episode_0089

“I must be crazy! I went insane because I wanted to die!”

Gripping the reins of her horse, Transylvania headed deep into the mountains, far away from the suburbs.

She had to go to the most secluded place possible within the range of the seal.

Somewhere where they wouldn’t be noticed.

Where sound and scent were completely suppressed.

She planned to wait until the foolish human died and the seal was lifted.

“I knew it was insane to travel with a vampire… But to think they would go this far.”

It was unbelievable.

To boldly carry a stone imbued with the scent of the Archdruid Kali.

The scent was so strong that it made her wonder if it came from inside the Archdruid’s body.

There were two possible ways the human could have obtained the Archdruid’s stone.

First, they accidentally stumbled into the Archdruid’s seal, found the stone, and stole it.

Second, they received it as a gift from the Archdruid, but…

“That can’t be!”

With the complete seal of the Archdemon covering the entire Basil, the second possibility was highly unlikely.

They must have come to return the stolen item.

The question was, why did the Archdemon, and not the Archdruid, cast the seal?

The Archdruid Kali’s sealing magic was not inferior.

And she was not one to borrow someone else’s hand to retrieve her belongings.

“Well, it doesn’t matter now. What’s important is that the Four Kings have personally intervened.”

The chosen underlings of the Four Kings.

They were tasked with the preliminary work to terraform this world.

For them to reveal themselves so openly at this point, it must mean they were extremely irritated.

That human had no idea what they had stirred up.

What kind of hornet’s nest they had poked.

What fate awaited them.

Ignorant and foolish, they would meet their end without knowing anything.

The death of a few fools didn’t matter.

The problem was the collateral damage.

If the vampire girl accompanying them were to die because of their arrogance.

Or if precious kin were lost.

“What a mess all because of one crazy human…”

And here I am, acting as if I’m scared.

In reality, I just want to keep things quiet.

All this trouble was caused by that foolish human.

As Transylvania thought this, she clicked her tongue in annoyance.

“Ah? What’s that smell…?”

She noticed a strange smell filling the air.

A scent so strong it made her nose tingle.

This scent was unmistakably…

Boom!

“?!”

At that moment, a black beam shot out.

Instinctively stepping back, Transylvania witnessed an explosion.

It happened in an instant.

When she regained her senses, a massive crater had formed where Transylvania had stood, emitting black smoke, with her horse’s body shattered into pieces, only its lower half wriggling on the ground.

From the rising black smoke, a figure slowly became distinct.

Transylvania’s pupils shook uncontrollably.

|The deepest part of the demon realm. From the origin where the hellfire burns. I, the Archdemon|

Someone she thought she would never see again.

Their confidant and right hand.

And Transylvania’s successor.

|Belphagor shall manifest in this world|

The Archdemon, Belphagor, stepped forward.

Black magic gathered around her, forming arms and legs, extending her black dress.

Although her entire body was filled with magic, her distinct features were not visible.

The imposing horns rising above her head, the eerie swirling pupils, and the sinister smile were the only things visible in the darkness.

Transylvania had to admit it.

The fact that the Archdemon’s true form had completely manifested in this world.

|Chasing Kali’s scent, but a familiar face greets me|

“Belphagor… This must be a coincidence.”

|A coincidence?|

The Archdemon tilted her head curiously.

Reaching into the torn saddlebag, her long fingers grasped a black orb, emitting a strong scent of the Archdruid.

A magic stone made of magic, exuding the scent of the Archdruid.

“Why… Why is that there…?”

Transylvania’s mouth hung open in shock.

She needed to come up with an explanation.

Even if it was an absurd excuse, she had to say something.

Unfortunately, Transylvania’s vocal cords seemed to have stiffened, and she couldn’t make a sound.

Even now, with a sword drawn, I could easily cut down a great demon.

“My life is ruined.”

But Tran Silvia’s hand did not move.

She couldn’t bring herself to even raise her hand to the handle.

Familiar fear and helplessness enveloped Tran Silvia.

She lost her will to fight before it even began.

It was a situation where a fight couldn’t even start.

To them, I was nothing more than a mere toy or a tiny ant on the road.

If they felt like it, they would just let me go.

If they were in a bad mood, they would crush me for no reason.

I was nothing but a lowly existence.

“Ah…”

Now, all she could do was kneel and beg for mercy.

Suppressing the trembling muscles in her throat, Tran Silvia mustered the last bit of courage and spoke.

“I, I have no connection with that gem! You know? Even if you look at the old-”

“Oh, you’re here?”

“??!”

The sound of footsteps approaching, crushing roots and rocks on the mountain path.

A familiar voice.

Sure enough, accompanied by the girl with the pale skin.

The mad tribe member was running towards them with a bright smile.

Tran Silvia bit her tongue and tightly closed her eyes.

“Why did you come to such a remote place? It’s good that the civilians weren’t harmed because of it. It was hard to find-”

“For god’s sake, stop pretending you know!!!”

An angry scream burst out, filling the entire mountain.

But the tribe member paid no attention to it.

Casually drawing his sword, he approached Tran Silvia.

“Stop pretending to be friendly!!!”

“Oh. Why are you like this? When you like your own kind, you don’t have to pretend. It’s been so long since you left for school after saying you liked me.”

|Arrogant. You don’t even know my future. Pitiful thing…|

The tribe member raised his sword and took an offensive stance.

The vampire girl began to conjure magic at the same time.

But the demon lord, with a nonchalant smile, didn’t seem bothered at all.

It seemed like a game to him.

It appeared that the tribe member had met the demon lord before.

But he couldn’t possibly imagine what would happen when the demon lord manifested in his true form.

