Before Fear (Part 4)
Before Fear (Part 4)
While the two Demon Gods and the strongest knight engaged in battle, Melanie and Lili could only watch from a distance.
A torrent of brilliant light and heat, like the sun, swept through the ruins, igniting flames and stirring up storms.
Black waves poured out like a flood, swallowing that light and quelling the heat.
Each time the sharp threads flashed crimson, walls and pillars were cleanly severed as if space itself was being carved out.
Even though Melanie and Lili had also Awakened, it was impossible to intervene amidst the collision of such immense powers.
"Melanie...... Will you really become that strong someday too?"
"W-well. I don't know about winning, but to a level where a fight is even possible......"
In Sephemo's story, Lancelot maintains his position as humanity's strongest for almost the entire duration.
Before the Renewal, the protagonist, after countless sacrifices and a near-miraculous reversal, barely manages to defeat the Demon God Avaritia.
Lancelot was driving such an Avaritia into a corner one-on-one, and was even now holding his ground with Luxuria intervening.
"Damn it! Damn it!"
"Haa, haa......!"
Lancelot's sword could no longer emit its sun-like brilliant light.
Avaritia was also breathing heavily, barely standing behind Luxuria.
In contrast, Luxuria still had a relatively large amount of power remaining.
>
"Finally, the moment to erase this mind-shattering Distortion has come!"
As Luxuria spread her arms, crimson flashes erupted everywhere.
Like hundreds or thousands of swordsmen swinging their blades simultaneously, the Lust Demon's Red Threads tore through everything in a storm.
The already shattered fragments crumbled like sandcastles swept away by a wave.
"Aaaaaaaah!!!!"
Utterly exhausted, Lancelot couldn't evade the attack and screamed a throat-tearing shriek, writhing in pain.
His limbs were torn off, and a red liquid gushed out like a fountain.
Luxuria twitched her finger to deliver the final blow.
A blade woven from sharp red threads fell upon Lancelot's neck like a massive guillotine.
Kuuuwoooong!!!!
"Gguuaaaaaah!!!!"
A dust storm enveloped the surroundings, and beyond it, Lancelot's scream echoed.
Hearing that sound, Luxuria's eyes shook violently.
If his neck had been properly severed, such a scream shouldn't be possible.
Luxuria recalled the time when Melanie killed Yeppi.
How the kobold, with unbelievable vitality, had endured Melanie's attacks and, with tremendous strength, had instead inflicted serious injury on Melanie.
"How annoying......!"
Luxuria moved her Red Threads, indiscriminately slashing through the dust cloud.
No matter how tough this Lancelot fellow was, he should have been turned into mincemeat by now.
But no matter how much she attacked, an uneasy feeling wouldn't fade.
"It huuuurts so baaaaad——!!!!"
"Ugh?!"
Luxuria covered her ears with both hands.
A monstrous roar, loud enough to tear the Goddess's eardrums, drove the dust cloud away, revealing Lancelot.
But it was not the figure of the composed, handsome knight, sweeping back his flowing hair.
A neck half-severed and dangling, hair matted with blood like a clump of rice cake, eyes bloodshot.
From the limbs severed by Luxuria, grotesque, black masses of flesh sprouted out instead of human arms and legs.
"Wh-what is that? Are you saying that monster is human?"
"I-I don't know. Even before, when eliminating kobolds that caused <Distortion>, they transformed into such bizarre forms."
A form so distorted it even baffled the Demon Gods.
With a squelching sound, Lancelot's eyeballs rolled.
"Avaritia! Be careful! He's probably much stronger than before——"
Before Luxuria could finish her sentence, Lancelot was already before them.
Ignoring the flesh being torn by the Red Threads and the skin being flayed by the black waves.
Lancelot swung the black mass of flesh where his arm should be, and the blow struck Avaritia directly in the side.
"Keuheuk......?!"
"I said it huuuurts——!!!!"
Avaritia's slender body was flung away helplessly by the overwhelming force.
Her body crashed through a wall, collapsing it, and was buried in the debris.
"Avaritia?!"
"That biiiiiitch——!!!!"
Lancelot left Luxuria alone and dashed off somewhere else.
Melanie saw his eyes fixed directly on her.
It was a speed she could absolutely not avoid.
【Black Swamp's Fang】
Black mud formed, transforming into the shape of an alligator's maw.
The maw, swollen to a size capable of shredding a human body, bit down on Lancelot with all its crushing force.
But those fangs could not pierce Lancelot's hide.
"Wh-what is so damn hard?!"
"I am the protagonist of this world!!!! Not some weak-ass bitch like yoooooou!!!!"
"Melanie!"
Just as Lancelot reached Melanie and raised a fist made of black flesh,
Lili stepped in front to protect Melanie, but someone else intervened, pushing Lili aside.
Kwaaaaang!!!!
"Ayeuk?!"
Even though Lancelot's punch was blocked, the mere shockwave caused Melanie to lose her balance and fly backward, crashing down.
