Chapter 9: Test (4)

Tap.
Tap.

The sound of flesh burning.
Smoke rose into the air.

Flames of crimson fire surged from a body shedding black remnants.

“Haaaa…”

Whoosh!

With a single hollow breath, the flames that rose with his exhalation instantly turned the hero’s sword aura and the falling stalactites into ash.

[…You still have something left to show us?]
[Impossible… Does that human have no limit?]

A limit?

That had already come long ago.

His arms wouldn’t move.

He couldn’t put any strength into them.

He could barely breathe.

Every last bit of energy stored within each cell of his body had been consumed, leaving him with no energy to expend.

Simply standing was already a miracle.

‘It’s hot…’
‘It hurts.’

And yet, he did not fall.

No, he couldn’t fall.

‘I haven’t… saved her yet.’

If his strength was gone, he only had to squeeze out his mana.

If his mana was gone, he only had to squeeze his body dry.

And if there wasn’t even a body left to squeeze dry…

‘Then I’ll grind my soul down to nothing.’

Slick.

Cain raised his arm wrapped in flames and lowered his head.

He closed his eyes and slowly drew in a breath.

“Whoooo…”

Boom!

His lungs felt as though they were being crushed.

Black smoke rose from his lips.

Cain gently extended his arm toward the hero.

Rustle.
Rustle.

Black particles spread from his fingertips.

They danced lightly through the air, gradually filling the space around the hero.

At that moment.

Whoosh!

Flames erupted from the black particles.

BOOOOM!

A sudden explosion erupted.

The hero quickly swung his sword, blowing away the storm.

Whoosh!

Cain’s figure disappeared from the hero’s vision in an instant.

Following the remnants of flickering mana, the hero quickly swung his greatsword toward the right.

But.

“Wrong way, you son of a btch.”

Cain was glaring at the hero from behind.

“Burn.”

BOOOOM!

A deafening roar like an exploding bomb rang through the cave.

The flames erupting from Cain’s arm swallowed the hero’s body in an instant.

“Hmm…!”

The hero’s body was scorched by the raging flames.

Cain’s arm moved toward the hero’s heart.

The hero quickly raised his greatsword to protect his upper body.

“That won’t work like before.”

“?!”

Cain’s fingertips struck the side of the greatsword.

It was an extremely similar situation to what had happened moments ago.

Normally, there was no way Cain’s fist could break through the hero’s sword.

But.

BOOOOM!

This time, the situation was different.

With an enormous roar, a crack appeared in the hero’s greatsword.

The tremendous impact sent the hero’s body flying through the air.

Whoooooosh!

As his mana circuits went berserk, an intense flow of mana surged through Cain’s body.

Mana Bomb.

Moment Acceleration.

Burn.

The most basic beginner spells.

Yet unlike the weak flames from before, these flames were now comparable to an explosion.

The increase in their destructive power was impossible to ignore.

Crack.

Mana leaked out second by second from the tattered circuits.

The flames of overheating that were torturing his body gradually began tearing his flesh apart.

Cain dropped to his knees from the indescribable pain.

Thud!

“Ugh…”
“Uaaaaaaaaaagh!!!”

His flesh was burning away.

His arm was completely broken.

In the midst of pain that made his consciousness fade, Cain screamed.

But he didn’t stop.

He plunged his hand into the ground.

Boom!

This wasn’t the time to falter from the pain.

His time was limited.

Flames once again erupted from the remnants around the hero and the remnants connected to Cain’s arm.

Whoosh!

Boom!

As the flames roared, Cain swung his arm.

Fragments of the shattered floor became arrows of fire and flew viciously toward the hero.

Clang!
Clang!
Kaaang!

‘Fck…’
‘He’s blocking that even in that condition?!’

Crack!

His fingers twisted and bent.

His wrist could no longer be held steady.

‘Can I even make a fist anymore?’

Boom!

Cain’s leg moved forward.

The distance between him and the hero gradually narrowed.

Dust obscured the hero’s figure, but Cain’s eyes precisely tracked his position.

Whoosh!

The flickering flames took shape.

His broken wrist dangled limply.

But Cain did not stop.

Another explosion rang out from his leg.

“Burn.”

Whoosh!

