Ch.37The Last Memory (6)

[The Great Demon Belphegor Manifests!]

While players have 15 main NPCs, the Demon God has the Demon Lord and 4 Great Demons. They are incarnations of evil, each ruling one of the four directions of the Abyss. One of them was Belphegor, right before her eyes.

The Snake who ate the Darkness.

True to his epithet, he was dark and more massive than most dragons. The night sky’s starlight was even blocked by Belphegor’s body.

– Hmm, so you’re not just a mere insect. I’ll acknowledge that courage of yours, not trembling at the sight of me.

Belphegor was restricted in power as the price for manifesting in the human realm. Despite bearing the title of ‘Great Demon,’ his level was only 90—proof of this restriction.

Of course, level 90 was by no means low.

If Belphegor were summoned to any nation other than the Empire, the Holy Kingdom, and the Free City of Mikabel, that day would be that nation’s last.

Grooooooar!

Belphegor raised his aura. As if gravity had reversed, the air shot upward.

– Young mage, I have a proposal for you.

The atmosphere was far too ominous to be called a mere proposal.

– Make a contract with me.

Belphegor’s eyes glowed red. His eyes were at a dizzying height.

“A contract?”

– Yes. A vessel like you should be able to accept all of my magical power.

“…And if I refuse?”

Belphegor looked toward the Academy and spoke.

– Until you accept the contract, I’ll kill those insects behind you. I’ll specially kill them a hundred at a time. That’s better than killing them one by one, isn’t it?

Belphegor curled up the corners of his mouth. The darkness that composed his body was so vast that space seemed to distort whenever he smiled.

‘Young. Insanely young!’

Despite his threats, Belphegor was thoroughly impressed by Olivia, who stared up at him with an undaunted gaze.

‘How sweet and delicious would that soul be.’

Belphegor licked his lips. Even if he devoured the souls of all the other witches who had contracted with him at once, they wouldn’t match up to Olivia alone.

That’s how powerful her soul was. Souls with such strong will and nobility were rare.

Beings with such souls all become heroes eventually—the only difference is when.

And Belphegor knew better than anyone how delicious a hero’s soul could be.

The thrill of driving them to despair and ruin was incomparably exhilarating.

‘Now, what will you do?’

Belphegor’s eyes curved into a smile. Unless she was a thoughtless fool, she would know that fighting here would sweep away thousands at minimum.

– Don’t think about stalling for time…

Just as he was about to speak.

KWAAAANG!

With a sound like space itself tearing apart, dozens of lightning bolts pierced through Belphegor’s head. His head was completely obliterated. Yet his body didn’t fall, remaining firmly in place.

After a moment.

SHWAAAK!

Darkness began to fill the destroyed head area. Belphegor absorbed the surrounding darkness to regenerate his head. As expected of a Great Demon—he wouldn’t die just from having his head blown off.

When Belphegor’s face reappeared, the earlier smile was completely gone.

– You…!

“I have a proposal for you too, Belphegor.”

Olivia grinned.

“If you promise to stay put right there, I’ll let you live for the next two days.”

– You’ve gone mad. Do you truly desire such a painful death?

“Can you even kill me?”

Olivia tilted her head slightly. Then, as if looking at an insignificant insect, she gazed down at Belphegor with contemptuous eyes.

“You pathetic weakling, the weakest among the Great Demons.”

-Snap.

At that moment, Belphegor felt something break in his head.

Provocation?

A mere human, daring to provoke him?

Belphegor’s pupils glowed with a sinister red light.

Now he didn’t care about her soul anymore. Belphegor’s mind was filled with the desire to tear Olivia limb from limb right then and there.

– I’ll tear you to shreds.

“As if.”

– I’ll kill every human connected to you. If I keep killing like that, at least millions will die. It’s all your fault.

“My fault? You were planning to do that from the beginning.”

Olivia’s eyes grew cold.

The location was problematic. She wanted to keep Belphegor contained for two days, but doing so would destroy not only the Academy but half the imperial capital.

The conclusion was…

‘Since he’s already been summoned, I need to kill him as quickly as possible.’

She didn’t want to risk the consequences of consuming his favor rating, but there was no choice.

The aftermath of keeping Belphegor alive for two days before killing him seemed even more severe.

‘There might even be some weird hidden quest. Maybe with the activation condition “Keep a Great Demon alive for two days then kill it.”‘

She thought she knew everything about Lactea, but never dreamed such a quest would be hidden.

Thanks to that, everything had become complicated.

Blue lightning flickered around Olivia.

CRACKLE!

The next moment, Olivia’s form moved to the sky. In her hand was a lightning spear as massive as a great tree.

[Using skill, ‘Lightning Spear’.]

THWAAANG!

