Fated to Die to the Player, I’ll Live Freely with My SSS-Class Ship!

Before the enemies arrived, I had already planted a failsafe. A last-ditch defense in case we were ever forced into a corner.

Right at the center of the junction, I set up two antimatter grenades and hooked them into a mechanism that would release their safeties with the press of a button. It wasn't anything too sophisticated—just a setup using electromagnetism, a folding knife, and a length of string.

Huh? You're wondering how I managed to plant it with enemies crawling all over the pathway?

Simple. People generally only look within or below their line of sight. They don't tend to look up unless prompted—or unless they're searching for something that's supposed to be high, like stars... or airplanes.

And you guessed it. I set the grenades above the corridor light fixture right at the intersection, rigging them with the fixture's existing electricity for this little trap.

When I pressed the button, the light would turn on, causing the folding knife to snap shut. That, in turn, would yank the string tied to the safeties of both grenades. And then, just a moment later, the two banned explosives would detonate—unleashing a baptism of light, flame, and total annihilation.

I pulled Eva tightly into my arms, curling us under the angled cavity of the metal panel. The explosion burst just overhead. Even so, the panel began to glow a menacing red, rapidly absorbing heat.

"Kuh...!"

The heat... it burned.

But at the very least, we wouldn't die from the heat alone. Our Powered Suits still had enough oxygen reserves, so as long as we didn't suffocate... we might survive. Or so I hoped.

The first blast ended, but then came the vacuum. A powerful suction followed as space distorted after matter was ripped away. Annihilation like this didn't just vaporize things—it collapsed space itself for a fraction of a second, pulling everything into the epicenter.

But that wasn't the end.

A second explosion erupted—far larger and deadlier than the first.

Our cover, glowing red just moments ago, now turned a blinding white as it began to melt. That's the kind of raw energy released by matter annihilation—the pure, unfiltered energy of mass converted straight into heat, light, and destruction.

Einstein's equation, weaponized.

I was hoping our cover would last, but of course, nothing ever goes perfectly.

"...!"

The barricade finally gave out, and fire engulfed us both.

The next instant, I threw hesitation out the window. I threw my weight over Eva, pressing her down to the floor as I shielded her with my back.

I gritted my teeth, enduring the searing pain as flames engulfed my entire frame. Every inch of my body screamed. But I held firm—anchoring myself, refusing to let go.

"Arthur...!"

Eva's terrified eyes locked onto mine, brimming with desperation. But I couldn't even offer a word to reassure her. Not even a smile. The pain had stolen that from me.

The antimatter blast, though brief, felt like an eternity.

And the moment the flames died down, the adrenaline vanished. My limbs gave out.

I collapsed, falling atop Eva like dead weight.

"Arthur! Get a grip!"

She shouted in my face, slapping my cheeks—but I couldn't feel it. Was she too weak to land a proper hit now, or... had I gone numb?

I didn't know.

"You...!" Eva grunted as she pushed me aside and sat up.

Her face paled, horror written across it. "You idiot...!" she cursed, tears running freely down her cheeks as she stared at my back.

"Ah…"

I couldn't even form a sentence—just gasps of breath.

Had the explosion melted through my suit? Through my back? If so, her reaction made sense. Since I was still breathing and conscious, my spine must still be intact... though possibly exposed.

Just the thought of it was enough to make my stomach churn.

I tilted my head upward, blurry vision trying to take in the view ahead—only to be met with the sight of Eva's rounded breasts in front of my face.

'Am I dying…?'

That was the stray thought that surfaced as my vision began to flicker and dim.

'If this really is the end, then…'

Summoning all the strength I had left, I raised my right hand and gently cupped the ripe fruit before my eyes. Though I could see it happening, I felt absolutely nothing.

'Right… my body's gone completely numb... What a waste…'

"You fucking pervert…!" Eva sobbed, hot tears rolling down her cheeks. "If you want to touch it that bad, then live! Stay with me! Don't you dare give up!"

"..."

Her words struck me, but there was nothing we could do. We were out of medical supplies. No more emergency syringes. We only found one—and we used it on her already, after all.

'If I die… what happens to the plot?'

If I wasn't here to intervene, this world—this entire universe—might eventually collapse. I didn't want to underestimate Eva or the others, but... the odds they'd succeed without me were slim. Close to none.

'So I'm dying… and taking the universe down with me. Not the worst way to go.'

That was when it happened—

"DUKE!"

A voice called out. One I knew all too well.

I pried my eyes open, vision hazy, peering through the space beneath Eva's arm.

There, hovering in midair, a purple rift had opened—its center revealing the cockpit of a ship I knew intimately.

"…Ah."

'You're late…' I thought, staring at the familiar blond figure standing at the rift's edge.

But before I could say anything—before I could feel relief or anger—my vision finally failed me.

I... Lost consciousness.

---

After Arthur fainted, everything quickly spiraled into chaos.

"Oh no! He had lost too much blood!" The newly arrived presence—Cassandra—shouted in alarm. "Quick! Get him to the Medical Pod, now!"

She barked orders at the knights in heavy-powered suits that had accompanied her through the rift.

Arthur's injury wasn't just severe—it was catastrophic. The wound across his back had progressed far beyond third-degree burns; it was verging into fourth-degree territory, where skin, muscle, and even bone were completely charred.

His spine had taken a direct hit. It was nothing short of a miracle that he was still breathing. If the flames had damaged his spinal nerves any further, his entire nervous and circulatory systems could have shut down in an instant.

"Arthur!"

Eva clung tightly to his limp body, her voice raw with anguish.

Tears streaked down her cheeks, but despite her heartbreak, she didn't resist the knights as they gently but urgently moved him. She may have been emotionally shattered, but she wasn't foolish enough to obstruct their efforts. She knew every second mattered now—any hesitation could cost him his life.

Cassandra glanced at Eva, who could barely keep herself upright.

"You two disappear for a while, and when you show up again—this?" she muttered with an exasperated sigh.

Then, without another word, she pulled Eva up, slinging the girl's arm over her shoulder. "You're going to tell me everything. In painstaking detail. If you don't, I swear I'll never forgive you."

Hearing the scolding edge in Cassandra's voice, Eva began to calm herself. Her breathing slowed, and her expression, while still pale and shaken, steadied just a bit.

"Arthur… he…"

"Don't worry." Cassandra cut her off, already anticipating the fear behind her words. "He's my future king. I won't let him die. Not until we make dozens of heirs—for the kingdom, and for myself!"

"Cassandra…"

Despite everything—the trauma, the blood, the fear—Eva couldn't help but blink in disbelief at the woman's audacious declaration. Cassandra's boldness had always been impossible to ignore.

Still… those words helped ground her.

Right. Even if his heart had stopped, as long as it hadn't been minutes long, he could still be revived. He could still be saved.

There was still hope.

"…But Arthur's mine," Eva said softly, yet firmly.

Her voice may have been quiet, but it carried the weight of unshakable conviction. "I won't be handing him over to you."

"Heh." Cassandra scoffed. "That's my line, bitch."

They didn't share another word after that.

As the two women—one cradling pain, the other fury—stepped into the shimmering rift, it gradually sealed shut behind them. The glow faded, the last traces of light vanishing like smoke in the wind.

No sign of their presence remained.

Only a broken, burning, half-melted corridor... and silence.