Cain’s body instantly moved before the hero.

Cain’s arm burned black.

The hero quickly tried to knock him away, but Cain swung his completely shattered arm like a madman.

Boom!
Bang!
Bang!
BOOM!

“Ugh…”
“Uaaaaaaaaah!!!”

More cracks spread across the hero’s sword.

The greatsword swayed as though it might shatter at any moment.

The hero let out a short groan.

“Hmm…!”

Blood sprayed through the air.

His arm burst apart.

Cain continued swinging his shattered arm and advancing forward.

“Hey, you…”

Crack!

The hero’s greatsword shattered into countless pieces.

Cain glared coldly into the hero’s eyes and raised his arm.

“How long are you going to keep pretending to be a puppet?”

“…..”

“Cut the shitty act…”

Crack.

“Come the fck out!!!”

BOOOOOOM!

The hero’s body was embedded in the wall.

Brushing the stones off his body, the hero slowly curled up the corners of his mouth.

[When did you… realize?]

A seductive voice that seemed to tickle the nerves.

A truly enchanting voice that didn’t match his rough appearance seeped out.

“When did I realize?”
“The way you’ve been staring at the back of my neck like that, it’d be harder not to notice.”

[I see…]
[I made a mistake.]

Whoosh.

The hero’s body floated into the air.

With strange cracking sounds, his movements were bizarre, as though he had no joints.

Slick.

Holding my arm, which had been reduced to a ragged mess, I spoke.

“It was you, wasn’t it?”
“The one who’s been watching over Lilac all this time.”

“Ohohoho…”
“Why do you think that?”

I took a pink sphere from my pocket.

“While looking around the temple, I found something strange.”
“Something that doesn’t belong in a pure-white temple at all.”

“Something strange…?”

I pulled the sphere from inside my pocket.

“This…”
“It’s yours, isn’t it?”

I threw the sphere toward the illusion.

“You did all kinds of shit to hide the smell, but did you really think that disgusting stench would disappear?”

“Hehe…”
“What a terribly ill-mannered child you are.”

The illusion tilted her head as she looked at the sphere that had fallen with a light thud.

“But that’s strange…”
“Why doesn’t my charm work on you?”

“Seriously?”
“Charm?”
“Looking like that?”

“Hmm…”
“You’re right.”
“Perhaps this form isn’t suitable.”

The illusion suddenly raised her hand.

Snap!

The moment she snapped her fingers, pink mist gathered around her.

Rumble…

The smoke spun like a vortex.

As the scent I had smelled before tickled the tip of my nose, another splitting headache struck me.

The mist soon began losing its shape and scattering.

“How about this…?”
“Better?”

A beautiful woman appeared through the gently dispersing smoke.

Long, snow-white legs.

A seductive outfit that emphasized the contours of her body.

She was the embodiment of lust, as though every color in the world had been condensed into a single form.

“You…”
“Don’t tell me you’re Lilith, the Goddess of Lust?”

“Hehe…”
“You… recognize me?”
“I’m honored.”

The dense lingering scent of the mist filled the cave.

The unpleasant stench was enough to make my nose feel as though it were splitting apart, so I surrounded my body with mana and created flames.

Whoosh!

Seeing the flames burn even more fiercely, Lilith slowly clapped her hands.

Clap.
Clap.

“Oh my…”
“You’re so tough.”
“I like you more and more.”

“Shut up.”
“Getting praised by you only makes me feel like sht.”

I raised my head and shouted toward the ceiling.

“Wasn’t that different from what you said?”
“I thought you said gods couldn’t interfere here.”

[I never said we couldn’t interfere.]

“…What?”

What the hell was that supposed to mean?

The voice continued answering my question.

[It is indeed a rule dictated by the laws that gods do not interfere with the lower world.]
[However…]

“…However?”

[Rules are not necessarily always obeyed.]
[Isn’t that right?]
[You humans also break the rules you establish whenever it suits you.]

What the fck…?

[Of course, you will bear the consequences of breaking the rules.]

“…..”

You insane bastard.

What kind of bullshit logic was that?

I widened my eyes and glared at Lilith.

“…Fck.”

“Don’t make such a hateful face…”
“When I see an expression like that…”

Whoosh!

