Chapter 60

Chapter 60: Rift Opening (11)

{{…What?}}

Valak’s two pairs of eyes narrowed.

“Let me emphasize this. Every contract made except mine. That means contract termination for every single one, including Lucia, who is currently rampaging, the Corrupted Bodies, the Defectors, and the believers.”

{Do you think that is possible for me?}

{If I could do that, I would have immediately terminated my contracts with the Defectors too, would I not?}

“Ha, impossible? Stop spouting nonsense.”

I snorted at Valak’s attempt to play dumb.

“You can think about fooling someone else, but do not try to fool me. From the very beginning, did you not make a Formal Contract with Lucia under the condition that you would restore her parents to their original state?”

For demons, the conditions of a Formal Contract were absolute.

If a demon could not fulfill the conditions, the Formal Contract itself could not be established.

“If all contracts are forcibly terminated in this manner, then regardless of whether they are Defectors or Corrupted Bodies, all of their Demonic Aura will disappear, and they will return to normal. Am I wrong?”

{…Tch, so you knew that?}

{You really are a child of the Four Great Houses for a reason.}

“Of course, you would not want to use this method. If you do, you will no longer be able to receive a price from your Contractors.”

I gave Valak a fishy smile.

“Well, that is none of my business. I will make you do it by turning it into a contract condition. You can look forward to it.”

Then I raised a second finger.

“And second, I will add a condition that from now on, you cannot contract with anyone without my permission.”

{{You arrogant bastard……!}}

A furious voice leaked out from between Valak’s teeth.

{You are saying you will stop me from making contracts?}

“Oh, do you not want to use Holy Power? If you are scared, then die.”

{You are saying you will attach such a thing as a condition to a demon?}

“Listen until the end. I will stake an equivalent price too.”

I made a gesture of slitting my throat.

“If I cannot withstand Lucia’s attack and die… then as the price, I will offer you my soul.”

Valak’s anger, which had been erupting, subsided, and he gazed at me with interest.

{…Oho?}

{Your soul……?}

{You understand very well what those words mean, do you not?}

“How could I not?”

Offering one’s soul.

That meant presenting one’s thoughts, mind, memories, emotions… everything that made up oneself to a demon as part of a transaction.

It was a high-risk, high-return contract where both sides staked something against each other.

“If I do that, even if I die, you will be able to learn not only ‘how to handle Holy Power’ from the memories inside my soul, but also how I contracted with ‘Lucifer.’ Is that not an equal price for both sides?”

{Hehehe… good.}

{Let us make the contract.}

CRACKLE……! POP……!

Sparks flew from the fireplace beside us, and a sheet of paper emerged from within it, fluttering through the air as it approached me.

I picked up the contract, looked over its contents, and nodded.

“…Good. The contract is written properly.”

Tap.

A fountain pen fell onto the table.

{Once you sign that contract, you will immediately leave this Mental Space.}

{The contract will be fulfilled from the moment you leave this place.}

I picked up the fountain pen and brought its tip to the signature field at the very bottom.

{Hehe… a bet with a human……. I do not know how long it has been.}

{Try it if you can.}

It was not greatly obvious, but Valak was clearly certain.

He was certain that I could not defeat the rampaging Lucia with his authority alone.

That was understandable. 

The current Lucia was strong enough to exchange blows with Levia, a Dragon Hatchling.

It was confidence born from that demon knowing his own authority well, but that demon was overlooking one fact.

The fact that ten years ago, I had learned every kind of Black Magic and had even returned to the past through Black Magic.

Scratch.

I wrote my name on the contract in cursive.

SHATTER!

The moment I lifted the pen nib, every scene, including Valak and the log house, broke apart into fragments.

.

.

.

The weight of my physical body returned.

Even so, everything before my eyes was still red. It was probably the aftermath of the ‘Large-Scale Teleport’ Lucia had unleashed.

There was no time to relax. If I wanted to prevent the past from repeating itself, I had to start making a move now, while we were still teleporting.

