Ch.176176. Return

“You siblings are quite irritating.”

The woman who had pierced through the demon’s riddle with wisdom pulled out a magic power gun from her bosom and fired it directly at the secretary.

Bang!

The gunshot echoed.

The secretary caught the bullet with his middle and index fingers like tweezers, but Deia shouted roughly.

“These bastards are just playing with us anyway, that’s what I’m saying!”

“Uoooooh!”

The gunshot was the signal.

Darius and Tyren, who had already exchanged tactics with eye signals, rushed forward simultaneously. Their objective was just one thing: Saintess Lucia, who was captured by Magan.

If they were demons, simply reclaiming the Saintess would be enough to sustain the battle.

After all, holy power was ultimately the most useful weapon for killing demons and the power they feared most.

That’s why the great demon Magan had personally moved, even for a moment, to take Lucia away.

“Hmm?”

Magan gave a chilling smile toward the two bulky men rushing at him.

That was the end.

Black arms emerging from the darkness simultaneously grabbed the two men and slammed them against the wall.

Painful cries burst from the mouths of the two warriors. Tyren All Velocus, one of the Griffin Kingdom’s greatest forces, and Darius, the giant of Norsweden, were subdued just like that.

“That’s… impossible.”

No matter how strong a great demon might be. No matter how overwhelming their power compared to humans.

Magic Judge Tyren All Velocus was defeated without even being able to use his power properly?

Something was strange about this.

If he had that kind of power, Deus’s self-destruction using the Lemegeton wouldn’t have worked in the first place.

Has he become stronger?

“Kik, kikikikikik.”

Magan’s eerie laughter spread throughout the banquet hall, riding on the darkness.

A demon’s laughter that breaks human will.

A monster who had proudly occupied the position of apex predator throughout hundreds of years living on the continent.

“I surrender.”

Was his will broken by the laughter?

Jordia of the German Kingdom finally raised his hands and declared surrender.

“Let me smoke a cigarette.”

Despite his voluntary declaration to become their puppet, the other German Kingdom envoys couldn’t voice any complaints.

“We’ve already lost.”

The situation was unfavorable enough for Jordia to declare it so.

No one knew when external rescue would arrive. No, it might not have even begun in the first place.

One empire was completely annihilated.

The Valestan Duchy’s greatest force, Tom, had already gone over to their side, and the successor had lost his fighting spirit, kneeling on the floor and trembling.

With the German Kingdom declaring surrender as well.

Now only the Griffin Kingdom remained.

But Tyren and Darius had been completely subdued, and Saintess Lucia was in the great demon’s grasp.

All that remained were Princess Elenoa, Deia, and Deus Verdi.

The battle was essentially already over.

“A reasonable decision.”

When the secretary offered a cigarette, Jordia lit it without hesitation and put it in his mouth.

After puffing out smoke a few times.

“So this is the enlightenment you spoke of.”

“Huhu, the world looks different now, doesn’t it?”

A smile appeared for the first time on the face of the usually stoic Jordia.

“Ah, do you have any more left?”

Following Jordia, who had completely turned to the enemy’s side, the German Kingdom’s envoys also began smoking the cigarettes offered by the secretary, one by one.

The cigarette smoke spread thickly in the already confined space.

Through the smoke, the great demon’s gaze turned toward Deus.

“Do you intend to fight this time as well?”

“……”

He couldn’t say anything.

His body stiffened, his tongue wouldn’t move properly, and his mouth became parched.

“You probably already know, don’t you? I’m different from the one you met before.”

Chuckling, Magan threw Lucia, whom he had been holding, to the floor. The insects around avoided her, recognizing their master’s prey.

“I am Magan, the great demon of gluttony.”

“……”

“This place is a banquet hall for me. My feast. A place where I can become stronger than anywhere else.”

Thud!

“Aaaaargh!”

Another giant hand emerging from the darkness this time attacked Deia.

Deia’s scream echoed through the banquet hall as the demonic strength roughly squeezed her.

Magan’s footsteps slowly approached Deus. At the same time, the giant hands began to move, bringing two people before Deus.

Darius and Deia.

Both were unable to escape the grip of the hands and were groaning in pain.

“It’s a choice between two options, Deus.”

“Ah.”

Deus’s fists clenched and his body trembled, as he could already predict what would be said next.

“If you could save only one person, who would you choose?”

He couldn’t resist.

Deus didn’t have the ability to break the demon’s choices and forge his own path.

His head lowered.

Save his brother or save his younger sister?

An impossible choice lay before him.

