The spiritual girl stood up from her seat, slithering over to stand behind the throne of the crimson demon.

Draping her transparent hands around him as if she was caressing one of her own possessions, she whispered something into the ear of the demon with a demented smile.

"Let's play with him."

Dern could not hear the words being said. They were far too quiet, and the four who were sitting in their thrones high up in the air were too far away for Dern to possibly be able to hear a whisper.

Yet, without a doubt, that was what the woman said.

Dern could read every motion from those corrupted lips as if it were spelled out clearly for him to recognize.

"Wait."

Dern by all means should have been filled with terror, but he instead stood defiant before the four beings of power.

'I must do everything for the sake of my people. Even if it means sacrificing myself.'

The spiritual girl seemed to roll her eyes in annoyance as Dern spoke up, loud enough for his voice to echo throughout the arena.

"What is it? I don't have all day, you know. It's pretty busy being a dictator. Ah.... what should I do after this..... perhaps we should return to the torture chambers? Or maybe we should drive the new slaves to their deaths? Hmm.... so many options....."

Dern was filled with shock at the horrible things which came out of the mouth of this spirit, and he was even more terrified at the grinding voice which she had.

As if she were a singer who had endlessly harassed her throat screaming, it was a voice that was scratchy and ugly. It hurt ones ears just to listen to it, far unlike the succubus who sat next to her, who's voice seemed to produce the exact opposite effect.

"Why..... why would you do such things? Do you not feel any remorse for the people underneath you?", Dern asked desperately. "Please! I beg of you to only listen to me for a bit! If giving you my own life.... if sacrificing myself will satisfy you, then I will gladly do so! I am far stronger than any of the people of this village, and as such I am certain that if you were to use me for labor, I would be able to make up for all the rest of the people in this village! Please!! Take me as a slave instead of these people!!"

The elven figure seemed to be wiping off his glasses with a handkerchief, which he elegantly folded and placed back into his own pocket after placing his glasses back on his face.

Slicking back his hair, he looked down upon Durst with a light chuckle.

"As I said before, you are too moral. You don't seem to be able to comprehend the evil in others. Hmm.... No, perhaps there is something else which you cannot understand. Then I will spell it out for you. You have perhaps lived your entire life for the sake of others. Everything in which you do has been to assist others. By doing this, you have always seen the good in others. When you help someone, they respect you. When you lend a hand to someone, they give you a smile and gratitude. However because you have spent your entire life helping others, perhaps you have ignored the evil that lurks within people."

Putting his own hand to his chin in thought, the elf then corrected himself.

"Rather, perhaps you have always been able to overcome the small amounts of evil within the people around you. After all, you are a powerful and respected warrior. When conflicts arise, you have been sure to settle them quickly. Not a soul of this city desires to go against your wishes, and so they will agree to whatever you say, regardless of their own inclinations. However, there is one major flaw in this method of yours."

Standing up, the elf seemed to grin down at Dern with an arrogance unlike anything he had ever witnessed.

"You have never met someone so evil that you could not fix them with your own power. Greetings. Perhaps I should give you a firm handshake before we complete this interview?"

----

The elf sat down once more while chuckling to himself, and the spotlight was then placed on the crimson demon who held out his own arm.

"Shall we demonstrate our power to these people?"

"Mhm!"

The spiritual girl responded energetically at the suggestion of the demon, who made a grasping motion with his hand.

[Collect Materials]

Simultaneously, the spiritual girl pointed her index finger and flicked it around like a wand.

It was only an instant, but the seats which the people were sitting on seemed to disintegrate into particles of light, before being sucked up by the hand of the demon.

The rows were now flat soil platforms, ones suitable for bowing in fear before the people in front of them.

As the spiritual girl traced her finger along the people, one by one they seemed to fall to the ground, chained down by an indescribable pressure.

Dern found himself looking around as his people struggled to breathe and suffered under the immense pressure.

"What.... what are you doing to them!?!"

Looking around in terror, Dern realized something at this moment.

The elf was correct.

Never before had Dern met someone who was purely evil.

Never before had he met someone so evil to the point where he could not overcome such evil with his own courage and effort.

Yet before him, were four beings of chaos.

'They are.... too evil.....'

As he watched the painful positions and cries of the people around him, his ears were blasted with agony.

"Ugh!!!"

"Agh!!!"

Looking up to the spirit who seemed to be the cause of this, Dern witnessed a face which was unfathomable.

The spirit had a disgusting smile on her face that wrapped from ear to ear.

She was laughing in her crackling voice, and her arms were wrapped around the demon who sat with one leg on another like a king.

'I.... cannot.... do anything.....'

Dern could not move his body either. He tried and tried to move, but he could not.

"Does it hurt? To see everything around you crumble?"

