W-What?!"

The condensed ball of pain shot upwards, missing me completely. The Inquisitor’s face twisted in confusion.

"What’s going on... Record Keeper, you too?!"

What had the Record Keeper done? I couldn’t tell, but something strange had definitely happened.

Maybe she had disrupted the Inquisitor’s aim somehow?

Either way, the Inquisitor was furious. She had wasted so much energy on that attack, and now she was noticeably weaker.

I grabbed her wrist with both hands and twisted it back. Though it was tough, I managed to bend her joint until it snapped.

"Aaaagh!"

As she screamed, I summoned the Gardener’s vines to bind her arm.

"Think you can hold me with this?"

I didn’t answer, letting the vines wrap around her body.

She tore through them with a determined look, and for a moment, I nearly lost my grip. But I held on, pulling out another set of vines.

"Stop squirming! You can’t beat me!"

I didn’t let her words deter me. I was doing everything I could.

The Inquisitor ripped through the vines again, stepping back, but I used my dragon wings to close the gap. She looked startled as I caught her arm and summoned more vines.

"What are you?!"

I could keep this up for as long as it took. Londan had plenty of noble souls who had sacrificed themselves, their seeds planted within these vines.

Realizing her escape attempts were failing, the Inquisitor scowled and hurled a red orb at me.

I felt faint but held on. I couldn’t let go now.

Once this was over, Londan would be at peace again.

"Enough! I said, enough!"

The Inquisitor desperately tried to free herself, but the vines were now too thick, covering her completely.

I wished I could throw her into the black hole, but I didn’t have the strength for that.

"No, no…!"

The Inquisitor was visibly distressed as she felt the pull of the black hole.

Finally, she lowered her head, looking resigned. She knew there was no escape.

Then she lifted her head and looked at me with pleading eyes.

"Please, don’t do this! Master!"

Her sudden shift to pleading servitude was so pitiful, I couldn’t help but feel a twisted satisfaction.

Perhaps she’d accepted her fate. She fell silent, writhing in her restraints.

"Master."

Asti had approached, looking at me with her crimson eyes. I’d thought she’d be injured, but she was still standing strong.

"Asti."

"It seems we’ve won, haven’t we?"

Asti gave me a rare, formal smile. Yes, we had won.

The victory felt almost hollow, but I knew Londan was safe once again.

"Yes. It’s all thanks to you, Asti."

"No, Master. I owe it to you."

Her modesty was endearing. I reached out to pat her head.

"Master, let’s go back and rest..."

Asti closed her eyes, expecting the gentle touch of my hand.

But instead, I grabbed her by the collar and threw her into the black hole.

"...?"

She stared back at me, utterly confused, as if trying to comprehend what had just happened.

Her bewildered expression was so satisfying.

"Asti, I’m sorry."

I walked toward the black hole and to where the Inquisitor lay sprawled on the ground.

"I almost didn’t recognize you."

I smiled at the thing pretending to be Asti. Its face twisted into a grimace.

"Like how the Dragon Slayer transferred power to me, you Foreign Entities can switch bodies using energy transfer, can’t you?"

Even though I hadn’t known her long, I knew the real Asti’s mannerisms. She had never spoken to me in such a formal tone.

"Please! No, no!"

The Inquisitor, trapped in Asti’s form, screamed as the black hole swallowed her, vanishing as if it had only existed to consume her.

I sighed. It was finally over.

The Inquisitor’s former body, now devoid of power, slumped on the ground. The red energy that had enveloped her was gone, revealing a pale, albino girl.

But now that the Foreign Entity overseeing ‘pain’ was gone, was this okay?

「Had the Inquisitor gone in directly, that would’ve been hard to resolve... But with the body swap, it’s worked out for the better.」

The Record Keeper’s voice spoke again.

「Even without her powers, Asti’s body can maintain the concept of pain. In other words, Asti is now the Foreign Entity overseeing pain. Though, as a human soul, she’s more like a hybrid.」

So the Inquisitor’s desperation had led to this outcome?

"Master… How did you…?"

Asti looked up at me with moist eyes, clearly curious how I’d figured it out.

I reached out and patted her head.

"Asti, no matter what danger you’re in, I’ll always save you. Just like when I rescued you from that illegal slave trader."

"...!"

"This was just proof of that, alright?"

Finally, tears spilled from Asti’s eyes.

A mixture of emotions, no doubt.

Freedom from her “mother.” Gratitude. And more.

So, I let her be. A girl who had kept her emotions hidden was now finally expressing them. I couldn’t interfere with something so profound.

I stood and looked around, starting to assess the situation.

Then I spotted someone standing quietly nearby.

"Oh, the Hunter!"

Amidst all the chaos, he had somehow survived. Of course, the protagonist of this world wouldn’t die so easily.

With a wave, I started toward him.

Bang!

A bullet whizzed past, striking the ground right next to me.

"Don’t come any closer."

...What?