Ch.22273. Fierce Battle of Fire and Darkness (2)

Though it should have been the complete opposite of our previous encounter.

Except for the injury inflicted by Mistilteinn, the current Demon Lord’s condition was perfect and at its peak… more so than any other time I had faced her until now.

Not in the middle realm, but in this limited area that had been fully corrupted into the demon realm.

This was rightfully her domain to rule and control.

…Our previous Demon Lord once said this:

If one desires it, the law of causality can be applied from this point onward.

In other words, the only one who can exert full power here, at least for now, would be me.

‘This is troublesome.’

With crimson branches rushing in like prison bars, and raging flames charging like maddened beasts on top of that, there was no room for carelessness.

Using Dominatur Peccata to nullify everything would certainly be an option here.

But my senses—my foresight comparable to supernatural perception—warned me.

…The moment you do that, the victory you desire will slip far beyond your reach.

That was also why I was playing along with her rhythm.

And.

I too was… distinctly different from before.

I face her by temporarily releasing the Great Demon Lord’s legacy received from the half-formed Hebatein and Elhermina without conditions.

Though it seems without conditions or limitations, it’s not a power I can use indefinitely.

Didn’t I nearly lose an arm when I overused the divine object I received from Zefs previously?

In other words, there was a clear limit to what my physical body could handle.

And that limit was pitifully insignificant compared to the current Demon Lord’s.

“……”

So I had no choice but to respond accordingly.

I deflect the blood-red flames with a swing of my pitch-black sword.

Then I fire back with jet-black flames extended from Hebatein, making quite a show of it.

However, this isn’t a power meant for long-range use.

More precisely, I didn’t have the capacity to use it that way.

So using it with close combat in mind is the best I can do.

Still, that’s information I should keep to myself—there’s no need to reveal that I’m poor at ranged attacks.

So with a bit of strain, this much is possible.

‘I was never one for taking the easy way out anyway.’

What I learned before mastering Grandeus’s swordsmanship:

It was a continuous nightmare of atrocity and cruelty, hidden behind sweet words like “fantasy” and “dream.”

Killing myself 100 times was just the beginning.

[No eyes on the back of your head? Then you deserve to die.]

I only stopped dying after hundreds of repeated deaths.

Not dying was one thing, but avoiding fatal wounds took hundreds more attempts.

Overcoming serious injuries took hundreds more.

Properly evading attacks took over a thousand additional attempts.

…I engraved those wounds and humiliations deep in my heart.

But was that the end?

[You can’t do anything about enemies you can’t see?]

Then just die.

…I died hundreds of times learning to defend against and counter invisible beings.

And then.

Just by adding one more invisible enemy, I died over a thousand times.

…By the time the number of enemies exceeded ten, I had died thousands more times.

[Without superhuman senses, you need to use everything a normal person can. If you can’t see, strain your eyes harder. Who knows? There might be afterimages or faint traces left behind. Even if you can’t see, you might hear something. Can’t hear? Try listening more carefully. What about smell? Maybe your sense of touch is sensitive enough to detect their approach through slight breezes?]

My superhuman senses were the fruit of dying tens of thousands of times.

Yet even that is something some people are born with.

An innate talent that awakens with just a little encouragement or stimulation.

Since I lacked it, I had to build everything from scratch, step by step.

If there was one stroke of fortune given to me:

At least I didn’t need to die in reality.

[Don’t get used to it. What good is getting accustomed to dying? In reality, you die once and it’s over.]

So the conditions became increasingly harsh.

I couldn’t even accept death easily anymore.

…And the situations and conditions worsened accordingly.

[Feeling wronged? Use even that emotion as your driving force. But keep your head cool. When blood rushes and heat fills you, your thinking stiffens, right? You have no talent and your mind works slowly, so keep thinking. Shouldn’t you smell your brain burning to know you’re doing it right?]

For me, reality had somehow become a dream world.

[Manage your stamina well. Keep track of your weapon’s condition. Can’t do it? Then die.]

And even if I somehow overcame all that.

Another task would be given without rhyme or reason.

