Chapter 62: Disaster (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 62: Disaster (1)
My heart hammered loudly against my ribs. An emotion of unknown origin surged up to the crown of my head, turning the back of my neck stiff and cold.
A suffocating sensation tightened around my lungs. I twisted my limbs desperately, barely managing to shake off the intangible mana that had been binding my body.
"Cough!"
I braced my hands against the ground and heaved as if I were throwing up my insides. After a few dry retches, I managed to push my upper body up.
Even so, a wave of unconscious revulsion washed over me, and I quickly clamped my hand over my mouth to steady myself.
What the hell is going on? The blood from the corpses had formed a film, cocooning Ray Shan.
And then, this happened.
At first glance, it looked like Ray Shan’s final struggle, but judging by her reaction, this wasn't a situation she had intended. Her expression was that of a dead soul sinking into a bottomless abyss.
I tilted my head up slightly to look at Ray Shan, who was hovering in the air.
It was a bizarre sight—she floated there, arms spread wide to her sides.
The crimson film had risen to just below her ears, dyeing her red.
The light in her eyes was fading, a clear sign that Ray Shan didn't have much time left.
"What... is that?"
My mind was a mess. However—
‘Trace your memories, ☐☐. Even the most trivial, useless-looking fragments can sometimes serve as a mirror to see the future.’
—Why did my first master’s words suddenly come to mind?
I focused my scattered mind amidst the chaos and carefully retraced the situation.
My greatest advantage in living in this world was my memory of playing Miracle Blessing M.
The driving force that allowed me to glimpse the future and prepare for crises that hadn't happened yet was undoubtedly my experience as a player.
I racked my brain quickly.
Even as my skin was chafed by sharp ripples of mana, my body didn't shrink back; instead, I straightened my back and faced the situation head-on.
The fact that I could remain so terrifyingly calm and reflect on the situation even in this life-or-death moment was likely thanks to the 'Blessing of the Sword God.'
At times like this, it really felt like something was watching over and helping me, just as the name 'Blessing' implied. I often wondered if there was an actual entity that had bestowed the 'Blessing of the Sword God' upon me.
After shaking off those idle thoughts, I reviewed the events so far, picking out only the core details from the scenes flashing through my mind like a fast-forwarded film.
The surging agitation subsided, and cold reason settled in my chest. Then, a thought occurred to me, and I muttered it aloud.
"The progression of Half-Human Half-Demon transformation?"
Even if I didn't know for sure, there were only a handful of beings in this world capable of emitting such a heinous aura.
This catastrophe, where space itself was being torn apart and the surroundings seemed to scream.
A sinister torrent, foul enough to bury everything that had happened so far, covered the area.
Compared to this atrocious mana, even the power emitted by the Majin Mermaid felt like the mere flopping of a minnow.
However, from what I remembered, the presentation of the Half-Human Half-Demon transformation wasn't this grand.
Nor did the mana surge enough to warp space like this.
No matter how much a human contracted with a Corps Commander-level demon, a villain was still fundamentally human. One couldn't break through the clearly defined limits of strength just with a single contract. If this wasn't Ray Shan’s own secret technique, and it wasn't the intended progression of the transformation...
...The possibilities narrowed down to one.
The strange magic array drawn with the blood seeping from the scattered corpses, and the dark red film slowly devouring Ray Shan’s entire body.
Using Ray Shan and her members as sacrifices to manifest a Corps Commander-level demon directly.
"...Fuck."
Once I reached a conclusion, my emotions finally caught up. A wave of nausea surged, and a curse tumbled out of my mouth.
This wasn't a metaphor; we were literally fucked. The strength that had risen from my chest seemed to wilt in the face of this desperate situation.
Even now, the mana continued to thicken. Looking up at Ray Shan again, it seemed the moment was imminent. My breath grew increasingly shallow, and the tips of my fingers and toes went beyond tingling to a sharp, stinging pain.
"Damn it—it’s so fucking hard to stay alive."
I let out a breath along with the curse. Gripping the Sashimi sword, which was speckled with blood, I swung the blade to shake off the encroaching emotions.
"Well, I've come this far. What's the worst that can happen? I die."
I couldn't just give up. It was an absurd, unrealistic situation, but I had no choice but to perform one last desperate sword dance.
‘About 9 seconds left.’
I had wasted too much time—41 seconds—slaughtering those Undertaker bastards. I hadn't let my guard down, but who could have known that desperate situations would keep piling up like this?
...If I had known, I would have saved at least five more seconds. Well, there was no point in regretting it now; what was done was done.
I had to hold onto my consciousness. My intuition told me that if I tried to run, I’d die without even putting up a fight. In that case, I might as well try something.
Rumble!
Suddenly, red lightning bolted through the dry clouds. The weight of the air pressed heavily on my shoulders, and even the golden light of Yggdrasil grew dim.
‘Here it comes.’
Then, Ray Shan slowly opened her eyes halfway. Just by looking at those half-lidded, leering eyes, I could tell that the thing before me was no longer Ray Shan.
A long, trailing red glow emanated from them.
Instead of the clothes Ray Shan had been wearing, the melted blood had been woven like silk into the shape of a red dress, thinly veiling her skin.
Just locking eyes with her sent a mental shock that carved into my very bones. It was an indescribable sensation, like being trapped in a nightmare. Despite the courage I had built up through everything I'd faced, fear surged within me.
"Whew."
I exhaled. Even though it was the height of a sweltering early summer, a white mist of breath bloomed and scattered.
Swish.
The feet of 'that thing' touched the ground.