SPARK…….

My head tingled.

A demon’s authority rushed into my brain all at once.

-Should I enjoy watching from here too?

Inside my head, I could hear Valak’s Thought-Message connected to me.

It was a little bothersome, but if anything, it was good. 

This Thought-Message ringing inside my head was proof that the contract with Valak had been properly fulfilled.

I moved the wicked power seeping into my head downward and connected it to my heart.

Valak, having read the Demonic Aura inside my body, swallowed a low groan.

-…You are already making use of it to that extent?

Temporary release of the price for authority use.

Because the price had been released, there were no side effects from using Demonic Aura.

Until my bet with Valak ended, the Demonic Aura supplied to my heart was effectively unlimited.

However, there was still a limit to how much Demonic Aura could be stored in my heart, so with this amount, I could not use High-Rank Black Magic.

CRACKLE… CRACK……!

The ‘Mana Crystal Dagger’ fixed at my waist began absorbing the Demonic Aura swirling around me.

This was another way to use the ‘Mana Crystal Dagger.’ 

It could store not only the user’s mana, but also the user’s Demonic Aura.

One percent… two percent… three percent…….

Judging by the speed at which it was filling, it seemed it would be completely filled within two or three minutes.

With this, all preparations to face Lucia were complete.

Snap.

I spread both hands.

Valak’s authority, Reptile Transmutation.

KIIIIII……!

Soon, dense Demonic Aura rose from my palms.

***

The outer district of Saengterminum, near which a broad river about one kilometer wide flowed.

The streetlights installed here and there and the lights leaking from shops reflected off the surface of the river, showing off a beautiful night view.

Normally, it was a remote area with almost no people, but today was Rift Opening, the day when the Artificial Rift had been opened on a large scale. 

At present, the outer district was bustling with all kinds of visitors who had come from other countries.

“…Huh?”

“…What is that?”

The people walking down the street stopped and looked toward one side of their vision.

The gazes of those who sensed something strange gathered one by one.

Before long, everyone on that street opened their eyes wide.

“The ground here is strange.”

KIIIIII…….

Red light rose from the ground for only a brief moment.

KWAAANG!

Along with a roar like a balloon bursting, the air spread outward, and everyone standing on the road dyed red was pushed out of the range.

Screams and cries rang out.

More than a hundred people rolled across the road and instinctively realized that the situation was far from ordinary.

But it was already too late.

POP! POP, POP! PING!

On the street where the people had been pushed away, nearly a thousand believers of the Valak Order densely filled the empty space.

Black smoke rose from the bodies of every believer wearing a black robe.

Just before the maddened cries of nearly a thousand believers whose reason had been paralyzed filled the street and they charged at the nearby people like zombies.

CRUNCH!

The ground beneath the believers split open, and long things that rose from within coiled around their bodies, tightly restraining them.

KIIIIII……! KIRRK……!

A group of snakes made of earth flicked their tongues and let out spirited cries.

One snake for each believer.

In an instant, nearly a thousand transmuted snakes blocked the believers.

The gazes of the people swallowing their bewilderment naturally turned toward the two people standing at the center of it all.

Before long, their faces were swallowed by shock.

Because the Demonic Aura being emitted from those figures over there was so dense that it could not even be compared to the people subdued by the earth snakes.

***

The voices of the people caught in chaos rang loudly in my ears.

On top of that, Demonic Aura was swirling around my entire body.

“Authority really is amazing, is it not?”

After stuffing the pendant I had taken off in advance into my pocket, I quickly scanned the surroundings.

Valak’s authority, Reptile Transmutation.

As soon as the teleportation ended, I had activated this authority against the ground.

It was a large-scale authority activation made possible because there was no price to pay.

With this, I transmuted a large number of earth snakes, detected the locations of the believers, and easily blocked them, but……

CRUNCH……!

“Tsk, well, of course.”

I knew it would not work on you.

Lucia lightly tore apart the earth snake with both arms, and her head turned toward me.

