The shard of the Demon King that had been in her hand shattered pitifully, and as Wang Soyoung’s body fell into the shadows, Lirisia realized that something was wrong.
‘Demon King’s shard… is it really that easy to break?’
Even when she was the Witch of the Dark Star, she had struggled to find a way to break the shard, having to swallow it whole instead.
Being much weaker now…
The fact that Lirisia, the human, could so easily break the Demon King’s shard was strange.
[Demon King…!]
“……As expected.”
The abilities of the Awakened One are akin to the physical form of the caster.
If a thread of life is severed, the ability of the Awakened One should wither away like a flower, yet Wang Soyoung’s shadow was still alive.
The writhing shadow ravenously devoured Wang Soyoung’s body like a beast, and it began to swell.
At first, it was just a small puddle on the floor.
But the shadow grew, consuming not just Wang Soyoung’s corpse, but also the green powder ground from the warlocks’ bodies and the underground facilities that produced it.
The nature of the Demon King’s shard was just that.
It burrows into the weakest parts of humans, feeding on their desperation and desires to grow itself.
It would shatter human lives, beliefs, and the emotions and meanings of life that only humans possess, with less care than crushing an ant.
No, the Demon King was such a being from the start.
From the Demon King’s perspective, other sentient beings likely appeared incomprehensible and disgusted.
Lirisia had fought with that disgusting creature for a long time, whether she liked it or not, in the previous world.
“Sigh, this is going to take a while…”
[I will dedicate myself to you…!!]
[In return.]
[Grant my wish!!]
Alright.
Wang Soyoung had given herself to the darkness.
From there, it had already ended.
There was no way to stop or reverse her.
For the Demon King’s shard to temporarily descend in its true form, it required a rare alignment of circumstances.
By infiltrating human wishes, beliefs, and desires, while pretending to empower them or acting like a genie granting wishes, when the human possessing the shard becomes most vulnerable, it would forcefully take ownership of their body.
Of course, not just any human could be seized, and not every shard would allow the Demon King to descend.
Only those powerful enough, like the Saint of the Dead, Heroes, Black Witches, or beings of equivalent strength and vessel could host the Demon King’s descent. Otherwise, the shard would need to be held for a long time, allowing the human’s soul and body to be somewhat eroded by the Demon King.
Wang Soyoung was the latter case.
No matter how easily Wang Soyoung fell, she couldn’t simply be seen as weak, having been an S-grade Hunter.
However, she was never a sufficient vessel to harbor the Demon King, as she held onto the shard for so long that her body had been optimized for the shard’s descent.
Thus, after a complex series of events, the Demon King could descend imperfectly upon this land, but the effects were certain.
‘From the moment Wang Soyoung showed herself to me, we had already completed the contract with the Demon King.’
Was all that nonsense that attracted attention part of the plan after all?
It wasn’t that Wang Soyoung had lost her mind and spoke nonsense that Lirisia couldn’t comprehend; rather, if she had just been stalling for the shard to settle fully within her body, it seemed she had been quite clever.
[Yes, it has been a while.]
As a voice resonating with something ominous, yet similar to Wang Soyoung echoed, Lirisia felt the air shift.
[The smell of dust, the scent of greenery wafting in the wind. I have missed being able to breathe.]
Wang Soyoung.
No, the Demon King began to emerge from the shadows, reveling in the feeling of its descent.
Though it wore Wang Soyoung’s body, black, murky tears streamed from its eyes. Each drop that hit the ground corroded it, leaving rot in its wake.
[And… I always find the words of humans, who know not their place, to be disgusting.]
“……..”
[No, humans have always been disgusting. This is nothing new.]
‘I’m screwed.’
Back when she was the Witch of the Dark Star, Lirisia wouldn’t have hesitated to charge in, but now she was honestly having a bit of a dilemma.
[You… it’s been a while. The filthy leftovers of a god. No, you are not the same god I knew…]
“Who are you calling disgusting?”
No, perhaps it was right to call her disgusting.
If the Witch of the Dark Star wasn’t a disgusting being, what could be more disgusting?
Lirisia looked at the Demon King, feeling as if she was seeing her former self.
Facing the undeniable malevolence and grotesque nature, she tried to suppress her rising nausea.
Desperately trying to distance herself from the feeling in her heart, but it seemed like a type of revulsion that couldn’t be overcome.
The human heart naturally changes even with the slightest stimulus.
However, even after becoming the Witch, it seemed like her hatred and disgust toward the Demon King remained unchanged over the years.
‘Can I do this?’
The chances of losing if she fought now were much higher.
Even if it was just a shard, that shard was not weak, and it was the Demon King, who had patiently shaped Wang Soyoung’s vessel to its liking over an extended period.
Of course, Lirisia was not going to let fear get to her.
