[Talk about perfect timing. Puhaha!!]
Kon’s laughter rang out, and Cecilia finally lowered the black club she had been gripping.
“It’s done? Asmodeus... she’s back now, right?”
I nodded.
“Yeah. Just like we thought—Valram couldn’t hold out and gave her back.”
I turned my eyes toward the distance.
Toward Asmodeus, standing within the ntal world.
Two black wings.
And all the other corrupted wings—
Were slowly turning white again.
“It was short, but how did it feel, having soone else as your master?”
I shook the white chains in my hand and asked.
[A pitiful feeling. That vessel wasn’t anywhere near fit to contain .]
“Glad to have you back.”
While I said that, Kardak started thrashing in Asmodeus’s grip.
[L–Let go! Let go!! You fucking bitch—!!]
Asmodeus simply gazed down at him.
The overwhelming difference in power made Kardak visibly tremble.
[What would you have do with this wretch?]
Asmodeus turned to .
And I looked at Kon and Cecilia.
Their faces instantly twisted into a scowl.
“Tell her to rip his dick off.”
[Amayel. Can you hit that bastard with ntal domination? Can your body handle the psychic backlash? If you can, let’s trap him in a trauma loop for life.]
“How about just turning him into a pathetic little pony? Like he mocked Kon for being?”
[That’s a good one!! That son of a bitch used to taunt endlessly. Let’s make him wear that taunting face forever!!]
The barrage of rciless suggestions made Kardak’s already pale face turn ghost-white.
[D-Don’t touch ! L-Lucifer won’t stand for it!! He’ll tear you all apart for this!!]
The one who countered that was Asmodeus.
[Lucifer... his body was in shreds after fighting with Valram. He’s so torn up he can’t even cast a proper spell.]
[...]
[And the one that descended into Labyrinthos isn’t even the full Lucifer—just a fragnt of his Divinity. A gift from the Demon King of Arrogance to Valram. Do you really think that wretch could handle and Ponemkin?]
Kardak began to shake uncontrollably.
And finally, he fell silent.
Kon and Cecilia both let out fresh shouts at the sight.
“That disgusting bastard!! He’s the worst of any beast I’ve ever seen!!”
[Lu’s avenger!! You fuckin’ piece of shit!! I’m ashad I ever repeated your stupid lines!! How do you even fall that far? It’s not just corruption—it’s rock-bottom and then so! Amayel! Fucking finish him!!]
Surrounded by all their furious voices, I simply shrugged.
“My body’s still not fully healed. Even with Asmodeus back, I’m not in any shape to go slinging Divine Authority around recklessly.”
“Ah...”
[True. You’re not exactly at full power right now.]
“Yeah. I can’t recklessly use Authority just because I have it. But—this place isn’t the real world, is it?”
I tugged the chains, commanding Asmodeus.
And she moved in perfect sync with my will.
There was no strain at all.
After all, the burden ca from projecting Divine Authority into the real world using the physical body as a conduit.
Here, in the ntal realm, moving Asmodeus placed no weight on whatsoever.
Sa as when she devoured Mammon in Scrap Yard.
“So let’s take revenge in the ntal realm.”
[Trauma!! Let’s target that bastard’s trauma! Losing to must’ve been a major wound! Let’s make him relive it forever!]
Kon had a point—but I shook my head.
“If you loop the sa trauma over and over, don’t you think he might get used to it? So... let’s do this instead.”
I whispered sothing to Asmodeus.
She nodded.
[As you command.]
[W–Wait. Where are you taking —No. NO!! STOP!! AAAAARGH!!]
With a scream, Kardak’s consciousness was sucked into Asmodeus.
Cecilia and Kon both looked puzzled.
“What? Where did—”
[What did you do to him?]
At their questions, I grinned.
“Sent him to a hell he deserves. That Bicorn’s gonna suffer there until his ego collapses and disappears.”
Asmodeus approached and enveloped us in her embrace.
“Ready to return to reality?”
The two of them looked like they were still annoyed at Kardak’s anticlimactic vanishing act—but then both nodded.
“Yes. I really want to get out of here.”
[Sa. Let’s go back.]
I nodded to Asmodeus.
And with that—
The soft, dreamlike sensation of the ntal world began to collapse.
All at once, that hazy, surreal atmosphere shattered—and the biting cold air of the north slapped my face.
I could feel the Divine Pulse in my body again—one I’d almost forgotten.
And now, once again—
Lucifer and Valram ca back into view.
“FUCK!!”
Valram’s roar echoed out.
Behind him, a massive portal had opened.
And through that portal...
“Kanya? Ione!!”
Two of my girlfriends.
“NO! NO!! The Saint is mine!! No one else can take him!!”
Valram scread and lunged toward .
At the sa ti, I caught Cecilia as she plumted from the air, tossed by Kardak’s telekinesis, and broke into a sprint.
“Kon!!”
[Leave it to !!]
With his soul ripped out by Asmodeus and his master now gone, Kardak’s massive corpse staggered and collapsed.
Kon lifted the body with his psychic power—and hurled it straight at Valram.
“You goddamn—!!”
Valram’s magic exploded.
Kardak’s body detonated.
A pitiful end.
“Don’t get in my way!!—Guh!”
All he’d done was detonate a corpse with a spell.
For the greatest black mage in history, it should’ve been nothing.
But even that simple spell cost him—Valram dropped to his knees in agony.
I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Divine Pulse! Pretty shit, isn’t it? Hurts like hell!!”
“S-Saint!! Amayel! NO!! Co back to !! You belong to !!”
