Chapter 164
Chapter 164
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 164
Chapter Title: Chapter 4. Uruun, the Land of Revelry and Culture.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Surprised? You've never seen anything like this before."
Asmodeus spread her arms wide toward Judah, boasting proudly. Her breasts, unbound by any undergarments, swayed heavily and naturally. His gaze was instinctively drawn for a moment, but he quickly snapped out of it. What mattered wasn't her chest—it was the massive pillar of fire erupting behind her in Uruun.
Roooaaar!
It sounded like a dragon spewing flames. Tremendous magical power surged wildly. His heart pounded as he felt, for the first time since arriving in this world, an amount of mana that made his pulse race.
'I didn't see this coming.'
This was something that hadn't appeared in the story at all. Still, having experienced a few exceptional situations already, he wasn't overly shocked. He'd met Cain in Regen, killed Cain, and Count Genauer had handed over the fragment far too readily... So Asmodeus showing up was something he could somewhat accept.
Even so, a pillar of fire like that? No way.
"Ha."
A chilling sensation tickled below his heart.
"How did you do it?"
That pillar of fire was a kind of 'gate' connecting the demon realm and the middle world. The phenomenon it caused varied by the gate's scale, and overlords opened theirs in unique ways. If it was just a pillar of fire shooting up... on a scale of low, medium, high danger, it barely scraped into medium. But even that was plenty dangerous. Asmodeus beamed brightly at Judah's hardened expression, clearly delighted.
"What do you think? Come on, guess... Huh?"
Mid-sentence, Asmodeus tilted her head. She squinted slightly, staring at Judah with a puzzled look, her mouth parted as if sorting her thoughts.
"That's weird. Did I hear wrong? You definitely asked... 'How did you do it,' right?"
"......"
"So you know what that is? Wow—seriously. Who the hell are you?"
Asmodeus's gaze turned deadly serious. Judah didn't answer.
If he answered her question about who he was honestly, would she believe him? Or scoff and tell him to quit lying? A crimson circle drew itself in the air around her hand, elongating and thickening into a hefty whip.
"Tell me!"
Whap!
She shouted, slamming the whip down on the ground. It cracked with a sharp whoosh, cratering the earth and leaving flames in its wake. Radiating menace, she glared at Judah, her golden pupils sharp above black sclera.
"I'll tell you if you stop the gate."
The moment he said it, the pillar of fire cut off abruptly. Had it really stopped? Before the doubt could even form, a fierce jet of flame shot skyward, illuminating everything around.
"Did you think I'd stop?"
Asmodeus sneered. The blinding blaze slowly died down, but soon a bizarre wail echoed from within Uruun.
────────!
It was a horrific shriek that tore at the eardrums. Even from afar, it was this bad—anyone nearby would beg for death. Hearing that cry confirmed the gate had fully opened.
Whish!
The whip lashed toward Judah. It snapped through the air, its tip whipping empty space before recoiling.
"Well, Judah. Looks like you've got quite a few choices."
"Choices?"
"Yeah. Listen up. First option: Hand over the fragment nicely."
Judah let out a hollow laugh.
"You think I'll do that?"
The honorifics were gone now. He'd used them at first out of deference to her beauty and infamous title as one of the Seven Deadly Sins, but no need anymore. She kept talking, apparently unbothered—or even pleased—by the shift.
"Second choice... Ugh. What the hell am I even negotiating for?"
Irritated mid-sentence, she swung the whip at him. He ducked, and it whistled over his head, trailing fire that flickered and faded. Dodging the flurry of lashes, Judah activated his skills.
"Just decide already! Surrender or die!"
"Sorry, neither appeals."
"Then die!"
Asmodeus whipped her left hand from behind her back. Something stirred underground at her gesture, thrusting upward. He leaped back, and thorns erupted in rapid succession—papapak!—piercing the air.
At that moment, whether Arhil had blessed him or not, a glow seeped into his body, and a sphere of radiant light bloomed around him. Glancing back, he saw her already retreating.
"Annoying!"
Asmodeus's flaming whip spun like fireworks in the air before shooting straight ahead. Seeing it aimed precisely at Arhil, Judah drew Yakal from <Bag> and slashed down at the whip.
Gripping Yakal with both hands, he cleaved the mana-forged fiery whip in two. The severed end writhed like a snake, blazed brightly, and exploded.
Boom!
