A Deep, Ancient Terror

The Demon King's onslaught was playful, as if she were merely toying with a small animal, yet every single strike proved lethal, tormenting us with relentless and spiteful malice.

"Aha haha! Move your feet a little faster! Is that really all you've got?"

With every mocking giggle, blood and torn flesh sprayed into the air, punctuated by someone's strangled scream. The situation was as dire as it could get.

Annus's Authority of Death was an overwhelming power that fused offense and defense into one; both attacking and defending against it demanded a steep toll. So far, we had managed to shield Weller somehow, but if Annus changed her mind—or if this dragged out any longer—someone was inevitably going to die.

"Huff, huff...!"

"Hold on just a little longer, Rebecca! I'll heal you right away!"

In truth, every single fighter on our frontline had already suffered fatal wounds at least once. One had an arm ripped clean off; another watched her leg wither black to the bone; another had her entrails spilled onto the dirt. I was no exception. Barely thirty seconds ago, my hand had been severed and my skull caved in, leaving me teetering on the edge of death. If not for Cecilia, I would have died on the spot and looped back in time.

"Huff, pant...! Damn it!"

Was the black fog's erratic pattern an inherent trait of her authority? It was absurdly broken—forget finding a blind spot or a weakness, you couldn't even formulate a coherent countermeasure. ...Then again, even in the game, Annus's authority was something you had to endure or dodge, never something you broke through head-on.

"Khh...!"

This time, Tsarkhella took the hit to her flank. The moment the black mist brushed past her, her flesh began corroding with a rancid, rotting stench.

[Fall back! Everyone else, fill the gap!]

[Understood!]

To cover Tsarkhella as she retreated with an agonized grimace, I unleashed a flurry of clawed slash waves. Yet the black fog—the very embodiment of death—only hesitated for a fraction of a second before refusing to disperse.

"Aha haha~! Squirming around like little bugs! Hey, tell me—how does it feel right now, huh? How does it feel?"

"Shut your damn mouth!"

I hurled another shockwave toward Annus, who stood beyond the shroud sneering at me, but she parried it with effortless ease.

"Shit...! I didn't want to use this yet...!"

There was only one reason we had been backed into this corner: using the Grimoire of Blasphemy was taking far longer than anticipated. If not ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠for that delay, we would have already slain Annus.

—Need a hand, Kang Han-gil?

"Shut up and just watch!"

—Hmph... You didn't have to swear at me...

After snapping at Rubias as she tried to slip into the fray, I gritted my teeth and channeled my mental voice.

[Arpe! Forced Awakening!]

[Yes! I've been waiting for your word!]

"──! ──!!"

Evidently frustrated by the delay herself, she instantly poured forth a breathtaking, solemn melody.

"Huuup, wheeeew...!"

"Hssss...!"

"Hahahaha! Finally, this is it!"

"Mmhm~?"

As the Forced Awakening elevated the party's very realm of power, a fierce sense of omnipotence surged through us, sharpening our senses to a razor's edge. I was no different, though fortunately, I managed to hold my ground without yielding control to the authority like before. It had been a razor-thin line, but the enlightenment I'd gained while forging the Domain of the Beast seemed to have paid off.

"What's this? Your aura changed all of a sudden?"

"Graaaagh!!"

Instead of answering her, I answered with a five-pronged ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠slash.

"That again? It didn't even work before, haven't you gotten sick of—"

Splaash!

Annus's torso was cleaved clean through mid-sentence. Flesh shredded away, and blood erupted like a fountain.

"...Heh~?"

A look of mild bewilderment crossed her face as she stared blankly down at her mangled body.

"Where are you looking, Annus?!"

"Die!"

In that split second, seven Masters unleashed their weapons upon Annus in unison. Rebecca and Cacciola's incomplete Mind Swords, Muriel and Nemeth's surprise strikes bursting from the shadows, Wendy's Mind Sword condensed with divine power, Latipi's blindingly fast arrows, and Tsarkhella's crackling lightning. Masses of flesh and blood scattered in every direction.

"Oh my? Mmh...! Argh, honestly! You're being such a nuisance!"

Even as she was slashed, impaled, and scorched—her entire body torn to shreds—Annus merely exhaled demonic energy and the Authority of Death as if swatting away a pesky fly. Pitch-black fog erupted simultaneously in every direction. No matter how much stronger the Forced Awakening had made them, the fog of death remained lethal; they had no choice but to retreat.

"Kh...!"

"Damn it! Isn't that totally cheating?!"

Forced to pull back just when they had seized momentum, Cacciola and Tsarkhella ground their teeth in sheer frustration.

[Keep calm! Forget about killing the Demon King! As long as we stall for time, victory is ours!]

Upon receiving my telepathic command, the girls, who looked ready to charge back in at any moment, checked their footing and drew steady, measured breaths.

"Mmm~! I don't know what you did, but everyone got stronger! Is it because of that singing girl over there? Take this!"

Annus turned toward Arpe and unleashed a massive wave of black fog, but Mind Swords, arrows, lightning, and claw slashes shredded it to pieces in an instant.

"Woah~?! Now that really is surprising! Getting this strong in the blink of an eye—it's almost scary!"

Smirking mockingly, she circled us with light steps, sizing us up with calculating eyes, before a cruel gleam flashed across her gaze.

"Then that means I can hit you harder, right? To be honest, holding back so you wouldn't die was getting pretty exhausting, so this works out great! Besides, it's about time one or two of you dropped dead anyway."

"...What?"

"Here I come! If you don't block this properly, you're going to die!"

Fwooooosh!

"...!?"

My heart sank into my stomach at the sight of the dense fog newly billowing from her body. Every instinct screamed in frantic terror. This was on an entirely different level from anything she had unleashed so far. A mere brush against it would mean instant death.

