Chapter 153: Even the Absolute Being Is a First-Time Dad
Absolute One's First Time Being a Dad Episode 153
Eriel rushed forward like an arrow and delivered a short punch, striking the abdomen of the nearest cyborg unit with all her might.
BANG—!
An explosive sound reverberated through the chamber, deafeningly loud.
A straight punch.
It was nothing more than the most basic and straightforward striking technique—just thrusting a fist forward.
Yet the cyborg, forged from minerals only obtainable beyond the Gates, crumpled like mere tin.
The spot where Eriel's fist landed was deeply dented, as if hollowed out.
Tap.
As she withdrew her fist—now having completely pierced through the cyborg's torso—sparks crackled from the gaping wound, exposing the internal wiring and mechanical components within.
Eriel turned her cold gaze toward Jung Yoon-chan and spoke in an utterly indifferent tone.
"Watch closely."
Yoon-chan's Adam's apple bobbed.
"That was a straight punch."
"Y-yes..."
"The foundation of all martial arts."
She clenched her slender fist.
"Though it shames me to admit, I was a slow learner."
"Huh?"
"My progress was sluggish. It always troubled me."
She had once witnessed, with perfect clarity, the massacre of her entire clan—their eyes gouged out—by humans who had stormed their fortress.
There had been a time when the "eyes" of succubi were wildly popular among the aristocracy of the Anux Continent's social circles.
Their eyes had the unique trait of changing color based on momentary emotions, and the shifting hues were considered exquisitely beautiful.
As a result, succubi eyes—with their vivid pigmentation—were secretly traded at prices far exceeding any gemstone on the continent.
"Gouge their eyes out and kill them!"
A tragedy born of greed.
"Make their deaths as painful as possible!"
"Kill the children in front of their parents!"
"Rip out their nails! Cut out their tongues!"
Among the colors, the most coveted was a deep pink—achieved only when intense agony and indescribable sorrow intertwined.
To achieve this hue, the humans invading the fortress stabbed children to death before their parents and repeated tortures.
"No..."
The young succubus fled in terror.
She stumbled through the underbrush, scrambling back up each time she fell.
"Grab that bitch too!"
At the brink of death—
"You seem troubled. Need help?"
—she encountered a shabbily dressed traveler.
The man who would become her master.
The future emperor who would unite the entire continent.
"P-please..."
At the young succubus's plea, Kang-jun stepped forward.
The humans chasing her became cold corpses in an instant.
Only then did the traveler peer intently into the young succubus's eyes.
"Your eyes..."
Terrified, she squeezed them shut.
Afraid he might covet them too.
But his response, when it came, was unexpected.
"They look so sad."
The young succubus burst into tears.
Not for appraising their value—
But for acknowledging her grief.
"Have anywhere to return to?"
At his question, she shook her head.
Annihilation.
In an instant, she had lost everything.
"Then come with me."
"Huh?"
"I was lonely as a child too."
He ruffled her hair.
"I had my sister, but I was still lonely."
"..."
"Being alone would be worse, wouldn't it?"
That day, the young succubus who lost her clan—
Mardian Sudo Ru Eriel—
pledged herself to Kang-jun.
"Yes, Master."
Trailing after the traveler, she witnessed every historic moment without fail.
The traveler single-handedly toppled the corrupt royal family and ascended the throne...
Within years, wielding absolute power, he unified the continent into a single empire and stood as its emperor.
She wanted to remain by his side forever.
To do that—
She needed overwhelming strength.
"Once,"
Eriel added after her reminiscence,
"I too was like Cadet #1—starved for power."
"Huh?"
"I became empress simply because my clan was annihilated."
Being the sole survivor made her the strongest.
That was all.
Thus, she was undeniably a slow learner.
"I never wanted to lose someone I loved before my eyes again."
"Then..."
"And I wished to be of use to him."
Originally assigned as a high-ranking palace maid, she joined the military division solely to grow stronger.
"Though I was slow..."
She stated flatly,
"I never stopped."
As Eriel murmured while reflecting, another cyborg unit charged—
BOOM—!
With another simple straight punch, she obliterated it in one strike.
The straight punch.
She had spent years obsessively practicing this basic, monotonous motion.
Days and nights repeated.
Seasons changed...
Years passed.
Throwing punch after punch, she felt time's flow through her skin.
Enduring scorching sun, torrential rain, and blizzards, she held her ground.
Silently, she threw punches—again and again.
