< Chapter 190: Overwhelming (1) >
Ai, and I were naturally bounced outside of the barrier with the extinction of the Time Dragon.
And then, we came across an unexpected sight.
“…That demon, is it Lucifer?”
“Yes. The opponent is… Mephisto.”
It’s the unbelievable sight of Lucifer and Mephisto confronting each other.
“Fortunately, it doesn’t look like they’ve come after us…”
The atmosphere is so intense; that it feels like they could start fighting at any moment.
I roughly guess this situation might be because of the trick I pulled on Mephisto.
“Lucifer, you bastard…!”
From the angry shout of Mephisto, it seems I’m right.
“Ai. Bow down a bit more.”
“Ah, yes.”
We huddled and concealed our presence more.
“Don’t call my name so casually. Loser.”
Lucifer looked down on Mephisto with a gaze as if looking at a detestable insect.
“Traitorous bastard….”
Mephisto’s expression wasn’t much different.
It was an expression as if he wanted to bite and swallow Lucifer right away.
However, on his side, there was a subtle sense of resignation.
“I’ll ask one last time. What on earth happened in Alfheim?”
“….”
Mephisto’s expression grew more hostile. Given that Mephisto likely knows that Lucifer is the one who trapped him, such a reaction is expected.
However, separate from his resentment, Mephisto has no way to defeat Lucifer. To begin with, Mephisto has never been a match for Lucifer, and I’ve even taken away Mephisto’s beloved spear.
His odds of winning are probably close to 0%.
That’s why he’s desperately suppressing his anger.
“If you’re really curious about what happened in Alfheim, I’ll personally convey it to the Lord.”
This statement would have been Mephisto’s last stronghold.
If Lucifer allows him to meet the Lord, it suggests a high likelihood that Lucifer isn’t the traitor.
“Impossible. The Lord isn’t so free as to spare time for a loser like you.”
But Lucifer, the embodiment of arrogance, didn’t even lend an ear to Mephisto’s words.
“…Heh, heh. I thought as much.”
Mephisto gave a self-mocking smile and occasionally burst into laughter.
It seems he’s certain of Lucifer’s betrayal by his refusal to allow a meeting with the Lord.
‘One of the reasons I became sure that Lucifer came to deal with Mephisto is this.’
I think Lucifer wouldn’t have taken action himself unless it was to destroy evidence.
‘Mephisto is likely thinking that way because he’s unaware of Bazet and Lilith’s failures.’
The importance of this matter has risen not just from Mephisto’s defeat, but from the consecutive defeats of Bazet and Lilith.
That’s why Lucifer personally took action to capture Mephisto.
“Stop blabbering and answer my question, defeated dog.”
“…You’re talking nonsense.”
Mephisto snorted.
His expression said there’s no nonsense like this nonsense.
“I told you. If you want me to speak, let me meet the Lord.”
“I believe I’ve already answered that. It’s impossible.”
An icy silence flowed between the two.
I lost myself in thought while watching the two of them.
‘I was worried that my plan might go astray because Lucifer and Mephisto unexpectedly ran into each other at this early stage. Luckily, things went well.’
Given the nature of characters like Mephisto and Lucifer, I somewhat anticipated that they wouldn’t exchange detailed information. However, this went even better than expected. I never thought Mephisto would completely refrain from even briefly mentioning my existence.
‘Of course, considering Mephisto’s arrogance and pride, I did think he would keep his mouth shut.’
I let out a sigh of regret.
“… It’s a bit disappointing.”
“Huh? What is?”
Ai, who had been quietly observing the situation, glanced at me.
“I was hoping Mephisto would cause some major disruption in the demonic world, but it seems that’s unlikely.”
“Ah.”
In this situation, the chances of Mephisto reviving and escaping are almost nil.
Mephisto is likely to die.
“Anyway, things got sorted without us lifting a finger.”
“Indeed. One villain caught another.”
Ai grinned.
I also responded with a mild smile.
All we have to do now is enjoy the show and perhaps have some snacks.
“By the way, that demon Mephisto sure has a peculiar fate.”
“How so?”
“He keeps getting defeated by Seo-yul.”
“Um… maybe about 4 times?”
Considering today’s event, that would be about right.
“… For a supposedly powerful demon, he just seems like a local thug in front of Seo-yul.”
Ai looked at Mephisto with pity.
I followed Ai’s gaze and stared at Mephisto.
