Divine Protection: The Pride System

Episode 19: The Beginning of Despair

Reduce, reduce, reduce, until he finds himself.

Reduce, reduce, reduce, until he gets the answer.

Reduce, reduce, reduce, keep reducing until he gets things done.

“Hey, do you know my name?”

The teenage girl, Oshima Yuko held her breath after a man asked her so.

Not that it's a question that has a hidden purpose behind it, it's just an ordinary question that doesn't need to think too long to answer.

If he doesn't know, then just answer it. If he knows, then answer him. That's all it is...

“—Hei, do you know my name?”

The repeated question bound Yuko's throat very firmly.

Not that the man meant it that way, instead he kindly repeated his question.

However, now that Yuko was at a loss as to what she should answer, did she need to answer not knowing? even if he knows, or vice versa?

“—Hei. Lau. You're. My name?”

The man repeated his question again with impatience. Desperation began to creep into Yuko's body.

Now, the biggest question that led to his sixteen-year life was asked by Oshima Yuko.

If life is a series of choices. So here Yuko has some easy options to choose her choice...

Or perhaps, this would be the biggest choice of his life.

Well, whatever it is, right now those boring questions have left him very confused.

If for others it was just a normal question, but for Yuko it was a question that made her worry and torture.

But actually, the man only wants Yuko to answer him.

So he should be able to answer with Yes or No. That way he could be freed from the torment of the question.

“—Hei, do you know my name?”

The black eyes that looked full of regret and suffering looked at Yuko who was cowering in fear.

He could actually see her pitiful face from those sunglasses.

Although the man looked extremely weak and skinny, he really could not stop trembling, trembling, and trembling in fear.

The black hair of the man seemed to pierce Yuko's body one by one and fiddled with her internal organs.

The scent of death continued to radiate from the man's body. Although he usually did not really understand what killing lust was.

Now he really understood it well and clearly.

“—Hei, do you know my name?”

The sudden intense pressure gave him the impression of death, yet inside of him turned upside down, there was a small hope growing.

It was a small wish he had to make himself. The way was very easy, he just needed to answer the question from the man.

If he could answer it, then he could be freed from all this.

But, now what made Yuko depressed was what was the correct answer here? Does he need to answer know or not know?

Instantly thinking about it, he realized the gloomy feeling that dominated his consciousness that was beginning to fade away.

The suffocating feeling came from the strong insistence of his doubts as to what he should answer.

He seemed to be giggled until his chest was about to collapse and crumble.

However, here Yuko had to make up her mind and answer the question.

Hence, with trembling lips, he once again looked into those black eyes.

“–Hei, do you know my name?”

He would be free from dying weakly if he answered that question.

Exerting all her strength, Yuko finally moved her trembling lips, then stringed up the words.

“T... No...”

In accordance with the wishes of his heart, Yuko replied that she did not know...

Removing his mind from the available choices until it stops itself in his mind.

... Very clearly answered his question.

In fact, he really did not know the name or face of the man standing before him right now.

That's why, as famous as any man. To him, he was just a stranger he didn't know...

After that—

“... Is that?”

—The man replied with a short answer.

He did not know whether deep emotions or resentment were contained in the answer.

If life is a series of choices and decisions, then it applies to everyone.

Since Yuko has chosen, then the man must also choose.

Then a moment later—

“... Hk?!”

—Yuko felt a hot feeling that pierced her throat and made her fall.

The man had stabbed Yuko in the neck with the knife she had hidden somewhere.

Yuko was short of breath, her body was convulsing, her eyes were tears and her mouth was filled with spilled saliva.

He felt tightness, tightness, tightness, tightness, and tightness to the point of making him completely tormented.

“A... Aaah..”.

Yuko wanted to scream, but her throat could not take enough breath to scream.

There was only unbearable pain and shortness of breath. His mouth was open and closed, hoping to get oxygen.

However, only hot air entered his body and made him tormented even more severely.

His body was trembling, he was writhing in pain very pitifully on the cold floor.

His consciousness began to thin and disappear, he would soon die.

... He should have known that this was what was going to happen.

