Chapter 190: The True Demon Eye
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 190: The True Demon Eye
Survival is a primal instinct that humanity has harbored since the dawn of time.
Not just humans, but any living creature naturally desires to survive, or at the very least, sows its seeds for the prosperity of its species. Yet, even that is merely an extension of survival—hoping that one's offspring will survive and carry on one's legacy.
Survival is forged into life through the continuous cycle of struggling to stay alive. The selfishness of believing 'I must live, even if I have to claw at others' is the most correct form of evolution when it comes to survival. At least, that was what Choi Seol-ah believed.
'Choi Seol-ah, why did you become a villain?'
Her lord had suddenly asked her that once.
'In a way, villains are even worse than those demons, you know? At least the demons are usually cautious to avoid starting a war, but you villains wear human faces while hurting other humans.'
'But isn't that true for normal humans who aren't villains, too? Besides, I didn't rip people off that much, so it's fine...'
Sliiide.
'I'm sorry!'
'Forget it. It's in the past, and it'd be petty of me to hold a grudge now. So, what made you become a villain?'
'Honestly, there wasn't any special reason. I just thought it would help me live longer and better than others?'
'What kind of bullshit is that? How does becoming a villain mean living longer and better?'
'If you're strong, you won't get beaten to death by anyone. Villains wield magic, which makes them vastly stronger than ordinary people! I gave up early on because I don't have a speck of talent for blessings or combat, hehe.'
'You... have a strangely good sense of self-awareness. Let me change the question, then. Is there a reason you want to live so long that you'd go as far as becoming a villain? Even if it means throwing away your humanity?'
At Kang Geomma's question, Choi Seol-ah blinked like a goldfish. She asked back with a look of genuine confusion.
'Does there need to be a reason to want to live a long, good life? From the moment we're born, "I don't want to die!" is the default setting, isn't it?'
'Hey, there's still a line you don't cross. You should try to live well without harming others. But you live without caring about any of that. Though, honestly, I'm not really in a position to lecture you...'
Faces flashed through Kang Geomma's mind—the victims of his Sashimi. Of course, he was different from Choi Seol-ah. Every single one of them had been a cancer on society who deserved to die.
'Anyway, you're not a villain anymore, so start living like a decent human being. Actually, now that I think about it, aren't you an instructor at Joaquin Academy? The very person supposed to raise heroes—the epitome of self-sacrifice—was on the exact opposite side?'
'Oh, come on~ Self-sacrifice? In this day and age? My lord, you're such a romantic~'
'Self-sacrifice? I don't expect anything like that from you. Just please live with some basic human dignity. You're not a villain anymore; you're just an ordinary human. Live like a person.'
'Yes, sir! But I think I've said this before, you're really good with words, my lord. Are you sure you're not on your second life or something? Sometimes I get the illusion that I'm talking to an old man...'
Sliiide.
'I'm sorry.'
* * *
The faint memory shattered and scattered, just like Choi Seol-ah's body. Because the petrification had reached the crown of her head right before she hit the ground, there was no pain.
Her physical bullet tore through the darkness, racing forward. Still, the rain of meteors poured down. However, the magic bullet veered past the meteors as if guided by a will of its own.
Piercing through the deafening explosions, the bullet finally struck its target—the retina of the left Demon Eye. A clean hit. A direct strike.
"Aaaaargh!"
The Basilisk clutched his left eye and screamed. Even as an S-rank magical beast, he still took damage from a bullet infused with magic power.
If anything, the fact that he got away with losing only an eye was proof of his monstrous nature. Had he been an ordinary magical beast, his head would have exploded on the spot like a hand grenade.
"You wretched human! How dare a mere bite-sized prey wound me!"
The beast thrashed and rolled on the ground in a frenzy. The lava and debris on the road bounced like popcorn. At the same time, the torrential downpour of meteors finally ceased.
A bizarre silence descended over the area, which had melted into a reddish glow. The Basilisk was still screaming something at the top of his lungs, but...
〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓
His head spun. He felt nauseous, as if seasick, and a dull ringing echoed inside his skull. Was it because the earth's axis had been thrown into disarray by the relentless bombardment of meteors? No, it didn't seem to be just that. He was someone who never suffered from motion sickness.
