Episode 226: The World (11)
[Do you think I will suffer if you stay there, the deceiver?]
Mamon looked at the ground covered in lava and gathered demon energy in his hands.
[If you don’t dodge, it’s good for me.]
And I shot it right away. The lava exploded as it was pierced by a straight line of light that condensed and repulsed and contained more heat than magma.
[I got caught.]
As expected. Mamon waved his hand as he saw Mephisto pop out alive and well. The lava on the ground rose up in various places. It looks like water droplets falling from the ceiling of a cave turned upside down.
Quack! Lightning struck through the space limited by the lava. There are now about 40 pearls left. This too must be used sparingly.
Suddenly!
But is it just Mephistopheles?
[After all, the more you have, the more comfortable you are.]
Although magic power is not everything, it can play a significant role in determining victory or defeat. Mamon manipulated the lava, feeling satisfied that he had a clear advantage in that one aspect.
Rock spears protruded from the rising lava column and volcanic bombs rained down, forcing Mephisto to consume magical energy again.
Then Mephistopheles curled his lips.
[okay? To me, he seems like a person who has a lot of capital but poor investment skills, so he can’t even make a profit, let alone a stop loss, and only wastes the initial capital.] The
sword that wasn’t even clad in magic changed its shape and cut through everything. The chaotic yet dynamic trajectory plowed everything around him.
In case anyone thought he wasn’t from a human background, he was quite skilled at using tools.
Mamon was forced to consume magic energy, so he snapped his fingers as he saw the guy using only tools and no magic power to overcome the situation.
Dozens of thorns came out from the flowing lava and aimed at Mephistopheles.
Kwak kwagak.
The person who quickly escaped from the building he was in cut down the sword that had blown several meters and threw it away.
[Ask.]
Ratel, who changed his form while flying, ran like a black dog and aimed at Mamon’s true body. There was no reason to suffer.
He covered the magic tower with the lava behind it, created a camp inside it, and hid the main body in the lava.
Perfect! Ratel’s teeth gritted together and chewed the air he was in.
[Now that I see it, the guinea pig looks like you.]
[Am I that cute?]
[Regardless of whether that kind of thing is cute, that’s definitely what it means. That means you’re very scared. That’s exactly the kind of thing that can only survive if you have a hiding place.]
At the same time, a hand suddenly reached into the lava. The bright red eyes inside the goat bones are full of sneer as always.
[Weak, timid, and stupid Mammon.]
Mammon began a battle of thorns, heat, and overwhelming mass against the person who crawled into the lava. If the distance is not widened properly, you may die, but sometimes a crisis can become an opportunity.
[I’m sorry if you think I’m someone else, Mephisto.]
Damn! The thorns rising from the lava pierced Mephistopheles’ entire body, and lava covered the spot.
But this can’t be the end. There is no way that Mephisto would be treated so gently. Mammon’s senses rang an alarm.
He hastily stepped back.
Quang!
A round explosion occurred just in the nick of time. Around the body of Mephistopheles, who threw his entire body as bait, black flames are eating away the magma like burning paper, killing it.
Grumbling.
The crimson fire that bloomed like a flower inside it also scattered sparks like scattering cherry blossom leaves. The scattered sparks engulfed everything that touched me.
[Well, is that really the case?]
Wow! In an instant, a tremendous shock shook Mammon’s body. This was because Ratel, who was thought to have returned to the main body, acted secretly from behind and was struck directly in the heart.
Cunning. Mamon clicked his tongue at the idea of taking full advantage of my lack of combat experience. Thump. In the meantime, Mephisto’s body, which had holes all over its body and parts of it even disappeared as if torn apart, grabbed Ratel.
Ratel had still penetrated Mammon’s body.
Dangerous.
At that moment, Mamon quickly ran away. It was a choice I made to protect my life, as I was willing to give up anything.
Suddenly!
In an instant, the world was colored pure white. What remains in the place where everything has disappeared is the fan-shaped ground and Mephistopheles standing half-buried.
[Look, it’s always you who runs away, Mammon.]
But Mephisto said it all. It was worth it.
Mephisto’s essence is anger and the power he wields is flame. And the flame... As long as you have embers and firewood, you can inflate your size at any time.
Most demons have a recovery force close to regeneration, but Mephistopheles’ speed and scope are overwhelming due to his nature.
Sometimes I wonder if what he is deceiving is not the same devil, but death.
[Cowardice.]
Wow.
Mephisto whispered, leisurely creating the missing left cheek and right hand. Mamon barely pulled himself away by offering his arms and clenched his fists.
[...okay. It can’t be helped. I’m not used to fighting like you?]
But that was soon resolved.
[So, what can I do if I have to fight like this? You can’t just let it happen to you.]
The magic tower standing in the distance melted and gave him strength. A lot of wasted magical energy was filled again.
[Isn’t that right?]
It was the moment when Mamon’s composure returned.
On the other hand, Mephisto, who felt this fully, narrowed his eyes.
