Chapter 600: Jealousy is My Power (100)
Chapter 600: Jealousy is My Power (100)
A world trembles.
It was a barrier that had remained steadfast through thousands of sword strikes and tens of thousands of explosions. It was a spell that had refused to collapse even under the clash of absolute beings whose power defied common sense.
But now, things were different.
The pitch-black earth shattered and crumbled, and in its place, soil and grass began to take root. The shroud that had veiled the sky unraveled, allowing the moon and stars to reveal their elegant forms.
This transformation was not limited to the barrier alone.
Its master, the 'Vampire,' had also lost her mantle of Great Nature. The being who had reigned like an amorphous natural disaster lost her immortality and plummeted to the earth.
In the form of a human.
At first, her face was etched with utter disbelief.
"How... I should have accounted for every force at play...!"
"You're a hard woman to see, 'Jealousy'."
The voice was devoid of emotion, yet its blatant mockery was unmistakable to anyone listening.
The Vampire’s murderous gaze snapped toward the source. A man stood there, his eyes looking profoundly weary.
So, it’s you.
The Vampire thought to herself.
She had calculated every variable. This was the groundwork laid to settle a grudge centuries old. There was no way she would have been careless; the period spent preparing the prosthetic bodies and splitting her soul to transplant into her kin had spanned decades.
Of course, there were unforeseen incidents.
A brat she had never heard of named 'Ian Percus' had begun to run wild like a moth to a flame. She had initially dismissed him as merely lucky, but his existence had increasingly thrown her plans into disarray.
The exposure of the Northern Yurdina family's secret was the first fatal blunder.
In exchange for supporting the Elves' evil cult, the Vampire had been receiving massive transfusions of sacrifices. The hidden hand that had tacitly permitted this was none other than the head of the Yurdina family.
But after Ian Percus headed north, everything changed.
Just when the end of her plan was finally within reach!
Even so, she had composed herself and reviewed the plan countless times. Perhaps Delphirem had recognized her hard work, for he had even provided reinforcements in the form of 'Greed.'
Though it had required some sacrifice to persuade her.
Now, only victory remained.
No other conclusion existed. She had erased every other possibility.
Until another variable appeared.
The Vampire screamed with pure hatred.
"What have you done, 'Pride'...?!"
"Me?"
The question was asked without a hint of inflection.
The Vampire found his very presence to be insufferably brazen. It made her grind her teeth in fury.
"Yes, it could only be you... My plan was sailing smoothly until you suddenly appeared! I thought I could finally avenge a grudge from centuries ago!"
"It seems there's a misunderstanding..."
As the man spoke, he relaxed the hand holding his sword, letting it hang loosely at his side.
At a glance, he exposed dozens of openings. For a split second, the Vampire considered lunging for one of those gaps, but she quickly abandoned the thought.
How many times had she fallen for that deception?
The man was essentially a perfected weapon in human form. Just as the essence of a blade as a tool for harm does not change regardless of where it is placed, he was the same.
He was a being one could not approach without being cut. It made her wonder what kind of life he had led to become an entity so specialized for killing.
Though the man himself seemed utterly uninterested in whatever the Vampire was doing.
"I didn't do anything. At most, I just played with you for a bit."
"Nonsense! Then who on earth...!"
"How should I know?"
It was a dry answer, lacking even a spark of heat.
There was no sign that he was lying, yet the Vampire was certain his words were false. Otherwise, there was no way her plan could have been ruined.
There was only one person capable of overturning this.
The seat of the Seven Deadly Sins, the one who dreamed of being equal to God.
That hybrid monster, born from the ideas of madmen, was the only possibility.
His name was 'Pride.'
To think that a prisoner destined to eventually fall would appear at such a critical moment.
A heated voice leaked through the Vampire's clenched teeth.
"Don't play innocent, 'Pride'... It can only be you. What are you up to? With that much power, you should be close to 'Completion.' Why are you still maintaining your sanity?"
"I wonder."
"You said you couldn't kill me, didn't you? Is that the condition for you to maintain your sanity?"
"Do I have an obligation to tell you?"
No matter how many times they spoke, they went in circles.
A proper dialogue between the man and the Vampire was impossible. Since the Vampire was the only one hurling questions, it was bound to be that way.
The man seemed as devoid of motivation as he was of emotion. Deciding that further questioning was meaningless, the Vampire forced a faint smile.
Right. Is that how it is?
In the end, only one fact mattered.
That man could not kill her. No matter how much he was called 'Pride,' the strongest of the Seven Deadly Sins, it was difficult to fight while burdened by the No-Killing Rule.
Even so, he had consistently demonstrated an overwhelming difference in power.
But that was over now.
The Vampire was a meticulous woman. She had not failed to consider the possibility that every core of the barrier might be destroyed.
She just hadn't expected she would actually have to put this into practice.
The rage of a Vampire who had lost her beloved sister was extraordinary.
The corners of her mouth twisted upward.
"Fine. If that's how you're going to be, I have no choice. 'Pride'..."
Along with her sinister voice, a blood-red mist began to spread. Due to its excessively high concentration, the mana—which should have been colorless and odorless—now possessed both color and scent.
And the scent of killing intent was so intense it made her fingertips tingle.
The man's gaze sank slightly, almost imperceptibly. Though faint, a trace of caution finally flickered in his eyes.
This was clearly different from before.