He couldn't hear anything. Ah, of course. This silence was because the white noise had blocked out everything from the outside.
Kang Geomma took a step forward. He wasn't walking toward the beast, but toward the stone fragments scattered a few paces ahead.
Step.
He stopped. The rock was completely shattered, unrecognizable. Only the artificial curves remained as a trace that this had once been a human being.
"..."
Choi Seol-ah had died as stone. Paradoxically, it was when she turned into a statue that she had harbored her most human emotions. Kang Geomma looked down at her demise and muttered,
"I told you I didn't expect self-sacrifice from you. Why did you have to go and do that at the very end..."
A faint note of scolding lingered in his voice. He didn't mean it; it was just his own self-deprecating monologue. He instinctively reached out to pick up a piece, but hesitated. A babbling voice had filtered into his ears.
"Foolish hu■an b■stard! Lowly and stupid! Your sacrifice was in vain. Look! Though I have lost my left Demon Eye, thanks to your energy, I have finally! I have reached that realm!"
The Basilisk cackled like a clown. Through his hollow left eye socket, the scenery behind him was visible. Yet, his face was filled with absolute ecstasy.
"Miss Boradori!"
Meanwhile, Hon, who had deactivated her dragon transformation, landed next to Kang Geomma. She collapsed powerlessly in front of Choi Seol-ah, sharp stone fragments digging into her pale knees.
"Y-you can't die here like this. Please, please..."
Hon tried to gather Choi Seol-ah's remains as if embracing her. A human body is full of curves, leaving many gaps. She desperately tried to scoop Choi Seol-ah up with her clawed hands, but the fragments slipped through the gaps of her fingers. No matter how much she tried to gather them, more kept spilling out.
"N-no. No..."
Hon tried several more times, her face smeared with tears and snot. Soon, her slender arms fell limp. A profound sense of loss spread through her eyes.
Watching his sister wallow in despair, the Basilisk licked his lips with his pointed tongue. Most of the dark scales on his skin had peeled away, revealing the flesh beneath.
"This human was filled with both magic power and humanity, making her incredibly delicious. Thanks to her, just one was enough. My sister, Hontail. How can a demon weep for a human? Your tears are proof that dragons are weaklings."
He sneered, mocking Hon. The entire area was in complete ruins. The atmosphere fluctuated between a thin sheet of ice and a fiery hell.
A wicked smile deepened on the serpent's lips.
"At this moment, I, the Basilisk, shall cast off the stigma of the 'unclean serpent' along with my shed skin! This is the moment that proves my clan was wrong and I was right. I am by no means inferior!"
Crack...!
Soon, the outer membrane split open, and a human figure tore through the shed skin and stepped out. Unlike his previous grotesque form, he now looked human. Yet, his appearance was still deeply uncanny.
Bloodless skin, and a Demon Eye swirling with a streak of madness. Black steam billowed from his skin, wrapping around him like armor. It was a sinister energy so dark it seemed to swallow light itself.
The Basilisk raised his palms and examined them, then caressed his face. The soft texture of skin. Dazed for a moment, an exclamation escaped his lips.
"Ah... finally."
The Basilisk looked back toward Hon. The light in his eyes was no longer that of a magical beast. Having feasted on a human and evolved, he had acquired a new name. He declared,
"I am the one who will dye the world in evil."
The serpent that tempted the first ancient down the path of depravity. Because of it, humanity reached the forbidden fruit of original sin.
"Alduin."
The Black Dragon, Alduin, swept his gaze around with sunken eyes. His Evil Eye of Petrification gleamed transparently.
The emotions that had been churning inside him just a few seconds ago were now as calm as still water.
An existence outside the boundary of 'survival' knows no fear, sadness, joy, disgust, or anger. All of those are the exclusive domain of mortals. They do not apply to a transcendent being.
He felt no craving for recognition, nor any anger over losing his left Demon Eye.
There was only the single-minded focus to sweep them away as quickly as possible and swallow the world. And he could feel a strength worthy of that goal coursing through his body.
Indeed, his strength was now comparable to a Corps Commander. Kang Geomma had to agree with this. The bastard had truly broken through his limits.
Step.
