88 – Search and Skirmish

The sky was stained black.

And the earth was rent asunder.

From the torn fissures, countless demons and legions of hell poured forth.

Twisted beyond reckoning, beings consumed by an endless hatred and rage for the living and all things virtuous.

And amidst the ravaged earth and the sky turned black, a crimson moon arose, bathing three figures in its light.

A woman, gaunt to the extreme, riddled with a morbid, consuming jealousy.

A muscled man, his body wrought of steel, his face a brazen mask.

And finally.

A woman with languid eyes, appearing younger, more fragile than either of the others.

The three of them gazed upon a lone woman, slumped upon the ground.

Her limbs withered, a grotesque hump jutting from her back, as if tortured since childhood.

A hunchbacked woman, clutched in three hands, lifted skyward.

The three hands tightened their grip, and her body began to stretch.

In the final moment, the hunchback didn’t scream, but quietly fixed her gaze upon me.

“Save me.”

So she pleaded, with an eerily composed voice.

Then, the woman’s body tore.

And from within, a woman’s face, contorted in agony, was revealed.

The brilliant gold faded, succumbing to the three who mocked beneath the blood-red moon.

Before long, no light remained in this world.

*

[Motherfucker! That was a jolt!]

Kon jolted upright from his cot, so violently that he cried out.

Quiet for a while, and then it hits again.

Erpa.

This makes the third, after Iomene and Almene.

[Looks like the sort of nightmare where some blonde-maned stallion steals the virgin mare you had your eye on right in front of you. You okay?]

Despite being drenched in sweat from head to toe, Kon’s words coaxed a weak smile from me.

“Just… a real bad dream.”

Wiping the sweat from my brow, I grinned.

“Still, it was a good nightmare.”

[That’s as contradictory as a virgin whore. What kind of dream was it?]

“A dream where the world ends.”

[That’s one hell of a dream. No wonder you reacted like that. But why is it ‘good’?]

“Because I found a way to die.”

[What the hell are you talking about now?]

I look down at my body.

Exactly what happened at the scrap yard…

I don’t know.

But what’s clear is that Mammon couldn’t beat Asmodeus alone.

If Mammon had won, I wouldn’t be here now.

But the three figures I saw under the red moon in the dream…

Weren’t those Demon Lords?

There were three Demon Lords?

In a 3-on-1 fight, there’s a good chance Asmodeus would lose.

Then…

Then there’s a good chance my soul will be destroyed too, isn’t there?

“Kon, change of plans.”

[No, explain it so I can understand. What the hell is going on?]

“For the sake of the world, I have to die. Got it? But I can’t just die in a normal way. My soul has to be completely shattered. And I just saw a way to die that way in the nightmare. So, change of plans.”

[Do you realize how crazy you sound right now?]

Yeah.

I’m a crazy b*stard.

A crazy b*stard who’s desperate to die with his soul destroyed.

“Kon, for the peace of the world. And even for your sake, I have to die. Understand? So, you have to help me out. It’s always better with you than just me alone, right? Don’t you think?”

[I still don’t understand what’s going on… But okay. Fine. Since you’re asking for my help, I’ll do it. What do you need me to do?]

“A woman. We need to find a woman. A hunchbacked woman, all skin and bones.”

If I get torn to shreds by those three Demon Lords in place of that woman, everything will be fine.

I become a martyr, and I go back to Korea.

The world was better off with Asmodeus’ rampage potential extinguished.

Hell wouldn’t be able to meddle in the human realm as easily, losing a seat on the demon throne.

Perfect.

Except the problem, as always, was finding the woman from the prophecy.

First, we had to find her, hear her out, and *then* figure out if there was a way to replace her or not.

But how were we supposed to find a hunchbacked woman with skinny limbs in this vast continent?

“Bloody hell. How am I supposed to find her?”

The moment I felt like tearing my hair out.

[How old did she look?]

“Twenties… early to mid-twenties. Seemed about that age.”

[Skinny limbs and a hunchback. And early to mid-twenties, you say? Good. I’ll do a psychic sweep of the area with those parameters.]

I was dumbstruck at Kon’s matter-of-fact response.

“Wait a minute. You can find her?”

[I might not be good at much else, but finding females is what I do *best*. I have the psychic ability to distinguish whether a mare 20 kilometers away is a virgin or not! Don’t underestimate my psychic power, Amael.]

That s*x-crazed unicorn was actually going to be helpful.

Turns out, you really do live and learn.

“Kon. I’m begging you. Find her, and make it quick.”

[Hmm. Nothing in my detection range at the moment. We should move towards an area with a larger human population. Head that way.]

“That way?”

[Aye.]

I immediately froze time, converted my magical power to physical enhancements, and sprinted towards the direction Kon indicated at an unbelievable speed.

[Ah, damn it all. Still no detection. No hunchbacked women. oooh! A stable teeming with purebred mares is 10 kilometers northeast!…….]

“Shut up, Kon! Find the woman I told you about! This is urgent!”

[Blast it all, if only I had my body. Keep moving! I’ll increase the range of my psychic detection!]

Even though that pervert kept spouting nonsense about mares he’d detected along the way, the truth was, Kon’s help was making things a lot easier.

And so, we ran back and forth, speeding through a world frozen in time.

*

Her painfully thin limbs were covered in wounds.

The hump protruding from her back forced her into an ungainly posture, and the deformed spine compressing her lungs made even breathing a struggle.

She walked and walked, desperately, but in the end, her tattered body reached its limit.

“I… I can’t walk any further. Goddess.”

Kanya collapsed onto the ground.

