Chapter 193

Ṛеа​đ​ оո ＫатЯеаđ​ί​ṅցС​аſė

The family extermination operation was a strategy devised with the possibility of a decisive battle against a devil in mind.

The exact strength of the devil hadn’t been revealed, but it was at least on par with, if not stronger than, a captain.

And captains were the pinnacle of humanity, capable of erasing an entire city from the map single-handedly.

The danger of a devil, being comparable to or even surpassing them, was beyond words. If there really was a devil behind the family, and a battle with them broke out, the aftermath would be unimaginable.

That’s why the Celestial Corps had begun evacuating nearby residents as soon as the operation commenced.

Evacuating before the operation started would have been the safest option, but doing so would have negated the element of surprise.

What kind of surprise attack would announce itself beforehand?

If the family caught even the slightest hint, the operation would fall apart from the start.

For that reason, the area around the hospital was eerily devoid of human presence.

In a world where rifts could unleash monsters from other dimensions at any moment, this was the reality.

Though the evacuation was carried out in a short time, it was executed with remarkable efficiency.

“Phew…”

Eugene exhaled a deep, hot breath.

He was relieved that the people had evacuated in advance.

The torrent of life violently churned the ground as it surged forward.

The hospital was already gone, leaving no trace. All that remained was a dense thicket. 

The forest had swallowed the hospital grounds and greedily expanded beyond. The fresh scent of the forest wafted through the heart of the city. 

A silent explosion of stillness. The forest expanded, indiscriminately engulfing and crushing everything in its path. The ground shook, and a series of deafening roars echoed as if a massive serpent were slithering beneath the surface.

Crack. 

The sound of bones breaking came from Eugene’s fingers gripping the sword hilt. The tendons on the back of his hand bulged, red and inflamed. Eugene pointed his sword at the oncoming wave of life.

‘I’ll borrow it, Leo.’

[Acceleration]

Eugene’s cognitive abilities accelerated.

His body accelerated, and his supernatural abilities accelerated.

As a result, the surrounding scenery slowed to a crawl.

Boom. 

As he stepped forward, the asphalt shattered.

Before the fragments could even hit the ground,

Eugene shot forward like a bullet.

There was no sound.

No, the sound only followed after Eugene had already passed.

Shockwaves erupted, the air screaming as it was torn apart.

Acceleration.

Literally, the ability to move at super-high speeds.

It accelerated everything.

Everything within the range of the ability became faster.

Simple but overwhelming. Speed was power. 

The faster he moved, the greater the physical force he could exert. The faster he was, the easier it was to dodge enemy attacks, and the more attacks he could land. 

Thanks to the unique nature of this ability, Leo was able to fight enemies far stronger than himself. 

He had unleashed a barrage of attacks on high-rank monsters without taking a single hit.

But strengths could become weaknesses in an instant.

Speed was an advantage, but it was also a vulnerability.

The drawback was that the user’s body had to endure the full impact of the ability.

Leo, who had accelerated beyond his limits, had his body broken despite dodging every attack from the high-rank monster. 

Even his trained physique couldn’t withstand the pressure of acceleration. 

And that same weakness applied to Eugene, who now used the same ability. Acceleration beyond what his body could handle would shatter him.

But Eugene had one crucial difference from Leo.

He didn’t have just one supernatural ability.

He didn’t have to endure the pressure of acceleration with his bare body.

‘I’ll count on you, Frey.’

[Hardening]

Eugene’s body, which had been buckling under the pressure of speed, suddenly stabilized. 

Hardening. 

The ability to harden the body. 

Simple, like acceleration, but terrifying in its simplicity. 

Hardening, which maximized durability, turned the user into a moving fortress. 

Hardening withstood the pressure of acceleration, overcoming its side effects.

The green roots tried to block Eugene as he charged forward with a sonic boom. 

They were slower than him. But no matter how slow, the endless torrent of life filling his vision wasn’t something that could be avoided. 

Yet Eugene didn’t dodge or slow down. Instead, he charged even harder.

‘I trust you, Arin.’

[Danger Sense]

A warning signal rang in his mind, alerting him to danger.

The “danger”, which shouldn’t have been visible, began to appear visually.

Eugene threw himself in the direction Danger Sense guided him.

Even in the storm of roots, vines, branches, and leaves, there were clear gaps. It was just that there was no time to observe and judge them. 

Danger Sense pinpointed every gap and relayed it to Eugene. 

The less dangerous spots, those were the gaps. 

His sword traced a red trajectory. Cutting through the weak points, Eugene pressed forward.

“Ha.”

Watching Eugene’s charge, Belial let out a soft laugh.

She had thought the only similarities were his hair color and name.

But the more she watched, the more it reminded her of that day.

The lingering presence of that noble and lofty swordsman could be felt in this boy.

The explosion of life tried to hinder Eugene’s approach, but it would soon be breached. 

Belial clapped her hands gleefully. 

Sharpened tree trunks floated into the air. 

Not just one. Dozens of tree trunks filled the sky, casting shadows. She flicked her finger lightly. The sharpened trunks began to spin like battering rams.

They spun, sucking in the surrounding air. The speed was so intense that massive vortices formed, colliding and repelling each other, further increasing their destructive power.

At Belial’s gesture, the trunks shot forward. It was like watching a meteor shower. A devastating strike cutting through the vast sea of trees. 

The piercing power of a single point would be too much even for Hardening to withstand. 

