Ch.375Chapter 375 – The Cursed Ones (3)

Time seemed to stop for a moment.

The curse stained Chris’s nun habit black.

‘No.’

According to Somnus, that was a curse of instant death.

I hadn’t heard its exact effects.

But it certainly couldn’t be anything good.

Chris opened her eyes wide in surprise.

She collapsed to the ground powerlessly.

She fell so futilely.

I recognized again the fact I had unconsciously tried to deny.

Chris had been hit by a curse.

“Ku, kukukukukuku!!!!!!”

Somnus began to tremble.

Even while bleeding from Sia’s sword.

Even as that blood stained his face, painting the right side red.

He laughed as if delighted.

He laughed as if amused.

It was a laugh that seemed almost refreshed, like he’d been relieved of pain.

“Got you, false goddess.”

Somnus laughed toward the fallen Chris.

“What you should have chosen was self-preservation, not a dying test subject.”

Somnus laughed.

“Throwing yourself away for a lowly creature—how foolish this half-baked goddess is.”

Shut up.

With that thought, my body had already thrown a weapon toward Somnus.

Somnus deflected the weapon while laughing and looked at me.

“Test Subject 13, are you angry at the false goddess’s death? How unfortunate. The false goddess threw herself away to save you who was already dying.”

Somnus looked down at me mockingly.

“Even for a fake, there should be limits. Divinity should have been prioritized over those who don’t even possess divine nature.”

Right.

God.

Chris is a god.

Though she became one awkwardly, and seems barely different from a human, she definitely became a small goddess.

Someone like Chris couldn’t die so easily.

She couldn’t collapse so futilely from a mere curse.

“Perhaps you’re not thinking it’s just a mere curse?

Somnus shouted, spreading his hands wide.

“This is centuries worth of curses! Curses I’ve collected, researched, and strengthened over hundreds of years since I was created! Unless one possesses complete divinity, do you think a half-baked goddess who still retains human qualities could withstand it?! Not at all! I, none other than the god Emiris, can guarantee it!”

Somnus shouted as if venting his frustration.

The violent and arrogant nature he had hidden behind his kind and quiet demeanor was now revealing itself.

“…What did you just say…?”

Sera’s eyes widened, as if she had caught something strange in Somnus’s mad words.

But Somnus was already lost in his own world.

“Unless you’re the one and only omnipotent God-King, don’t think that half-baked divinity could withstand it, test subject! That curse was personally prepared to kill incomplete divinity!”

Somnus shouted while laughing.

“For the false goddess to live, she should have sacrificed you as an offering! You, who barely has any time left to live!”

Somnus spoke as if delighted.

And then, Somnus, who had been full of excitement, suddenly stopped as if he had become a different person.

Afterward, as if it had never happened.

He smiled kindly and put his hands together as he spoke to me.

“Haven’t I always told you? Test subject.”

Somnus smiled.

“That unnecessary things must be discarded.”

Somnus smiled brightly.

“She died because she couldn’t discard. The height of foolishness.”

“K, calm down!”

Eve shouted urgently toward me, but it was too late.

Red lightning was already overflowing from my body.

In an instant, I dove into Somnus’s embrace.

And without thinking, I threw a punch.

“Oh my.”

Somnus crossed his arms to block belatedly, but he couldn’t nullify the impact.

A terrifying sound rang from Somnus’s arms, and as he directly blocked the punch, one of his prosthetic hands shattered, sending Somnus flying backward.

“Don’t think you’ll escape.”

I immediately changed my weapon to a chain sickle, threw it, and pulled it strongly as I quickly pursued Somnus.

Then, with the opposite hand from before, I struck Somnus’s face hard.

-CRACK!!

A sound that was almost pleasant rang out.

I felt something solid breaking.

Without stopping, I swung a punch with my other hand.

Even his remaining prosthetic hand was pulverized, forcibly detaching from Somnus’s forearm.

Then I struck Somnus’s abdomen hard, and once again hit his face with my fist.

His face, already distorted with blood, became even more twisted.

But as if he couldn’t even feel the pain.

Somnus shouted with a delighted smile.

“Good. Be angry. Draw out more of the dragon’s power!”

Somnus laughed.

“You’d better bring it out quickly. You never know who I might kill next?”

Somnus’s eyes turned toward where Eve was.

And Somnus shouted again.

“After the false goddess, shall I target the perceptive merchant next? Or Maria’s granddaughter? I can always extract and analyze the brain from the corpse for information!”

Somnus was threatening to target Eve and Sera.

The thread-thin reason I had been clinging to began to fly away again.