“I’m so hungry. And thirsty… I don’t have any strength left.”

The Goddess didn’t press her.

[Well done. Let us rest a moment. And see if we can find a place for food and water.]

Kanya had been walking for a full six hours, without a single break.

That she could walk for six hours in that state was a triumph of human will.

Kanya gasped for breath.

She couldn’t know when the Apostles of Sloth might find her, so she’d been avoiding populated areas as much as possible.

But now, she’d reached her limit.

She could compromise on everything else, but she absolutely needed food and water.

“I’ll try going to that town over there.”

From the hill where she rested, she could see a town.

Judging by the cars and people, it was no small city.

She took a deep breath and forced herself to stand.

Her limbs, weakened from overexertion, trembled as she pushed forward, entering the town.

And the moment she stepped inside…

“That smell!”

“What’s with that woman?”

“Good heavens, what *is* that smell…?”

People recoiled, wrinkling their noses and distancing themselves from her.

The stench emanating from her unwashed body was truly exceptional.

Add to that her unnaturally thin limbs and the lump protruding from her back, which even a generous soul couldn’t call attractive.

[All the better, perhaps. People are in danger around you. Gather food and water and leave quickly.]

Kanya nodded at the Goddess’s words.

Then, a pleasant aroma reached her nose.

A restaurant.

Perhaps she could find food and drink there.

Slowly, she approached the restaurant.

She opened the door and stepped cautiously inside. The boisterous chatter gradually faded, until a complete silence filled the room.

The looks of shock and revulsion aimed at her. Kanya shrank under the gazes of surprise.

“I… I beg you for food and drink.”

As she said this cautiously, the diners inside the restaurant looked towards the owner.

The owner possessed a face of decidedly rugged mien.

He began to walk towards Kanya, his steps heavy and deliberate.

[That man… If he so much as lays a finger on my child!]

The goddess subtly began to draw upon her power, and Kanya, her face tight with tension, watched the owner, but surprisingly…

The expected outcome did not occur.

“Miss. Are you alright?”

The owner with the harsh face spoke to her in a voice that was surprisingly gentle.

The owner smiled warmly.

“I am a follower of Lilia. The Goddess commanded us to provide for the weak. Here. Come this way. I will arrange a place for you to wash, eat, and drink.”

Blindsided by this turn of events, Kanya could only blink.

“T-Thank you. If possible, food and water as quickly as you can…”

“I will bring it to you right away. While you eat, if you’ll just wait a moment, I will contact the priests at the temple nearby at once. They will tend to any injuries you have.”

But Kanya, who had been finding a small measure of relief, stopped dead at the words that followed.

Priests?

That meant someone with sacred power was coming?

The very moment that person arrived nearby…

Her body, her very flesh, would be torn apart and she would die.

“Ah, no… I can’t!!”

Kanya screamed and bolted from the restaurant in a flurry of panic.

“Miss! Miss! Where are you going!”

The owner, who had only intended kindness, called out to Kanya, seemingly bewildered, but Kanya didn’t even reply, desperately fleeing until she disappeared from sight.

She ran until she was outside the city, reaching a dilapidated hillside where people rarely tread, then she collapsed, breathless.

[Lilia of Grace… It seems she’s gained many followers while I was trapped. That’s strange. Lilia was the one most grievously wounded during the Celestial War…]

“Kindness turns out to be poison. Doesn’t it, Goddess?”

[Indeed. It’s troubling.]

Kanya’s stomach rumbled fiercely.

How many days had it been since she had eaten properly?

It wasn’t as if she could just pluck some random weed from the roadside and eat it; that would likely lead to a stomach upset, given her already weakened state.

Proper food was needed.

But where on earth could she find food and drink?

[Forgive me, child. My power only extends to destroying that which is evil. I am utterly useless, unable to even offer you sustenance.]

“No. Don’t say that.”

Though she spoke those words, Kanya’s expression mirrored her despair.

Food and drink were essential, but venturing into the city risked encountering someone with divine power, leading to her immediate demise.

An impossible situation, either way.

“What on earth am I supposed to do…?”

Just as Kanya sighed and lowered her head, a voice spoke.

“Feeling peckish, are we?”

A chilling voice, coming from right behind her.

Kanya recoiled as if struck.

Almost simultaneously, a black magic circle bloomed across the ground, and suddenly the sky turned an inky black.

[Oh, dear!]

The Goddess’ divine power enveloped Kanya in an instant.

Kanya thrust the staff she held forward like a spear, but her opponent merely chuckled.

Black robes.

A mask obscuring their face.

And emblazoned upon their chest, the distinct sigil of Sloth.

A servant of the Demon King.

“Why did you run, I wonder? If you had just remained quietly under our master’s hand, you wouldn’t have had to go hungry.”

Kanya retreated slowly, but soon she reached the edge of the magic circle etched into the ground, and realized that some unseen force was preventing her from crossing the boundary.

“You cannot escape. Only by killing me can you break this enchantment.”

[Kanya. You must fight.]

Divine power erupted from the end of the staff, forming a blade-like point.

Kanya gritted her teeth and aimed the staff at the servant of Sloth.

“I’ll try.”

“So, you choose to resist. Well, that is not necessarily unwelcome.”

The assailant drew a dagger from within their robes.

“He said, should it be necessary, we could even hack off a limb or two to bring her back.”

[ONDA! BE READY!!]

Almost the moment the goddess’s voice faded, the assailant lunged at Kanya, the blade of his dagger darkening to a sinister black.

A staff imbued with divine power clashed fiercely in the empty air with a dagger pulsing with dark magic.