Ch.163The NPC Who Sees the End of Trials (2)

8,000 years ago, were all beauties judged by Ira’s standards? Then, this must truly be heaven.

A world full of Iras, that would be too wonderful.

‘…There’s no time to be escaping into such foolish fantasies…’

“Indeed!”

-KUUUNG!!!

The creature didn’t just speak. Through a status window, it sent me another broken text.

A demon with an appearance identical to Ira—no, one that made me feel this is what Ira would look like when grown up—casually swung its arm, and the ground where I stood caved in as if crushed by some massive club.

Naturally, there was no reason for me, who had been staring only at her, to be flattened like a squished squid. I rolled backward with all my might and looked at the demon again. In its goat-like pupils, I could see only myself reflected.

…What, what is it this time? I already have enough to think about. Could it be…

“Cough!!”

“Holy Maiden?!”

“Ugh… Lu, Luxuria, something has possessed her!! Cough!”

I’m not sure if this is good luck or bad.

She had flown from the cabin to somewhere quite close to us. As the ancestor of possibility helped her up by lending his shoulder, she immediately surrounded herself with a golden aura and began explaining.

“Just now, that book! While talking about her and that book, the moment she grabbed it…!!”

“Book? Could you mean the one in that room?”

“…Oh, shit.”

I wondered what kind of messed-up situation this was, but then I remembered—when I took the ancestor outside to talk privately, I’d left it on the table. And now this happened? But I had also held that book, hadn’t I?

“Yes. I don’t know why this happened, but for now, we need to stop her. At this rate, the city below the mountain…”

[I aM tHe dEaTh oF aLl oF yOu.]

Just as the Holy Maiden said we needed to stop her, a status window with broken text appeared before me.

It seems these broken status windows are somehow different from normal ones. They keep appearing before me repeatedly, but unlike when I received the quest earlier, the Holy Maiden shows no sign of noticing them.

I put some distance between myself and the two of them before speaking.

“Holy Maiden, Jack.”

“Yes.”

“What?”

“Her target is me. I’ll draw her attention, so please find a way to capture her.”

“…Johnson is the target?”

“Are you certain?”

“Yes. Absolutely. So please, I’m counting on you. I probably won’t last more than a few minutes.”

“W-wait a moment!!”

The Holy Maiden shouted, but I was already moving.

Most likely, that demon ended up like that because of me. The Holy Maiden said something possessed her, but it’s clearly that broken status window that’s been messing with me. Though it threatens to kill everyone, those goat eyes reflect only me. Moreover…

‘If what the book said is true, this is the final trial.’

I don’t know what kind of book could have turned her into that, but I can’t avoid this situation.

Having resolved myself, I immediately kicked off the ground and rushed toward the creature. Invisible attacks pressed down around me, targeting me.

-KUUNG!! KUNG! KUUUNG!!

‘At least the attacks seem exactly the same as in the game.’

I already have enough to think about without wasting time like this. Honestly, that status window and that book that gave me some kind of meaningful glimpse of the future…

The things I need to do have piled up even more than before. In other words, I have no time to spare.

“I’m not going to treat you like a demon that looks exactly like Ira.”

-TATATAT!!!

I immediately kicked off the next tree I saw and rose into the air. The creature wasn’t flying very high, and if its attacks were exactly like the Lust boss from the game, I knew how to counter them.

I aimed a kick at its wings.

-TUP!!

[CaUgHt…]

“I let you catch me, idiot.”

Even if a status window is controlling her, I saw her physical abilities earlier. I didn’t expect my attack to work right away.

Using my caught leg as a pivot, I bent my waist like a bow and loaded my other leg.

“Now fall.”

-BWAK!!!

I delivered an eagle shot directly to the wing I was targeting, driving her into the ground.

‘It seems attacks do work, and just like in the game, I can avoid the tentacles by watching for ripples?’

The Seven Deadly Sins Raid, ep.4 final boss: Lust.

A raid boss that attacks using invisible tentacles and inflicts various status effects when hit.

In the game, the strategy is to destroy her wings when she’s flying to bring her down to the ground, then avoid the tentacle attacks while dealing damage. When her wings regenerate, she flies up again, and after performing several gimmicks, the wing destruction cycle repeats.

However.

‘This is reality, and there’s no need to give her time to activate gimmicks.’

As soon as I landed, I dodged the incoming transparent tentacles and rushed toward her.

While she’s still moving according to patterns, I need to accumulate as much damage as possible to prevent her from taking flight again. Then, in the meantime, the Holy Maiden and the ancestor should be able to do something.

‘…Killing her isn’t something I’m keen on, though.’