“If that’s not enough, how about the mad dog too? Or even that swordswoman? Fine. I’ll kill them all. You should pay the price for interfering with me. That would be fair, wouldn’t it?”

After shouting so loudly, Somnus spoke with a delighted laugh.

“I’ll touch your reverse scale. It’s easy to do so. The women around you are your reverse scale! It should be fun to choose which one to touch! Won’t it be more painful for you since you can’t cut away what’s unnecessary?!”

Somnus shouted.

I leaped toward Somnus, not resisting the overflowing red lightning.

And Somnus shouted with a smile.

“Good. Try to kill me before your reverse scale is touched! Let me tell you in advance! Even if I fail today, even if this life is lost, I will touch your reverse scale! Because I can just be remade!”

Was he excited too?

Strange words were coming from him.

“Then let’s begin, test subject!”

Somnus created a whip of curses again and split it into multiple strands.

Clearly a tactic to target the people behind me.

I changed my weapon to a halberd again and swung it wide.

At close range, I cut all the curse whips that Somnus had swung.

Then, I shouted toward him.

“I’ll grant your wish, you son of a bitch!!”

My reason was already beginning to be paralyzed.

The red lightning had exceeded its limit.

I didn’t care about my life anymore.

Chris had been hurt by him.

Chris had collapsed from his curse.

All I could think about was tearing him apart.

The magic that had exceeded its limit began to gather in my heart instantly.

“That’s it, test subject. Everything is according to the God-King’s will.”

Somnus smiled with his right face hideously caved in.

“Only by discarding the unnecessary can one become complete.”

Somnus muttered as if to provoke me.

The red lightning began to spark more violently, and gradually white armor began to appear around my body.

And the next moment.

“You fool. Calm yourself.”

A powerful magical force suddenly began to contain my magic.

Something impossible happened, like forcibly grabbing overflowing water and pushing it into a container.

The violently sparking red lightning was forcibly captured and absorbed into my body.

Along with that, my paralyzed reason gradually began to return.

The next moment, a hand wearing a black gauntlet slapped my face once.

‘…This is.’

It was an object in my memory.

Just as I was about to unconsciously name the owner of that gauntlet, a voice was heard.

“It’s good to be angry. But don’t lose your reason. To protect those dear to you, the more angry you become, the colder you must be.”

Sia, with a familiar black gauntlet suddenly on one hand, was speaking quietly.

I immediately realized.

Who had forcibly captured my magic and pushed it back into my body.

And who she was.

Sia continued to speak.

“Calm yourself. You must live longer. Cherish your life. If you disappear, there are many who would throw themselves into grief.”

Sia looked at me.

“Don’t lose sight of what’s important by being swept away by anger. Make your reason colder for those who have fought for you.”

I looked at Sia after her quiet words.

“Then, you will realize what you’ve missed.”

Sia was looking at me with a serious face.

Quietly, I named the owner of the gauntlet she was wearing.

“Demon King.”

“…I suspected you were pretending not to know. So you did remember, White Dragon.”

Sia smiled slightly, just moving her lips.

Sia, now wearing a black greave on her left leg and a headgear with a demon’s wing and horn on one side, looked at Somnus.

Somnus quietly smiled and said.

“Are you interfering, Demon King?”

Sia did not answer.

Somnus smiled kindly.

“But I know that form is quite straining for you?”

“I will strain myself as much as needed to prevent my comrade from futilely self-destructing.”

Sia coldly replied to Somnus.

“Unlike you, I value life heavily. And the life of my comrade is hundreds of times more valuable than the neck of a human-like creature like you.”

After saying that, Sia.

Glared at Somnus.

The Demon King’s aura I had felt in Albheim began to subtly permeate the surroundings.

“Do not consider me to be on the same level as you.”

“……”

Somnus quietly looked at Sia.

A moment of silence flowed around them.

Then, Sia opened her mouth.

“Since it’s come to this, I must confirm one thing with you.”

“Ask away.”

It was a polite but cold voice.

Sia also asked in a cold voice.

“What is the correct way to address you?”

At Sia’s question, Somnus’s face momentarily stiffened.

But he soon smiled kindly and slightly bowed his head.

“I don’t understand your question.”

“Avoiding an answer when you understand is taken as affirmation.”

Sia quietly pointed her sword at Somnus.

Somnus stepped back slightly and said.

“Are you thinking of pointing that filthy sword at an apostle of the great god?”

“You ask the obvious.”

Sia frowned and said.

“The true role of the Demon King is to rise for those who were abandoned, unable to be embraced by that great god.”

“…How impudent.”

Somnus’s expression darkened.

For the first time, the always-smiling man’s expression distorted.

