Chapter 347

Ｒėa​d̂​ &o;n &K;a‌tR̂êa​&d;in​ｇ&C;аfê

The reaction should be starting soon.

I kept a close watch on Surtr’s movements.

Every trivial action, every small change. I stared at the blazing flames to not miss a thing.

He might seem violent from his appearance and only utter destruction from his mouth, which could lead to misunderstandings, but Surtr is never foolish. 

At the very least, he’s no different from a human. As a demonic beast, he might even be wiser than humans. By now, he must have noticed that my actions are somewhat strange.

‘I am obsessively focused on restraint. More precisely, I’m focused on preventing the spread of damage. It would seem odd, wouldn’t it?’

The cemetery was already devastated by Yoo-seong and Astaroth’s battle. It was no longer a place for the rest of the dead. Furthermore, the ground around the area collapsed due to the aftermath of Surtr’s descent. It’s already an environment where humans cannot survive. Surtr could turn the entire city into such an environment. I did my best to stop Surtr from spreading the damage to undamaged areas. From Surtr’s perspective, it would be questionable. It’s like a devil god is trying to protect humans.

‘At this rate, I’ll just keep binding and burning him. Surtr, who uses the burnt matter as energy, won’t get tired… but this place is the heart of enemy territory for Surtr.’

Surtr’s enemy is not just me.

Everything except himself is an enemy.

No matter how powerful the giant of fire and end is, he is still a demonic beast.

Even devil gods could be defeated if the Captains united.

‘Surtr is definitely not stupid. He’s actually smart.’

He knows that this situation will never be in his favor. In the ‘novel’, Surtr descended outside the barrier. He initiated a large-scale invasion, leading not alone but with monsters. Surtr was well aware that it would be difficult to face all humans alone.

‘My focus on preventing the spread of damage… might make him mistake that Belial betrayed the devil gods and sided with humans. I hope he mistakes it that way. That way, he’ll get impatient, right? He’ll think I’m deliberately stalling for time.’

Even I am struggling, so it would be difficult if more enemies appeared.

Surtrr will surely make a bold move.

He will take a method to break the meaningless tug-of-war.

A way to break free from the restraints that bind his entire body by giant trees, which grow endlessly even when destroyed.

For now, I could guess two ways.

One is whole-body ignition.

Originally, Surtr is always burning.

From head to toe, everything is burning hotly.

He strengthens that flame even further. He explodes like a volcano throughout his entire body. Its power is almost instant death. It was the birth of a supernova. A fatal technique that annihilates everything in a wide range. 

If hit directly, even Captains would be on the verge of death. The problem is that it takes time to prepare and it’s easy to notice the intention beforehand.

The other one is…

[■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■────!!!]

Yeah, this.

I gave a dry laugh.

Surtr’s mouth tears open. Torn as if it would reach his ears. What is revealed are abnormally many and sharp teeth. And blazing flames. Breath. Since it’s the giant’s breath, should I call it Giant Breath? I don’t think the name matters.

‘Good, now’s the time…!’

In the ‘novel’, Eugene jumped into that breath. Of course, it’s Surtr’s breath. Its heat is transcendental. Even though he defended himself with his flames, Eugene’s entire body burned. 

It’s a technique that almost made Eugene, who had reached the Captain level and had resistance to fire, crisp. I, who have no resistance, won’t end at the level of being crisped.

‘It’s okay, just endure it!’

Super regeneration isn’t just for show!

I just need to recover faster than I burn!

Good! Let’s go! Lucia is going to a happy hell!

I’ve been waiting all along. I’ve always been prepared. I was putting strength in my legs and getting ready to jump in at any time I saw an opportunity. 

As soon as I saw the chance, I kicked off the ground towards the giant’s face. The surrounding scenery blurred, and the giant quickly came right in front of my eyes. Maybe it’s too much to jump dozens of meters at once. It’s okay. I can create a tree in the air as a foothold…

“Ugh?!”

Something poured out, retching.

I reflexively covered my mouth. My palm became wet and quickly dried up. Pain came before recognizing the situation. I took a deep breath from the tearing abdominal pain. Suddenly, my vision wavered. My rising body began to plummet straight to the ground.

What.

What is this.

Does it hurt? Am I hurt? My stomach? Why? I shouldn’t have allowed an attack?! Did someone snipe me? Who? Murmur? No, this isn’t an external attack. It tore from the inside. I know because I’ve experienced it. My insides are crushed.

I try to land urgently, but it was clumsy. As soon as my soles touched the ground, I slipped and rolled on the floor. Rolling around. I rolled on the heated asphalt. 

Bubbling. Sizzling. 

The scattered blood quickly dried up.

“Ahhk? Uwek?!”

The bleeding didn’t end with just spitting up blood. From my nose, eyes, and ears too. Black, dead blood was flowing down. 

It hurts. It feels good. It hurts. It’s hot. It feels good. It’s painful. That’s why it’s the best. Ah, ah… no. This isn’t the time for this. Regeneration. Super regeneration!

I quickly healed the internal injuries. With my body back to normal, I urgently got up. I have to stop Surtr. It would be fortunate if he poured his breath on me, but if he aims elsewhere, it would be a major disaster.

