episode_0092

The Demon King Naiad. The being who claimed that countless worlds were repeating endlessly and insisted that Arina was necessary to stop that meaningless cycle.

His ultimate goal was to use her as a vessel to birth the most powerful Demon King.

Even knowing his intentions, Arina had refused, declaring she hadn’t fallen so low as to cooperate with him—as if there was no need to even consider it. But now, the situation had changed.

“Why… are you still here? I removed all the magic power.”

[Did you really think I helped you without any conditions? When I suppressed the magic ravaging your body, I siphoned off a portion for myself.]

“You knew this would happen?”

[An educated guess. It wasn’t hard to predict a situation like this would arise.]

In short, he had waited until she was desperate enough not to refuse his offer.

Tch. Arina gritted her teeth.

[I was rejected once, but I’ll propose again. Become my wife, Liel Frost. If you accept the condition of bearing the next Demon King, I guarantee you perfect vengeance and a peaceful future.]

“……You cowardly bastard.”

[What’s cowardly? I merely expanded your options. Gave you a lifeline when you desperately needed it. What you choose is entirely up to you.]

Naiad was right. If she didn’t like it, she could refuse. Whether to accept him or not was entirely her decision.

Under normal circumstances, she would never accept such an offer. But the timing was too perfect.

At this moment, the option of becoming the Demon King’s wife was far too enticing.

Wasn’t it only natural? Rather than being reduced to a breeding tool, wouldn’t it be better to become his wife and tear these worthless monsters apart? If viewed purely as a choice for herself, nine out of ten people would make the same decision.

It was literally the whisper of a demon. An offer she absolutely should not accept—yet one she couldn’t refuse.

“I… I—”

[I won’t rush you, but you know time is short, don’t you? If you hesitate too long, it won’t be my child you’ll bear—but the prince’s.]

Naiad spoke as though he had nothing to lose. To him, a demon, things like a woman’s chastity or another man’s child meant nothing.

Unlike human society, which prioritized love, trust, and community, demon society was far more primal. It wasn’t uncommon for a demon to kill another male and seize his wife and children if they pleased him.

Which meant the only one sweating in desperation here was Arina.

Before things became irreversible, before she degraded any further—wasn’t taking the Demon King’s hand the far more rational choice?

Before she knew it, she was already justifying it to herself.

Her thirst for vengeance had become a stronger driving force than concern for her own future.

She had to take revenge. On the bastard who took everything from her. On those who betrayed her. On these worms trying to use her.

You have to break. Just like I did, you should bleed, collapse, and drown in despair.

Otherwise, wouldn’t it be too unfair?

I gave my all for the world, yet this is how I end up. So how dare you get to live well?

This is right. You all must pay the price.

“Naiad! I—”

‘I love you, Arina.’

Of all times, why did that voice resurface now? It couldn’t be a coincidence. The last shred of her reason warning her before she made the worst possible decision.

“‘Favor’ means exactly that—a favor. If you demand compensation, then it’s no longer a favor—it’s labor. Don’t reduce my kindness to a transaction.’”

“I…”

“‘I love you, but if you don’t feel the same, I’ll stay as just your friend. Liel Frost’s friend—Ian Felix.’”

When I asked if you really meant it—if you truly wouldn’t mind getting nothing in return—you answered so simply.

“‘Yes.’”

A favor was just a favor. If you wanted compensation, then it was just labor.

That truth applied to herself as well.

Joining the hero’s party for Marika’s sake had been nothing more than a favor. A kindness for a long-time friend.

Even if the result was betrayal, she had never expected anything in return from Marika—no, from this world.

You really did dye me completely in your colors, didn’t you?

Now I can’t even run away.

[What’s wrong? Didn’t you have something to say?]

Behind the Demon King’s impatient voice, she sensed an unmistakable smirk of victory. He was certain she’d accept.

And rightly so. She had been on the verge of agreeing just moments ago.

Had she never met Ian, she would’ve taken the bait without hesitation.

“I… can’t.”

At the last moment, she severed her own lifeline.

[…Are you serious? Why?!]

“Because I can’t repay kindness with betrayal. Even if I’m broken beyond repair, it’s still better than turning the world he lives in into ashes.”

[Tch! You’d throw away your life for one worthless man?! Choosing me would give you far more! Revenge! Power! The world itself!]

“Even so… I can’t betray his kindness.”.

Even if I never see him again.

BAM!

The door flew open as someone barged in.

“Hehe… Oh, hey, Arina—”

Haaah… She exhaled a deep sigh.

For your sake, I’ll defeat you.

She had declared it boldly, but the truth was—she had already lost to Arina once before. The only silver lining was that this time, she didn’t have those magic-enhancing items.

