episode_0350

Objectively, it was a short period, but for me, one second felt like an hour. And at the end of that enduring wait, the Dark Cult finally appeared in the deepest part.

At the forefront was a strangely dressed man bearing a coffin. His aura alone suggested a level over 300. Judging by the level of his mastery, that man was likely the leader of this raid.

However, such things didn’t matter to me. Only one thing was important. Looking beyond him, I saw Ursilla being dragged along feebly. Her cheeks were swollen red, as if she had been hit while resisting.

‘Those bastards. I’ll kill them all.’

The rage I had barely suppressed flared up fiercely in my chest once more. Even though I knew that revealing my killing intent rashly might make me lose the opportunity, I found it difficult to endure.

Meanwhile, the Dark Cult stopped.

“Ohh… so this is it… incredible.” The Coffin Bearer gazed up at Leviathus’s Heart, exhaling a sigh of admiration. It seemed he didn’t even care about the Dean standing right in front of him.

‘What kind of confidence is that?’ No matter how many there were, it would be difficult to withstand a Level 400 Dean, so I didn’t know why he was so relaxed. Did he perhaps have a hidden trump card?

‘That coffin is suspicious.’ Judging by the sword at his waist, his overall physique, and his aura, he seemed to be a swordsman, but I couldn’t understand why he carried such a coffin. Even when I extended my senses, I couldn’t detect anything inside, and its volume and shape were different from a spare sword.

Just then, the Dean took a step forward. Thump! With a loud boom, immense pressure began to press down in all directions, centered around him.

The Coffin Bearer’s gaze turned towards the Dean. “Since you’ve come all this way, I presume I don’t need to ask your purpose?” It was a calm voice, but his words carried an undeniable weight.

The joy vanished from the Coffin Bearer’s face. “Everyone, form up.” At his brief command, the Dark Cult members moved in perfect coordination. And in an instant, they surrounded the Dean, emitting demonic energy from their entire bodies.

The demonic energy, rising like smoke, resonated with the demonic energy emitted by other cult members, then greatly expanded and settled all around. That alone boosted their fighting power by more than double. Even for the Dean, it was a level that could not be ignored.

At that moment of suffocating standoff. -Now! Roxana’s signal fell. Having endured a difficult period of patience, I immediately activated Super Flame Transformation.

Whoosh! Becoming a meteor of scorching flames, I engulfed the entire area.

*

Screams echoed from within the scorching flames. Skadia watched Ruan, who was tearing through the Dark Cult members inside, and smiled bitterly.

‘He’s desperate.’ His face was obscured by the scorching flames, but his frantic movements alone revealed how earnest he was.

‘Would I have done the same?’ If she, not Ursilla, had been taken hostage, would he have been so enraged, anxious, and desperate to save her? Skadia wasn’t confident. Because the difference between him as Ruan and him as Eunrang was too vast.

Unable to know which was his true self, she couldn’t be certain of anything. No, to be honest, it was highly likely that he wouldn’t. To Ruan, she was a traitor who had stabbed him in the back multiple times, and merely a disposable toy.

It was so sad, but all of this was simply the price for what she had done. While Skadia was mulling over her regrets, Ruan finally succeeded in rescuing Ursilla.

Watching him rush out of the scorching flames with Ursilla in his arms, Skadia belatedly came to her senses and activated her magic.

Crackle! A gigantic ice bud bloomed, blocking the path of those pursuing Ruan from behind.

“Explode.” Boom! Crash! Immediately after, as she clenched her fist, the bud exploded in an instant, scattering thousands of ice shards in all directions.

“Aargh!” “My, my arm!!” The ice shards mercilessly tore through flesh, freezing all the blood flowing in their veins.

Formidable cold that could freeze an entire body with a mere graze. Upon reaching the 7th rank, her magical power had become colder than a thousand-year-old ice crystal. But even while fighting enemies, Skadia’s eyes instinctively followed Ruan.

“Ursilla. Are you okay?” “Yes, Senior. Thank you for coming to save me.” “Of course I would. I’m glad you’re safe.” “Senior… I love you.” “I love you too.”

Even amidst the chaos of blood and screams, the two did not hide their affection for each other. If this hadn’t been a battlefield, they might have even kissed right then. Skadia felt a strong sense of deprivation.

‘I’m jealous.’ She had known Ruan for nearly two years, yet Ursilla, who had known him for only two months, was already receiving so much love from Ruan. Love she could never receive.

She wished she could swap bodies with Ursilla. She, who had never envied or been jealous of others in her life, had been indulging in such fantasies every day since falling in love with Ruan.

Even knowing it was impossible, she simply couldn’t stop fantasizing. Because she knew it couldn’t be undone. If there were such a way, she would have wanted to do it, no matter the cost.

Just then, as if sensing Skadia’s persistent gaze, Ruan looked at her. “Skadia. Do you have something to say?” A small smile played on his lips.

It indicated goodwill, but Skadia noticed that Ruan’s face had stiffened for a brief moment. It meant he didn’t welcome her gaze. Ruan disliked her so much that it instantly erased the happiness and relief he felt from rescuing Ursilla.

It hurt so much that she felt like tears would uncontrollably well up. Skadia suppressed her emotions with all her might.

“…No, I was just checking your physical condition. You said you couldn’t use that power for long.” “You remember that well.” “It’s important. Of course, I’d remember.”

