episode_0195

The contemplation was sufficient.

There was no more hesitation or reluctance.

I could feel the weight of the Grand Judge’s seat within me getting heavier.

At this rate, my inner world would be filled with the Grand Judge’s seat, making it impossible to even attempt to remove it.

The decision was swift.

|Ah, no…!|

The moment I flicked my finger, my inner world infinitely condensed.

It was undoubtedly a vast and immense world to the point where its end could not be fathomed.

The high sky crumpled, and the vast snowfield crinkled.

Shrinking and shrinking until it condensed into a single point.

|How is such a thing even possible?!|

“How is it possible?”

|How can it be possible?|

“There’s no reason it can’t be.”

Satan seems to be looking at ‘my inner world’ too grandiosely.

The act of condensing and destroying a world is believed to be possible only for beings on the level of a Grand Deity.

But that’s not the case.

“What does my inner world mean? It’s simple. That world is also a part of myself. A significant part, at that.”

It’s like a play on words.

When we refer to ‘my inner world,’ it may sound like ‘me’ and ‘my inner world’ are independent entities.

But they can never be independent.

When a person dies, their inner world also perishes.

When a person wavers, their inner world begins to crumble.

Whether consciously or unconsciously, we are always interacting with our inner world.

That means we can expand it infinitely.

And even condense it infinitely to destroy it.

Of course, it seems that I am the only one who can manipulate my inner world so freely in such a short time.

‘My inner world’ is ultimately a part of me.

And a significant part in terms of identity.

When I was appointed as the Grand Judge and the seat entered my inner world, any doubts turned into certainty.

The moment I erase this world.

What was proving my existence disappears.

And I, too, will be forgotten and perish from the world.

“The Grand Judge’s seat clings to my identity, doesn’t it? So, I will cut my soul, cut my appearance, and cut my existence. Until I am free!”

|But if you do such a thing, everyone will forget about you! Even if you return, no one will remember you or recognize you! Is that truly what you want-|

“Someone will remember.”

|…?!|

Slyly.

As I raise my hand with Mi-jeong and a ringed finger, Satan’s eyes widen.

I am not the only one who makes up ‘me.’

Mi-jeong and I haven’t shared blood, soul, or anything, but.

In the midst of disappearing into the emptiness, we have a record of proving each other’s existence by holding onto each other.

With this guy by my side, I won’t disappear.

My existence will be proven by Mi-jeong until the end.

That’s enough.

As long as I don’t disappear, I can plan for the future as much as I want.

“I always thought I had no talent in my life, but I found many unexpected talents in the Demon Realm and enjoyed them. But now, it seems like it’s time to let go of everything.”

|Wait! Please reconsider! I was wrong!|

“It’s too late to regret now. Even if you regret it, it won’t change anything. And it’s not like you can just take the Grand Judge’s seat away.”

|But still, no matter what I have to do-|

“There’s no time. I can’t leave my women as widows for too long. Our fate seems to end here. Thank you for everything!”

Thud.

As my finger flicks and a loud sound echoes, my condensed inner world explodes and is destroyed.

Including the Grand Judge’s seat within it.

The vast snowfield where the blizzard raged.

Everything that made me up was shattered into pieces.

And my vision went dark.

.

.

.

|Huh······|

A corner of the devastated demon world.

The land of the demon world, which accounted for one-tenth, had suddenly dried up.

In the center, the scorch marks of a massive explosion remained.

However, there was no trace of any injury from the Satan who had collapsed in the center.

|Gone|

Someone had been there.

It was undoubtedly a significant influence.

His presence alone caused a stir throughout the demon world.

Even Satan’s long-prepared plans had to be revised.

But no matter how hard I tried to remember, I couldn’t recall who it was.

It was as if someone had artificially taken away my memories.

Or as if his existence in this world had been erased······.

|Hehe······ Hehehehe!|

With a tap on his forehead, Satan burst into a bizarre laughter.

Although I still couldn’t remember ‘his’ identity, I deduced everything that had happened.

‘He’ was a human, familiar with death.

Unable to display any talent in the mortal realm, he blossomed with talent in the demon world for the first time.

He gained a power comparable to a lord who could command the entire demon world in no time.

His qualifications were fitting, but he gave up the position of judge to prevent himself from leaving the demon world for life······.

