Ch.258Chapter 258: Devastator (3)

“Hmm… this won’t do…”

Desire elegantly took a sip of the tea Adorator had brought, muttering these words to herself.

She placed the teacup on the small table in front of her throne with just enough sound to be noticeable.

Whatever the problem was, it wasn’t clear.

“…This is troublesome.”

Seeing his lord sink into contemplation so soon after waking, Adorator seemed uneasy.

“Is there something wrong with the tea…?”

He immediately knelt on one knee and inquired if there was an issue with the tea he had prepared.

Anyone familiar with Adorator’s usual demeanor in the Obsidian Palace would have been surprised by this sight—him kneeling before someone else, when typically others knelt before him.

“Hmm…”

Desire, gazing at some distant point beyond her field of vision and letting out a troubled sigh, failed to notice Adorator’s anxious posture.

How ironic that she could observe places far away as clearly as her own palm, yet couldn’t see her semi-divine servant kneeling and apologizing right before her eyes.

Had anyone witnessed this scene, they might have scoffed—though no one in this demonic realm would dare have such audacity.

Anyway.

“Hmm, he’s behaving too docilely. I was hoping he’d try to take it by force, which is why I welcomed having just the two of them alone.”

Whether Adorator knelt or not, Desire continued her monologue while leaning back on her throne.

She resembled a disgruntled audience member watching a play that wasn’t proceeding according to her expectations.

But there was one crucial difference between such audience members and Desire:

“This won’t do.”

Unlike ordinary spectators who could do little more than send complaint letters to theater companies,

“I didn’t want to do this, but…”

She possessed the ability to twist every element of what she observed with a mere act of will.

Desire raised her right hand with an expression full of regret.

Not just her fingers, but her entire demeanor.

For a transcendent being like her, who could control even the laws of physics in this area to a limited extent with her will alone,

To show such reluctance about slightly interfering with events she was observing…

Whatever she was planning, other transcendent beings would surely laugh at Desire for fretting over such a trivial matter.

But regardless of others’ opinions, this was an extremely important issue for Desire.

It was closely related to her nature, which, true to her name, greatly valued desire—the manifestation of free will in sentient beings.

Rather than manipulating someone’s will to obtain what she wanted,

She would prefer to overwhelm them with superior power and let them plot against her in secret,

Making every effort to avoid distorting others’ free will with her transcendent power.

This was merely an effort to avoid doing so—Desire had no qualms about using her power when she deemed it necessary.

“If I bring the cute blade, he’ll have no choice but to do it…”

Especially if it meant obtaining what she desired most.

As Desire continued her monologue, Adorator, who had been kneeling on one knee, slightly raised his head.

His lord’s contemplative expression…

Relieved to know that the issue wasn’t with the tea he had prepared, he cautiously lifted his head.

“…I could do this with just a snap of my fingers, but I still hesitate.”

Contrary to the solemn demeanor he remembered, his lord was showing unexpected hesitation.

What was meant to be a brief glance became fixed as he observed his lord.

Perhaps it was because he hadn’t seen his lord for so long.

Her majestic appearance.

Her slightly hesitant demeanor.

“I have no choice.”

And just as she was about to snap her fingers to use her power moderately,

“…Ah.”

With a light exclamation,

“There’s no need for that anymore. Yes, I must be patient.”

She continued her incomprehensible monologue with delight.

All of this appeared indescribably beautiful to Adorator.

Every little thing about the lord he had missed so much brought him joy and pleasure.

#

The confrontation between me and Desire’s new agent, which began when Devastator was drawn, continued relentlessly in a more equal manner than I had anticipated.

…Though I inwardly acknowledged it as “equal,”

In reality, I was being pushed back considerably.

It wasn’t like I was trying to subdue that agent.

Every time I thrust my sword with the suppressed intention to bring them down, aiming mercilessly for vital points,

The new agent skillfully blocked my attacks with minimal movements of Devastator.

I could easily block or dodge the agent’s counterattacks, which seemed more like checks than actual attacks devoid of killing intent.

But as this pattern continued, cold sweat ran down my spine.

Even without revealing their true ability, Desire’s new agent overwhelmed me in swordsmanship.

I had to admit it, whether I wanted to or not.

Of course, this was merely the agent’s superiority in sword technique.

One might argue that in a sword duel, being outmatched in skill means defeat.

But remembering that fights aren’t won by the most skilled person, whether armed or unarmed,

But rather by the one who doesn’t fall…

“Huff… haa…”

As time passed, the agent’s heavy breathing after each parry revealed their fatigue.

The veil of victory that had seemed invisible against this agent, who had felt as massive as the Dragon Claw Mountains, was gradually lifting in my favor as the battle extended.

Though unexpected, the opponent’s weakness I had identified gave me ample opportunity to exploit.

Wooooo-!!

Devastator in the agent’s hand howled again after deflecting my sword with a movement too concise to be described as merely elegant.

Despite being drawn, the evil consciousness within the sword raged at being blocked by another blade without even drawing blood or cutting anything.

Normally, Devastator would manipulate its wielder’s will to express bloodlust in such situations.

“Haa… Haa…”

But the agent, merely exhaling rough breaths from fatigue as the battle continued, paid no heed to the demonic sword’s howls.

“Your flank is exposed.”

Unable to recognize my feint that deliberately revealed an opening,

Bwoong-!!

The agent simply swung Devastator toward the gap I had created.

They seemed genuinely tired.

Even when they had overwhelmed me with defense and passive counterattacks, I hadn’t thought I could win.

But judging by their increasingly clouded judgment as time passed,

It seemed I could decide the match soon.

The more our swords clashed, the faster I could perceive the agent’s blade.

This made the agent’s lightning-fast strikes appear slow to me.