I put strength in my legs. I lowered my body and got ready. I drew out Belial’s power again, and at the same time, I started spitting up blood again.

“Cough?! Uh?! Uhee?!”

Using the devil god’s power and my body breaking down were simultaneous.

Why? Why?? Why is this happening suddenly? I’ve been fine until now, so why suddenly…?

“Ah.”

Suddenly, a thought flashed through my mind.

The reason why Belial wanted my body.

Why she coveted my ‘super regeneration’.

I unconsciously remembered a fragmented memory.

“Soul damage…!”

Belial’s soul was damaged in the fight with Jin, the former 7th Division Captain. The devil god’s power leaked through the damaged gap, and as a result, the vessel couldn’t withstand it. The human body couldn’t handle the overflowing devil god’s power. The body was constantly breaking down, so she wanted a body that wouldn’t matter even if it broke down. That was Lucia. Me.

‘Belial’s soul is still broken!’

It was okay until now because it was sealed…

As I broke the seal and started using Belial’s power.

My body couldn’t handle it anymore.

I was able to endure a little more than before by awakening as ‘one close to God’, but that was it.

By overusing the power to stop Surtr, my body quickly reached its limit.

‘Carelessness… it’s my carelessness… how could I forget such a basic fact…!’

I was in a hurry because I was worried about Yoo-seong… no, this is all just an excuse. I just completely forgot an important fact. It’s okay. I can endure the collapse of my body with super regeneration. What’s important now isn’t that…

I hurriedly looked up at Surtr. Fortunately, Surtr’s flames were not erupting and remained in his mouth. Was it because I suddenly spitting blood and falling looked strange? 

Well, even if I were in Surtr’s position, I would think so. If a guy who jumped up so boldly falls on his own, it would be a little embarrassing. I would be suspicious of what kind of play he’s putting on.

I caught my breath, spitting out the blood stuck in my throat. The activation of power stopped for a moment. The giant tree that periodically bound Surtr was burning brightly. I need to create a new giant tree to replace it. 

Surtr was trying to spew out his breath because his actions were restricted, but if the giant tree disappears, there’s no need to pour out flames from his mouth. Swinging his greatsword greatly is powerful enough.

I clenched my fist and stretched it forward. I borrow Belial’s power. At the same time, I focused my consciousness on the damage to my body. I was planning to recover with super regeneration as soon as I got hurt. It’s a shame, but now is not the time to be struggling with pain.

“Uh, eck?”

My head drooped. My body collapsed weakly. I slammed my forehead on the sizzling asphalt. Strength drained from my body. The energy that had been full until just now drained away as if a hole had been drilled. Body collapse… no. That’s not all. Surprisingly, my body is fine. This is…?

“Uh, eh, ha, aaaaa?!”

A scream almost burst out.

I tried to block it with my hand, but it wasn’t easy.

It throbbed.

My head throbbed.

It was a headache far from a wound.

I’m familiar with it. I’ve experienced it. I felt it to the point of being sick of it. So I was quick to grasp the situation. I blinked my tearful eyelids. Evaporating was faster than flowing down.

“Mental, corruption…”

My mental barrier as a supernatural is working properly.

Even when looking at Surtr, I didn’t feel my mind being contaminated.

This was the same as the body collapse from earlier.

An attack from the inside, not the outside.

An attack aimed at the mind, not the body.

It was mental corruption.

“Bel-Belial…?”

That can’t be.

Surely her mind has collapsed.

She was mistaking me for Jin…?

Could it be that she’s come to her senses in the meantime?

“No, you… Belial, isn’t it…?”

The soul of her inside me was quiet.

As if dreaming.

Then this mental corruption is…?

“…You, idiot…”

I wanted to tear my hair out.

I sobbed at the absurdity and pitifulness.

What the heck was I misunderstanding?

Why did I think I had become a complete devil?

I can use the devil god’s power. But my body is still human. Why couldn’t Belial fully metamorphose into a devil? 

It’s because the human body collapsed before it could grow into an incarnate that could accept the devil god’s power. 

My body is still the body of a saintess. I can withstand the devil god’s power even without having to metamorphose. If it was a normal devil god.

Belial’s soul is broken, and power is constantly leaking. It’s the same situation as constantly being attacked by the devil god’s power. That’s why my body was collapsing. This isn’t a big problem. I don’t have to worry about it because I have hyper-regeneration.

‘My soul… hasn’t merged with Belial…!’

When a devil god possesses a human body, they eat the soul first. To be exact, it wasn’t an intentional act but a natural process. The small well that is a human is absorbed into the vast ocean that is a devil god.

But I’m different.

I was fundamentally different from other demons.

Two souls coexisted in the body called ‘Lucia’.

Me and Belial.

Human and devil god.

To become a true devil, the two souls had to merge.

I’m using the devil god’s power with a human soul, so of course mental corruption is bound to occur.

“This is… troublesome…”

I can deal with the collapse of my body with super regeneration, but…

Super regeneration can’t restore even my mind.

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
(???)

(Escapes again)

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Stop escaping!