2nd Phase – 3
“After 7 consecutive hits, Breath, followed by a final Charge pattern.”
Having recognized the pattern in an instant from the preparatory movements, I sprang into action. The creature launched its attack just as I had anticipated, swinging its arm toward me.
It struck the ground with its right hand, then briefly exhaled Breath to the left, swinging its left and right feet three times in total, followed by another Breath to the right. Finally, it unleashed a long Breath in front of it while executing three consecutive slashes.
As the pitch-black flames consumed the empty air, I had already positioned myself for the direction from which the Charge would come. It charged straight at me, thrusting its head forward.
I rolled between its legs to dodge the body slam and sprinted ahead. As the charge concluded, the creature turned 180 degrees and lowered its head directly where I had halted.
It was Deal Time. I swung my fist toward its head. The impact with my fist made its head wobble.
— You lowly creature…!
It seemed the creature only realized it had acted according to its instincts after taking a hit, but even that realization came too late for it to react.
The next move followed. It raised both feet high before bringing them down forcefully. If I dodged that, it would be Deal Time.
I created some distance, and just a moment too late, I heard an earth-shattering KWAANG!
Taking advantage of its head being lowered, I swung my fist. Despite enduring countless weapons and Sacred Spells without so much as a scratch, my punch landed far too easily.
It was the effect of the Draconic Language. The laws of the world adjusted the minimum damage dealt to the creature. Because that’s how it worked in Brightest Darkness 4.
Even if I struck that tough hide, the reason my hand remained unharmed was the same. If there was a system in BD 4 that deducted health when hitting something barehanded, I would have taken damage.
But such a system did not exist.
“The protagonist of BD 4 doesn’t get hurt from barehanded runs either.”
Of course, even if my hands were hurt, I could just recover.
—I’ll kill you…!
With a rage-fueled thought, the creature hesitated while attempting to swing its arm. It seemed it had realized that the action it was about to take matched precisely with the patterns from the game.
Ultimately, it was meaningless behavior. Even the consciously altered action it realized was futile mirrored the exact pattern of the creature in the Darkest Light Mod.
It would probably grasp what it had done by the time it finished the pattern.
Its wide-open mouth drew nearer. It was a pattern of biting straight ahead. I rolled to the side to evade and struck near its head.
— PUUUURRNG!
A sound far more vibrant than the hundreds of hits I had landed until now resounded, and the creature’s neck was jerked sharply down before it thudded to the ground.
It fell into a groggy state.
Normally, one punch wouldn’t cause such a reaction, but just like in the game, it suffered from cumulative attacks to its weak spot—the head.
If I could deal critical damage with the Wingless Nightmare or the Immortal Centipede at this point, I could inflict even greater damage, but that wasn’t my intention. Instead, as I had been doing all along, I plunged my fist into its head.
— KAAAAAACK!!
As my bare hand struck its head, a roar filled with pain erupted. The colossal body, comparable to a small mountain, toppled backward, rolling ungraciously on the ground.
The sight of a dragon tumbling several times on the earth was quite a spectacle. I derided the staggering creature.
“How many more hits do you think you can take? From my perspective, it seems like three will finish you off.”
The creature had a form of compensation applied to it, so as I dealt continuous damage to its head, a single critical hit after its groggy state would end the 1st Phase. Moreover, it was a gimmick that activated when it had only about 15% health left.
There was only one situation in which the phase wouldn’t end: if critical damage was dealt with bare hands.
The world-eating creature wobbled back to its feet after hearing my mockery. I laughed at the spectacle once more.
“Do you know why I just hit you barehanded? To encourage you to stand up. It’s a gimmick that exists in ‘Brightest Darkness 4’ created by the goddess. Do you understand? Do you get it?”
— KUUOOO!!!!
It let out a roar.
In the end, playing tough was meaningless when just three punches would wrap things up. No matter how much, it meant it could only end after seeing the pattern three times.
The world-eating creature seemed to know this too, as it tried to emit a fierce roar, yet found it hard to approach without risking falling under my fists.