‘Come to think of it, Mephisto is one of the beings who made significant contributions to my story.’
He was the reason I first obtained the characteristics of the Angel beings.
He was also the reason I established a good relationship with Si-yeon.
If it weren’t for the Mephisto incident back then, I wouldn’t be who I am now.
‘On that note…’
As I thought about this, a question suddenly occurred to me.
‘I was told my future can’t be changed. But how does that work?’
At this moment, the probability of Mephisto escaping alive is nearly 0%. Therefore, naturally, the chance of me encountering Mephisto in the future will disappear.
However, if what Shin hyung said is accurate, this shouldn’t happen.
My existence is validated only by undergoing the event of Mephisto’s seal release.
‘Then, is there a third demon who will be sealed in place of Mephisto?’
The demon sealed in [The Scribe’s Constraint].
As long as this remains the same, my future won’t change significantly.
‘There’s a theory that even if someone goes back in time and successfully assassinates Hitler, a third soldier will take Hitler’s place.’
This is the theory of immutable history.
‘The important thing is not the meeting with Mephisto but experiencing the event itself. There’s a high probability of it happening that way.’
I was confident about this and nodded.
It was at that moment.
“Die, loser.”
In the end, seemingly reaching the limits of his patience,
Lucifer growled and unleashed his magic power.
“Pray that you fall into hell. Traitor.”
In response, the magic emanating from Mephisto looked rather pathetic.
There was a significant power disparity between them.
Mephisto, probably knowing better than anyone else that he couldn’t win, wore a self-mocking expression.
Hence, he spewed out words that almost seemed like a curse, knowing his end was near.
Zap, zap!
The two forces of magic violently clashed and dispersed in the air.
“Get down. The impact will be strong.”
“Okay.”
Just as Ai and I were preparing ourselves for the impending shock,
Whoosh-
A pillar of light descended from the sky.
Crack-
Giant ice flowers bloomed everywhere on the ground and in the air.
And the next moment,
“…Michael and the Water Spirit King?”
Lucifer scowled, clearly irritated.
Mephisto’s eyes gleamed, hinting at some trick up his sleeve.
“Lucifer. Today’s the day I’ll step on that filthy face of yours.”
From the pillar of light, a man walked out with a confident stride.
Silvery hair characteristic of the Angel beings and peculiar pupils.
He was a man with five pairs of wings, indicating he was of the highest order among the Angels.
“The climate in this frozen land always feels refreshing. It’s invigorating.”
As the ice flowers shattered, a knight emerged from within.
A knight clad in armor made of ice.
From her voice, it was evident she was female.
“Michael, what brings you to such a remote place?”
One of the four great stars of the Savior.
Michael smirked.
“Wherever you are, I am always there. Have you forgotten? Apostate.”
Saying so, he gripped a white spear in his right hand.
A divine spear, seemingly forged of light.
An artifact of the Angel beings I once used as well.
It was [Michael’s Holy Spear].
“…You haven’t changed. Still as stupid as ever.”
Gazing at Michael, Lucifer also drew a black spear.
A spear of darkness, the counterpart to Michael’s holy spear.
It was [Lucifer’s Demon Spear].
“Seo-yul, this is….”
Ai and I were transfixed, staring at the unfolding spectacle.
“Hello~”
At that moment, the ice knight gently landed beside Ai and me.
“You’re Kang Seo-yul that Ini mentioned, right?”
Her voice gave off a peculiar sensation.
“And you must be Shirakawa Ai.”
Despite being clad in ice, her voice felt warm.
“Pleased to meet you. My name is Aqua.”
The woman who introduced herself as Aqua carefully removed the helmet made of ice she wore.
“I’m the Water Spirit King, Aqua. I’ve come to help on Ini’s request.”
One of the four great stars affiliated with the Savior.
The Water Spirit King, Aqua.
“….”
The face of the woman who removed her helmet was identical to Si-yeon’s.
‘At this point, nothing surprises me anymore.’
The Water Spirit King was Si-yeon.
* * *
The frozen land was in turmoil.
Clang, Crash!
Every time the black spear and the white spear clashed, the heavens and earth trembled.
The aftershock of their collision tore the earth apart, obliterated ice mountains, and split the sky.
“Michael!”
“Quiet.”
Lucifer, a fallen angel, and
Michael, who considers such a Lucifer as his sworn enemy.
