Chapter 96: This Isn't Enough. Harder! |
For demons, desire was a concept that took precedence over everything else.
Even if a being chose to coexist with humans, overcoming inherent limitations for that purpose would be impossible.
‘Ah, this shouldn’t be happening…’
Of course, if one had immense power like her master, they could endure, but the one before her was infinitely weaker in comparison.
Even without considering lower-ranked officers, it was certain that a mere demon, vastly inferior to her, would lead to a terrible death in a direct confrontation.
The human race, trampled by the Demon King’s army, was such a weak and insignificant existence.
‘I know this makes Hyo-sung suffer, but even this side of him is so adorable.’
Yes, now the only thing that freed her from the endless cycle of longing for past glories, the only way to realize her desires, was through his existence.
Even if he were a frail human or fell to a status less than that of livestock or insects, her feelings for him would not change.
‘Such a lovely person is dancing to my tune at this moment.’
But even such feelings ultimately stem not from altruism but from selfishness.
The one before her was not an object of loyalty but a means and an end itself to fulfill her desires.
‘So just a little bit more…’
The more she thought of her master, who was not swayed by her performance, the more intense these feelings became.
How could she, longing for a relationship with him, suppress this impulse?
‘Just a little. Just a tiny bit more…!’
“Merilyn.”
But the performance, which she continued absentmindedly, only stopped for a moment.
Upon hearing a voice from behind, Merilyn stopped playing and quickly turned to look behind her.
The only person who was both her rival and could keep her impulses in check.
“Ah, Airi?”
The chill in her gaze felt much harsher than usual.
Naturally. The original plan was to adjust the level gradually and perform training suitable for his stage.
Acting recklessly like this could crush the seed before it even had a chance to grow.
From the perspective of someone hoping for his growth, wouldn’t she be angry?
“Ah~ I’m sorry. I just got carried away without realizing it…”
Merilyn, belatedly realizing her mistake, suppressed her impulse.
Of course, if they fought again, she wouldn’t be defeated like last time, but winning such a fight would bring no benefit.
If the impulse continued to be suppressed, there might come a moment when she couldn’t bear it, but it wasn’t yet at that point.
“It was just a joke. I didn’t mean it seriously…”
“No, please continue.”
As she was about to step back after reaching that conclusion, what came back to her was an encouragement—the complete opposite of the expected reprimand.
“What?”
“I said to continue your previous performance. In fact, it would be better if the play were more intense than now.”
At Airi’s words, Merilyn began to stare at her blankly.
Continue playing, not stop? Even more intensely?
‘What on earth…? Didn’t this woman want to protect Hyo-sung?’
For a moment, she wondered if she had lost her mind, but Airi’s gaze had already shifted from her to him.
Her expression had not softened at all.
With a serious and sharp gaze…
As if to show that the emotion was not directed at her but at him from the beginning.
“Ugh!!”
He, under Airi’s gaze, let out a deep breath and slowly began to rise from his position.
The performance had stopped, but the aftereffect of the music had not yet dissipated.
The awakened instinct was still gathering mana, trying with all its might to suppress his actions.
“Uh, haa, haa…!”
Nevertheless, the sight of him using the spear shaft as a cane to lift himself up was far beyond Merilyn’s expectations.
Originally, she thought he wouldn’t be able to withstand this much and would have collapsed for a while.
‘It’s unbelievable. Even though he has rotted, he was once a candidate for the Four Heavenly Kings.’
Even though his ambition vanished after witnessing the end of the Demon King he admired, the desire of Sloth must have increased his potential as he became lazier.
The remnants of that power still remained in the equipment, and the demon’s lost instincts, when infused with her mana, would draw out even greater power than before.
And yet, he was overcoming such a power with his mental strength.
“Hyo-sung, are you okay?”
“Yes, eh, I’m fine.”
Airi, taken aback, passed by her and approached him.
Quietly answering her question, he continued to resist the suppressing power of the armor, gripping the shaft of his spear.
“At first, I was shocked by the sudden weight, but then I realized I’ve endured much worse than this.”
