Chapter 13
After gaining the power of the Abyss, Orpheus infiltrated the [Archive].
He snuck in, evading the Supervisor's eyes to find the world containing his and Kate's story.
Though his power as an Extinction Star was immense, the similarity born from it being his world of origin allowed him to escape the Supervisor's notice.
The power of the Abyss gradually eroded the story, completely transforming it.
Suddenly, otherworldly beings appeared - Abyssal Creatures invaded the world, preventing the war that should have occurred between Kali-Yuga and Gilgamesh.
As humanity fled to the underground Sanctuary pursued by the Abyss, Ian and Kate from the Otherworld were able to be together without their families' opposition.
'I did it!'
Orpheus rejoiced.
He had finally succeeded.
He found a world where Kate was safe, where she could be saved.
If this world manifested in the universe, she would live again.
However, not everything went according to plan.
*Crunch-*
There wasn't even time to react.
One of the Abyssal Creatures had bitten off the Saintess's head.
The Abyss within Orpheus smiled faintly.
The Abyss had never intended to let her live.
"AAAAHHHHH!"
Orpheus screamed and reset the story.
The world containing his and the Saintess's story returned to the past.
Orpheus changed this iteration slightly, preventing the creatures from reaching the Saintess.
But this time she came to the monsters and died.
He reset again.
He killed all the creatures before the Saintess arrived, but this time a traitor in the Sanctuary killed her.
He reset again.
He killed the creatures and the Sanctuary's traitor, but internal strife broke out in the Sanctuary and she died trying to stop it.
He reset again.
He reset again.
He reset again.
He reset again.
He reset again.
.
.
.
.
No matter what he did, the result was the same.
No matter what he did, she died.
Whatever you do, the result won't change.
As long as my will dwells within your existence, your survival leads to her death.
And I shall protect your life.
The Abyss seemed to mock him.
He reset again
And reset again
And reset yet again.
He had already forgotten whether it was the thousandth or ten thousandth time.
Knowing that if he gave up now she could never return, knowing this was the only way, he continued repeating.
[Because if you can live, I'll do anything.]
[Because if you can be happy, I don't care what happens to me.]
[So I'll keep going.]
[A performance for you.]
[An ostinato repeating eternally]
[To erase myself, a dissonance in your existence.]
* * *
He was real.
A true Regressor, not a fake like me.
The kind of Regressor who could endure infinite regression and despair to save the woman he loved.
The Crown Prince advanced with resolute determination.
After facing all the illusions, the Crown Prince finally reached the end of the path.
Orpheus's Core, located in the deepest part of the Mental World.
Before it stood Orpheus, corrupted by the Abyss.
"Orpheus."
"The [Archive], is it?"
His voice, stained black, was no longer Orpheus's.
A fragment the Abyss had planted within Orpheus.
A part of the vast Abyss and the [Archive]'s true enemy.
The Crown Prince drew his sword.
The battle began as he charged at the Abyssal Orpheus.
Hundreds of mechanical arms shot out, targeting the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince swung his sword imbued with multiple Essences, cutting down the mechanical arms.
Despite the countless mechanical arms, he advanced forward and launched a sword strike at Orpheus.
But a massive Golem arm that erupted from the ground blocked the attack.
*Boom-*
Following the first Golem, hundreds more revealed themselves.
"Haaaah!"
The Crown Prince charged forward, burning his entire body to unleash the Hero's power.
But it was beyond his ability to handle so many Golems and the Abyss simultaneously.
*Crash!*
As a Golem's arm struck him, he coughed blood and collapsed.
The Abyss mocked him as it swung its arm, sending the Golems flying toward him.
'...Is this the end?'
He wanted to cut away the Abyss.
Having seen everything the Abyss had done through Orpheus's illusions, he wanted to fulfill his wish, but... it seemed impossible.
Just as the Crown Prince lowered his head in resignation during the forced defeat event
"Raise your head, Provisional Supervisor."
Orpheus's soul appeared and blocked the Golems.
"After I finally acknowledged you, what are you doing?"
"...Orpheus?"
