episode_0268

I was ultimately expelled from the academy. Stripped of my grounds to stay in the capital, what awaited me was a return to the mansion. Once I arrived at the mansion, I would probably be confined, never to meet anyone again. That is, assuming I even arrived at the mansion.

*That’s not going to happen.*

Unless something unexpected happened, I would be kidnapped by the Dark Cult on my way to the mansion. I had already made all the necessary preparations, so there wouldn’t be a problem, but still, thinking about breaking into their lair made me nervous.

“Ruan. You must be safe.”

“If you get hurt, I won’t let you off the hook. Got it? You idiot?”

“Yeah. See you then.”

I exchanged greetings with Deborah and Alisa, then boarded the carriage. Other academy students criticized them, asking why they still loved that rapist, but their attitude showed no change. It was natural, as they already knew the inside story of this incident.

Soon, the carriage left the capital.

*I wonder when I’ll be kidnapped.*

The information I had about the kidnapping incident was nothing but extremely limited. I didn’t know when, where, or by whom I would be kidnapped. I just hoped it wasn’t too late.

*Boring as hell.*

Normally, I was busy chasing after women all day, to the point where being alone like this felt awkward. In an era without computers or smartphones, this solitude was agonizing.

“Still, once this is over, I won’t have anything to worry about for a while…”

I just needed to enjoy my happy harem life until June. A few more days passed in boredom, and finally, the moment I had been waiting for arrived.

“Aaaaargh!”

Crash!

The carriage, which had been running smoothly, tilted precariously with the coachman’s scream and then overturned. With a powerful impact, numerous presences appeared. Looking out the window, figures wearing deep black robes and escort knights were confronting each other.

“Who are you bastards!”

“Young Master Ruan Friuli is riding in here!”

“Are you daring to provoke the Marquisate!”

The escort knights revealed my identity and pressured the attackers, but unfortunately, there was no such thing as them backing down. Instead, as the one at the forefront gestured with his chin, they all rushed in and poured out attacks. Instantly, a storm of magic power swept through, ravaging the escort knights. I leisurely watched the scene.

*As expected, they’re easily defeated.*

In truth, there were no truly good people among my current companions. All of them were individuals who had committed crimes, big and small, hired for today. Even if it was to strike a blow against the Dark Cult, I couldn’t bring harm to innocent people, could I? Fortunately, the Dark Cult members seemed not to have noticed, calmly dispatching the escort knights and approaching the carriage.

Only then did I stumble to my feet, as if coming to my senses, and escaped the carriage.

“Who are you bastards! Don’t you know who I am?”

“Ruan Friuli. Indeed.”

“Are you doing this knowing who I am? Aren’t you afraid of the Marquis’s wrath!”

“Subdue him. Take him away.”

“Can’t this bastard hear me!”

The one who appeared to be the leader thoroughly ignored my words and turned his back. At the same time, cultists standing on either side approached and subdued me. I resisted to a degree befitting my prowess, but each of these guys exceeded level 200, so I couldn’t last very long. Ultimately, along with a dull pain in my neck, I lost consciousness.

*Now, it begins.*

*

On a gloomy morning, Isis, who was heading to the student council room as usual, received a visit from Leona.

“W-what? Ruan… what happened to him?”

“He’s gone missing! I sent out agents to check, and it seems like the Dark Cult’s doing.”

“Dark… Cult.”

It was too unrealistic. Out of nowhere, Ruan tried to rape his friend, then got expelled, and now he’s been kidnapped by the Dark Cult? How could she easily accept this? Sometime ago, her life started going in a strange direction. The beginning was probably the volcanic island trip. Ever since she was caught spying on Ruan’s intimate moments, and finally learned his true identity, strangely, only bad situations have continued. It had been so long she couldn’t even remember when she last smiled.

As Isis was lost in thought, blankly, Leona grabbed her arms and shook her.

“Are you listening? We need to form a pursuit team right now. Do you want to participate?”

“…A pursuit team?”

“Yes! We have to save him, don’t we! Even if Ruan committed a crime, we can’t let him be sacrificed to the Dark Cult. It’s strange that they killed all his companions but only took Ruan!”

