The Emerald Valkyrie
The Beast Slayer Yuria’s transformation scene matched exactly what I had seen before. Her suit’s design was nearly identical to Sehwa’s. It was no exaggeration to say they were completely the same, save for the sky-blue color having been replaced by light green. The only differences lay in her face and hair. The way her braided light-green hair cascaded down over her right shoulder was breathtakingly beautiful. Her wall-like eyes had also turned light green upon transformation, yet that characteristically proud gaze remained unchanged. If Leona’s appearance could be described as a gentle flavor with a single spoonful of sweetness added, then Yuria’s form resembled a knightess brimming with resolve. The light-green crystal positioned at the center of her collarbone suited her perfectly. I wanted to taint it with my Malice as soon as possible.
“Th-this is…”
Yuria’s flustered voice came through the communicator. She couldn’t control her power, could she? She must have wanted to strike down Astaroth, who had been harming humans, right this instant. Still, she seemed to be adapting better than Sehwa. Judging by how she looked slightly embarrassed wearing the leotard that clung to her body’s curves, that much was clear. Because of her height, she really did give off a model-like impression. Ah… I was salivating. Between those thighs… No, now wasn’t the time for that.
“Help Leona!”
“Ah… Right, yes!”
Yuria descended as naturally as if she were using flight magic and moved to assist Leona, who was still fighting Astaroth. It was a shame she had no weapon yet and had to engage in close combat. Clang! Astaroth blocked Yuria’s punch and was sent skidding backward. Enraged to the core, Astaroth glared at her as if to kill, then studied her face intently before opening his mouth as though something had clicked.
“The princess of the fallen kingdom…! You dare turn the Demon King’s subordinate—”
Boom!
Astaroth never finished his sentence. I had fired the fighter jet’s laser cannon into his gaping maw, worried he might make a slip of the tongue. He had been about to say, “You turned the Demon King’s subordinate into a traitor!” hadn’t he? From now on, whenever I sent out powerful monsters, I would have to seal their mouths first.
Damn, this is getting intense.
Astaroth reached toward the fighter jet I was piloting. He seemed intent on eliminating the nuisance, but wouldn’t it be better to deal with the heroes of justice first?
“Hyaaah!”
“Hah!”
Their combined attack was flawless, as though they had trained together for years, targeting Astaroth’s head and waist simultaneously. In the end, Astaroth had no choice but to focus on the two of them instead of the jet. Clang! Crash!
“Grrgh!”
The impact seemed significant as the monster groaned. Seizing the moment, I issued orders to Leona and Yuria.
“Yuria’s transformation time is short. I don’t know what he’s trying to say, but we don’t have time to listen. Focus on the arm Leona already damaged. Understood?”
“Got it.”
“Understood.”
The two of them pressed Astaroth with excellent coordinated attacks. Amid the thunderous roar that shook the sky, his arm began to twist into something grotesque. It was deforming under the immense shock. Of course, Astaroth wasn’t just taking the hits. Whoosh! Black flames spewed from his mouth and struck Leona’s right leg. With a sizzling sound, the perfect material Polymus burned away, and Leona’s thigh turned bright red before darkening. Thankfully, the boot below had acted as a shield, but her thigh had no special protective gear. In an instant, Leona suffered third-degree burns and screamed.
“Kyaaah…!”
Her pained moan echoed through the communicator. It was the first time a Beast Slayer had been wounded, wasn’t it? My heart ached. It truly ached.
“Leona!”
At my urgent call, Leona somehow endured the pain.
“I’m… fine…”
Teeth clenched, she supported Yuria, who was pummeling Astaroth with every striking technique she knew. While providing covering fire from the fighter jet, I gently caressed the Doctor’s cheek as she came to sit beside me.
“I’m sorry, Doctor.”
“I’m fine… If anything, I should be thanking you. Anyway, could you move your hand?”
“Ah… Sorry… I wasn’t thinking.”
“I understand. I’ll handle the weapons, so you focus on finding that monster’s weakness.”
“Understood.”
The jet’s supporting fire proved highly effective. It couldn’t even scratch Astaroth’s skin, but it was more than enough to disrupt his vision and break his attack rhythm. If his body had been larger, and if he had fully absorbed the sense of powerlessness to become an S-class monster, it wouldn’t have worked at all. For him, it must have been quite the regrettable flaw.
“Krrraaaah!”
Wounds accumulated on Astaroth under the combined assault of the two Beast Slayers. As though attempting a final desperate struggle, he curled his body and began to emit surging waves of black energy. I shouted urgently.
“Energy is gathering! Yuria! Get behind him and stop him from curling up!”
“Yes!”
Yuria swiftly moved behind Astaroth and forcibly straightened his limbs. The black energy subsided once more, and Astaroth’s face twisted in confusion. He should have been able to gather and release energy from any posture, so this must have been baffling. Marcela had tampered with it, after all. Now die quietly.
Flash!
Leona’s sword grew as large as a house. She was using her finishing move.
“Cut off his head!”
“Okay!”
Whoosh!
Leona’s sword swung horizontally, cleaving through the air. The moment it touched Astaroth’s neck, Yuria quickly pulled away from him. And then—slice!
