◈ Episode 323. It Is the Natural Flow (1)
The exorcism rite.
Only after entering the rite did I finally get a proper look at the half-blood demon’s face. An appearance close to that of a human. For a demon, its bright hair color was striking. But……
Why does it look like that when we haven’t even started anything yet?
“Ah, ah……”
Unfocused pupils.
A mouth that couldn’t even form proper words.
I thought I’d seen that wretched state somewhere before.
The demon worshipers imprisoned in the Magic Tower’s underground Mugan had been in exactly that state.
To put it simply, it was the face of someone who had given up on everything in the world. If an innocent human had been making that face, I might have spoken to them out of needless concern.
But my opponent was a demon.
And not just any demon, but the fifty-sixth-ranked Demon King Gremory, who had seized something called Authority. Don’t let your guard down, Hoyeol. Of course, separate from steeling my heart, my actions were as relaxed as ever.
As if it would be otherwise.
With merely one arm and a single sword stroke.
Baal, the first-ranked Demon King, had driven the Seorn Continent to ruin.
And hadn’t our great Lord Granfell stood before even him without shrinking back?
Naturally, there would be no mercy.
“Raise your head.”
“Ah……?”
“From this moment on, answer the questions I ask.”
Whether it was in a state to answer or not did not matter.
Because this was not kind discipline.
It was strict punishment.
“Half-blood demon. Reveal the meaning of that presumptuous name.”
That stung a little even after I said it. After all, I wasn’t exactly in a position to say that, considering I possessed the most presumptuous epithets of anyone……! My idle thoughts lasted only a moment before Gremory fumbled its mouth open.
“You mon…… monster.”
The exorcism rite.
A battle of mental strength between demon hunter and demon.
If one gained the upper hand in the rite, they could completely overwhelm the other. Depending on the outcome of the exorcism rite, a demon hunter could fall and become a demon, or a demon could become something lower than an insect. Yet Gremory spat out those words while overwhelmed by me.
It must have felt terribly wronged.
“Why…… why can I not even reach you?”
Grit—
Gremory raised its trembling hand.
If it stretched out, it was close enough to reach me.
Tremble, tremble.
But Gremory could not do it.
It could speak, but it could not put its words into action.
Loud enough for me to hear the grinding sound.
It gnashed its teeth and continued.
“Damn yooooou!”
The instant I heard it, the sound was so grotesque that I knew it was a demon’s scream.
So much so that I was relieved.
Relieved that the sound had not come from Baek Iseol’s mouth.
“Daaaaamn it!!”
Beneath its apricot-colored hair, Gremory’s face was twisted viciously. Had it realized on its own that this was the end? It must have meant to spew out its resentment in place of last words. Even while utterly terrified, it screamed.
“My plan was perfect. Surely you never could have guessed it. That is why you are interrogating me even now, isn’t it? Asking what half-blood means……! Fine, if you wish, I shall tell you. I am Gremory, the half-blood demon who, as a Demon King, devoured the Authority of Lust, one of the Seven Deadly Sins, the Great Evils!”
……
Whoa, so that’s why it was a half-blood?
‘I guessed it wouldn’t be ordinary.’
Even in the Zero Mountains, it had not been caught within the detection range of [Natural Enemy Relationship], and it had even broken through the encirclement laid by the materialized legends of Akshan and fled. Indeed, I had thought it lived up to its name as something that appeared in the latter half of a class quest, but……
‘This surpassed my expectations.’
To think that Authority meant the power of Lust, one of the Seven Deadly Sins.
At the same time, it made sense.
Yes, if it was on that level, it made sense that it had been able to run wild beyond all standards.
Of course, despite how grand that sounded.
Gremory seemed to have completely given up on life.
“But why……? Why, when I possessed such power, could I not reach you for even a single moment? Was it because of that damned Natural Enemy Relationship? I cannot understand it. Do you know how desperately I, this body, struggled……!!”
I understood the emotion.
‘In simple terms, reality hit you hard.’
Considering the relationship between Demon Kings and Great Evils.
It must have been a great decision, from the point where it cast aside its pride and accepted the Authority of a Seven Deadly Sin. But despite that resolve, it was chased by the materialized legends of Akshan. The human it possessed to escape the crisis rejected its possession out of pride. And in the end, it walked into the tiger’s den known as the Magic Tower on its own two feet and ran into me.
When I put myself in its shoes, I could see why it would give up on life.
However.
‘Make no mistake.’
I recalled the effect of the skill, [Natural Enemy Relationship].
───────
Natural Enemy Relationship: When fighting demons, combat power rises dramatically.
───────
Rises dramatically.