The blast was loud but narrow-ranged—a mere threat. Asmodeus retrieved the whip, frowning as she restored it, then lashed it at Judah. He'd successfully drawn her attention from Arhil, but her attacks were vicious.
Whap—the whip cracked the air, sparks scattering to distract his vision. A stray ember settled on his hand, stinging sharply and drawing a reflexive flinch.
'Stings?'
With his high magic resistance, mana-based attacks barely hurt. At least, based on what he'd experienced at Count Seronic's estate. But this felt different—not some basic spell. Tempting to test by grabbing it barehanded, but too risky.
'Even sealed, a demon of the Seven Deadly Sins is still a demon.'
He shattered incoming whips while charging forward, kicking off the ground. Whether he seemed threatening or just irritating, the earth rumbled as something approached from three directions underground.
Shadows cast by Arhil's airborne orb of light fed him information. Which way they were coming from. The intel flooded his mind, letting him predict Asmodeus's spells—their forms and intended strikes.
He dodged the thorns bursting from three sides with fluid motion. She gasped as he closed in instantly—"Ha!"—but before her whip could reach his throat, it shattered.
Ignoring the explosion, he leaped short and raised Yakal overhead, slamming it down with full force. Asmodeus dropped low and retreated. His blade struck the ground; he yanked it free to pursue her withdrawal.
"Persistent...!"
Muttering, she bellowed in rage.
"You really wanna go all out!?"
She unleashed mana, triggering multiple spells in an instant. Dozens of fiery spears materialized in the air, hurtling at him, while chains erupted from the ground, tracking his predicted path to bind him.
He could ignore the fire spears, but the physical chains needed breaking. Activating [Shadow Sword 2nd Form - Slash], he swung Yakal wide, severing the oncoming chains in one stroke. Without slowing, he nearly reached her when—
Mana gathered beneath his stepping foot, and a pillar of fire erupted.
Roooaaar!
Scorching heat made his body feel like it was cooking. The ground heaved, shaking like an earthquake.
Rumble! Crash!
With a roar of upheaving earth, a massive stone serpent burst forth. It charged him bodily. Through shadow deployment and his demon eye, he clearly sensed the magic-spawned serpent's movements, but its size and speed made evasion impossible.
'Damn it!'
This was why he hated magic. Swords or spears were at least predictable; magic was unknowable until it hit unless you saw it cast. Bracing for impact, he faced the stone serpent barreling in.
Thud!
"Guh!"
Pain ripped a groan from him. He'd tried to hold it, but it burst out involuntarily. The shock rattled his body; he tumbled across the ground several times before righting himself. Ribs could've snapped easily, but his body held surprisingly firm. Internal damage seemed likely, yet Yakal's power flowed through the hilt, mending him.
"You okay!?"
Arhil shouted, rushing up from behind. Whether she could cast healing while moving, vitality surged through him.
"I'm fine—stay back!"
He yelled over his shoulder, spitting out the dirt in his mouth. She didn't mock his undignified roll. Deadly serious, she fixed him with her gaze and spoke.
"Hand over the fragment. Then I'll let you live."
"Ha. This ring?"
Judah raised his left hand. The Valentine on his ring finger glinted temptingly in her eyes.
"Yeah. You don't seriously think you can beat me—one of the Seven Deadly Sins, do you? If you know my name, you know better. I could kill you and that priestess behind you just by twitching my fingers. I'm going easy right now."
"The fragment chose me."
"Chose you? And that matters why? It's way beyond you anyway. He scattered them here for fun, sure, but that thing was made for demons. Not worthless trash like humans."
"Worthless human... Maybe. But what if I'm not just some ordinary human?"
"What?"
Asmodeus stared at him like he'd spouted nonsense. To her eyes, though, he was unmistakably human. Looks had nothing to do with it—human was human. Judah continued, meeting her gaze.
"And you think taking the fragment from me will free you? That's a huge mistake."
He grinned. Her face hardened instantly. She exhaled long, closed her eyes, then slowly opened them.
"...Fine. I don't know how much you know, but if that's how you want it, no choice. Feel the utter helplessness of a puny worm and despair."
Whap—the whip cracked the ground, summoning two more stone serpents. Three now charged at Judah, their massive forms shaking the earth imposingly.
"Let's see."
Judah muttered to himself, summoning Artemisia to his left hand. Before coming here, it had absorbed some blood from Count Seronic's mages and soldiers—strong enough now to test against the Seven Deadly Sins' magic.