LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 6
Why are happy moments so short?
Why does this ruthless and cruel reality carelessly take away precious things?
*Sniffle.*
I buried myself in a worn-out sofa that barely had any softness left and pounded my squishy limbs against it.
I’m sad. I’m in pain.
Why is this happening to me?!
I stopped pounding and turned my head aside.
On the floor lay a beautiful but crumpled box.
Inside it held the source of happiness.
*Heh heh heh.*
As tears streamed down my face, I let out a silent howl.
I couldn’t take my eyes off the box.
The source of happiness inside was a complete mess.
Various desserts were jumbled together, destroyed in shape.
Looks are important in food; just like a pretty rice cake looks delicious.
*Ahhh!*
This was all their fault.
On the way here, I bumped into someone.
The impact made the box slip from my hand and roll beautifully onto the floor.
Naturally, a dance party for the desserts broke out inside the box. By the time I went to rescue them, it was too late for anything.
I had no choice but to despair.
I dodged, you know.
I definitely swerved to the side just before the impact; it was them who bumped into me.
Yeah, everyone makes mistakes.
They should have apologized first, bought new desserts to compensate, and parted ways happily, and this would’ve been a happy ending.
But fairy tales are fictional stories.
Because they are fictional, reality is cruel.
*Damn it. Are my eyes just for decoration? Do I walk around selling them? This isn’t good. I need to catch that guy…*
*Hey, stop! We have something to do right now. No time to idle around.*
*Fine, whatever. Just know you got lucky. Tch!*
And just like that, the gang slipped away nonchalantly.
How dare they mess up my desserts and act so rude?
I got up from the sofa, approached the box, and hugged it tightly.
I rubbed my soft cheeks against it.
*I will make you pay for this!*
I could hear the desserts encouraging me in my ears.
I wiped my eyes with my arm, teared up, and stood up resolutely.
I felt the fighting spirit in my eyes blaze with intensity.
I desperately wanted to rush out right now, but I had something to do first.
*No matter how messed up they are, they still taste the same; let’s eat one and get started.*
I headed toward the fridge with the box in hand.
And picked one suitable dessert while neatly putting the rest away in the fridge.
I selected a chocolate brownie.
With a serious face, I took a small bite and chewed.
But as the sweetness spread in my mouth, I couldn’t help but break into a grin.
No, eating this won’t extinguish my thirst for revenge.
*Think you can mess with my dessert and get away with it? That’s a big mistake.*
I swallowed and devoured the remaining brownie.
Today, I felt that emptiness hit harder than usual.
As my right hand reached towards the fridge, my other hand anxiously grabbed my right wrist.
*I must endure.*
In my mind, a bunch of tiny ‘me’s deliberated on what to do.
They argued and held a trial.
At the end of the trial, a judge that looked exactly like me issued the final verdict.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
And then I solidified my resolve.
*Ugh! Let’s eat one more. It’s all to fill my energy for revenge; I have no choice!*
Being driven by desire is not breaking the rules I’ve set for myself.
This is all for revenge.
I took another one out of the fridge, popped it into my mouth, and chewed.
Ahhh. So blissful.
*
Three weeks went by.
It took me time to figure out what kind of organization they were and where their base was.
But now that I’ve found it, it doesn’t matter.
*Tonight’s moon is beautiful.*
I got lost in thoughts admiring the full moon rising in the night sky.
While sipping on a soda with the moon as my companion, I felt as if I should be enjoying a peaceful time.
But now isn’t the time for that.
I turned my gaze away from the moon, hiding my sense of longing.
*What could they be doing right now? I hope they’re having the happiest moment. That way, they can feel the same way I did.*
Currently, I stood on a building rooftop.
And my gaze was directed toward a tiny building far away.
It was difficult to see because of the distance.
That building had its lights on.
It was soon to be the place I would attack.
*This candy is delicious. Why was it discontinued when it tastes this good?*
The reason I wasn’t attacking immediately was because of the candy.
I was savoring a rainbow lollipop that Red had given me earlier.
With each time I rolled the candy around in my mouth, 18 different flavors truly burst forth.
The reason I took my time was simple.
It was my version of a last courtesy.
Just like giving a death row inmate their desired meal on execution day, I want to give them this final moment.
I’m really nice, you know.
As I continued to roll the candy on my tongue.
Only a little was left, just tiny bits now.
Crunch. Crunch.
All gone. It feels a bit sad; I wish I could eat more.
I licked the end, sucking out the last bit of sweetness.
I pulled the stick from my mouth.
I played with the stick for a moment.
Then with a bit of magic, I gently flicked it toward their base.
*It’s a bit early, but consider this a Christmas gift from me.*
The stick shot forward at an incredible speed and even from a distance, it perfectly smashed through the building windows.
A moment later, I saw a black crowd gather outside the building, bustling about.
Looks like they really liked my gift.
You might wonder why I caused a commotion.
The reason is simple.
Just like a burglar announces their arrival before stealing treasure, I wanted to warn them about what awaited them.
You could say it’s a declaration of war. I’m letting them know they need to prepare to fight because I’m coming for them.
Since it’s the last time, I think it’s better for it to end with a bang rather than a whimper.