Running away from that damn shard of the Demon King was never an option in Lirisia’s mind.
Most likely, the Saint of the Dead, Isia, would feel the same way.
Though perhaps there were situations where flexibility could be applied or circumstances open to negotiation.
Yet when it came to the Demon King, there would be absolutely no compromise.
As Lirisia snapped her fingers to steady herself, the Demon King waved its hand in Wang Soyoung’s form.
[Cease your killing intent. I do not wish to fight you.]
“What do you mean by that?”
[Do you not understand? If we fight here, both you and I will suffer losses.]
Loss?
[Either way, the loss of the body will be great. I do not fear pain, but it would be a pity to throw away this body that has finally descended.]
The Demon King’s voice, while it seemed like it could engage in rational, intelligent conversation, had an underlying menace.
Even though Lirisia remained vigilant, prepared to attack at any moment, hearing the Demon King speak in a tone devoid of hostility almost made her think, ‘Is it not that dangerous?’
But the Demon King was a malevolent being at its core, a ruler of rotting evil who could exploit human carelessness and desperate hearts.
“Okay, let’s hear what you have to say.”
[You understand my words.]
Well, when it came to malevolence, the Witch of the Dark Star was hardly any different.
[I have no grudge against you.]
“What kind of nonsense is that? You just called me a disgusting leftover of a god!”
The Demon King’s face contorted in disbelief.
It couldn’t possibly exhibit such a wealth of emotions, so it must have been influenced by the feelings of its vessel, Wang Soyoung.
[It’s much like how a human feels repulsed by a bug. Such physiological disgust cannot be helped. Just as you humans are born to eat, live, and reproduce, I exist to detest and hate humans.]
“Oh, so you’d rather not feel embarrassed and commit suicide instead?”
[Like you, perhaps?]
“Yeah, I’ve tried dying a few times, but it never really worked out.”
[Is that so? Well then, let me get to the point, Witch of the Dark Star. Would you consider joining hands with me?]
“………”
Caught off guard by a proposition that was far from what she expected, Lirisia gazed at the Demon King blankly.
[What your main body hates and fears are the Saint of the Dead and the Hero. It isn’t you… in fact, I think we could form a constructive partnership. I deduce that you have no particular reasons to collaborate with the Saint of the Dead.]
“Why not?”
[That Saint and Hero defeated the Witch of the Dark Star. Wouldn’t you wish to reclaim what you lost? Don’t you want to be the Witch of the Dark Star again?]
“Hah, do I really want to feel that damned hunger again? I’d rather pass…”
[What if I could relieve that hunger for you?]
“………..”
At that suggestion, ripples crossed Lirisia’s otherwise bland expression.
[You could again become the Witch of the Dark Star, eat as you wish, destroy as you wish, kill as you wish. We…when my true body descends, I could grant you that dark power once more. So come to me.]
“Come to you… so you’re asking me to give up my body?”
[You are different from this foolish vessel. The humans of this Earth are incredibly naïve… Those who attempt to use my shard as an infinite energy source are even more foolish. They believe I grant wishes and bestow powers without payment, only to unknowingly have their souls eroded by me. The thought of it feels like I’m about to vomit.]
The Demon King, using Wang Soyoung’s body, already seemed to sense something was wrong, its eyes blinking weirdly and its body twisting.
Crack!
Snap!
An arm twisted sharply at a 90-degree angle, and the murky tears spilling from its eyes soaked the ground even more.
[See? This is… already reaching its limit. I promise. It will be fine. If you provide your body while we reclaim our true selves, then what I mentioned earlier would not be difficult to achieve.]
“……….”
It wasn’t even eloquent speech.
There was no melodramatic persuasion or logical temptation.
Yet, the calm way the Demon King presented itself could have seemed extremely tempting to Lirisia, even for just a brief moment.
To be the Witch of the Dark Star…
Yes, that’s thrilling.
Without restraint, without caring for anyone, burying beliefs and ethics and wielding power while spreading malevolence sends a shiver coursing from her brain down her spine.
Having tasted that destructive pleasure, Lirisia briefly closed her eyes.
Yes, life on Earth.
Life as a human.
So inconvenient.
Living under constant surveillance felt like a prison, and it made her realize that her actual circumstances weren’t that leisurely.
That damn Yeonseo.
Jealousy provoking Isia and the Hero.
That despicable elf girl, weak and unable to even shove a handful of sand properly.
That irritating cabbage collector.
How many times had she screamed when returning from parties, only to be told she wouldn’t be given meat?
All of it frustrating and utterly detestable.
Thus, Lirisia easily came to her conclusion, raising her finger at the Demon King.
“Fuck off.”
[That’s a refusal. May I ask why?]
“Is it sufficient to answer that your very existence is disgusting?”
[……..]
The Demon King shrugged.