“It makes me want to torment you.”

Pink mist surged toward my body.

I quickly tried to move away, but an invisible restraint caught my legs and left me completely unable to move.

The mist began groping my body from every direction.

“Fck!”
“Let me go!”

“Hehe…”
“I really like rebellious children…”
“Especially a man as wild as you…”

Lilith swallowed audibly.

“How am I supposed to resist this?”

“Crazy btch.”

Lilith slowly walked toward me.

“You…”
“Won’t you become my apostle?”
“I feel like I’m going crazy because I want you so badly.”

“An apostle?”
“Don’t make me laugh.”
“Quit your bullshit and release me.”

“Ahh…!”
“How wonderful!”
“Even seeing me like this doesn’t shake you at all…”

Lick.

“I want you even more now.”

“…..”

The circuits inside my body continued heating up.

The berserk mana felt as though it could explode at any moment.

‘Fck.’
‘I don’t have time for this.’
‘It’s almost time…’

I’m going to die soon…

‘How much longer can I last?’
‘Two minutes?’
‘Or one?’

I looked into Lilith’s eyes as she gently caressed my chin.

“Hey.”
“Release me, you fcking btch.”
“Unless you want that pink head of yours ripped off.”

“Hehe…”
“That’s amusing.”
“How can you say that in your condition?”

I quietly drew in a breath.

Then I exhaled toward Lilith.

“Like this.”

Whoo.

Black remnants released through my breath flew toward Lilith’s head.

I quickly clenched my teeth and ignited the mana remnants.

Crack!

Whoooooosh!

“Oh my.”

As the flames burned, the restraints wrapped around my body weakened.

I immediately broke free from the mist and threw a punch toward Lilith’s head.

“Burn.”

Boom!
Boom!
Boom!

Lilith’s head was blown into the air in an instant.

Dodging the pink mist rushing toward me again, I threw myself toward the sealing stone with all my strength.

Boom!

Crack…

Even if Lilith was a goddess, her current form was clearly nothing more than an illusion without a catalyst.

The proof was the absence of the awe-inspiring presence I had felt in the voice.

Whoooooosh.

The sealing stone was getting closer.

I wrapped a Mana Bomb around the end of my remaining arm, loading the final blow that would end her long suffering.

Finally, the sealing stone was right before my nose.

Just as I was about to deliver the final blow…

“You know…”
“You can’t break that.”

Lilith’s mocking voice came from behind me.

Thud!

“What the…”
“What the hell?”
“Why isn’t this working…?”

My fist slammed into the sealing stone.

Normally, the moment my fist made contact, the sealing stone should have shattered.

But.

“Why isn’t the mana gathering?!”

For some reason, the berserk state of my circuits, which had been on the verge of exploding only moments ago, suddenly stabilized.

I continued pounding on the sealing stone.

“What the hell?!”
“Why?!”
“Why is this happening?!”
“One hit!”
“Just one hit is all I need!”

I was there.

I had finally made it.

Why was this happening now?

“Burn!”
“Burn, burn, burn, burn, burn!!!”

No matter how many times I tried, I couldn’t draw out the mana inside my body.

I shouted at Lilith.

“You fcking btch!”
“What the hell did you do to my body?!”

No matter how I thought about it, she was the cause.

The circuits that had been dangerously unstable and on the verge of exploding just moments ago had suddenly become completely stable.

That was impossible unless it was a technique belonging to a god.

“I told you I wanted you…”
“But it would be such a shame if you died before I could have you.”

Lilith picked up her head.

“So I took it away.”
“The thing that was killing you.”

“You…”

In Lilith’s hand was something that looked like a strange cord.

The cord was so tattered that it looked as though it could crumble at any moment.

Lilith pointed toward it and smiled.

“You thought your circuits had stabilized?”
“Mmm…”
“No.”

She pointed at my heart.

“Your circuits disappeared.”

“What…?”

The circuits disappeared?

I raised my mangled arm and felt around my body.

Ssssss…

“This…”

Pink smoke seeped through the gaps in my clothes.

‘Don’t tell me…’
‘When she grabbed me earlier?!’

I had thought she wasn’t touching my body for no reason.

Had she done that to pull out my circuits?

Crack.

