Perfect Avatar
Chapter 168: To Save What’s Already Broken

Chapter 168: To Save What’s Already Broken

"The trial ends here." The dean spoke, a smile that spoke volumes about her decision.

Dora briefly stopped breathing, feeling a fiery sensation in his chest.

"... The trial is over? So you have made your decision?"

"Yes."

"... And it looks like that’s not a good outcome for me, is it?"

She took a deep breath and nodded.

"It’s over, I’m done playing this game. You said our decision mattered so here it is: we don’t recognize you as Dora."

A suffocating silence enveloped the room, weighing down on everyone present. Anticipation hung in the air as they awaited the dreaded response from Sin.

The individual in question maintained an unwavering gaze upon the dean, only to eventually shut his eyes and bow his head in resignation.

"So it’s your decision? We understand. In the end, Dora wasn’t worth sacrificing for. You really gave him up for that clown."

A wave of excruciating pain surged through their chests, causing the nobles and the ex-Shining Sword members to lower their heads simultaneously.

Observing this, the dean shook her head, her expression reflecting a mix of sympathy and disapproval.

"It’s the opposite, we care enough about Dora to not let you distort his name any longer. Dora was never a..."

"Enough."

With a snap of his finger, The Sin erased the entire space, leaving everyone in shock. The monster’s potential reaction loomed over them, instilling fear.

A sudden breeze at their backs sent shivers down their spines. Turning around, they noticed a gap in the void a few meters behind them.

"This is the exit." The Sin said, keeping his eyes closed. "The trial is over, you can go now."

Their faces twisted in bewilderment as they turned to him, then directed their gaze towards the gap.

"That’s it? You won’t oppose our decision?" Freya asked hesitantly.

A wicked smile crept onto the Sin’s face as he squinted his eyes.

"What? You want more? You want us to commit a crime? We have nothing else to do with you now, go."

As he grappled with a profound resolution, his unwavering resolve was undeniable, but the consequences of his actions at that precise moment couldn’t help but stir worry within them.

Candace’s face mirrored her unease, her eyes reflecting a deep sense of anxiety.

"We can go? So you agree to let us erase your memory again?"

A hair-raising, ominous laughter sent shivers down their spines. The Sin’s intense amber eyes bore into them, brimming with an indescribable sense of unease.

"Hm? Amusing, so it wasn’t enough to crush our faith and abandon us? Now you also want to erase us? Right after telling us in the face that you lied to us?"

The dean gritted her teeth in anguish.

"This is not what we agreed to."

"We don’t give a damn!"

The sound filled the space, making the surroundings quiver. Dora’s eyes darkened, encircling the gold in his irises. He approached them, urging them to retreat slowly.

"Agreed? How dare you use this word, when you abandon us after leading us to this path? You used us, you made us a killer, you tricked us with beautiful words, dreams, what’s happened to our purpose to end the Twilight of Gods?!"

"It... it was a mistake! I was..."

"Do not call us a mistake!" The white floor cracked under his feet.

"You made us this way, you motivated to keep going, we existed with the sole goal of pleasing your death wish, don’t you dare call this a mistake now!"

Everyone retreated hastily, except for the dean who stood unwaveringly in front of the Sin.

"D-dean!" Iris tried to join them but hurt an invisible barrier.

As the realization dawned upon them, they found themselves isolated from Sin, Candace, and the fake Dora. Panic surged within them as they pressed against the invisible barrier, desperately calling out for the dean.

On the opposite side, the dean’s hands strained to touch the Sin’s face, yet her feet stubbornly maintained the distance between them.

"I know I made an error... this is why I want to fix it! I realized that Thomas was right, but there is always another way!"

"You rejected this way just now! You betrayed us!"

"I don’t want you to grow as a killer! You didn’t know what you were doing, You had no intention to harm anyone! I can’t let you dive into this hell anymore!"

She stopped retreating, the Sin’s foot landed right in front of her.

"Miss Candace!" Freya exclaimed, but their voices did not seem to reach them.

As the dean gazed directly into his eyes, the earth trembled beneath her, yet she stood her ground unwaveringly. In a remarkable twist, she embraced Dora tightly, her grip unyielding, determined to keep him rooted in place.

"I’m the reason you’re like this, I failed to make you strong enough, I failed to protect you from the Queen, I failed to find a better way than making you a murderer... Everything is my fault, mine only! But everyone’s hate is on you..."

