Cain's Fall into Pandemonium
Cain scowled at Sirayunsul's razor-sharp tongue. Above all, the sight of her strolling toward him leisurely, blocking his demonic energy with a single finger, burned the thought "I can't win" into his mind.
...He didn't know what had happened, but when he opened his eyes, power surged through him. The burning desire to ravage the woman before him like a dog hadn't changed. She was just overwhelmingly strong. He had no memory after arriving in Kalia Rune. It must have been this dark power that turned him into what he was now. Strength had come to someone like him, who had never fought before. But then the words of the woman who called herself Sirayunsul reached him.
"Swinging around power beyond your station when you don't even know how to fight..."
"Shut up."
"What's the difference between that and a toddler just learning to walk trying to run a thousand ri?"
"...I can't help it!"
Yeah, he couldn't help it. He was weak. Because he was weak, everything would be forgiven. ...Was he really going to run away again, thinking like that?
Think, Cain.
The second son with no talent. He hadn't put in any effort either. So he'd had no choice but to escape reality. Now he had power. He needed to figure out how to use it. He channeled the sticky, blazing desire into his hands.
Whoosh.
Thick demonic energy that could incinerate even the highest-ranking exorcists gathered in Cain's palms. The red eyes unique to the Valenos family sank into murky darkness. Red vein-like tattoos coiled around his dark elf gray skin, weaving like spiderwebs and emitting light.
"Putting up a desperate struggle, huh."
"If I don't want to die, I have to do something."
"Oh, Cain. If you'd lived with that mindset before falling, Kadan wouldn't have had to grieve so much."
Golden holy power surged fiercely along her brown hair and into her arms. Explosive force enveloped the exorcist branch office. Cain's demonic energy and Sirayunsul's holy power clashed in a tense standoff.
"I told you. Better to die easy than suffer. That's best for everyone, Cain."
"I didn't do anything! I just woke up like this!"
Cain felt wronged. He'd only awakened from a deep sleep. Yet the woman trying to kill him pinned everything on him.
"That's the problem—being a nuisance. Hey, you little shit. Wouldn't it have been great if you'd just stayed asleep? Look at your brothers suffering in the north. While you were clueless and sleeping, Rowen fought a war to reclaim his home."
"I can't fight!"
"Because you never tried."
"...This isn't getting through. For real!"
"Who are you to talk!"
Bam!
Cain unleashed the fists cloaked in demonic energy at Sirayunsul. Rat-a-tat-tat! Indiscriminate barrages. Vicious demonic energy traced countless curves with his swift arm swings. The black energy looked like ink. Like smearing ink from a brush mindlessly across a blank canvas. Cain, who had never fought before, couldn't control his own power.
But.
"That all you got?"
Sirayunsul still blocked it all with one finger. The quality of his demonic energy matched her holy power. He'd give him points for that. But that was it. Would punches from someone without real combat experience hurt? Especially against the East's top boxer, Sirayunsul? Cain was a moron. If a powerhouse was in front of you, running was the smart choice. Betting on nonexistent hope and fighting was foolish. Yeah, Cain was still a stupid little shit.
He closed in and hammered more punches. Sirayunsul looked fed up at Cain's approach. She yawned and glanced at Lucius.
"Lucius. Even after this, is that Cain the one you knew?"
"...No."
"Right? He was a dumbass, but he didn't have the guts for shit like this."
That meant.
"He wasn't the kind of moron to lose his head to power and charge like this. At least he used to think things through."
"...."
"So it's fine to kill him, right? If you're the only one suffering here, everyone else is safe."
"...What do I tell Miyabi, Karin, and Rowen?"
"That's on you. I'm just making the choice for the East. Besides, Rowen—that bastard—hates Cain anyway. He won't care much."
Rat-a-tat-tat! The demonic barrage intensified. Her body... just a tiny bit... was pushed back. Was it because Rowen's name came up? Memories of always being compared to that illegitimate bastard flooded back. The demonic energy in his hands thickened. Swiftly. Pouring his all into every step. Rat-a-tat-tat-tat!
