Temple of the Demon Realm (3)
His limp body shook violently.
The ride was so atrocious it churned his insides to the point of dizziness, and he felt as if he might vomit, but Miyamoto Ken squeezed his eyes shut and forcibly swallowed it down.
If he really did throw something up here, there was no telling what his rough superior would do.
“Hup, whew... hoo.”
“Brother, you all right? You can still hold on, yeah?”
“Kahahah! If you really can’t take it, tell me in advance! I’ll make it so you can puke comfortably!”
As he forced his ragged breathing under control, a hearty voice called out to him.
The three-headed hound had at first been only about the size of a large dog.
Now, Davidson had grown large enough to carry Ken, who was utterly sprawled out, on his back, but Ken had no room to even point out his sudden change in size.
‘...Comfortably? How exactly is he going to do that?’
Amid the chaos of being shaken inside and out, both in mind and body, only such useless thoughts rose up, as though he were latching onto the other’s words.
Of course, he was too afraid of the answer to ask back.
“...Ugh, I feel like I’m going to die. Damn it, what kind of disaster is this all of a sudden...”
Those words, muttered like a groan, contained complex emotions even he himself was unaware of.
Well, it was only natural.
How shocking had the truth he faced after coming here been?
He had steeled himself from the moment he decided to infiltrate this place to help Hella, but who could have guessed that he would not only come face-to-face with the secret of the Demon Dragon Duke, but also the secret of his own birth?
He, who had believed until now that he was from Earth, had turned out not even to be the real “Miyamoto Ken,” but merely a copied consciousness derived from that man’s unique skill!
On top of that, he had learned not only that that horrendous curse was mixed into him, but also that this body itself belonged to that bastard. It would have been strange not to be shocked.
‘...Well, I suppose nothing much changed once I became a demon anyway. I gave up on returning to Earth a long time ago.’
Still, perhaps because he had become a demon with a way of thinking different from that of humans to begin with, the confusion over it did not last long.
Right now, he was busy enough just trying to focus his mind as much as possible so as not to be devoured by the curse.
Rumble— Boom!
That was why he could not help but notice it late.
That some unfamiliar being, who had appeared at some point without his knowing, was fighting against the curse chasing after them.
“...What is that?”
At first, he thought he had seen wrong.
That was only natural... because that appearance and those abilities, no matter how he looked at them, did not fit this world’s setting at all!
“Ir*n Man?”
It seemed the shock of the secret of his birth had been greater than he himself had thought.
But soon he was able to realize that it was not a hallucination.
Looking closely, only the impression was vaguely similar; its design was completely different from the one he knew.
Including the fact that one arm was entirely exposed.
‘Is it a magic tool? But it’s no ordinary level. And this feeling is... dragon-language magic? Though it feels different from the Demon Dragon Duke’s. It must be the work of another dragon.’
He had been startled by the familiar appearance he had suddenly encountered, but in truth, when he thought about it, a similar design was not that strange.
After all, he— no, Miyamoto Ken— could not have been the only Earthling to cross over into this Auterica.
It was entirely possible that someone had conveyed information about Earth’s superhero works to this side, and that a magic tool had been made based on it.
‘Leaving that aside... It really is different when a dragon of this world makes it. I heard the ones made on Earth were utterly unusable in actual combat because of material limitations.’
Ken, who had been staring blankly at the sight, let out a sound of admiration.
Boosters launched from all over its body let it surpass the speed of sound and move freely through the air, while the beam fired from its left hand called to mind a ray of destruction cast by a high-ranking mage.
No matter how he looked at it, that was a “real” combat suit.
One that would allow its wearer to contend with pinnacle-level opponents without much difficulty.
‘...But with that level, it’s impossible to go toe-to-toe with that monster.’
Ken, still carried on Davidson’s back and watching with only his head turned, shook his head faintly.
What happened next was exactly as he had expected.
The hero, who had seemed to be holding out fairly well, took a single attack, staggered, and soon began fleeing at full power.
‘He’s still alive after taking that? The pilot seems more impressive than I thought. Who on earth is it?’
Because he was tightly connected to the curse, he could feel it.
That black mist was a calamity itself, something even a great demon on the level of a duke could not recklessly touch.
He had no idea how it had come all the way to this secret place and was playing the hero, but it was not something one could face with merely that level of ability.
‘Mm, I may be nearing my limit too...’
However.
It was then that an abnormality occurred.
“Huh?”
A flustered Ken let out a short cry without realizing it.
At the same time, the hero, who had suddenly stopped, turned back again and faced the curse that had been chasing him.
Clink— clank—
A low sound of chains flowed into Ken’s ears.
No, it was not a sound heard with his ears.
A mysterious sound ringing in his head... in his chest... in his soul.
“What... on earth is this?”