Who knows, they might struggle and miraculously survive. Though I’ve never missed before.
*Shall we go now?*
I clasped my hands together and stretched up.
I loosened my body by moving around a bit.
Concentrating my magic, black fog enveloped me.
The fog swiftly lifted, and as I glanced at the puddles gathered on the rooftop floor.
In the reflection, a giant clad in fearsome armor and a helmet appeared.
It looked like a dark knight straight out of a fantasy game.
True to its terrifying exterior, a dark aura swirled quietly around its body.
Before departing, I turned my head not towards my destination, but in another direction.
*…*
And then, I shifted my gaze back to my destination and leaped without hesitation.
I swiftly traversed the rooftops, heading towards my target.
Let’s finish this quickly.
Before others could meddle and make it annoying.
*
Whenever I appeared in the form of the Grim Reaper, the organization’s members always reacted the same.
First, they didn’t recognize me until eventually, they realized who I was.
Panic, shock, terror.
All kinds of emotions displayed on their faces as they pulled out their weapons and attacked me.
Struggling to survive rather than kill.
“What the hell?! Is this real?! Is that really the Grim Reaper?!”
“Why are you here?!”
“Don’t stop attacking! Just keep pouring it in, no matter what!”
This hail of bullets created by magic and science poured down relentlessly.
Though powerful and merciless enough to shred any ordinary person, they were completely ineffective against me.
That’s because I was equipped with armor I made sturdy enough, leaving not a scratch.
As I stepped boldly out of the blazing flames, they recoiled as if they had seen a ghost.
“Die!!”
“Crap! Crap! Crap!”
I reached out toward the presence I sensed on my left.
As I did, the members there froze; their attacks ceased as well.
Lifting my arm slightly, over a hundred people began to levitate in mid-air.
As I clenched my fist, blue flames blazed up from their chests, consuming their bodies in an instant. They vanished without a trace, unable to scream their last.
“A monster!”
“DIE!”
As I swung my sword lightly in the direction of the presence I sensed,
A blue sword energy shot out, engulfing the members.
The ground was marked with a long line, and a massive scar etched onto the wall behind the members.
I merely swatted them away like flies.
But the building trembled fiercely, and the remaining members scrambled to escape in total disarray.
However, I didn’t let them go. Even if they begged for their lives, I had no mercy.
They were criminals. I wasn’t foolish enough to show compassion to a criminal.
After all, did they spare the ones who pleaded for their lives?
As I dealt with the henchmen and ventured deeper inside,
I came across three individuals radiating a different presence altogether. They were probably the leaders of the organization.
“Ha ha ha! How noisy you are. Are you really the famous Grim Reaper? You sure do look the part.”
With a tail and a snake-like tongue.
Vertical pupils.
And their bodies were covered in reptilian red scales.
They were the Lizardmen.
There were yellow and blue variants too.
“We are the Three-Headed Dragon, descendants of dragons. I am the first, Ignis; the one over there is the second, Baruna; and the one over there is the third, Indra.”
They claimed to be dragons, and I couldn’t help but internally scoff.
They didn’t seem afraid of me.
If anything, I felt their fighting spirit.
“I had always wondered. Could we, descendants of dragons, gnaw at the Grim Reaper?”
The red one grinned widely.
“This will be a good match. Come at me and feel the power of this dragon!”
Magic began to be sucked into the red one’s mouth.
A vast amount of magic was compressed, it glowed red.
Then the red one opened its mouth toward me.
A beam of fire shot straight at me.
It was clearly not dragon breath.
Well, a lizard can’t replicate such a technique.
I extended my left hand forward.
Standing in place, not budging an inch.
I easily blocked the lukewarm heat ray, compressing its magic into one point with my own.
And moments later, a clump of blue flames appeared on my left palm.
*I’ll send this back to you.*
As I released the magic of the flame ball toward the red one, a beam of light ten times greater than what he had unleashed shot out straight.
Wherever that beam swept, everything evaporated without a trace.
Naturally, the red one went along with it.
“Brother!”
The yellow one dashed toward me at lightning speed. Instantly lunging with electrified claws.
But I effortlessly caught the yellow one’s wrist.
And slammed him down repeatedly on the ground.
“Let go of my second brother!”
The blue one took action.
Being the good-natured person I was, I threw the yellow one toward the blue one as instructed.
Seemingly not expecting that move, the yellow one’s face registered surprise.
And due to the force I threw, the yellow one collided with the blue one, crashing into the wall.
Just as luck would have it, as they overlapped, I swung my arm, delivering a fierce blow that pierced through both their bodies.
After all the chaos, silence enveloped the place.
With that, I successfully avenged my dessert.
I called back my sword.
*I’m relieved this ended much simpler than I expected. Now to get out of here… Am I already too late?*
A fierce and ominous aura pierced through me, causing me to sway momentarily.
Yet, holding onto my senses, I swung my sword toward the oncoming danger. I collided with something that rushed at me in incredible speed.
The impact caused the ground to shatter and the explosive air flung debris everywhere.
*Huh? What’s this…?*
I froze in shock upon seeing the face of my attacker.
It was Red, whom I had seen just a few weeks ago.