Her defeat in their duel years ago was ancient history. If someone asked if things were different now, the answer was no.

As a reincarnator, Marlin had relied on cheat-like abilities and overwhelming power to crush her enemies—but she had no real combat finesse. Even now, after spending over a decade as an adventurer, nothing had changed.

Experience had taught her how to fight, but at best, she was merely competent.

In simpler terms, Marlin hadn’t grown at all since then.

Arina, meanwhile, had grown steadily over those same years. The gap between them had only widened.

To win, she had to fight with the intent to kill. But Marlin had never killed anyone before. The closest she came was severing Dullahan’s consciousness—and even then, he was undead.

Kill her.

Can I?

Kill Arina?

No matter how much she steeled herself, looking at that beautiful face, even ten years of faded rage wavered.

Hah… Truly, a beauty capable of bringing peace to the world.

“Eek?!”

She barely dodged an ice arrow aimed at her head as Arina’s warning followed.

“Focus. No distractions.”

“This is just because of the command, right…? You’re not seriously trying to kill me…?”

Even so, surely she wouldn’t actually go for the kill—right?

Either way, she had to end this quickly.

Whoosh!

Arina ducked under a kick aimed at her head.

The second strike, aimed at her abdomen, was blocked by a magic-reinforced arm.

The third, a sweeping kick, narrowly missed as Arina leaped back—only for dozens of magic blades to fly at her instead.

Rolling away, Marlin clicked her tongue after dodging them all.

“Tch.”

She knew this well.

Out of 37 past duels, the score was 36 wins—1 loss.

Though Arina had won the very last duel, she had memorized Marlin’s patterns perfectly across those defeats.

There was no way someone as sharp as her hadn’t. To win, Marlin either needed new techniques or to force reactions even if Arina saw them coming.

She clasped her hands together.

Her heartbeat quickened slightly.

Rather than manipulating bloodflow with magic, she manipulated her bloodflow through magic.

Her strongest long-range attack.

Veins bulged over her hands as magic gathered—shifting from one palm to another—coalescing into a single mass.

But her opponent wasn’t so naive as to watch idly. Before the technique fully formed, a counterattack struck.

“[Light of the Full Moon]”

Arina’s fastest spell. No time to finish charging.

Extending her right hand, Marlin unleashed the incomplete technique.

“Divine Palm of Enlightenment.”

BOOM—

The hall trembled violently. Had both attacks been at full power, the surroundings would’ve been obliterated—but constrained by her inability to harm the king, Arina couldn’t use large-scale magic.

‘Such a weakness.’

While her limitation was advantageous, it wasn’t enough of an edge. Between two of the strongest humans, tempo dictated the battle.

While others were still reeling, Marlin closed the distance.

A confined space and restricted magic usage—this fight heavily favored her. As a brawler, this was her ideal battlefield.

Dodging a barrage of magic blades by a hair’s breadth, she charged.

Marlin’s fist gleamed golden. No time for a flawless strike—but an unfinished one would suffice.

“Hundred-Step Divine Fist.”

“[Light of the Full Moon]”

Evading the incoming beam, she lunged. Descending from above, Marlin drove her fist downward.

Arina conjured multilayered ice barriers, but they shattered like tiles under her strike.

CRACK!

Like boulders split by a drill, the barriers collapsed. Blood trickled from a cut on her cheek from flying debris.

Wiping it away, Arina’s left hand already glowed with white light.

A Divine Fist of Subjugation after breaking through—followed by a Divine Fist of Destruction at point-blank range.

This is it.

Even someone as strong as Arina wouldn’t withstand her ultimate attack under these constraints.

As the last barrier shattered, she saw Arina—still gathering energy.

Now!

Marlin pulled back her fist—

“Idiot! Block this!”

“Huh?!”

Contrary to her shout, Arina immediately unleashed her magic.

“[Dark Moon]”

As the incantation left her lips, the laws of physics inverted.

The towering ceiling ripped apart—and along with it, Marlin’s body was sent floating upward.

Suddenly subjected to reversed gravity, her posture crumbled.

“GYAAAAAH?!”

Torn past the conference hall and into the open sky, what greeted her was neither sun nor clouds—but a colossal moon hovering above the capital.

Night had fallen prematurely over the royal city.

“Wait—she can use this without the Philosopher’s Stone?!”

She was horrified.

For anyone to wield magic of this scale purely by their own power—

‘She can’t unleash large-scale spells because she can’t harm royalty.’

That assumption proved fatal.

Hadn’t she witnessed before that Arina could selectively target her Dark Moon?

“Guess this makes it 37 losses…”

Watching the light surging from below, Marlin broke into a cold sweat.

Dozens of condensed magical projectiles—Arina’s full-power barrage—rained down upon her without mercy.