Ch.86Chapter 86

The immortal phoenix has always been a creature of dreams to people since ancient times.

Its endless vitality, rising from death, was fascinating to those who could be injured and die at any moment.

But if the secret of the phoenix’s eternal life came with pain, everyone would despise it.

What good is immortality if it means an endless hell of suffering?

In that sense, Demian was an even more terrible being than the phoenix.

“I know djins well because I’ve dealt with many of them. Honestly, your kind isn’t anything special!”

Wreathed in flames, Demian ignored his broken ankle and charged toward the Wendigo.

The Wendigo swung an ice sword at Demian. The blade, accompanied by an eerie howl, sliced off Demian’s right arm in one stroke, but…

Whoosh!

“Amputation is quite thrilling. The screams my flesh makes as it meets the world!”

“The real curse is that cutting out that tongue of yours would be useless since you regenerate.”

Flames spread around Demian’s wound as if there were invisible trees, and from within, bone, flesh, and skin sprouted forth.

The Wendigo clicked his tongue and concentrated his mystical power in his mouth.

Demian’s eyes sparkled as he drew the sword and axe from his waist.

He had no intention of dodging. Why would he waste a new pain that had come to visit him?

Demian’s axe and sword spewed red light as they struck the Wendigo’s legs.

He wasn’t determined to slice them off in one blow like before. It was clear that no matter how much he drew on the witch’s power, he couldn’t cut through the djin’s solid muscles.

This wasn’t some foolish plan to drag out the battle…

As the Wendigo let out a roar, Demian raised the corners of his mouth, dropped his weapons, and leaped toward the Wendigo.

The roar tore Demian’s skin and froze his blood and flesh. But the curse, taking Demian’s pain as sacrifice, persistently burned him and exerted its power.

Flicker, flicker.

“If it feels so good, why not freeze to death?”

Demian’s body burned hotter than ever. The shimmering heat haze obscured the Wendigo’s vision, and…

Swish.

Because of this, the Wendigo didn’t notice Demian had drawn a hidden dagger.

The flame in Demian’s form engulfed the Wendigo. The Wendigo suppressed the flames by exploding cold energy, but arson wasn’t Demian’s aim.

“My ancestor must have truly hated djins.”

The plain but strangely unsettling stiletto revealed itself.

Its form, extremely focused on stabbing, showed a determination to pierce its opponent without fail.

The Wendigo looked at the stiletto with curiosity. He had felt a similar energy somewhere before.

This energy, filthy as sewage, was definitely…

“Gicas?”

“I don’t know who that is, but what a strange name! Still, it’s fortunate you find the power familiar. It should be sufficiently disgusting!”

Even if a villain has tarnished the family honor, the bloodline flowing through their body remains unchanged.

The stiletto gladly welcomed its master’s bloodline and drew power. Stained black as pitch, the stiletto flew toward the Wendigo’s neck.

The Wendigo clicked his tongue and tried to deflect the dagger with his ice sword. But the power within the dagger denied the djin’s power and turned the ice sword to powder.

The stiletto smoothly penetrated the Wendigo’s body.

As the Wendigo staggered, Demian stepped back, certain of victory.

“Don’t feel too bitter. My ancestor dedicated the remainder of his life, except for four days, to the gods to obtain that dagger.”

Whether sorcery or magic, one principle was always upheld in the world.

Great power comes with a corresponding price.

Power obtained by sacrificing one’s entire life—something no mortal should take lightly.

Such power, stained solely with the intent to kill someone, couldn’t be weak.

[ ■■■■■■■■! ]

The Wendigo’s roar echoed around them. Demian savored the pain from his bursting eardrums and barely enduring eyes with regret.

“If my master hadn’t ordered me to face you seriously, you could have been a good companion… truly a shame.”

Demian had no intention of killing the Wendigo.

Even when the Wendigo’s kick broke his ribs and tore his internal organs.

Even when the Wendigo’s ice sword and roar froze his limbs.

All those moments were thrilling sensations he hadn’t felt in a long time.

‘A pleasure I couldn’t even feel on the battlefield.’

To Demian, who had grown tired of ordinary pleasures(?), the Wendigo was an excellent djin who could become a good companion.

That’s why he genuinely intended to regret the Wendigo’s death, but…?

“Why aren’t you dying?”

As Demian stood dumbfounded, a storm of cold energy swept around the Wendigo.

* * *

‘Weaker than I expected.’

The Wendigo thought as he contained the energy of the stiletto embedded in his cheek.

The shattering of the ice sword was surprising, but the Wendigo wasn’t without ways to block attacks.

He could have uprooted himself to blow Demian away, or bitten off his head as he flew in…

Thinking about it, there were various ways to counter Demian, but he deliberately took the hit out of pure curiosity.

He wanted to gauge how strong artifacts—ancient artifacts—from the outside world were.

‘Not as strong as I thought?’

It wasn’t ineffective. For a moment, he felt strength draining from his entire body, but…

That was all for the Wendigo. As soon as the mystical power drained from his body, new mystical power filled it again.

The Wendigo looked silently at Demian, who had retreated.

Demian realized that the Wendigo had been holding back against him.

Was he laughable for babbling without realizing this?

“Ha, hahaha!”

Demian burst into laughter involuntarily. He found himself ridiculous for having been so arrogant against such a monster.

Though defeat loomed, Demian didn’t choose the path of turning to ashes.

The red flames burning Demian’s body turned black.

The black flames instantly melted his armor, which then burrowed into his body.

“Forgive my foolishness. I misjudged my opponent and was thinking ahead.”

“What vile flames.”

“My master has a bad personality. No, to be precise, the one behind my master is the bad one.”

The black flames blazed, using Demian’s life as fuel.

