Ch.238That Day and a Different NPC. (3)

The follower of Lust, Veronica, who has now merged with a demon, hadn’t actually been a demon follower for very long.

‘…This is one of the Seven Deadly Sins. The magic of Lust! Such incredible power!! With this power…!!!’

Taking the power of Luxuria, the Sin of Lust that she had summoned hoping it would destroy the continent, wasn’t originally her plan. However…

[Mmm~ Finally summoned me. So, this is the human realm. The country of Ponia on the Eight Continent? What, destruction? Fine. But first, let’s take a tour around this country~ We can attack and destroy anytime, right? I need to take care of some business too, you know~?]

The demon of the Seven Deadly Sins, whom she thought would fill the world with chaotic disorder and replace human rationality with bestial instinct and sexual desire, Luxuria seemed completely uninterested in such things. She merely stretched and urged Veronica to kill more monsters to gather more magic power.

[What business, you ask? Hehehe. Want to know? Really? Since you’re my first follower~? Well, I’ll tell you~ You see, I want to find true love in this human realm!! In the demon realm, there are only garbage idiots, so even though I’m overflowing with sexual desire, there’s no one worth rubbing bodies or hearts with. This is a real secret, but I’m actually still a virgin. How about that? Doesn’t the name ‘Lust’ suit me perfectly? Who else is this devoted to desire?]

It was unbelievable. The demon she had summoned after years of risking her life through countless dangers across different countries was blushing like an innocent country girl and talking about “love” of all things. This wasn’t what she had wanted. That’s why…

[That woman is useless. Instead, you should become the next Luxuria.]

She readily accepted the proposal from “another of the Seven Deadly Sins” who had approached her. It was clear that the 4,000-year-old rotten virgin didn’t deserve the name of Lust, and it was equally clear she wouldn’t do what Veronica wanted.

[W-what?! S-stop!! Why are you suddenly attacking me?! Where did everyone go?!! Kyaaaah!!!]

Following the instructions of the other Sin who had approached her, she began draining Luxuria’s power. The humans of Ponia were more capable than expected, and Luxuria, without enough gathered magic power, was helplessly destroyed. But…

‘…He’s coming. The man who killed Wrath.’

The man about whom she had gathered information in Aigram, whom she had considered an ally, and whom she had reported to the demon she intended to serve as a person of concern. That man had arrived in Ponia. And so she prepared. Before destroying this country, she would first defeat the man who had killed one of the Seven Deadly Sins. Just for that purpose…

[This is the core of a high-ranking demon. It’s lower in rank than the currently summoned Luxuria, but it has enough status to become the next Sin when that female dies. If you take all her magic power, you will be the next Lust.]

After making a contract with another Sin and embedding the high-ranking demon core in her heart, at the moment she established a one-way connection with the weakened Luxuria, she felt as if she had gained omnipotence. And because of that, she was certain.

‘They said the demon of Wrath was far superior to Lust in terms of raw power. That means this feeling of omnipotence alone will never be enough to defeat him.’

She didn’t get intoxicated by the feeling of omnipotence. Instead, she prepared even more. With the tentacle ability she had acquired, she took control of the bodies of nobles who had worked for the country that had been a breeding ground for weak monsters, and used them as her own breeding stock.

Whatever crimes they had committed, they had survived for quite a long time at the frontlines during the Monster Parade until they were captured by monsters, making them perfect breeding stock for producing fairly strong monsters.

‘…The quality of monsters has improved twice over, but will this really be enough?’

The magic power of Lust that I had acquired, the abilities of the high-ranking tentacle demon, and useful breeding stock. A powerful monster army was complete, but somehow I didn’t feel it would be enough.

Perhaps it was because the image of that man in Aigram, who controlled Greed (Avaritia) like his own limbs, was still vividly imprinted in my mind.

‘Was that man originally from Ponia?’

By reading the memories of some of the followers who were connected one-way to Lust and going berserk, I learned about that man’s background. And as Lust gradually weakened, I also gradually learned the effects of the powers I could use.

‘…In that case, I should prepare a trump card with this.’

No matter how strong he is, he’s still human. Moreover, according to the information I gathered, he’s a man with strong emotions. If the people from his hometown appear before him as “rational” corpses, he will surely be confused and weakened. As soon as I discovered his background, I moved immediately. Using monsters, I attacked the village where he had lived, now a walled city, and collected traces of those corpses. Just one piece of clothing, a piece of flesh, or blood-soaked soil—with the power of Lust, I could resurrect them as undead with intact rationality.

“Ahahahaha!!! These are people from the village where you lived. How about it? Can you kill them with those brutally strong fists of yours?! These people you must have cherished, those you failed to protect!! Those who are still begging to be saved!!! These dead with their reason intact!!! Can you really smash them with your hands—?!!!”

“What crazy nonsense. These pathetic bastards were never precious to me for even a single day.”

-CRUNCH!!!

[GUEEEEEK?!!]

