Chapter 357

R​ead on K​atR​e​a​d​ingCafe

If things continued this way, I wouldn’t just lose my limbs.

The location itself was the problem. On the palm of Surtr’s hand. Surtr was a fire giant, a walking disaster whose entire body was constantly ablaze. So, his hand was on fire too. It was like a barbecue slowly cooking on a bonfire. If I stayed here, I wouldn’t just burn, I’d melt. Like cheese.

And that was assuming Surtr did nothing at all.

Just clenching his fist could turn me into a handful of bloody pulp.

I could withstand it for a while by using Belial’s power… but I knew instinctively that I shouldn’t use the Devil God’s power anymore. I guess there’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world. 

No, come to think of it, it wasn’t exactly free. My body was stolen, I was attacked in my mental world, and after all sorts of hardships, I finally gained this power.

Anyway, I had reached my physical and mental limit. If I went beyond this, I didn’t know what would happen to me. You could tell just by how I suddenly fainted. Like a tightly stretched string that snaps when it can’t handle any more force, my mental strength had reached its limit.

As evidence, my super regeneration had weakened.

The slow regeneration of my limbs wasn’t just because Surtr was burning me.

Considering my original regenerative power, the speed of regeneration should be faster than the speed of burning.

The Devil God’s power was destroying my body, and the Devil God’s mental corruption was ravaging my mind.

Considering that the source of supernatural abilities is mental strength, my supernatural ability weakened as my mind became more contaminated.

‘…What do I do now?’

I forced myself to cut off the switch in my mind that was trying to turn on, and gasped for breath. Lucille inside me, please stay quiet for now. I’m not happy at all. I don’t like being in pain at all. And don’t grin like an idiot because you can satisfy your desire for destruction. 

The current Lucia is a sincere saint who strictly distinguishes between public and private matters. And above all, the one who is burning me is wrong. I can’t be burned by someone like Surtr. I told you, the only one who can burn me is Eugene.

[…I always thought that if the moment ever came when I could trample on you and burn you, I would feel a sense of triumph.]

Eyes like lava approached me as if to swallow me whole.

Surtr leaned his face in to get me, a being smaller than a bug to him, into his sight.

[But now that such a moment has come, I feel nothing but emptiness, let alone triumph.]

Whether his words were empty or not, Surtr’s tone was unusually subdued. It was not the voice of a fire giant who always burned explosively. It was like a volcano that had finished erupting and entered a dormant period.

[What meaning is there in ending the life of a wretch who has destroyed herself, rather than by my power…?]

The flames that had always soared fiercely subsided noticeably. The fire giant seemed to be pondering something. After staring at me silently for a moment, Surtr’s huge mouth slowly opened.

[I think it’s meaningless to ask now, but I can’t help but ask.]

It seemed he wasn’t planning to kill me right away. Considering Surtr’s disposition, it was a bit unexpected. Unlike his image of believing only in his own power, he was quite good at being objective. 

That was the case in the ‘novel’, and in previous iterations as well. He was well aware that he couldn’t face all of humanity alone. That’s why his invasion method mostly took place beyond the barrier. He formed armies with monsters and invaded as a demonic beast.

If he were to descend into the human realm due to various variables, there was only one action he would take. The first thing he would do is cross the border as quickly as possible. Fighting all of humanity alone is foolish even for a Devil God. Individual humans are weak, and even if they band together, there’s no way to stop Surtr if he’s determined to run wild.

However, there are a very few exceptions. If the captains, humanity’s asymmetrical power and final weapon, stepped up, even Surtr could be hunted down. 

Surtr couldn’t possibly be unaware of the fact that six Demonic Beasts who had descended before him had been defeated, and even the strongest Demonic Beast, Typhon, had died.

So, the best thing for Surtr to do now is to kill all the obstacles and head to the Demonic Realm as soon as possible. Surtr should be aware of that fact, so why is he stalling? It’s fortunate for me, but… what does he want to ask?

[Why did you abandon me?]

“…?”

[You were the one who created me. You were the one who gave me my destiny. You created me as needed, and you engraved an inescapable fate upon me as needed. Yet, why did you abandon me? Was it because I did not meet your expectations?]

…I’m very sorry to say this.

I think you’re asking the wrong person.

You’ve got the wrong number.

I think that’s what you should be saying to Belial, not me…

Should I go ask her for you?

 The current Belial is as good as an idiot, so you wouldn’t get an answer even if you asked.

[If you were going to abandon me, you shouldn’t have created me in the first place. You shouldn’t have forced anything on me. My creator. My mother. What were you to me?]