“It’s not okay, but I can’t say I’ve reached my limit yet… right?”
“Yes, this intense pressure is actually fueling my determination.”
His breath was rapid, and his complexion was pale.
His face was drenched in cold sweat, and his legs, relying on the spear, were trembling.
“How far can I endure in my current state…?”
Yet, the smile on his lips showed a will to endure even the desire he couldn’t control.
Despite fearing that he might destroy himself, he was striving to surpass his limits with a competitive spirit.
‘He’s not breaking…?’
Indeed, something was happening beyond even her own expectations.
Confronted with this sight, Merilyn felt an unfamiliar emotion stirring in her heart.
No, it was definitely an emotion she had felt in the past.
It was just forgotten due to the long passage of time.
But certainly, there were moments when the person she desired needed her abilities.
‘Right, he’s not broken yet. Not just from the little push I’ve given…’
The one who enjoyed her performance, felt the thrill of her music, and hoped to spend more time together…
The fragments of those glorious times, which she thought would never return, were modestly realized at this moment.
“Merilyn, could you increase the tempo a little more?”
“What?”
“I said it’s okay to play more strongly.”
“Ah, yes, just a little… just a bit, right?”
Feeling overwhelmed, Merilyn began to direct her trembling fingers toward the strings of her lute.
The very little she was allowed.
“Just a little bit, only enough to not break him.”
She thought, increasing the tempo of the performance.
-Ding~!!
But such restraint was impossible.
Familiar with endurance, yet fully aware of its torment.
Hoping for even a bit of prolonged desire, she even accepted the presence of her rival, who suppressed her impulses.
Given permission to unleash, how could she possibly hold back?
“I’m sorry, Hyo-sung. I’m aware that I’m doing something wrong…”
Unlike her master, who felt nothing from her performance, he was being stimulated by it.
Yet he was enduring it, trying to use this moment’s pressure as his own strength.
“If you show me that you can rise from such a mess, how can I possibly hold back?!”
If he would end up broken, then that would be the end.
But if he could prove that he could endure to the end, then she could express her love for him without worry.
-Ding-a-ling~ Ding!!
Faithful to that desire, she played more passionately than ever, putting her emotions into the music.
Faster and more intense.
As if to bury everything that suppressed her in this moment.
Getting drunk on the dizzying melody of enticement.
“Argh, ugh!!!”
The pressure of the performance started to violently shake the human’s mind at this moment.
Though not specialized in brute force, the demon’s potential was comparable to that of the second in command of the Demon King’s army, following the Demon King himself.
An ordinary human wouldn’t stand a chance. His mind would eventually be consumed by a madness more potent than any drug, obliterating the fear of death.
“Ugh… Aaaaaah!”
Yet, he was enduring it.
Suppressing the urge to lose consciousness to her performance, trying to maintain his sanity.
And if he could maintain this determination, it could lead to an opportunity to control the immense power suppressing his body.
-Don’t move, just stay…
Of course, the armor’s intensity was also increasing, but unlike before, it was now at a level where competition was possible.
-After all, no matter how hard you try, you’ll only end up like him. It’s all meaningless…
“Shut up, you lazy bastard!!!”
Yes, this was not an unbeatable enemy.
Having already defeated it once, to consider it impossible before even starting was nothing but a pitiful act.
“How much more do I have to do in life to be able to lie down and rest…? If you’re already dead, just be quiet and be part of my experience. You damn thing!”
With a shout of belief, he suppressed the power emanating from the armor and gripped the spear in his hand, preparing a stance.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
The atmosphere trembled simply from him standing still.
The power enveloping him was enough to make the surrounding space tremble, but still, he did not fall.
Resisting the collapse, he sought to make the explosive power being exerted at this moment his own.
“Aaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!!”
A shout burst out as he threw the tip of the spear with all his might.
At that moment, the fierce power burst from the armor concentrated at the tip of the spear, eventually unleashing a powerful force.
Boom!
An explosive force unimaginable from a spear.
The afterimage passed through a scarecrow, the outer wall of a building behind it, and the ceiling.