The eyes of the woman, now buried within the blood-red mist, remained only as blue flames. She had even hidden the silhouette of her own body.
Her burning killing intent flared like a spotlight.
"I'll praise you for destroying the cores of the barrier. My younger sister was the child who received more of my blood than anyone else. In other words, she held the largest portion of my soul..."
"A final struggle, then?"
"Whether it's the 'final' one or not... we'll have to wait and see!"
Immediately after.
Boom! A fist made of smoke shot forward like a cannonball. Though its scale was incomparably smaller than before, its speed was overwhelming.
It was enough to momentarily send the man's body floating as he blocked it.
Of course, the man wasn't one to stand still. His hand struck out like lightning, leaving a sharp sword trajectory, but his silver blade only cut through empty air.
The man's brow furrowed slightly at the bizarre phenomenon. Regardless, the woman lunged out of the blood-red mist, taking the high ground above the man suspended in the air.
Then, a strike.
Thud! With a heavy noise, the torn atmosphere exploded haphazardly. Along with a horrific sound that seemed to scrape the eardrums, the man's body was driven deep into the ground.
The erupting dust and the cracking earth testified to the power of the blow.
Yet, even as he collided with the ground, the man unleashed a sword strike.
Hundreds of lines of sword light raced forth.
The saturation of light was like a net. Threads of death that allowed not even a hair's breadth of an opening.
But even this failed to reach her.
Every time the silver trajectories touched her, the Vampire's body simply dispersed like mist. Until a Single Flash that pierced the heavens was drawn from the spot where the man had fallen, the Vampire did not set foot on the ground.
Flash! Light and mist intertwined. The blood-red rainfall pouring down on the man crumbled like sand swept away by a wave.
By the time the Vampire completed her elegant landing, the man had already stood up with an indifferent face. His nonchalant gaze drifted toward the woman.
"Are you maintaining the barrier by miniaturizing it? It seems you're twisting causality again."
"You guessed right, 'Pride'... Well? Are you going to try using Dragon Blood Runes again?"
The man remained silent, offering no answer.
At that, the Vampire's twisted smile deepened.
The monster let out a chilling laugh.
"Pfft, aha, ahahahaha! Yes, of course... There's no way a mere human could handle the power of a dragon multiple times. Especially five different runes! Half-destroying my barrier was your limit, wasn't it?!"
"You've reconstructed the half-destroyed barrier using yourself as the core."
Despite the man's calm deduction, the woman did not give a clear answer.
In truth, there was no need. His unwavering golden eyes already spoke of his certainty.
The Vampire's expression contorted further.
"...And it's all thanks to you people killing my sister!"
Another explosion.
The woman had merely kicked off the ground, but the earth split open with a roar, creating a ravine amidst the dust. The man raised the flat of his blade to defend once more, but the limitation remained.
Counterattacking was impossible.
In that state, he had no choice but to be pushed back. This was likely the reason for the Vampire's confidence.
The Vampire's voice grew even more heated.
"No matter how strong you are, you're just a hybrid stuffed with whatever secret arts they could find!"
Blood-red claws traced the man's body like flowing water. Each time, his blade blocked their path, but the Vampire continued to increase her speed as if dancing.
Finally, adding rotational force, she delivered a kick that slammed into the sword's surface.
The shockwave he failed to neutralize let out a sonic boom behind his back. As the man's body naturally retreated a couple of steps, the woman lunged again to continue her offensive.
Explosions and sparks erupted.
Like an active volcano preparing to blow.
"The perfection of your techniques is bound to be lacking...! That's why when Mental Imagery clashes with Mental Imagery, you can't compete without resorting to cheap tricks!"
Skreeee!
The man's blade was caught between her crossing claws, creating an unpleasant screeching noise. Amidst the deadlock of strength, the man spoke again in his dry tone.
"You're right. Borrowed Mental Imagery is nothing more than a replica... It's true that it has its limits."
"A pathetic struggle, like a pile of rags."
The Vampire declared with a savage smile.
"Lacking talent but overflowing with spite... Only a being abandoned by the world could possess such unbalanced talent! How many trials have you endured? And how much have you lost?!"
"More than I can count."
"Is that why you joined that ridiculous plan?!"
Advance, then retreat.
Sword and claws swapped positions, maintaining the balance of power. Each time, sparks and noise flew, and the voices of the man and woman intersected.
"But there is no power without a price, 'Pride'... Your fall is already predestined. If you've seen the myths, you know what end awaits those who commit the sin of 'Pride'!"
"Then you must also know. What end awaits those who commit the sin of 'Jealousy'."
Then, a rupture.
The balance that had held for a while shattered, triggering a fierce burst of flames. An exchange that split moments into fragments followed, and the two stepped back a few paces.
Her blue eyes, now chilled to the point of freezing, stared at the man.
A faint denial leaked through her gritted teeth.
"......I am different."
"I'm sure you are... And did you call it 'a pathetic struggle, like a pile of rags'?"
With a faint laugh that might have been a sneer, he took a step forward, claiming a point of advantage.
It was then.
The noisy surroundings fell into a sudden silence.
The blood mist that had been targeting the man with its sinister light settled, and the Vampire, who had been clashing her claws in preparation for the next exchange, froze.
"Struggle, struggle... You're right. But as I kept patching those rags together endlessly, I started to see something."
And slowly, the world began to lose its color.