“…Is that so? Thank you.” Ruan’s eyes, as he said “thank you,” were deeply sunken. They showed no emotion whatsoever. That realization, that she held no meaning for Ruan, cut her to the bone, making her feel as if her heart was being ripped to shreds.

The corners of her mouth trembled. Skadia quickly turned her back before she failed to maintain her expression.

“…I’ll go help the others.” “Okay. Please take care of everyone.” Even at this moment, he worried about his other lovers. Savoring an unknown number of despairs at the fact that she could not belong among them, Skadia left Ruan’s side.

*

Watching Skadia walk away, I found myself frowning. ‘I feel terrible.’ It wasn’t simply that I disliked Skadia.

Rather, it was because her last expression before turning away bothered me. To be honest, I felt sorry for Skadia. Living as someone’s sex slave is usually unimaginable. In such a situation, even if it was a lie, the goodwill I showed her must have been like a ray of salvation.

That’s why this indifference was even more painful for her now. However, even as I understood her sense of alienation, I tried my best to ignore it. Because all of this was something I had caused.

More than anything, although her attitude towards me had changed recently, I wasn’t foolish enough to pity a woman who had betrayed me twice. If someone betrays you once, they can betray you twice, and if they betray you twice, there can be a third time. I didn’t want to experience being betrayed again by foolishly trusting Skadia out of misplaced pity.

Right now, I had too many others to worry about, besides her.

Boom! Just then, a massive shockwave erupted from that side. Looking over, I saw the Coffin Bearer kneeling on one knee.

He seemed to have suffered a defeat in his fight with the Dean, spitting out thick blood. “…As expected, it’s too much.” Surprisingly, the Coffin Bearer was quick to accept it.

Acknowledging the gap between him and the Dean, he tried to unseal the coffin he was carrying. “Not so fast!!” That is, if the Dean hadn’t quickly intervened.

He too must have been wary of the coffin, as he charged forward with lightning-like speed, unbefitting his massive build, and slammed his greatsword down. If the Coffin Bearer had stayed still, his head would have been split in half.

The Coffin Bearer’s response was beyond imagination. Swish! He grabbed the coffin, threw it into the greatsword’s trajectory, and fled.

The ensuing result was inevitable. Boom! Crash! The coffin, struck by the greatsword, shattered into countless fragments, scattering in all directions.

Whatever was inside, it seemed unlikely to be unharmed after taking a direct hit from such a powerful attack. However, my prediction was wrong once again. As the dust settled, the first thing that caught my eye was a bizarre figure whose entire body was made of slime.

In its hand was a familiar sword. “Calisto!” The entity whose sword blade had half-vanished due to Super Flame Transformation was now the weapon of an unknown slime-human.

As if it had heard my shout, the slime-human turned its head towards me. Even without discernible features, it felt as though our eyes had met.

[Ruan Friuli.] It was a voice as unpleasant as scratching a chalkboard, and utterly eerie. I vaguely realized.

“Are you really Calisto?” [I will not forgive you. I will surely kill you!!] Screech!

With a roar, the hateful sword cry echoed, and Calisto rushed forward in the blink of an eye. The Dean swung his greatsword to stop it, but the entity simply endured the attack and charged straight at me. Its split, slimy body instantly restored itself.

“Damn it!” Realizing that battle was unavoidable, I hastily pushed Ursilla to the side. Boom!

Immediately after, a terrible impact occurred. Despite losing half its sword blade, its power showed no signs of waning. Rather, it unleashed a force far greater than usual, as if burning its last flame.

Crackle! Unable to withstand its power, I was pushed back dozens of meters, leaving a long furrow in the ground. Although I hadn’t used “Declaration of Rape,” if I, with strength far surpassing my realm, couldn’t handle it, then most would have had their hearts pierced by this single blow.

I absolutely couldn’t let it run wild. Of course, the opponent didn’t seem to have any intention of letting me go either.

[Die! Die! Die!!] The entity, always so composed, had completely gone mad after nearly being annihilated once. With its attacks entirely focused on me, neglecting its own safety, I was left to frantically fend them off.

‘Is there no weakness?’ I didn’t think that slimy body was invincible. There must be some way, but I couldn’t guess what it was.

I withstood Calisto’s onslaught, occasionally countering to gauge its condition. And it wasn’t long before I noticed a very important fact.

‘It’s gotten a little weaker.’ It was very subtle, but I could feel its sword power decreasing compared to the beginning. Was it just my imagination?

‘No, it’s not my imagination.’ Calisto was weakening in real time. It seemed it hadn’t fully recovered from the damage it sustained last time.

‘I just need to hold out like this.’ Then its strength would naturally wane, and the time for a reversal would come. Relieved, I quickly glanced over to check on Ursilla.

Although I had pushed her away to keep her out of the attack’s range, I was worried she might have been hurt. And then, I discovered a strange sight.

‘Huh? Why is she there….’ Ursilla was somehow standing right in front of Leviathus’s Heart. Then, as if sensing my gaze, she looked at me.

Unlike usual, she wore a cold, yet crazed smile as she reached out her hand towards Leviathus’s Heart and her lips moved. -I love you, Hyun.

Afterward, Ursilla’s hand touched the heart. Thump! With a colossal thumping sound, a jet-black flash of light swallowed my vision.