Werewolf

"Hahaha... hahahahahaha!" The smile on Weidi's mask grew ever more frenzied.

"Now then, Seer-step forward and reveal my identity to the lambs~"

An identity card appeared in Weidi's hand.

The Seer Fool trembled, not daring to take a single step.

"What a pity..."

Weidi shook his head and slowly walked toward the Seer Fool.

"You've lost your chance to reveal my identity, but I suppose I have a kind heart, don't I?"

Weidi toyed with the identity card, spinning it on his fingertip.

"Now then-let's reveal the answer!"

Identity card-[Moderator]

On the face of the card was a balanced scale.

But... was that really the truth?

Flames sprang up on Weidi's fingertip, burning away one side of the scale and leaving the card blank.

A tower appeared on the card, then collapsed as golden flames engulfed it!

Without a doubt, that was the mark of "The Destruction."

The true identity card emerged from the flames. Identity card-Werewolf.

"Now that I've revealed my identity, it's time... I changed into a mask that suits it."

Weidi slowly removed his mask and rose into the air, facing the Fools below, all bound by the rules.

"In the name of Lord Ravager Finality, I shall grant you my blessing. Come, Fools! Prove to me that your 'Elation' is worthy of being... destroyed by me."

Dice spun endlessly above Finality's great purple hand. A paintbrush appeared in his hand, and he used Imagenesis to create the things each of the Fools feared.

"Go on, crush your fears and prove your dignity to me!"

Retreating in fear was human instinct, but courage was humanity's anthem.

Finality longed for these Fools to show him their dignity, but unfortunately, every last one of them fell to fear.

Finality casually looked over the things everyone feared, and among them he spotted a Fool he vaguely remembered.

Ah~

Finality remembered.

This was the Fool who had said what Sera had overheard back then. Finality found himself quite curious about what he feared.

So Finality chose to satisfy his curiosity.

But Finality was sorely disappointed. What this Fool feared was precisely the story he had spread around the Tavern and mocked so gleefully, except that the protagonist had become the Fool himself.

"How ironic..."

Finality looked at this group of Fools, who struck him as... somewhat noisy, and found them quite dull.

"Isn't there even one person who can pass?

Hmph..."

Finality shook his head, though the sight was a little strange.

"The Fools truly qualified to walk the path of 'Elation' have all entered the new Tavern, I suppose...

Never mind. The Masked Fool Weidi is already dead, and the Finality who remains is just a failure unworthy of walking the path of 'Elation.'"

Finality had no regrets. He had chosen his own path. Whether he destroyed "Elation" with his own hands or his juniors showed him their "Elation," he was already a sinner guilty of countless evil deeds.

"The vermin of Elation have been more or less cleared out."

Finality glanced at the watch on his wrist.

"It's about time, too."

Pulling his hat low, Finality slipped his hands into his pockets and left the empty Tavern.

"Huh?!"

Sparkle appeared in the reception hall, hopping along with a smile as she prepared to move things to the new Tavern.

The sight before her left her dumbfounded.

The Fools they hadn't invited to join the new Tavern were all dead, their corpses strewn across the floor.

One could only say that "Beauty" had done its work, keeping the scene from becoming too bloody.

Sparkle picked up a letter left in the most conspicuous spot on the Tavern counter.

"The game of courage dedicated to World's End: Fools who passed-0

-Left by Lord Ravager Finality."

Sparkle turned the letter over.

"Look forward to it, juniors!

The next production-the game of courage dedicated to Dual-Phase Paradise-will soon begin!

Run or press forward, I look forward to your choice."

Sparkle put down the letter, rubbed her eyes, and looked again. Why hadn't it changed?!

Noooo!

Lady Sparkle had barely enjoyed the good life for long, and now they were going to reenact that famous scene of "Elation" fighting "Voracity" and getting bitten by the dog?!

"Sigh..."

Resigned, Sparkle sighed and put the letter away. She opened the teleportation menu and sent Sera a request.

"Hm?"

Sera, who was having afternoon tea with Cyrene and the other three, set down his teacup, somewhat puzzled.

"What's wrong?" Cyrene had been keeping an eye on Sera, so she noticed at once that something was amiss.

"Sparkle seems to have something important to discuss with me. She's even using special communications."

As he spoke, Sera accepted Sparkle's teleportation request.

"Little angel, this is bad!" Sparkle raised the envelope in her hand the moment she landed.

Sera picked up his teacup, took a sip, and gestured for Sparkle to sit down before speaking.

"A situation must be unraveled slowly. Haste gets you nowhere."

"Forget not hurrying! I, Sparkle, don't want to fight Voracity!"

"We already knew."

Sera leisurely took another sip of tea.

"Then... then, Finality carried out a big, big, big... big purge at the Tavern." Sparkle stretched her arms as wide as she could to show him.

"Little angel knew that too?"

"That I didn't know. I only knew he'd been eavesdropping on our conversation. Finality couldn't get in anyway, so I let him listen."

Sera held out his hand.

"Let me see the letter."

"Here."

Sparkle handed Sera the letter.

Sera frowned after reading its contents.

Although Sera didn't like those Fools either-he could even be said to hate them-he wasn't indifferent to so many lives being lost.

The target of Finality's next game of courage would no longer be just the Tavern, but all of Dual-Phase Paradise. How many more people would die?

It seemed a refugee shelter needed to be prepared.

Sera sighed and stood up to get to work. He had planned to do this from the start; he was merely doing it sooner.

"I'll prepare a compressed space to house people."

Sera could create a mirror copy of Dual-Phase Paradise, but he wouldn't do that. At most, he would give each household one tent, or two for larger families.

After all, if the conditions were too good, there would always be people who picked and chose, treating the disaster as though it weren't one.

Just look: Voracity had already started a mukbang, yet some people's first move was to start a livestream, and people even got cursed out for sending a distress signal. That was the state of Dual-Phase Paradise's internet.

Sera walked over to one side and began drawing a map.

Herta silently walked aside and helped Sera prepare a vessel for the compressed space.

"Oh my~" Relieved, Sparkle sat down on the sofa.

"I, Sparkle, can rest easy now~"

Cyrene smiled, picked up the teapot, and poured Sparkle a cup of tea as well.

"Wow~ Thank you, big sister! You're so nice!"

Sparkle deliberately put on an exaggerated expression and pitched her voice higher.

"You're welcome~"