The shadows at its feet began to stretch out, resembling thorny vines growing.
[Do not understand this. I truly do not… For thousands… tens of thousands of years, I have beheld your kind, yet I still do not understand.]
“Do you think we’d be here if you understood?”
[The one I do not comprehend the most is you. Lirisia Alpenheim. Did you really think you could defeat me in your current state? That is not hubris; it is a sound evaluation based on your body and physical condition.]
Currently, Lirisia was strong, but she wasn’t the Witch of the Dark Star.
What remained was merely the incomplete residue of her former power.
She couldn’t use proper miracles, and all she could cast were basic miracles manageable by any nun or priest capable of handling Seongnyeok.
Lirisia was in a state far weaker than in her prime.
Though the Demon King’s shard was just a shard and not its complete form, it still might possess enough power to bring down a country, if not cause world destruction.
[You cannot defeat me here, nor can you escape alive. I have already blocked every entrance with shadows. If you refuse my offer, your fate is merely to die here and have your flesh seized by me.]
“Can I ask just one thing?”
[Feel free to ask.]
“Do you realize how much you talk?”
[….]
CRASH!
In that moment, the Demon King unleashed a gigantic wave of shadows, crashing down upon Lirisia, deeming any more conversation unnecessary.
The shadow formed a massive wave that writhed like a giant beast’s maw, its insides densely lined with spikes.
Lirisia brushed her hair back behind her ear.
The colors in her sight changed.
The once dark and dusty underground was being corroded by the power of the Demon King, transforming the very space.
The dark place was now beginning to creak and warp like the intestines of a living creature, giving the impression that a bizarre maze inescapable from the outside was consuming reality.
—BANG!!!
And within moments, the distance between her and the Demon King, previously over twenty paces apart, vanished with a horrific sound that seemed to paralyze her eardrums.
“….!”
Lirisia thought she was staying vigilant, yet she realized her current state had weakened her more than she imagined.
Having dealt with relatively weak Awakened Ones above, perhaps she had become lost in the illusion of her own strength.
The vessel of the Demon King, Wang Soyoung, was faster and more powerful than Lirisia had envisioned.
Crack…!
In panic, Lirisia raised her tentacles to counter the Demon King, which had come more closely.
The moment her spine crumbled and the god’s corpse materialized on Earth took no longer than a tenth of a blink.
However, just because her tentacles had manifested didn’t mean she was certain she could block the Demon King’s attack.
To be frank, Lirisia understood well that she could not possibly win in her current state.
It seemed inevitable that she would suffer a terrible defeat, the process of which unfolded very vividly in her mind.
The Demon King’s proposition clearly sounded sweet.
If the negotiation was continued or the offer adjusted, there seemed to be an opportunity for both Lirisia and the Demon King to arrive at a mutually desirable conclusion.
Yet still, Lirisia detested the thought.
The ruler of that damn malignant entity, when you really think about it, was the very reason she had been pushed into this pit.
Steeling her wavering mind, Lirisia twisted her body and swung her fist and tentacles simultaneously, preparing to counter the Demon King’s attack.
The blazing shadow was like fire and lava, its spines spreading like a plague, rapidly aiming to encircle her from behind and launch an offensive.
“Yes, even if I die here… being defeated by that damn Demon King is far worse than that pesky elf.”
Stop thinking.
Yet, the shards were not going to allow things to go as she wished.
Even if she couldn’t defeat that bastard, she would struggle with all her might, and if it came to the point where her body would be seized… she’d prevent that from happening.
Miracle
I will refuse to become that creature’s meal.
[Divine Body Annihilation]!!!
“?!”
And in the next moment, Lirisia felt a chill from the tremendous explosion that slammed down from the ceiling.
—BANG!!!
The explosion didn’t end as just a sound.
In less than a second, the cracking noise that started from the ceiling plunged vertically onto the Demon King’s head, and the shadows that had once engulfed the underground began breaking apart under the shockwave.
As the pressure of the air continuously pressed against her skin, Lirisia raised her tingling arms to check her condition.
So much had occurred in less than five seconds.
Whew—!
Then, someone jumped down through the newly created hole in the ceiling.
Despite the significant height, the individual landed without raising any dust, their white hair flowing as they shouted.
“Ta-da! The Fairy of Meat, here in all its glory!”
As the silver-haired Saint of the Dead appeared, confidently raising a V-sign with one hand and holding a long mace in the other, both Lirisia and the Demon King’s faces soured simultaneously.
What the heck.
That pose was straight out of some ridiculously cute magical girl anime.
“………..”
[………..]
Lirisia thought quietly to herself.
Yeah, it seems like I’ve been saved.
It’s certainly nice to be saved.
It’s true…
‘…but getting saved by a Meat Fairy seems worse than just losing to the Demon King…’ she thought.
What on Earth is she doing at that age?
