Five Hours Later...
"So, how are you feeling now?" MadWhite's voice rang out as he tapped Ryuk's shoulder. Ryuk turned his head toward him and then—
GIIIIGGGLLLLEEE
A giggle echoed through the open space, coming from none other than Asteralaxia, who stood to the side.
Her hands covered her lips, yet she couldn't hold back her laughter as she looked at Ryuk.
Right now, his pale-white face had turned completely rosy pink, his eyes swirling with a bizarre tiredness mixed with helplessness.
And then—
BLERRRRRGGGGGGGGGGH
A wave of liquid came bursting out of Ryuk's mouth, splattering all over the ground.
MadWhite calmly patted his back, saying, "There, there. It'll go away soon…"
"You bastard!" Ryuk shouted as he slapped MadWhite's arm away, resulting in a loud laugh of mockery from him.
"You said it was an ordinary— BLEEERRRGGGG!!!"
Another wave surged out as Ryuk vomited once more, splashing across the floor.
He finally collapsed onto the ground, his chest heaving up and down.
"What's... what's in the damn drink?!" he asked, panting.
MadWhite grinned wickedly.
"Just a little something to finally make you a man. Not much…"
"Tch, fuck you!" Ryuk could only force out before he began inhaling and exhaling heavily.
It had all started from a simple wine drink with MadWhite and Asteralaxia.
They had given him special bottles, claiming they were "just for him," and MadWhite had even forced him to take nearly 40 bottles during some stupid competition.
Now, he couldn't stop vomiting everything out, and the damn system was just snickering silently, refusing to say anything helpful.
It felt like the world was spinning.
There were five moons in the sky instead of one.
But the more he breathed, the more the moons slowly disappeared—until just one remained.
Slowly, he stopped heaving like a madman and regained control of himself.
"So... how do you feel now?" MadWhite asked again, his head popping up above Ryuk's.
Ryuk only rolled his eyes. "Go sleep already, MadWhite. Your eyebags are too heavy..." he said, noting the massive sleepless bags beneath MadWhite's eyes.
"Ah, you're right. It's taking all I have to even remain on my feet."
"Then goodbye, Ryuk. There are hundreds of rooms below if you want to sleep. I'll be going first…" he said as he made his way toward the mansion's exit, then stopped.
"And don't forget—you're a loser. You lost the competition after all..." he added with a smirk before disappearing down into the mansion below, even forgetting to close the door behind him.
Ryuk could only roll his eyes as he watched it swing slowly back and forth, before turning his gaze back to the sky.
The breeze wheezed past fast, whipping his hair around his face, his shirt flapping wildly.
He fixed his gaze to the stars and the curved moon before taking in a deep, satisfying breath and exhaling loudly.
"Quite the mentor you've got there. Looks more like an elder brother than a mentor..." a voice echoed.
Ryuk opened his eyes and turned to the side, finding Asteralaxia leaning on the railing, her gaze resting on his flushed face.
"Tch. You knew about it, didn't you? You both set me up!" Ryuk accused, frowning.
Asteralaxia only rolled her eye. "Get yourself together. You're more than old enough for that," she said unapologetically.
Ryuk could only hmph and turn away, ignoring her.
Silence settled between them until, finally, Ryuk's frown faded and a bit of relief appeared on his face.
"Finally... I finished my part of the deal," he muttered, just loud enough for Aster to hear, though her expression remained serene.
'Finally...' Ryuk thought again to himself.
He had genuinely thought it would be difficult to convince Aster to appear before the Ten Leaders and to ensure everything played out smoothly without making himself look like an immature fool.
But in the end, everything had worked out. Even though it required him to get another Contract Grimoire.
But that was a decision he had made willingly.
Ryuk knew if he truly wanted the greatest help from Aster, he had to give something in return. And what better gift than her freedom?
Of course, giving her true freedom might have just led to her leaving.
So instead, he made it a deal.
For the sake of her freedom, Aster would help him defeat the Knulls.
Once they were gone, she'd be free to go wherever she wanted—and he too would've gotten what he needed: to prevent Endearth from turning into a Dark Gomar.
'...Why do I even care if Endearth doesn't become a Dark Gomar? It doesn't align with any of the goals I had in mind...' Ryuk thought silently.
His goal was simple: find that Bird Knull and get more info on how to continue his journey. Learn its relationship with Uncle Bob, and what really happened in the past.
None of that had anything to do with Endearth surviving or not becoming a Dark Gomar.
That wasn't part of his plan. Yet somehow, that's what he now found himself fighting for too.
[Perhaps, it's because Host has gained affection for Endearth, having grown up here... or because Host has developed quite the bond with humanity as a race, and doesn't wish to witness its eventual destruction.]The system suggested.
Ryuk's eyebrows furrowed for a moment… then relaxed.
'Whatever it is, I'm pretty sure Uncle Bob wouldn't frown at it. So I guess I must be doing the right thing,' he thought to himself.
His memories drifted briefly to the image of a gigantic snow-white creature flashing him a distinctly intelligent grin.
'I wonder how Isha is doing now. It's almost like she's been gone for countless years...'
Ryuk thought silently but then the image soon appeared in his head, unconsciously causing his hands to fold up.
'And Morgaine too. Tch, how do I even fix this up after falling out with the Half-Fallen One? Call her up?' Ryuk thought to himself as his hands reached up for his phone.
He couldn't return back to her but at least he got her number in his memories.
His hands was about to reach his phone when a strange thought suddenly went into his head, and he paused in his step.