Quickly getting up, Melanie checked what had happened in front of her.
"Luxuria?!"
"Goddess-nim?!"
"Cough......!"
Luxuria was standing before Lancelot.
She had bound Lancelot's body tightly with Red Threads to restrict his movement, but her own body was also caught in Lancelot's grip.
"You fool! He was just fighting two Demon Gods! How could someone like you possibly withstand..."
Wudududuk......!
"Keuheuk......!"
Lancelot's fist swelled grotesquely, tendons squirming.
A sound of something breaking echoed from Luxuria's compressed body, and blood gushed from her mouth.
"Luxuria!"
"Da, dammit...... Why won't you die......!"
Luxuria's Red Threads were digging into Lancelot's dangling neck.
But Lancelot's neck showed no intention of separating from his torso.
"That bitch is just an observer watching my story! In my story, I'm the coolest, so I should be the protagonist!"
"What the hell are you babbling about......! Keuhuk!"
"Get away from the Goddess-nim, you monster!"
Lili climbed onto Lancelot's body and began pulling on his neck with all her might.
【Black Swamp's Calamity】
Melanie also summoned a swarm of locusts made of black mud, making them gnaw at the nape of Lancelot's neck.
"My story isn't over yet! The reason I was born this strong, the tearful memories with my deceased first love, the achievements of defeating famous powerful Demonkin, the hidden special abilities others don't have, and the true goal I've never revealed to anyone..."
"Cough......! How absurd......! For a hastily made-up character, what's with all this..."
"Shut up!"
Wudududuk......!
"A, ugh......!"
As more force was added to Lancelot's fist, Luxuria suffered to the point she could barely keep her eyes open.
Blood continuously flowing from the corner of her mouth, Luxuria barely managed to turn her head toward Melanie.
"Me, Melanie, run awaaaay......!"
"What......?"
"If I lose, consciousness, he will, break free from these, restraints......."
It wouldn't be strange for Melanie to run away, leaving Luxuria behind.
An evil Demon God who had raped Melanie to her heart's content and toyed with her mind to the brink of becoming a wreck.
Yet, for some reason, Melanie couldn't bring herself to leave.
"S-since when did you worry about me! Just, just hold on until that bastard dies! Once that bastard is dead, someone that ridiculously strong won't appear for a while!"
"You're one to talk, you were the one who kept opposing killing Lancelot..."
"W-well, that's true, but you dying here would also distort the story! And no matter how much I hate you...... I hate the idea of things going wrong because of some bastard who wasn't even in the original story more!"
"Ha, haha...... I feel similarly...... No matter how repulsive you are, I can't let my toy be taken by this disgusting monstrosity...... Ugh......!"
Luxuria vomited a massive amount of blood.
Her internal organs were a mess, and she was nearing her limit.
"Haa, haa......! If you won't run, then at least try to cut that bastard's neck......!"
"I-I'm trying......!"
"Let the Goddess-nim go!"
"Gguuaaaaaah——!!!!"
"Ugh......!"
At Lancelot's thunderous scream, the three women felt their minds might leave them.
They could see his neck slowly coming apart.
Even Yeppi had transformed into such a monster, but she ultimately vanished once her head was completely separated.
They needed to completely sever the head from the body before Luxuria lost consciousness.
"If just one more person, just one more person was here, it might be enough......! Where is Avaritia?!"
"Avaritia is at her limit...... She was already severely injured, she can't move anymore......"
Wudududuk......!
"Ka, hak......!"
This time she really almost lost consciousness, but Luxuria somehow endured.
As Melanie said, it really seemed like just one more person's strength would do it.
If even half of Lili's strength was added, they could kill Lancelot before Luxuria passed out.
"Haha, for a Demon God like me to desire someone's help this much......!"
But knowing it was impossible, Luxuria let out a self-deprecating laugh.
Every Demonkin and human in these ruins had all died within the very scheme Luxuria herself had orchestrated.
Who would possibly appear in such a situation to help a Demon God?
"Melanie, perhaps you should run away after all——"
Just as Luxuria was slowly closing her eyes, about to let her fading consciousness drift away,
A shadow swiftly passed by right next to her.
"What......?"
Melanie also stared wide-eyed at the woman climbing onto Lancelot's body.
The Empire's Female Knight with short blue hair, whom she thought she'd never see again.
Pia grabbed onto Lili's body and began pulling on Lancelot's head together.
"Gguu......! Just die......! You pervert......!"
"Wh-why! Why is a Female Knight attacking me?! All the Female Knights love me! They shouldn't even be able to imagine anyone cooler than meeeee......!"
Snap!
Luxuria's Red Threads stretched taut.
The swarm of black mud insects, having gnawed away all the flesh, scattered.
Lili and Pia lost their balance and fell.
Lancelot's head, flying through the air, stared at Pia with eyes wide in disbelief and horror.
His body began to disperse like smoke, vanishing.
The Empire's strongest knight disappeared without a trace, as if he had never existed in the first place.