And then, his expression returned to normal.

“…Anyway, I’ve obtained what I wanted most. It would be nice to get the extras too.”

Right after Somnus finished speaking.

The curse knight began to growl again.

“Shall we see how long a Demon King who can’t exert her full power due to injury can last?”

“You underestimate me? However, you seem to be ignoring your surroundings too much.”

Sia quietly said.

“The one you should face first is not me. Isn’t that right?”

“…You know well, indeed.”

I stood beside the Demon King.

The Demon King quietly said.

“Your head seems to have cooled a bit.”

“Thanks to you.”

When I quietly answered Sia, she nodded with satisfaction.

Then Sia glared at Somnus and quietly said.

“If your condition is poor, say so. It’s not bad to rest.”

“Unfortunately, I’ll fight even if I have only one arm and one leg working.”

After answering Sia, I glared at Somnus.

“I haven’t even paid him back for what he did to Chris last time. I need to pay him back with interest.”

“I see.”

Sia smiled.

“Then do so.”

Sia quietly raised her sword.

“Fear not. If the enemy rides on the back of a god, Demon King Lisilia Bael will support your back.”

“So that was your name.”

Sia smiled.

“Isn’t it a splendid name?”

I quietly nodded while looking at Somnus.

Sia quietly laughed.

And, Somnus said with a cold expression.

“Do not take the judgment of god lightly, Demon King.”

Suddenly, silver divine power began to pour out from Somnus as if overflowing.

‘…This energy.’

Looking at the divine power emanating from Somnus, I quickly glanced at Kara.

It was similar.

It felt similar to the enemies who had received power from Emiris.

Seeing that, I quietly said.

“So you show your true colors.”

“Since I’m facing you and the Demon King, you’ll forgive me for borrowing power from the God-King, won’t you?”

Along with that, ominous masses of curses began to form again.

Somnus was simultaneously emitting frightening divine power and still ominous curses.

This must be his true strength.

“…I don’t care.”

Because I’ll just crush him head-on.

And the next moment.

Two figures were thrown toward Somnus.

The Valkyries who had appeared earlier were sprawled out, thoroughly defeated.

And hanging a chain in the air, Beatrice stood beside me.

“Aren’t you treating us too much like extras?”

“…Mad dog.”

Beatrice smiled fiercely.

Somnus coldly asked.

“Is it alright not to protect the baggage in the back?”

“We’ve already taken care of that.”

As Beatrice finished speaking, golden divine power spread around.

Behind Kara, who had planted her staff in the ground, three holy knights were offering prayers.

And behind them, several magic circles were floating, forming a hexagonal formation.

Inside it, Sera was pointing her staff at Somnus with an open book, and Eve was quietly looking at Somnus.

“Thanks to you being so engrossed in conversation, we got some time. They say even a lion gives its all when catching a rabbit, but you’re only now starting to fight properly. Are you worse than a beast?”

“……”

Somnus coldly looked at Beatrice.

Beatrice smiled as if pleased.

“Today is truly a day to remember. Your expressions are so varied today, unlike your usual smiling self.”

“How noisy.”

Somnus quietly said.

“It would be troublesome if you think you’ve cornered me this much. I still have cards left to play.”

“Want to fight with your hand cards like a proper mage? Well, fine.”

Beatrice glared at Somnus and said.

“Both your arms have already been torn off, so I’ll aim for your neck next.”

“…You’ve become quite insolent, mad dog.”

Somnus quietly said to Beatrice.

Beatrice smiled fiercely.

“…Fine. It would be good to end our ill-fated relationship here.”

Somnus released his power.

The curse knight growled fiercely, and the Valkyries began to rise, surrounded by silver divine power.

They seemed to grow stronger in response to Somnus drawing out curses and divine power.

And as divine power gathered, it created silver arms, which Somnus used to restore his own arms. With his hands together, he said.

“In the name of the great God-King, Emiris.”

Somnus quietly opened his eyes and said.

“I shall judge you foolish ones here in his stead.”

Somnus looked down at us.

And then.

Sia looked at Somnus and said.

“Before you carry out that wonderful judgment, let me give you one piece of advice.”

Somnus looked at Sia.

Sia spoke with a relaxed expression.

“Sometimes it’s good to look right beneath you.”

Right after Sia’s words ended.

Suddenly, golden divine power enveloped Somnus.

At the same time, the curses flowing from Somnus began to dissipate.

“What…?”

For the first time, confusion appeared on Somnus’s face.

Chris slowly rose from the ground.

“…I nearly died, really.”

Chris spoke with sweat, seeming slightly strained.

A broken pendant swung near Chris’s neck.