“What’s holding you up? Are you not charging at me?”
I clenched my fist and jested. Prioritizing its pride over hesitance, the creature understood my gesture’s meaning and charged toward me with full force.
— PUUUURNG!
Of course, it was utterly insignificant.
Just as I declared, as soon as the third punch hit its head, it staggered and collapsed on its own. I watched its demise leisurely.
The size of the world-eating creature began to diminish. This indicated it would transition to the next phase, so I wasn’t surprised at all. My sole concern was merely one thing.
“Was that the 1st Phase or the 3rd?”
When the creature had assumed its pitch-black form, it claimed it was the 2nd Phase, but now that it returned to the form of a dragon, it was likely the 3rd Phase. That would mean the next would be the 4th Phase.
Alternatively, its earlier statement could mean that even while in its dragon form, it was technically the 1st Phase, which leaves the possibility of the next being the 2nd Phase. Either way, both scenarios were plausible.
“Well, I’ll know by waiting and watching.”
For the time being, I could observe how much its size decreased. If it shrank only a little, that would lean toward the latter scenario; if it reduced to a human size, it was the former.
“Looks like that was the 3rd Phase after all. How considerate!”
The deliberation didn’t take long to resolve. The creature shrank significantly until it was roughly the same height as me.
Then it transformed into a greatly familiar form. The form shown by the world-eating creature in Phase 4 of Brightest Darkness 4.
“What’s this? Where did the 2nd and 3rd Phases go? Can you skip the order at your whim?”
I chuckled as I taunted it. The world-eating creature was a boss with a very distinct transformation at each phase.
In the 1st Phase, it took the form of the massive dragon well known; in the 2nd Phase, it became a smaller, half-human, half-dragon form.
The 3rd Phase shrank even further, changing into a giant wielding an oversized sword, and in the 4th Phase, it would reduce to roughly the same size as a player.
Wearing armor referred to as ‘Dragon Scale Armor’ and holding a one-handed sword aptly named ‘Dragon Scale Sword’ was the world-eating creature in Phase 4.
Given it had a combat fatigue gauge like other humanoid bosses, it was evident that this was the only phase where parrying worked.
“Now, it’s time to fight with the Wingless Nightmare.”
If I had it my way, I’d love to finish it off barehanded, and I truly had the capability to do so. But I couldn’t just slack off when I was aware others were fighting below.
Also, I had just taken it down with bare-fisted punches. Its pride must have been utterly crushed by now.
“What difference does it make if you only reduce size? You do know this is the appearance I have faced thousands of times, right?”
“Shut up, human! I will kill you in this form! Your arrogance will lead to your ruin!”
It seemed it wanted to restore its pride by putting me down in this new form, which was a rather remarkable concept.
Every pattern had been countered, and after being pounded for an extended period with my bare fists, it thought the best way to exact revenge would be through the form it claimed to know best. A rather impressive thought, if it had a chance of succeeding.
“Dream on. Think you can pull it off?”
With the Wingless Nightmare in hand, the world-eating creature in Phase 4 showcased a radically different, quicker, sharper style of movement compared to before. Therefore, I found it much better to counter with parries rather than dodging.
“How dare you think you can act so recklessly?”
It charged at me with all its might. The world-eating creature lunged at me. Blades clashed in mid-air. I deflected the diagonally swung blade and knocked away its horizontally swung weapon.
There was no rush for me. After all, the one starting the pattern would be it. I only had to dodge what I needed to and parry what I had to, attacking only during Deal Times.
The creature’s blade lunged forward. I deflected that strike, and when the second thrust came, I parried it, causing its Dragon Scale Sword to twist sharply. Seizing the opportunity, I aimed for its neck.
I didn’t need to incorporate True Death. There was sufficient damage dealt even without cleaving into its essence.
The reason I even considered using True Death was because it was the surest means of attack, but back then, there was no way to pierce through its hide. Now, that was no longer an issue since damage registered.
The Wingless Nightmare sliced past the armor near its neck, leaving a deep mark. Taking advantage of the next incoming strike, the world-eating creature raised its Dragon Scale Sword high above its head.