Fierce lightning pierced through Belphegor’s face. But as expected, he recovered immediately.

– It’s useless.

Belphegor shot countless scales. The scales gradually sharpened, transforming into needle-like projectiles aimed at Olivia.

SHWAAAAK!

The scales barely missed Olivia. She dodged some, while others froze and shattered before they could reach her.

– How amusing to see you scurrying about like an insect.

Belphegor opened his enormous mouth.

GROOOOOAR!

An energy unlike anything felt before emanated from him. Everything around was sucked toward Belphegor’s maw. It resembled…

[‘Great Demon Belphegor’ uses Breath.]

It evoked the image of a dragon.

Endless darkness poured forth.

Clench.

Olivia’s hand tightened.

Cold energy, incomparably more overwhelming than anything before, enveloped the atmosphere.

Soon after, a massive shield of cold energy appeared before Olivia.

KWAAAANG!

Cold energy has no form.

But cold energy freezes everything it touches.

Freezing and freezing, not allowing anything to approach.

[Using ancient magic, ‘Absolute Zero’.]

The breath froze and fell to the ground.

Belphegor’s eyes distorted.

– This is…

That’s when it happened.

Belphegor’s gaze suddenly turned sideways. A warrior wielding an absurdly massive greatsword was charging madly toward Belphegor.

– What is that…

CRAAACK!

But by the time Belphegor recognized this fact, his head had already been split by the greatsword.

The swordsman shouted.

“How dare you!”

A pure white sword strike bisected Belphegor’s body. Olivia’s eyes widened at the sudden appearance of reinforcements.

It was Kiel.

A vertical line was drawn across the night sky. With each additional stroke, Belphegor’s body was cut into more pieces. The sword strikes didn’t stop. If anything, they grew faster.

Belphegor shouted.

– Damn you insects!

Belphegor’s tail struck Kiel. Kiel blocked the attack but couldn’t prevent himself from being knocked back.

The place where Kiel landed was, coincidentally, right next to Olivia. As Kiel got up, dusting off the dirt, Olivia chided him.

“Why did you come? I told you to wait.”

“You never told me not to follow.”

“Huh…”

Olivia looked at Kiel with a face that said she’d been caught off guard.

She never expected such words from Kiel of all people.

Not only talking back, but so boldly…

‘…No.’

She had forgotten for a moment.

This was how Kiel had always been.

“…You madman.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Olivia smiled wryly.

She remembered when she had been mistaken for a thief and killed 23 times, before finally being allowed to join him.

Since that day, their first meeting was always at the throat of a demon.

And their last was always standing over the Demon God’s corpse.

Olivia had watched that scene from outside the screen more than thousands of times.

When they held a festival after saving the world, though she couldn’t join them.

It was fun.

It was enjoyable.

‘Come to think of it, he was always like this.’

She had forgotten.

Somehow, she had erased it from her memory.

“…ri…a.”

Hearing the voice beside her, Olivia raised her lowered head.

“Olivia. What’s that thing’s weakness?”

“…”

Olivia’s pupils slowly returned to reality.

“Hm?”

“I asked what that thing’s weakness is.”

Olivia’s voice trembled slightly.

“…When the darkness that forms his body runs out, he’ll vanish. Then he can’t regenerate.”

“But it’s night right now?”

“So we have to wait until morning.”

Kiel’s eyes widened.

Then, realizing it was a joke, he frowned. But strangely, he didn’t feel bad about it.

“We need light.”

“Light?”

“Yes. Very bright, long-lasting light.”

“Do I need to buy you time while you prepare fire magic?”

“No. To capture him, we need to maintain it for at least thirty minutes, and I’m too inefficient.”

“Why not call your master?”

“Right. That would work…”

At that moment, Olivia’s eyes widened.

A method occurred to her.

A way to exceed 20 favor points in a genocide run.

With this method, there would be no need to keep Belphegor contained for two days.

And Kiel wouldn’t have to remember her death as cruel and painful.

“…Kiel.”

Two days.

That was the final time allowed to Olivia.

That’s why tonight was supposed to be long.

She had planned to stay up all night, sharing snacks and talking.

But…

“Quickly go and bring my master.”

“I should stay and hold out…”

“Hurry!”

“Ah, alright!”

Now that was impossible.

Kiel kicked off the ground and ran toward the Golden Tower. Olivia couldn’t take her eyes off his back for a while.

– You think I’ll allow it!

As Belphegor tried to stop Kiel, countless lightning bolts rained down before his eyes.

– AAAAARGH!

Belphegor trembled from the pain of his body being pierced. It was the first pain he had felt since manifesting in the human realm.

– How, how can you…!

“Belphegor.”

Kiel would soon bring Melina.

“You.”

Of course, by then.

“Have crossed the line.”

The current Olivia would be gone.