Ch.293Chapter 293: Sudden Change (1)

Something was definitely not right.

When I was called back to Daejeon, I thought Desire had arranged this meeting to persuade me to become her agent again.

But after she used her power to force me to kneel…

“Huhu… huhuhuhuhuhuh…”

Sitting on her throne, Desire let out a laugh that somehow conveyed both gloom and pleasure—emotions that should never coexist. I sensed a danger from her unlike anything I’d encountered across the countless timelines I’d experienced.

I struggled desperately to straighten my knees, but my body was overwhelmed by the sensation of invisible hands pressing down on both shoulders, preventing me from standing.

Having never been physically overpowered since my regression, I was completely bewildered. Then, near my ear:

“It’s useless. You can’t get up.”

For the first time, Desire’s typically drawling tone became resolute.

Her absolute certainty that I couldn’t rise made my blood boil.

“Whether I really… can’t get up remains to be… seen!!”

I put on a brave front despite the persistent pain in my chest.

“Hmm…? Is that so? Well then…”

Taking my bluster quite seriously, Desire apparently decided I needed more pressure. She lifted her right hand from the armrest, brought her thumb and middle finger together, and—

Snap!!

She flicked them lightly.

Unlike her previous finger snaps, this one had a tremendous effect.

“Kuhak!”

A tiny amount of blood spilled from my mouth, and then—

Boom!!

My body, which had only been kneeling before, now collapsed completely onto the obsidian floor.

The sudden impact had thrown me off balance.

Fortunately, my super-regeneration ability immediately healed the internal injury that had caused me to spit blood.

‘…I can’t move.’

My body, which had been difficult to move even while kneeling, was now completely frozen against the obsidian floor.

But I couldn’t just lie there doing nothing, even if movement seemed impossible.

Using my arms—the only parts I could still move—as support, I struggled desperately to raise my body. As I remained immobile, all I could hear was:

“With each repetition, almost nothing changes, but your tenacity continues to grow without pause.”

It was just Desire’s voice, leisurely observing my struggle from her throne.

Watching her inflict pain on me with mere flicks of her fingers and enjoying the spectacle, I was nearly blind with rage—much like Fafnir, who was screaming inside my head:

[AAAAARGH!!]

I wanted nothing more than to leap up, swing my dragon sword, and cut Desire down.

Trembling—

Despite straining so hard that the tendons and nerves in both arms showed through my skin, my body remained immovable.

…I could use all the battle qi I’d been saving for emergencies to strengthen my body and explode with power, which might let me rise.

But it was obvious that Desire, sitting on her throne, wouldn’t want me closing the distance between us. The moment I sprang up, she would bind me with even greater force than before.

Whether by snapping her fingers or using some more direct method.

Besides, battle qi should be saved for landing a decisive blow against Desire, not wasted on escaping a crisis like this.

Trembling—

I continued to struggle, relying solely on physical strength to escape this situation.

There was one fortunate development:

Step, step—

Apparently unsatisfied with merely watching from her throne, Desire stood and began walking toward me.

I slightly raised my head—one of the few movements I could still manage—toward the sound of footsteps.

“Really now…”

Muttering to herself with obvious delight, Desire approached me with her characteristically frivolous, light steps.

It was as if a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity was walking right toward me.

From the moment I confirmed Desire was approaching me.

“…”

I stopped straining my arms to force myself up.

Not completely—I controlled my strength subtly, just enough that Desire wouldn’t notice as she approached me.

As soon as Desire, who thought of me as a fish already caught and was acting carelessly, came within proper range…

I needed to be extremely careful not to give myself away if I wanted to explode with battle qi, regain my freedom, and swing my dragon sword to inflict a fatal wound.

“Huu…”

I controlled even my breathing carefully, ensuring Desire wouldn’t sense anything amiss as she approached.

With my body pressed against the cold obsidian floor, my blind rage toward Desire remained, but the cooling effect helped me prepare more calmly for what needed to be done.

It was a preparation that even the most skilled assassin wouldn’t dare attempt—hiding a metaphorical dagger to strike a fatal blow against a godlike being who could erase one’s existence with mere intent, let alone a gesture.

Whether aware of my sharpening resolve beneath the cold floor or not:

“You must be angry, but cool your head on the cold obsidian floor for a while.”

