Chapter 116
Chapter 116
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Translator: Mod7
Chapter: 116
Chapter Title: Chapter 11 - A Tightly Shut Door
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"Succubus, look closely. Your flawed choice has made them both miserable."
Lilith spoke. The dry, cold desert wind swirled around her feet.
The demon sisters stood atop a canyon peak, a bit higher than the temple.
Unlike Lilith, who maintained her dignity, the smaller Succubus hung upside down, held by her tail in her sister's grip, sniffling.
"Open your eyes and look."
The precious tears pained Lilith's heart, but for her sister's sake, she took on the role of the cruel villain.
The two demons watched the desperate battle unfolding below.
Down there were Juho and the sandworm, and a little further on, along the canyon, was the firmly shut door of the temple.
"Okay, sister... I-I was wrong. Please stop..."
Succubus squeezed her eyes shut like a locked door and pleaded with her sister. She knew she couldn't stop the sandworm, but she believed Lilith, who had cared for the sandworm all this time, could surely quell its rage.
But Lilith didn't move, her focus solely on observing the confrontation between Juho and the sandworm. She wouldn't interfere, no matter what.
"It's not something I can just stop, and you know that."
"I'll do it properly! I-I'll make him my slave!"
"It's too late. Now?"
Seeing Lilith's unyielding attitude, Succubus could only break down.
All she could do was watch Juho's desperate struggle below.
I clutched the dagger [he] had left me and charged toward the sandworm. Yet, it showed no reaction, simply absorbing my attacks in silence.
Shunk-
The dagger was of excellent quality, easily piercing the sandworm's outer skin. But it could go no further.
Stab- Shunk-
I stabbed it five or six more times, but the sandworm, as if scorning a trivial nuisance, simply nudged me, sending me tumbling.
Still, it was something. I got back up and rushed at it again, carving into its outer skin with the dagger.
Once,
Twice,
I desperately plunged the blade, praying it would find the beast's vitals, stabbing with all my might.
"Hah, fuuuck..."
But nothing changed. The sandworm, as if laughing at me, lightly pushed me over again.
This repetitive struggle continued for another five or six rounds.
The area around the sandworm's neck was now covered with the scars from my dagger. But the beast didn't bleed a single drop, just moved serenely around the circle it had drawn.
"Hah... whooo..."
I was completely exhausted, no longer having the strength to even hold the dagger, yet I hadn't managed to inflict even a minor shock on the sandworm.
Victory seemed impossible. It seemed I couldn't overcome the sheer difference in size between me and this monster.
One last time,
As if to vent my frustration, I ran at the sandworm and plunged the dagger in with all my strength.
It was a spot that looked thinner than the rest of its hide, around where its round maw connected to its neck. Perhaps I could hit a vital artery here.
Groooaaan-
But the beast, enraged now, immediately rammed into me, sending me flying.
It seemed to be a particularly painful area, but it wasn't a fatal weakness.
Thump!-
I flew helplessly through the air and landed in a heap on the sand.
My body felt as heavy as iron from exhaustion, yet the distance I flew made it feel as light as a sheet of paper.
"Kuh..."
It seemed this wasn't going to work.
Maybe it would be better to just bypass it and head for the temple.
"A-alright... let's fight fair and square... I have another weapon I left over there...? I'll just be a minute... then we can fight again..."
And so, I staggered to my feet and tried to walk diagonally around it, but,
Gyaaaaargh!
This time, it let out an ear-splitting shriek and rammed me with all its might.
THWUMP-!
I think every bone on the side that was hit must have shattered. It was absurd that a creature the size of a spaceship could move with such speed.
"Ugh... ehh..."
Faced with a shock so immense that I couldn't even groan properly, I lay curled up on the sand, trembling.
The shock wouldn't subside.
***
“Kyaaak…!”
Succubus let out a small, childish scream, unable to contain her shock. She felt a surge of fear, thinking Juho was about to die.
“S-sister…”
“It would be better for him to die quickly.”