Though I had been awestruck by the agent’s movements—even a simple horizontal slash aimed at my side carried the force of a mountain being cut—

There was no way I couldn’t dodge something that now appeared so slow.

Instead of deflecting it with my dragon sword, I evaded the opponent’s attack path with minimal footwork.

Then, into the momentary opening that even the agent’s swift sword couldn’t erase,

Hwararuk-!!

“Your left side is exposed too.”

I thrust my dragon sword, which reacted fiercely to my fighting spirit and burned red.

I prided myself on this being one of my most precise strikes during our duel.

Chaeng-!!

But even this was deflected by the agent’s admirably concise swing of Devastator.

As my perfectly executed attack was blocked again, an unprecedented unpleasant sensation ran through my right hand.

The shock came from the force of my powerful attack being completely blocked by the opponent’s simple defense, transferring the energy back to me without cost.

While facing an opponent with overwhelming skill, even without physical damage,

Such shocks that could dull my body weren’t welcome.

But I quickly stepped back to create distance after our swords clashed.

“Huff…”

As I calmly regulated my breathing,

My activated super-regeneration ability healed the unpleasant sensation in my right hand.

“Haa… Haa…”

Instead of closing the distance between us, the agent focused on catching their rough breath.

I lacked the skill to finish my opponent.

And while the opponent had more than enough skill to finish me,

Their hesitation created this strange standoff that only grew more advantageous for me as time passed.

[I didn’t expect this to turn in your favor…]

Even Fafnir expressed disbelief at how the situation was gradually shifting to my advantage, albeit slowly.

In the past, when I was a slave to inferiority complexes,

The old me who daily vented anger at those better than myself would surely have felt humiliated in this situation.

[I thought you were wrong when I saw you couldn’t overwhelm the opponent despite your offensive approach.]

Even hearing Fafnir’s reaction, which had moved from surprise to almost enlightenment at the opponent’s overwhelming skill,

‘You predicted this would happen from the beginning, didn’t you?’

[That’s true. But I didn’t expect it to be this extreme. I wonder where Desire found such a human to make her agent.]

‘They’re definitely strong.’

[I didn’t expect you to so easily acknowledge someone else’s strength, apart from your talented family, friends, and lover.]

‘Strength is strength. My denial won’t make them weaker, so I should acknowledge what deserves acknowledgment.’

With such a calm response, accepting the opponent’s transcendent strength as it was,

‘But I will win.’

I displayed confidence in my victory even amid this.

A confidence with reason.

[Isn’t it too presumptuous to guarantee victory just because they’re breathing heavily?]

‘Though they’re breathing roughly, their sword hasn’t dulled.’

[Then why are you so confident in victory?]

Fafnir’s point was valid.

Since the opponent wasn’t showing their true ability against me, I was barely holding on with my super-regeneration ability.

I too hadn’t been able to deliver a decisive blow to kill or subdue the opponent.

With my advantage in stamina due to super-regeneration, I was only slightly ahead in this situation.

[The opponent might change their mind and show their true ability at any moment. Relying solely on super-regeneration seems risky against someone so strong.]

While I understood Fafnir’s anxiety about this strange standoff,

I sensed something approaching that would break this peculiar balance in my favor.

‘Can’t you feel it?’

[…Feel what?]

‘The goddess of victory approaching me.’

I expressed my confidence in this match.

[…What are you talking about?]

While Fafnir couldn’t grasp the meaning of my words,

I could feel it.

The goddess of victory, who could instantly tip the balance of this tedious match in my favor,

Was rushing fiercely toward me.

With waves of golden light.

#

After catching their breath roughly for a moment,

As if sensing the goddess of victory that even Fafnir couldn’t perceive,

“…!!”

The agent’s lips, the only part visible from their helmet-covered face, twisted strangely.

“Interference… I really hate it.”

The coldest and most chilling tone yet emerged from their lips.

Guwoong-!!

A crimson fighting spirit, different in caliber from what they had occasionally shown during our duel, rose around the agent’s body.

“Before it arrives… I’ll take you away.”

They declared they would take me by force if necessary.

[…I’m not sure what’s coming, but…]

Seeing this, Fafnir’s voice became slightly rigid.

[Forget about counterattacking or narrowly dodging. Run away with all your might.]

Though he advised me to flee, having understood what the agent was planning faster than I did,

Before I could take appropriate action,

The agent gripped Devastator with both hands.

Guooooooo-!!

With a wailing sound, the agent raised Devastator, now wrapped in crimson fighting spirit, above their head.

“Hap!!”

With a short battle cry, they swung Devastator downward.

Unlike before, when they had swung merely to block my sword within their range,

The crimson fighting spirit imbued in Devastator flew toward me with fierce momentum.

“This should knock you unconscious but not kill you.”

The agent’s confident voice confirmed my impression that they had been precisely controlling their strength against me all along.

[Hey, this is hard to deflect and impossible to dodge!]

Even without Fafnir’s panic, I could tell.

Despite feeling everything around me moving slowly as the fight continued,

It was impossible to deflect or narrowly dodge this crimson fighting spirit flying faster than an arrow released from a bow.

…Should I rely on my super-regeneration and endure it with my bare body?

As I pondered how to respond to this unavoidable, terrifying strike that was already approaching my face,

When my eyes involuntarily closed in fear of the terrifying darkness contained in that fighting spirit,

Surprised that the expected pain didn’t come, I opened my eyes to see:

“What are you… doing to the sword!!”

The goddess of victory, arriving much faster than I had anticipated, had sliced the demonic sword’s crimson fighting spirit in two with her holy sword, scattering it.

The golden waves flowing from the goddess’s hair shimmered brilliantly even under the night sky as she emerged, dispersing the darkness.