The Taste of Emotion (2)

Bee- A ringing sound echoed. A deafening roar shook my head.

Copy Ego bit her lip, overwhelmed by the rampaging Mana that shook heaven and earth. It was truly a ridiculously powerful force. Compared to other Demons, yeah. She was strong. The output itself was different.

Daring to assess her with Yujin’s memories, if Gaolise and Parsih were skilled in ‘orthodox’ combat, Artania was closer to the realm of ‘uncontrollable.’

“Parsih! You’re going to have to explain to me what the hell is going on! Every single detail!”

I lowered my stance, bracing myself with my heels. Just shouting alone pushed me back. And this was with a Mana barrier around me. I expected it, but I might have to get a little tense.

I checked my remaining Mana. It was enough to fight, but a few big attacks would quickly deplete it.

So, I couldn’t just overwhelm her with sheer power.

This was unfortunate news for Copy Ego, who had nothing to fear except the death of the original body.

That was also why I didn’t counter Parsih’s attacks and focused solely on defense. I couldn’t waste my energy on some small fry.

Though, him unleashing his ultimate move and passing out was unexpected…

For the record, that ashen Demon was sweating profusely next to Artania, defending himself.

“And! I told you! Never to use that shitty technique again!”

“Th, that’s… It’s not my fault… No. It isn’t!”

“You should have just called me! Why do you keep rushing in knowing your body will break down!”

“…I thought I should at least put up a final struggle. After all, I’m the chef, and you’re the guest.”

“Eeeek! That’s not what I’m talking about! And… and!”

She darted her eyes around. Her black eyes, blazing like magma in a volcano, sharply pierced towards Yujin.

Her black eyes held a mountain of rage. And within that rage, there was a small spoonful of resentment, like a spoonful of sugar.

Resentment towards whom? There was no time to wonder. Whatever their relationship, one thing was clear…

“Die, you bitch!”

That all that anger was pouring out towards me.

-Kwaaaang!

Giant stone walls sprang up from all sides. There were no blind spots. An attack impossible to escape. An attack that strongly conveyed her intent to kill.

Copy Ego clicked her tongue at the relentless onslaught from the start. So, that’s how she wanted to play it. I had no intention of just taking it.

Just before a huge boulder slammed down on my head, I checked the ‘seam’ of the Mana that formed the stone wall.

Artania’s attack, launched on the spur of the moment, was full of flaws.

What I had to do now was inject my Mana into the cracked seams and force them open.

‘Twist.’

Mana dwells in all things; this is an eternal truth and an undeniable part of life.

However, there are those who can twist it, those who have reached the realm of transcendence. The body of a Transcender Archmage is a strategic weapon in itself.

Although I couldn’t enjoy the near-infinite Mana of my original body, since I was borrowing this one, I hadn’t forgotten how to handle a body. I could easily block such a crude attack.

-Crack, crackle!

Pang! The surrounding walls shattered into dust.

Copy Ego felt the fine sand tickle her head and brushed off the dust. Artania stared at the stone wall that had turned to dust, her mouth agape, and snapped out of it when a piece of stone flew and scratched her cheek.

“…What are you?”

As always, the expression of a Demon filled with bewilderment was a sight to behold.

Indeed, Demons were pure when it came to expressing emotions. Copy Ego steadily checked her remaining Mana and replied.

“Archmage, the pinnacle of magic, a Transcender, etc. Call me whatever you want.”

“…”

“Ah, some call me a Witch, but I don’t agree. I haven’t exactly done anything evil.”

Bullshit. Utter bullshit. It was not only bullshit, but also a raving madness. A Transcender wasn’t some dog’s name, and even if it were true, what reason would she have to come to a Demon’s den? What was this, some Dragon’s game?

…Dragon?

“Are you a Dragon?”

“Please. Don’t compare me to those lizard bastards.”

The Dragon that rivaled Yujin was only the ancient Dragon in history that had already died.

I heard it was five thousand years old. Anyway, the Dragons that followed were all lacking somewhere.

Either they mastered only one attribute, or they stopped training due to arrogance.

Of course, that didn’t mean they could be ignored.

In this world, the only beings who treated Dragons like lizards were other Dragons looking at Dragons.

“Parsih… Explain.”

“I don’t know either!”

“Shibaal! You useless bastard!”

Parsih was so surprised that he even blurted out the Imp dialect that Artania hated so much, but with her alertness at its peak, she had no time to care about that. Haa. A short sigh. She suppressed her anger. She couldn’t solve this by just using brute force.

“Arise!”

Using even the power of immature incantations, she drew up her Mana, trying not to make the same mistake as before.

Hideously shaped earthen spears flew in all directions simultaneously. Unlike before, it was a cleanly refined attack. It couldn’t be neutralized. I had to block it. Copy Ego analyzed Artania’s attack patterns while preparing the next spell.

‘…She uses a strange power.’

At that moment, a word echoed in my head.

-Shingihhae? (Is it fascinating?)

‘Yeah. Fascinat… What?’

My attention focused on the voice that had invaded my mind. As a result, some of the Mana contained in the spell I had prepared leaked out.

It was a fatal mistake that should not have been made, as it was a spell into which I had injected the exact amount of Mana to match Artania’s attack.

Kuoong!

“Ugh!”

A piece of stone pierced through the barrier. Without panicking, I deployed an additional spell to block the vital points, but I didn’t block everything.

I knelt down. Copy Ego gritted her teeth in pain and looked down at her leg. Her right shin seemed to be shattered.

-H, heeik…?

The one who spoke in my head was none other than Yujin. Copy Ego gnashed her teeth at the surging annoyance. Thanks to her interference at a crucial moment, I had to use Mana in unnecessary places.

