The Sponsored Heroines Are Coming for Me-Chapter 275

“Please, please…”

Aria muttered incessantly as she ran toward the Void God.

An endless sense of foreboding filled her.

It wasn’t just because that massive black-purple calamity was crushing everything in this area…

‘…I’m anxious. Anxious. Anxious.’

It was a feeling akin to prophecy.

A dreadful unease that something would happen to Ian.

Even biting her fingertips or clenching her lips hard enough to draw blood couldn’t rid her of the anxiety.

‘He’s not fighting that thing alone, is he?’

She was a saint who served a god—so she knew.

That writhing mass of deep purple divinity. That was not something a human could dare to challenge.

That was a god.

A god that stood in direct opposition to the one she served. A wicked deity that sought to devour everything.

Every fiber of her being screamed at her to run away immediately.

But she couldn’t.

Ironically, that very fear became the force driving her forward toward the calamity.

Because she had to save him.

She had to save Ian.

— BOOOOM!

As she drew closer to the divine entity, tremendous shockwaves and earth-shaking tremors roared around her.

“…”

A shiver ran down her spine, like a single drop of ice sliding down her back.

Somehow, she had a feeling that attack was meant for Ian.

Tap, tap!

She sprinted with all her might, and finally, she saw him.

Ian, standing alone, facing the divine entity in battle.

“Ah…”

A sigh escaped Aria’s lips.

A crimson sky.

Ian, standing against a calamity as massive as a mountain.

At that moment, he was the very image of a hero from a fairy tale.

Come to think of it, Ian had always been like this.

When she was locked alone in a dark house.

When she was bullied in school.

When everyone at the academy scorned him.

Whether it was Aria’s darkness or the suffering that befell Ian himself.

He never hesitated to save her. He stood his ground and fought with unwavering courage.

Ian had always been a hero.

No matter what obstacles blocked his path, he would break through them all.

An endlessly radiant hero.

…Hic.

Aria swallowed back the tears that threatened to fall.

Because she knew Ian would never kneel before that divine entity.

That was why she had to help him—quickly.

No matter how brilliant Ian was, he was still human.

And for a human to defeat a god was close to impossible.

She had to help.

Even just a little.

…And if possible, they had to escape together.

Maybe it was selfish, but that was what Aria thought.

Because Ian was her savior. In other words, he was her world—her everything.

Because she had lived her life watching only him.

Because she had to atone for the sin of once resenting him.

She could never accept Ian dying.

Snap!

Just as Aria squeezed out the last of her strength to accelerate—

—KAAAAABOOM!

It happened in an instant.

The writhing arm—perhaps a tentacle—of the divine entity struck Ian directly.

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She saw him falling, leaving an afterimage in the air.

THUD!

The ground shook violently.

The world seemed to collapse.

“He’s dead for sure.”

Beside her, Emilia muttered.

“Shut your mouth.”

Aria snarled at Emilia.

Pure, seething killing intent.

Just for uttering the words of Ian’s death, Aria wanted to kill her.

That couldn’t be true.

There was no way Ian would die so easily.

It must not happen. It was impossible.

She had committed too many sins against him.

There were too many apologies left unsaid.

She had wanted to atone for her entire life.

Her vision blurred.

It wasn’t because of tears. Her consciousness flickered—turning off and on repeatedly.

The scene before her was shocking enough to make her collapse at any moment, but she couldn’t afford to until she confirmed Ian’s condition.

Before she knew it, she could see the place where Ian had fallen.

A crater had formed around him, as if a meteor had struck the ground.

“Ian…!!!”

Aria rushed down toward him in a panic.

— KWAANG!

The divine entity’s arm crashed down once more above her.

The Blood Witch blocked it with a loud impact, but Aria didn’t care.

After all, if Ian died, then there was no point in her being alive either.

She caught sight of Ian’s fallen form.

Blood poured endlessly from his mouth.

His arm was twisted at an unnatural angle.

His bent waist and trembling legs suggested his spine might have been broken.

His clenched teeth told her just how much pain he was enduring.

“…Ugh…ahhh.”

A strange sound escaped from Aria’s lips.

Her legs gave out beneath her, and she tumbled onto the ground.

She wasn’t sure if she was walking, running, or crawling, but somehow, she moved toward Ian.

From her lips, a supreme prayer flowed out instinctively.

“I offer my earnest prayers to the Almighty Deus.”

[Saint’s Prayer]

A supreme spell, imbued with divine power capable of saving all.

A spell that a saint could use only once in her lifetime.

And she used it for just one person.

“Pl-please…”

It didn’t matter.

To her, Ian was the world itself.

