The Price of a Ruined Life
"Don't make me laugh!"
Infuriated by the truth—that he had never once cleared the High-Tier Zone—Gainax swung his demonic sword, Dycun, once more. A flash of light erupted with a destructive force that shook the very earth, but at that exact moment, Yunjae's Slaida began to strike back, bathed in a crimson glow.
"Aaargh!"
Gainax had regenerated his previous wounds in an instant, but the sheer weight of this current onslaught was on an entirely different level.
"Y-you bastard!"
Desperate to block the relentless, blindingly fast strikes of Slaida, Gainax raised Dycun. Yet, as if it were a living organism, Slaida dipped fluidly beneath his guard and sliced across Gainax's flesh!
"Control is everything when it comes to Slaida!"
The demonic sword Slaida brooked no defense. As the crimson light flared with increasing intensity, Yunjae's relentless strikes tore Gainax's body to shreds, carving deep wounds at a terrifying speed.
At this rate, I'll be destroyed!
"Hyaaa!"
Gainax slammed Dycun into the ground, unleashing a massive shockwave of raw mana and holy energy in all directions. No matter how fast Yunjae was, an omnidirectional blast would be impossible to dodge!
"Ah! I'm terribly sorry, but basic patterns like that don't work on me."
Yet, before the blast could touch him, Yunjae had already leaped high into the air. As if he had anticipated the move perfectly, he floated completely out of Gainax's attack range.
"I've dealt with this far too many times."
Swinging Slaida once more, Yunjae split Gainax's head clean down the middle!
"Aaargh!"
Though it was a fatal blow, Gainax did not die. He writhed in agony, his split head presenting a truly grotesque spectacle.
"You son of a bitch!" screaming savagely through his bifurcated face, Gainax swung Dycun at Yunjae once more.
"It doesn't matter how hard you swing if you can't hit me."
It wasn't just a matter of high stats. Having been a child idol, a traditional Korean dancer, and a b-boy in his youth, Yunjae's natural reflexes were vastly superior to those of ordinary people. Back then, he had secured a spot in the finals of the French World B-Boy Championship just six months after picking up the dance style. He was a man of immense, innate talent.
Moreover, in the all-too-familiar world of Mamon Saga, utilizing Blood-stained Soul was the only hunting method that still gave him a genuine thrill!
"Gah!"
Thus, opponents like Gainax or Domian, who relied solely on raw stats and simple, brute-force patterns, stood absolutely no chance against him. Even with identical stats, a battle is decided by control. When Yunjae not only possessed overwhelming stats but also vastly superior control, the outcome was a foregone conclusion.
"Keheg!"
His throat pierced straight through by Slaida, Gainax glared with pure, unadulterated rage. How could someone with such a ridiculous username as Slender Forearms floating above his head be this monstrously powerful?
"Lupinus! That treacherous bitch...!"
At that exact moment, Yunjae twisted Slaida and sliced upward, splitting Gainax's newly regenerated head in half once again.
"I have a question. Why do you and Mr. Domian hate Lady Lupinus so much?" Yunjae asked calmly, even as he continued to utterly dominate the Great Demon King.
"Because that goddamn bitch ruined my life!"
Realizing he would be slowly chipped away to nothing at this rate, Gainax summoned every ounce of his remaining strength and swung Dycun.
"If it weren't for her, my life would have—!"
Thanks to his exceptional movement, Yunjae rarely took hits, and even when he did, they were almost always registered as a MISS. This time, willingly taking a minor blow, he slipped behind Gainax and drove Slaida deep into the back of his neck.
"Gah!"
"But I don't think much would have changed," Yunjae said. Perhaps under the influence of the Blood-stained Soul skill, his voice sounded remarkably cold and detached. "In the end, you chose this path yourself."
"Shut up...!"
Writhing in pain from Yunjae's relentless targeting of his neck, Gainax swung Dycun wildly.
"I was dragged here against my will! Forced!"
At that moment, Yunjae drove his fist straight into Gainax's face. Gainax was sent flying, crashing heavily into the fortress walls of the Holy City Elysha. Looking down at him, Yunjae spoke with a stern, unyielding voice.
"And did you not receive compensation? You grew drunk on that power, ruled over others, and were ultimately defeated. Do you truly believe that gives you the right to destroy other people and their worlds without a second thought? Is that your justification for becoming a monster?"
