Choice and Resolve
Choice and Resolve
The once noisy basement had sunk into silence.
Instead of screams and wails, only intermittent gasping breaths could be heard.
Gaf wiped away sweat as he caught his breath.
“That bastard really resisted to the end. Just wasted more of my strength.”
At his feet lay a young man, collapsed with foam at the mouth.
The youth's limbs occasionally convulsed, and his pupils had completely lost focus.
The Imp shouted loudly.
“This was even better! Thanks to him, I really enjoyed myself!”
The Imp had grown slightly in size. Its limbs had become much longer. It had fed on the human screams and agony.
Gaf’s gaze shifted to the Imp. A murderous glint began to rise in his eyes.
“Shut that filthy mouth. We didn’t do this for your pleasure.”
He despised demons more than anyone. He still remembered the ones who had taken the lives of his wife and comrades.
“How dare you speak like that to the Right Hand of the End!”
Before the Imp could even finish its sentence, Gaf suddenly lunged forward and kicked it hard.
Thwack!
The small furball flew into a pile of books, sending up a cloud of dust.
Gaf marched toward it with heavy steps.
Johan clicked his tongue and said,
“Don’t waste your energy on pointless things. Just finish putting the collar on.”
Gaf stopped in his tracks. He glared at the Imp for a moment, then let out a long sigh.
“Do we really have to do this?”
Johan frowned.
“I told you, didn’t I? Without the collar, that vermin can’t be brought into the rift.”
Anyone other than Johan needed to wear a collar to enter the rift.
Gaf shook his head.
“That’s not what I meant. I’m asking if it’s really necessary to reclaim your demon body.”
Right now, Johan had a choice. He could continue living as a human like he was now, or return to being a half-demon. It was one or the other.
Which was the right decision? He’d pondered it countless times, but no clear answer existed.
Inmalog brought cruel endings to both demons and humans. Regardless of how one lived, the destination was always ruin.
To survive, he had to rewrite the ending itself.
And in designing that new ending, he had to choose which side—human or half-demon—gave him the advantage.
Johan finally spoke.
“I need White Horn. I can’t abandon it.”
He had already made his decision.
To live as a half-demon.
Whether it was the right choice, he didn’t know. He simply chose to trust his own judgment.
Gaf’s voice deepened.
“I’d like to hear your reason.”
“I have no way to explain it. And I’m not confident I could convince you.”
“…Is that so.”
Gaf began fastening the collar around the young man’s neck. His expression was calm, but there was a hint of bitterness in his eyes.
Illea, who had been watching, spoke up.
“Father, Johan always does his best. I think this choice is part of that.”
Gaf didn’t respond.
Raguel spoke carefully.
“Well, I’m not sure I get it all, but… Johan isn’t just any demon. I’m sure he has reasons he can’t talk about, or ones that are hard to explain. That’s what I think, at least.”
Gaf sighed softly.
“Must be nice, having so many people speak for you. You’ve got them all enchanted.”
Johan shrugged.
“Guess I’m talented. As a demon.”
“Yeah, who could be more fitting as a demon than you? Now you just need to reclaim your body.”
The collar had been secured around the youth.
The preparations for the living sacrifice were complete.
Now, all that remained was to enter the rift and activate the Heretic Array.
Once Johan put on his gold-rimmed outer goggles, the hidden rift revealed itself.
Johan looked at Gaf and said,
“Don’t be so grumpy. You think I want to live as a half-demon? Like Raguel said, there are things I can’t talk about.”
“Of course.”
“You’ll understand someday. I’ll be off now.”
Johan grabbed the young man’s collar and reached toward the rift.
In an instant, his form vanished.
***
『 First, do not open your eyes. 』
『 Second, do not remove the outer goggles. 』
『 Third, do not ask any questions. 』
The rules pounded into Johan’s mind.
‘Still feels disgusting.’
The verbal command spell that dug into his brain worked like a kind of brainwashing, forcing his behavior.
Johan felt such repulsion that it made his skin crawl. The reality that he had no choice but to accept these commands filled him with a deep sense of helplessness.
If he met that bastard again someday, he would never allow this nonsense to continue.
“Welcome. It’s been a week. Have you been well?”
The moment Johan heard Ganis’ voice, he was overwhelmed by the urge to bombard him with questions. There was so much he wanted to know. But the rules prevented him from asking anything.
He had to use his wits.
Johan opened his mouth.
“Don’t pretend. You watched it all unfold.”
Previously, Ganis had spoken as if he were observing Johan’s daily life.
If that were true, it was an incredibly disturbing situation for Johan.
He had to confirm it.
A snickering laugh echoed.
“Leading question, is it? Very well. Just this once, I’ll play along. I can observe you only when the rift is open like it is now.”
Normally, the rift remained closed. It was currently opened temporarily by the Third Prince Gawain.
Johan spoke.
“So you have been watching me for the past week.”
“Watching? No, no. I’d call it interest. You’re quite diligent, aren’t you? You’ve been training consistently.”
“With that much interest, I bet you even know what questions I have.”