“Ah……! Kra……!”

“…Has her reason completely flown away?”

The demon horns rising beside her ears glowed red between her black hair.

Ash-gray eyes with unfocused pupils, long red claws, and a tail that had mutated to be as sharp as a harpoon.

Lucia’s entire body was now not merely covered in ‘Full-Body Demonic Armament,’ but had become one with the Demonic Armament.

In any case, with this, Lucia, who had become a Corrupted Body, had her attention completely fixed on me.

A moment ago, I could not follow her movements at all, but from now on, things were different.

‘Full-Body Demonic Armament.’

CRACK, CRACK……!

Even though there was practically no mana in my heart, there was no exhaustion from Mana Depletion at all.

The only difference was that the fuel had changed from mana to Demonic Aura. 

For the current me, there was no major problem in manifesting Black Magic formulas with Demonic Aura.

If it was ‘Full-Body Demonic Armament’ strengthened by Demonic Aura, I should at least be able to follow her movements with my eyes.

However,

-Keke, did you think you only had to pay attention to Lucia?

CRACK! CRUNCH!

Two figures broke free from the restraints of the earth snakes and stood before Lucia as if protecting her.

Two Corrupted Bodies contaminated by Demonic Aura to a degree comparable to Lucia.

The ground where they stood began turning black-red due to corruption.

“Grrrr…….”

“Kiiik…….”

“Haah, what a damned fate.”

A sigh escaped me on its own.

-Wow, this truly is a masterpiece.

Lucia and the two Corrupted Bodies. 

Three pairs of eyes looked at me.

-Parents trying to protect their child even after becoming Corrupted Bodies. How moving. Truly?

Those two Corrupted Bodies had originally been under Lucia’s Madness Control.

But now that Lucia, who had been controlling them, had gone berserk?

What more needed to be said?

-Hehe… now then, there are three Special Grades. Struggle hard so you do not die.

The moment Valak’s Thought-Message burst into scornful laughter,

BANG!

The Corrupted Body that had vanished from my sight in an instant closed the distance to me at once.

Reptile Transmutation.

RUMBLE, RUMBLE! HSSSAAAAK!

I tried spreading dozens of earth snakes in front of me to block their approach, but there were three Special Grades on the other side. 

This was beyond the level where numbers could do anything.

The heads of the earth snakes rushing in were blown away at once by the claws and tail Lucia swung.

The moment the path opened, the two Corrupted Bodies flew in like arrows and stretched their feet toward me.

My dynamic vision had improved, so I could see their movements, but they were still fast, and my response was delayed.

Shadow Forging.

Shadow Shield, Two Consecutive Forgings.

I gripped the Shadow Shields and crossed both arms, preparing for the impact.

BOOM!

For an instant, a shadow brushed before my eyes along with the sound of air tearing.

KWAAAANG!

“……!”

A terrifying pain passed beyond my arms and reached all the way into my chest.

Even though I had blocked with the Shadow Shields, they had this much destructive power……!

I was sent flying backward as my vision spun.

Undead Serpent, summon.

WHIRL!

My back slammed into the summoned Undead Serpent, and as I was pushed back together with the undead, we completely smashed the shop behind us.

“Cough……. Hiss…….”

My chest throbbed. 

The collapsing pile of debris narrowed the angle of what I could see.

At least, it was fortunate that because I was wrapped in Demonic Aura, I would not be corrupted even if I made contact.

KIIIIII…….

The undead that had coiled around me to reduce the impact looked at me and let out a worried cry.

CRACK! THUD!

Along with the sound of cracks spreading across the ceiling, it shattered, and three figures landed.

The three Corrupted Bodies flashed red eyes and raised their claws toward me.

Damn it, are they not even going to give me time to catch my breath?

The river should be behind this wall, right?

‘Blow away the wall!’

KWAKANG!

When I fired a Thought-Message at the undead, the undead swung the end of its tail and smashed the wall behind us.

I leapt backward beyond the wall together with the undead.