The spirit girl seemed to mock him as she lifted a hand up, and the very ceiling itself of the arena began to crumble.

The walls shook and power flowed through the air as the ceiling was ripped to pieces.

It was immense, yet it was contained at the exact locations of impact.

Flying down to speak with Dern, the spirit's phantom feet lightly touched the ground as everything crumbled around her.

Her eyes drooped with madness, and the boulders of soil which fell around her seemed to just barely miss her, exploding into balls of dust as they hit the ground.

'Evil.....'

'Evil.....'

'EVIL!!!!'

Never before had Dern witnessed something so evil.

It was then that the girl used her own magic to lift up a couple of children.

A young female pillbug humanoid, and a young female ladybug humanoid.

The two floated through the air using the magic of the spirit, and were placed before her in submissive positions.

"Now..... you said before that you wanted to help people, right??? Hm???? I'd like to know. Was that all talk? No, it probably wasn't. You're strong, and can actually help people. But you know...."

In an instant it seemed as if the spirit had disappeared from the sight of Dern, and he heard the raspy voice in his ears.

"I've always wondered how a hero would handle such a situation.... heh heh.... what would the hero do when he is given a choice between two lives? Right? Hmm?? If it were a side character who had the decision, they would probably curse the villain, tell them that they're wrong, and that they should release both people. Then, the villain would beat up the side character for fun, until the protagonist showed up and saved the day. Isn't that right? Heh heh heh....."

Slithering around the body of Dern, the spirit's face appeared right in front of his own with a destructive expression.

Her eyes seemed to have flames in them, as if she wished for nothing more than to burn everything in this very world down.

"Ah..... but you're the protagonist, right? You're no side character in this village. You're the one who is supposed to show up at the last moment to save the day, right??? HAHAH!!!! Well then, we should change up the scenario a bit. If the protagonist is presented with such a decision, what do they do?"

With an evil grin, the spirit began to laugh in the same way that metal sounded when it was being bent.

"Oh.... right..... that would be where you say something like 'I'll save both of them!!!', and then I would proceed to tell you..... 'no, that's impossible. You could never defeat me.' And then you would be all like 'No!! Even if the chance is only one in a million, I will definitely find a way to overcome you and save both of them!!!!!' Isn't that right? So, Mr. Hero? Which one do you want me not to kill? Hm??????"

Dern, who could not so much as speak during the entire duration which the spirit was talking, suddenly felt his own vocal chords loosen.

Staring this horror in the face, he was terrified.

Even more terrifying though, was the decision which the spirit implied he would have to make.

"I..."

Dern looked forward at the two young children.

He knew both of them.

As the leader of the village, he took it as his own responsibility to personally know and assist everyone in the village. Therefore, these two children were people he knew well.

Their parents were likely watching in horror up in the stands as their children were put onto the sacrificial altar.

"Why?"

Dern murmured this quietly as his very being shook.

"Why????"

"Why would I do this? Ah.... it seems you've realized something. Heh heh..... HAHAHAHAHA!!!!! You've realized that you really do have no way to even touch me. You can't defy me. Anything and everything I say is law. If I say that one of them must die, then one must die."

"Why can't you save both of them!?!?! Why do you have to kill one of them!?!?!?!"

Dern was now crying desperately, begging the evil being before him to cease her own actions, however she didn't hold even the slightest bit of remorse.

"Why would I not kill one of them?"

"BECAUSE THERE IS NO REASON TO!!!!!", Dern shouted.

He was frustrated beyond belief.

Tears welled up in his eyes and his head became hazy as he was filled with confusion.

Why would someone do something like this?

For what purpose?

There was no reason behind it. This was just mindless slaughter of people.

"There's also no reason not to.", the spirit replied.

These words dug deep, carving into the very heart of Dern.

"There's..... no reason.... not to?"

He looked up at the spirit with a horror so great that he could not see her as anything else but a monster.

"Do you.... not understand the value of life? Do you not understand that killing someone needlessly is wrong??"

"Keh heh heh... there is only one thing which I see as wrong, Mr. Hero. And that is going against me."

"I will not choose!!!"

Dern shouted out with all his might, rebuking the spirit.

"I will not choose between those two children!! Both of their lives are precious!!!!"

Dern took a stand against the evil spirit.

Even if he was powerless before her to do anything, he could at least hold his ground.

He could do this much.

He could refuse to play along with her games.

"Ah.... how boring. I suppose that's how all you heroes always are, right? You wouldn't be able to choose between them. Then, how about I bring forward the parents of these children."

Flying through the air with the twist of the spirit's finger came four people- a male and female pillbug couple, and a male and female ladybug couple.

