[Trantor - Pr?ks]
[Proofreader - Pr?ks]
Chapter 113
Ssssssst!
The rift connecting the human world and the demon realm slowly closed its maw.
Only when it waspletely sealed did Dercion release the breath he''d been holding.
"Whew... That was a close one."
He wasn''t exaggerating; it had truly been dangerous.
He hadn''t expected Asion Gale, a prominent figure, to join the war.
Moreover, a field spell that forced a one-on-one duel?
He almost got stuck fighting that man, once known as the Lion of Glory, and would have been utterly defeated.
If not for the help of ''His Excellency''.
"...Truly a capable being."
When he first met His Excellency, he thought everything was over.
It made sense; wasn''t His Excellency the being at the apex of all demons?
Demons, by nature, valued strength above all else and would never submit to anyone weaker than themselves.
His Excellency had been keeping the peace for hundreds of years by suppressing those demons with overwhelming power, so his strength was undeniable.
Honestly, looking back now, Dercion found his own actionsughable.
"It was insane."
How dare he, with his meager abilities, even think of dragging His Excellency into the human world?
He had undoubtedlymitted a sin that could not be washed away even with his life.
However, His Excellency was merciful and gave him a new beginning instead of an end.
Although he had to abandon his human life in the process, he was grateful just to be alive.
On top of that, His Excellency shattered his foolish ideals and granted him immense power, so how could he not be satisfied?
"I must express my gratitude."
Including today''s incident, he owed His Excellency countless thanks.
Dercion decided to properly express his gratitude and set off.
Gooooo.
He arrived in the Abyss of Darkness.
As if anticipating his arrival, the grand gate separating the Abyss of Darkness from the rest of the darkness was wide open.
"Ugh."
Dercion staggered before the gate.
The oppressive pressure was overwhelming, making it difficult to even stand.
But now, he was a proud servant of His Excellency.
He couldn''t crumble under this much pressure.
Thud, thud...
He endured the oppressive darkness and stepped forward with difficulty.
Soon.
[You have arrived—]
A supreme voice echoed through the pitch-ck darkness where nothing could be seen.
The moment Dercion heard the voice, he lowered his head and bent one knee.
''Yes, Baal.''
He kept his mouth tightly shut, lest he identally utter a word.
He swallowed his response, keeping it internal.
Without His Excellency''s permission, he was not allowed to open his mouth or raise his head.
How long did he wait?
Baal''s words continued.
[I have been observing the battles you wage.]
"......!!"
Dercion flinched, his body trembling.
Been observing? Since when?
Did a being with such power possess some kind of irvoyance?
Such questions filled his mind.
But at the same time...
''Ah... I''ve finally proven my worth.''
A sense of pride swelled within him.
After all, he had utilized the power of darkness effectively in this battle.
Although he had shown a pathetic disy towards the end, considering it was a one-versus-many fight, it was understandable.
Furthermore, he had even inflicted a fatal wound on a Knight-Commander level opponent, so he couldn''t have asked for more.
[Indeed.]
Dercion forced his pounding heart to calm down.
He felt as if his heart would burst at any moment at the thought of receiving praise from His Excellency.
However...
[There wasn''t an ounce of entertainment to be found.]
Completely unexpected words followed.
"Y-yes...?"N?v(el)B\\jnn
Dercion unconsciously opened his mouth, then quickly shut it, realizing his mistake.
"...."
A brief silence followed.
He feared what kind of punishment would befall him for his actions, but thankfully, Baal''s words continued.
[What do you think was the problem?]
A question probing his thoughts. At the same time, it was permission to speak.
After careful consideration, Dercion offered his own reason.
"...B-because I am insignificantly weak."
This was the only reason he coulde up with.
Indeed, his power must have seemed primitive in Baal''s eyes.
Naturally, His Excellency would find his battle boring.
But was that really it?
[Wrong.]
Baal spoke in a firm voice and asked once again.
[What do you think was the problem?]
Simultaneously.
Gooooo!
The demonic energy of the abyss began to press down on him intensely.
Dercion instinctively knew.
If he failed to answer correctly here, he would die.
He would lose not only his life as a human but also his life as a demon.
"Th-that''s...!"
He desperately racked his brains.
However, perhaps due to his nervousness, he couldn''te up with a reason.
Drip.
Cold sweat trickled down, and a chill ran down his spine.
Just as he was about to blurt out anything,
[You are the Problem.]
Baal spoke first, snatching away his chance.
Gulp.
Dercion swallowed hard and listened intently.
His fate would be revealed in the words toe.
[It is because you have a sense of self.]
"...Yes?"
[Because you have a sense of self, you protected your own life, and that is why I have lost interest.]
"What does that..."
He listened attentively, but he couldn''t understand at all.
Lost interest because he had a sense of self? What did that even mean?
He soon realized the answer without having to ask.
[Why did you run away?]
"..."
[Why did you try to escape instead of dying there?]
