episode_0351

Chapter 351 – Betrayal

The light faded, and looking forward, I found an empty space. The heart was gone. Only Ursilla, standing before it, remained as before.

But even she was not the same. The aura emanating from her. That boundless power, which couldn’t possibly reside in a single living being, made it impossible to think of her as Ursilla. It had certainly surpassed the power of Level 400. Perhaps she had reached Level 500 or was on the verge of it.

‘What happened?’ I simply couldn’t accept the reality. That Ursilla had betrayed me was one thing, but what bothered me most was the way she had addressed me just now. Hyun. My account nickname, created by taking a single character from my name on Earth. In this world, it had become somewhat known due to Alisa, but only two people directly called me that. One of them was here, so it wasn’t them, which meant it had to be the other person….

‘Ursilla was Ethan Gloucester?’ Was I supposed to believe this? No, even if I could believe it, I desperately wished it wasn’t true. It wasn’t something to think about in this situation, but I couldn’t accept that I had whispered love, kissed, and had sex with a guy. I’d become gay without even realizing it!

“Damn it…” As I unconsciously spat out the expletive, Ursilla turned towards me. Only then did I truly face her transformation. Her already black hair was now so dark that not a single speck of light could penetrate it—no, it was as black as pitch, as if devouring light, and her red eyes overflowed with a sinister demonic aura. Ursilla’s demonic eyes took me in, and she smiled faintly.

“Hyun. Are you very surprised?” “…Ursilla. You… it’s not you, is it? Please tell me it’s not.”

“What?” Even though my mind had already accepted it, I couldn’t abandon my last shred of hope. Her innocent face, tilting her head as if she knew nothing, clung stubbornly, preventing me from letting go of my lingering attachment.

“That you…” “That I’m Ethan Gloucester?” But reality was cruel. The answer, given before I could even finish my question, struck me with immense shock.

‘Damn it…’ Ursilla was Ethan Gloucester. That guy, who had vanished after half his body was distorted, had become a woman and deliberately approached me. And I, unaware, had been happy, thinking a beautiful woman had fallen into my lap for free.

‘You idiot!’ No, should I say, ‘Stupid gay bastard’ now? Some might say that it’s fine since she’s a woman now, but I simply couldn’t accept that fact. As I was engulfed in immense despair and self-loathing, Ursilla uttered seductive words to me.

“You don’t have to be so disappointed.” “What?” “Because I was originally a woman. So you haven’t exactly become gay.” “Th-that’s…”

It was perplexing, yet reassuring. ‘If she was a woman, then isn’t it fine?’ In that case, I wouldn’t have to bear the stigma of being gay! Furthermore, when he was a man, he didn’t go around seducing various women; he was a guy who was devoted only to me, so there was nothing really to blame him for. The only remaining flaw was that he was an apostle of the Dark Cult.

It was then that I bit my lip tightly. [Don’t get distracted!!] Calisto, who had paused his assault for a moment, flew in, radiating killing intent. Its power was enough to crumble mountains and then some.

“Oh no!” I tried to react belatedly, but Ursilla’s intervention was even swifter. “Stop.” Rip! With a quiet declaration, the space in front of us split open and swallowed Calisto whole. He reappeared far away from me, making a mess of the surrounding area.

Calisto looked at Ursilla. [Are you interfering with me right now?] “You’re the one interfering. And now, she’s a woman. Watch your words.” [Insolent fool. Do you think you’re something just because you gained some beast’s power?!] Boom!

Calisto, seemingly displeased with Ursilla’s audacious attitude, unleashed his fury and charged again. Space distorted along his trajectory. Just seeing that sight, I could tell it wouldn’t be easily dismissed like before. Of course, Ursilla remained unconcerned.

“So, words won’t work, after all?” She murmured coldly, then projected an immense amount of demonic energy behind her. Rip! Space split open, and from within, a massive demon beast arm emerged. I immediately recognized its identity.

‘Levios!’ That creature, renowned by the title ‘Immortal Demon Beast’ and simultaneously the final boss of the Abel Chronicles, had appeared, albeit only an arm. The arm slammed down directly onto Calisto, who was charging. CRASH! For a moment, a shock like the world turning upside down erupted. Its power was so immense that even the Illusion Barrier was twisted. Calisto, having taken a direct hit, couldn’t possibly be unharmed.

[You… bastard!] His gelatinous body had disintegrated into microscopic particles, invisible to the eye, and his sword, too, was covered in fine cracks, as if it would shatter at any moment. Although its durability had already decreased after losing half its blade, this was still a shocking sight.

“You should have just known your place. A mere tool.” Ursilla treated Calisto as an utter subordinate. It was truly arrogant, but she had the right to be so now. After gazing at Calisto for a moment, she broke the demonic sword without hesitation and turned back to me.

“Took a while, didn’t it? Shall we resume our conversation?” On her beautiful face, a blooming smile appeared, as if nothing had happened. That made it even more chilling.