Oshima Yuko realized that from the beginning she knew only death was waiting for her.

—After all, the place he entered was currently filled with piles of corpses from humans before him.

“A... Aaah..”.

A moment later, Oshima Yuko had also become one of the corpses present there.

Looking at the corpse of the sixteen-year-old girl lying around, the man only sighed filled with exhaustion and regret.

It all ended as if he was the one who suffered the most here.

His black eyes filled with immeasurable despair were insulting the entire corpse that was there.

... After that, he asked himself—

“—Actually what is my name?”

Reduce, reduce, reduce, until he finds himself.

Reduce, reduce, reduce, until he gets the answer.

Reduce, reduce, reduce, keep reducing until he gets things done.

...---[★★★★★★]---...

—Somewhere dirty and noisy with the sound of customers arriving.

At one of the tables in the area.

“Oi, have you heard the rumors?”

An old man with his cheeks reddened like a drunken man started the conversation.

Hearing the old man who started the conversation in a strange way, his friends started staring at him.

They are a group of people who do not have a job and decide to drink at night.

After getting the attention of everyone, the old man began to continue his conversation after drinking his beer one gulp.

“Aahh~... Well, it's about that >White< Devil that has lately become famous around here.”

Hearing that, his friends began to put on gloomy faces. Is it fear or worry?...

They all instantly took their breaths when they heard >White< Devil from the old man.

Each of them is filled with different feelings and mixed.

Not that the old man did not understand the feelings of his friends, even he also followed a gloomy look.

The atmosphere that was once very lively turned tense and awkward.

“>White Devil

An old man with a fat body said that with an angry expression.

It was the pure anger of a man who had lost his hometown.

Seeing that, his other friend could only shut up and frown.

“It has been 3 years since the appearance of the creature, but the royal knight still can not eradicate it.”

A bald old man said that while staring at his still-filled beer glass.

Maybe he became unappetizing again with his drinks and food because it was discussing something sensitive.

However, different from the others. The old man who started this conversation gulped down his beer hoping to feel some momentary pleasure.

The fat man, and the bald man who saw that slightly smiled faintly then followed by sipping their own beer.

After dropping his glass impolitely, the old man spoke again.

“Actually, I have relatives in the village Write. After my relatives know that the next village has been destroyed because of the >White< Devil. They decided to immediately run away and go to the capital looking for help.”

“So yes, I hope your relatives are fine.”

The bald man tried to calm the old man's worries with a pat on his back.

Although they were recently acquainted, they remain a friend who shares the same suffering with >White< Devil.

“... But, it is not just the village of Write. All the villages started to get scared and decided to flee to the capital. Thanks to that, right now the capital is in chaos, I'm not sure they can accommodate even more people.”

The words coming from the fat man made everyone look at him spitefully and suspiciously.

After all, the fat man simply could not read the atmosphere and made the old man even more worried.

But the fat man only ate the meat with a slightly stiff jerky and chewed it with an impolite voice.

After swallowing his food, he kicked the table vigorously and shouted.

“Whatever it is! I really hope that bajing*n demon dies soon !!”

Everyone who was there gasped in shock at the huge killing appetite of the fat man.

But that's only natural, because the fat man has lost his hometown and family recently since the appearance of >White Devil<.

When he learns that his son and wife have been burned to death, he is completely shocked and turned into a slacker.

Her distended stomach and eyes filled with regret were proof that she was really devastated.

... But, he was still very lucky for not killing himself.

You see lately many people who decided to commit suicide go to the forest looking for the >White< Devil.

That fat man was too cowardly to commit such reckless actions.

“Well, everyone who went to the forest until now never came back again. When the investigation team investigated, they ended up never coming back. Since then, no one has dared to look for the trail of that >Devil White<.”

Everything had become a great mess, destruction, despair, sadness, and fear.

Since the appearance of >White Devil< the whole world has really been in turmoil and depressed with the destruction that does not stop.

The terror of fear from >White Devil< begins to creep up little by little eroding the peace of the world.

In essence, what they want to say at this point is—

“—This will probably be the same destruction as the sinners of seven great sins who spread chaos six hundred years ago.”