episode_0191

The world within me.

I was able to confront my past within it.

The uncertain future I entered with also witnessed the same scene as I did.

If that’s the case, then maybe I can peek into Velpegor’s past by entering Velpegor’s inner world.

It was an attempt born from such thoughts.

I had some idea of what to do as well.

“The world within me” is not a metaphor.

It’s only smaller in size, fundamentally no different from other dimensions.

Perhaps the world we live in, the present world, and this underworld may also be worlds within some giant entity.

So, there’s no need to come up with any particularly clever tricks to enter Velpegor’s inner world.

In the end, using the same method as when transitioning to another world will suffice.

Using Longinus’ spear would make it easier, but it’s inconvenient without a navigator.

However, there’s one more method I know of to tear through dimensions and cross into another world.

A method I’ve personally experienced.

A technique used by demons.

It involves cutting through the dimensional barrier with magic to cross over.

But it seems like that method is a high-level skill only achievable by high-ranking demons who have dealt with magic for thousands of years.

I, on the other hand, have no way of knowing that technique.

Of course, I know that infusing “will” into magic is key, but…

Infusing will into conversations.

Infusing will into attacks.

And now, even infusing will into space to tear it apart.

It’s incredibly crude.

But that’s why it’s advantageous for me.

A crude method, even with a lack of finesse, can be pushed through with sheer quantity.

“The key is to infuse magic to the point where the impossible becomes possible.”

I gather magic while placing my hand on Velpegor’s chest.

Enough magic to tear through space and enter Velpegor’s inner world.

The only thing I’m tearing is space.

I won’t send Velpegor to the side of the gods by cutting him.

Until I thoroughly uncover his past, I won’t let him die.

“W-What are you doing right now? What are you doing?!”

“I want to open your chest.”

“You crazy bastard, don’t kill me!!!”

“Don’t worry. I’ll control it so you won’t die. As long as you don’t move and get cut, you won’t get hurt. Stay still.”

“Aaargh!”

Bending space.

It’s no easy feat.

Although commonly depicted as reaching the highest level in martial arts novels.

What I’m about to do is a bit different.

It’s not an attack meant to harm the opponent.

It’s a leap to cross into the world beyond.

Like gripping a sword, I clench my hand.

And then, magic extends from my hand like a sword.

Velpegor remains still, perhaps due to the command to stay put.

But the command not to worry seems ineffective, as his eyes are filled with confusion.

Crack!

A large amount of magic gathers, echoing like thunder.

And the result of that gathered magic.

It has turned into a towering sword-like shape, almost rivaling the highest mountain in the underworld.

“It feels like I have a magic sword in my hand.”

Apart from being made of magic, it has no other similarities.

It just gives me the feeling of having a magic sword in my hand.

“Infusing will into it…”

And just before swinging the massive magic sword.

I felt a strange sensation.

Infusing will into it.

A phrase I’ve heard somewhere before.

“Oui.”

When I learned the Dakiaryu Oui from Transylvania.

I definitely received such teachings.

Without any context, technique, or tips, just infuse will into the sword.

Even demons said the same thing.

Infuse will into magic and swing it…

There was no other way to explain it.

I felt a chill run down my spine.

“The method of devilishly handling magic and the righteousness of swordsmanship have something in common?”

It seems that my unconscious grasping of magic like a sword was not just a simple coincidence.

I don’t know why there are similarities between the way magic is handled and swordsmanship, but thanks to that, I gained a clue about the Bell technique.

Just like using the righteousness of the Dakiaryu.

By imbuing the sword with will and shooting that will as a sword strike.

I have a vague confidence that it will work if done in the same way.

“Hey! Hey hey! You’re trying to kill me, aren’t you! That’s swordsmanship right now…”

“Shut your mouth. You’re disturbing my concentration.”

“Ugh! Ughhh…”

Only then did a slightly conducive environment for concentration emerge.

At first, I thought of unleashing the Iron Blood Storm Thrust as it is.

But upon further thought, it doesn’t seem like Bellfegor will come out unscathed after enduring so many thrusts.

“Just once. A big slash.”

What I’m about to unleash is a single massive thrust.

If the Iron Blood Storm Thrust is a technique that finely divides will and spreads out like a net to attack the opponent.

This time, what needs to be unleashed is a single slash containing that will.

“I’ve never done anything like this before…”

It’s the first time, but it doesn’t matter.

If I fail, I can just try again.

After all, this place is like a world where magic is infinite.

Me, a mere weak human, using magic won’t deplete this world of magic.

Feeling at ease with that thought, my tension eased and my mind gradually cleared.

I began to see a path.

How should I contain all my will within this small sword strike?

It’s simple.

If I increase the sword strike, the problem will be solved.

“Dakiaryu righteousness.”

I spread out the sword strike not as a long, thin line, but as a wide surface.

By doing so, the shape of the sword strike that extends out resembles…

“Crescent Moon!”

A dark crescent shape.

The black magic extending from my fingertips took on a sinister form and reached out towards Bellfegor.

Startled, Bellfegor’s eyes widened.

And then, as the magic struck, Bellfegor’s form disappeared.

“Did I defeat him? Oh, no. Did I succeed?”

Dispersing the magic like smoke, I approached.

And there was Bellfegor.

There, Bellfegor…

“You bastard… You said you wouldn’t hurt me… Ugh…”

“Oh.”

His upper body and lower body were separated and sprawled out.

Whoever did it, did it cleanly.

My goodness.

A change was felt throughout the entire world.

There was not a single demon who did not feel the gathering of magic from the earth to one place.