"...?"
That was the moment Sirayunsul's eyes changed.
*
[Cain]
It pissed him off. He'd only woken from a long sleep, yet countless people treated him like an enemy. He hadn't done anything wrong—just woken up. They said he'd burned this building and killed exorcists. Did that even make sense? The power stirring deep inside felt the same as the flames consuming everything around him. Did he deserve this treatment for that alone?
...Fuck. The curse slipped out.
So.
He decided to just kill them. He knew he couldn't win. But his crimson-black energy matched her holy power in output. If he could just get a bit more used to it, maybe he could win?
...He felt stupid for even thinking that.
"Desperately lashing out because you want to die, huh? Fine, I'll kill you, Cain."
"...Gahk!"
Compression. Sirayunsul yanked the air. Compressed air pressure shot from her fist and soon crushed his body. His organs compressed. He felt nausea from the sickening sensation of his body crumpling, too queasy to even retch. He'd thought he'd gained the upper hand with those demonic barrages moments ago. Not only did she block everything with one finger, now she showed him a realm beyond wind pressure—air pressure pinning him down. Was this really human? Her presence was overwhelming. The terror etched into his brain from one attack was enough to make his body tremble.
"Lucius..."
The emperor who'd abandoned his father and fled. That guy hesitated to kill him. Sirayunsul and Lucius seemed like master and disciple. If he took Lucius hostage, maybe he could survive? It wasn't running. It was struggling to live. His head didn't get it, but his body did. As if the ground was part of him. Whoosh, he became a shadow and instantly moved behind Lucius's back.
"Cain...?"
"Sorry, Lucius. She's the bad one. I'm not..."
"...Yeah, you're not bad."
Sirayunsul shouted.
"Lucius, have you lost your mind?!"
"I'm fine. But I can't kill him myself."
"You dumbass—!"
"That's why."
"...Huh?"
Lucius kicked him at supersonic speed. It hurt. Not out of hate, but genuine regret. A contradiction. No such disgusting contradiction should exist. Stunned into a dumb expression, he ended up caught by Sirayunsul.
"...Oh?"
"I can't kill Cain. I can't break my promise to Kadan. So, Sirayunsul, I'm asking you."
"Tch, shoulda said that from the start."
Sirayunsul reached out. He bent at the waist to dodge the fist. He tried to turn to shadow to escape her grasp, but.
Thud!
Sirayunsul smashed her fist into the ground at her feet, catching him. He couldn't evade.
"Gurk! ...Lucius, you're betraying me?"
"Not betrayal. Just putting you out of your misery."
"...If Mother finds out!"
"Miyabi will hate me. But you going around killing people hurts her more."
Lucius's sorrowful expression stabbed deep into his heart.
*
Lucius knew. Sirayunsul knew too. They knew his mutation was mixed with injustice. They understood, but reality demanded death as the answer. They'd done everything for two years to halt the demonic erosion. But who could've known the demonic seed would bloom in that split-second lapse? With no cure for the erosion, everyone felt the same frustration.
"...No."
He couldn't win. He had to run. The voice from within sounded just like his childhood self.
Running again?
Like always, no talent, no strength—so running was all he could do?
Vicious self-loathing surged. Yet Cain chose to run. But there was nowhere to go.
"Sorry, Cain."
"...Lucius...!"
"I did my best."
"'Did my best' again to console yourself! Was that your mindset when you abandoned Father and ran?"
"...Yeah. Back then too. 'I had no choice.'"
Cain slapped away Sirayunsul's arm. His will to live, desire, greed responded. Crimson light crept up. Soon, the power of his mind unlocked.
Fwoosh—
Like Muron's demonic hand, the red force suppressed Sirayunsul's holy power. It freed Cain. Yet Sirayunsul still stood before him.
"Cheap tricks won't work. Die."
One strike. A straight beam of light pierced Cain's gut.
"...No impact?"
"That's far enough."