Crash!
The spear tore through everything, extending beyond and plunging into a nearby mountain, causing a loud explosion.
The practice spear couldn’t penetrate the surface, as it couldn’t withstand the current power and shattered midway.
If the spear had been able to withstand the force completely.
For instance, if it were made of a sturdy metal like ‘Mithril’ instead of wood or iron, the attack at this moment might have caused a small landslide, burying everything below.
“Heave, heave…”
But the realization that he almost caused such a disaster did not exist for him at that moment.
He simply gave it his all and succeeded in unleashing his power in the end.
Although not to the extent of controlling it, he focused only on resisting and releasing the power, draining all his stamina.
Yet, just by overcoming the suppression emitted by the equipment, he might have secured the possibility of surpassing his own limits.
“I-I did it. Really…”
Merilyn, who was watching from the side, also realized this.
As she watched him resist her sadistic nature and grow, a smile, unbeknownst even to herself, began to form on her lips.
The belief that he could overcome even the intensifying of her impulses, as long as the current situation persisted, began to grow.
“You’ve worked hard, Merilyn.”
Just as she was about to indulge in his achievement.
Airi, declaring the end of the first training session, passed Merilyn and approached him, who had collapsed.
Despite having achieved something extraordinary as a human, she spoke in a calm and serious tone, as if she had expected this.
“And you too, Hyo-sung. After a little rest, let’s continue training when the elder returns.”
“Ah, yes… So it’s not over yet.”
“Yes, this is just the beginning.”
Her eyes, looking at him exhausted, slowly began to focus and gather strength.
“The challenges Hyo-sung must overcome next cannot be conquered just by this much.”
On one hand, her response seemed to consider even this as just the beginning.
Hyo-sung, overwhelmed by fatigue, couldn’t properly listen and looked dazed, but soon, he picked up on the sound of people approaching the training ground.
“It seems people have come after hearing the commotion. I’ll go and explain to them for a moment.”
“Ah, yes. Thank you.”
Airi began to leave, and he took his place to lie, looking so exhausted.
Merilyn, who came to her senses belatedly, immediately followed her and called out to her.
“Just a moment, Airi.”
“What is it, Merilyn?”
Airi stopped in her tracks and turned to look at her.
The coolness in her eyes showed a significant difference from the emotional demeanor she had shown so far.
Merilyn could vaguely guess the reason.
“You’re under the influence of my power now, aren’t you?”
“……”
“…I thought so.”
Indeed, even if it was for his sake, encouraging her to this extent was so different from her usual self.
Moreover, even the ability to foresee future events did not apply to a capricious demon, unpredictable even to her.
“Were you aware that, if not careful, you could fail to control yourself?”
Still, the reason for provoking that might be because she, too, lost her normal judgment in his performance.
“…What exactly did you see in the future that makes you feel so anxious?”
What exactly was going to happen next?
Did she push the one she loves so hard and encourage his growth for this?
“I’m sorry, but I’ll tell you about that later. It’s better to minimize variables until the appointed time comes.”
As if to show that such speculation was not entirely wrong, she did not deny her concerns and simply left the place.
There was no confusion or awareness of her own rampage.
It was somewhat true that she was affected by Merilyn’s performance, but not to the extent of losing her sanity.
“…It’s not enough.”
It just made her remember what she had forgotten.
That she was the last successor of the Haven family.
And that her priority, as the one who inherited her clan’s will, was to save this world heading towards destruction.
“This is not enough, Woo Hyo-sung. This is not enough to defeat her.”
And what awaited next was him standing directly in front of the dragon that declared the extinction of humanity.
Since the future involved transcendents, the outcome couldn’t be guaranteed right away.
It was inevitable to feel anxious, even if results beyond her prophecy would be achieved, because it couldn’t be guaranteed.
“So, you need to become stronger faster.”
“To prevent what Tashian will soon do at this excavation site…”
Everything was for the coexistence of love and mission.
The first challenge in making him a savior would start with him eliminating the last dragon left in this world.