It was a triple strike pattern.
“If I’m going to parry, I’ll do it for real.”
Half-hearted blocks would certainly allow it to land counter-attacks during recovery time. But if I parried all three strikes perfectly, it would be Deal Time.
“Miss, strike, catch after roll.”
— CHAENG!
I parried the first two strikes as they struck at the exact rhythm I calculated, and I caught the third strike, which was swung right after my roll.
I took the opportunity of its unbalanced stance to add another wound to its armor with the Wingless Nightmare.
As the world-eating creature rose, I transfixed the Wingless Nightmare in one hand and twisted my body in a clockwise manner as I jumped, allowing the blade to carve a perfect circle. The armor bore another deep mark.
Touching down on the ground, I followed up with another attack. I slashed upwards from the lower left to the upper right, twirled, and then struck downwards from the upper left to the lower right. A shockwave erupted along the trajectory of the blade.
The creature took a direct hit from the shockwave but ignored it, preparing for its next move. It was a pattern that applied Super Armor. Immediately after the last attack concluded, I pressed the Wingless Nightmare against it.
The Dragon Scale Sword bounced off the Wingless Nightmare. After confirming it staggered, I followed up with a thrust. The sword’s tip touched its body, and with a powerful kick, I launched myself into the air.
With my head pointed toward the ground and my feet pointed toward the sky, I spun while attacking the surroundings. Another scar etched into the front of its helmet.
As soon as my feet touched the ground, I executed the final rotation slash. Landing on one knee in a circle and concluding with another thrust.
— PUUUK!
“Graaaargh!”
The Wingless Nightmare pierced through its armor and reached its body. The world-eating creature let out a painful scream. Although it wore a helmet, I could roughly guess its expression.
‘It must be confused.’
In the past, except for True Death, my attacks hadn’t registered at all, but now every strike increased the wounds it suffered.
The answer was obvious. I was effectively a max-level character with all stats at 99, akin to a game. Perhaps in reality, I was even stronger than that. After all, I had traversed across three worlds.
However, the world-eating creature only retained specs reflective of a 1st-run standard.
“Facing a 1st-run boss with a max-level character — how could that not be an absolute cakewalk?”
“I won’t let this go unpunished!”
The former overconfidence had vanished, leaving only rage as the world-eating creature charged at me. Noticing its speech had changed, it seemed deeply furious.
— KWAJIJIK!
Of course, anger would do it no good. Just like before, all its attacks either missed or were parried, while all my strikes landed precisely. Wounds began to multiply over the scars etched onto the Dragon Scale Armor.
Time passed. The visibility of its frayed armor and slowed movements began to become apparent.
The world-eating creature swung down at my blade with both hands. I attempted to parry it, but upon confirming that it didn’t stagger, I slightly tilted my blade.
“It’s time.”
The moment was rapidly approaching to finish this fight.
With our swords connected at the slight angle, a struggle of strength ensued. This was akin to the groggy state displayed when the world-eating creature’s combat fatigue was wholly exhausted, and its health drained responding to nearly none.
In a frenzy of rage, it seemed completely unaware it mirrored the same actions as in BD 4.
“I told you so.”
While struggling, I suddenly raised its arm high. As its arm soared upward, its tattered Dragon Scale Armor revealed its unwary abdomen.
Focusing True Death into the Wingless Nightmare, I stated,
“Think it would work?”
With a powerful kick, I slashed across its abdomen. The next instant, I felt the true essence being cleaved behind the world-eating creature.
It remained still for a moment, frozen in its place. After a stagger, it took a few faltering steps forward, only to drop its weapon with a CLANG!
Its knee buckled. The creature leaned forward, its upper body halving while freezing its motions.
Silence enveloped the world.
“……”
I approached it. Grabbing the Wingless Nightmare, I drew out the Immortal behind me. The rusted and worn blade trembled like it had witnessed the Immortal Centipede moments ago.
Despite being embedded with True Death, the world-eating creature couldn’t take advantage of a false essence. Its body was shaking in panic.
