Beyond the Eternity

The Sisters of Darkness immediately recognized the gravity of the Oldest Flame's words.

Devil's Roulette.

A demonic game of life and death where they would become hunters tasked with eliminating the participants, who, in turn, would fight desperately for survival.

The game was held within the Void Mansion, a domain where the Sisters of Darkness possessed an overwhelming advantage. With the Sixth Fable severed from the Outside World, any chance of escape was completely nullified.

Victory was almost guaranteed.

For that matter, the likelihood of the Sisters succeeding in their hunt, should the game be set in motion, was an overwhelming ninety-nine percent.

No one had ever survived against them.

However, the Devil's Roulette was a measure of last resort, only used under dire circumstances.

For the Oldest Flame to propose it could mean only one thing:

「 These intruders were strong enough to demand caution 」

This singular thought reverberated among the Seven Sisters of Darkness.

"Hehehe! Now, isn't this interesting?"

"The Devil's Roulette? I wasn't expecting big sister to suggest something so extreme."

"Ah, yes… When was the last time we invoked the Game of Demons? This might actually be fun."

"Do we really have to go that far? Can't we just use the mansion's defense mechanisms? *Yawn*"

"Shut up, Acedia. You just want an excuse to sleep. Hey! Are you seriously dozing off already?! Wake up, you lazy bum!"

"Sorry, were you saying something? The wind feels so nice tonight…"

"You—why, you…"

"Enough, both of you!"

The sharp voice of Ira cut through their bickering. "Must you always fight? Don't you realize how serious this is? You're disgraceful!"

"Apologies, nee-san!"

Ira's piercing glare silenced both Luxuria and Acedia, forcing hurried apologies from the two as they clamped their mouths shut.

Ira's piercing glare silenced both Luxuria and Acedia, forcing hurried apologies from the two as they clamped their mouths shut.

True to her name, the Flame of Wrath was quick to anger, her fury more terrifying than even the oldest among the Sisters. Once provoked, none of the sisters dared to confront her.

Everyone except Superbia.

Superbia observed the exchange with an air of calm detachment before speaking in her usual composed tone, "Does anyone have any objections to initiating the Devil's Roulette?"

The Sisters of Darkness reacted in turn, one by one.

Acedia (Sloth): "Tch. Fine, I'll join... but only if someone wakes me up when the fun begins. All this talking is exhausting. Can we start already so I can get this over with and nap?"

Luxuria (Lust): "Hehe! Oh, this will be delightful! Nothing arouses the senses quite like the thrill of a hunt. Let's make sure they scream beautifully for us, shall we?"

Gula (Gluttony): "Licks lips. Hm, I do wonder how these intruders will taste. They say desperation has a flavor, and I'm absolutely starving for something... decadent."

Avaritia (Greed): "Oh my, isn't this good? I've been craving a new set of toys. If they lose, I'll claim and add them to my collection."

Ira (Wrath): "Aren't these fools rather arrogant because they found a fragment or two? They deserve nothing less than absolute annihilation."

Invidia (Envy): "Hm hm hm. Naturally, I have no objections, big sister. After all, simply standing by and watching would grow unbearably dull, don't you think?"

Superbia's lips curled into a faint smile as she listened to her sisters. It was clear that none of them had any objections to her suggestion.

In reality, there was never any doubt. Refusing Superbia's decisions wasn't an option.

The choice was simple: activate the Devil's Roulette as she proposed or remain in this room, endlessly monitoring the House. The latter held no appeal—it was a task so dull it bordered on torture.

It was akin to rewatching a favorite show until its charm faded, leaving nothing but a bitter sense of monotony and disdain.

They had been doing exactly that for countless centuries.

Thus, the Devil's Roulette was created to break the monotony, to awaken their dormant excitement, and to provide a fleeting sense of thrill in their otherwise stagnant existence.

Superbia, the Oldest Flame of Pride, glanced at her sisters one by one, speaking with calm authority but with a trace of restrained excitement in her voice.

"It's decided, then. Since there are no objections from the Sisters, we shall initiate the Devil's Roulette as per the conditions set by the Witch of Darkness." She paused briefly, as if recalling something, before continuing. "By the way, how shall we decide the order of our participation? One of them is already dead, right?"

For a moment, there was an awkward silence.

There were seven Sisters, but only five participants. The Storywalkers had originally numbered six, but the weakest among them had been killed and devoured by the House, leaving just five.

The Sisters already held a significant advantage, with their administrative rights over the Void House. And now, their numbers exceeded those of the participants in the Sixth Main Story.

This left one crucial issue to resolve: how to divide themselves.

But they had to do so in a fair manner where the opposing party would have a change of survival. Simply put, they had to divide themselves according to the participants strength.

A balance of strength between the two sides to ensure the participants had a chance at survival. One of the core conditions of the Devil's Roulette demanded fairness, a rule dictated by their master, the Darkness Witch. And no matter their desires, the Sisters were bound by it.