“Sorry!! I like won!!”
“Father! Father!! What are you doing?!”
Valram finally turned to look for Lucifer—but Lucifer had already left, seeking out corpses to repair his broken body.
He wasn’t here.
Blood vessels bulged in Valram’s eyes.
“No... NO!! I won’t let you go like this—!!”
“[Al Maday!!]”
With Ione’s sharp cry, the roar of gunfire erupted like cannon blasts.
“[Lady Ione! Protect the Saint!!]”
At Kanya’s words, Ione and the Ketratus who had followed her hurriedly surrounded as if to shield .
And then, with a face full of rage, Kanya drew her longsword.
Valram’s face went pale.
“You— You’re not saying...”
“[It’s been a while, you treacherous bastard. No—should I call you what you really are? A spy Lucifer deliberately planted on our side long ago.]”
“Be—Belial. You’ve incarnated?”
“[Ah, yes. I couldn’t get here sooner because that damn evil god on the eastern front was causing such a ruckus. But now, I’ll be the one to deal with you.]”
The crimson holy power radiating from the Goddess of War began to gather thickly onto Kanya’s longsword.
Valram, upon seeing that, seed to realize the end was near.
“Heh... You really think I’ll just... die that easily?”
But it looked like he had no intention of giving up his life so readily.
A spell began to form in his hands.
It seed even a simple spell caused him excruciating pain due to the divine interference, but he endured the agony and pushed through the incantation.
“[You bastard!!]”
Belial let out a furious roar and lunged forward, but Valram was faster by a hair’s breadth.
The corpses of Kardak, which had been scattered ssily across the floor, were instantly sucked into Valram’s body.
He let out a twisted laugh.
“If the flesh is too weak... then I’ll just reinforce it with more flesh!!”
The body of the Bicorn and that of a human fused directly together.
The grotesque scene, like sothing ripped straight out of a grueso horror film, seed revolting even in Belial’s eyes.
With a face as if she were about to vomit, Kanya swung her sword.
“[You’ll die here and now—!!...]”
But before Belial could even finish her bellow—
From far off, a magical blast ca flying toward her.
While Belial hastily raised her sword to block the incoming spell,
Valram, having successfully absorbed every last piece of Kardak’s flesh,
Cried out,
“Ahh, Father!”
And in that instant, vanished sowhere.
The next mont—
The entire Labyrinth began to tremble.
Even Kanya, who had been swinging her blade.
Even the battle nuns who had followed behind her.
Even Ione and the Ketratus who had been shielding .
All of them turned to look in the sa direction.
A massive pit leading from the Labyrinth down into the Grand Labyrinth.
Sothing was rising up from that pit.
“[...Absolutely revolting.]”
Lady Belial spat out the words as though chewing on them.
Lucifer.
A giant humanoid monstrosity with the head of a goat.
Countless demonic beasts dwelling on the first floor of the dungeon were being sucked into Lucifer’s body in real ti.
And accordingly, Lucifer’s form continued to grow ever larger.
Valram stood by Lucifer’s side.
“[We’ll question your actions later. For now... our priority is exterminating those heavenly maggots over there.]”
Valram’s body was twisted and grotesque beyond recognition.
Horns like Kardak’s had sprouted from his forehead, and his physique had long since ceased resembling that of a human.
Valram, too, was devouring the bodies of an enormous number of demonic beasts in real ti, and his body /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ swelled larger by the second.
It was a disgusting, revolting sight.
“I shall obey Father’s will.”
Valram bowed his head respectfully.
And yet, even as he did so, he didn’t take those greedy eyes off .
Valram had returned.
Lucifer, having devoured countless bodies, had finally forged a vessel capable of holding his divinity.
And now—
An overwhelming horde of demonic beasts, summoned by Lucifer’s authority, was surging into the Labyrinth.
Under normal circumstances, the defensive periter would have been activated, but most of the Hunters in the Labyrinth were already gone, fighting Beelzebub in the East.
Because of that, the beasts entered the Labyrinth unopposed.
“[Draw your blades.]”
The battle nuns gritted their teeth and unsheathed their swords.
“Ketratus, we die here fighting!!”
Al Madai and the Ketratus likewise adjusted their grips on their pistols and weapons, ready for battle.
Lucifer and Valram laughed as they looked upon the scene.
“[You really think you lot alone can take us on?]”
Lucifer raised his massive hand.
Magic began to swirl in Valram’s hand as well.
Kanya and Ione stepped forward.
From the bodies of the two Saints, a terrifying surge of holy power began to erupt.
Just as three divine beings were about to clash in a battle to the death—
A scream of such trendous magnitude that even the demonic beasts flinched echoed from the East.
Lucifer and Valram, who had been radiating confidence, montarily flinched.
“...Beelzebub?”
Valram uttered the na in a trembling voice.
The horrific screams rang out a few more tis intermittently—
And then ceased entirely.
Sensing danger, Lucifer abruptly swung his hand.
“[Move!! Bring the Saint!!]”
The demonic beasts and Valram charged at us.
“[Get him out!! He must not be hard—not even a hair!!]”
At the roar of Dullanair, who had descended into Ione’s body, the Ketratus quickly scooped up and hurled themselves into the portal.
In a flash—
I was back from the Labyrinth, in the border city of Arad.
And imdiately—
The portal closed.
Right before it shut—
The last thing I heard was—
“[Lucifer!! Valram!!]”
John’s voice, roaring with fury.
And the deafening roar of a chainsaw coming to life.
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