Standing to its right, I raised the Immortal high above my head, preparing a vertical strike. The Immortal let out a resounding wail. The blade trembled intensely.
“It’s time to die, you damn dragon.”
I swung my arm.
The Immortal cleaved through the neck of the world-eating creature. The severed essence shattered into pieces by the Immortal. The world-eating creature weakly muttered something.
“Th… this… I… a mere…”
Slowly, a red line formed around its neck. The severed head began to slide downwards.
“By a human…”
The head rolled on the ground, while the headless body wavered and toppled forward, thudding on the ground.
THWACK! The severed head met the earth with a heavy thud.
This was the end. Eclipse would regain her powers and status as a goddess. The world tainted by that creature would be restored. Everything would once again begin to cycle anew.
The mission had been accomplished.
‘… huh?’
As I comprehended that reality, the words of the Immortal flooded my mind as if an overdue tide. The spirit that had no reason to break began to crumble rapidly beneath the weight of countless deaths.
A dizzying darkness veiled one corner of my mind.
A golden pillar surged from the ground, and from within, Eclipse and the women who had gone to protect the lower world poured out like a flood.
They all confirmed that the strange replicas spawned by the world-eating creature had vanished. It was evident what the cause had been.
Having sensed the fight’s outcome, they all wore bright smiles. Even Kaiquilia’s usually stoic expression was softened as a gentle smile graced her lips.
“Delta!”
Before long, I spotted Delta from behind. He stood there with a rusted sword in hand, staring blankly downhill.
When he spotted the headless corpse before him, his smile broadened significantly. It was as if reality had conformed to his imagination.
“Delta! We’re back!”
Rize was the first to dash forward with a beaming smile. But as she saw Delta’s profile, her momentum began to slow.
The others were evidently on edge, sensing an unusual atmosphere, their approach to Delta timid.
Although they were close enough to hear, Delta stared fixatedly at the corpse, voicing nothing.
“Delta?”
Rize called his name again, this time a distinct tremor in her voice. But still, there was no response from Delta. An unsettling sense of dread began to creep through the group.
The joyous feelings evaporated, replaced by worry and anxiety. Rize hastily hastened her approach.
“Delta! Don’t—”
Delta turned slowly, his face devoid of expression, the eerie chill running through his hitherto calm demeanor doing nothing to quell our concern. There were no wounds, nor any signs of damage to his attire; however, his inky black eyes had transformed into pools of unfathomable emptiness.
As he turned his gaze toward the oncoming footsteps, there was a fleeting moment of life shining through before his trembling hand relinquished the rusted sword. The Immortal fell limply.
— PLOOOSH!
With barely a few steps taken, his body crumpled to the ground.
The priests screamed in horror, and the others dashed toward Delta in confusion. None understood the bizarre circumstances, but every thought was filled only with the concern of Delta’s well-being.
The first to arrive, Rize, desperately supported Delta’s trembling upper body. His skin was chillingly cold, reminiscent of someone who had just emerged from a refrigerator. Tears festooned her cerulean eyes.
“Delta! Delta! What happened? Are you hurt? Are you injured?”
The moment she spoke, Minerva readied her spell. The priests hastily prepared sacred spells as well, but Delta waved them off with painstakingly deliberate movements.
“I’m not… hurt… I didn’t take a single hit since you all left…”
“Then what’s with all this? Talk to us! Please, say something!”
Rize was on the edge of tears. Delta stared at his trembling hands, lost in thought, and with a flustered voice, he opened his mouth.
“My mission… was completed…”
“What?”
Mission. The term hung heavy in the air, and as if by cue, every eye turned toward Eclipse. However, Eclipse seemed equally clueless, wearing a face of bewilderment.
“Unless you give up… if you don’t die… the immortal who finished the mission… would have… no reason to cease existing… what happens then?”
His left hand began to turn white and crumble.
The Last Stand
Looking down at the disintegrating left hand, I realized what it meant: my essence was swiftly deteriorating. And as a result, my physical form began to break down too.
