Episode 39: Wearing the Mask

 

“Haa… Haa!! Finally, I finally killed her!!”

Finally, I had killed my nemesis.

The faces of comrades who had died while being toyed with by Yun Se-ah flashed through my mind.

Seong Arin, thrown as monster bait after having her magic circuits severed. Sakura and Ecclesia, dying helplessly to Yun Se-ah’s attacks with their hands severed.

Even Seo Jian who burned to death… I clasped my hands together, bidding farewell to the comrades who had once fought alongside me.

“Everyone… I’ve avenged you. Rest in peace now.”

Using my past experience, I had executed the perfect plan – kidnapping the fallen Yun Se-ah using a camouflage cloak undetectable by detection magic and a dimensional pouch that could store anything, moving her to the location my collaborators indicated, killing her there, having Yun Se-ah declared missing to close the case, and returning safely with my collaborators as if nothing happened.

It was successful.

“I thought you were just leeches sucking my father’s money, but you’re quite capable.”

The collaborators turned out to be relatives from my mother’s side who had long coveted Yun Seong-ho’s wealth.

Our temporary alliance formed because their ugly desire to kill Yun Se-ah and inherit her wealth aligned with my wish to eliminate her.

Their suggestion to pour concrete over the evidence after I secretly killed Yun Se-ah seemed decent enough. If things went south, I could testify that the maternal relatives did it – which is why I returned without leaving a single fingerprint or strand of hair behind.

“I can’t possibly… hand over Father’s inheritance.”

Just as I was about to reach the surface in this situation where success was within grasp, the moment I planned to report Yun Se-ah’s disposal to my collaborators and return…

“So it was you, the filthy traitor who struck down a comrade.”

I immediately swung my sword at the sudden presence.

-Clang!

But the entity blocked my sword with absurd ease, and…

-Crunch…!

“Keheuk…!!”

The intense impact to my abdomen sent me flying out of the building, and I lost consciousness for about two seconds.

During those two eternal seconds, I realized one of my arms wouldn’t move.

“Do you comprehend the weight of your actions?”

When I saw the enemy’s face, I found myself facing a monster that shouldn’t have appeared here.

One of the Seven Archdemons – Azathos.

A member of the Seven Archdemons we had barely repelled after life-and-death battles guided by Yun Se-ah in the past.

“Damn it, why are you appearing here…!!”

“As payment for harming our comrade, I shall scatter your blood across this land to mourn her death.”

Having faced Azathos before, I thought I could handle him without issues, but…

-Kwaaaang!

“Keuheoook…!!”

“How slow. You can’t even collapse properly.”

I was defeated with embarrassing ease.

Within just three minutes, all my limbs were completely fractured, leaving me literally unable to move a single finger.

My body felt too heavy to activate even simple skills. My orichalcum sword from the past shattered instantly under Azathos’s furious assault.

The stone fragments embedded throughout my body disrupted my mana flow. When Azathos’s fist plunged into my abdomen… I vomited dark red matter.

“I despise weaklings who resort to tricks. I want to tear you apart and scatter your pieces across the fields.”

Apparently bored of toying with me, Azathos threw me against a wall like trash.

“Kuaaaak…!”

Despair at facing death again so soon after returning, doubt about whether regression would even work this time…

“Now, it ends.”

As these emotions overwhelmed me and I lowered my head, what appeared before me was…

“…What? My body?!”

“…Don’t move, Azathos.”

The figure struggling to suppress the Archdemon’s attack with a severely damaged body was none other than Yun Se-ah.

…

…

…

“Ugh…!”

‘Pity. I should have intervened when her organs and legs were all ruptured.’

Everywhere Yu Eun-ha stabbed still aches.

Given my crimson vision, I must be crying bloody tears.

Well, I was already bleeding from every orifice at the point when I pushed myself beyond limits.

‘If not for <Recovery (S)>, I would’ve died from blood loss long ago.’

The problem was that with reduced natural healing, I kept bleeding endlessly… At least I wouldn’t die from excessive blood loss since the bleeding wasn’t infinite.

“…Comrade, you were alive?”

Anyway…

‘Why is this bastard appearing here?’

Azathos, the giant clad in a thousand armors. The Archdemon before me.

A boss with unique abilities – dropping stone fragments that reduce mana circuit accuracy and requiring evasion of falling meteors (instant kills) every 30 seconds.

‘Though he’s considered pushover due to his dumb AI as the first boss with instant kills, as long as you avoid the stone fragments…’

Why is he appearing here?

Like Shena, these Seven Archdemons seem completely unwilling to follow the original story.

-Gurgle

“Cough!”

-Squelch…!

Dark red blood gushed from my mouth.

“Comrade, are you being controlled by that damn bitch?”

“…Ugh.”

Even in this situation, the rock-brained fool misunderstands completely.

‘Why would I be your comrade?’

I’m supposed to be decapitating your boss and going home.

“Hold on just a little longer! Once I adapt to the comrade’s attacks… I’ll split that despicable bitch’s skull in one strike…!”

“We’re short on time. Could you decide quickly?”

“…Fine. Just this once.”

Without hesitation, Yu Eun-ha picked up the knife I threw and approached Azathos’s core.

Though Azathos struggled to break free, his immense power came with corresponding ‘Restrictions’. He had become weak enough to fall for my hypnosis even when I was near death.

“Kuaaaak! If not for these ‘Restrictions’, a mere bitch like you would be nothing…!!!”

“…Then you shouldn’t have come out. Let me help ensure you never appear again.”