“As I said, this is a one-time courtesy. Don’t try to approach the unknown through loopholes. There’s a joy in discovering things for yourself.”
Joy, my ass. Johan was ready to explode from frustration.
“This cryptic nonsense is getting on my nerves. Just finish your task. Activate the Heretic Array.”
Previously, Ganis had promised to draw the Heretic Array himself.
“…Hmm, wait just a moment. Since you came all this way, I’ll give you a small piece of information. As you suspected, this place is indeed the Abyssal Depths. Come back once you’ve earned the right. Then I’ll answer your questions.”
As Johan and Illea had guessed, the rift connected to the farthest edge of the Abyss.
The Abyssal Depths—also known as the Depths of the Abyss. It was the tomb of all demons, a bottomless pit that devoured all logic and reason.
Even the Holy Heroes of old dared not tread this place lightly.
To meet Ganis, one had to possess power and stature equal to theirs.
As a human, he needed strength to rival the old heroes.
As a demon, he needed the dignity befitting a true apostle.
Johan needed both if he wanted to return to this place.
It felt like an impossibly distant future.
Johan gave a faint laugh.
“Easy for you to say.”
“Ah, looks like my attempt to help just added pressure instead. ‘You can do it!’—that sort of cheer probably means nothing to you?”
It didn’t help at all.
“Spare me the nonsense. Just activate the Heretic Array. I don’t want to waste any more time.”
“Very well. Let’s get it over with.”
At the same time, a terrible scream erupted from somewhere.
“Huaaaa! Hiiiik! Aaaargh!”
A scream devoid of any meaning, containing only primal terror.
Ganis chuckled.
“Looks like the offering has awakened. We should begin the ritual. If he goes completely insane, he’ll lose value as a sacrifice.”
The one screaming was the young man Johan had brought.
A mere mortal was facing the Apostle Ganis. In the Abyssal Depths, no less.
It was only natural for his mind to collapse.
“Eueueue! Hiiieeek! Uuurgh!”
Sounds of frantic scratching echoed, mixed with thuds like someone slamming their head against the floor.
Though Johan kept his eyes shut, he could imagine the youth’s state from the sounds alone.
It probably wasn’t a pleasant sight.
『 The body crawls into the darkness and climbs upon the altar, becoming black fuel. 』
The ritual began. As the brainwashing incantation echoed, all sound from the youth stopped instantly.
『 The name sinks into oblivion, the being melts into turbid flow, and at last is assembled into the shell of the sinister star. 』
Then came the ghostly howling. Every form of malice screamed together. Amid the horrific madness, the youth’s own cries were clearly woven in.
Johan wanted to block his ears, but he endured.
He couldn’t show weakness.
He waited, expression calm, for the ritual to end.
Fortunately, the chaos didn’t last long.
“It’s finished.”
Silence had returned before he realized it.
“I can leave now, right?”
“Before that, just one word of caution. For the next ten days, you’ll be forced to act as a demon, whether day or night. Think of it as balancing the scales. Since you’ve been living as a human lately, you must now live as a demon for that time.”
He had to maintain a time-based balance between his human and demon lives.
It was new information.
It might be useful.
“I understand.”
“Good. I look forward to meeting you again. I’ll send you off now.”
“Before I go, let me give you a warning.”
A snicker echoed.
“Oh? A warning? Let’s hear it.”
Johan slowly opened his eyelids.
『 First, do not open your eyes. 』
The verbal command spell struck his mind—but Johan ignored it completely.
『 do not open your eyesdo not open your eyesdo not open your eyesdo not open your eyes 』
He was no longer in his weak human body. The moment Ganis’ ritual ended, Johan had become a demon again.
He could feel it instinctively.
Thick miasma surged through his entire body, power bubbling up within him. Dozens of powers flooded his vision in crimson letters.
To exaggerate a little, Johan felt almost omnipotent.
At the very least, something like a verbal command was nothing to him now.
Johan’s eyes opened fully.
Blood-red irises, deeper than blood itself, gleamed from the Abyssal Depths.
A massive eye stared back at him.
Other than that enormous pupil, there was nothing to see. It was so black that its depth was immeasurable. The gaze of a millennia-old archdemon crushed Johan’s soul and flesh.
A dreadful pressure surged again—but Johan did not close his eyes. He didn’t avert his gaze.
If he had chosen to live as an apostle, then he had to act like one.
This was the embodiment of his resolve.
Johan spread his massive wings wide. From his lips, black miasma poured forth along with a chilling voice.
“Never use a verbal command on me again.”
His words began to transform into ancient demonic tongue:
『 The Second Apostle of the End, Ganis, shall never again use a verbal command against me (Shathûn’tol Nar’eth, Ganis vel - zhar’tak ni’vorel kha’reth. Dom’ar shelk). 』
He was carving a new command onto Ganis.
Miasma poured from Johan’s entire body.
Ganis muttered in a sharp, fishy voice.
“…Interesting. You’re a fascinating one. I’ll remember your warning.”
At the same time, Johan’s vision went black.