If an immortal spirit, driven mad by death, had shattered, it might have transformed into an immobile husk like other immortals, but that was no longer the case.
My mark of immortality had vanished after completing the mission of defeating the world-eating creature.
‘… So that speculation was true?’
Players often speculated about the conclusion of a shattered immortal, gathering various information from the game, and the most accepted theory proposed that they couldn’t withstand death.
Who would’ve thought it would align so precisely?
“Healing? Can’t you at least use healing magic?”
“… You know… the soul can’t be healed…”
My speech trailed off. Luckily, the presence of my precious ones had allowed me to bear this experience. If I had been even a moment longer before their arrival, the opportunity to do so wouldn’t have existed.
Yet even endurance has its limits.
Visibility waned ever more, and my left arm started to turn white, subtle flakes fluttering away. I could only stare numbly at my own hand, which had once belonged to me, now distantly fading away.
“I… I can help you… please, hold on!”
Eclipse, teetering on the cusp of tears, ebbed forth with desperate resolve as they fought to restrain their emotion.
“Really, dear Goddess?!”
Nix questioned urgently. Eclipse nodded with tear-stained eyes. The sacred energies radiated from her right hand emitted golden light, and from her left, silvery light.
The divinely charged colors cascaded upon my spirit. Moments passed where I felt a mild clarity seep into my soul, and the degradation gripping my physical form halted momentarily.
As I acknowledged this, I managed to say, “You said… human souls can’t be restored…”
“Well, at that time, most of my strength had been siphoned away by that creature. Without it, restoring a human’s soul is a simple task for me. After all, I birthed the life in this world. Your soul has been damaged so heavily, it might take some time to restore…”
Thinking back on it, that sounded reasonable.
Even in this radiant form, Eclipse was still the creator of this world. Having birthed countless immortal souls, the notion she couldn’t repair the soul of a mere human was unfathomable.
“For now, this repair is merely temporary. Even though my powers are regenerating, recovering completely will naturally take some time due to how much was extracted. However, as long as the treatment continues, you will not die.”
A collective sigh of relief permeated through the air. Floretta and Luna wiped their tear-soaked eyes, and Rize also managed a radiant smile through her tears.
I too felt some burden lift off my heart. At the very least, I wasn’t in a position to just drop dead and leave others sorrowful.
“I’ll hold on for as long as it takes while you regain all your power and—”
— JEEJAB!
Before Eclipse could finish her statement, a sinister sound echoed from far-off. Locked on me, the eyes of the surrounding individuals immediately shot upwards.
I raised my head, supported by Rize.
“The sky…”
The sky was tearing apart.
Beyond the rift in the sky that unveiled an emptiness unlike any other. Instinctively, I grasped the situation. That space beyond was, literally, the void.
The void space continued to grow larger until it had completely excised a part of the sky. With a loud KWAHAK!, the fabric of space shattered and dissolved into the abyss.
“W-what’s going on, Goddess?!”
Nix cried out in confusion. Eclipse closed her eyes, gathering her thoughts, and opened them with a significantly paled expression.
“… My powers that were trapped within it are bursting forth all at once, and the space can’t withstand it. I had suspected the influx of power was shockingly low, but who would’ve thought something like this would happen…”
“Is there a way to stop it? You wouldn’t say there isn’t one, right?”
“There is a method. Since my powers have been trapped, I can recoil them back. It will be easier to gather my energy, rather than have it disperse so recklessly.”
“Then you need to hurry—”
Just as Rize urged, a flood of power burst forth from Eclipse.
All Comments Cut Off.
The divine energies began to swirl towards me in intertwining streams, while ruined spaces continued to expand.
“… If I stabilize the void world, I wouldn’t be able to heal Delta’s soul. The light will vanish, and the moment it does, the chances of recovery plummets significantly. You won’t last even five minutes.”
“Is it at all possible to heal the soul from here? Or to attempt healing it from a distance—”
“Both are impossible. The soul is at its threshold. If you forcibly increase the healing rate or try to heal from a distance, the probability of completely obliterating it becomes frighteningly high.”