It was only natural that the opponent who had been fighting for a while had suddenly replenished his magic power from somewhere.
[Offering.]
Anyway, what happened happened. Rather than becoming irritated by the change in situation, Mephisto calmly began to understand it.
There were several cases, but one of them was the most likely. It is ‘offering a sacrifice’.
It was like that until now.
“...Yeah, that’s right if you do that.”
As the contractor did not hide his shamelessness, his voice contained contempt. It wasn’t his concern. He also looks down on contractors.
“But you can’t act as you please.”
But it’s really annoying at times like this. Mephisto’s eyebrows furrowed. The anger that was accumulating towards everything at every moment became even more inflamed.
Quang! The collision with Mammon caused an explosion.
「Keep your promise.」
‘I kept my promise!’
“Protect. “If you don’t want to die.”
Damn it! Why humans! Why should he protect it! There are few things in his life that are as worthless, meaningless, and unhelpful as me, so why should he protect them?
‘What do you think will change if we protect those things?!’
This is true even if it is used as a sacrifice. The power to be used to protect it, or the power to be gained by offering those things as sacrifices – breaking through Mamon’s checks – is what it is.
In the end there is no benefit! What benefit he will gain!
So why should he move? It is ultimately their fault that they die because they are weak, so why does he have to sacrifice himself!
“Protect.”
But there was no choice. Forced actions and deaths that must be watched. Among them, it was obvious that Mephistopheles would be the one to choose.
‘good. Let’s say we protect it by giving in 100 times.’
survival. If you want to survive, you can humble yourself as much as you want.
‘How should I protect it? ‘You don’t think that everything will work out just because you’re stubborn, do you?’
However, I will not accept any pressure.
He would have to make any sacrifice just to kill Cancer Mamon, but it was realistically impossible to protect so many humans here.
‘Let’s see a compromise, young one. ‘If you only ask for one-sided damages, I’ll get upset.’
No matter how important survival is, if you lower it too much, you will only be exploited. Mephisto knew this, so he held back his anger and killed him.
The contractor was silent for a while. Quang! Meanwhile, another explosion occurs between Mephisto and Mammon.
“...If it’s a sacrifice, there’s already something prepared.”
‘Ha, where is the sacrifice here—’
Is this bastard making fun of me? While Mephistopheles was thinking that, his body suddenly stopped.
There was an offering. There definitely was.
“Don’t use it all.”
It wasn’t prepared for times like this, but it was prepared for Gretchen... but there was one device that could be used anyway.
Hahahahaha! Mephisto’s lips rose smoothly.
[Humans are truly foolish.]
[...?]
But he also laughed at them to some extent. In other words, the foolish contractor increases his profits.
[There is no one who will recognize your dedication and sacrifice.]
[What...]
Mephistopheles collided with Mammon one more time and then used the recoil to retreat far away.
Mamon became wary of his actions, which were different from what he had done so far to narrow the distance.
[Why would you sacrifice a human being?]
[No. Oh, maybe that’s true?]
Mammon never believed Mephistopheles’ denial. If you are not trying to protect humans, there is no reason to stand in front of lava rushing like a wave and risk being swept away.
[Try it, Mephisto.]
But Mammon did not try to stop that action. This is because even Mephisto would have to consume extreme magical energy to burn all the lava he created.
Maybe all the magic will be wasted without even being able to burn it all.
[I will enjoy watching you struggle.]
Even if we burn it all down, what happens next? In order to offer a living creature as a sacrifice, you must prepare bonds to bind the soul and magic to preserve the body so that it does not lose its value.
It wouldn’t be difficult to engrave the truth if you used fire... but there’s no way Mamon would give up on that.
In the end, he will consume the demon energy according to the demon energy and the sacrifice will not be able to be offered as the sacrifice, so it is just a benefit to him.
Although he was wary of unpredictable intentions, he watched Mephisto’s actions somewhat leisurely. You will regret it. If Mephisto hadn’t been so mean, he would have maintained that attitude until the end.
[Old magic.]
[...?!]
Mamon’s eyes opened wide.
[It’s the ultimate law.]
[You...!]
You’re using that magic without a sacrifice? No, there wasn’t even a magic circle prepared before that?
how?
[Libra of the universe.]
Mammon immediately rushed in, meaningless of his words that he would watch happily. His actions were even faster because his old instincts told him not to give any room.
[A deserved reward.]
However, the speed was too fast. There are clearly several steps involved in offering a sacrifice, but Mephisto omits them all.
As if everything had been prepared in advance, as if reusing something previously used, as if a contract had been fulfilled!
Reuse for a moment? contract?
Before Mammon realized anything, the old rule responded.
The power that had been received in exchange for a part of the heavenly life bloomed in the hands of Mephistopheles.
Ratel. The moment the black and white sword was swung, silence came to the turbulent world.
And in the midst of that silence, a fire erupted toward the world that nothing could extinguish.