“You bitch…!!!!!!”

-Crunch!

“Kuaaaaaaaaak!!! How dare I, Azathos, fall to such cheap tricks…!!”

With a dull impact, one of the Seven Archdemons… Azathos collapsed powerless.

-Crunch, Crack!

Watching Yu Eun-ha, limping on one leg but mustering all her strength to crush the bastard’s skull, I felt dizzy imagining myself in that position.

As Azathos’s arm twitched weakly before finally going limp, Yu Eun-ha sighed in relief and slowly approached me.

“Um… Would you like time to leave last words or something…”

“Forget it. I’m not killing you. We made a deal, remember?”

-Clang!

With those words, she tossed the knife she’d used back to me.

‘…Can I consider myself safe for now?’

“Let’s go. To the hospital first.”

“Ah, will you support me?”

When I cheekily accepted her offer, Yu Eun-ha irritably stomped on my foot.

“Ouch.”

“…Right. If I let you die here, I’d get arrested. I still have much to do.”

“Haha, indeed.”

“You promised first – to overlook today’s events. Today’s incident…”

“A Gate suddenly appeared in the sky, and we exterminated the evil beast that emerged from it. How about that?”

“…Fine. By the way, your recovery is slow.”

“Probably because of the drugs you injected. I don’t have infinite mana like Arin.”

At this, Yu Eun-ha looked at me with slightly apologetic eyes.

‘She still seems confused.’

I could clearly see her struggling to determine which version of me was real.

“…Lean on my shoulder.”

All her earlier murderous intent had vanished. Yu Eun-ha now looked genuinely intent on taking me to the hospital.

‘Does she not know about my [Hypnotic Evil Eye]?’

Since she died to me three times… If she died around the Yun Se-ah boss fight stage in her timeline… Let’s assume either that timeline’s Yun Se-ah was overwhelmingly strong or Yu Eun-ha and the protagonists were incompetent.

-Thump!

‘…It ended without issues. Still.’

Though I suffered kidnapping and torture… and killed all those maternal relatives – no, they weren’t human anyway.

Anyway, I disposed of those useless data fragments… As the barrier seemed about to dissolve, I could now entrust myself to the heroes arriving outside.

“You’ll need to explain why Azathos called you ‘comrade’ too.”

“Hmm… If that strange creature truly considered me a comrade, wouldn’t I have just let Eunha die?”

“…………”

“I overheard – Eunha called me ‘unnie’, after all.”

Yu Eun-ha’s heartbeat accelerated violently. She reacted as if hearing something forbidden… It seemed almost cute.

‘Good, she’s almost convinced.’

“What older sister would stand by while her younger sister faces death?”

“………..”

Her previously indifferent support became noticeably more careful after those words.

‘She must be thinking – what if this person isn’t the Yun Se-ah I knew?’

Just moments ago, I felt agony as if being pierced by needles everywhere – pain that threatened to drive me mad.

But now… as I prepared to drive the nail of guilt into Yu Eun-ha’s heart, I felt no pain – only exhilaration in this heart-pounding situation.

‘A regressor could cause accidents while handling my tasks.’

Regressors are unnecessary variables in the story I’m weaving.

Such variables must be… thoroughly controlled, even if I have to break them.

-Stab!

I quickly stabbed the cross-shaped dagger Yu Eun-ha had thrown earlier into my thigh.

‘Damn, this hurts like hell.’

I originally planned to fake it… but realism is key in acting. No choice.

-Thud!

“Ugh, aaaaah…!!”

“Wh-what? Snap out of it?!”

As I rolled on the ground convulsing violently, a panicked Yu Eun-ha grabbed my collar, desperately trying to calm me.

‘Yes, that’s the face. Not the look for an enemy… but genuine worry for someone precious.’

Unlike her earlier cold expression, true panic now showed on Yu Eun-ha’s face.

If you feared the academy’s retaliation, you shouldn’t have kidnapped me.

If you hated that past Yun Se-ah so much, you should’ve killed her then.

So why take out your frustration on me – who’s trying to return home safely after being beaten three times?

You need to suffer.

You must endure agony.

‘To establish our twisted relationship, Yu Eun-ha.’

-Clatter

A ominous sound came from behind.

An all too familiar sound.

“Where do you think you’re taking my comrade?!!!”

I didn’t see it with Shena since I instantly banished her using the void, but any Archdemon-level entity could… easily make a final desperate strike before death.

At least enough to easily claim one life.

Azathos’s body, drenched in what might be blood, transformed into a massive, sharp spear.

“I’ll at least take you with me…!!!”

The crimson spear aimed not at me, but straight for Yu Eun-ha’s heart.

“Eun…ha!”

Despite convulsing, I somehow managed to push Yu Eun-ha aside.

‘Perfect!’

By pushing her away, I could show her this spectacle from the best seat – my body now perfectly aligned with the crimson spear’s trajectory.

-Stab!

‘Watch closely from your VIP seat…’

The person you tried to kill until moments ago… wasn’t actually the object of your hatred.

“…Unnie!!”

After three regressions left you unable to trust anyone, witness the ‘truly kind Yun Se-ah’ you desperately sought… dying because of your actions.

The Archdemon’s life-sacrificing final strike pierced through my side and exited the other. Without even screaming, I collapsed.

Thinking I might truly die this time, in the silent void devoid of screams or sensations, I watched Yu Eun-ha’s screaming face and the golden lightning piercing through the barrier…

‘Ah… This is perfect.’

I closed my eyes.