— KWAJIJIK…
Eclipse’s entailed despair overwhelmed us, as the presence of an impending disaster loomed yet again.
“… Goddess, just to be sure… might I ask… is there a way for you to continue healing, prevent the world from collapsing… while at it?”
Eclipse shook her head solemnly.
“There isn’t. If so, the light flowing into the spirit would get mixed with other powers. Your soul wouldn’t withstand that strain.”
No, that couldn’t be. I gazed down at my arm, still almost white.
The crumbling that stopped had begun to even cultivate wholesome recovery.
If she relinquished her hold, would everything spiral into utter chaos?
‘…’
There was no debate left to conclude. Whatever I needed to do was obvious.
My original mission was to save this world.
Ironically, once I made that resolution, my mind cleared, untangling the frustrating haze clouding it.
Stealing a glance around, everyone seemed paralyzed, but a general consensus arose, urging attention toward my healing.
Our eyes locked, Eclipse’s gaze bore golden and silvery flecks as she faced me.
“Goddess… I’m alright… just do what you have to do…”
“You…!”
Recognition flooded Eclipse’s expression as she seemed to understand the nuance behind my words. It wasn’t only her experiencing similar thoughts.
“Delta! Are you crazy?! You’re saying you’d die?!”
“Should the world crumble, we’ll struggle to stave it off! Focus on the healing! Don’t let those in the void die!”
Minerva unleashed the most powerful protective barrier she could conjure, yet the barrier disintegrated upon contact with the disarrayed world.
“Should this continue… everyone will perish, Goddess…”
“If I stop healing, you’ll die! I won’t let that happen!”
A resolute look crossed Eclipse’s face as magic gathered in unprecedented intensity, hastening the pace of restoration.
In sync, as her energy intensified, the void world breached surfaces in a rapid cascade of demise. An expanse of space transformed into nothingness, igniting alarm for every direct glance.
“… Goddess…”
“Stop it! I won’t hear any of it! Just—please, don’t tell me to abandon you!”
The horrible sense of imminent despair clamped down. The mentioned spaces were dissolving, becoming increasingly favorable to vacancy than existence itself.
“…”
There was no need to ponder any longer. I couldn’t do this.
More than anything, I needed to do what was paramount.
As Dell, I had sacrificed myself thrice before in previous iterations through Brightest Darkness 1, 2, and 3 to shield the world.
Thus, how farewell could become tainted within this cycle?
I coughed up blood while I wove together my thoughts. Dried, crackling sensations scattered down my throat.
“… When I left you, Floretta, I said I would slay the last centipede.”
“… Sniff. Yes.”
“Just as before…”
Fragments of understanding illuminated the fog. The ‘True Ending’ of the Brightest Darkness series necessitated the player’s self-sacrifice to preserve the world.
That pattern aligned, where I, the main character of the Brightest Darkness series, repeatedly made decisions out of sacrifice to save the world.
Thus, in this situation — doing what I’d done three times prior could only reflect a cyclical form. With grim irony, I murmured a pained laugh, bowel-twisting from the bitter realization.
“Don’t die, Delta. If you should fall, we will grow old alone, forever haunted by grief in solitude. So please, don’t die. You claimed you would take responsibility for us all, didn’t you? Was that all a lie? Answer me, Delta!”
That tragic timbre wretched from Kaiquilia’s voice as it resonated nearby, blending with anguish.
In hearing her words, I felt renewal within my soul, yet the rate of decay delved deeper into despair.
“Apologies…”
As I offered my regret, all sensed a void within our hearts. Crushing the last fragments of my energy, I vestige my utterance into the final invocation, dissecting a glimmering hope deep within.
—Recover.
The instant, a whirlpool of energy surged within me as if a powerful wave washed over.
How bizarrely nostalgic, but I lacked the capacity to contemplate what that sensation was.
Most critically, my vulnerable soul remained unrepaired.
“……”
Even as my final feeble attempt crumbled under pressure, my remaining strength finally faded. My head dipped from exhaustion and I collapsed toward the earth.
My eyes shut.