Could you please not say things that an abandoned child would say to a resentful parent?

I jokingly call myself ‘Mama’, but I’m not really your mama, you know?

I could be a mama to kids like Alice or Seri, but I don’t have any intention of being the mother of a giant dozens of times bigger than me. 

Belial, what the hell have you been doing? Are you abandoning the children you created? I never knew you were such an irresponsible person… no, Devil God.

More importantly, what am I supposed to answer? I’m a little flustered. Should I confess that I’m not Belial? I moved my lips, but no words came out. Whatever I said, it felt like the answer would be lame. In the first place, this isn’t a question I should be answering.

[…Yes, there’s no point in asking now. There’s no point at all.]

How did he take my silence? Surtr let out a hot breath. 

Crackle, crackle. 

I could hear the sound of sparks flying. As if he had thrown firewood into the dying flames, Surtr began to burn again.

[It is vain. It is all vanity, so I will no longer dwell on it. The time has come to end this evil relationship. I will no longer be bound by the likes of you. With your death, I will truly become the Twilight of the Gods.]

The ground vibrated. Considering that I was on Surtr’s palm, it wasn’t an earthquake, it was Surtr moving. Was he going to crush me like this? Just by clenching the hand that Surtr had spread out, I would be in the same situation as being crushed by a press.

Lucia is going to become dried filefish like this. I’m going to be flattened. Wow, that’s so hot… Ah, no, switch off!

If that happened now that my regeneration was weakened, I might really die. Considering that the basis of my power is Lucille’s blessing (immortality), I might be able to revive later, but it would take a long time. It took Lucille four years to die and be resurrected during the Great Catastrophe.

[I told you, I would use you as firewood.]

Fortunately, Surtr didn’t seem to be planning to turn me into a blood bag. Surtr’s mouth opened wide. His cheeks were torn and countless teeth were revealed. The dozens of teeth, as fierce as saw blades, were glowing red with flames.

[Devil God. The best firewood to raise my status. I will eat you and usurp the throne of God.]

…Lucia does have a bucket list item to be eaten alive (physically).

I never thought I’d achieve it this way.

More than that, you’re too big. At this rate, I won’t be eaten bit by bit, but swallowed in one gulp. Lucia wants to be eaten alive slowly, not swallowed in one gulp! There’s no romance! Well, come to think of it, being swallowed whole and then melting in the stomach is quite…

‘…I’m all for it!’

Oh, don’t get me wrong.

What I mean by “good” here isn’t that I like being eaten alive.

The situation of being eaten itself is good. What? You’re saying that’s the same thing? No way. It’s completely different.

‘I was even going to jump into the breath to infiltrate. If he’s going to eat me on his own, I’m all for it.’

It’s an easy situation to infiltrate Surtr’s interior. The only concerns are that I shouldn’t use the Devil God’s power anymore and that my regeneration is weakened, but… let’s gamble one more time. 

Judging by the fact that my ego and judgment are still intact, I still have some mental strength left. I don’t know what will happen after I use that up, but it’s better than ending up as Surtr’s nutrients like this, right?

[Farewell, my creator.]

As soon as I was swallowed, Surtr would burn me. The inside, which is hotter than the outside, is a super hell that is difficult to endure without fire resistance. I swallowed hard. A huge cave covered me. It looked like a cave because it was so huge, but it was actually Surtr’s mouth. 

Okay, let’s do it. There’s only one chance. If I fail, I’ll really melt alive. That kind of ending. I want it, but I don’t want it, right?

[?!]

“Ugh?!”

But my resolution did not come to fruition.

My body floated into the air.

Not into Surtr’s mouth, but in a completely different direction.

Something pierced Surtr’s back. A brilliant light. It should have been too dazzling to look at directly, but for some reason, it wasn’t painful to look at at all. The light became a spear, becoming a giant weapon heavier than anything else, piercing the fire giant. The impact caused Surtr to lose his balance, and I fell from his palm and floated in the air.

“Th-this is…”

I’ve never seen it before.

But it was familiar.

My ‘body’, not me, reacted first.

Light.

A ray of light like the majesty of God.

“Michael…?”

The Godlike One.

A saint who had traveled with Yoo-seong’s old comrades to save the world.

His light, which had already disappeared, was once again being scattered across the world.

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
Surtr still retains some of his childlike innocence, you see?

Even his blunt way of speaking was actually meant to excite Belial.

But as for that Belial… well… serves him right!

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Child abandonment and now searching for a new(dead) lover, what a noob.

It was deserved fate, yes. 

Next is Kat’s turn.

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