In Arcana Continent Biography, such an expression guaranteed an incredible effect. But that did not mean invincibility. So there was no reason to feel that wronged, Gremory.
‘Did you just say you struggled in front of me?’
That’s right.
I don’t know how desperately you struggled. But compared to the desperate struggle of me, Lee Hoyeol, I can confidently say your sense of injustice is like trying to teach wrinkles to a pupa.
Since we’re on the subject, shall we compare?
Look at the process by which I acquired the Akshan legends.
Having lost all sense of fear, I faced Raymon Sean head-on. In the end, I sealed the ominous omen, and thanks to restoring those forgotten on the Arcana Continent, I was able to seize that achievement.
And what about Baek Iseol’s pride?
‘Do you know how much I suffered back then?’
Perhaps not as much as Baek Iseol herself, the person directly involved. But because I got dragged into it too, I ended up making the front page of an entertainment newspaper for something never destined for me. And then those sworn enemies seized on that and teased me pointlessly……!
And yet, what?
“It is unfair. So unfair I cannot bear it……!”
You dare let the word unfair come out of that mouth?!
This time, there was no need to mention Granfell’s coldness.
I answered in an icy voice.
“Are those your last words?”
Then an even sharper remark came back.
“……I will curse you from hell, Lee Hoyeol.”
In the past, I might have flinched at a demon’s curse.
But not anymore.
If you can, go ahead and try.
‘As if you’ll have the state of mind for that in hell.’
Because the real Akshan seniors are there in hell.
“I shall wait for you there, Lee Hoyeol.”
Then wait your whole life again.
As if I’ll fall to hell.
I was thinking it was nothing much.
When Gremory laughed, clearly out of its mind.
“Hahahaha. The Holy War Alliance, was it? You are doing something meaningless. But I shall play along. This is a declaration of war. I will be nothing but the beginning. From now on, demons you cannot handle will drive you, your homeland, and even the Arcana Continent to ruin!”
Maybe because it had no future left, it was honest.
And perhaps because I still gave no response.
Gremory even kindly provided an example.
“Starting with Lust, that bastard who deserves to die!”
I suppose this is why they say that if you stay still, you’ll at least make it halfway.
At the same time, I understood why demons were treated as insignificant by Granfell.
They had no pride, of course.
“You and Lust. Whichever one it is, I shall wait in hell.”
And these things had no loyalty either, did they?
Of course, I was grateful. Thanks to Gremory spewing curses, I obtained no small number of clues. Let’s see. The next prey after the half-blood demon would be 『Lust of the Seven Deadly Sins』, right?
‘However, it won’t be just an ordinary Great Evil.’
Now that Greed and even Envy had fallen to hell.
The Great Evils must know better than anyone that they had no chance of victory if they faced me head-on. That must be why they went through the trouble of offering players as sacrifices and mixing a Demon King’s blood with their own.
And.
‘They must be watching the result from hiding.’
Whether Gremory lived up to Lust’s expectations or not was none of my concern.
What mattered was that Gremory, like a proper demon, had revealed Lust’s existence. And no matter how deeply Lust hid, through the Authority of Lust flowing within Gremory’s body, I had memorized its scent.
‘Even if it mixes in other blood, I won’t miss it.’
Because of that, not the slightest change appeared on my face.
“Ha.”
Now that it had prepared itself for death.
Gremory must have poured out its curse as one last struggle. But perhaps because I did not waver, nor even act as though I had heard it, Gremory seemed to be at a loss for words.
Of course, what I had to say remained the same.
“Are those your last words?”
“……You damn bastaaaaard!!”
Gremory reached out one last time.
However, for the sake of procedure.
This was the Jacket of Dawn that I had aligned to a blade-sharp angle since dawn and fixed upon my shoulders with mana. If it was the touch of an inferior breed, Granfell would not even permit it to brush the hem of his clothes.
I continued.
“Now shut that mouth.”
“……!”
At the same time, violet mana scattered.
Gremory’s body immediately froze.
Because the one holding control of the exorcism rite was me.
If I did not permit it, it was only natural that it could not even breathe.
‘By the way.’
This damned personality that neglected nothing was nothing if not persistent.
Whatever it was.
It meant repeating it endlessly until it became familiar.
‘I’m destined to suffer for the rest of my life too, aren’t I?’
A message appeared before my eyes.
[The blessing of the First World Tree rejects the “Curse of Twilight.”]
I paid it no mind and interfered with the twilight mana.
If I had made use of Pure Mana Studies earlier……
This time, the target of exploration was a familiar one: minerals.
Ssssss—
Twilight mana.
I arranged those violet mana particles by imitating the structure of minerals.