[The death of the owner of ‘Internal Whirlwind’ has been confirmed.]
[Three chances to alter fate have been granted.]
[The first fate is cast.]
[Checking fate… ]
[Number confirmed: 1]
[The second fate is cast.]
[Checking fate… ]
[Number confirmed: 1]
[The final fate is cast.]
[Checking fate… ]
[Number confirmed: 1]
[The conditions for ‘Internal Whirlwind’ have been met.]
[Fate is distorted.]
With glimmers illuminating previously stifled flashes, I suddenly found myself within a modified game I had coveted (完).
[But hey, where did that mode go?]
People remembered modding NPCs and several bosses as women, swapping outfits for some incredibly risqué dolphin shorts or whatnot.
That was a well-known mod with tons of fans, but where had it vanished?
[Just checked, but all those sites are gone now too. Nobody remembers anything?]
[Comments]
You hit your head or something? Why on earth would you seek out a mod like that from the BD series, ya creep?
N-No, it was real!
You must’ve conjured it in your imagination, haha. Talk about a warped mindset!
It’s been ten years since BD 4 was released, and not once did I see a mod to change NPC appearances to female. Maybe it’s just some flaw in your memory!
If you alter the boss’s appearance to female, would the patterns still be visible? Sounds like you’d just get hammered and end up dying.
If you want something pervy, skip BD 4 and go listen to “You Finally Awoke” over on that other side!
Dude made a no-hit, barehanded clear post just five minutes ago and now he’s losing it, LOL.
Don’t act like you know!
Didn’t you post that yourself?
Don’t act like you know or you’re the enemy!
“……”
After clicking through a myriad of comment notifications that endlessly rang out, I finally caved in and shut my smartphone down.
Wait, was that mode never even real?
The very mod that altered NPCs and bosses to feminine appearances, even modifying character outfits into something much more contemporary and risqué had seemingly ceased to exist altogether.
No sites, files, or even people’s recollections. They were all gone.
“Well, guess that’s not too surprising.”
It was an outcome I had already anticipated.
This wasn’t a mode at all. The dreary, dark ambiance experiencing now in Brightest Darkness 4 was the real mod, in fact.
Those inhabiting this world would likely never realize, though.
I nonchalantly bypassed the ongoing comment alarms and mechanically turned on BD 4. An instinct honed over the past decade surfaced.
Welcomed by the familiar grandeur of the soundtrack, the main menu adorned in English awaited my engagement.
The Crafted font brandished ‘The Brightest Darkness IV’ above, with ‘The Darkest Light’ poised below.
As my cursor hovered over New Game, a peculiar sensation at my back caught my attention, and I quietly shut down the computer. The humming box tranquil.
Turning my body back casually, I muttered.
“How did you arrive here, Goddess?”
Eclipse was seated on my bed, her face flushed with a soft hue, gazing intently at me.
“Did you notice?” She asked with a gentle smile.
“Are you aware I just came back less than 10 minutes ago?”
“I know. Still…”
“Please don’t worry. I’m aware of the worries I’ve caused after dying and coming back. I won’t linger here for long. This is just a brief aside to see how the world’s been managing.”
On the day I took down the world-eating creature, I had perished only to resurrect through the effects of Internal Whirlwind.
All thanks to the final incantation I had uttered.
When I felt something swirling within me, it mirrored the sensation when absorbing a rune.
‘… What great luck I had.’
Had I not recovered in time, the fate of those left behind didn’t bear thinking.
As I awakened, the first sight was my cherished ones hugging me close, weeping unabashedly. Moments later, one of them noticed that I had opened my eyes, and silence enveloped the atmosphere.
Of course, silence didn’t last long. Those present erupted in wails, rushing me all at once, overwhelming me with emotions as I spent the next hour soothing their despair.
Endearingly, in those heartfelt moments, I was spirited away by Eclipse after my powers fully returned. Arranged carefully, I was then transported to a small world created uniquely for me.
In that space inhabited by 12 companions and a divine presence, I endured ‘exceedingly’ diligent aftercare. So diligent it suffocated my every movement.