Even if they could break that restriction, It would be completely boring if they one-sidedly annihilated their opponents from the jump.

However, the question was how they could achieve that balance of strength.

"Ah, t-that..." Luxuria stammered, caught off guard.

Gula leaned back, a lazy grin spreading across her face as she licked her lips. "Does it really matter? I just want the first taste."

Avaritia glanced at a screen showing a handsome man in a red coat with bright green eyes. He was one of the participants in the Sixth Fable, but it was his good looks that truly caught her attention.

Licking her lips, she said, "Doesn't this man look like a beautiful doll? If we're picking our opponents, I choose him."

Gula quickly retorted, pointing a finger at her. "Hey, that's not fair! Why do you always pick the attractive ones? Besides, I had my sights on him first!"

Avaritia smirked. "That's rich coming from you. Didn't you devour the last one you caught?"

"Shut up! You know that's different! Even if we count, it's pretty obvious you've collected the most participants—especially the males—and turned them into sex dolls!"

"Sex dolls?" Luxuria muttered, confused.

Seeing this, Avaritia shouted, "What the hell are you saying when the youngest is listening? Are you trying to corrupt her?"

Gula protested. "How is this my fault? Everyone already knows what you do with the men you catch, including the one you broke last time!"

"W-What? H-How do you know about that?" Avaritia stammered.

"It's hard not to know when your moans are so damn loud. If you're going to do that, at least set up a barrier to keep the noise inside."

"T-That..."

Avaritia faltered, looking around the room. Her sisters quickly averted their eyes in embarrassment.

Clearly, everyone knew what she did during her nighttime activities, but no one had spoken about it until now.

Except for Luxuria, who remained completely oblivious.

"What are you all talking about? What would Avaritia be moaning about? Thinking about it, I do hear some strange noises once in a while."

She frowned, placing a hand on her chin as she thought it over.

Despite being named after the Sin of Lust, Luxuria was surprisingly clueless in this matter.

Her innocent question, posed like that of a child, only deepened Avaritia's embarrassment.

"It's nothing! You don't need to know anything about that."

"What? Why does everyone know, and I don't?" Luxuria asked, genuinely puzzled.

Ira shrugged, "Gula, Avaritia, please restrain from saying anything weird when Luxuria is present. She's still too young to understand this."

"Ehhh? Nee-san, what does that mean? Can't you see I'm already mature? So why is everyone keeping secrets?"

"Luxuria, give it a rest. Now is not the time. You'll learn about it when you're older. As for you, Avaritia, we'll talk later."

"Ah, yes. I... understand."

"Hmph. Why does everyone treat me like a child?" Luxuria muttered under her breath, in a low voice.

Superbia's faint smile widened as she observed the familiar dynamic among her sisters. This, too, was part of the entertainment. She interjected with a light chuckle.

"Very well. Since nobody can come up with a solution, we shall allow fate to decide the order. That way any further chaos can be prevented."

She focused her magic into the center of her palm. Mana swirled like a gust of wind, slowly coalescing into a perfect cube.

Six square faces materialized, each inscribed with the numbers "1," "2," "3," "4," "5," and "6," glowing faintly with an ethereal light.

A pair of dice.

The Oldest Flame, Superbia, smiled darkly. "After all, what better way to begin the Devil's Roulette than with a roll of the dice?"

†

†

"ACHOO!"

I sneezed, and Miyuki, sitting on my lap, immediately said, "Bless you." The sudden noise startled everyone, and they all turned to look at me.

Soo Jinyoung, Moon Jiyeon and Yoo Rin.

Moon Jiyeon furrowed her brows with concern, "Hey, are you okay? Not feeling sick, are you?"

"Ah, of course not. Hehe! Can't you see I'm fine? It's just a runny nose, no big deal," I replied, rubbing the bridge of my nose.

Moon Jiyeon gave me a skeptical look but didn't press the issue, returning to the conversation.

We had returned to the parlor and settled on the couches, sorting through all the evidence we'd gathered. With Ryu Yeji gone, devoured by the House, it seemed like a good time to take a break and compare notes from all the Memories.

But then, that nagging feeling returned.

It felt like someone had been talking about me. Maybe someone was cursing me behind my back.

Could it have been Park Joonhyuk?

Yeah, it had to be that bastard, throwing curses at me from the shadows. I'm sure he must be enjoying himself while he was in Seoul.

But something about that thought didn't sit right with me.

The cold sensation that crawled up my spine was unmistakable—it wasn't just a random shiver. A gut-wrenching premonition gnawing at the edges of my mind.

What could have caused this strange sensation?

Had it begun?

Could it really be time for that event?

A frown tugged at my lips.

I turned my head, feeling the air grow heavier. It was as if the very shadows in the room were waiting, shifting in quiet anticipation.