Chapter 157
Chapter 157
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 157
Chapter Title: Pact with the Primordial Darkness
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“......”
[......]
No one could easily speak up, and an awkward silence hung in the air.
A suffocating atmosphere.
It wouldn’t be strange if someone launched an attack right then and there.
But the heavier it got, the calmer I kept my mind.
‘This much was expected.’
I figured they’d have come to rescue us from Kazandur by now.
Of course, it was half a gamble.
Bagran cautiously approached me from behind and whispered.
“......We came here because unidentified demonic energy was detected. What the hell is going on? And who’s that black bastard!”
Erebos’s power must have leaked out all the way to the dungeon entrance.
From the way he spoke, Bagran seemed extremely flustered.
Which made sense—he’d naturally assume it was a demon.
Erebos looked much like a hulking human.
The only differences were the pitch-black darkness cloaking his entire body and his elongated limbs.
No wonder Bagran was confused about what to do.
“That thing isn’t a demon. And it’s not emitting any demonic energy.”
“Th-then......?”
“Too complicated to explain right now. It’s a messy one. For now, pull back the soldiers.”
“Pull back? You mean just leave that thing alone?”
I nodded at Bagran’s bewildered question.
“Yeah, it should be fine. It can’t harm me right now.”
I’d already laid out bait he couldn’t refuse.
Just as I’d told Bagran, he couldn’t do anything to me at the moment.
So it was better for everyone else to withdraw.
He couldn’t touch me, but the others were fair game.
‘Even if we fought here, there’s no guarantee we’d win.’
We were much safer than inside the dungeon, but the situation hadn’t really changed.
Even if we all combined our strength, victory wasn’t assured.
And even if we won, the casualties would be massive.
So sending everyone else away—except me—was the right call.
Reading that intent in my eyes,
“......Understood. I’ll trust you, mage.”
Bagran nodded readily and gave the order.
“Everyone, fall back! We’re returning to Kazandur!”
Murmurs rippled through the ranks.
The soldiers whispered at the sudden command, but Bagran issued the retreat order even more firmly.
In the midst of it, he whispered,
“But I’m taking Barundel with us. I can’t expose my nephew to this danger. Understand?”
Taking Barundel......
He’d misunderstood me.
“I meant everyone except me and that guy.”
“......You’re saying you’ll stay here alone?”
“Yeah.”
“......You sure you’ll be okay?”
I couldn’t say for certain.
I didn’t know how my talk with him would end, either.
But even if things went south, it was far better for me to be alone than with others around.
“If I don’t return in three hours...... call for reinforcements. Elves, humans, doesn’t matter. Gather as many as you can and bolster your forces. Then you’ll have a shot at winning.”
“......Damn it!”
Bagran reacted as if he’d just realized how dire the situation was.
But it was only for a moment before he resigned himself.
“......Got it.”
Thud-thud-thud!
The soldiers began retreating swiftly.
Some grabbed their comrades amid the chaos.
“Let’s go.”
“W-wait a second. Go where......?”
“Retreat order.”
“What about him! What about him!”
Their comrades, grasping the situation, started resisting fiercely.
But under Bagran’s command, they were dragged away.
‘......I’ll explain later.’
I ignored them as best I could and refocused on the situation at hand.
Erebos was staring at me with an intrigued expression.
[So, you’re not up to any tricks, then.]
“I don’t lie.”
Step, step.
I slowly walked toward him.
I met his gaze head-on and spoke.
“Curious? About the method I found.”
[......]
Erebos nodded silently.
But I couldn’t just tell him freely.
No such thing as a free lunch in this world.
“Nothing’s free in this world, Erebos.”
[Human, are you toying with me?]
Whoooosh!
Erebos summoned darkness with a fearsome glare.
An overwhelming pressure infused the darkness.
[That information was supposed to be the price for letting you out, wasn’t it?]
“You’re surprisingly shameless.”
[......What did you say?]
“You really think that balances out with me giving you this info? Seriously?”
[......]
Erebos clamped his mouth shut.
He knew it too.
That paltry exchange wouldn’t cut it for this intel.
So I had to squeeze out every last bit I could get.
“This is about taking down Baal himself. You know better than anyone how valuable this is.”
[......Yeah, you’re right.]
“What I’m asking from you is simple.”
[What?]
“You join forces with me. Erebos.”
[......What?]
An unexpected proposal, apparently.
Erebos blinked in shock, then burst into laughter.
[Hahaha! Human, do you even know what that means!]
“Of course.”
Step, step, step.
Swoosh.
I replied lightly and picked up the bag on the ground.
It held our party’s various items—the one Barundel had been carrying until now.
