The Shadow of Greed
Terrified by the thought that he would be killed by him, he begged for his life. If there was any consolation, it was that he hadn't managed to finish his sentence before—
"Look at you, barking from behind like a dog with its tail between its legs."
It was likely because Rozamy had intervened at just the right moment.
"Shut up!"
Blinded by rage, Domian could no longer see straight.
Whoosh!
He swung a fist even at Rozamy, his supposed savior.
Swish!
Evading his attack with surprising agility, Rozamy raised her right hand.
Flash!
"Aaargh!"
Once again, the master's brand exerted its power, crushing Domian's body.
"A dog that cannot even perform a simple task, now baring its teeth at its master. You truly are a useless wretch!"
From the very beginning, she had harbored no good feelings toward Domian. As if venting a deep-seated grudge from long ago, Rozamy's voice rang out sharp and shrill.
"Grrr! Every single one of you... I'll kill you all!"
Having completely lost the dignity of a Hero, Domian thrashed wildly, attempting to resist the power of the brand.
"Hmph."
Rumble!
"Aaargh!"
But under the weight of the brand pressing down even harder, he ultimately failed to resist and fell helplessly to his knees once more.
"Aaargh!"
As he writhed in agony, blood trickling from his eyes, ears, and mouth, Rozamy showed him not a shred of mercy.
"It would be better for you to just disappear. You are utterly worthless. To think you couldn't even land a single blow."
Rumble!
"Gah!"
His entire body crushed under the pressure, the agonizing Domian shed tears once again.
Why... why me?!
He was the one who had once monopolized all the glory. How had he ended up in such a miserable state?
Money, fame, power, women! He was the Hero of the Goddess who had possessed everything one could ever want. So why, of all things, did this happen to him?
"Lupinus! That wretched bitch!"
Failing to realize that his own corruption had caused him to lose everything, he directed all his resentment toward her.
"I actually feel sorry for Lupinus."
Rozamy's face contorted with even greater disgust, realizing she had come to pity the enemy goddess.
"S-Spare me..."
Unable to bear the agony any longer, Domian begged her for his life once more.
"You truly are the absolute worst."
A creature unworthy of even being spoken to!
"I'll end this now!"
Just as Rozamy extended her right hand a bit further, intending to finish him off for good—
Flash!
At that moment, a ripple ran through the black portal.
"Master!"
Rozamy immediately ceased her attack on Domian and hurriedly fell to her knees.
"Cough! Wheeze!"
Released from her assault, Domian gasped desperately for breath.
...I'll kill them all.
He had always been a twisted individual, but now he seemed completely out of his mind.
As Rozamy cast a look of utter loathing and contempt at his figure, which was consumed by hatred and rage—
Her master's voice drifted out, laced with deep amusement.
"He wasn't even a match for him."
At those words, the black portal rippled violently once more.
Rozamy flinched the moment she heard that name.
"S-Slender Forearms is..."
She desperately wanted to explain that Slender Forearms' real name was Lim Yunjae, but her master gave her no opening.
"I-I am well aware, Master! But if he is an opponent as powerful as a Demon King or higher, we have no immediate solution!"
Hearing her master repeatedly utter the name "Slender Forearms" in that terrifyingly grave and solemn voice was pure torture. Rozamy watched for an opportunity, eager to correct him.
"Well, actually..."
Just as she opened her mouth, her master cut her off.
Ah...!
Having missed her chance yet again, she hung her head low.
"W-What might that way be?"
She wanted nothing more than to correct the name to Lim Yunjae, but she couldn't very well interrupt her master while he was speaking.
Meanwhile, the black portal called out to Domian.
"..."
Perhaps thanks to the power of Megrun's Armor, his physical wounds had already healed. However, judging by his expression and the look in his eyes, he was no longer the Hero of the past.
A dark light erupted from the black portal, washing over his face, which was twisted with nothing but hatred and rage.
Flash!
"Aaargh!"
As Domian writhed in agony under the light, the black portal spoke in a chilling voice.
"Ugh! Stop! Please stop! I beg of you!"
He had already hit rock bottom. As if pride were a luxury he could no longer afford, he cast everything aside.
"Master!"
The former Hero had just sworn fealty to his former enemy.
"..."
Rozamy watched the scene with a hardened expression. She had never imagined he could be this weak and treacherous. A truly despicable man!
As the master's voice echoed once more, Rozamy let out a deep sigh.
"Whew... Dammit."
Everything else was fine, but why did it have to be Slender Forearms? The atmosphere was incredibly oppressive and serious, but the moment that name was uttered, all the tension evaporated, leaving behind a bizarre sense of incongruity. She wanted to correct it to Lim Yunjae right this instant, but now was definitely not the time to butt in.
"I will do anything! Anything, as long as I can slaughter that cancerous bastard, Slender Forearms! Anything!"
Even Domian, consumed by his hatred after being utterly crushed by Yunjae, didn't seem to care about the ridiculousness of the name.
...Am I the only sane one here?
While Rozamy let out a helpless sigh, feeling completely out of the loop—
It seemed her master intended to use Domian to clear the obstacles in their path. And with good reason—the Great Demon Kings, who were far more powerful than ordinary Demon Kings, were already busy ruling their respective worlds, and summoning them properly took far too much time.
Although Lupinus had collapsed three times in a row, it wasn't as if they had gained nothing. Realizing that beings of Demon King rank or higher took an immense amount of time to traverse parallel dimensions, she had distributed 'abilities' to humans to buy time. As a result, there were even instances where humans defeated Demon Kings with their own strength, without the help of a Hero.
Therefore, rather than summoning a Great Demon King, her master seemed intent on using Domian, who was already at the level of a Demon King, to eliminate them all.
In exchange for power, he was ordered to eliminate the obstacles: Slender Forearms and the Goddess Lupinus!
"It is exactly what I desire!"
Ironically, the moment his deepest wish was granted, Domian's eyes gleamed with even greater intensity. What could be better than destroying Slender Forearms, the cancerous bastard who had humiliated him, and Lupinus, who had abandoned him to create that monster and reduce him to this miserable state!
"But instead of killing that wretched traitor Lupinus, may I keep her as my slave? I want to make her taste utter humiliation and shame!"
At those words, Rozamy's face contorted even further. The traitor wasn't Lupinus; it was Domian. Drunk on power, he had ignored the goddess and acted as he pleased, only to blame her for his defeat and lay all the fault at her feet.
Clench.
Disgusted by his sheer hypocrisy, Rozamy clenched her fists tightly.
In truth, the goddess herself was no threat. The problem was that she possessed the world created by the Creator, and through it, she could create a Hero—a 'risk' that could eventually overturn the situation.
"Thank you, Master!"
As Domian bowed his head in gratitude, the black portal rippled.
Domian flinched and stared at the black portal. Was he truly supposed to dive back into that unfathomable abyss? As he hesitated, remembering the excruciating pain of being consumed by the darkness, the black portal rippled once more.