91 – A Battle in the Human Realm

His body felt at ease.

It was a bizarre sensation, the first of its kind.

Canya believed she had reached paradise, embraced by a comforting warmth that permeated her entire being.

A fluffy softness caressed her skin, and the scent of freshly laundered linens filled her nostrils.

She felt…blissful.

A powerful desire arose, a yearning to remain in this state, basking in this feeling forever.

Then, a strange thought flickered.

Paradise?

But…how?

Her last memory was undeniably the moment that subordinate was beating her face.

What happened after that required no elaboration. He would have undoubtedly attempted to cast the subjugation spell on her once more.

So, what was this comforting sensation?

Belphegor would never allow her such ease, such comfort.

…Where am I?

The thought spurred Canya to action, and she shot upright.

A hurried examination revealed clean clothes, unfamiliar to her, now adorning her body.

Next, she surveyed her surroundings, and the image of a small room registered in her mind.

Two beds.

A small dining table.

And on one side, a wooden tub.

A man sat at the table, preparing food, and then quietly looked toward Canya.

Their gazes met in mid-air, and an awkward silence descended upon the room.

“Uh… you’re awake?”

Canya was taken aback by the man’s gentle voice and awkward smile.

What in the world was going on?

Where was she?

Who was this man?

Having known only pain and suffering among the followers of Sloth her entire life, she was at a loss for how to react to such a comfortable environment.

But one thing was clear.

The man before her was not a demon worshipper.

If he were, she wouldn’t be treated like this.

“W-Who are you? Where am I?”

She wanted to ask a mountain of questions, but Kanya started with the most crucial.

The man frowned, looking troubled, and sat on a chair facing the table.

“Someone who wants to help you. That’s all you need to know. You’re headed to the Rock Mountains of Talahaim, aren’t you? I’ll take you there.”

Kanya’s eyes widened at those words.

Who is he, really?

How does he know that?

“How did you know I was going to the Rock Mountains of Talahaim?”

“I could explain… but aren’t you hungry? Why don’t you eat something first, then we can talk?”

The man said, gesturing towards the food laid out on the table.

And the moment she looked at the food…

Kanya had to hear a groaning sound from her own stomach so loud it embarrassed her.

But she was past feeling ashamed.

Without her realizing it, saliva was welling at the corner of her mouth.

A reddish soup that looked like it was made with tomatoes, and bread that seemed baked with butter on top.

And a wooden cup and a pitcher of water were set on the table.

It wasn’t a grand feast, but to her, starving as she was, it was more essential than anything else in the world.

Without realizing it, she got out of bed and walked to the table as if possessed, sitting down and starting to eat without giving anyone a chance to say a word.

The moment the warm soup entered her mouth, Kanya felt tears begin to flow, despite herself.

She wanted to shove all the food in front of her into her mouth, chewing and swallowing it like a madwoman…

But her body betrayed her once again.

Her already thin arms didn’t have any strength left, a consequence of going hungry for too long.

She tried to use the spoon again, but it was so difficult to even hold it, as if she had developed a tremor.

On the verge of dropping the spoon altogether, the man reached over and took it instead.

“I’ll feed you. Open your mouth.”

It was embarrassing, but considering her condition, it couldn’t be helped.

And so, Kanya had to accept the food the man offered her, like a baby bird.

The bread soaked in melted butter.

The tomato soup.

The water.

After finishing it all, Kanya was almost lightheaded with a feeling of fullness she hadn’t experienced in what felt like forever.

So snug, so languid.

It felt as if she could simply drift back to sleep, but she struggled to sharpen her mind and looked at the man.

Her belly was full, at least.

And certain things needed to be addressed, clarified.

“Your name. I want to know your name.”

“Jericho. Just call me Jericho.”

“Alright. Jericho. I have some questions. How did you know I was going to the Talhaim rock mountains?”

Jericho shrugged, as if it were nothing, at Kanya’s grave tone.

“I got it out of the man trying to kill you, after a little persuasion.”

The follower, no doubt.

At those words, Kanya’s voice grew urgent.

“Where is the man who tried to kill me?”

“Dead.”

“Dead?”

“He killed himself after the questioning. His corpse dissolved into blood in an instant and seeped into the ground, vanished.”

It was certain.

The same way it always happened when lazy followers made mistakes and were publicly executed, their bodies disappearing.

A follower was dead.

There were still many who hunted her, but one of them was gone.

The next question that surfaced was this:

“…Then that follower. Did you kill him?”

“Yes.”

“Why? No, before that. How did you find me? Who are you, Jericho? What kind of person…”

A torrent of questions poured out, and the man gestured for her to stop.

“A god told me, Kanya. Let’s just leave it at that.”

A god.

At those words, Kanya realized just how strangely silent the goddess Belia had been, so far.

“Lady Belia? Lady Belia!!”

No matter how much she called, Belia’s voice, which always answered, did not resonate within her mind.

“Lady Belia!… aaah!”

Jericho took her trembling hand, panic contorting her features.

“Kanya. Calm down. Your goddess is more asleep from shock than anything else. She hasn’t vanished, alright? I’ll watch over you and help you, in her stead now. Don’t worry so much, or be afraid. Alright? You just need to think about getting to the rocky mountains of Talahaim and waking up Velia.”

His touch was warm.

Her shivering slowly subsided.

Jericho patted Kanya’s back gently.

“Sleep for now, Kanya. It’s late. We’re leaving early tomorrow, so get some rest before then. Nothing will happen. I’ll be here to watch over you.”

At those words, Kanya felt a wave of sleepiness wash over her.

A feeling of contentment she was experiencing for the first time.

And for the first time, a sense of security and safety.

Jericho embraced Kanya, then laid her back down on the bed.