Their battle was fierce.
“They fight well.”
Both of them were merely being observed by me, Ai, and Aqua.
“…Do we not need to help?”
“Yep. Fighting is aerobic, right? Aerobic exercises lead to muscle loss.”
Aqua joked with a smirk.
“….”
She’s basically a carbon copy of Ha Si-yeon. The things she says are so reminiscent of Si-yeon.
“Just kidding. Seriously, I’d help if I could, but Michael would be mad.”
“…Ah.”
Is it the Angel’s duty to bring down the fallen angel Lucifer?
“It’s been a while since Mephisto ran away. I came all this way, but there’s nothing to do.”
Aqua stretched with a bored expression.
Indeed, Mephisto had fled a long time ago.
He took advantage of the confusion right after Michael and Lucifer collided and escaped.
“Is it alright to just let Mephisto go?”
Just a hunch, but
It feels like Aqua deliberately let Mephisto escape.
“Yeah, it’s okay. No need to worry about that. It’s not my concern.”
As expected, she did let him go on purpose. What could be the reason?
“Umm~”
Aqua, perhaps feeling restless, stretched out her arms.
Her expression seemed to convey a certain dissatisfaction. Was it an expression of wanting to move on to the next activity?
‘I know exactly what she’s thinking.’
It’s an expression I’ve seen multiple times in Si-yeon in the modern world.
“…If you’re feeling restless, you can exercise.”
“Eh?”
Aqua, who was stretching her arms upwards, looked at me with surprised, bunny-like eyes.
“How did you know I like exercising?”
“…Just a hunch.”
How would I not know?
Because the future of Aqua, the Water Spirit King, is Ha Si-yeon.
“There aren’t many who know about this…. Ah!”
Aqua blinked playfully.
“Ini told you, didn’t she?”
“No.”
“Aye. It can’t be anything else. How would you know otherwise?”
Hmm.
How should I respond?
“To be honest, I enjoy working out. I just made a casual remark, but I didn’t expect it to be the right one. I was a bit surprised.”
At that moment, Aqua’s eyes sparkled.
“You like… working out?”
“Yes. I’m so devoted that I don’t miss a single session in the morning, afternoon, or evening.”
I wasn’t lying.
Thanks to Instructor Pi Jin Ho, I was obsessed with daily workouts. That’s a fact.
“…You. Are you really a good Apostle?”
Aqua gazed at me with admiration.
“….”
It’s not flattering to be admired for something like this.
“Come visit my place next time. I’ll show you my treasures.”
There was an immediate image that came to mind when she mentioned “treasures”.
“Is it something like a collection of exercise equipment?”
“Yes! I didn’t even tell Ini or Heavenly God about this. You truly didn’t hear it from Ini!”
Aqua stared at me as if she had found a kindred spirit.
“So… you also have a hobby of collecting exercise equipment?”
“…Pardon?”
“I never thought I’d find a comrade here! Ah, I’m so happy!”
She hopped around joyfully, drawing closer to my face.
“I’ve always been seen as a bit odd, you know? A spirit who’s obsessed with physicality! But you know it’s not just about that! The body and mind are interconnected! Even when I advocated this physical philosophy, no one seemed to understand! Can you imagine how frustrating that was? You get what I’m saying, right?”
Si-yeon… or rather, Aqua’s rapid-fire talk suggests that in this world, she might be the only one of her kind, colloquially known as a ‘gym-junkie’.
That’s probably why she’s so excited.
It must be the first time she’s met someone with whom she could share her hobby.
“I’m so thrilled! Let’s work out together next time! Ini promised to make me something special this time! I might even let you be the first to use it!”
“….”
She’s so enthusiastic; that I can’t even interject.
“And also…”
Just as she was about to come nose-to-nose with me…
“….”
Aqua’s expression turned sharp.
“He’s here.”
In an instant, Aqua returned to her original position, put on the helmet she had removed, and gripped a sword made of ice.
She was fully battle-ready.
“Stay behind.”
Saying so, she created a fortress of ice around Ai and me.
“I heard from Ini. If he finds out who you are, it could be a problem, right?”
“…Who?”
Aqua, now with ice wings on her back, looking ready to fly at any moment, answered.
“The Demon God”
“…What?”
In the next moment.
“He arrived.”
Boom!
The sky opened.
< Chapter 190: Overwhelming (1) > End.
