Ch.234Chapter 234: Fog and Flames (7)

#

As I confirmed that a voice I should never hear was reaching my ears, I tried to prepare accordingly.

But the changes around me happened faster than my response.

I couldn’t see. The darkness covering my vision was so complete that even with my enhanced sight from wearing the Red Dragon Armor, I couldn’t distinguish anything an inch in front of me, robbing me of the right to see what was before me.

Even in this situation, if I raised my head toward where the sky should be, ridiculously enough, I could still see the full moon and stars adorning the night sky remaining intact.

But when I lowered my head again to look straight ahead, I was greeted by darkness so thick that it was impossible to tell where all that light was shining.

Someone experiencing this for the first time would be overwhelmed with enough terror to lose their sanity at the seemingly incomprehensible phenomenon, but I knew exactly what this was.

This is a kind of miracle that occurs when the divinity of a transcendent being—one that works to break the principles governing the world and establish its own twisted principles—manifests in this material world.

When the laws constituting the material world surrender to such twisted divinity.

Yes, a miracle.

Not the kind where a dying person is revived by the touch of a transcendent being.

Nor the kind that inspires awe in viewers by making waterfalls flow backward.

But this unpleasant phenomenon that makes one frown just by looking at it was still a miracle nonetheless.

Unlike the miracles encountered in myths or religious scriptures that inspire reverence in people,

This one has the crucial difference of inflicting indescribable discomfort on those who experience it.

No thoughts come to mind.

Despite the light of the full moon and stars still shining in the night sky,

Thanks to this strange darkness where I couldn’t see an inch ahead despite the guidance of that light,

All I could feel was the sensation from Adorator’s fragment still gripped by the nape in my hand, and…

『I greeted you, but no response? Your lack of cuteness really hasn’t changed.』

The voice of an unidentified… expressing both delight at seeing me and a strange disappointment at my lack of response.

No, that’s not right.

I should speak correctly even if my mouth twists.

Not unidentified.

But a being I loathe so much that even hearing it in dreams makes me shudder, speaking to me one-sidedly without registering on my senses.

As I said before, how could I have time to think?

I simply…

Roughly threw the unconscious Adorator, still held by the nape in my hand.

Toward the direction where that disappointed voice had brushed past my ear.

It goes without saying that I have no good feelings toward Adorator.

But throwing her now wasn’t meant to take out my anger on a mere fragment rather than her true self.

Based on my countless experiences before my regression,

I was confident that the roughly thrown Adorator wouldn’t roll on the ground.

Instead, she would be caught leisurely by the protagonist who had just spoken to me with that disappointed voice, revealing themselves—that’s why I took this action.

Considering the bizarre temperament of one who spread terror that wouldn’t fade even after a thousand years to those living on this land, yet cherishes those under their control terribly, this was more than warranted.

And the scene that unfolded afterward didn’t deviate much from my expectation.

Instead of Adorator’s fragment tumbling to the ground after being roughly released from my grasp,

『Poor Adorator. She offered up all the divinity she had worked so hard to gather to elevate her status, keeping only what she needed for her own survival, all for my sake.』

She was caught by what appeared to be a woman who spoke with a voice filled with pity, preventing her from rolling on the ground.

I refer to her as “what appeared to be a woman” because while she was clearly present, she still hadn’t clearly revealed her true form.

Well, though not perfectly, she had appeared nonetheless.

After lightly catching Adorator’s fragment that I had thrown and carefully placing it beside her, the very person who,

『Now… where was I?』

By a momentary whim, had twisted my life—the transcendent being.

The Demon God, Desire.

『Ah, I was expressing my joy at our reunion. Since I’m not fully awakened yet and can only exert my influence in a limited way, I can’t even recall such simple things. Hehe.』

She revealed herself before me without any warning, letting out a light laugh, and then,

『I’d like to chat if there was time, but unfortunately, there isn’t any.』

She was expressing deep regret at not being able to enjoy our reunion longer.

I was truly thankful that I could cover my face and entire body with the Red Dragon Armor.

Because I knew exactly how distorted my expression must be the moment her words reached my ears, even without looking in a mirror.

#

However, her conversation with me after revealing herself was brief.

『….』

Desire, who had seemed ready to chatter away at me, was now keeping silent.

『…! …….』

More precisely, she seemed to be saying something, but I couldn’t understand what she was saying.

As if confirming her earlier statement about not being fully awakened,

It appeared that deploying a dark red distortion field and accommodating Adorator’s fragment within it was the limit of what Desire could demonstrate while manifesting in this land.

Well, even though I say “form,” just like Adorator who had confronted me in fragment form earlier,

She too hadn’t revealed her complete divine body, so this was a natural result.

Of course, I couldn’t underestimate the power of the Demon God, surrounded by a veil created from malice that was on a completely different level from what Adorator had emitted, despite recreating her appearance reasonably well in fragment form.