Stop making excuses. At the cold authority in his voice,
"What do you know?! A brat like you knows nothing!" Gainax spat out a mouthful of blood as he struggled to his feet. "Those ungrateful, arrogant trash who didn't even know their place when I showed them mercy! Lupinus, who dumped everything on me and whined despite her own incompetence! And an enemy I couldn't possibly defeat! What choice did I ever have?!"
At his desperate cry of having been pushed to the brink without any options, Yunjae refused to accept such excuses.
"You could have at least died as a human! No matter if it was a fabricated world and we were worshipped by fabricated people, we saved those worlds time and time again! We helped those people!"
Even if they were just NPCs, within the world of Mamon Saga, Yunjae had always been a savior and a hero. Yet this man had chosen to become a Great Demon King, trampling and slaughtering actual living beings!
"And now, you have utterly destroyed Mia's world! Every single bit of it!"
When Yunjae pointed out that his current path was undeniably wrong, Gainax's face contorted with rage.
"Shut up! Shut your mouth! I only wanted compensation for my lost life, for my stolen time!"
This was a justified choice! Hearing his desperate scream, Yunjae let out a heavy sigh.
"I see now why Lady Lupinus and Rosamy were so worried. They were afraid that I, too, would break and end up like you."
"You know nothing! You don't know a damn thing about how filthy and twisted this world is!"
At that moment, black flames erupted from Gainax's body. "I'll show you my true power!"
The black flames split the ground and spread in all directions, shaking the earth with an incredibly oppressive aura. It seemed as though Gainax, rather than Yunjae, might accidentally tear the falling continent of Elysium apart before it even reached Earth.
"This is the end!"
Gainax charged at Yunjae once more, swinging Dycun. The blade, now completely enveloped in black flames, bore no trace of the holy energy that had once marked him as a hero of the past.
"I may never fully understand how you felt, Mr. Dodorian..."
One Flash (일섬)
In that split second, Yunjae transformed into a streak of crimson light. He bypassed Gainax at a blinding speed, and with a single stroke of Slaida, severed the Great Demon King's head from his shoulders.
A massive, deep crimson scar was carved into the ground where he had passed, as if a violent tempest had swept through.
"I already know very well how filthy and twisted the world can be," Yunjae replied, his expression cold.
Meanwhile, his status window suddenly flashed, showing that his HP had been depleted to almost nothing.
HP: Critical Depletion
Blood-stained Soul Active: Damage Amplified by 4,300%
Having consumed nearly all of his health to amplify his damage by approximately 4,300%, combined with the 1,200% physical attack power of One Flash, even the Great Demon King Gainax could not withstand the blow.
"As expected, reality is a bit easier than the game."
If this had been the game, the fight would have dragged on for hours. Perhaps the fact that he had leveled up at the very last moment, making him several times stronger than before, had contributed to this swift conclusion.
"...But still, it isn't right. Blaming everyone else for your own suffering, and using that as an excuse to rule over them as you please." Yunjae muttered to himself, his voice carrying a strange, hollow dryness.
At that moment, the earth began to shake violently once more.
"Ah!"
With Gainax's demise, the descent of Elysium had accelerated even further!
"If all of this was planned..."
There had to be someone orchestrating this from somewhere on this continent! But now was not the time to worry about that. His priority was to regroup with Rosamy, Akemi, and Mia to ensure their safety. Sensing the energy of Rosamy, whom he had tamed, Yunjae turned his gaze toward their destination.
"Ashubal!"
"What in the world..."
Having arrived at Ashubal ahead of Yunjae, Rosamy, Akemi, and Mia stood frozen in utter shock at the sight before them. They had moved quickly after hearing that survivors were gathered there under the protection of a tamed monster, but...
"How could this be?"
What awaited them was the horrific ruin of Ashubal Castle.
"Why has it turned out like this?"
Yunjae had assured them there were survivors in Ashubal. But looking at the freshly collapsed castle walls and the burning houses, it seemed impossible that anyone could have survived.
"No... this can't be..."
Mia, in particular, looked completely devastated. She had clung to the hope that at least some of her people had survived here! Refusing to believe her eyes, tears streaming down her face, she ran toward the ruins of Ashubal.
"Please, anyone!"
She didn't care if they weren't Elves like her—she just desperately prayed that someone, anyone, was still alive!
