In a Female-Dominant World with a 5:1 Gender Ratio, I Saved a Girl as a Kid, and She Said She Wanted to Be My Bride—Who Would’ve Thought She Was a Princess… - 55

Chapter 55: Freezing Despair and a System Error

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(Alto’s POV)

“Now then, it’s time for the execution. …I’ll erase that filthy existence of yours from the data itself.”

Leonardo raised his right hand to the sky. Centered on his palm, mana in the air began to swirl, and a black sphere—energy like “abyss” itself—swelled larger and larger. My body couldn’t move. From the previous blow, several of my ribs had been shattered. My internal organs might have been damaged too.

But heavier than that was the 『Gravity Field』 he had deployed. Just trying to move a single finger put so much strain on me that it felt like every blood vessel in my body was about to burst.

“Stop…! Stop it, Leonardo-sama! If I go back, that’s fine, isn’t it!? So please… Please don’t kill Alto!”

Liliana screamed and cried in Leonardo’s arms. That voice barely kept my consciousness tethered.

“…Be quiet, Liliana.”

Without changing his expression, Leonardo stroked her head as though disciplining a beloved pet.

“This is just ‘cleaning.’ The same as brushing dirt off your beautiful dress. …You only need to close your eyes.”

The black sphere in his hand reached its critical point. A premonition of death stabbed at my skin.

『Initiating complete erasure format of the target.』

Leonardo announced it in a flat, mechanical tone. The released black beam rushed straight toward me. A light that pierced through physical barriers and magical defenses alike, erasing existence itself. I couldn’t dodge it. I couldn’t block it.

Is this the end…?

At that moment… That “voice” echoed inside my head. Different from usual, it carried impatience and grim resolve.

『—Warning. Detected a wavelength identical to the detestable ‘past computational error (bug)’ from the target.』

『…This mistake will never be allowed to repeat.』

KAA!!

Independently of my will, golden light erupted from deep within my body—from the very core of my soul. It formed a dome-shaped barrier that intercepted the oncoming black beam.

Jiiiiiiiiii!!

A rattling interference noise rang out, as if space itself were screaming. Black nothingness and golden equations collided, sparks scorching the wasteland.

“Wha—!?”

Leonardo’s eyes flew wide.

“You deflected it…? A mere bug nullified an Administrator’s delete authority!?”

『Definition rejected. The Master alone is the sole ‘solution’ capable of correcting this world.』

It felt as though the system’s voice had been woven through my own mouth. Spitting out blood, I gave him a crooked grin.

“…Hah. Too bad for you. Seems like the ‘someone’ inside me really hates your guts.”

Inside my head, the system delivered its cold analysis.

『Analysis complete. Confirming authority level of target ‘Leonardo.’』

『…‘Guest user.’ Spoofed Administrator privileges detected.』

A guest…? Spoofed? Clutching my aching abdomen, I glared up at Leonardo floating in the air.

“Hey, Leonardo. You’ve been fooled.”

“…What?”

“You’re not an Administrator. …You’re just a ‘puppet guest.’ Your body’s been hijacked by the owner of those red eyes.”

That sentence seemed to strike Leonardo’s greatest nerve. The composure vanished from his face, replaced by an enraged expression like a wrathful demon.

“Shut up…! Shut up, shut up, shut up!!”

When he swung his arm, his black wings beat violently.

“I was chosen! I am the king of this world, the rightful successor! You trash… Don’t you dare look down on me!!”

DOOOOOOM!!

Realizing that “Delete” wouldn’t work on me, he tried to crush me with pure physical destructive force. The system could block “conceptual erasure,” but it couldn’t completely stop overwhelming mass-driven violence. Countless gravity shells slammed down around me. The barrier shattered, the ground exploded, and my body was blown away like a fallen leaf.

“G—Aaaaaah!!”

I crashed back-first into solid bedrock. This time, I was truly at my limit. My vision dyed red, and the feeling drained from my limbs.

“Altooooo!!”

Liliana’s scream reached me faintly. Through my fading consciousness, I saw Leonardo descend and land before me. He stepped on my head and looked down with merciless eyes.

“…Persistent little insect… But it ends now.”

He formed sword-like black energy in his palm. He intended to finish me off.

“Please wait! I’ll go! I’ll go with you!”

Liliana clung to Leonardo’s arm. With tears streaming down her face, she pleaded desperately.

“I won’t resist! I’ll become your wife! I’ll live my whole life as a doll! So please… Please spare him!”

“Lili… -ana… stop…”

I tried to stop her with a hoarse voice, but no sound came out. After a few seconds of silence, Leonardo loosened his lips into a faint smile.

“…Very well. This is a request from my beloved wife after all.”

He removed his foot from my head, but a sadistic gleam floated in his eyes.

“I won’t kill you. …I’ll give you the chance to die miserably right here instead.”

Leonardo snapped his fingers.

Zuzuzuzuzu…!

The ground around me heaved upward, massive earth and rubble collapsing down over my body. I was being buried alive.

“Come, let’s go home, Liliana. …We’ll continue our perfect wedding at the castle.”

“Alto… I’m sorry, Alto…!”

Their presence moved away. Liliana’s sobs, and the sound of Sleipnir’s wreckage burning could be heard. In the darkness, I ground my teeth in helplessness.

Protect? Protect what? In the end, I hadn’t protected anything.

『…Confirmed decline in biological response. However, hope has not been lost.』

The voice in my head spoke quietly, yet with strength.

『You are lacking. That is all.』

『Recalculation will now begin. …This time, to put an end to that ‘ghost’ once and for all.』

My consciousness was cut off there. But the core in my chest, as if imbued with the developer’s obsession, continued to beat with unextinguished, burning pulses.

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