Chapter 113
Chapter 113
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 113
Chapter Title: Baal's Judgment
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Ssssss-!
The rift connecting to the human world slowly closed its maw.
Only when it had fully sealed did Dershion finally exhale the breath he'd been holding.
"Hoo... That was close. We really almost bit the dust."
It wasn't an empty statement. It had been genuinely dangerous.
He hadn't anticipated that a heavyweight like the head of the academy would join the fray.
And a field spell that forced a one-on-one matchup with the enemy?
He'd nearly been utterly crushed in a fight against that war maniac from days gone by, with no escape.
If not for "His" help, that is.
"...Truly a capable being."
When he'd first met Him, Dershion thought everything was over.
And why not? He stood at the pinnacle of all demons.
Demons valued strength above all and never submitted to anyone weaker.
To overwhelm such beings with sheer power and maintain peace for centuries spoke volumes of His might.
In hindsight, Dershion found his own actions laughably foolish.
"It was madness."
To think he'd dared drag Him into the human world, oblivious to his place?
He had committed a sin unforgivable even by death.
Yet He had been merciful, granting not an end, but a new beginning.
Though it meant abandoning his human life, mere survival was a blessing.
And on top of that, He'd shattered his foolish ideals and bestowed immense power. How could he not be satisfied?
"I should offer my thanks."
From today's events to the constant favors piling up.
Dershion resolved to give proper gratitude and set off.
Ruuuumble.
He arrived at the Abyss of Darkness.
As if anticipating his visit, the grand gates distinguishing this darkness from others stood wide open.
"Urk."
Dershion staggered before them.
Just standing there brought overwhelming pressure.
But now, he was one of His limbs.
He couldn't crumble here.
Step, step...
He endured the darkness's pressure and pressed forward.
Soon.
[You've come-]
A majestic voice echoed from the pitch-black void where nothing was visible.
Dershion immediately bowed his head deeply and dropped to one knee.
'Yes, Lord Baal.'
He kept his mouth firmly shut, lest he err.
He answered only in his mind.
No permission meant no speaking, no raising his head.
How long did he wait?
Baal's voice continued.
[I watched the battle you waged.]
"...!!"
Dershion flinched.
Watched? Since when?
Did beings of such power possess clairvoyance?
Doubts flooded his mind.
Yet at the same time.
'Ah... I've finally proven my worth.'
Pride swelled within him.
After all, he'd wielded the power of darkness masterfully in this battle.
Though he'd shown an unsightly end, it was a one-against-many fight—more than forgivable.
And he'd inflicted a mortal wound on knight-captain-level power. Perfect.
[Truly.]
Dershion calmed his pounding heart.
The thought of praise from Him nearly burst it.
But then.
[There wasn't even a speck of amusement to be found.]
An utterly unexpected response followed.
"Y-Yes...?"
Dershion unwittingly opened his mouth, then snapped it shut with a mental "Oops."
"......"
A brief silence ensued.
As he dreaded what punishment his slip might bring, Baal mercifully spoke again.
[What do you think was your problem?]
A probe of his thoughts. Permission to speak.
After deep consideration, Dershion offered his reasoning.
"...It was because I am so pathetically weak."
The best he could come up with.
To Baal's eyes, his power must have seemed primitive.
Naturally, that would make his battle boring.
But no.
[Wrong.]
Baal's voice was firm, and he asked again.
[What do you think was your problem?]
At the same time.
Ruuuumble!
The abyss's demonic energy began pressing down on him fiercely.
Dershion sensed instinctively.
Fail to answer right, and he would die.
Not just his human life, but his demonic existence too.
"Th-That is...!"
He racked his brain desperately.
But tension blocked any insight.
Drip.
Cold sweat trickled; his spine chilled.
Just as he nearly blurted anything.
[Your problem is.]
Baal preempted, stealing his chance.
Gulp.
Dershion swallowed dryly and listened intently.
His fate lay in the words to come.
[That you possess a self.]
"...Pardon?"