The Wendigo realized these flames were a kind of burnt offering. And he instinctively knew that whoever the recipient was, they were certainly not a benevolent entity.

No being that lends power in exchange for one’s life could be good.

Demian pointed his greatsword at the Wendigo.

The Wendigo created a large, massive ice sword and pointed it at Demian.

“Is that really necessary?”

The Wendigo asked Demian out of pure curiosity. Honestly, it was an incomprehensible action.

Whether that sword reached him or not, Demian would die either way. The black flames burning Demian were that ominous.

Demian laughed with his half-burned face.

“Though I tarnished my family’s honor for my personal desires… I am still a knight. And a knight must know how to sacrifice his life for his master.”

“If you weren’t a pervert who enjoys pain, that might have been touching, but coming from you, it sounds awkwardly disgusting.”

“And well… since I’ll obviously die by your hand when everything’s over, I wanted to enjoy a pleasure I could taste only once in my life.”

That was the end of their conversation.

Demian, immersed in an ecstasy that threatened to make him lose consciousness, charged at the Wendigo. As the Wendigo entered his range, he swung his sword without hesitation.

The Wendigo admired the black-burning greatsword.

The greatsword showed none of the techniques he had displayed so far, but he instinctively knew.

This attack couldn’t be avoided.

‘I’ll counter it.’

The Wendigo continued to push mystical power into his ice sword. The ice sword cracked as if about to explode, but he didn’t care.

The ice sword, containing extreme cold, and the flame that seemed ready to burn the world collided head-on, and.

Crack!

‘It’s breaking.’

The Wendigo sensed the ice sword would shatter. But he didn’t back down.

An inexplicable faith made his mind as calm as a clear lake.

“!”

The ice sword and black flames collided violently like two snakes that hated each other, and the first to break was the Wendigo’s ice sword.

But Demian let out a hollow laugh.

“You’re too much, even at the end.”

“I’m sorry.”

From within the shattered ice sword emerged another ice sword with a beautiful blade incomparable to the crude ice swords made until now, bursting with clear cold energy.

The cold energy erased the black flames, and Demian’s greatsword couldn’t withstand it, shattering into pieces.

Demian’s stance collapsed.

His legs were severed, and as he knelt, his arms were also cut off.

The Wendigo looked into his eyes and asked.

“Any last words?”

“No. I have no regrets. Among all the joys I’ve tasted… this was by far the best.”

The Wendigo laughed in disbelief.

Who would have thought the eyes of the purest pervert would be the clearest and cleanest he had ever seen?

As a final mercy, the Wendigo withdrew his sword and let him enjoy the pain he so loved.

“Before you go, I’d like to ask. Was that black flame also power given by the witch?”

“As a knight, it’s a bit difficult to say…”

“If you want, I can gouge an appropriate spot with an ice needle.”

The Wendigo made the offer considering Demian’s preferences. Meanwhile, Skadi, who had just finished dealing with his subordinates, sent an ice doll to his side and heard this conversation…

‘Even Lord Wendigo can be odd sometimes.’

She couldn’t help but smile at such an absurd proposal.

How could a knight who risked his life for loyalty accept such a shallow offer?

“Come to think of it, since I’m dying anyway, I think he would forgive this much.”

“!?”

But Demian wasn’t so single-minded as to maintain his honor until his final moments.

After all, the reason he abandoned his family was to enjoy greater pain, so it wasn’t strange.

‘That thing… is a knight?’

…Of course, to others, he was simply a madman.

The Wendigo created an ice needle of appropriate size and stabbed it into Demian’s body.

The cold energy, penetrating through the melted armor, gradually spread throughout his body.

“Ohhh… the combination of heat and cold is quite something. I wish I had known earlier.”

“Stop with the perverted talk and answer the question.”

“Of course… the black flame isn’t my master’s power. How could a witch’s power, no matter how great, make something like that possible?”

While witches symbolized the creation of this world, they weren’t beings great enough to overturn the world.

Respecting the Wendigo who had shown him a final kindness, Demian answered honestly.

“This, this is a grace bestowed by the one my master serves. The power to burn the world.”

“Is that one a god?”

In response to the Wendigo’s question, Demian answered by raising the corners of his mouth.

The Wendigo didn’t think it was particularly strange.

Even Alfodur had his eye on Skadi and Shir.

‘There’s no law saying other witches can’t attract the attention of gods.’

The Wendigo asked his final question.

“Who is that god?”

“The one who will burn the world… huk!”

Demian couldn’t finish his sentence and exhaled deeply.

The Wendigo instinctively sensed what had happened.

“Oh my.”

Demian died without finishing his words. But his expression was surprisingly peaceful.

The Wendigo didn’t blame Demian for not revealing the identity of the flame.

Even a knight with tenacious life would naturally die in such a wretched state…

“Skadi. There’s no need to confirm he’s dead, but.”

Shake, shake.

As the ice doll approached Demian and checked his condition, the Wendigo was puzzled.

The reason for Demian’s death seemed clear.

Anyone could see he had exhausted his strength in the fierce battle…

A moment later, the ice doll closed the corpse’s eyes, stood up, and stared at the Wendigo.

“Is there something strange?”

The ice doll nodded with a creaking sound.

The ice doll scribbled words on the ground with its finger.

[ I checked because something seemed odd about his death… ]

“And?”

At the Wendigo’s innocent question, the ice doll wrote and erased repeatedly. It couldn’t find the right term.

Finally, Skadi chose the most easily understandable word.

Death during climax.

“……”

The Wendigo stared at the ice doll in disbelief.

Though it wasn’t her, Skadi made the ice doll avert its gaze. Honestly, even she who confirmed the cause of death was dumbfounded.

“Huh.”

The Wendigo looked at Demian’s face and let out a hollow laugh.

Demian’s face was annoyingly peaceful.

As if everything had been burned white.