I rummaged through it and pulled out a beige scroll.
‘Good thing I bought this. Didn’t expect to use it so soon.’
I’d purchased it from the black market before leaving Asteron. Its effect was straightforward.
‘Contract scroll.’
Using this scroll made any contract possible.
Lifetime contracts, soul contracts, blood oaths—things nearly impossible in reality.
Even the primordial darkness, Erebos, couldn’t escape its binding.
Erebos must have known about it too, because his face turned deadly serious.
[......You’re serious?]
“Yeah. I want your power, Erebos.”
[The price?]
“Obviously, I’ll enable you to defeat Baal. I know how.”
[How can I trust that?]
“You’ve already confirmed it’s no lie, haven’t you?”
[......]
Erebos fell silent for a moment before speaking.
[Fine, lending my power isn’t hard. But this contract can’t happen.]
“Why not?”
[Because you’re overlooking one key fact, foolish human.]
Ssssh!
Thread-like darkness bloomed from Erebos’s sharp fingertip.
It soon formed a complex magic circle, and his words continued.
[The power of my darkness is something no human can handle. There are rare humans who can, but...... not you.]
“Why not me?”
[Because this power can only be wielded by corrupted humans. Your aura is bright—you can’t wield it.]
Corrupted humans.
I had a rough idea.
‘Like black mages or demon kin.’
Those who honed darkness or demonic energy, building massive resistance to it.
Only they could probably handle Erebos’s darkness......
If so, I wouldn’t back down.
Whoooong!
To prove it, I summoned my mana.
Stronger than ever before.
[......!!]
Shiiiing!
A void of dark space opened in the air before me, and Erebos flinched in surprise.
[Darkness...... magic?]
“Yeah. I’m a 7th-circle mage who wields darkness.”
[This is the power of a mere 7th circle?]
Swoosh.
Erebos reached out toward the spell I’d cast.
My space magic tried to fuse with his darkness, drawn like a magnet.
He spoke in admiration.
[Impressive...... Magic that doesn’t resist my darkness. I thought you were a light wielder?]
“Not wrong. I just use both light and darkness.”
[Hahaha! Wielding opposing magics together? You’re no ordinary human!]
......Not wrong there, either.
How could someone with two mythic traits be ordinary?
Without the [Essence of Light] trait, fully wielding both might’ve been impossible.
Anyway, just as I thought things were going smoothly,
[But it’s not enough. Your darkness is impressive—for human standards. It’s still too weak for mine.]
To prove it, he intensified his own darkness.
Crackle! Crackle!
My space tore apart in fierce resistance.
But I hadn’t gone all out yet, either.
Before it was too late, I swiftly extended the item on my wrist.
Shwoooong!
Mana from the [Lich’s Wand] bolstered the space magic.
The space magic grew stronger bit by bit.
It began accepting Erebos’s darkness.
[That’s...... a corrupted mage’s weapon?]
“Spot on.”
[How is something like that in human hands......?]
“Not important right now.”
Shwoooosh!
I amplified the space magic further and asked Erebos,
“This enough?”
He began scrutinizing my space magic meticulously.
How much time passed?
[......This should work.]
Finally, a positive response.
In simple terms, the contract was now possible.
“I’ll take that as acceptance.”
Before he could change his mind, I quickly drafted the contract.
The terms were straightforward.
Party B, Erebos, shall share the power of darkness with Party A, the human Yoo Han.
In exchange, Party A promises Party B the extermination of ‘Baal.’
And if either party violates the terms, they shall accept annihilation of their existence.
Those were the core clauses.
The scary part was that this was a ‘Pact of Ruin’ scroll, making the terms absolutely binding.
If violated......
‘Annihilation of existence.’
The scroll’s power would erase the violator’s very being.
Even for Erebos.
‘I’ve got no reason to break it anyway.’
The silver lining was our goals aligned.
I’d come all this way to kill Baal, too.
“Swear it, Erebos.”
I handed him the completed pact.
Perhaps because it was irreversible once signed, Erebos was cautious.
[......If I share my power with you, can you really take down Baal?]
“Yeah. Baal dies as you wish, and the demon realm falls into your hands.”
[......And how do you know I want the demon realm?]
“You’re too curious. Always have been.”
[Hah.]
I tossed out a cryptic line to emphasize my mystique, but Erebos didn’t pry further.
Swoosh, swoosh-.
He waved his finger, and darkness etched his name.
Flutter!
He handed the scroll back to me and said,
[The contract is sealed. Contractor.]
Baal’s sole nemesis, the primordial darkness, Erebos.
The moment I gained his power.