“The one you choose will smoke a cigarette and keep their life, while the one you abandon will become food for the insects.”

Hundreds of insects gathering around Magan clicked and cried, begging for it to be given to them quickly.

“Agonize, and agonize more. That’s how you mature, Deus Verdi.”

“……”

“Shoulder the burden, writhe in the pain of choice. That’s how you become complete as my feast.”

Your soul, which has comforted so many souls, would truly be a delicacy.

At Magan’s resonant words, Deus unconsciously felt his head growing hot with anger.

‘Why?’

Why aren’t you coming out yet?

‘Shinwoo Kim. What are you doing?’

We’ve come to this situation.

You should wake up now.

You know I can’t handle this situation.

How long are you going to sleep?

Wait, are you really sleeping?

Are you actually awake and watching this whole situation?

If so, why?

Why?

Why?

Why aren’t you waking up?

You promised.

To be a proud second son.

To take my place—inadequate and pathetic me, the wretched and foolish addict that I was.

You said you would take responsibility and protect everyone.

I can’t do it, but you’ve always done what was impossible for me.

‘Why on earth! Why aren’t you returning to my body… huh?’

Deus Verdi finally realized that something was off.

My body.

Yes, the original owner of the body.

That was himself.

How could Shinwoo return when he, the rightful owner, was still here?

‘Ah, I see.’

After all, the owner of the body was Deus Verdi.

All choices originated from Deus Verdi.

Even Shinwoo, who had been giving him a funeral, didn’t forcibly take it but sought surrender through persuasion.

“Hahaha! Agonize! Struggle! Season your soul with human anguish and despair!”

What he could do now.

Deus Verdi finally understood clearly.

“Shut up.”

At Deus’s coldly uttered words, Magan’s expression twisted strangely. He seemed both pleased and angry at the same time.

But ignoring Magan, Deus took out a small photograph from his pocket and looked down at it.

A picture of Illuania and her child Sevia smiling.

Crunch.

Clutching it tightly, Deus looked back and forth between Deia and Darius.

And then.

Thud.

He knelt down.

“Take me.”

To call Shinwoo, he needed to vacate his place.

But Deus didn’t know how to go back to sleep. He had awakened by another’s doing, and fallen asleep by another’s doing.

This time was the same.

Another.

That is, he needed to borrow the power of the great demon.

Therefore, to empty this body.

Deus Verdi did his best to act like Shinwoo Kim.

To deceive the great demon before him.

Deus looked up at Magan with unwavering eyes. It was a first.

The first time he didn’t feel afraid of that demon at all.

His body had already stopped trembling.

Rising courage heated his entire body.

This is not Shinwoo Kim.

This is.

Deus Verdi’s last act.

“You idiot, what are you doing?!”

“Don’t say useless things!”

Hearing his decision to sacrifice himself, Deia and Darius berated him even through their pain.

But because of this, Deus was able to strengthen his resolve even more.

He, who had been an inadequate brother.

What he could finally do at the end.

Just as Shinwoo had pretended to be him for the sake of family.

This time, Deus Verdi would pretend to be Shinwoo Kim for the sake of family.

Unwavering eyes filled with firm conviction flew toward Magan.

‘It looks delicious.’

Here is the soul of the spirit master you wanted.

‘It looks tempting.’

What you’ve been wanting is right in front of you.

‘You want to eat it.’

Having overcome all the burden and anguish, he’s now sacrificing himself for his family. Hasn’t it matured exactly as you wanted?

“I am the Spirit Master.”

So eat me.

“Ah.”

Looking down at Deus, who offered himself instead of choosing between Deia and Darius, Magan let out a short sigh.

And then.

“I can’t resist!”

His widely opened mouth sucked in everything around it. Deus’s hair fluttered and his clothes billowed, but what really mattered was.

That he had sucked in the soul inside the physical body.

“I will chew on your soul for years, and I will solidify your body and lick it for a lifetime.”

A food that could never be lost.

The dining method chosen by a gourmet named great demon who wanted to savor Deus for a lifetime.

Thud.

Deus’s body collapsed forward. His soul was already being chewed by Magan’s teeth on his tongue.

It was painful, truly agonizing.

It felt like he would vanish at any moment, but.

His eyes were still fixed on his own body.

“Hmm? The taste…?”

Magan noticed something was wrong. The taste of Deus’s soul, already saturated with pleasure and indulgence, was like chewing gum that had lost its sweetness.

“What’s this?”

Just as he was about to check Deus’s soul that he was chewing, wondering what was happening.

Thud!

Deus’s left hand, which should have been an empty shell, pressed against the floor as he stood up.