Extra's POV: My Obsessive Villainous Fiancee Is The Game's Final Boss-Chapter 339: A Game Of Ten Questions

The next morning dawned bright and early.

The sun cast a golden hue over the snow covered peak, and the cold was gentler, almost reverent, as if even the mountain knew something significant was about to happen.

Ren stood outside the tent, stretching as he exhaled slowly. His body felt... different. Stronger.

Last night, under the cover of darkness, he had poured every one of the three hundred thousand gold coins into Tithecraft, dumping it all into the switch that fueled his own body.

And it worked.

His muscles felt like he’d added coiled springs of power within them. His vision was better than before, and every breath filled his lungs with exhilarating clarity.

He flexed his fingers, feeling the strength surging through his bones. His heartbeat was steady, yet more powerful. He rolled his shoulders and twisted his torso, testing the limits of his new strength. It felt like his body had been reforged.

Lilith walked out of the tent behind him, brushing snow from her hair.

Thorn emerged from his own tent, yawning as he adjusted his coat, eyes squinting against the morning light.

"Ready?" Ren asked.

Lilith nodded. "As I’ll ever be."

Thorn gave a half-hearted thumbs-up. "Let’s go before I remember how much I hate cold mornings."

Together, they packed up the tents and tucked them away into the spatial pouch. The fresh snow crunched underfoot.

Across the field of flattened snow, Nero and Contessa emerged from their igloo of darkness. Their masks were already in place, expressions hidden. Neither said a word, but their presence was enough.

No words were exchanged. Only a glance, and both parties understood.

It was time.

They moved away from the pagoda, and down the slope in the opposite direction they’d approached the Seventh Peak from.

The wind picked up slightly as if urging them forward. Eventually, they reached a clearing nestled between two ridges.

There it stood.

The Truth Stone.

It was a perfect cube, shoulder high and smooth, with no blemish or crack. There was a ring of solid ground around it, untouched by snow despite the flurry that passed overhead.

The surface gleamed faintly in the sun, like it was shining with its own internal light, and the air around it shimmered.

They approached slowly with reverence.

Ren turned to Nero. "I have an amendment to the deal. Ten questions. Each. That’s the cap."

Nero tilted his head. "Agreed."

With that, Ren and Nero moved to opposite sides of the stone. Lilith and Thorn stood behind Ren. Contessa stood behind Nero.

Ren reached out. Nero did the same.

As their palms touched the stone, a soft golden light rippled across its surface, binding their hands to the stone. They couldn’t lift their hands away, even if they wanted to.

The magic had begun.

They spoke in unison.

"I am Ren."

"I am Nero."

"We come to ask questions of each other, ten each, and to answer in truth."

The stone pulsed once. The light deepened to a warm gold. Then it dimmed, settling into a steady glow.

Nero tilted his head. "You may go first."

Ren didn’t waste time.

His first question would be to be certain of what Nero knew. He already knew that the man was aware of Yggdrasil. But what about the remaining mysteries. And so, he asked.

"Do you know about the Three... and the Abyss?"

Nero chuckled in response. "Two questions in one? Bold." He leaned forward slightly. "Yes, I know of the Three. But I do not know about the Abyss."

The stone’s golden glow remained steady.

Now it was Nero’s turn to ask a question.

The man tilted his head slightly. "What would you do if the being that brought you to this world... was your enemy?"

Ren’s breath caught.

How did Nero know that his soul hadn’t originally been from this world?!

He tried to keep calm. He didn’t look back at Lilith or Thorn. He focused on the stone, on the thrum of magic anchoring him.

All he needed to do was answer.

"If that being threatened the people I care about... I wouldn’t hesitate. I’d destroy it."

With that done, it was his turn to ask questions.

Ren took a breath. He had to choose carefully. Nero had asked a question that indicated that he knew the truth behind Ren being in this world, and that presented him with two options.

He could ask who brought him here, or he could focus on the present threat. The Three. Yggdrasil. The bigger danger.

He made his choice.

"Why is Yggdrasil after us?"

Nero’s eyes twinkled behind the mask.

"Yggdrasil isn’t after you." He said calmly. "It’s after her." He nodded toward Lilith.

Ren tensed. Lilith said nothing, but knives appeared in both of her hands.

"Yggdrasil’s current body is inefficient for what it wants to do." Nero continued. "It needs a vessel strong enough to contain its essence and power. And Lilith, with her Divine Gift... is perfect. Soul Dominion can hold anything. Even a god."

That was when the sky rumbled.

Above them, a faint crack split the heavens like a hairline fracture in glass.

Their gaze immediately went up.

Nero chuckled at the sight. "Seems Yggdrasil doesn’t like what I’m saying. It doesn’t like that I just revealed one of it’s weaknesses. Why else would it seal that Gift inside Lilith? It’s coming to put a stop to this."

He turned to Ren. It was his turn to ask a question.

"Would you destroy the world," Nero asked softly, "if it meant saving the ones you love?"

Ren didn’t hesitate.

"Yes."

The crack in the sky widened slightly, a flicker of lightning dancing behind it. The wind howled.

Ren clenched his fist. It was his turn.

"What does Yggdrasil want?"

Nero smiled.

"Now you’re asking the right questions."

He stepped slightly closer to the stone, placing his second hand on it.

"Yggdrasil wants to destroy this world. Every creature. Every soul. Everything connected to it to fuel itself. That’s why it created the Trees of Power."

Ren’s eyes narrowed. If Yggdrasil wanted to destroy the world, does that mean it was behind the Calamities?

No. That wouldn’t add up. If Yggdrasil was behind the Calamities, then, why was the Chained Man involved in the Red Plague? Were they working together?

He could feel that he was getting closer to the truth. He just had to know the answers.

While his mind worked on the information he was receiving, behind him, Thorn looked horrified at the thought of being connected to a being that wanted to destroy everything.

"When the time is right," Nero continued, "the trees will activate and drain the world of every ounce of energy it has, including the souls of those bound to them."

Lilith’s breath hitched.

"If we don’t stop Yggdrasil," Nero finished, "everything... including you, Ren, will be consumed."

A gust of wind howled past them. The ground trembled.

Ren opened his mouth to ask the next question.

"Who are behind the Cala—"

A bolt of lightning screamed from the sky.

It struck the Truth Stone with deafening force.

The stone exploded.

A golden shockwave tore through the clearing, blasting all five of them backward. Snow, rock, and mist surged into the air. The ground split where the stone had stood.

Ren hit the ground hard, rolling in the snow. His ears rang. The air smelled of ozone and burning magic. A ringing hum filled his skull.

Lilith scrambled to her feet, eyes wide. Thorn groaned as he dragged himself upright.

The Truth Stone was gone.

And the sky above them... continued to crack wide open. The fracture spread across the blue expanse, branching out like a spiderweb of divine fury.

Yggdrasil had arrived.

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