In the game, Kaika’s [Filial Daughter Ending] at this specific junction was entirely the player’s own fault.
The daughter was raised poorly, the Demon King’s performance was subpar, and the moment the tide turned and the Female Hero stormed the castle, the player refused to admit defeat.
The player would belittle Kaika’s incompetence while insanely ordering her to delay the Female Hero just to make their own escape easier.
It was truly a scumbag move.
Consequently, in the original script, Kaika would find the courage to resist under the Female Hero’s encouragement and support, eventually mincing her villainous Demon King mother, Valo, into fine paste.
The scene unfolding before her eyes was the exact beginning of that [Filial Daughter Ending]!
Valo’s gaze fell upon the red-haired girl who had just burst through the doors.
She had fiery-red long hair and an agile, graceful figure.
Her crimson cloak was sewn from the feathers of a Phoenix, and the Holy Sword Pandora in her hand could shift into any form to strike down her enemies.
Valo recognized her at a glance. The Female Hero from the game, Phinney Kess, already had her full six-slotted gear!
And what about herself?
She was a loli of the Demon Clan who had inherited the title of Demon King through lineage but lacked any prestige.
Forget having actual strength; even her anger just looked like she was trying to be cute.
As a leader with no soldiers left, she was at most a speed bump. No wonder the Female Hero had charged in alone.
The next moment, the heroic and dashing Hero locked eyes with her!
“Evil Demon King Valo Rante II, your subordinates have been crushed by the Alliance, and your remnants are being driven out by my companions!”
The red-haired girl swept her crimson cloak aside with a cool gesture. Amidst a few floating sparks, she issued her final ultimatum to Valo!
“You have no chance left to resist! Surrender now and face the judgment of justice!”
The speech was word-for-word identical to the game’s script. It was incredibly cliché.
Valo didn’t even bother talking back; her little brain was currently overclocking.
There were so many endings in [Valorant] that she hadn’t even found all the hidden ones before she transmigrated.
As an expert player, she knew one thing: as long as Kaika hadn’t started her ‘filial’ rebellion yet, there was still a chance to avoid the [Scripted Kill].
With the Hero Phinney already on the scene, it was definitely too late to sever her mother-daughter relationship with Kaika through normal means.
She had to settle for the next best thing: lower Kaika’s [Blackening Value] just enough to survive this scripted event.
Since a hard approach wouldn’t work, perhaps a softer one would.
Looking at the righteous Hero standing before her, Valo felt a flash of inspiration.
She took one deep breath, and just as Phinney tensed up and assumed a defensive stance…
Valo opened her arms and shielded her daughter, Kaika.
“Are you asking me, Valo Rante II, to surrender?”
Braving the pressure, she met Phinney’s suddenly bewildered gaze.
“Fine. My forces are gone anyway. Once I surrender, you can kill me or do whatever you wish. But I have one requirement. If you cannot guarantee it in the name of the Hero… I will fight to the very end with everything I have.”
Valo lowered her voice, trying her best to look like a desperate mother struggling for her child’s sake.
Because what she was doing now was… protecting her cub.
“You should have already met the Elf behind me, Hero.”
“She is my daughter, Kaika—just a useless Elf I picked up and raised. She does not share my bloodline, so… she is not worth hunting down.”
Before she could finish, Kaika, who was behind her, seemed to sense something. Without even standing up, she hugged Valo’s leg and looked up in surprise.
“Mother, do you intend to…”
Valo interrupted her immediately.
“Shut up!”
‘Don’t get me killed.’
“My requirement is this: let Kaika go far away, and I will let you deal with me however you please.”
Valo planned to use this self-sacrificing ruse to lower Kaika’s [Blackening Value]—it was the only way to temporarily bypass the [Scripted Kill].
As for her offer to sacrifice herself, she knew that based on the game’s plot, this kind and righteous Hero wouldn’t actually do anything terrible to her.
It was killing two birds with one stone!
‘Hush. Silence the world and listen to the sound of a pro-gamer’s maneuvers!’