“…What?”

…What? The undead army I prepared as my trump card? He says his hometown was never precious to him? I gathered information about this man! He was definitely someone with strong emotions…?

“Oh, you piece of shit. You, you. The punk who stole my money. Good to see you. I was actually pissed when I learned the price of magic stones, thinking I didn’t beat you enough. Come here, you dog.”

-THWACK, THWACK, BOOM!!!

“…Huh?”

“Huh? Shit, you, you. Where are you running to, you dog? Aren’t you coming here?”

-CRACK!!!

“What?”

“Oh, village chief’s wife, you bitch. You kept all the money back then? Hey. Hey!! We made eye contact, you bitch!!! Aren’t you coming here?!!”

-THWACK!!!

“W-wait. T-these are your village people…”

“Huh? What did you say? Oh, hey!! Butcher bastard. Come here. When Ira went to buy a skewer from you before, you told her to get lost because she was dirty, right? Ira told me everything! Trying to run? Aren’t you coming here, you bastard?!!”

-SLASH!!!

“T-they’re all in their right minds?! W-with memories from when they were alive…!!!”

“Huh? Oh, I see. Judging by how everyone I call runs away, they’re all bastards who wronged me. Yeah, yeah, so what? Huh? Your Majesty? And who are you?”

-THWACK!!!

“Y-you crazy human!! These are people from your village?!! Don’t you have any compassion?!!!”

“Compassion? COMPASSION?! Go shove a Choco Pie up your ass!! You come here too, you dog!! Why are all the bastards who stole my money so busy running away even as undead?!!”

-CRUNCH!!!

The gray-haired man, destroying, tearing, and stomping on the undead with much more vigor and ferocity than when he fought monsters, either has no human compassion or perhaps the villagers truly treated him terribly.

“Why are you looking for your mother, damn it. Are you trying to mock me, who never had a mother, even in death? Your mother was always busy throwing dirty mop water at me! You bastard!!!”

“And why are you looking for your father? Did anyone in that village not know my father died of illness?! No one! You bastard!!!”

“Come here. Come here!! You bitch!! Your husband and son never fought goblins even once!!! They only stole my magic stones, and now you’re complaining about becoming goblin breeding stock?!!”

“And why is it my fault that you became monster breeding stock, you idiot?! Would that have happened if you hadn’t stolen my money? Don’t you understand cause and effect?!!”

“Village chief. You die one more time. No, three more times.”

“No, why are you asking me about Your Majesty, you idiot. I don’t even know the name of Ponia’s king, you dog!!”

…Oh, I’m screwed. Was this what I prepared as my trump card? If my power runs out now, I’ll have to face that monster alone, who isn’t even affected by mind control?

And from what I’m hearing, I understand. That man was apparently treated very badly in his village. People who stole his money, who cursed his sister, who hit his sister—as he checks each rotten, crumbling face one by one and vents his anger, it’s clearly the look of someone settling old grudges. What kind of stupid villagers were these? What were they thinking, committing such evil acts against such a strong man…?

“Jack. Jack.”

“Huh?!!”

“This undead just said he didn’t steal your money.”

“You lying piece of shit!! You were part of the village guard and always embezzled magic stones—I remember everything! You worthless corn-eating trash!!”

As the destroyed undead, unable to ascend, with limbs torn and necks broken, roll on the ground, I can see one of the Seven Deadly Sins chuckling behind him, tattling on each excuse the undead make. Now I truly realize the situation has gone completely insane. If this continues, when my power’s duration ends, the next one rolling on the ground will be me.

‘…I-I can’t die like this!!’

Defeating that man is no longer important. The weakened Luxuria’s power continues to be absorbed by me, and if I can just survive here, I can always recover with that woman’s magic power. But if my power ends now, that man will surely dismember me and crush my head under his foot while cursing, just like he’s doing to those trash he called forth! I cannot meet such an end!!!

“The next Sin of Lust commands again!! Luxuria, source of all life! Breed them all!!”

A power not prepared in advance, but one that raises all surrounding corpses as random undead. It might consume all the magic power I’ve absorbed from that demon, but there’s no other way to buy time and escape right now!

I exerted my power to the maximum, consuming all my magic power, and both the demon of Lust and the gray-haired man tilted their heads, wondering what I was trying to do.

‘What am I trying to do?! When a great army of undead rises, I’ll escape right away!!!’

With their attention focused on venting anger on the undead I summoned rather than killing me, if I mix in other random undead, they surely won’t have time to track me! As I started raising undead with all my might, the man spat roughly and began clenching his fists. Good, this way I can escape to a place beyond that man’s sight…!!!

[Hiiiiing!!!]

“…Oh, oh my?”

“Hm? What’s wrong, Jack?”

[…You. Are you Jack?]

“Oh dear.”

Just as I was about to escape, the man’s intense killing intent, which hadn’t subsided even in the face of the enormous undead army, disappeared as if it were a lie.