Finally arriving at the scene of the great change, Satan was astonished.

The magic gathered from all directions was in the hands of a male of a certain tribe.

Like holding a sword, he imbued all of his will into each of those huge magics.

Although it was not possible to know exactly, it looked like a huge will at first glance.

How much does he hate Bellfegor to prepare such a blow?

Imagining the repercussions of that blow, Satan trembled.

A firm determination to kill Bellfegor without leaving any remains.

The clearly visible will orderly arranged.

For a moment, time seemed to freeze in place.

“Crescent Moon.”

The murmuring caused a brief silence.

A huge crescent drawn as magic swirled.

It engulfed Bellfegor in an instant.

The magic did not extend further but dispersed into smoke.

There was nothing left except Bellfegor, and no other casualties occurred.

“Is that talent?”

A being familiar with death.

Not a spirit or demon, but a human who learned how to handle magic and reached such a level in just one day.

It seems that being familiar with death was not in vain.

That should be enough.

If it’s that person, it can be done.

The hope that Satan held was gradually turning into certainty.

|······?|

However, in the next moment, Satan’s gaze twisted.

In the dispelled fog of magic.

Within it, Belphagor appeared with her upper body cleanly separated.

Rather than shattering into dust, only the upper body was separated?

If that’s the case, what was the reason for gathering so much magic in the first place?

At the moment when Satan was puzzled.

As Eugene approached Belphagor, she gently touched her face.

In the midst of her upper and lower body being separated, he reached out his hand.

At that moment, an unknown light flashed above his hand.

|······!|

The human and the corpse girl disappeared.

Literally, they disappeared.

Even the separated upper body of Belphagor disappeared without a trace.

All that remained were the huge traces left on the ground by the magic clawing and passing by.

Satan just blinked his eyes.

He was completely bewildered by what had just happened.

The surroundings were completely dark and distant.

But just darkness.

Entering the emptiness, the terrifying sensation of existence being denied was not felt at all.

At least it wasn’t a dimensional gap.

Then where is this place?

The answer could be given immediately.

This is the world inside Belphagor.

“Ugh?!”

“······Eek.”

The moment I realized that.

The ground I thought I was standing on suddenly collapsed and I felt myself being sucked downwards.

Or more accurately.

It felt like countless hands were grabbing my ankles, thighs, shoulders, and chest, pulling me down.

And that metaphor was not wrong at all.

“What is this······!”

A deep and deep abyss.

From the cliffs on both sides of the narrow gap, black hands reach out and cover us.

And then, they drag us down further and further.

Although what is down there cannot be seen.

It seems like I saw two black pupils faintly.

And a mouth twisted in a grotesque smile as if laughing······.

This gave me goosebumps.

‘No magic, no power.’

Completely defenseless in my naked body.

It is impossible to resist the force pulling me down like this.

At that moment, when I thought it might not be a bad idea to be dragged down to see what’s down there.

“Stop.”

With a short command, the undulating black arms withdrew into the wall.

And the eyes that were faintly visible from below were gone.

“Where is this······.”

“It was a mind-blowing timing.”

Appearing from above the cliff was Belphagor.

Gasping for breath, Belphagor was breathing heavily, clutching her chest.

Only then could I breathe a sigh of relief, hanging onto the cliff.

With Mijung on my back.

Climbing up the cliff, I saw Belphagor’s body covered in sweat.

“Did you jump to save me? I didn’t know you would worry about me like that.”

“Worry? What worry! I don’t even know where we are, how am I supposed to get out if you die······!”

“You were thinking of giving orders to those things without even knowing where we are.”

“That’s······. That’s it. Intuition. I just had a feeling that they would stop if I told them to stop.”

It may seem like baseless intuition, but in fact, there is plenty of evidence.

This is Belphagor’s world.

Even if you didn’t know that fact, it was natural to feel a sense of inexplicable comfort and omnipotence.

I felt the same way.

“Is this… the demon realm?”

Looking around, the scenery felt quite familiar.

Black earth, and lava flowing like a sea.

Even the narrow and deep abyss gave me a sense of déjà vu.

This place is clearly a world modeled after the demon realm.

Except for the fact that there is no magic in the air, it is almost identical to the demon realm.

“No way…”

“Then what?”

“This is the place I used to come to every time I had a nightmare, so why…”

Bellfegor looks around in confusion, biting his lip.

A place he used to come to every time he had a nightmare.

Why did such a place become the appearance of the inner world?

Of course, it’s not something that the guy who is the inner world of an empty snowfield should say, but…

“Then what was down there?”

“…”

Bellfegor remains silent with his mouth tightly shut.

I thought he was just reluctant to speak.

But looking again, Bellfegor’s body trembles as if he is afraid, unable to release his lips.

And then, this world also begins to resonate with that trembling.

The resonance grows louder and louder, and suddenly it becomes a huge earthquake that is difficult to stand still.

This is serious.

I never imagined a world so full of threats of death.

“What’s down there?!”

Shouting as if demanding an answer, I grab Bellfegor’s shoulders.

And then, looking into my eyes, Bellfegor, whose trembling gradually subsides.

And the earthquake also fades away as if nothing happened.

At this, Bellfegor faces me.

And he starts to mutter as if possessed.

“Down there… the place I was dragged down to every time I had a nightmare… down there…”

The words that came out of Bellfegor’s mouth were unexpected.

“My father is there…”

And at that moment.

The scenery around us changes.

And Bellfegor’s height begins to decrease.

As if going back to childhood, infinitely pitiful.