Then the drifting twilight mana began to change form. It gathered together and sharpened its edges. Now I finally understood AAU’s report.
‘If anyone had seen a skill like this, everyone would have raised only mages.’
Even my past self would have felt wronged.
I had chosen demon hunter for form and style.
Only for a class even cooler than demon hunter to appear.
Ssssss—
Beyond simple style.
It would not be an exaggeration to say it had reached the pinnacle of splendor.
Of course, I was not used to twilight mana.
Because of that, the range of manifestation was no more than a very small portion.
‘But everything is relative.’
The exorcism rite was still underway.
From Gremory’s point of view.
Wouldn’t this tiny violet breeze look like a violent storm?
Gremory, who had been staring at the twilight magic.
Muttered in a hollow voice.
“Beautiful magic. In contrast, you truly have no mercy. Even the supreme beauty that was the only thing I could boast of, you would take from me……. In the end, you mean to take everything from me?”
Even if it said something so pitiful.
To a demon, Granfell had no blood, no tears, and no emotion.
The words he would offer were obvious.
“You were never beautiful for even a single moment.”
At those words, Gremory lifted the corners of its mouth slightly.
“……You truly are a man as coldhearted as can be.”
Then, the twilight magic covered Gremory.
...
[Your level has increased.]
[Your level has increased.]
[Your level has increased.]
……
Messages appeared dizzyingly.
This was the first such huge increase since Envy of the Seven Deadly Sins.
I quietly checked my status window.
[Name: Granfell Claudi Arpheus Romeo]
[Title: Last Adventurer, Sublime, Transcendent, Dark Dragon]
[Class: Demon Hunter]
[Level: 776]
[Stats]
Strength: 170 / Agility: 175 / Magic Power: 660 / Luck: 12 / Aesthetic: High / Tenacity: 5
[Available Points: 21]
A 21-level increase.
Since I had gained 1 level in the Zero Mountains, that meant I had risen 20 levels just from defeating Gremory. Considering Gremory’s rank was fifty-sixth……
‘Even a 10-level increase would have been barely possible.’
The experience itself clearly showed that from the moment it became a half-blood demon, it had transformed into an existence more than twice as troublesome.
—Hunt the demon. (Repeat)
●Track the half-blood demon by following the bloodstains. (Success)
●Defeat the half-blood demon. (Success)
[You have completed the quest.]
[Your relationship with Akshan has increased.]
[Your influence in Akshan has increased.]
The tiresome repeat quest from Akshan was also completed.
Baek Iseol’s eyes, which had been stained black, returned to normal as well.
Baek Iseol spoke first.
“……Wow.”
Her first words were admiration.
To be precise, Baek Iseol was not the only one who exclaimed in admiration.
All of a sudden, applause rang through the top floor of the Magic Tower.
“That was a truly incredible manifestation, sir!”
What’s going on?
Marcelo, who was as emotionless as Granfell, was clapping with an agitated expression. The cat beside him was the same. The Tower Master, whose tail stood straight up, added his own words.
“To think you would wield twilight magic. It’s absurd, Chief Lee.”
“So it was not my imagination after all. Such magic……. No, I had never even seen such mana before, so I wondered. But I do not understand how this happened. I did not witness the twilight magic manifested in the Crystal Hall……”
“Excuse me, but I saw it too. The purple magic.”
“……!!”
It was twilight mana and magic that could only be witnessed by someone who had opened a circle, or at least possessed magical manifestation power equivalent to that. If not, then they had to have a class like Jesse’s, Archmage.
‘Leaving aside the Tower Master and Marcelo, Baek Iseol……’
She definitely should not have been able to witness it.
Even if everyone looked at me with curious expressions, I didn’t know the reason either, you know?
I could only guess.
‘……Don’t tell me it’s because I forced it to manifest?’
If that guess was correct, it was absolutely not a situation worth bragging about.
Yet this shamelessness did not acknowledge even the smallest flaw.
And so, I ended up spouting off.
“That was the case. However, it is no longer so.”
“……What do you mean by that?”
“Because I shall reveal twilight to the world.”
……
Yes, because with this temperament, once it learned something, it would keep using it.
At any rate, what made it even more infuriating was that it never said anything wrong.
Anyway, since the three of them had also admired it.
It was time for me to stop swallowing sighs and admire something too.
‘It’s finally time to check.’
The exorcism rite was over.
I swallowed in anticipation inwardly and looked at the purified offering.
Soon, it appeared before my eyes.
The information on the legendary item left behind by the Great Evil, Envy!
[Set Effect: 1/7]
But this is ominous right from the start, isn’t it……?