Having grasped the situation in front of me, panic took hold.
"The night we went to the theater for the first time, did you kill me?"
I decided to unravel the circumstances one by one through questioning.
"Yeah, that's right," she replied nonchalantly.
"Then, in the second loop, who killed Agetha?"
That night, Agetha went out of the room and never returned. When I went into the hallway, I found Agetha's lifeless body.
"I killed her."
"What do you mean?"
I asked back, unable to comprehend the meaning.
"Well, to be precise, she's the one who killed me."
Saying that, Agetha pointed to black Agetha lying at her feet.
I see. That night, it was black Agetha who killed Agetha.
"So, who killed me afterward?"
"I think it was her."
In the second loop, it was black Agetha who killed me.
"So, you two were killing each other?"
"Yeah, there was an agreement that the winner would take over the personality in the next loop. Initially, I won, so I woke up. The next time, she won, so she woke up. This time, I won, so I'll wake up in the next loop. We decided to do it that way."
I nodded in understanding.
So that's why the body of black Agetha is lying in front of me.
"Also, you mentioned before that you weren't aware of the loops. What's that about?"
For some reason, Agetha seemed to lose the memories of the previous timelines when she looped. Therefore, I had to rely on my memories alone to navigate the situation.
"That was a lie. I remember the previous loops and the one before that. This time, she was the main personality.
"Why did you lie?"
"I didn't want Kiska to find out."
Agetha looked into my eyes as she said that.
"Why… Why did you do all this?"
In the end, I had no clue about the reasons behind Agetha's actions.
I didn't understand what Agetha was thinking.
"Uhmm…"
Agetha seemed to struggle with how to explain, hesitating in her words.
"Hey, Kiska. Don't you think death is something really light for us who know we'll loop even if we die?"
"Well, it might be true, but…"
"In that case, can you die once more?"
"Why would I!?"
I cautiously stepped back, wary of Agetha's potential attack.
"I'm very happy right now. Being with you, Kiska. So, I don't want to ruin this happiness."
"Explain it more clearly."
I was getting frustrated. Agetha's words were somewhat vague and not getting to the point.
"So, Kiska, you mentioned it, right? About the Observer who brought you to this era. And if it's determined that the world is saved, we can return to our original time."
"What's your point?"
Indeed, the observer had mentioned something like that.
So, even after defeating the Demon Lord, I couldn't return to the original time, and I felt anxious that something unusual might happen, and the world would be doomed.
But due to the event of being killed by a mysterious entity, that concern had completely slipped my mind. I was more focused on finding out who the perpetrator was than the potential destruction of the world.
"Tonight, the Tyrant King awakens, and the world will perish."
"The Tyrant King?"
I tilted my head at the unfamiliar term. What is she suddenly talking about?
"The one who leads the world to destruction."
"So, the Tyrant King is the one who will destroy the world?"
"Yeah, that's right."
"Previously, you mentioned you had no idea about the cause of the world's destruction, right?"
"That was also a lie. Even if we defeat the Demon Lord, the battle won't end. The true enemy is the Tyrant King. I've already witnessed with my own eyes how this world will be destroyed by him."
"Is that so…"
I shuddered at Agetha's words. Is the world really going to be destroyed after this?
"I'm sorry, Kiska. I've been telling a lot of lies."
"Yeah…"
Nodding in agreement, Agetha slowly approached.
"I'm so happy right now. Being able to spend time with you, Kiska. I truly believe that if this moment could last forever."
"I understand your feelings, but that's impossible."
"If you cooperate, it's easy to achieve. Each time today comes, if you could die for me, time would rewind, and the future would never arrive. That way, you and I could spend eternity together."
Certainly, if I were to die, time would loop. Exploiting that, this moment would repeat endlessly. As Agetha says, would that be a happy thing?
"Isn't it possible for us to cooperate and defeat the Tyrant King?"
"We can never win against the Tyrant King."
Agetha asserted.
For someone as powerful as Agetha to state that we could never win, how terrifying must the Tyrant King be?
"What kind of being is the Tyrant King?"
"The moment the Tyrant King awakens, you'll die in agony. Assuming it's you, you might retain consciousness for a long estimate, maybe around a minute. I, on the other hand, could somehow maintain consciousness for about three minutes. Oh, of course, ordinary people other than you wouldn't last more than a few seconds, not even comprehending their death. After all, the Tyrant King, just by awakening, has the power to destroy the world."
"Huh…?"
I couldn't comprehend Agetha's words. I had imagined physical attacks like punches or kicks, so I was dumbfounded by Agetha's answer. The world would be destroyed just by awakening? I didn't understand.
"Is that being a human?"
"I don't know. I just think it's an existence close to the realm of gods. I don't know where it is, and of course, I don't even know its appearance."
"Then why did Agetha understand that the Tyrant King is the mastermind? To Agetha, wouldn't it just look like people collapsing?"
"It spoke to me remotely. That's how I knew it was caused by an entity with inherent will. The name Tyrant King is known because that's how it introduced itself."
"I see. So, if it's you, Kiska, can you defeat it?"
Given that question, there was no way I could answer "yes." There's no way to defeat an entity close to a god. What should I do? No, wait.
I came from a world a hundred years in the future. That means, even if the Tyrant King appears, the world continued to exist. Moreover, I've never heard of the Tyrant King appearing a hundred years from now. If such an existence appeared, it would be strange not to find records or legends about it.
"Hey, why were we able to live normally a hundred years from now? If such a being appeared, I don't think the world would be safe. But I've never even heard of the Tyrant King appearing."
"We made a deal… I asked the Tyrant King to spare the world, not to destroy it."
So, the Tyrant King, whom I thought was a ruthless being, surprisingly listens.
"Then make a deal again."
"No, I won't. I absolutely refuse!"
Agetha had a menacing expression. It was clear she absolutely hated the idea.
"The, uh, deal is…"
"I would be sealed inside the barrier again for another hundred years."
Ah, I see. That's why Agetha was inside the barrier that day.
"Hey, Kiska, please…! Let's die again and spend this time together."
Agetha pleads.
I intend to know the pain that comes with being sealed inside the barrier for a hundred years. After all, I too was once sealed by the warrior Gorgano. At that time, I was saved by the vampire Judite, but if that hadn't happened, I would have become a wreck for sure.
So, I couldn't say something as cruel as asking Agetha to be sealed again.
If I die again, the loop will reset.
And when today comes again, I will die.
If I repeat this process, I can spend these nine days in eternity.
I can spend it with Agetha.
So, it seems not so bad.
But is it really okay?
I couldn't quite comprehend that.