Pulling the blanket up to her neck, Kanya asked with a weary expression and tone,

“Why… why are you doing this for me?”

“I had business in the rocky mountains of Talahaim anyway. That’s all. Sleep, Kanya. I’ll stay here with you.”

Kanya felt an unbidden sense of peace with his faint smile.

Her body, long wounded and weary, needed rest.

The warmth of the blanket lulled her back to sleep in an instant.

And she slipped into a deep, dreamless slumber.

*

[Poor thing.]

Kohn spoke, after Kanya’s breathing had settled into a steady rhythm.

Kohn’s voice, always crass as he flitted about, was unusually somber.

Probably because of Kanya’s life story, which I had summarized for him in close to ten minutes.

[You’re going to help her, right? That girl? I can smell it; she’s remarkably pure for her age. Never been in love with a man, knows nothing of the ways of the flesh, and her body is, of course, untouched. Even if she’s a different species, it’s unmanly to leave a woman like that to her misfortune. Amael.]

Kohn’s words only deepened my pity for Kanya.

Why would she be so unknowing, so pure?

Wasn’t it because she never had the chance to live a normal life?

“I have to help her. We need to go to the rocky mountains of Talahaim. We have to free the goddess trapped within Kanya’s body. The various dark magic spells etched onto Kanya’s skin were all cast under the assumption that the goddess was inside her. If the goddess disappears, Kanya will naturally be freed as well.”

[You’re incredible, you know. How did you manage to pry out so much information so meticulously while I was sleeping?]

“It’s a long story.”

I stood up.

Opening the window of our lodging, a sliver of moon cast an ominous glow upon the city’s nightscape.

And somewhere, out there, the Demon Lord’s followers surely lay in wait.

From the memories I’d glimpsed of them, the three Demon Lords, for reasons unknown, were orchestrating a joint operation to prevent Kanya from reaching the rocky peaks of Talhaim at all costs.

They would undoubtedly love to tear me limb from limb for trying to help her get there.

Which is precisely why I’ll continue to aid Kanya.

To keep provoking the Demon Lords until all three come for me, then fight to my last breath to protect her. A glorious death.

And hopefully, my sacrifice will unleash the goddess within Kanya, and she, too, will find salvation.

“Kon.”

And in pursuing this plan, a confrontation with the followers is inevitable.

“Remember when we talked about using my time stop ability in combat? Like using it to create armor, or fashion weapons?”

[I recall. Why bring that up?]

“That… we should seriously work on developing that.”

It’s time to graduate from just swinging my belt around.

The moment had come to seriously consider how to put these abilities to practical use.

*

[So what now, Belphegor? Are we just going to let those brats reach the rocky peaks of Talhaim?]

Satan’s words were met with a shake of Belphegor’s head.

[That would spell our doom. It’s not some fragile divinity that could shatter at any moment; it’s a divinity capable of ascending to the Pantheon immediately, one that would become Asmodeus’ ally. Our chances would dwindle even further.]

Leviathan added his piece.

[Besides, Velia is a divinity of the Pantheon, isn’t she? What if she fully awakens and reveals to that saint the nature of the entity dwelling within her soul…]

[We must prevent that. If the Saint learns Asmodeus’ true nature, he might fully rejoin the Pantheon’s side. Corruption would be out of the question. Remember why Lucifer still toils to barricade the Pantheon even now.]

Satan roared at that.

[Just summon my followers and have them rip them apart! All this muttering and plotting doesn’t suit my taste.]

[Stay put, you idiot! If Amael is endangered, Asmodeus won’t hesitate to devour Velia’s divinity! Our chances vanish then! Have you forgotten?]

While Leviathan and Satan traded barbs, Belphegor suddenly raised a hand.

[Perhaps… Satan has a point.]

[What drivel is this now, Belphegor?]

[In the spirit realm, we are undeniably at a disadvantage. Asmodeus, as we’ve seen, has grown too powerful. But… what about a fight in the human realm? Lust’s followers can’t possibly outnumber ours, can they?]

Leviathan glared at Belphegor, incredulous.

“Don’t you know how Mammon’s followers got done in at the Scrap Yard? No matter their numbers, one burst of divine power and they were finished.”

“Leviathan. Think about it. Compared to Asmodeus’s power, the divine force poured out at the Scrap Yard was almost laughably small. Don’t you see what that means? Only one path for interfering in the human realm. That lecherous b*stard. We, on the other hand, have paths without end.”

The numbers of followers.

That, in other words, was directly tied to how much divine essence could be poured into the human realm.

Asmodeus was exceedingly powerful in the Spirit Realm.

But in the human realm, he had only one channel for expressing his rank.

The three Demon Lords, on the other hand, possessed less rank than Asmodeus, but a vast number of channels through which to unleash it.

“I don’t know about fighting in the Spirit Realm, but fighting in the human realm, we have a chance of winning.”

At Belphegor’s words, Satan and Leviathan’s eyes flicked about.

And in an instant.

Roles were established.

Satan was the first to speak.

“My followers will take care of attacking the Saint.”

Next was Leviathan.

“My followers will handle interfering with the Saint’s divine power and that lecher’s time-stopping abilities. It suits the nature of my power, after all.”

Last was Belphegor.

“While you two are doing that, I’ll separate Belial from the Saint. Once I’ve made Belial mine once more… even the fight in the Spirit Realm. Will have a chance of victory.”

The three Demon Lords swallowed hard, recalling the sheer size of Asmodeus’s rank.

He was a monster.

It couldn’t be allowed to grow any larger.

“Summon all followers. Right now. This is an all-out war. No matter what happens. Don’t let those two reach the rocky mountains of Talachheim.”