Chapter 336

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Jin.

The former Captain of the 7th Division.

If Johan is the strongest swordsman of today, Jin was the strongest swordsman before his death.

The man who single-handedly faced a Devil God and left an indelible wound.

He died during the Great Catastrophe, so I never met him directly. He was only mentioned in passing in the ‘novel’, and only remained as information in Lucille’s memories. But in many ways, he was a person deeply connected to me. He was one of the reasons I ended up in this situation.

Belial’s very essence of life, her soul, was shattered.

Thanks to that, the Devil God’s power was constantly leaking, leaving her unable to possess a human body.

This was because the human body would break down before it could grow into a vessel capable of containing a Devil God.

That’s why Belial wanted me. She focused on ‘Lucia’s’ super regeneration. A vessel that didn’t care if it broke. A body that could be restored even if it was destroyed. It was hard to find a vessel other than Lucia that could withstand Belial’s shattered soul. So I was kidnapped and possessed by Belial.

The cause of her soul being shattered.

The reason Belial came to want Lucia.

It was Jin’s final strike that cleaved Belial’s origin.

Transcending time, space, and even concepts.

A slash that surpassed physical limitations and even cut through the soul.

It undoubtedly surpassed the limits that the human race could reach.

A blow comparable to the heroes who faced Bael in the distant past.

The moment she saw it.

Belial was overwhelmed.

Like the starlight in the night sky.

She was fascinated by the still and silent flash.

Unable to forget that fleeting beauty, she had been searching for it all along.

The potential of humanity.

A second Jin.

To recreate the battle of that day once more.

This time, she wanted to fight at full strength.

She didn’t want to leave any regrets.

A battle that made her heart pound.

A desperate struggle that made her blood boil.

A fear that froze her heart.

That moment when life and death crossed paths.

She wanted to experience it again.

…That was Belial’s true desire. The wish of a Devil God fascinated by humans. How do I know so much about it? It’s not like I wanted to know. I found out by inadvertently reading Belial’s memories. It was really tough back then. It was like throwing myself into mental corruption.

For that reason, Jin was a special being to Belial in many ways.

He completely changed her perspective on humans, a turning point in her life.

“Jin…”

Yes, as I said repeatedly, Jin was a truly impressive man to Belial.

A human she didn’t want to forget, and couldn’t forget.

The fact that she became a proud warrior was largely due to Jin’s influence.

She was fascinated by the lofty pride he showed until the very end, and she wanted to become like that herself.

“Ji-in, Jin… Jin… My…”

Yes.

I understand.

I get it.

I understand that Jin is a very special person to you.

You don’t have to keep calling his name while hugging me.

It’s starting to get scary. Won’t you let me go? Seriously, what’s going on?

“I’ve been searching for you all along. Constantly, constantly, I’ve been looking for you.”

Belial leaned weakly into my arms like a doll with a broken string.

I couldn’t feel the overwhelming presence of a Devil God.

She was fragile, like a girl of her age as she appeared.

She still looked up at me with unfocused, hazy eyes.

“I couldn’t see you no matter where I went… Where did you go? Why did you leave me behind?”

…Um, I’m sorry to bring this up.

But Jin is dead.

You killed him?

What is she saying, when she killed him herself?

…She’s really in a bad state.

At first, I wondered if she was pretending to be mentally broken. If it was a trap to make me lower my guard. But looking at her eyes, which had lost their focus and vitality, I realized.

This is not acting or anything.

She has truly broken down.

Her mind has collapsed, so it’s hard to find any logical thought.

She was moving only according to instinct, not rational judgment.

She fell into a fantasy of her own making and forgot reality.

That Devil God Belial is in this state…

…She was an enemy, a villain who tried to take my body.

It turned out well, but if it hadn’t, I would have lost myself.

It’s karma. The price for taking the lives of so many people.

‘She must have stolen the bodies of many people before she tried to take my body. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to avoid the Eyes of the Four Seasons.’

I’m going to use anything I can. This is not the time to be picky. Eugene was possessed by Astaroth, Astaroth recreated the Heavenly God, and Yoo-seong’s state is unknown. 

The situation is too urgent to worry about means and methods. I’ll do anything to help. Even if it’s something that goes against my morals. Lucia is not a saint like Lucille. I can abandon my conscience as much as I need to.

“But it’s okay. Because you’ve returned like this…”

What she wants is a rematch with Jin.

Knowing that it was impossible, she searched for someone who resembled Jin.

If Belial mistakes me for Jin, she might rush at me, wanting to recreate the battle of that day.

Belial, who has exhausted all her strength, will not be a great danger to me, but… complacency is always forbidden. 

A Devil God is still a God. Even if she has exhausted her power, it could be a big problem if I underestimate her. I got hit last time because I was complacent after gaining the upper hand. If Belial goes on a rampage, prepared to be destroyed… I’ll get nothing and only lose. I have to avoid that.

“Jin…”

I stared at her without letting my guard down.

I was going to subdue her immediately if she showed even the slightest suspicious sign.

“Did you come to save me?”

“Huh? Me?”

But I couldn’t help but ask back at her next words.

It was such an unexpected thing to say that I wondered if I had misheard.

Did you say you came to save me? Who? Me? You?

“…I was having such a hard time. It was so painful. I was in pain, and I was becoming more and more strange… I was scared. I was scared that I was being tainted by something else…”

Belial rested her head on my shoulder.

