Chapter 150
“Grrraaaahhh…….”
Spread out flat on the ground, I finally released the breath I’d been holding in.
If not for the Authority of Restoration, I would have died hundreds of times over from the pain raging throughout my body.
Completely drained of stamina, I looked toward the Heavenly Demon.
She appeared refreshed, as though she’d merely finished light exercise.
I really shouldn’t have provoked her.
I regretted getting cocky with the Heavenly Demon.
I’d requested this spar thinking smashing something apart might relieve these emotions somehow, but as always, the one getting smashed apart was me.
Still, thanks to that, my head definitely felt clearer.
The miserable feeling pinning me down had eased considerably.
“So, does your heart feel lighter now?”
“I think so.”
“What a pitiful disciple you are.”
Still, unlike before, I hadn’t been beaten one-sidedly this time.
I’d actually managed to put up a fight.
Part of it was because my level had risen, but another reason was that the Heavenly Demon hadn’t drawn out her true power.
Through this spar, I learned what became possible once my Corrosion Rate reached twenty percent.
The first was drawing up the Abyssal Demonic Energy.
Abyssal Demonic Energy possessed far more destructive properties than ordinary Demonic Energy, and the power of Demonic Authorities used through it increased severalfold.
The reason I managed to defeat Lord Biden was because I drew out the true power of the Demonic Authorities through Abyssal Demonic Energy.
Of course, it wasn’t all advantages.
Drawing up Abyssal Demonic Energy required immense concentration and time.
The only reason I could use it during my battle with Lord Biden was because he was too busy summoning the Bone Dragon to properly pressure me.
The second was that I could now use the Greatsword of World Annihilation.
The technique the Demon of the End used when it forcibly seized my body before.
Its destructive power was enough to be called a disaster.
Naturally, I didn’t use it during my spar with the Heavenly Demon.
If I had, I wouldn’t have been able to handle the aftermath.
Still, I felt certain of one thing.
The current me could combine three Authorities together.
Those were the two biggest changes I noticed.
Beyond that, my physical abilities had improved, and the amount of Demonic Energy I could draw up at once had increased as well.
The Heavenly Demon voiced her concern.
“I distinctly told you to distance yourself from Demonic Authorities. Yet your Demonic Authorities have grown stronger again. No, worse, your dependence on them has increased.”
“I can’t deny that.”
Smack!
A crisp sound rang out as my head snapped to the side.
At the same time, a dizzying pain struck me.
“Ow…….”
“Did this lady not warn you? Do you truly wish to be devoured by that power?”
Honestly, this part felt deeply unfair.
The very thing she was scolding me for was the source of my depression and anger.
If the Corrosion Rate rose according to my will, I wouldn’t be in this situation to begin with.
“At this rate, what exactly do you plan to do when this lady is no longer around…….”
Clicking her tongue lightly, she spoke as though worried.
Something about her tone felt strange.
It sounded like someone preparing to leave far away.
Our gazes met.
There was something odd in her eyes.
Perhaps because of that strange gaze, a question I’d buried deep inside finally surfaced.
For some reason, I felt like I had to ask now.
“……Master, why are you affiliated with Pandemonium?”
At my question, emotion finally surfaced on her face—a rare occurrence.
Truthfully, this was something I’d wanted to ask long ago.
I’d merely stayed silent because I was wary of her reaction.
She’d never once explained the reason.
And I’d never asked either.
Why did the Heavenly Demon cooperate with Pandemonium?
People became Demonic Humans for all sorts of reasons.
Some desired power beyond humanity.
Others sought wealth, fame, or eternal life.
Most of them chased greed far beyond their own reach—distant, yet endlessly deep desires impossible to achieve through their own strength.
And to obtain them, they offered their souls to Demons.
Madmen who worshiped Demons, treated strength as the highest value, and believed lawlessness itself was freedom.
Pandemonium was the place where such Demonic Humans gathered.
Compared to them, the Heavenly Demon never suited Pandemonium.
First of all, she wasn’t a Demonic Human.
Nor was she friendly toward them.
If anything, the Heavenly Demon despised Demonic Humans.
As a pure martial artist, she often said she couldn’t understand those who sold their souls for power.
Then did she desire wealth, fame, or immortality?
That wasn’t the case either.
Her lifestyle was far too modest for someone craving wealth or power, and she had no interest in eternal life.
Then why exactly did she cooperate with Pandemonium?
Even in <Become a Hero>, there wasn’t much information about her.
She was a High-ranking Executive of Pandemonium, extremely popular among players, and a boss infamous for such vicious difficulty that veterans called her the “Old Player Reaper.”
After remaining silent for a long while, the Heavenly Demon finally spoke.
“Why do you wish to know?”
“Because what you said earlier sounded like someone preparing to leave forever.”
“……Your mouth truly is troublesome. I spoke carelessly.”
“You’re really leaving?”
At her words, my eyes widened.
The Heavenly Demon leaving.
I had never once considered such a possibility.
That was only natural.
In-game, the Heavenly Demon had never once left Pandemonium.