“You… what is that power? How are you summoning Levios?” “This? It’s all thanks to Roxana and the Yellow Archmage. I used the magic that sealed Levios’s ego. Of course, Nephelina’s authority was also effective.” So, Ursilla had perfectly absorbed Levios’s power, excluding only its ego from its heart. Could it be that this is why she had learned illusion magic from Roxana for a while?

“Did you deliberately approach me because of that?” “Half true.” “Half?” “Yes. Half was to regain my body. The other half…” Ursilla’s eyes swept around. Where her gaze lingered for even a moment, other lovers were present. Each time her brightly glowing red eyes brushed past them, the lovers trembled slightly as if feeling a chill.

“Because I didn’t want to lose you to other women.” “…That’s all?” “‘That’s all?’ Do you know how sad I was? I met you again, but I was unfortunately reincarnated as Ethan Gloucester, so I couldn’t get close to you. I tried to isolate you and keep you by my side somehow, but as you know, it failed. But it’s okay. I’ll do it properly from now on.” Rip! The moment she finished speaking, tens of thousands of spatial rifts opened all around, and tiny tentacles extended from within. Their overwhelming number and volume left no discernible escape route. It meant I had to face them head-on. However, among the lovers, only a limited number could physically fend them off.

“Damn it!” Cursing, I immediately drew upon the Primordial Flame and swept it around. A colossal firestorm incinerated not only the tentacles but also space itself, nullifying the attack. However, the energy consumption was equally intense. Ursilla, already aware of this fact, calmly dispelled the firestorm and tilted her head.

“Hyun. Are you sure you want to do that? You’ll collapse soon.” “…Isn’t that what you wanted?” “Yes. That’s right. I’m just giving you a heads-up. Please don’t overexert yourself. It would break my heart, too.”

Rip! The sky opened. Within this barrier, the sky wasn’t visible, but anyway, a massive spatial rift appeared in the ceiling, and darkness poured out from within. That darkness pressed down on my entire body, fanning fear, anxiety, and dread. RIIIIIP! Subsequently, even more tentacles than before shot out and attacked. There was no longer any room for complacency.

-Deborah. I’ll rape you! -Yes! Don’t worry too much about us and face Ursilla! Having regained my Authority, I thrust my fist forward. Ruan-ryu. Secret Technique. Extreme Quake, Heaven Shattering Star.

CRACKLE! With a strike infused with overwhelming power, a hole was torn through the forest of tentacles. The tentacles tried to fill the hole with overwhelming regenerative power, but the Authority and the Primordial Flame suppressed their regeneration and exacerbated the wounds. They completely summoned new tentacles to repair the hole, but their speed was quite slow. I passed through the hole and stood before Ursilla.

“Ursilla. Does it have to be this way?” “Hyun. I am an apostle of the Dark Cult. Do you think the Church of Light would leave me be?” “…I don’t know about that. But I can promise you one thing. If you wish to be with me, I will achieve that no matter what. I won’t back down, no matter who interferes.” Even if the entire world became my enemy, I would protect what is precious. As if she had properly received my resolve, Ursilla’s eyes widened, then she smiled faintly.

“Oh really? How delightful.” However, contrary to her words, there was not the slightest waver in her eyes. Ursilla had already made up her mind.

“You won’t comply willingly, after all? Then I’ll make you obey by force.” “Heh heh! Oh really? Same here. I’ll become one with you right in front of those women.” “That won’t do. I can’t let you show your body to other men!!”

Whoosh! I photon-leapfrogged through space. Even if Ursilla could directly interfere with space, reacting in such a fleeting moment was impossible. As long as she was a lifeform composed of matter, keeping up with the speed of light was impossible. Unfortunately, the same applied to me, so the brief pause after movement gave my opponent time to react.

CRASH! My fist was blocked by a spatial wall. The Authority and Primordial Flame incinerated and destroyed even space itself, but the wall composed of boundless demonic energy gave Ursilla room to retreat. And once an attack missed, what followed was Ursilla’s counterattack.

CRASHING! As I retreated via photon-leap, Levios’s arm fell onto the spot where I had been. If I got crushed there, I wasn’t sure even I would be safe. Because I hadn’t yet tested if perfect regeneration of the brain was possible.

Thereafter, our battle continued indecisively. Because our objective was thorough suppression, the fact that we were almost antithetical to each other ironically resulted in a mutual suppression of power. Even allowing a single attack would be fatal. It would cause irreversible damage, so we had no choice but to be passive towards each other.

‘If it’s like this, why are we fighting?’ If only Ursilla would abandon her pointless stubbornness, we could combine our strength and achieve something. Even as I thought so, I couldn’t utter a single word. Because if the situation were reversed, I might have done something even worse than Ursilla.

It was then, as my mind filled with distracting thoughts. CRASH! With a shock, the tentacle wall that had enveloped Ursilla and me collapsed, and from beyond it, Isis’s spear flew in.

Thud! [For you!] With a bright cry, the spear, embedded in the ground, unfurled a splendid silver banner. Simultaneously, all my stats noticeably increased. This was a unique skill Isis had acquired upon reaching Level 300, a devotion meant not for everyone, but for one person alone. I clutched my fist, steeling my weakening resolve at her encouragement.

“Ursilla. I will definitely knock you down!”