I couldn’t say anything and just moved my lips.

It was something clearly different from what I had expected.

Is she pretending to be weak and looking for an opening?

Is she going to suddenly bite my neck while pretending to lean on me?

“I’m not afraid of dying. As long as that death is honorable… I even thought about taking my own life. Before I lost ‘me’… I thought I would die while I was still ‘me’… 

But, but it was strange. Every time I tried to die, I thought of you. I could only think of your face. So, so… I couldn’t die even if I tried. I hesitated. 

Why is that? Is it because suicide is not an honorable death? Is it because I wanted you to kill me if I was going to die anyway…?”

I subtly exposed my neck defenselessly, but Belial didn’t even glance at it.

I guess not.

A little disappointed.

“I judged that the death I craved… was a proud death at the end of a battle… That’s why I hesitated, I thought. But, but… Seeing you again like this, I think I know why I tried to avoid death. Why I tried to endure even while losing ‘me’…”

A little warmth returned to her hazy eyes.

A faint and weak flame that could be extinguished by a gentle breeze.

I felt a strange sense of déjà vu from that light.

I felt like I had seen similar eyes.

Someone with the same face as me, eyes like fully bloomed cherry blossoms, definitely had that expression… Ah.

“I just wanted to see you.”

“Um, just a moment.”

“I wanted to meet you. What I truly wanted was not your rematch, but just a reunion with you.”

“No, that…”

“What is this feeling? Do you know? My heart aches just thinking about it. It’s painful, but I don’t hate it. But I feel pain when I think I can’t see you anymore. I thought it was because I wasn’t satisfied until now. 

I had regrets about that fight… I thought I would compete perfectly again this time… I thought I would have a fight that left no regrets or regrets… But it wasn’t. It wasn’t. 

I, that day. I saw you, I saw the bravery you showed, I saw your determination and pride, and I was fascinated by that beauty…”

“…”

I was speechless looking at her smiling eyes.

That face. That expression. That atmosphere.

I know it. I know it really well.

The expression the Blessed Saintess made whenever she saw the hero.

The feelings Lucille had for Yoo-seong.

In other words, in other words…

“I fell in love with you.”

It’s love.

“I didn’t know. I didn’t know anything… So I must have had a stupid delusion. I mistook it for an emotional surge caused by battle. I wish I had realized it sooner. What if we hadn’t fought? If I had noticed this feeling much earlier… No, it’s a meaningless delusion. If we hadn’t fought, I wouldn’t have had these feelings for you… “

…Just my guess.

The original feeling Belial had for Jin was likely a competitive spirit.

I can infer it because I read her memories. She was fascinated by Jin, but it was definitely not love. It’s admiration. She had a sense of awe for a human who was weak but strong. She admired him, so she wanted to be like him, and she revered him, so she wanted to meet him again. But Jin is dead and can’t be reunited, so she looked for a human who reminded her of Jin.

But Belial entered my body. Lucia… No, she possessed Lucille’s body. Fragments of emotions accumulated over hundreds of millions of years. Just as I unknowingly have feelings for Yoo-seong, Belial must have been influenced by Lucille. Unlike me, the object of that love was not Yoo-seong, but Jin, whom she had liked from the beginning.

“I love you. Jin, I like you. If I die, I want to die in your hands. Won’t you save (kill) me? Now, let’s continue. Let’s continue the fight of that day. Human hero. My nemesis. Let’s kill and be killed. Kill me. Give me wounds. Engrave yourself on me. Let me feel you.”

Whatever the cause.

Her feelings are sincere.

The love Belial had for Jin was real.

…Really.

Don’t make that expression with my face.

It reminds me of Lucille and makes me feel weak.

What I need is Belial’s authority. The power of the Devil God. It’s a perfect opportunity. If I kill Belial now… I can take the power of the Devil God completely. I can only take her authority. This is a world of the mind. Dying here means the soul dies. The soul is the self. The self is dead, so all that remains is an empty shell. 

If I can get that empty shell, I can be reborn as ‘Devil-human, Lucia’. If it were the usual Belial, she would choose complete annihilation rather than have her power taken away, but if it’s her now…

“…”

While removing the internal bomb called Belial.

I can even get the power of the Devil God.

It’s literally killing two birds with one stone.

It was a result with nothing but benefits.

“…Okay, I understand.”

I said with a bitter smile.

I’m so foolish.

Well, whatever.

It can’t be helped.

Lucia is originally stupid.

“I’ll save you.”

I don’t think you should ignore the process just because the result is good.

If she were just a battle-crazed Devil God, I wouldn’t hesitate.

But if the other person is a girl in love.

If she is a girl who loves someone like what Lucille had gone through…

Wouldn’t I have no choice but to hesitate?

“To do that, I need your help.”

That doesn’t mean I’m going to forgive Belial.

No, I forgive what she did to me.

But I can’t forgive her for other sins.

I thought Belial, who had taken the lives of countless people for her purpose, should pay a fair price.

“Won’t you lend me your strength?”

With that power.

Thousands and tens of thousands of times the lives of the people you killed.

I’ll save them.

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
Today’s author’s note, (will be referred to as).

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Just say End of Service, smh!

Anyway, brainwashed to true love is crazy, use that poison on the Lewd Saintess next!