He could not help being genuinely bewildered.
He knew it instinctively.
Just now, something had bound his heart— his soul.
There was no need to say who the source was.
“How... can this be?”
His chest stirred.
An inexplicable respect and awe welled up, as if he were facing Hella.
It was impossible, unacceptable.
And the black smoke, which directly faced the hero, felt the same sensation.
[————!]
A soundless shriek spread in every direction.
But within it was an emotion quite different from before.
Bewilderment, disbelief, denial, and the like.
However, the hero did not leave such an opponent alone.
He slowly extended and aimed his right arm at the curse that wriggled in an attempt to resist the unknown restraint.
His bare arm, plainly exposed because it was not covered in the metal suit.
Immediately after.
A colossal Oriental dragon of black flames surged from his arm and shot straight forward, colliding with the black smoke.
Rummmble—!
It was an overwhelming and majestic sight unlike anything before.
But Ken, who was tightly linked to the curse, could not simply stare at it in admiration.
He could feel it.
The dreadful power making up that black smoke was being rapidly sucked into the black dragon that had rushed at it like a starving beast.
It was an unbelievable, mysterious scene, like a giant dinosaur being dragged by a puppy leash and locked inside a doghouse.
“To think a real black flame dragon had that kind of power...”
Ken, a demon with the memories of a Japanese person, let out a low groan.
Then, with a sour expression, he looked at the hero’s arm, which was wreathed in black energy and which he had been deliberately trying to ignore all this time.
The right arm, steadily absorbing energy through the Oriental dragon connected to its end.
As he watched it, the painful memories of adolescence that he had buried deep, deep down after becoming an adult began to creep back up.
‘...No, that isn’t my past. It has nothing to do with me.’
Having firmly cut ties and denied any connection to the original body, he gently closed his eyes.
Even then, the black flame dragon, swollen to its fullest, was fiercely sucking in the curse, but thanks to that very thing, he now had enough leeway to think of something else. And what mattered to him at this moment was not that.
“A black flame dragon...”
An embarrassing memory he had thought he had completely forgotten.
But from the standpoint of having been reborn as a true demon, it felt different.
“Should I try making one again... No, no!”
A mysterious power residing in one arm— was that not an ability perfectly suited to demonic tastes, an extremely demon-friendly power?
He had opened his mouth without realizing it, then hurriedly swallowed back his words and muttered a low curse at the demonic instincts stimulating him.
“Hm? Brother, you like that sort of thing too?”
“Oho, so that’s how it was. A fine taste, isn’t it? Khahahah!”
“No need to be embarrassed! I understand everything!”
Davidson, who had stopped in place after the situation changed, burst into a refreshing laugh.
As if he found it immensely satisfying, and for some reason seemed proud himself.
[————!]
They stared endlessly down the corridor of the enormous temple.
At the place where the black smoke that had been surging in and filling the space had just now completely disappeared.
***
Hesperon, who had been silently looking down at his right arm, clicked his tongue.
‘As expected, fully digesting it is impossible.’
The arm that the black dragon had been coiling around was now dyed entirely black, to the point that the pattern could no longer be seen.
It was a side effect of taking in excessive power unsuited to his level.
Within it, a hazy dragon shape was moving busily, as if playing among storm clouds, but one could tell without looking closely that, unlike before, it was in an extremely unstable state.
Thanks to the “Chains of Covenant,” he had forcibly taken it in, but because the thing had not been completely subdued, it was waiting for any opportunity to rebel.
“Well, I suppose I’ll have to accept that much.”
In truth, it was only natural that he could not handle this.
Most of his combat power depended on the Titan Suit and the “Right Arm of Craving,” and his pure realm had not yet even reached the pinnacle.
‘Well, if I think about it, this is what’s normal...’
Aside from the Demon Realm and the Celestial Realm, which were special and came with many restrictions, on a continent where transcendents could be counted on one hand, was the pinnacle not the level of strength that could represent a nation?
Strictly speaking, Hesperon’s current growth rate alone was so steep that others would never be able to believe it.
It was only that, having rapidly grown through fortuitous encounters and always played in deeper waters, it did not satisfy him.
“...Then again, since when have I ever grown normally?”
A hollow chuckle escaped him.
Ever since Hans had obtained the Immortal King’s fragment and grown rapidly stronger, the direction of his own growth had already been decided.
To make the most of “Avatar” and the advantages of his other various skills, ignore all dangers, and forcibly cram fortuitous encounters into himself.
Rapid growth through such a method was inevitably accompanied by corresponding side effects, but he did not care about such things at all.
Just like now.