Astaroth’s head, now severed, began to fall into the sea along with his body. The way his round head tumbled with its mouth gaping open was repulsive. Astaroth’s final words were, “Demon King… Please protect your noble body…” I heard your last will and testament clearly. Your loyalty toward me is palpable. But you talked too much. Still, you showed considerable strength and successfully awakened Yuria, so… rest peacefully in hell. I’ll even pray for you, as a special favor.
**
“Jihyeok… I’m done. Treat me quickly.”
It was Sehwa’s voice, coming from the medical device. Her burned thigh had healed as if nothing had happened. It was still red, like dye had been applied, but that would fade completely with time. As I unwound the bandage around her thigh, I asked,
“It hurt a lot, didn’t it?”
“Yeah… It hurt so much…”
After completely destroying Astaroth’s bisected body, Leona returned to the fighter jet with Yuria and canceled her transformation. Inside the jet heading back to the lab, Sehwa shed chicken-dropping tears while enduring the pain. The sight filled me with such pride… I couldn’t help but feel deeply satisfied.
“How do you feel now?”
“It doesn’t hurt at all… Hurry up and get in. Before the wound gets infected.”
I nodded silently and entered the medical device to treat the wound on my thigh where I had stabbed myself with a ballpoint pen. When we emerged from the medical room, we both sank into chairs without a word and let out heavy sighs.
“Haa…”
“Phew…”
Yuria, who had been talking with the Doctor, let out a soft chuckle. She seemed to be in a good mood. Well, she had every right to be, having taken down Astaroth, who had played a major role in destroying her kingdom. The Doctor also smirked, but her expression soon hardened.
“That creature was the strongest monster we’ve seen so far. Astaroth… was that his name?”
Yuria answered.
“Yes. But thanks to this Device, we managed to eliminate him. In the past, we could only drive him away at the cost of the mages from the Magic Tower… This energy called Aether is truly incredible.”
“Right, it is incredible. Aether has already bonded with you. From now on, you’ll have to work with us.”
There it was. That coercive tone. Yuria answered immediately.
“That’s what I want.”
“That said… There’s something I need to tell you about Aether…”
“Yes…?”
Right, I still hadn’t explained Aether’s properties to her. I wondered what kind of reaction she would have.
“Well…”
The Doctor trailed off and looked at me and Sehwa. Realizing she wanted us to leave, I stood up abruptly.
“I’ll head home now. Please continue your conversation… Contact me later.”
With that, I took Sehwa and left the lab.
**
—You really worked hard. Are you hurt anywhere?
Yu Seunghyeon’s worried voice came through the phone. Sehwa replied in a cold tone.
“I’m fine. I’m tired right now, so call me later.”
—Okay. Rest well.
After ending the call and tossing the phone onto the sofa, Sehwa approached me as I gulped down water. She wiped the water dripping from my chin with her hand and reported what had happened today in a voice far gentler than before.
“Jihyeok. Something strange happened today.”
“What is it?”
“That monster called Astaroth… When I arrived at Mokdong, he knelt on one knee before me. And then he said something weird… You heard it too, right?”
“I heard it. He was speaking some language I couldn’t understand… He got angry at you in the West Sea too.”
“Yeah. What do you think he was saying? And what was with kneeling like that?”
What else? The creature had sensed the Malice latent within you and paid his respects. I wrapped an arm around Sehwa’s waist and pulled her close.
“A bit violent, but polite… Maybe that kind of monster? Let’s just think of him as some weird guy who greets his opponent before fighting.”
“Then the reason he got angry in the West Sea… Was it because I didn’t greet him back?”
“Don’t try to understand it. All the monsters that have appeared so far have been abnormal. How could we possibly understand what they’re thinking?”
Sehwa nodded in agreement. A few people might have witnessed Astaroth’s actions, but Marcela would handle them, and the jammer attached to Leona’s waist would have neutralized all electronic devices… The Beast Slayers wouldn’t be suspected. That was all that mattered.
“But… Jihyeok.”
“Yeah?”
“You know… When Astaroth knelt, I had a strange thought.”
“What kind of thought?”
“It… felt a little good. Have I gone crazy?”
Of course. It was only natural to feel pleased when your future subordinates prostrated themselves before you. Once time passed and you fully corrupted, you would be the one leading the monsters. So start getting used to it now.
“Let’s just say you were momentarily affected by that guy’s energy and felt weird.”
“But…”
“He’s already a dead monster. Forget about it now. We have more important things to do, don’t we?”
“Important things? Oh, right… We need to repair the suit?”
“No, charging the Device.”
Repairing the boot on the right leg that had flown off could wait. Right now, using this excuse to drive Sehwa wild with desire took priority. I couldn’t let her think about Astaroth any longer.
“Ah…”
A blush appeared on Sehwa’s face. Smirking, I asked,
“Want to do it now? Or rest a bit first?”
“…I want to do it now.”
“You worked hard today, so I’ll grant whatever you want.”
“Really?”
“Really. What do you want?”
“Then… I want to film a video to upload to Twinkle.”
“Got it. How do you want to film it?”
“Well…”
Sehwa hesitated. She probably wanted something quite extreme. As I remained still with a gentle smile, she squeezed her eyes shut and spoke.
“Tie me up… and do it by force…”
“I can’t hear you well. What did you say?”
“Tie me up and do it by force…”
Aha. She wanted SM play. I would have to stage the scenario properly for her. Nodding, I stood up and rummaged through the drawer. Had I bought handcuffs last time? If not, I would have to use rope.