“That’s true…”

“So what are you going to do! Are you in? Or out?”

“I…”

Isis fell into contemplation.

*What should I do?*

If she thought about it calmly, he was just a disgusting criminal, a possessor who arbitrarily stole her brother’s body, so she should ignore him. But strangely, ignoring him made a corner of her heart uneasy. A voice from deep within her echoed, saying she had to save him. What could be the reason?

*Because… I still love him.*

The answer came immediately. However, it was also a reason that reason could not possibly accept. He wasn’t her brother, not a good person, and a man who lusts after women—she didn’t understand what was so good about such a person. Normally, wouldn’t she have lost feelings for him long ago?

*Perhaps I’ve gone mad?*

Perhaps so. Come to think of it, from the beginning, she was the one with incestuous desires for her brother. Even if she had transformed from that into a crazy woman who loved her brother’s enemy and a rapist, it wouldn’t be so strange.

*Yes. That’s it.*

A silly laugh escaped her involuntarily.

“Ah, ahahaha!”

When she admitted that she had gone mad, her chest, which had felt heavy as if a stone was placed on it, lightened. Brother or anything else, none of it matters. If she could only keep her beloved Ruan by her side, it would be fine. Nothing else matters. Isis, having reached an irresponsible conclusion, said to Leona, who was looking at her with strange eyes.

“I’ll join the pursuit team. Hurry. We need to save Ruan.”

“You… alright?”

“Yes. I’m perfectly fine. So let’s go quickly.”

“O-okay.”

At her urging, Leona took the lead. Isis followed behind, a cold glint in her eyes.

*How dare they kidnap Ruan?*

I’ll kill them all.

*

A faint sound.

My consciousness awoke to a small sound. The first thing I felt was a suffocating tightness binding my entire body and a magic power so dense it sent shivers down my spine. What my eyes saw as I slowly opened them was a sealed room without a single window, and a familiar face standing in its center.

“You were alive, as expected!”

“You’ve opened your eyes, Hyun.”

It was Ethan Gloucester. Half of his body was grotesquely twisted. When he smiled, his face writhed as if he were a demon risen from hell. An alarm bell rang in my head.

*I have to escape.*

Originally, I had planned to calmly assess the situation and then annihilate the Dark Cult with the pursuit team that would join me, but the situation had changed. The fact that Ethan Gloucester was involved meant it was proof that he had also prepared for it. The problem was that the energy binding my entire body was so powerful and high-dimensional that it couldn’t be shaken off by ordinary means.

*Incarnation!*

I immediately tried to open the Taegeuk in my middle dantian, but the energy firmly blocked even that. This was the authority of Nephelina, the Goddess of Darkness. Confirming that my trump card skill was sealed, I made a quick decision.

“I’ll rape you!”

I don’t want to become gay, but it’s better than dying like this. I’ll break this with force!

However, the final move I used with my blood boiling yielded no effect.

“What? Why… I’ll, I’ll rape you! I’m going to rape you, damn it!”

As I, flustered, repeatedly shouted my declaration of rape, Ethan burst out laughing.

“Puhahaha! Are you done?”

“You… what did you do?”

“Hmm… I can’t hear what you’re saying? But I generally know what you want to ask. What did I do? Simple. I merely blocked your voice. Of course, I completely distorted the surrounding space so I couldn’t even understand your lip movements. Nothing you do will work.”

“Damn it!”

He had made very thorough preparations. It seems getting attacked last time was quite shocking for him too. If this is the case, there’s no way to escape.

*I have to hold out until the pursuit team arrives.*

I wondered if he might try to kill me immediately, but somehow, I had a feeling that Ethan wouldn’t do that. Instead, I had a bad feeling in another sense.

*This gay bastard won’t do anything weird, right?*

I really don’t want to have sex with a man, but even if I did, I’d prefer to be the one doing the penetrating, never the one being penetrated. As I tightened my sphincter, Ethan took out a gem from his bosom, one like obsidian. An immense amount of magic power billowed from the gem, so vast it was meaningless to try and gauge it.