Sirayunsul swiftly backstepped and looked up. Someone had nullified her single blow. Right before her eyes. Masks weeping blood. The cult worshiping the King of Greed, Barbatos. The demon cult. At the center, a seductive woman caressed her black mask while stroking Cain's cheek.
"Let go—let me go!"
"Stay still. We're on your side."
"...My side?"
Behind her bewitching smile.
Sirayunsul's compressed air strike shot out. She lightly grabbed a masked follower as a meat shield.
Boom—!
A round shockwave erased his organs. His torso was gouged out circularly.
"...The demon cult making a move. So it was you who planted the demonic seed in Cain?"
"And if it was?"
"I'll kill you."
Boom!
Fists crossed. No one blocked Sirayunsul's punch. So she was just as surprised.
"Heh, so this is the branch chief of the exorcist branch I've only heard rumors about? Stings a bit. But just 'a bit,' for a moment."
"...Lucius, block them!"
"No use."
Black tentacles. Sticky and repulsive, they bound Lucius. He maxed out Rosmerta's power, slicing the trash trying to restrain him. At the same time, he kicked off the air toward her. But.
"Where?!"
Numerous followers blocked her path, sealing Lucius's route. He stepped through the air multiple times, but they read his moves like a book, blocking every entry.
"Who the hell are you!"
"Young emperor. You can't approach Lady Lucretia."
"...Lucretia? That woman's name, I take it."
Whoosh—!
He kicked the air and spun. They read his movement and shifted formation. Ominous shields laced with demonic energy blocked Lucius's pure white sword. Unquenchable flames even against incantations. Lucius was repelled.
As Lucius struggled.
Cain, escaped from death's door, marveled.
"...Whoa."
He sighed. Had he ever seen such a stunning figure? His already rampaging greed eroded him, reigniting old desires. The woman knew it too, licking her lips as she eyed him.
"Looks like you need a place to go?"
"...Yeah."
"Hehe, love that look in your eyes. So, wanna come with us?"
"Sorry to Mother, but I'd just be a burden now."
"...Oh? Grown a bit?"
"What?"
"Nothing."
The tall woman swiped her hand, and a round gate appeared in the air. A dark door to Pandemonium. Hell's gate, home to hellish ghosts, demons, fiends—called many names, the lair of magic and evil.
"Come on."
"...What's beyond that door?"
"Our king."
"...Whatever. Better than dying by Lucius's hand."
One step. Cain stepped toward the gate to Pandemonium.
"Cain! Come back!"
"Why? So you can kill me, Lucius?"
"...I'll find a way to bring you back."
"What way? You tried to kill the guy who just woke up like this, and now you're playing nice?"
Grind.
Cain gnashed his teeth.
"That's called a contradiction."
"...Cain."
"Tell that illegitimate bastard, Lucius. Tell him the motherless prick shouldn't strut around so much."
"Cain!"
"I don't like it... A bastard like you..."
Rumble...!
"Wait!"
Lucius charged at the closing gate. But they blocked his path again. Then...
"Sirayunsul, forgive me!"
"...Lucius. You don't mean?!"
"I have a favor. Meet the King of the North. Tell him—"
"Tell him what, you idiot!"
"The alliance—"
Rumble—!
Intense holy yin-yang power rose behind Lucius. He beheaded the blockers and—
the gate closed.
*
The air was murky. That murk felt just right for breathing. Cain unleashed his demonic energy to protect his body. Dark air. Red earth. The demon lands reeking of corpses. It didn't take long for Cain to guess where he was. The ground he stood on was the Bloodlands. Pandemonium.
"...Hehe, you followed after all?"
"You told me to."
"True."
"So. Where are you taking me?"
Hehe. Lucretia flashed a sultry, lewd smile. At the same time, she snatched a leaping lesser demon with one hand and crushed its skull. Black blood splattered her face instantly. Without wiping it, calmly. Her voice, laced with madness enough to inspire terror, said,
"To the Demon King."
At the same moment, a twisted laugh bloomed on Cain's lips.
And.
"You followed, huh?"
"...Lucius."