“You can’t die, Ian…”

Even if she had to sacrifice everything, she would save him.

◆

I thought I was undoubtedly dead.

From the start, the problem was trying to oppose a divine being with nothing more than a human body.

The sensation of my consciousness fading wasn’t all that unpleasant.

The darkness that came upon me like the dead of night wrapped around me like a blanket.

Yeah.

Wouldn’t it be easier to just close my eyes like this?

I’ve been living too earnestly ever since I possessed this body.

Now, I just want to rest, forget about training or anything else for a while.

Yeah. Who knows?

Maybe if I close my eyes now, a phone will appear before me, displaying the game screen of Fantasy X Academy.

Maybe everything was just a long dream.

Yeah.

A dream.

The Bloodstone Cult. The cult leader. The Void God. Divine beings.

None of these things could possibly be real.

It must have just been a nightmare.

A terrible nightmare caused by restless sleep.

I should take a deep breath, get some proper rest, and forget everything.

By morning, Danya will wake me up.

Or maybe Lina or Elena. Someone will.

‘…Wait a minute.’

If all of this was a nightmare—

If Fantasy X Academy itself was a nightmare—

Then… does that mean Danya isn’t real either?

What about Silvia?

Or Lina, who finally came to her senses? Or Elena, who always smiles so brightly whenever she sees me?

What about my master, who took me in as a disciple despite not knowing where I came from?

What about the Third Princess, who believed in me and followed me?

Or Lady Yerina, who rose to the rank of Northern Grand Duke?

The precious people I met in this world.

My comrades.

Were they all just part of a nightmare?

‘Absolutely not.’

Flash.

My consciousness snapped back into focus.

What the hell was I thinking?

This isn’t a nightmare.

I’m here, and they are my comrades.

Rest? Unfortunately, that’s still far off.

It was only then that I realized—

The darkness that had been devouring my consciousness had come to a halt.

Is this how the Void God consumes existence?

— Clench

I gritted my teeth hard enough to break them.

At least, if my body was still obeying me, I would have.

Get a grip and stand up.

Even if the opponent is a divine being, there has to be a way.

Think it’s impossible?

I’ve survived by squeezing through impossible situations from the very beginning.

I just need to do it one more time.

It’s not that hard.

At that moment—

— Flash!

A brilliant white light filled my vision.

A warmth wrapped around my body.

The control over my body, which I had completely lost, slowly began to return.

“…Ian! Ian!”

A voice called out from the distance.

My vision, though blurry, began to clear.

I blinked blankly.

And then, I saw her—

A girl with long bangs covering her eyes.

“…Aria?”

Did she mistake my mumbling for some kind of divine revelation?

Tears welled up in her eyes as she stared at me with wide, trembling pupils.

Frozen in place, she finally managed to respond.

“Did you… save me?”

“A… Ah… Uh… Y-Yes! A-Are you okay, Ian? Are you really okay?”

“For now, my senses are back. But my mana circuits still aren’t functioning.”

“Th-Thank goodness… I thought… I thought you were going to… die! So I… I used the Saint’s Prayer!”

“…You used the Saint’s Prayer on me?”

I stared at Aria in disbelief.

The Saint’s Prayer—

A spell a Saint can use only once in her lifetime. Its power was, of course, immense, but that wasn’t the point.

“That’s the one that draws divine power from all your followers, isn’t it?”

“I-I know. But I didn’t have a choice! Because… Because I have so many things I need to apologize to you for…”

Aria’s voice grew smaller and weaker, lacking confidence.

…Well, whatever.

I’m alive, so it’s a win.

That spell was originally meant to save the world, but since I’m alive, I guess I’ll be the one to save it.

Besides—

There’s no need to think too far into the future.

Because, right now—

— Whoosh!

A massive arm of the Void God was descending from above.

And I had no way to stop it.

My mana circuits still hadn’t recovered.

And there was no time to give Aria any instructions.

So… is this the time I truly die?

— BOOOOOM!

The divine strike halted above our heads.

No—

It froze in place.

“Ian! Are you alright?!”

A sudden, angry voice rang out.

Followed by a powerful presence—

A pair of thighs, strong and imposing, filled my vision.

My gaze traveled upward along her pale, white skin—

And I saw her.

A stunning beauty with blue hair.

“The Northern Grand Duke.”

“Call me Sister Yerina. What’s with the formal title between us?”

“…Lady Yerina.”

“I expect that to change to Sister next time.”

— CRACK!

The ground beneath her foot shattered.

“Anyway, what the hell is this monstrous thing? My legs are shaking.”

Did she just stop the Void God’s attack with her mace?

At this moment, in my eyes—

Yerina looked more monstrous than the god itself.