“And you couldn’t even block this attack? What? A Transcender?”

Artania burst into laughter when she saw me kneeling with my right leg bent. Her hair and chest swayed with the Mana flowing out with explosive force. She spewed out so much that her golden hair looked dark blue.

Copy Ego quickly reconstructed her leg and said to Yujin, who was stammering in her head.

‘Yujin…’

-M, mianhae… (I’m sorry…)

This shibal-lyeon (bitch). Copy Ego was about to spit out those words, but barely managed to swallow them back at Yujin’s pitiful voice. Yeah. What good would it do to curse at that bitch? It would only be like spitting in my own face.

“As expected of Artania-nim!”

“…You can praise me more.”

Artania’s attempt to desperately stop her lips from curling up looked a little pathetic. Especially with those big breasts. More than that, did she think she had the upper hand? All I could do was chuckle. And I was a little angry.

Since she attacked with earth, I would return it with earth. Such childish thoughts began to dominate my mind. Copy Ego spat out the blood pooling in her mouth and muttered.

“…Prepare to have your horns broken.”

I created earth to make a huge gauntlet behind my back. Five times the size of my body. Following the romance dreamed of by the masculinity that was now faint and only vaguely remembered. I depicted primal violence. It was a shame that I couldn’t make it bigger because the space was cramped. I didn’t have to make it look like this, but I just wanted to. Now, this gauntlet would be wielded according to my will.

“Haha… Hahaha!”

Artania scoffed at the gauntlet that had sprung up like a pillar and laughed loudly. Using earth magic against her? In front of the Queen of the Swamps? It was like showing off in front of a silkworm. Her eyes gleamed. The madness flowing through her body became so great that it infected the surroundings. She reached out her hand. Pieces of stone flew and stuck to her pale arm, greedily increasing in size.

“Alright.”

I clenched my fist. The giant gauntlets created by the two mages faced each other, clenching their fists. Even the shape of the gauntlets seemed to reflect their personalities.

Yujin’s fist was red. The red fist, resembling the color of ash hair, was hard to see as belonging to a woman. It resembled a man’s, perhaps a fist close to the ideal that Yujin desired.

Artania’s fist was simple. There was only overwhelming mass and the violence of weight. It only formed the shape of a hand, but it didn’t seem to have any practicality at all. It was just optimized for smashing.

“Try to break them if you can.”

The difference between the two was extreme. Considering the ferocity and destructive power of their appearances, anyone would predict Artania’s victory. Artania herself thought so too. She looked at Yujin’s pathetic fist and was certain of victory. Then, she said in a voice steeped in arrogance.

“Instead.”

The fists of both of them glowed.

“Bite down hard.”

-Kwaaaang!!

Collision. The Mana of the current Queen of the Swamps and the incomplete Archmage collided head-on. The impact was so severe that it seemed like the underground fortress would be buried as it was.

Parsih, who had no stamina, flew away as he was and was buried in the corner of the kitchen. Not only that, but the surroundings were completely devastated. Everything that made up the fortress began to be smashed by the shockwave. The uterus stew that was waiting for its owner in the oven, and the beautifully decorated dining table were all smashed. Someone’s scream seemed to be heard from somewhere in the corner of the kitchen.

“…”

“…”

The shockwave subsided, and they looked at each other’s faces. The faces of the two mages beyond their fists were expressionless. Both Copy Ego and Artania remained silent, maintaining colorless faces. However, this expressionlessness did not last long. One began to smile, and the other began to frown.

“No… way…”

Magically infused battles are usually decided by the first exchange. The completeness of the spell, the skill of handling Mana, and how well-refined Mana was used. All of these things combined were the ‘power’ of magic. So, it wasn’t that strange to predict the outcome with just the first exchange.

The one who smiled was the red-haired girl.

Artania was inferior to Yujin in everything.

“Haeuk…”

The pieces of stone that covered her arm lost their power and fell off. She staggered like a doll with its strings cut, and finally fell face down. Artania couldn’t handle the shock.

Copy Ego wasn’t satisfied with just breaking the gauntlet. She let her Mana flow into her arm, shaking her insides. It was thanks to the foolish Demon who had fallen for the provocation. If she had just shot magic from afar, I wouldn’t have been able to approach. Artania was horrified by this fact, but she trembled at her powerless state.

Human Mana… The dirty and terrible human Mana had entered her body. Even if she tried to use magic and stand up, it wouldn’t activate. She couldn’t even move a finger.

Artania trembled like a frog at the sensation of her entire body being paralyzed. The Mana used by Demons and humans was fundamentally different, so if she couldn’t filter them all out, she wouldn’t be able to use magic in the future.

Magic was a part of life for Demons.

The end of a Demon whose magic was sealed was obvious without even looking.

“Hoo…”

However. Copy Ego’s condition wasn’t very relaxed either. She had poured Mana into that blonde-big-boobed Demon bitch’s body to destroy it.

Copy Ego, who had exhausted most of the Mana that Yujin had drawn out, immediately released the gauntlet and sat down, taking a deep breath.

‘Yujin. Can you hear me?’

-Uueue?

‘It’s over. Everything.’

-I, is it over? I’m not gonna die…?

If. If this is all over and I regain my memories. What kind of reaction will I show? I really wanted to see it, but the moment my memories returned, it meant that I would say goodbye to this world. It was a shame, so regrettable. If I had a crystal ball, I would have recorded it there.

“Kkeueuk…”

At that time, from the corner of the kitchen where the chairs that had been thrown were piled up like a mountain, the static of a crackling radio sounded.