The Abyss was shocked at his sudden appearance.
"H-how... here!"
Orpheus twisted his lips.
"How many worlds do you think I repeated?"
The chance he aimed for through eons of regression.
Now was the time for counterattack.
Orpheus's hand entered the Crown Prince.
"You are the new melody to vary my ostinato. The final tune to cut away the flawed, ancient melody called Orpheus and complete my performance."
Orpheus's soul overlapped with the Crown Prince and moved his body.
"I'll borrow your body briefly."
Orpheus charged forward in the Crown Prince's body, emanating brilliant light.
"Stay back! Don't come!"
Though countless minions of the Abyssal Orpheus sprang forth to block his path, he advanced, crushing everything.
The sword that cut down all the Golems and Elder Guardians reached the Abyss.
"Arrrgh! How dare you! A mere Mortal!"
Abyssal Orpheus staggered back, clutching his severed arm.
The Abyss tried to gather power to unleash its true strength, but
"That won't work."
Orpheus's restriction prevented it.
The constraint he placed to prevent himself from abandoning his physical body.
"This is impossible!"
It applied even to the Abyss that had stolen Orpheus's body.
The fragment of the Abyss remained trapped in Orpheus's body, unable to return to its original form.
[Once a soul leaves a human body, returning it is impossible.]
"How dare you! How dare a mere Mortal humiliate me!"
The Abyss thrashed about in Orpheus's body, spewing forth mechanical devices.
Though lethal attacks poured in, Orpheus broke through them all with his sword.
A laser severed his right arm and mechanical arms crushed his left.
His abdomen was split open, trailing internal organs, but he did not stop.
[I repeated worlds to manifest one where she could be revived.]
"Stay back! I said stay back! Ugh!"
Finally breaking through the barrage of lasers and mechanical arms, his sword pierced Orpheus's body.
[The Abyss's curse on me was that as long as I exist, she would eternally repeat her death.]
"I can't... die like this..."
As Orpheus's body crumbled to dust, the fragment of the Abyss within also vanished.
[Therefore I cut away the dissonance that is myself and complete this performance for her.]
Bang!
As the Core was destroyed, the black space surrounding them began to collapse.
The Crown Prince felt Orpheus's soul within him growing dim.
[The finale of the last ostinato for her.]
Finally, as even the last trace of his soul disappeared, the Crown Prince emerged from the Mental World and opened his eyes in the Sanctuary.
With the Saintess who remained in the world made whole after all the Abyssal forces vanished.
"Farewell, my frog prince..."
As the dissonant performance that had repeated eternally ended, the sky above ground was clearer and more pristine than ever before.
* * *
"Well done, Zeol."
The Supervisor appeared before the Crown Prince who had returned to the [Archive].
"I'm sorry. I really didn't expect it. That an Extinction Star had infiltrated."
The Crown Prince just stood there blankly.
"Orpheus. That is, Ian Kali-Yuga came to me before. Asking me to save a woman named Kate."
Though the Supervisor continued speaking, it didn't reach the Crown Prince's ears.
"To think he could achieve infinite regression while containing the Abyss. And maintain his sanity at that."
The Supervisor marveled.
"Ian Kali-Yuga. His name might go down in history. As the first being to deal a blow to the Abyss."
The Supervisor picked up a book.
"The problem is that the story was corrupted in the process. What should we do? Someone who should have died lives, while someone who should have lived has vanished."
[Should we kill the Saintess?]
The Crown Prince's eyes flew open at the Supervisor's words.
"No."
The Crown Prince's eyes glared at the Supervisor.
"I won't allow that."
His will flowed forth - he would not stand idle if the book was touched even slightly.
"...Oh?"
*Thump-*
The Supervisor closed the book with a smirk.
"If that's your will, then so be it. But since the story was corrupted, I'll give you 9 points for the test."
The Supervisor set down the book and left.
The Crown Prince stared at the book lying on the desk.
He could see the illusion floating above it.
The illusion of a tomboy girl and a boy with slicked-back hair awkwardly trying to look stylish, dancing to the first melody that would never end.