《The individual has met the conditions and gained enlightenment. You have acquired the special skills “Dark Soul Servitude” and “Dark Soul Liberation.”》
《The erosion of the Cursed Dark Soul has begun. When erosion reaches a certain value, control of the contract will be reversed.》
《Current physical erosion rate: 7% / mental erosion rate: 0%》
Hesperon massaged his stiff right hand and gave a bitter smile.
‘I won’t be able to suppress this as easily as before.’
There was no doubt that he had become stronger than before, just as planned.
The curse residing in this right arm, the “Dark Soul,” was a lethal power capable of bringing even one who had reached transcendence to death.
Perhaps simply releasing it would be enough to turn the surrounding area into cursed land.
“Mm, as expected, this won’t do as it is.”
But because of that, it had inevitably become much harder to manage.
He did not need to worry about mental erosion thanks to “Mind Hub” and “Soul Firewall,” but physical erosion was a different story.
Seeing black stains gradually appear on the sealing bandage once again wrapped around his arm, he furrowed his brow.
It looked fine for now, but if he simply left it like this, a major disaster would happen someday.
‘I’ll have to make a dedicated sealing tool as quickly as possible. By mobilizing every means I can use.’
There was no issue with the necessary manpower.
He had not only the Immortal King and the Saint, but also a high elf, a Demon King, a dragon, and even a dwarf who was a master-level craftsman.
‘Hm, I should mix in a Demon-Suppression Seal from Horus’s “Heavenly Flow Dao Arts” as well. The Dark Soul shouldn’t have resistance to the dao arts of the Ganghwan Realm, so it should be fairly helpful.’
The necessary materials could be supplied through Hubert and the Karma Shop, and if need be, he could also receive help from Crown Princess Riley and Saintess Liesta.
On top of that, he could freely use byproducts of the World Tree or treasures from the “Golden Treasury,” so in effect, there were no limits for him.
“Then, I’ve gathered everything I need.”
Hesperon quietly shifted his gaze.
To one side of the colossal temple, as if it had been built by giants, at a place some distance from where he stood.
There, Davidson the three-headed hound and Ken the demon were silently staring in his direction.
‘Since I gave them the help they needed—’
Shall I get going?
Inside his suit helmet, the corners of his mouth curled up in a grin.
He had no intention of joining them here and doing anything further.
After all, he was nothing more than an uninvited guest who had rushed over the moment he saw a curse.
‘I’ll tell them to handle the rest themselves. I need to hurry back and make a new sealing orb.’
And so the mysterious hero, who had neatly taken only what he needed, disappeared without so much as a backward glance.
Quietly, without sound or rumor, just as he had come.
***
“...What in the world was that?”
Ken muttered blankly, looking dumbfounded.
He checked several times just in case, but there was no doubt about it.
He really had just left like that!
“No, seriously, he just leaves without saying a word? What is he, some real secret hero or something?”
Frustrated, he pounded his chest and ruffled his hair.
He had thought they would at least exchange names, but even he had not expected things to turn out like this.
He had a mountain of questions he wanted to ask: who the hell he was, how he had entered this temple, what his purpose was in helping them, who had made that suit, what the chains that had bound his soul were, what had happened to the Demon King’s curse he had swallowed, and more!
‘More importantly, how did he get out of this place? It shouldn’t be that easy to leave this temple.’
No spatial transfer waves had been detected.
In the truest sense, his very existence had simply vanished cleanly from this place.
There was only one thing Ken could think of that would make something like this possible.
‘A unique skill... So he really was an Awakened after all. I had wondered ever since I saw that suit and the oriental dragon.’
The dragons of Auterica were typical western dragons.
Naturally, to Ken, who possessed the memories of a Japanese person, the Black Flame Dragon that hero handled could only look alien.
‘...I’m jealous. To have an ability capable of sealing away that dreadful curse, and even a connection with a dragon who personally made him a suit like that. I’m sure he’ll live in luxury even after going back to Earth.’
Unlike himself, who had ended up like this.
Not only had he been kidnapped to the Demon Realm and turned into a sacrifice, he was a duplicate that had merely inherited those memories, an artificially created demon.
Thanks to the disappearance of the curse that had shaken his mind, Ken was finally able to look back on his own situation calmly, and a bitter smile settled on his lips.
“Ah! Come to think of it, what about those Earthlings?”
Then Ken shouted as his thoughts reached those who had been offered as sacrifices.
His original body had been there too!
He had been so out of his mind from the moment that black mist appeared that he had completely forgotten until now.
“You only realized that now? Let’s hurry and go.”
“We got out of there before he came close, so I think they should be fine...”
“Since they were offered as sacrifices for the grand rite, there should be some sort of safety measures in place.”
Together with Davidson, Ken hurried back toward the place they had first headed to.
And what he encountered there was—
“......”
“......”
A man who seemed to have regained consciousness, staring straight at him with both eyes open.
The real Miyamoto Ken.