“A Demonic Spirit! This madman!”

I realized his objective. As if enjoying my surprise, he chuckled and slowly approached.

“Do you understand now? Yes. I’m going to implant a Demonic Spirit into your body. It’s fate unfolding as it should. Today, you will be reborn as an Apostle!”

“You bastard! Get it away! Aren’t you going to get it away?!”

“It’s useless. You can’t do anything.”

Ethan ignored my struggles and brought the Demonic Spirit to my chest. It was at that moment.

Thump!

With a powerful throb, the Taegeuk in my middle dantian opened on its own and swallowed the Demonic Spirit whole. The released flames of destruction and flames of purity clashed with the Demonic Spirit, causing a massive repulsion. In return, immense pain erupted.

“Aaaaaaaargh!”

The pain felt like it was tearing not just my body, but my very soul, into shreds, and I couldn’t hold back my scream. Even against the assault of the two flames, the Demonic Spirit, based on its tenacious vitality, took root deep within my body and mind. As a result, an evil ego was born.

*-What a magnificent body. Hahahaha!*

It invaded and took over my mental world with an irresistible force.

“Get out!”

I resisted with all my might, but my meager mental strength couldn’t escape the domination of a Demonic Spirit, which was a condensation of tens of thousands of years of magic power. Darkness spread from the edges of my vision. I realized that I didn’t have much time left. Various relationships flashed before my eyes. Though the order differed, all of them were precious people to me. What would they say if they saw me, dominated by a Demonic Spirit? How sad would they be? And how would I… try to kill them? I was filled with worry, but unfortunately, I didn’t have much time left. I closed my eyes.

*Everyone, I’m sorry.*

With those last words, my mind was completely enveloped in darkness.

*

“That’s the place!”

Finally, they found the Dark Cult’s stronghold. Just as everyone was running towards the entrance, a massive oppressive aura descended from the sky. When they raised their heads, they saw a person and a sword. The terrifying magic power emanating from both of them made it impossible to let down their guard.

[Ye dead, rise!]

Rumble!

With the man’s command, thousands of undead legions rose from the ground.

“Hersculer!”

Cain, who was the first to recognize his identity, roared, spewing murderous intent. His entire body’s muscles swelled as he completed his battle preparations. And just as everyone’s attention focused on Hersculer, the sword moved.

[Kyakyakyakyak! Fight me too!]

Whoosh!

The Demonic Sword Calisto. The monster, tens of thousands of years old, plunged down with a speed too fast for the eye to follow. The magic power concentrated in that single strike was powerful enough to lay waste to everything within a 10km radius.

“That won’t happen!”

From there, Roxana stepped forward. She unleashed vast mana from her entire body, creating a massive domain in the area.

Boom! Crash!

Immediately after, Calisto collided with the magic circle. Roxana’s magic overlaid an illusion onto reality, sending all of Calisto’s power into a realm of nothingness that existed yet didn’t exist. The enormous magic power destroyed the false world and vanished. Seeing that, Cain said to Roxana.

“Roxana-nim. I will take on Hersculer. Is that alright?”

In terms of compatibility, it would actually be much better for Cain to take on Calisto. But he couldn’t pass off his lover’s revenge to someone else. Because this was his lifelong goal. Roxana knew this, so she didn’t bother pointing it out.

“I don’t mind. But please go with Vice-Dean Leona. You’ll have a hard time alone.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

Cain, after expressing his gratitude, immediately injected intangible energy into his heart, forcibly boosting his physical abilities, and charged at Hersculer. Leona looked at the Dark Cult’s stronghold with lingering eyes, then followed behind him. Roxana looked at her disciple.

“We’ll handle this here, so you all go in.”

“Yes, Teacher-nim. Please!”

Deborah, feeling a pang of guilt at her teacher’s consideration, headed towards the Dark Cult’s stronghold. Afterward, at the same time the entire pursuit team entered the stronghold, Calisto, which had been circling in the air, flew back and began targeting Roxana.

Boom! Boom! Crash!

An earth-shattering battle raged through the surroundings.