Lilith's stance was still firm.
She felt a sense of pity for her sister, who was so easily swayed by such trivial matters, and for the sake of their sisterly bond, she added some short, pointed advice.
“Succubus, do you really think living like that is happiness? In the end, those pitiful creatures just struggle their whole lives and die. Without any help, they only realize how worthless and terrible their lives were when they're on the verge of a miserable death.”
She wasn't wrong.
Take the pitiful boy Juho as an example. Or think of the countless men who crash-landed on this planet.
In the desperate situations and impoverished conditions they were given, they couldn't find even a small bit of happiness. Only a continuous stream of misfortune and resentment existed in their lives.
“That’s why we are what this desert needs. Why do you think Father gave birth to us and sent us here? You, Succubus, were given the duty to lift up the tired and sick minds from hell, and I, the weary bodies.”
That was why Lilith was proud of herself. The loyalty of the alien males and old creatures who followed her was perhaps not forced by Lilith, but a realization of the desire latent within them.
The joy of finally letting go and resting…
Held in a warm embrace,
Intoxicated by pleasure and happiness,
Freed from all kinds of stress.
“Sister, remember that boy’s painful death well.”
Lilith didn't doubt for a second that she was right. She had lived that way until now, and she would continue to live that way.
“That is the pain you created. Watch it clearly.”
She had to teach her tender-hearted sister the right answer.
She had to make her realize the truth of the world, the law of the universe.
But there was something a little strange.
For some reason,
The boy suffering below didn't have a pitiful expression of fear, but rather…
“…?”
His eyes and lips held a firm resolve as he faced the sandworm.
***
"Whoo, o-okay... okay..."
Still, I had no intention of giving up.
"I-I could do this all day..."
After about ten minutes of rest, my body could move again, so I struggled to my feet and faced the sandworm once more.
It didn't react. As long as I didn't step outside its circle, it seemed to have no intention of attacking me.
Right, I finally understood its intention.
The moon was setting.
The sun would rise soon.
Ahead of the dawn, the sandworm would hide its massive body back in the sand, but the moment I stepped out of its [circle], it would surely rush at me and slam its heavy body into me without restraint.
"..."
The sandworm planned to slowly dry me out.
Trapped in a situation where I could do nothing, slowly pickled by the hot days and cold nights of this desert, it wanted to kill me slowly, painfully.
Yes, in a way, it would be a very tragic end.
But it was mistaken. I didn't have much time left anyway.
How much longer could Jenny and Nefer, who were swallowed by it, last? Two hours at most?
They might have suffocated, wedged in its narrow esophagus, and even if they hadn't, they might be facing a painful end, pickled in digestive juices.
So I had to settle this with the beast as quickly as possible.
But all I had was a dagger the size of my hand and a glowing stick.
"..."
To use these properly, there was only one answer.
Hadn't I already realized it while watching the fight between Jenny and the giant sandworm? They weren't invincible. Beneath that thick hide, there was soft flesh.
And as I continued to observe its disgusting, open maw, the muscle tissue that formed its internal organs didn't look that tough.
It's easier to think of a human mouth. The inside of the mouth is very weak and sensitive.
“Hey, you know.”
Before putting my small plan into action, I did some warm-up exercises to loosen my body. Meaningless conversation to relieve the fear was also essential.
“…When I first got on the Paradise, I used to be scared of monsters like you. I wondered what I would do if there was a hulking giant beast on the planet I arrived at.”
Surprisingly, my heart calmed.
It's strange how the human mind works.
“But not anymore.”
Speaking something out loud affects both the body and mind. I felt a surge of courage.
I moved a little closer to the disgusting maw, and finished my preparations, imagining the pain its terrifying structure would inflict on me.
“I’m scared that I’ll give up here. After surviving tooth and nail like this, I’m scared that everything will end with me being eaten by a beast like you.”
What I was about to do might seem quite crazy.
Kicking off the sand and jumping,
And squeezing into the twitching maw.