Eugene, deducing this through Danger Sense, showed no hesitation on his face.

‘Alice.’

Eugene thought of her from earlier. The way she had collapsed, dazed and lost. He knew how much she relied on Lucia. 

The shock must have been immense. Golden light rippled in his blue eyes. Then, at some point, a red hue began to swirl.

‘Let’s fight together.’

A red light coated the blade of his sword.

A crimson glow, deeper and clearer than flames.

“Let’s get Lucia back together!”

[Heat Ray]

Both hands gripped the sword tightly.

His veins pulsed as if they might burst.

From above to below.

He swung the sword high and brought it down.

A simple downward slash, devoid of any technique.

Boom!

That strike split the world.

It tore open the sky and severed the darkness.

The pillars raining down.

The endless sea of trees.

The obstacles blocking the sun were wiped out in an instant.

A slash that began on the ground and reached the heavens.

For a moment, everything in the world turned red.

The area touched by the crimson light was completely incinerated, leaving no trace behind.

“Impressive.”

Belial’s admiration was genuine.

Though the lack of technique and reliance on brute force was a point of criticism, the sheer power was undeniably remarkable.

“…So you’ve always been by my side.”

Eugene, who leaped into the air, landed back on the ground.

The wind pressure from the shockwave ruffled his hair.

The sword, glowing with heat, flickered with flames.

“Yui.”

[Pyrokinesis]

Flames engulfed his entire body.

The air dried up, and the vegetation ignited.

The forest, which had been regenerating and expanding even at this moment, could no longer flood the area.

Instead, it became nothing more than kindling, burning fiercely. Ashes scattered. Leaves, now ablaze, crumbled and lost their form.

“As expected, Eugene. You’re amazing.”

Belial smiled faintly. 

The Chosen One. Even without achieving full awakening, he could do this much. 

Impressive. It wasn’t an empty compliment. He truly was remarkable. 

A human who hadn’t even lived for 20 years yet could display such power. 

Even though his life was but a fleeting moment compared to a devil god, he possessed such strength. It was impossible not to be impressed.

“But it’s still not enough.”

It’s lacking.

It’s still far from enough.

The potential he displayed was only possible because of his multiple supernatural abilities.

In other words, with just one supernatural ability, he wouldn’t even be half as strong as he is now.

“You’re compensating for your lack of skill, technique, and experience… with your supernatural abilities.”

If it was Jin…

If it was that man…

He would have done it with just a single sword.

No, even if it wasn’t Jin.

Any captain-level supernatural could have done this much.

Far more skillfully than Eugene, while conserving their strength.

Without recklessly expending their abilities.

“You’re still immature, Eugene.”

“Don’t call my name… with her voice… with Lucia’s voice.”

At Eugene’s icy words, Belial smirked mischievously.

The lips hidden behind the Green Wolf Mask curved into a smile.

She glanced around. The other supernaturals seemed to be dealing with Murmur and her minions. That meant she could fight the Chosen One without any interruptions.

Belial struggled to contain her heightened emotions. 

Ever since inhabiting this vessel, controlling her emotions had become difficult. But she didn’t mind much. 

It was just a side effect of having recently taken over Lucia’s body. Time would solve everything.

“There’s something I want to ask you.”

Belial tilted her head playfully as she spoke.

“You want Lucia back, right?”

“…”

No answer came.

But his actions spoke louder than words.

The flames on his sword burned even fiercer.

Eugene looked ready to charge at any moment, but he hesitated at Belial’s next words.

“How do you plan to get her back? Do you have a way to drive me out of this ‘body’?”

“That’s…”

Nothing came to mind.

There was no way.

How could he possibly drive out the devil that had parasitized Lucia?

As Eugene bit his lip, Belial laughed softly. It was a carefree laugh, far removed from the original Belial. 

This, too, was Lucia’s influence.

“Here.”

She pressed a finger firmly against her chest.

The soft flesh of her chest yielded under the pressure, giving a strange elasticity.

But Belial spoke in a completely indifferent tone.

“Aim for the heart. My core is here.”

“What…?”

“If you’re lucky, you might be able to drive me out of this body.”

It wasn’t a lie.

Devil gods didn’t lie.

Of course, stabbing the heart would kill the original owner of the body.

But with Lucia’s super-regeneration, she would recover quickly.

“…Why are you telling me this?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

Because there’s no way you could pierce my heart with your current strength.

And even if you destroy the core along with the heart… nothing much would change.

This body is already mine, and Lucia will soon be absorbed and become one with me.

If she hasn’t been absorbed yet, there’s a slight chance Lucia could regain her consciousness.

If the core is destroyed, there’s a slim possibility she could push me out and reclaim her body.

But the scales are tipping between a devil god’s ego and a human’s consciousness… it’s almost laughably predictable.

“I’m giving you a goal so you’ll strive even harder.”

Please, entertain me.

If what you’ve shown so far is all you’ve got, I might be a little disappointed.

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
Eugene’s current level is the same as Alice’s.

It means that he is just below captains.

However, since he fights by combining the Chosen One buff and several other supernatural abilities, if he can skillfully use all his abilities, he can be on par with captains.

Also, depending on what abilities he acquires in the future, he can be even higher than that.

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Where is the balance?!

Oh yeah, I forgot to say this sooner but, Belial is likely gonna regret taking that body. 

Not because of mc buff or anything, but because she hasn’t taken real damage yet.

Imagine what happens once she takes damage, heh.