“If you want to live, quickly return that gem! You foolish tribe member!”

|It’s not necessary. The soul of a loser like you is worthless. Kali was the weakest among us.|

“Wow. Classic line. Even if you die, others will say the same thing. Won’t that be embarrassing? Can you handle it?”

|…|

The demon lord’s eyes, which had maintained a faint smile, suddenly twisted.

He hesitated.

With a slightly displeased expression, the demon lord slowly raised his hand.

|It’s getting boring.|

“Oh, no!”

A familiar movement.

A familiar gesture.

Tran Silvia was shocked and screamed.

The tribe member lunged forward with his sword towards the demon lord’s wrist, but…

“??!”

A black hole emerged from the demon lord’s palm.

It began to suck in everything – wind, light, everything.

Without any resistance.

Both the tribe member and the vampire girl, as well as Tran Silvia, who was sitting there, were all sucked into the demon lord’s palm.

|The rest is up to Lord Draken…|

“…”

“…”

Silence fell.

In front of the demon lord, there was nothing but a desolate land.

.

.

.

What just happened?

I remember being sucked into somewhere as if my body was being crushed and twisted.

But the memories after that are hazy.

“Ah! Ahhhhh! Oh no! I’m screwed! I’m screwed again! I’m screwed!!!”

A choked sobbing sound, as if someone was drowning, echoed nearby.

Only then did I open my eyes.

In my sight, there was the vampire in full armor, crying with empty eyes.

My body feels heavy.

It feels like I’ve entered a dream.

The body moved as if swimming in a tank full of fantasies, struggling and moving a beat slower.

“Mi-jeong, Mi-jeong…”

Turning my head slowly, I searched for the invisible figure, waving my arms.

The one who was just by my side.

The familiar touch of a chin and hand.

“Yujin.”

“Thank goodness.”

I confirmed Mi-jeong’s safety.

That’s all that matters.

But the problem is, where am I…

“Huh?”

Tremor.

The ground shook once.

Tremor.

After shaking again, I finally realized.

The ground I’m stepping on is not earth.

The vegetation around me is not bushes.

As soon as I realized that fact.

Chills ran down my spine.

I started to feel someone’s gaze.

“I don’t want it twice! I don’t want it twice, no! Scary! Terrifying!”

“…”

I couldn’t even lift my head.

Someone is watching over me.

The gaze is heavy, I can’t muster the courage to meet it.

My body trembles and I can’t move.

I’m frozen.

I’m in the same state as Tran Sylvia, who was mocking me a while ago.

‘What is this.’

I am standing on top of a giant entity.

And that giant entity is watching over me.

Just the fact of its existence makes it impossible for me to move a finger.

It’s not that I can’t move due to strong magic or power.

It’s simply.

The sheer presence is pressing me down to an infinitely low place.

There is only one thing that I suspect about the identity of this giant entity.

[Achievement Unlocked]

[First Encounter with Draken!]

Final boss.

The true form of Draken.

I have been dragged right in front of the final boss.

The moment I realized that, what I should do is clear.

Terrified, scared, but there is something I need to confirm.

‘Weakened point.’

As I quietly muttered to myself.

“Ah!”

My vision turns red.

Everything turns red except for my body and Mi-jeong.

The whole world turns red, making everything invisible.

‘This is impossible. There’s no way I can defeat it.’

Why Draken has been sleeping in another dimension, why the world will be destroyed just by his arrival.

Now I understand those questions.

I used to fantasize about what to do when facing the final boss, thinking about running away, checking the patterns, and so on.

But it’s all just a fantasy.

It’s impossible.

Challenging this entity is impossible.

It’s not a matter of will.

It’s not even a matter of skill.

It’s simply impossible.

The absolute being is scrutinizing me right now.

|Random symbols indicating intense noise and pressure|

A terrible noise surrounds me, as if shattering my skull.

|More random symbols indicating intense pressure and noise|

“I can’t take this.”

My mind can’t handle it before my body is destroyed.

Already, my vision is blurry and my thoughts are foggy.

It feels like I will suffer a fate worse than death.

If I don’t want to go crazy, there’s no other way but to bow down and swear allegiance to the great one.

If I don’t want to be crushed by the greatness, there’s no other choice but to submit to that power.

[Special Ability ‘Mental Strength Enhancement’ is granted as a reward for achievement completion.]

[Special Ability: Mental Strength Enhancement]

“Ack?!”

At that moment.

My vision clears, and my ears, which were ringing, suddenly open wide.

The dizzy and painful headache is gone, and my mind is clear.

My hand was raised to gouge out my eyeballs without me realizing it.

I was surprised and quickly lowered my hand.

I almost self-harmed without even realizing it.

“Mental Strength Enhancement…”

A crucial ability for the final showdown.

I obtained it at the perfect timing.

In a world where Draken’s influence is absolute, it is impossible to keep a clear mind without this trait.

“This should be worth fighting for.”

It’s still difficult to lift my head.

Instinctively, my eyes lower.

Although I can see the huge tentacles reaching out from all directions, I can’t bring myself to face it.

If my eyes meet ‘it’, I feel like tears of blood would flow even now, and I would gouge out my own eyeballs.

But now, resistance has become possible.

According to the trait description, as my stats increase, this resistance will also rise even more.

Although I can’t fight back right now, I can anticipate the next move.

“Thanks for the trait gift.”

I have obtained everything I need now.

It’s time to escape from this place.

As I put my hand into my pocket, the metal object firmly grips my hand.

The culmination of the technology that preceded.

The masterpiece of a genius engineer.

Piercing a hole in space-time to send us back······

“See you next time.”

It’s the spear of Longinus.