[Your self made you cherish your life, and that's why I lost interest.]
"What does that..."
He listened raptly, but comprehension escaped him.
Lost interest because of a self? What did that mean?
The answer came without asking.
[Why did you flee?]
"......"
[Why didn't you die there and instead try to escape on your own?]
"Ah..."
That one phrase enlightened Dershion fully.
His judgment had deeply disappointed Him.
The aiding hand in peril stemmed not from benevolence.
Tssst! Tzzzzzt!
The pressing demonic energy thickened.
His mind grew hazy, vision spun.
In suffocating agony, Dershion could only await Baal's punishment.
Soon.
Crack-cra-craaaack!
Baal's condensed demonic energy bored into his mind.
"Graaaaaah-!"
Unbearable torment drew eldritch screams and thrashing he couldn't suppress.
Reason dulled; thoughts halted.
His consciousness faded swiftly.
In it, Dershion reflected.
'...Having a self was the issue, was it.'
He grasped Baal's intent.
To erase his self entirely, turning him into a instinct-driven puppet.
That was Baal's punishment.
'Once again... I was the fool.'
Why think Him merciful?
Why believe in a new chance?
He was a demon who saw life as mere entertainment.
Demons were demons!
In his waning mind, Dershion vowed.
'In my next life...'
I will tear you apart.
***
How much time passed?
Asion Gail, now returned to human form, broke the awkward silence first.
"...This is absurd!"
His fury suggested he hadn't recovered from his field spell shattering.
Not surprising.
Per Professor Zairen's words, the [Asion Field] was developed after Asion reached 8th circle.
He'd likely never experienced such a thing. The shock was warranted.
From my perspective, though...
'Only natural.'
Asion Gail's spell breaking was inevitable.
That hand from the rift was part of Baal's true body.
"You felt it too, Barundel?"
"...No doubt it was him. Too sudden for a reaction, though."
Barundel nodded without hesitation.
Confirming the hand was Baal's body.
No need to grieve a single spell's loss.
I approached the slumped academy head and patted his shoulder.
"It's fine. No one could withstand that attack."
Sincere words, not empty comfort.
Even Asion Gail couldn't block Baal's strike.
That required at least 9th circle.
Or beyond.
But.
"...Get off."
He shot me a strange glare and brushed my hand away.
My words offered no solace, apparently.
Ahem, still, no need to embarrass a guy...
The complaint was fleeting.
"Do you know that thing's identity?"
Asion Gail questioned me.
Its identity?
Of course. Likely no one in this world knew it better than I.
"Yes. That was Baal."
"Baal...?"
He echoed in disbelief.
I nodded once; he let out a hollow laugh.
"Hah."
Seemed his first direct encounter with Baal's presence, yet no fear in Asion's eyes.
Instead, an inexplicable fighting spirit burned.
Mages' confidence was sky-high.
Facing the demon race's final boss without flinching.
Not that I could talk.
'...Twice now, huh.'
First, Baal's eye.
Now, one of his arms.
Others might never glimpse him in a lifetime; I'd met him twice already.
Meaning.
'Getting closer.'
I was drawing nearer to him.
Wanted or not.
How to take this?
'No complaints.'
I'd face him eventually anyway.
The first encounter was one thing, but the second left me unscathed.
No, better.
It let me gauge his power indirectly.
And from that gauge.
'Manageable.'
I could handle him.
No impact like the first sight at Aldeon Tower.
No stiffening, no crushing pressure.
I'd grown that much.
Keep this up, and soon I'd face him unfazed.
That moment would be when I truly clashed with him.
Still distant, though.
Priority now was elsewhere.
Ending this damnable war.
"Ready to close the rift?"
I asked Asion Gail, still burning with rivalry.
As one of the strongest forces assigned to the inner sector, he'd have the intel.
As expected.
"Yeah. Surprisingly, the royals put in some effort."
He nodded affirmatively.
"Good to hear?"
Half-relieved.
Our path forward was set.
"Shall we go, then?"
Time to seal the rifts one by one and end the war.