Desire continued her approach without pause, revealing both sadistic pleasure from binding me to the floor and:

“Once your heated head cools down, all preparations for what I want will be complete.”

She kept walking while expressing sequential satisfaction at finally being able to achieve something she desired.

Though I disliked her attitude of treating me like a tool,

It was also a sign that she was letting her guard down around me.

‘Yes, keep coming closer.’

I regulated my breathing and desperately composed my expression while mentally sharpening the blade I was holding in my mind.

Despite the pain constricting my chest and my body’s lost freedom, I could still control my breathing.

It was accumulating. The light battle qi that once refused to gather in my body—like water leaking through a cracked vessel—and had caused me pain reminiscent of death, was now steadily collecting through my lungs and building in my heart, ready to deliver a severe blow to that arrogant demon god.

The three years I’d lived since overcoming death—when I had calmly accepted my end as my body turned to ash, only to be saved by a time-defying miracle—had taught me to face even the most overwhelming evil without wavering, simply doing what I could.

With each step Desire took, I calmly prepared my counterattack, remembering how even the faint mana drifting in this dark space gave me strength.

My efforts weren’t in vain—Desire continued approaching without noticing anything unusual, and soon the distance between us narrowed to where I could strike her if she took just a few more steps.

Just a little more, just a little more…

While maintaining an expression that appeared to be merely enduring pain so Desire wouldn’t notice, I remained acutely aware of her every movement.

“By the way, I used quite a bit of force, but you’re still conscious? I expected you wouldn’t be able to stand, but this is unexpected…”

Desire took another step closer while casually sharing her thoughts about my current state.

Just one more step. One more step and she would be within range where I could unleash all my gathered battle qi in an explosive burst and deliver a decisive blow.

“It’s because I’m stronger than you thought, that’s all. No need to overthink it when you’re not even good at that.”

I tried another cheap provocation to break her composure and make her come closer, but:

“Hmm…”

Desire’s footsteps, which had been moving at a steady rhythm, suddenly stopped with her murmur.

Just one step away from the lethal range.

Anxiety filled my mind, and I almost lost control of my expression, but I desperately maintained it, knowing that otherwise all my efforts to close the distance would be wasted.

“Why’d you stop? Did you forget what you were trying to do after all that prancing around?”

I threw out another cheap provocation to scratch at her emotions.

“…”

Desire stared at me with an expression devoid of her earlier frivolity, her blood-red eyes carrying a natural ominousness associated with that crimson color.

“…”

I considered provoking her once more to draw her into my calculated range, but:

“I suppose… I should prepare properly before working.”

As Desire uttered these words, having apparently reached some decision,

She slightly lifted her right foot, one of the two supporting her body, and then forcefully pressed it down again.

Boom!!

An incredible sound, impossible to believe came from merely pressing down rather than stepping, transmitted directly through my body pressed against the obsidian floor.

“Ugh!”

The shock was tremendous to me, already pinned down by invisible force, and I involuntarily let out a groan barely suppressing the pain.

“How adorable. Even in this situation, you’re still thinking about landing a blow on me…”

Desire, having abandoned her frivolity for a somewhat indifferent demeanor, clearly had seen through my plan.

…Damn it. I had composed my expression and regulated my presence and breathing, yet she still sensed the sharpened anger I was honing like a blade in my mind.

As my vision began to darken with the realization that my plan had failed, I heard:

“This will hurt a bit, but bear with it.”

Desire’s indifferent voice reached my ears as she prepared to do something to me, causing me to instinctively turn my head.

Desire had entered my range—the range I had failed to activate due to pain—and was raising her right hand to strike my crown with the edge of her palm.

It was clearly an attack intended to completely knock me unconscious, as she knew I wouldn’t easily lose consciousness from ordinary physical pain, before doing whatever she so desired.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to turn you to ash and scatter you like before.”

The sincerity in her indifferent voice made it clear this was no mere threat.

Dodging or blocking would have been the natural response, but:

Desire’s movement was too fast for me to use the explosive power from releasing my battle qi all at once.

“Damn it…”

As I muttered angrily, bracing myself for the impact:

Crash!!

A sound like shattering glass, followed by:

“AAAAARGH!!!”

A battle cry—almost a scream—erupted from Imperfectio, who had been frozen beside Desire’s throne, deprived of his time until now.