[ThE tRiAl EnDs iN fAiLuRe. ThIs iS yOuR eNd.]

“Bullshit. Change your keyboard first, you moron.”

I tried to act as nonchalant as possible while striking her shoulder with full force.

*

“A-amazing. Are all mountain guardians like that?”

“……”

As the red-haired Holy Maiden who had been leaning on my shoulder turned golden and healed her wounds, I thought to myself.

‘Why is that guy in such a hurry…?’

A man with the same face as mine, desperately avoiding invisible attacks while striking the woman’s body.

This person who claims to be my descendant is definitely moving faster and more sharply than before as he confronts the demon. However…

“Holy Maiden.”

“Yes?”

“Is there a way to return her to normal?”

“W-well, I’m not sure. It seems she’s trapped by a demonic energy stronger than her own, so all I can think of is to drive it out with my holy power…”

The Holy Maiden spoke with little confidence. Without turning my head, I continued watching the fight. The guy once again stomped down on her wings as she tried to take flight, preventing her and continuing the battle.

And there I became certain.

“With that method, can she return to normal?”

“…I’m not certain. Since she herself is a demon, my holy power might just injure her without helping… No, that’s the more likely outcome.”

“But that’s the only option we have?”

“…I’m sorry.”

The Holy Maiden apologized quietly, but I didn’t think much of it.

If anything, I found it surprising that she, a Holy Maiden, was genuinely trying to help Luxuria.

“Then, how do you use this holy power to drive it out?”

“If I release holy power from a distance, it will just injure her. I need to make direct contact with her body to directly attack the foreign demonic energy that’s attached to her own.”

Either way, it still means attacking her. After hearing her explanation and the continuing sounds of explosions and impacts, I simply nodded.

If there’s no other way, we just need to do it quickly.

“Then, please prepare immediately. How long will it take?”

“About 10 minutes… no, I need about 5 minutes to pray. She’s a greater demon herself, so for demonic energy powerful enough to control a greater demon…”

“Please do it within 3 minutes.”

“Th-three minutes?!”

More impacts and explosions.

Taking my eyes off my descendant who was desperately charging at Luxuria amidst clouds of dust, I looked at the Holy Maiden, who was muttering “That’s too short…” with little confidence.

However…

“That guy, for whatever reason, knows all of Luxuria’s combat methods. And yet, he’s extremely rushed right now.”

“R-rushed? Johnson is?”

-KUUUNG—!!!

-PUEOK!!

“J-Johnson!!”

The Holy Maiden almost screamed, but I didn’t turn my head.

I heard the sound of a bad impact, but I had already expected it. As he said, he probably couldn’t hold out alone for long.

“I’m planning to join the fight now, but between the two of us, we have three minutes. Five at most. Please, I’m counting on you during that time.”

“W-wait…!!!”

-Pause.

I was about to end the conversation and rush in when the Holy Maiden grabbed my collar, stopping me.

My descendant, having barely blocked Luxuria’s attack and avoided a direct hit, was immediately charging at her again.

His injuries, at least from the outside, didn’t seem serious.

I turned my head to look at the Holy Maiden, who took a deep breath and quickly spoke.

“What kind of relationship do you have with Luxuria?”

“…Is that important right now?”

“Yes. Extremely important.”

The Holy Maiden, who had seemed uncertain about everything until just now, was asking about something she claimed was very important in this urgent situation.

My relationship with her? Isn’t it obvious?

“Luxuria confessed to me, and I plan to answer her confession after one more year.”

“What will you answer…”

“That I love her, that I want to spend my life with her.”

“…Gulp.”

She wore a doubtful expression as if she couldn’t believe her ears, repeatedly swallowing dry saliva.

I gave a brief explanation since she said it was important, but what’s the problem…

“Then, please keep talking to her!”

“What?”

“It might be difficult in the midst of that storm of attacks, but this is crucial. She, the woman Luxuria whom I briefly spoke with, truly…”

“If I do that, the chances of saving her…”

“Will increase. Significantly. She might even be able to shake off that demonic energy herself.”

With great sincerity, her violet eyes faintly glowing gold, she spoke with conviction.

I never thought I’d be making a public confession on a day like this. But…

“Understood. I’ll do as you instructed.”

“Yes! I’ll also try to be as quick as—!”

-KWANG!!!

“Urgh?!!”

“Tsk!”

That was it. At my descendant’s strangled cry of pain, I kicked off the ground and ran. He was clearly charging back in with what appeared to be a shattered arm after taking a direct punch from her physical body rather than her tentacles.

…Despite his urgency, for some reason, he seemed unable to strike her face.