How could I underestimate it when the changes around us caused by her appearance were so dramatic?

The atmosphere was turbulent. Just by existing in this place, the possessor of overwhelming power with divinity made the atmosphere unstable.

And her pitch-black malice, which had provided me with a distorted view, was now gradually covering the night sky.

Just by existing, she was twisting the natural phenomena that governed the principles of the world.

As time passed, the distortion warping the atmosphere and sky would expand its range to cover Hyunseong, then Nakyeol, and eventually the entire eastern region.

Fortunately, she didn’t seem likely to stay that long.

A Demon God distorts everything around them just by existing.

It’s absurd that she could cause such phenomena without even fully unleashing her power.

An ordinary person would be paralyzed with fear just by facing her,

But my experience of encountering her to the point of tedium before my regression only evoked indifference in me rather than fear.

However, I couldn’t just stand there blankly watching a Demon God flaunting such overwhelming power.

“…”

Even as I silently glared at the presence of the Demon God surrounded by that veil of malice, complex calculations were running through my mind.

What should I do? Should I run away? Or should I confront her here?

Until Desire’s unforgettable voice had echoed in my ears, I couldn’t think at all.

But now that she had revealed herself before me, all sorts of thoughts were being born and dying in my mind.

And emotions fitting those thoughts were also surging and subsiding repeatedly.

Truly, feeling such emotions upon seeing someone was a first since I had faced Shizu right after experiencing the miracle of regression.

Though there was a commonality in that emotions arose, the direction those emotions took was completely different.

If the emotion I felt upon seeing Shizu could be described as regret—a numbing feeling that subsided as soon as it boiled up,

The emotion I feel now facing Desire is…

[Desire!!!]

It’s anger, almost identical to what Fafnir was expressing as he roared and intensified the flames of the Red Dragon Armor upon facing her.

Whoosh-!!

The sound of flames flickering in the armor grew in size regardless of my will, and then,

[Here’s a greeting to mark our reunion after so long! Take this!!]

In sync with Fafnir’s resounding voice still echoing in my mind, an arrow of flames too magnificent to be described merely as “brilliant” flew forth.

Though it was just a single arrow,

The flaming arrow crafted by Fafnir’s precise psychokinesis flew at a ferocious speed toward the veil surrounding Desire, as if released from a tightly drawn bowstring.

I watched the flaming arrow fly and barely managed to maintain my balance as my body wobbled from the sudden loss of strength.

Fafnir, who had faced his archenemy after an immeasurably long time compared to me, had recklessly drawn out the fighting spirit dwelling in my body in his excitement.

[…I got too excited seeing someone who isn’t even the main body. I used too much of your power.]

Fafnir’s voice, filled with solemnity, gently echoed in my mind with an apology as he realized his excitement upon seeing my body wobble, but I didn’t mind much.

After all, if Fafnir hadn’t given that welcome greeting, I would have been the one gathering my fighting spirit recklessly to give the opponent a grand welcome.

‘It’s fine. If you hadn’t done it, I was going to do it myself.’

So I accepted his apology with calm words, and,

‘Still, it’s chilling to see this state even though she hasn’t fully unleashed her power yet.’

I didn’t forget to click my tongue at the sight of Desire distorting the surroundings without even properly revealing her power.

[Seeing that you can tell she hasn’t properly unleashed her power despite that display, I can believe that the story you told me about your experiences before reversing time wasn’t a lie.]

Seeing Fafnir lightly agree without showing any particular emotion,

It seemed that Fafnir, who had shot the arrow, also sensed it. Even though it came from a spontaneous idea, despite launching the best attack possible in the current situation,

I strongly felt certain that this flaming arrow wouldn’t inflict proper damage on Desire surrounded by that veil.

Why was I so certain?

Because I knew all too well how resistant that dark red veil was to any physical elements approaching it.

Even if it was a veil created in a state where she wasn’t properly exerting her power,

The only thing that could properly break through that veil was a holy sword made of ultra-metal forged with straight and righteous divinity.

That’s why I was certain.

This flaming arrow, crafted by Fafnir using my fighting spirit as material, wouldn’t cause physical damage to the distortion field deployed by Desire…

Crash-!!

[…Huh?] / “…What?”

When the flaming arrow, too brilliant to be described as merely radiant, touched the veil of malice created by Desire, instead of dissipating, it made a sound like breaking glass, and,

It was inevitable that both Fafnir and I simultaneously blurted out stupid monosyllabic questions.

…What is this? Why is it breaking?

The most bewildering moment since my regression had been seeing Adorator, who had strangely become foolish contrary to my memories, just a moment ago.

But now a scene that instantly surpassed that bewilderment was unfolding before my eyes.

『…!! …!!!! …!!!?!?!?!』

Desire’s muttering, incomprehensible as she watched her distortion field breaking, seemed like sounds made while feeling bewilderment for reasons I couldn’t understand.