They were frozen in place and pressed to the ground in the same way as the children before them, however the spirit girl released the pressure on the heads of the pillbugs for a bit.

"What do you two think? Which child here should I save? You are permitted to speak, you know. Lift your heads. Tell me straight. Which one should I save?"

The two pillbugs slowly lifted their heads, looking at the spirit with fear.

"P-please...."

"Save our child...."

They both pressed their heads to the ground and pleaded.

"PLEASE SAVE OUR CHILD, O GREAT AND POWERFUL SPIRIT!!!!!"

Dern looked forward with horror at this scene.

'Oi oi... what are you two doing..... you're supposed to refuse to play along with her games and try to save both.... right? Why..... why did you give in so easily!?!?'

"Heh heh.... it seems like some people understand.... now be quiet."

The pressure on the pillbugs resumed and the ladybug family was released of their pressure.

"And you two? What do you think? Which one should I save?"

"Please.... save our child...."

"We will do anything for you..... we will do more than those two can do for you if you save our child....."

Dern's heart shattered into pieces at seeing this.

This demonic spirit had spread her own corruption to his own people, forcing them into a decision where they had become selfish and evil, and chosen their own desires over striving for what was right.

Instead of defying the evil in front of them, they bowed to it and appeased it.

"Oh? Interesting. Do you see, hero? Both sides want to save their own child. I hope you understand at least a little now. No matter how much you do to cover it up, evil and self interest will always exist within people. Is self interest truly evil? HAHAH!!! I don't know!!!! I'm just doing whatever the hell I want!!!"

The spiritual being crackled to herself before becoming serious once more, looking to the parents with a delighted grin.

"Now then.... I will give you two parents a third option.... one which you can choose if everyone agrees. Instead of killing off either of those children, I will kill off this hero here. What do you think?"

The pressure on the four was released, and they looked back and forth to one another with menacing glares.

Of course, they were at odds with one another.

Just moments ago they had been begging for their own child to be saved, and for the other to be killed.

However upon looking forward, their expressions softened.

Dern was smiling.

His face was filled with tears, but he was smiling.

'Ah.... at least this can end with myself being the only sacrifice....'

However, a thought then came across Dern's mind.

'Wait....'

'What if.....'

It was a horrible thought which took root into the depths of his soul, spreading throughout him like a poison flowing through his body.

'What if she kills me and then proceeds to kill off everyone..... for her own pleasure?'

Dern became filled with shock and horror as he thought this.

For this irrationally sadistic being, it was possible.

Before this experience, never would Dern have even considered this possibility.

To think that someone would be capable of such a thing was something which he rejected with his very being.

However right now, he was obsessed with this thought.

It was possible.

The two families looked to one another before bowing before the spirit.

"I do not care what you do so long as my own child is saved!!!!!"

Simultaneously, they all shouted this.

"Then it's settled, isn't it?", the spirit crackled. "Sorry hero. You're going to become a public sacrifice."

The spirit then wrapped her own body around Dern like a coil, spiraling around him and tightening her grip.

Dern felt his own muscles being crushed, and the chitin which made up his outer shell began to crack.

Yellow fluid flowed from these cracks, and Dern became unable to breathe.

Looking up at the crowd, he saw the terrorized faces of the people around him.

Their hero- the person who had done everything he could to assist and serve them, and maintain the peace of this village, was being slaughtered by a horror so great that he could do nothing.

Crushed to death, his face writhed with fear as he wondered whether or not he would be the only casualty.

His body exploded under the pressure into a rain of chunks of chitin and guts.

The families before Ashley remained bowing, deathly scared of what would happen next, and the people in the crowds could not even gasp due to the pressure they were under.

Ashley released the pressure on the people, to hear a choir of screams.

"AGH!!!!!"

"DERN!!!!!"

"He.... he's dead!!!!!"

"NO!!!!!!"

"HELP!!!!!"

"SOMEONE!!!!"

"AHHHH!!!!!!"

The people of the insectoid village were too scared to move, but they screamed and shouted.

Ashley smiled as she heard the screams.

For some reason, they sounded like music to her ears.

It was as if she was listening to a beautiful opera.

Looking over to the pile of guts, she saw a foggy mass floating above the corpse of the ant.

It was his soul.

However, this foggy mist which floated above the ant was a pure white.

Unlike any of the souls Ashley had seen before, this one was almost completely white.

With only a single spot of black, the soul was all but perfect.

In only one spot was there a single blemish.

"That's right..... it would be impossible for a perfect being to exist in this world....."

Sucking up the soul into her palm, Ashley smiled.

It was as if she had consumed a top notch delicacy, unlike anything she had experienced before.

"Nobody can be completely good, nor can anyone be completely evil. For if someone like that were to exist.... then the very laws of the universe would be shattered."