episode_0152

It was ominous.

The scenery itself was ominous.

The sight that caught my eye as I looked at it floating as if filling the sky gave off an intimidating feeling, as if I was being crushed by something.

That dark, faint moon shining faintly and ominously in the black sky.

It was on a different level from those I had met so far.

It’s so red that you think it’s muddy, but that redness isn’t the red of Sejun’s burning flame, it’s just erosion to the point where it feels like it’s muddy.

I frowned at that feeling and slowly closed my eyes for a moment.

“… He seems like a dirty and filthy guy. Are you not planning on coming down?”

Sejun slowly turned his head towards the sound of someone next to him.

Naturally, there was nothing visible to the eye with the eyes closed, but the object was visible to the eyes of the person with the ability to use the enhanced ability of burning flames.

Northmund. His dean. And his teacher, the self-proclaimed Dragon.

─It’s been a while, Northmund. Will we eventually meet again like this?

The moon in the sky responded to the dean’s words.

It’s been a while. Perhaps the Dean has seen him in person before? The question of when did we meet crossed Sejun’s mind for a moment?

“Che.”

Northmund did not answer that question. However, Sejun was able to get an answer right away from someone’s reaction.

There was already an answer to the angry voice of the dragon-horned woman named Yoon Si-ah, which was unintentional on the part of the person concerned.

Although she looked round, she was an angular woman.

Should I call it an impression or an atmosphere? She was still a mixture of two aspects.

I couldn’t say I was very close to her, but I thought I saw her often as a classmate. I still don’t know much about her. No, I don’t really want to know.

Judging from her reaction, she and Northmund had probably already seen that demon leader once.

Sejun wasn’t quick at calculating or thinking, but he was already able to roughly understand the cause and effect to some extent.

“Your behavior is pathetic. Are you trying to hide your weakness like that?”

─Maybe so. This body may also have been stimulated by your strength. Your great sword is fierce.

Despite Northmund’s sharp, mocking words, the response he received was less interesting than expected.

Northmund thought, “What a ridiculous thing,” and raised his hand, and the flying greatsword reacted like a living thing and returned to his hand, catching it with a snap.

Feeling a little distraught, Sejun bit his lip when he saw the scene.

Somehow, it felt like his expectations were a bit off.

Alexstras was surprisingly conversing with Northmund in plain language.

Of course, it wasn’t a frivolous voice, nor was it an attitude, but it was also true that it was a little different from what Sejun had thought.

Perhaps the fact that the first demon he encountered was Adrama’lech had an impact in changing his perception of demons.

Why, that’s right. The laser-shooting devil spoke in a more archaic language than expected.

“Your plan has already failed. You probably already know this. Stop playing the useless devil game and accept reality.”

─So, is this something that will lead to bloodshed?

“Do not force your subordinates into danger unnecessarily. I don’t think he’s so boring that he drives everyone into the abyss of destruction.”

─Haha, did you finally find the truth you wanted?

Alexstras’ voice seemed a little subdued. To be exact, it felt like the response was being hammered into my head through noise rather than a voice.

The devil asked in a stern voice, ignoring Northmund’s provocation as if it was nothing.

─So. What am I to do?

“What?”

The dean’s puzzled voice rang out. Immediate reactions flow from not only Northmund but also other people around him.

What are you going to do, this devil?

Sejun, who had a puzzled expression on his face, tried to guess something from the flow of the conversation.

“That… How do you want me to fight?”

It was Sejun’s words to himself, but the only reply that came back was, “Be quiet,” and the frowning eyes of the same Jang Ah-hyun.

Although it was said to be a small self-talk, the being who volunteered for the moon seemed to understand the meaning and smiled. Of course, that form doesn’t have a mouth.

Feeling like he was a little caught off guard by the conversation between the dean and the devil, Sejun stopped thinking and turned his gaze to his teacher as if waiting for an order.

A thought that came to mind for a moment is incinerated in an instant.

“It’s good to be prepared.”

Northmund said.

“If you show up like that, it will only be a battle of annihilation.”

─annihilation. Is it about all of us?

In response to that question, Northmund spat out the words without any intention of purifying them.

“That’s right. All of you stragglers will be punished.”

*

I thought that we were now at a stage where there was no longer any need for operations.

I moved my wrist and twirled the great sword in my right hand.

Since we’ve come this far, it’s just a one-on-one match between him and me. After that fight, just absorb this world as the Collector told you and that’s it.

─Hmm.

Under the dark sky where Alexstras was floating, there stood a tall castle that reminded me of Gaudí’s architectural style.

Just hearing it in words sounds like it might be something grand, but the lonely-looking castle I was looking at right now was like a mass of abandoned buildings that gave the impression that a lot of extreme events were going to happen.

okay. A building that looks like it has traces of many people leaving.

Wouldn’t it be an appropriate last name for a loser who had a ridiculous plan and was betrayed by even his own subordinate?

With such an unmatched scenery in front of me, I looked at the eyes floating in the sky with a relaxed look.

It may seem like you are acting recklessly, as if it is a challenge. Because of a pointless provocation, you may have to deal with a demon leader in serious mode from the beginning.

But if anyone saw me now, they wouldn’t be able to say that.

Because, I am not Elm Northmund.

And my victory is already proven by the monsters and corpses of demons—magic stones—rolling around behind me.

─I see. If that’s the case, then you should treat me like that.

For the first time, Alexstras’ voice showed emotion. However, the emotion was different from the emotion I wanted, so it was said in a voice that made me feel drowsy just listening to it, as if the eyes were voicing the moon in the sky.

The reaction was a bit absurd, so I almost secretly made a dumbfounded expression.

It’s hard to tell because the guy’s body wasn’t humanoid, but if he had a human-like appearance with eyes, nose, and mouth, he might have been grinning with a face that showed no interest or proactiveness about the situation.