"We don’t care about other people’s hatred!"

The ground cracked even more, the whole place seemed on the verge of collapsing, but Candace seemed unaffected.

Her forehead against his chest, she muttered.

"Yes... Because you only care about me, and this is why I can’t allow this anymore.

With a deliberate slowness, she lifted her gaze towards him, her eyes meeting his with a soft intensity. In return, he wore a face of astonishment, clearly caught off guard by her unexpected action.

"Everything you did, it was always for me. You killed those people because I asked you too, you gave me so many soul stones, just to make me stronger... Because I told you my body’s condition. All your words, your gifts, it was something I never expected in this catastrofic life."

The Sin’s expression twisted into a frown, causing an immediate cessation of the cracking that had filled the air.

"There were moments... I really felt disgusted. These powers in me, these bodies... the graves I visit everyday... I felt so revulsed by this... but everytime I saw your face, your smile, your efforts to satisfy me... I started to think... that it was worth the pain. I’m the dean, and the Sloth Avatar, I was never meant to receive so much attention... especially from a being so much ..."

Glistening droplets cascaded down her cheeks, betraying the emotions that welled up within her.

"There were time when I really hated you but... The moment I stopped looking at you like a monster, I saw how sweet you really are. This time I trained you, with Elizabeth... Midgard... it was the best time of my life."

"...Then why do you reject us now? What are we supposed to understand? You played us? Everything is fake? What are we?!"

"Because this is too cruel. You’ve suffered too much. You never had a choice, everyone used you... You were forced into the academy, you were forced into this game of powering up, the nobles, the Queen, the Twilight of Gods. The true Dora only wished to live in peace with her family, but no one ever leave you the opportunity. And now you can’t even be yourself anymore. I couldn’t save Elizabeth, Midgard, Peters... I failed to protect you too. But you’re still alive. You still exist... I just want to save at least one person. Please... please... If you really cared about me, let me save you. "

She concealed her tear-stained countenance within the sanctuary of his chest, her weeping subdued, while the Sin gazed upon her in disbelief.

A shiver ran through the crowd as they comprehended the dean’s suffering. They came to the realization that, whether it was the most trivial task or the most significant challenge, they had always exploited Dora.

They had regarded him as a mere instrument, taking his presence for granted, relying on him to untangle their predicaments. This path had gradually led him towards alienation.

With their head bowed low, burdened by their actions for the nobles and consumed by desperation for Lilith and Marie, they finally comprehended how their actions had metamorphosed him into the detested monster.

The Sin, his eyes reverting to their original state, scrutinized the dean intently. Then, he inhaled deeply and lowered his head in solemnity.

"So this is your last decision? You want us to disappear?"

"... I want to start again with you."

"... Start again? What’s about the lives we’ve taken? They won’t disappear."

"I’ll keep you away from them, no one will target you."

"... And the Twilight of Gods? Didn’t you need a monster to deal with it? Or are you betting on the monsters behind you?"

He slowly raised his head toward them.

"You think we are a monster? This should be punished? Then what’s about those people? None of them have a human’s soul."

They jumped back in surprise and shared a quick glance. The dean’s face twisted in confusion as she stared at him.

"What?"

"We’re saying, that among every people we’ve murdered, these one have nothing like a human soul. We can feel you in all of them and... Looks like there is also a part of us in 3 of them. Aren’t they also monsters?"

The dean looked at them, her lips twitching.

"We exist in them? You can feel their soul... Is this... Is this the... the pseudo-Avatar’s transformation? Are they ready?!"

Her gaze met his with an instinctive intensity, causing a gentle smile to grace his lips.

"Seems like you can tolerate a monster if it isn’t us..."

"Uh? Wait, this isn’t..."

"Enough, let’s stop playing this game now, Sloth."

The dean felt compelled to let him go under the weight of his intense gaze. Dora’s eyes hinted at a desire to voice her thoughts, yet she hesitated due to his demeanor. With a weary look on his face, he shifted his attention to the rest of the group.

"We suppose this is how we’re going to end it. We won’t pass our own trial. We admit defeat. There’s no need to fight anymore anyway. Congratulation on killing us twice."

With a swift motion, he snapped his fingers, causing the very fabric of space around them to fracture and dissolve gradually.

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