Until finally—
She grasped the principles embedded in that simple motion.
That day,
Her training—fasting and pushing beyond limits to solidify her foundation—concluded.
"I attained enlightenment..."
Her straight punch transcended into a realm beyond perception.
A demonic state untraceable by sight or sound.
Her punches became tributes to nothingness.
"You asked about 'tricks' earlier?"
"Yes..."
"Remember my answer?"
Yoon-chan replied quietly,
"You said the trick is to not rely on tricks."
Eriel smiled faintly.
"You remembered."
Then added,
"My lack of elaboration then was clearly my oversight."
She clenched both fists tightly.
"To elaborate on that advice—the trick is to not rely on tricks..."
"Yes..."
"Take this as absolute truth—it's from my own experience."
Her tone grew solemn.
"So swing your sword without doubt or hesitation. Keep swinging as days, seasons, and years pass."
She spoke of the state of no-self.
Of relentless effort.
That alone was the answer.
"When you finally come to your senses, you'll see the winding paths you've traversed."
Yoon-chan listened intently, lips pressed tight, as if swallowing scalding stones.
"All achievements are like that."
She added,
"Swing your sword without envying those more talented or doubting yourself."
Her gaze lingered on Dibalde's face.
Having felt the same deprivation as the other ministers...
She knew identity crises came from external, not internal, sources.
"Wow, what a mess..."
Meanwhile, Dibalde sneered while busily examining the wrecked cyborgs with disassembly and analysis spells.
"Just remember—"
Eriel left her final words.
"—never let go of your sword."
Then she moved forward again.
BOOM! BOOM! CRASH—!
Defiantly, she began dismantling the remaining cyborgs with nothing but straight punches.
With each deafening explosion, the units collapsed helplessly...
Like a beast unleashed amidst docile cattle, she rampaged wildly.
Defying the adage that power requires wind-up, she rained down relentless blows...
"H-how—?!"
The small cyborg relaying Doctor Alpha Boom's voice shook its head rapidly, assessing the situation.
Cyborgs made from Gate-exclusive materials were crumpling like tin cans.
No data existed on these intruders.
No...
This defied logic.
How could awakened human strength so easily warp alloys forged from otherworldly minerals?
"Unavoidable, then."
The cyborg pressed a red button on its remote.
"Abandoning the test subjects."
It chose self-destruction.
"In 30 seconds, all cyborgs will detonate, melting everything within kilometers."
A smiley emoticon appeared on its visor.
"The radiation blast will exceed solar temperatures. Even survivors will die from exposure."
A ticking sound emanated from the disabled cyborgs...
"Enjoy the spectacle."
Yoon-chan shouted,
"Alpha Boom—!"
Then urged everyone,
"We must flee!"
Dibalde stepped forward.
"My turn, it seems..."
Mana swirled violently around him.
WHOOSH—!
The surging mana gale shoved the cyborgs aside...
BOOM! CRASH—!
Encasing the units—now glowing red like heated membranes—layer after layer.
"You think paltry barrier magic can stop a mana-catalyzed nuclear blast?!"
Dibalde scoffed.
"How pathetically inferior."
"Huh?"
"Your research is subpar."
Then—the explosion came.
Yet instead of devastation...
There was no sound at all.
Dibalde's multi-layered mana barriers absorbed both blast and noise completely.
Chuckling, he muttered a modified jingle from a recent TV ad.
"Silent comfort."
After a beat—
"Dibalde Barrier."
Then he asked Yoon-chan,
"Why the shocked face?"
"Th-the halo..."
"Stunned by my radiance, I see."
Yoon-chan shook his head, thinking he'd imagined the halo behind Dibalde.
"No, it's real..."
An actual halo shimmered behind him.
Kang-jun smacked Dibalde's head.
"Hey, turn off the light magic."
"Y-yes..."
"I told you to stop that."
Rubbing his head, Dibalde mumbled,
"Got carried away with my moment..."
"Ugh, damn."
"Those trending male-cam lighting effects..."
As Yoon-chan stared bewildered,
Eriel patted his shoulder.
"Cadet #1, focus."
"Huh? Y-yes..."
"Gather evidence, then regroup."
Nodding, Yoon-chan watched Eriel's retreating figure.
Somehow...
Her usually cold silhouette now seemed far warmer.
Then—
Kang-jun murmured upon spotting a pentagram drawn on the lab wall.
"This is..."
The familiar symbol.