"Focus all your firepower!!"

A sense of impending doom so violent it made my limbs shake drove me to roar aloud, completely forgetting to use telepathy.

"Kgh...!"

"Haaaaah!"

"Yaaaah!"

Though they might not have perceived it with the same clarity I did, their elevated realm allowed them to recognize the lethal danger. Each woman poured every ounce of strength into an attack that severed the atmosphere. This wasn't a metaphor or an exaggeration. They literally cleaved through space itself, tearing into the black fog.

"Kyaaagh...?!"

"Aargh...!"

Yet just as a mortal cannot part the sea with bare hands, the black mist, cleaved or not, surged silently forward and swept over us all.

"...!!"

This was fatal. Knowing by raw instinct that this strike would claim lives, I reached inside my coat and whipped out the artifact I had kept tucked away. A scroll-shaped relic radiating a dark crimson light. The Shroud of Sacrifice. An artifact that could transfer my damage to registered targets, or transfer registered targets' damage onto myself.

"...Ghhk...?!"

The moment I activated the relic without hesitation, an indescribable sensation began putting me to sleep in real time. ...Yes, that was the only way to describe it. As if countless power switches were being flicked off one by one, my body and mind began shutting down sequentially into darkness. Yet the process was anything but peaceful. It came with an agony so excruciating I couldn't even force out a scream.

"...Sir-gil!"

"Han...!"

"...Wake u...!"

Distant voices echoed faintly in my ears. But they broke up into fragments, and even if I heard them, my cognitive faculties were decaying from the edges inward, leaving me unable to comprehend words.

"Ah..."

My mouth fell open under the unbearable torment. I tried desperately to keep my balance, but my vision flickered, blurring out of focus. Before I knew it, I had collapsed face-first into the dirt, all strength drained from my limbs. I could feel death drawing near. As the dark, clammy shroud enveloped me inch by inch, body and soul were driven toward their end, sucked into a deep, hollow abyss.

"...Wake up! Sir Han-gil!"

"...Hah?!"

At the sharp, tear-choked voice, I jerked upright as if snapping out of a nightmare.

"Huff, gasp...? Wh-what... What happened...?"

Shaking off the lingering blur in my vision, I strained my eyes and saw Cecilia looking up at me, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Cecilia...? Why are you crying... Huh?"

Something kept twinkling below my line of sight. Looking down, I saw the necklace around her neck shedding a faint, radiant glow. It was her legendary relic, the Holy Divinity of Early Dawn.

"...Ah?"

Only then did I realize what had just happened. Feeling the color drain from my face, I scrambled to my feet.

"You used God's Miracle?! Why the hell would you do that?!"

"I-I didn't have a choice! It was too dangerous! Everyone almost died!"

"Kh... Damn it!"

God's Miracle was one of our trump cards; I never expected we'd have to burn it against Annus.

"...How long was I out?"

"About thirty seconds!"

"Really? Thank God it wasn't long... And the situation..."

Turning my head, I saw Annus running wild across the battlefield while the rest of the party barely held on.

"Still a complete disaster... Urgh!"

"Y-You're going back in right away?!"

"Do I have a choice? Thanks for saving me, Cecilia. I'll treat you to something delicious later."

"...Yes! Please come back alive!"

"Right..."

With a wry chuckle, I reactivated my Shamanic Ritual Tattoos and summoned my divine authority, clicking my tongue with a heavy sigh. My authority was nearly depleted.

...Did it absorb the damage in my place? Maybe the only reason I'm still breathing is because ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of that authority...

KABOOM!

Kicking off the ground, I pushed back the bloodied Wendy and Tsarkhella before unleashing another claw slash.

"Thank you, Sir Han-gil! Are you unharmed?!"

"I'm fine, just go get healed!"

"Thanks, husband! I thought I was a goner!"

Sending Wendy and Tsarkhella to the rear, I dispersed the black mist. Beyond it, Annus emerged with a giggle.

"Aha haha~! You're alive? What a relief! You scared me, I really thought you were dead! If you had died right then, I would have been so disappointed—I haven't even given you a real taste of despair yet!"

"......"

"Hey, hey! How did it feel to experience death? Was it nice?"

"...It was the worst."

"Right? That's what it feels like for me all the time! Honestly, living is so exhausting, it's such a pain!"

"...Then why don't you just die?"

"Ahaha! I can't do that! I want to live! I want to be happy! I want to find peace! That's why—yep! I'm going to make you realize just how horrible your precious life really is. Watching you crumble in despair will give me a little more motivation to keep on living!"

"Whew..."

Just as I was about to sigh, a thread of telepathy flickered across my mind. It was finally finished. A few minutes that had truly felt like several agonizing hours.

"...Unfortunately, you won't be getting the chance."

"Hmm~? What's that supposed to mean?"

"While you were busy messing around, our preparations wrapped up."

"Hmph~? Do you have another little trump card up your sleeve? Aha haha! You know, the higher your hopes, the harder you fall. Are you sure you're ready for that?"

The moment Annus sneered ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in mockery, a bone-chilling presence crept up from behind, sending shivers down my spine.

Immediately following that brief chant, something invisible seeped from the Grimoire of Blasphemy Weller held open and permeated Annus's body. It was an unavoidable phenomenon, akin to a 'buff' or a 'curse' that bypassed evasion entirely. Like a fundamental law of the world, or like fate itself, it was a phenomenon beyond dodging or shielding.

"Hmph~? What kind of cheap trick is this supposed to be? Trying to weaken me or curse me? Too bad! That kind of thing doesn't work on—"

The leisurely smirk on Annus's face froze solid in the very next instant.

"...Huh?"

In that brief, bewildered murmur—a mix of confusion and dismay—one could feel the deep, ancient terror she had kept buried so far down inside.