This fcking btch…

Lilith raised her index finger toward me.

“You…”
“I’ll ask you one more time.”
“Won’t you become my apostle?”
“If you do, I’ll give you a new power to replace those tattered circuits.”

“Haa…”
“What a load of bullshit.”

I raised my arm toward her.

Then, with every bit of strength I had left, I raised my middle finger.

“That power wasn’t all that useful to me anyway.”
“You can have it, you fcking btch.”

“You…”
“Can’t you understand the situation you’re in?”

Crack!

“You’re going to die soon if you stay like that.”

The raised middle finger turned to ash and scattered.

My body, having burned through every last bit of energy, hardened stiffly like a lump of charcoal.

Lilith extended a hand toward me.

“If you become my apostle, you can live forever.”
“No…”
“You’ll be reborn as a life superior to the one you have now.”

“So I’ll ask you.”

Ssssss.

“Won’t you become my apostle?”

Her body, enveloped in pink smoke, floated gently into the air.

Looking at the lifeline of salvation dangling before my eyes, I thought.

It was tempting.

An incredibly tempting offer.

Immortality.

Power.

Evolution.

Extraordinary conditions that any human being would covet desperately.

I had lived my entire life as trash.

I had spent my entire life trailing behind everyone else.

To me, those words were as sweet as the temptation of a devil.

If this had been the old me, I might have fallen for those words and become that woman’s lackey.

But.

“No.”
“I don’t need it, you ugly btch.”

None of that mattered to the me I was now.

Lilith approached me with a shocked expression.

“Why…?”
“Wouldn’t a human covet those things with everything they have?”
“Why are you refusing?”

“Why?”

Why was she asking something so obvious?

“Because I f*cking hate you.”

“…Really?”

[What a shame…]

Crack!

After speaking those final words, my body could no longer maintain its form and began shattering into pieces.

[It’s over.]
[Yes…]
[It’s over.]

[But…]
[He surpassed his limit.]

[Then we should grant his wish…]

[No.]
[It’s impossible.]

The voice glanced at Cain’s neck.

[He… can no longer speak.]

Listening to the murmuring voices, I stared blankly at the sealing stone.

‘It’s over…?’
‘Is this really the end?’

I had done everything I could.

I had risked everything.

I had to save her…

‘Do I really have to end it like this?’

Vwoom…

The sealing stone binding her emitted a pure-white light.

It was right before my eyes.

One hit.

I only needed one more hit.

‘But… do I really have to disappear without being able to do anything?’

Crack…

‘Don’t make me laugh…’

Thud!

‘Don’t make me laugh.’
‘Don’t make me laugh.’
‘Don’t make me laugh!!!’

Thud!
Thud!
BOOM!

Every time my fist struck the surface of the sealing stone, black ash scattered and stained the pure white.

In a state where it was difficult to even call myself alive, Cain continued pounding on the sealing stone.

“Stop…”
“You’ve done enough.”
“Just rest comfortably for your final moments.”

Comfortably?

Rest comfortably?

I was one step away.

I was one step away from finishing this!!!

‘You ruined that chance.’
‘And now you’re telling me something like that…?’

Ssssss…

Even though his entire body was falling apart and dying, the murderous intent in Cain’s eyes refused to disappear.

Seeing those black eyes staring at her, Lilith slowly extended her hand.

At the same time, Cain’s charred head drooped helplessly.

“…I’m sorry.”
“If this had been my world…”
“I would’ve found a way to save you, no matter what.”

I’m truly sorry.

Saying that, Lilith gently placed her hand on Cain’s dying hair.

“Goodbye…”
“Cain.”

…..

Clang!

“Huh…?”
“Why did the sealing stone…”

“You don’t get to say his name, Lilith!”

BOOM!

A sudden noise rang out.

Wrapped in a sensation strangely reminiscent of a soft cradle, Cain slowly raised his head.

“Cain…”
“Are you alive?”
“Are you alive?”
“Please…”
“Answer me.”

A delicate hand gently caressed his cheek.

Cain narrowed his eyes, which could no longer see properly.

And there she was.

The pure-white goddess gently touching his face.

“L…i…la…”

“Yes…”
“It’s me.”
“You stupid fool…”