Having succumbed to ‘hospitalization’ that considerably resembled imprisonment, I endured two weeks of confinement before leaving a note claiming I would be back soon.
Just five minutes later, I found myself here.
Now that I recognized those forgotten memories, I noticed Eclipse’s comportment bore familiar traits of pride.
“Well, let’s begin to head back. If I stay here too long, they’ll grow worried again.”
As I deleted the mod inquiry post, I decided to pass on fixing the issues and would leave that job to Eclipse, erasing every lingering memory along with it.
I stood, prepared to return. But unlike me, Eclipse appeared to have something final to express, hesitating for a moment.
“Um… Delta!”
‘Delta’?
That was an oddly unfamiliar title.
Casting my gaze downward, I found Eclipse interlacing her fingers, pressing them against her thighs while blushing with modesty. She seemed almost frantically buoyant.
“Don’t you have something to ask of me? I practiced a lot for this… thinking about you…”
‘…Practice? What did she practice… Ah.’
It dawned on me — the unexpected inclination of expectation made me realize I had instructed her once to prepare her responses.
‘… Could that be possible?’
I had never truly believed such training could yield such an outcome, but the expectation gleaming in her eyes compelled me to hold back my surprise.
Maintaining my composure, I sauntered to the bed. As I met her gaze, her über-colored eyes shone luminously like the sun and moon.
“Indeed, I had said I’d ask something of you.”
“Y-yes… You definitely said so…”
Eclipse’s cheeks reddened in warmth, and I carefully seized her chin between my thumb and index finger.
Without uttering a word, her eerily revealing figure only briefly concealed by tattered clumps quaked slightly in response to my gesture. The pink-tipped peaks situated beneath her garment clearly stood out.
“Eclipse.”
“Y-yes…”
In a deep breath, I allowed a smile to breach through while gradually tilting my head closer to her ear.
“It’s time to showcase the fruits of your practice.”
As I whispered, her body convulsed, trembling as if surrendering to electricity.
An erotic, drawn-out breath escaped her—HUUU— mingling with soft moans interspersed through air.
A colorful trail of dribble trickled down the corners of her lips. Lithe and salivated, the pink morsel revealed itself as her tongue slipped through, saturating satisfaction.
The hands gripping around the blanket tightened involuntarily. Her thighs clenched while her toes curled subtly in reaction, revealing her soul in a rapturous reverie.
“Excellent work, Goddess. Truly splendid practice.”
“Gyaaaah…!”
As she groaned on the edge, I stroked her head gently. The moist warmth enveloping the coverings of the sheets spread the aroma of sweet fruits tangling in a delicate dance.
“Now let’s truly return.”
“Yes… yes…”
As I gingerly assisted Eclipse back to her feet, I noted her dripping thighs streaming down, sticky and treacherous, trailing further with each clumsy step.
“Wonder what the Holy Kingdom folk will think if they find out such a scandalous side to their goddess?”
“T-This is all solely for you…”
Eclipse fiddled nervously, retreating behind her fingers with feigned indifference. In amusement, I waved my hand, and a stream of bright light materialized between us.
“Just a moment. You aren’t allowed to follow me.”
“What?”
As she attempted to come with me into the light, I halted her, surprised by the unexpected tone in her puzzled gaze. I leaned in once more to whisper in her ear.
“Until I return, ensure it’s all tidied up, Eclipse.”
“Yahh?!”
Her body buckled, throwing her back slightly as the cascade flooded between her legs, a river spilling the translucent liquid she’d shed.
Finally surrendering, she crumbled to the floor, cascading Earthward.
As her leaking essence spread like fresh ink across the floorboards, I took the last step towards the light.
The azure splendor began to pull away, and shadows of my companions shimmered back into view. Upon seeing me emerge, the previous hint of concern dissipated into joyful exuberance.
With open arms and gleeful smiles, they enveloped me, surrounded by warmth as laughter resounded around us.
With that, Brightest Darkness 4 reached its conclusion. Now, it was time for a new tale to unfold — a story profoundly beyond my knowledge.