The choice he made surpassed Satan’s imagination.

He gave up everything.

Without any regrets or hesitation.

He relinquished a tremendous power close to omnipotence.

He gave up his existence.

He left the demon world by breaking the world within him that he had just learned to control, all for the sake of freedom.

The reason was simple.

So simple that it was absurd.

It was all for the sake of freedom.

|Hahaha! How foolish! How foolish! Freedom is not something someone gives you!|

Part of the demon world had become desolate, plans had failed, and memories had been erased, causing discomfort to be considered normal.

Satan gained a sense of joy as if he had seized the world.

After clinging to his plans for so long.

He realized the foolishness of his beliefs.

The plan to sacrifice the seven archdemons to grant freedom to all demons.

It sounded plausible, but in reality, it was not.

Just as happiness without suffering is not valuable.

Freedom obtained for free is also worthless.

Freedom is something you strive for and earn through your own efforts.

He only realized this after witnessing a human’s desperate struggle.

|I’m sorry, Belpegor······|

His eyes were blind.

What he had been pursuing was not a glorious ideal.

He believed he was making a noble sacrifice by bearing all the sins of the demons.

He almost sacrificed his daughter to plunge the demon world into ruin.

It was fortunate that he was stopped just in time.

Thinking this, Satan looked up at the sky.

The empty sky stretched out before him.

He might be floating foolishly in the emptiness, waiting for his own destruction.

Or he might have successfully returned to the mortal realm.

No. Perhaps he is right next to me right now, looking at me pitifully······.

|Leaving only enlightenment behind. I have not given you anything yet. I may not reach you here, but as the Grand Judge of the Demon World, I offer you my protection, Supreme Judge|

From Satan’s fingertips, black magic slowly crept up.

Like the smoke of a extinguished candle, the magic fluttered and rose into the sky.

In an instant, as if receiving some kind of force, it shot up.

|······!|

However, after that, the magic showed no more strange movements.

Just slowly ascending into the emptiness with nothing.

Whether heading towards the humans beyond the emptiness.

Or just dispersing meaninglessly.

No one knew for sure.

.

.

.

‘I’ was disappearing.

Vision darkening.

Sound being blocked.

Except for the faint touch of Mijung’s hand in mine, everything was fading away, and experiencing it for the second time was still unsettling.

Scared.

Scared of disappearing.

Scared of not keeping my promise to the heroines.

But that’s why.

I must move forward.

In the pitch-black darkness where nothing is visible or felt.

I gripped the sword.

I couldn’t tell if the sword was in my hand or if the magic was gripping it, but that didn’t matter.

“Bend space. The means don’t matter.”

Longinus’ spear, sword, and magic.

Essential tools for cutting through space and opening dimensional rifts, but in reality, not so.

If I know the bell, I no longer need to rely on such tools.

Slowly recalling memories.

Recreating myself tearing through the gap.

I want to move my feet, but there’s no way to confirm if I’m actually moving.

I can’t even tell if space is being bent.

Just have to believe.

Hoping that what I’ve learned wasn’t in vain.

“Got it!”

And finally, the feeling of success came.

The sensation of success spread through my hands, and a tingling sensation ran through the entire spirit.

I quickly jumped inward, grabbing one hand at a time.

In that moment, my vision cleared.

A bright light poured in.

But it was an illusion.

It wasn’t really a bright light.

Just the illusion of brightness from coming from a world where light exists to a world where it doesn’t.

As my eyes adjusted, I saw a dark and black space.

And I felt like I hadn’t been here before.

“Cough…”

Thud!

A sensation of something heavy settling inside me, blood spewing out.

I quickly covered the eyes and ears of the two people next to me, and faced upwards alone.

Darkness.

Endless pitch-black darkness.

The god of the underworld, the king of death, with a body tainted by spirits, looked down at us, enveloping us.

|In the end, as I said, I see you again in the underworld.|

“Greetings, god of the underworld…”

|No need for formalities. We’re on the same level, aren’t we?|

“…”

Although it was a cold, emotionless voice.

For some reason, I felt a hint of anger in the god of the underworld’s language.

‘Damn. Why did you have to get caught.’

I was planning to erase my existence and escape the underworld’s gaze to return to the mortal world…

Things went wrong.

Very, very wrong.