For some reason, just imagining it made me feel bad, so I distorted my face.

“… You’re looking down on me.”

─No, no, I am not ignoring you. Since one of them is going to disappear now anyway, it was just a show of kindness. Don’t think anything bad about it. It’s just that there’s something I’d like to ask of you, Northmund.

“A favor?”

─That’s right. It won’t be a story that will harm you either. Yes, since this is a request for when you are defeated and disappear anyway, there is no reason for you to care.

Due to my inexperience in not knowing how to suddenly ask for a favor, I was momentarily taken aback.

Perhaps sensing my obvious panic, the sky’s eyeballs made a grinning expression and fell down like ice cream melting, creating a large puddle of abyssal water.

There was an unpleasant sound of viscous, mud-like, semi-solid liquid hitting the floor.

Then, the mud clumps together with a squishy sound and begins to transform into a human shape.

“Huh? That”

Sejun’s absent-minded sound is heard from behind once again.

But of course, it is not only Han Sejun who stands out. Even Gideon, Jimmy, and Jang A-hyun, who were laughing next to him, let out a small exclamation.

No, to be exact, it looked closer to a beast doll than a humanoid. It’s also a reptilian beastman with a somewhat familiar appearance.

“… I’ll kill you. Go, how dare you!”

A voice of anger erupts from a girl with waist-length black hair.

As I glanced at her, I briefly wondered how long it had been since I last saw her so angry.

But I immediately shook my head away from that thought and said as if I was shocked.

“For someone who is a loser, his hobbies are quite admirable. Do you think that you can become the same as me by imitating me?”

─Oh, it’s not like that. This is just the outer shell. Northmund: Don’t you know this too? That we, the etheric bodies, do not have a fixed appearance.

I was lost in thought for a moment about his actions.

Is it revenge? Is he trying to ridicule me because I’ve upset him so much? Well, the devil’s leader is that narrow-minded.

‘No, it’s not an impossible story.’

When I think about it, he is a narrow-minded guy who made me come all the way to this place. It might not be possible, right? When the thought crossed my mind

─Hahaha, I don’t mean to provoke you.

For some reason, I can see the black dragon nodding its head in an unpleasant voice.

Was it because there was little conversation when I previously met him who possessed The One’s body? I had no idea it was an image like this.

What can I say… This guy felt like he had a screw missing.

─As you probably already know, you and I are originally beings that can be seen as one. You are a being created by the traitor Dimostra from our mother, and I am also a being created by my mother separating herself from herself. It is different from the other Guardians born of His creation.

“… .”

-Yes, we are two and one, not clearly separated from each other, directly separated from the Great Being. Your soul also shares with me. Although they are individual beings with continuity, can we say that it is a state in which one soul coexists in a limited way in two bodies?

is it. Alexstras seems to have gone through a similar process. This was a fact I didn’t know.

Perhaps the collector guy interrupted what he was saying and didn’t have time to speak.

‘But it’s not important.’

When he nodded his head in agreement with what he said, Alexstras also smiled and nodded slightly.

That sight was disgusting for no reason. Now that he looks like me, it might be self-loathing in a way.

Was the reptilian smile, with the eyelids closing downwards, so disgusting?

‘With the appearance of a dragon, I shouldn’t laugh at other people.’

As I was nodding my head, alone in my useless realization, the guy continued talking.

─It is unfortunate that although we received the same blessing, one soul is mature and the other soul is immature and shows destructive feelings towards others. However, the soul has a flashy appearance and splendid power, so this is the perfect way to replace each other’s similarities.

“What do you mean? Substitution of similarity?”

─The exterior is a vessel containing the heart. It’s not just metaphorical; it’s real. You will use that image to your fullest potential, but since it has already become a proven fact, you will have no objection to imitating it. We are the same soul, and it is my right as well as yours to imitate that form.

“How can you say that is your right! This is ridiculous!”

─Aren’t we the same being? It’s impossible for the right hand to not know what the left hand is doing, and it shouldn’t be a problem if the right hand follows the hand movements made by the left hand.

“What?”

As I was laughing out loud at the absurdity of it all, I heard a wheezing sound coming from around me. Of course, they would have heard this robbery-like conversation, so it is only natural that they would have such an angry reaction.

─Why? Did you really think I was going to die like that?

“… ?!”

For a moment, I was startled by goosebumps all over my body and trembled. Instinctively, he released mana from his entire body and released a magical wind in all directions.

I didn’t even feel any foreboding. what? Is it teleportation?

“What? what? Teleport? The Dean’s?”

The students who were looking at us from behind reacted immediately. I looked at him in confusion.

There was no sign of movement. It’s just because suddenly there was a magical reaction behind me and a guy really suddenly appeared behind me.

First of all, moving at a fast speed is definitely not the case. If so, at least a trace of it must exist.

This black dragon literally disappears from before my eyes at any moment without even leaving a hint, then appears behind me and pours his voice into my ears.

“Yaaap!”

And then a huge sword falls down where he was, making a loud noise. Yun Shia immediately struck down her great sword.

And at that moment, the black dragonian’s appearance disappeared again.

“What is this?!”

When everyone’s faces were filled with astonishment and their gazes took a sharp turn around them, Alexstras was back in the same place he had been standing in the first place.

“… What is that?”

─Well, actually, I don’t know what it is. It could be the magic you’re talking about, or it could be a transfer of power from the Great One. I’ve only just started using it now.

Alexstras answered the question as if he was teasing me.

Then, as if suddenly, he claps his hands loudly and opens his mouth.

-Oh, by the way, I forgot to tell you something. Yes Northmund. If you lose, I’ll have to get back the keys you took from us.

In a very cheeky pose.

He said that to me while standing with his back to the ugly building.