Valo turned her head slightly and smiled at Kaika, who was kneeling by her leg.
“Kaika, this is for the best.”
Her eyes held a hint of bittersweet resolve, like a mother who had only realized her mistakes at the very end.
As expected, within the [Nurturing Panel] in her field of vision, the girl’s [Blackening Value] dropped from its previous maximum to 90%!
It worked. Right now, no matter how one looked at it, she appeared to be a heroic mother risking her life to protect her daughter.
If Kaika’s [Blackening Value] didn’t drop even a little, she would eat a mountain of dirt.
However, Kaika’s reaction was a bit strange.
Whether the girl was moved or ungrateful, whether she cried and begged her mother not to go, or even if she mocked her for acting at the last minute…
Valo could have accepted any of those.
But…
What met her gaze was the girl’s eyes, filled with a sense of “novelty.”
It was as if this wasn’t a life-or-death parting at all.
Compared to the threat posed by the Hero, the girl seemed far more interested in her mother’s recent actions.
“Mother, you seem a bit different today.”
Eh?
“How could I let someone like you sacrifice yourself for me?”
A strange smile crossed the girl’s lips as she abruptly said, “Does your previous order… still stand? The order to assassinate the Hero…”
“Perhaps, the current me can finish it for you.”
Uh, what?
Was it because Kaika’s [Blackening Value] had dropped, so now she wanted to live and die with her mother?
But Kaika on this timeline should have hated her to the bone. Would she really do this voluntarily?
Valo shivered, feeling a sense of dread.
Fortunately, after silently watching the “touching” scene between mother and daughter, the Hero seemed to have reached a decision.
She spoke up, interrupting Valo’s hesitation.
“Wait, Valo Rante II. You don’t need to sacrifice yourself.”
The Hero glanced at the two of them still clinging together with a complicated expression and coughed awkwardly.
“As you said, Miss Kaika did attack me. At the time, I thought you, the one who gave the order, were an incredibly evil and heartless villain…”
“But now it seems that as a mother, you aren’t all that evil.”
Valo agreed wholeheartedly. ‘Exactly! Whatever the previous “player” did to Kaika has nothing to do with me!’
“I’ve investigated you along the way. You only inherited the title of Demon King through lineage and possess no great strength of your own.”
“Compared to you, your former subordinates who have carved out their own territories are far more troublesome.”
Phinney’s gaze remained on Valo, specifically staring at where Kaika was hugging her leg.
Valo had a strange feeling: ‘Is this Hero actually a bit envious?’
She didn’t dare ask, because the way she was handled was the most critical part!
“Therefore… Valo Rante, I can spare you and Miss Kaika.”
“You don’t have to be separated from her, either.”
Valo breathed a sigh of relief. She knew the Hero would say that!
‘Trying to outthink a peak strategist like me? Hmph.’
Now she just needed to find a way to lower Kaika’s [Blackening Value] further and avoid the current [Filial Daughter Ending].
After that, she would have plenty of opportunities to find an excuse to cut ties.
However, the Hero’s judgment wasn’t over.
The red-haired girl in her vision was acting unusually restless, as if she were brewing some difficult request.
“However, this secret base has already been discovered by the Alliance. It won’t be long before the official [Subjugation Team] arrives. Those people won’t be as willing to forgive you as I am, Demon King.”
“Normally, you wouldn’t be able to escape. Unless… I assist you.”
Valo frowned. ‘The Hero is helping the protagonist escape? Was this in Kaika’s route?’
Shouldn’t this plot point be elsewhere?
But she had no choice now. “Then… I’ll leave it to you?”
After receiving her affirmation, Phinney’s phrasing became even more hesitant and stumbling.
“In that case, Demon King Valo Rante, you must cooperate with me and agree to one condition.”
Before Valo could process the Hero’s strange behavior, the red-haired girl suddenly took on an undeniably firm stance!
She pointed a finger at Valo!
And made the most perverted request!
“You also have to be my mother!”