Part of why I asked was because of her strange tone, but another reason was because I wanted to know her more deeply.
Until now, I’d never told the Heavenly Demon about my fate or tragic ending.
At first, I assumed she naturally knew.
And after learning she knew nothing about my fate, I remained silent because I couldn’t fully trust her.
I didn’t truly know the Heavenly Demon as a person.
The titles I used for her were always Master, or Heavenly Demon.
I knew nothing about what kind of life she lived, what she liked, or what she desired.
Because she had always maintained that line between us.
And so, I never crossed it.
But now, I needed certainty.
Certainty about whether I could truly trust her.
Only then could I either draw her to my side—
Or prepare myself to fight her.
Whether she understood my thoughts or not, the Heavenly Demon spoke as if to reassure me.
“This lady is not leaving immediately. But the time is not far off.”
“So you really are leaving. Just where are you planning to go?”
Even if she left, it shouldn’t be outside Earth, yet her attitude felt like someone saying goodbye forever.
At that moment, a spark flashed through my mind.
“Wait… Master, when you say leaving, do you mean another world?”
“…….”
The Heavenly Demon didn’t answer.
But silence itself was as good as confirmation.
“Why are you trying to leave for another world?”
“Does one require a reason to return home?”
“…….”
For a moment, I doubted my own ears.
Had I heard wrong?
The Heavenly Demon’s hometown was another world?
“So you mean… you’re a transmigrator from another world?”
“A person from another world, hm. The phrasing is strange, but it is not incorrect.”
“Then the reason you cooperate with Pandemonium is…?”
The Heavenly Demon slowly nodded.
It was difficult to believe.
Yet at the same time, all the questions I’d held about her suddenly made sense.
To travel to another dimension, one absolutely needed a Gate.
But the Gates existing in this world were currently destroyed.
No matter how powerful the Heavenly Demon was, restoring broken Gates to their original state was impossible.
That was why she cooperated with Pandemonium—waiting for the moment the Demon of the End resurrected and the destroyed Gates were restored so she could return home.
Once again, my thoughts became tangled.
Should I tell the Heavenly Demon the truth about me?
If I did, how would she react?
Certainly, she cared for me and treasured me as a disciple.
And I respected her as my Master.
But would the Heavenly Demon cherish me enough to abandon returning to her world for my sake?
Or perhaps, after learning the truth, would she instead try to restrain me—
For the sake of returning home?
I couldn’t be certain the Heavenly Demon wouldn’t sacrifice me for herself.
Even I would seriously consider it if I could return to my original world with my body intact.
Countless thoughts crossed my mind, and in the end, I couldn’t speak.
The Heavenly Demon’s hand gently brushed over my head.
“When this lady leaves, take good care of Wol-ah. That child still has no one to rely upon except you.”
“……Yes.”
My heart grew heavy once more.
Then suddenly, the Heavenly Demon sharply turned her head somewhere.
Why all of a sudden?
Her eyes turned cold.
“Master?”
“It seems an unwelcome guest has arrived.”
“An unwelcome guest?”
I turned toward the direction she was staring at.
That was where the Heavenly Demon’s residence was.
At that moment, with a loud bang of exploding air, the Heavenly Demon vanished.
For her to rush off that urgently—
A bad feeling crept over me.
I hurried after her toward the residence.
Just who had arrived to provoke that much irritation from her?
Not many figures came to mind immediately.
Malphas, the Crow Demon and messenger bird of Pandemonium’s leader?
Or perhaps one of the High-ranking Executives themselves?
As expected, the closer I got to the Heavenly Demon’s residence, the more I could feel something as well.
A thick Demonic Energy that could never belong to a human.
It was unmistakably the aura of a Demon.
Only then did I realize why the Heavenly Demon had rushed off so urgently.
The messenger of Pandemonium’s leader had arrived.
There was no way the news he carried could possibly be good.
And on top of that, Wol-ah was alone at the residence.
Previously, just seeing Malphas had terrified Wol-ah immensely.
I quickened my pace even further.
The moment I arrived, I flung the front gate open without hesitation.
Several people stood gathered in the yard.
Wol-ah trembled behind the Heavenly Demon, while in front of her stood the Crow Demon Malphas.
But who was that?
I fully expected Malphas to be there, but beside him stood someone whose identity I couldn’t grasp.
When I sensed outside with Aura Sense earlier, I definitely detected three presences.
Yet strangely, despite standing right before my eyes, this unknown figure felt nearly impossible to detect—like a ghost.
“So you are the Devil Knight. This is our first meeting.”
The unknown figure’s gaze turned toward me.
His tone sounded as though he already knew me.
I glanced toward the Heavenly Demon, but irritation clouded her eyes.
“Who exactly are you?”
At my question, the unidentified figure sneered faintly.
“Hm, you don’t recognize me? Well, that’s understandable. I’ve never shown myself before.”
Beside him, Malphas opened his beak.
“Devil Knight, the one standing before you is none other than the leader of Pandemonium and the King of the Demonic Humans.”
……What?