"Ah..."
With that one word, Dercion understood everything.
His Excellency was extremely disappointed in his judgment.
The helping hand offered in a dangerous moment was not out of good intentions.
Tssss! Tsssss!
The demonic energy pressing down on him grew denser.
His mind became hazy, and his vision spun.
Dercion could do nothing but wait for Baal''s punishment amidst the suffocating pain.
Soon.
Fzzzt! Crackle!
Baal''s condensed demonic energy pierced Dercion''s mind.
"Kyaaagh—!"
He couldn''t help but let out a strange scream and thrash about in terrible pain.
At the same time, his reason dulled, and his thoughts began to cease.
His consciousness rapidly faded.
Within that fading consciousness, Dercion thought,
''...Did he say having a sense of self was the problem?''
He seemed to understand what Baal was trying to do.
Topletely extinguish his sense of self and turn him into a puppet driven solely by instinct.
That was the punishment Baal was giving him.
''This time too... I was foolish.''
Why did he think His Excellency was a merciful being?
Why did he think he was given a new opportunity?
In the end, he was just a demon who saw life as nothing more than entertainment.
A demon was just a demon!
In his fading consciousness, Dercion vowed,
''In my next life, I will definitely...''
“Tear you to shreds.”
***
How much time had passed?
It was Asion Gale, who had returned to his human form, who broke the awkward silence first.
"...This is unbelievable!"
Seeing how angry he was, it seemed he still hadn''t recovered from the shock of his field spell being broken.
It wasn''t surprising.
ording to Professor Ziren, [Asion Field] was a magic developed by Asion Gale after he reached the 8th Circle.
He probably had never experienced anything like this before. It was understandable for him to be shocked.
Of course, from my perspective...
''It was only natural.''
It was a perfectly natural consequence for Asion Gale''s magic to be broken.
After all, the hand that emerged from the rift was a part of Baal''s main body.
"Barundel, you felt it too, right?"
"...It was definitely that guy. It was so sudden that I couldn''t react."
Barundel nodded without hesitation.
This confirmed that the hand from earlier was indeed Baal''s main body.
In that case, there was no need to be upset over a single broken spell.
I approached the dean, who was sitting down in frustration, and patted his shoulder.
"It''s okay. No one could have withstood that attack."
I wasn''t just saying that; I meant it.
No matter how skilled Asion Gale was, how could he possibly block Baal''s attack?
Such a feat was only possible for a mage who had reached the 9th Circle, at the very least.
Or perhaps even higher.
However...
"...Get off me."
The dean red at me with a strange look and shook off my hand.
Apparently, my words weren''tforting at all.
Ahem, even so, isn''t it a bit embarrassing to be like that...?
Myint was short-lived.
"Do you know the identity of that guy from earlier?"
Asion Gale asked me a question.
If I knew his identity...
Of course I did. There was probably no one in this world who knew that being better than I did.
"Yes, that''s Baal."
"Baal...?"
Asion Gale asked back in disbelief.
I nodded once, and he let out a hollowugh.
"Huh."
It seemed like this was his first time encountering Baal directly, but there was no fear in Asion Gale''s eyes.
"So that''s the guy, huh?"
Instead, he was burning with an inexplicablepetitive spirit.
Certainly, mages had a lot of confidence.
To not be intimidated at all even after meeting the final boss of the demon race...
Well, I guess I''m not one to talk.
''...This is the second time, isn''t it?''
The first time was Baal''s eyeball.
This time, it was Baal''s arm.
Most people wouldn''t even encounter him once in their entire lives, but I had already encountered him twice.
That meant...
''We''re getting closer.''
It meant that I was getting closer and closer to him.
Whether I wanted to or not.
How should I take this situation?
''There''s no need to hesitate.''
He was a foe I had to face eventually anyway.
Besides, unlike the first encounter, the second encounter didn''t faze me much.
No, it was rather beneficial.
Because I could grasp the power he possessed, albeit indirectly.
And from what I gathered...
''It''s doable.''
I came to the conclusion that it was definitely doable.
This time, it didn''t have the same impact as when I first saw him in the Aldeon Magic Tower.
My body didn''t stiffen, nor did I feel any intense pressure.
It meant that I had grown that much.
If I continued like this, there woulde a time when I could face him and act normally.
And that moment would be when I would truly confront him.
Of course, that was still a long way off.
There was something else I needed to focus on right now.
It was to end this dreadful war.
"Are you ready to close the rifts?"
I asked while looking at Asion Gale, who was still burning withpetitive spirit.
As one of the strongest forces deployed in the inner sector, it was highly likely that he had also been informed about this.
As expected.
"Yes. Surprisingly, the royal family also put in some effort."
Asion Gale nodded and gave a positive answer.
"Is that so?"
That was good news.
With this, what I had to do next was set.
"Let''s go then."
It was time to close the rifts one by one and put an end to the war.
[Trantor - Pr?ks]
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