"Mia! Be careful! Don't just run in like—"
Rosamy tried to stop the frantic Elf, but she couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence. Who could possibly remain calm after witnessing the complete destruction of the world they were meant to protect?
"This is too cruel! How could they?!"
Hearing Mia's heartbreaking cries, Akemi and Rosamy followed close behind, their eyes welling with tears.
"There might still be enemies nearby. We have to be careful."
"Right!"
Well-versed in group operations from her time in the guild, Akemi used her teleportation to instantly close the distance and stay by Mia's side. Left slightly behind, Rosamy surveyed the surroundings once more.
...This definitely happened just moments ago.
Almost all the monsters had been waiting in ambush for Yunjae, and Ashubal, the final sanctuary for Elysium's survivors, had been laid to waste just before their arrival.
"The only one capable of doing this is..."
At that exact moment, a sharp, agonizing pain pierced through Rosamy's back. Her eyes widened in shock.
"Cough!"
Before she could even react, a silver-haired girl grabbed a handful of Rosamy's blue hair as she coughed up blood, pulling her head back to whisper in her ear.
"A messenger who can traverse dimensions, of course."
Meeting the gaze of those giggling purple eyes, Rosamy's face contorted in disbelief.
"W-why...?"
The eye color was different, but the face was undeniably familiar. It was the exact image of her own past self, before she had ever met Mamon—back when she had silver hair and pale emerald eyes!
Looking down at the utterly shell-shocked Rosamy, the girl offered a bright, cheerful smile. She slowly drew out the dagger that had pierced Rosamy's back and raised it once more.
"There's no need for you to know. You're about to die anyway."
It wasn't just a resemblance; they looked identical. Shaken far more by this revelation than the severe wound in her back, Rosamy grit her teeth as the knife descended toward her throat.
She didn't know if any survivors remained in Ashubal, but for the sake of getting Akemi and Mia out of here safely, she could not afford to fall here.
"Ngh!"
Drawing upon the self-defense techniques she had learned during her days as a Saintess, Rosamy ducked forward and threw the girl over her shoulder!
"Your strikes lack weight. It must hurt a lot, Sister."
But the girl had already anticipated the move. She twisted her body mid-air and landed gracefully on her feet like a cat.
Thud!
"Urgh...!"
Following up instantly, the girl drove her knee hard into Rosamy's abdomen, leaving Rosamy clutching her stomach, unable to move.
"Traitors must die, right?"
The knife lunged ruthlessly toward Rosamy's throat once more!
"Hah!"
In the nick of time, Akemi materialized behind the silver-haired girl and delivered a sharp kick.
"Tsk, a pest has arrived!"
"Wh-what?! How?!"
Akemi, who had rushed back upon hearing Rosamy's scream, stared in utter bewilderment at the girl's face, which was an exact replica of Rosamy's.
"You sure have a lot of questions for someone about to die."
A purple light erupted from the girl's hand.
"Ngh!"
But Akemi was a teleporter. The moment she saw the light, she vanished.
"You're the one who...!"
Seizing the opening, Rosamy unleashed a bolt of blue light toward the girl.
However, the girl casually opened a portal right in front of her, redirecting Rosamy's attack to some distant location!
"Stop being so annoying, you dying pests!"
Dozens of purple spheres materialized in the air around the girl.
As they began to rain down, Rosamy desperately tried to throw herself out of the way, but—
"Ah...!"
The wound in her back was far more severe than she had realized.
"Rosamy!"
Teleporting back in, Akemi grabbed the severely wounded, immobile Rosamy and vanished from the spot in an instant.
"That is incredibly annoying," the silver-haired girl muttered, her brow furrowing as she summoned another cluster of purple spheres. A teleportation ability that allowed instantaneous evasion without even needing a portal!
"Tsk..."
Yet, no matter how fast teleportation was, it still required a split-second preparatory motion. It was impossible to move faster than the speed of light.
"...Ow."
"Akemi!"
Though she had successfully pulled Rosamy into the ruins of Ashubal to hide, Akemi hadn't been able to dodge the blast entirely. Her leg was badly injured.
"Who on earth is she? Why does she have the exact same face as you, Rosamy?"
But far greater than the physical pain was the sheer, mind-boggling confusion of seeing someone who looked identical to Rosamy.