[Never expect anything. Salvation? Support? There’s none of that. Nothing will end unless you defeat everything by yourself. Whether it’s a hundred thousand or a million, you face them alone. And if you die, you start over from the beginning, so do your best. Understood?]

Therefore.

Repeating Grandeus’s swordsmanship was…

Truly, truly nothing.

Boredom was absolutely nothing.

I didn’t even feel it was arduous.

Because I had endured far worse before.

Yet despite overcoming such trials in nightmares without rest…

…In reality, I was still pathetic.

And.

The golden girl constantly said:

[Don’t be reassured just because this is a false illusion. Do you think your mind can endure this infinitely?]

She was right.

I…

Never properly endured even for a moment.

In the end, I am a human who is neither here nor there.

Boom!

Crimson branches shoot up from the ground.

I skillfully deflect them, burn them, avoid them.

And strike them down again.

I cut down what’s in the way.

I use what isn’t as footing.

I anticipate and avoid branches that might pierce through my stepping foot.

Like a squirrel climbing a tree, or a snake sliding up and down.

Finally, I thrust myself toward her face, which is trying to push me away.

‘It’s more dangerous up close than at a distance, but…’

There’s no other way.

Slicing through space to attack could be one solution… but I wasn’t confident it would end things decisively.

Similarly, approaching through shadows or darkness could give her an opening for counterattack if predicted.

So I should save that for a critical moment or…

‘……’

Think, observe properly, collect and comprehend all available information.

And think again.

Throw away any expectations or assumptions that you can do something, and assume the worst.

Prepare and respond with failure in mind.

Confidence? Pride? Self-esteem?

Feed those to dogs and rats.

-Kyaaaak!

Crimson branches pierce through her armor, tearing through her flesh.

I was badly hurt by those before, wasn’t I?

‘It doesn’t matter.’

Because now I have a driving force supporting me.

Like a proclamation.

Like a sentence.

I speak:

“Pallas(Πάλλας)…”

Aegis(αἰγίς).

The legendary shield that Zeus gave to his daughter Athena.

But that’s just in mythology—what was it really like?

When I received divine power and objects from Zeus previously.

Didn’t he call it prejudice?

‘Moreover.’

Given that my other-world self called the War God was Ares, this became certain.

Long ago.

The version of me I can’t remember had a snake in my mind.

What was Ahriman’s form when I saw him before?

But that’s from the distant past, ancient times.

So what about now?

‘The reason my past self excelled was…’

Because I had the blessing of Athena, the War Goddess, prominently displayed.

But in the Irenis Order, Athena is essentially equivalent to Astarte.

Different from Verethragna.

Different from Marduk or Zeus.

In other words.

I was destined to be a powerful demon in some form.

-What are you doing?!

A semi-transparent black shield blocks all the rushing crimson branches.

Its size and range showed a clear difference from the Aegis I had manifested using Zeus’s divine power before.

Also.

Athena’s Aegis has another guardian inherent within it.

Kyaaaak!

From the shield’s surface, a malevolent monster’s form screams terribly, flashing dozens of eyes.

-!!

The crimson branches instantly turn ashen gray and crumble away.

‘Evil Eye(κακό μάτι).’

There’s a tradition that the Aegis shield actually referred to a pendant.

And it’s said that Athena embedded Medusa’s head into the Aegis, using it as a protective charm.

Of course, Zeus himself, the master of Pantheon and Athena’s father, did the same.

“Gorgoneion(Γοργόνειον).”

The shield suddenly shrinks to the size of a palm.

Yet it instantly dissolves all malice that tries to fill that gap.

-You’re the same! Using that hateful god’s existence!

“Use what you can.”

This connection would normally be impossible.

But now it’s possible.

Through Heba’s—Hebatein’s power and strength.

This is another application of Dark Star.

This ability to absorb power, ability, and authority, and then reverse and release power proportional to the total amount absorbed…

Depending on how well I can control that power… it could be used for completely different purposes.

Just like now.

Without divine objects or divine power.

I’ve converted a completely different power into a new divine power or authority.

I learned this application from the previous Demon Lord, the Demon Lord of Wisdom.