Alduin slowly stepped forward, approaching the two. Black filth decayed the ground wherever he passed. Following his footsteps, the entire surrounding area turned into a sticky, swamp-like mire.
"Human, it seems my sister has caused you a great deal of trouble."
His voice was bizarre—emotionless, yet laced with a hint of laughter. However, it was filled with a greed that seemed ready to burst at any moment.
"Therefore, I shall personally punish my sister's sins with death. Do not worry. After I send her off, I will send you along as well."
"..."
"However, for the crime of mocking me, I shall savor your agony until you beg for death—"
Before he could finish his sentence, Hon stood up. Her bloodless, pale lips trembled violently. She felt a chill that went beyond mere fright, freezing her to the bone.
A wave of exhaustion washed over her. It was the aftermath of casting magic by squeezing out every last drop of her magic power.
But even so, she couldn't just sit there and wait for death. Hon bit her lower lip hard.
Just then, she felt a sudden weight on her shoulder. It was Kang Geomma's hand.
"Hon, you told me before, 'You've returned,' didn't you?"
"...?"
He spoke, his gaze fixed on Alduin. However, the meaning of his words and the timing of them felt somewhat out of place.
Of course it did. Because only he could see this.
Flash!
[You have acquired the third fragment of 【???】, 'Reincarnation of Ouroboros, Hontail'.]
[You can use this power exactly once.]
[However, there is a high probability that causality will be distorted as a consequence. The caster must bear all responsibility.]
[Would you like to use it? (Y/N)]
·
·
·
Kang Geomma averted his gaze from the enemy and turned it toward Hon. With a strange expression, he continued speaking.
"If the possessor of this power has reincarnated, then it's not entirely impossible."
Kang Geomma offered a reassuring smile to the despondent Hon. Hon, who had been staring up blankly, suddenly widened her eyes as large as lanterns. Inside his black pupils, a golden ring had appeared, spinning like a wheel.
"T-that eye!"
At that moment, the ring of light accelerated continuously, soon emitting an intense flash. Her mind was bleached white, just like that light.
Ruuuumble.
A roaring sound echoed, as if a massive earthquake had struck. In reality, the ground wasn't shaking. Yet, a sight far more unbelievable than that was unfolding.
"What is happening...?"
The anomaly began at Hon's feet first. Feeling something brush against her foot, she looked down. The fragments of Choi Seol-ah that she had desperately tried to gather floated up into the air, assembling themselves in three dimensions like a puzzle.
Alduin was horrified. He immediately scanned his surroundings. The meteors embedded in the walls, the ground, and everywhere else surged upward. The fireballs returned to where they had originated, vanishing as if sucked into a single point. Even for a transcendent being who had purged his emotions, this bizarre phenomenon was hard to believe.
The results that had already occurred were suspended, and the process was dismantled and rewound.
"...N-no, what is this?!"
There was another anomaly. The Basilisk was feeling distinct emotions. Terror and fear.
Why? He should have shed all such things upon becoming a transcendent being. The Basilisk scanned his body with wide, tearing eyes, and soon realized the reason.
The scattered scales clung back onto his skin one by one. The shed skin began to wrap around his entire body like bandages.
The Basilisk instinctively realized that his immense power and authority were being plundered in real-time.
Suddenly straightening his staggering upper body, the Basilisk cried out in sheer dismay.
"Y-you...!"
"¡ouy ,uoY"
"Huh?"
"¿uH"
The serpent's face turned completely pale. Kang Geomma watched him, then opened his mouth. His chilling voice echoed in the serpent's mind as if in a continuous loop.
"Your time will loop eternally from the moment you stand in now."
"...!"
"¡..."
"Well, even if I say this, you probably won't understand. Simply put, you are trapped in an eternal cycle of death. To make it even easier to understand, the 'result' of your death has already been decided."
Kang Geomma spoke calmly as he flicked his scabbard. Even though the entire space warped in a disorienting blur, the brilliance of his blade remained sharp and clear.
"But it would be a shame to send you straight to the afterlife just like this."
Kang Geomma spun his Sashimi before gripping it firmly. His calm eyes transformed into dark, smoldering embers.
"I will kill you over and over, until you beg me to let you die."