Instantly, the flow of the wind, the current of the stream, and the sounds of life all ceased at once.
A bone-chilling silence settled low over the area.
"Ah..."
It let out a single-syllable sound. Then, it repeatedly clenched and unclenched its palms before breaking into a wide, tearing grin.
"Puhahaha!"
A laugh filled with ecstasy. Even that small exclamation was no different from magic. It was no different from a bug on the ground being crushed by a human’s indifferent footstep.
Hearing that sound, my eardrums ruptured, and blood trickled down my earlobes. I didn't have a hand free to cover my stinging ears. I gripped the Sashimi sword tighter to shake off the terror.
After laughing for a long time, the thing scanned the surroundings and eventually locked eyes with me. Then, a ring formed in its eyes, and it gave me a cheerful wave.
"Hi there, kiddo."
"..."
"Hmm, is that not how you say hello? It’s been 700 years since I’ve been out of the Demon Realm, so I’m not quite sure about human etiquette."
The thing spoke in a seductive voice. It glanced at a few corpses rolling on the ground, then curled its lips into a smirk.
"Did you do this, kid?"
It didn't seem to care about my response and just kept talking to itself.
"Impressive. I suppose the fact that you can look at me and stay sane means you're no ordinary human."
Its voice rang in my ears like tinnitus. Dizziness washed over me, and I blinked hard to snap myself awake. The thing let out a giggle, looking amused.
"Wow, you resisted my mental magic? You really aren't an ordinary kid, are you? How about it—want to make a contract with me? Hmm, looking at your face, you're still a greenhorn, but I think you'll turn out quite nice later."
As it spoke, it flicked its tongue between its red lips. Then, as if remembering something, its eyes flashed.
"Oh, right. I forgot to ask your name. Hmm, humans introduce themselves first, don't they? I'm Agor, commander of the 5th Corps. Nice to meet you! Now then, why don't you tell me your name? I'm a kind master who remembers the names of most of my slaves, dear."
Hearing that name, I swallowed hard.
I had expected it to some extent in that brief moment, but hearing it directly felt surreal, beyond just being strange.
Agor, the ruler of the succubi known as dream demons and the 5th Corps Commander of the Demon King's Army.
A demon who wielded fire-attribute magic, one of the five elements of magic. While her raw combat power didn't stand out among the transcendent Corps Commanders, she was set as the one who handled mental-type magic the best among them.
Actually, saying she "didn't stand out" was relative; the monster itself was nothing short of a natural disaster. She alone could destroy a small nation, so that fact provided no comfort in this situation.
She was a dream demon who moved solely by instinct and desire, using dreams as a catalyst to bewitch humans and feed on their essence.
Although I had quit the game halfway through, she was a succubus full of sex appeal—every man's fantasy—so I had skimmed through her lore on Kkeomuwiki.
"Hehe, this is the first time in 700 years I've personally spoken to someone like this, so consider it an honor. I'll give you the special privilege of becoming my slave, kid."
"..."
Agor playfully lifted the hem of her dress over her thigh and let out a lewd moan. I could feel a dense concentration of mana shaking my inner self.
"After all, don't you humans pretend to be all noble while constantly judging and ranking each other? You kill and inflict pain on one another for your own gain. Instead of that, why not dream a glorious dream with me?"
Agor continued, nudging one of the Undertaker corpses with her toe. Her sultry voice made my mind drift between hallucination and reality by the second.
Yes, come to think of it, Agor was right.
Humans judge and rank others for their own personal gain. The strong take all the benefits and don't share with the weak.
Humans are the kind of race that turns a blind eye to injustice and even starts wars based on calculated interests.
I remembered how my life in my previous world had been shattered in an instant because of my father's debt guarantee.
The bank plastered red seizure notices all over the house, and society stripped my family of any chance to recover.
‘But...’
That sultry voice. No, I swung my blade and cut through the mental magic.
A sensation like something snapping—snap. My mind cleared instantly.
I brushed away unnecessary thoughts and tightened my grip on the sword hilt.
With the resolve to cut through both the magic of temptation and the encroaching fear.
"Oh my, why does it seem like my magic didn't work? That was a higher-tier spell than the last one."
"..."
"Is it because of this lowly body? Honestly, that girl begged me to contract with her, and this is how she performs? How am I supposed to do anything with a host like this? Really."
"Ha, haha."
In front of the muttering Agor, I let out a short, audible laugh.
Agor stared at me in silence for a moment, then tilted her head to the side.
"Did you... just laugh?"
"Yeah. It was funny hearing you spout bullshit for so long."
The moment those words left my mouth, silence descended over the entire area.
A suffocating rage surged in Agor’s eyes.
Honestly, if I wanted to preserve my life for even a moment longer, the right thing to do would be to accept Agor’s offer.
Moreover, my ultimate goal of surviving would be much easier if I sided with the Demon King's Army.
However, this thing was a demon.
And not just any demon, but Agor, the 5th Corps Commander and the Succubus Empress.
A demon who deceived humans with sweet words and sucked their life force dry.
A demon who treated even her own kind like insects—would she really treat me kindly?
Well, I was damn skeptical about that.
She’d probably kill me with a flick of her finger the moment she wasn't in the mood.
If I had to live such a pathetic, subservient life, I’d rather go down fighting.
I solidified my resolve. Then, I wiped the Sashimi sword, which I had unsheathed by about a span, and spoke.
"About that offer to be your slave."
Cling.
Unlike before, a chilling light thinly coated the Sashimi blade.
Why was it that, with death right in front of me, a smirk escaped my lips?
I kept my eyes fixed on Agor and said:
"Fuck off."