[Did I tell you before? That person said there are several ways to kill me? First is a power equal to the sun. And second is…]

So this is… in a way, the result of combining the principles of the sun’s power and my Dark Star.

…Also.

In the distant future.

After at least 7 generations have passed from now.

I knew that a descendant would appear who uses this as their main technique.

Though there was a clear difference in scale.

I could only manage it clumsily by handling power that somewhat exceeded the standard, while using it on an extremely small scale was… impossible.

In other words, inefficient.

Yet the reason I had to use this was…

-You think you can stand against me with just that-!

I extend my right hand to one side.

Simultaneously.

Through the gap in darkness, I grasp Mistilteinn.

I abandoned the pitch-black sword long ago.

In my left hand, by holding Hebatein and the pendant Gorgoneion, perfectly manifesting the Gorgoneion itself.

It blocks all hostile means and negations, all malice and hostility, both visible and invisible, at their source.

Therefore.

Even if I’m within reaching distance of the current Demon Lord just by extending my hand.

Her violent blessing and causality.

And all hostility and malice that would harm me beyond that.

All are sealed.

-Mere tricks!

Furthermore.

Crack!

It even prevents the Demon Lord from retreating.

More precisely, Mines’s ice wall has sealed off the area behind the current Demon Lord.

“……”

Just enough to ensure no harm comes to the fallen Delica.

But I only checked that for an instant.

I brought down Mistilteinn,

held in my right hand, straight down.

-Kuk!

The Demon Lord barely blocked it with a dark sword drawn in an instant.

Despite it being my best strike, despite her own powers being in disarray.

She deflected my attack without showing any sign of panic, her red eyes flashing.

…At the same time, I too let go of Mistilteinn due to that deflection.

More precisely, I deliberately let it go.

-?!

At that moment, she might have sensed this was a golden opportunity.

If she recovered the deflected sword and switched to offense.

It would appear I had no time to respond.

Gorgoneion blocks curses and malice, not physical force.

I had given her enough clues to figure that out.

…

And I aimed for that small psychological gap created by her focused thinking.

The floating Mistilteinn was sucked back into the dark afterimage.

And returned to my grasp.

-Such cowardice-!

So she overlooked it.

Partly due to my intention.

I clench the hand holding Hebatein.

And thrust it toward her torso.

It’s not a strike.

The meaning lies in extending and touching.

‘Peccata.’

Not nullification through an omnidirectional field.

But nullification ability that unfolds only within the range my hand touches.

Grandeus’s actual specialty.

Thump!

Next, like a snake climbing up, I push my hand holding Hebatein and Gorgoneion around her smooth, pale arm, then pull.

The half of Hebatein the Demon Lord was holding.

What she calls Levateinn, I hooked and pulled down like with a gaff hook, using my hand, wrist, and the small area of the half-remaining Hebatein.

Naturally, the Demon Lord wouldn’t carelessly let go of what she held.

So inevitably, her arm and torso were dragged along.

Across her eyes, which had been wary of Mistilteinn, bewilderment and anger quickly flashed.

-How far will you-!

How leisurely to have time to complain.

For me, even that moment of speaking is part of the action.

I bend my left elbow to catch her arm as it’s pulled toward me, drawing her torso in further.

And then.

Thud!

-!!!

I headbutted her directly.

I attempted this because her helmet exposed her face—I wouldn’t have tried it if there were no openings.

And because she’s in contact with me, her magical power usage is completely blocked at its source.

Even if she tries to use it, it will only leak or tangle.

In that state, even her abilities and powers are further blocked by the Gorgoneion.

I’ve created conditions equivalent to Dominatur Peccata for a moment, without actually using it.

-Kugh!

I kicked at her ankle as her torso was pulled and her balance disrupted, causing one leg to lift.

Then without any particular intention, I twisted my torso tightly, leading her body to naturally fall due to inertia and gravity.

Clank!

Crack!

-Kuhak!

And immediately.

Toward the fallen Demon Lord’s head.

I brought down Mistilteinn, now transformed from spear to harpoon, vertically.

Crack!