Chapter 281
While his eyes gazed upon a peaceful world, his mind seemed to reflect the opposite.
My gaze naturally deepened at the heavy topic.
Yes, it was an issue we had to address at some point. Now that we had shared all our secrets, it was the perfect time to bring it up.
“Reed is…”
My voice, as I uttered his name, sounded like a lament even to myself.
“Reed was preparing a double dungeon.”
“A double dungeon?”
First, we needed to share the information we each had.
“Reed is planning to destroy the world more thoroughly than the past you. That’s why he seems to have given each of the Three Demon Kings a mission, calling it ‘Revelation.’ Inferinos digging the Pit of Solitude was part of that plan.”
By corrupting me and keeping me by his side, he would have removed an obstacle to destruction.
“When you, Terry, entered the Pit of Solitude, Inferinos wanted to know what revelations the other Demon Kings had received from Reed. So, he proposed a deal to me: he would return you in exchange for me spying on Carpheios’s demon territory.”
“So you went to Sanarak? That dangerous…”
“Would it have been better if I had jumped into the Pit of Solitude with you?”
“…”
With a single unsmiling remark, I effectively silenced Tesillid. I continued my explanation.
“What I saw in Sanarak was a colossal structure, towering like a mountain. Its name was ‘Tomb of Chaos Gods,’ and the gate in its basement connected to the Final Dungeon.”
“A double dungeon connecting the ‘Cradle of Chaos,’ huh…”
He didn’t ponder long before reaching the answer.
“The fact that he specifically created a double dungeon to go through Sanarak means…”
“…”
“He intends to release the Chaos Evil God after making it stronger by causing two bursts.”
“I think so too. Moreover, Reed invaded the Pontifical Palace during Doomsday and even seized Holy Ground Construction.”
The last safe zone had fallen into his hands.
“I see.”
Tesillid lifted his lowered gaze. His resolved eyes were somehow chillingly cold.
“Ail.”
“Yes, Terry.”
“I actually saw the Black Serpents of Interdiction in your inventory.”
“…”
That thing wrapped around Tesillid’s left wrist, suppressing his power.
The fact that I had taken the tool that had bound him for thousands of years somehow felt like I was inflicting harm upon him.
As I felt that guilt, a calm voice resonated in my ears.
“There’s no Well of Eternity, but there’s a Save Point. I’ll give it back to you.”
“Terry…?”
“Even if we send Reed back to the 101st iteration, he’ll just do the same thing. Death can’t be a punishment for a regressor.”
“…”
“To make him repent, he needs punishment.”
“…”
The emotionless tone, paradoxically, made the listener’s heart ache.
What kind of feelings are you bearing to say such a thing now?
Tesillid Argent. He was originally a man who had become steeped in self-loathing through repeated iterations.
The Reed of the 100th iteration was the culmination of those feelings. That’s why he didn’t hesitate to brutally kill his pre-regression self.
However, the 117th iteration before me felt different.
Having fallen into the abyss and endured all sorts of suffering at the end of the 100th iteration, he had probably come to pity himself.
And what would stimulate his self-pity the most would be his self from the 100th iteration timeline.
He was suggesting to let that self fall into the abyss and follow in his footsteps.
At this very moment, isn’t he suffering more than if he were to stab himself to death?
The pristine, expressionless face, paradoxically, tormented the beholder.
Yet, Tesillid still spoke to me, killing himself with his words.
“You do it.”
“…”
“Please.”
The Save Point was extended towards me.
“…”
I stared at the terrible artifact for a moment, then reached out my hand.
The moment I took the Save Point, Tesillid’s sea-colored eyes wavered greatly.
I sighed.
“Why ask me if you’re going to make that face?”
“…”
His true feelings were transparent, as if his eyes were windows.
He must have been hurt because the self of Reed still remained within him.
Tesillid, whose thoughts had been exposed, averted his gaze, full of guilt.
“Sorry.”
“I’m not looking for an apology.”
I deliberately lightened my tone to comfort him.
“Since you gave it to me, I’ll use it well. But I won’t use it the way you’re thinking. Don’t be hurt.”
“…”
Tesillid’s lips parted.
It was obvious he was about to ask how, so to avoid an unanswerable question, I changed the subject.
“By the way, there was something strange when I met Reed.”
“Something strange?”
“He looked like you. I mean, his original appearance before he fell.”
“…!”
Why? Tesillid’s eyes widened to their limit in surprise.
And I hadn’t even mentioned the crucial part: that he had tried to kiss me while pretending to be him.
“The 100th iteration reversed the demonic sword’s transformation?”
“Mhm.”
“…”
Tesillid’s face, having received confirmation, became gravely serious.
What’s wrong?
The question couldn’t escape my lips. The air was that heavy.
It was then.
“Double dungeon.”
“…”
“Holy Ground Construction.”
“…”
“Original appearance.”
“…”
A voice like pieces of a puzzle fitting together.
“Ah…”
Having completed the picture, he let out a sound that was neither an exclamation nor a sigh.
All sorts of complex emotions swirled chaotically in his eyes, eventually converging into one feeling.
“My God…”
It was a devastating pity.
Come to think of it, he was Reed in the past.
That’s why he was the one who could best understand the psychology of the current Reed.
His eyes, having experienced and returned from the limits of the original story, now illuminated a blind spot that transcended the original.
After a long silence, he opened his mouth. His voice, heavier than the solemnity of a funeral, vibrated in the air.
“I understand what Reed truly wants.”✠The first thing Reed faced after waking from a long slumber was a full moon, the same color as his eyes.
A desolate sandstorm, a black, swamp-like oasis, a bleeding full moon. These told him where he was currently located.
“Have you awakened, O Chaos Evil God?”
“…”
“It has been fifty days and nights. During this time, I, Carpheios, have served you with utmost devotion… Is there anything that troubles you?”
“…”
Naturally, Reed was not in a good mood.
Fully half of his grand plan had crumbled.
Because his attempt to save Aillet Rodelain and keep her by his side had come to naught.
It was a monumental task that could not be reattempted now that Inferinos had been annihilated.
In other words, he had failed to possess Aillet Rodelain forever.
However, he could not simply wallow in bitter despair. He had to complete what remained of his plan, even if it was only half-finished.
Reed emerged from the sinister black oasis that had been helping to repair his shattered body.
Carpheios was a Demon King, but before the Chaos Evil God, he humbled himself endlessly.
He did not hesitate to personally drape a black cloak over Reed’s shoulders.
Reed accepted it with an expressionless face and then posed a question.
“The Shrine?”
“It has been completed.”
“Ah, yes…”
Reed’s mood improved slightly.
The reason was…
Rustle!
“O… Chaos Evil God…?”
“…”
Because he could now carry out Carpheios’s execution, which he had postponed.
No blood flowed. The Archdemon’s body tore like a black paper doll, and half of its existence and status vanished instantly.
“Wh-Why…”
He had been attacked, yet he didn’t even dare to resist.
Reflected in his eyes, which trembled in bewildered ignorance, Reed remained aloof and serene.
“Why, me…?”
“…”
“O Chaos Evil God, the reason…”
Reed granted mercy to the archdemon, who knelt and begged.
“Chaos Evil God, you say.”
Reed savored the title for himself, like rolling a candy in his mouth. He was smiling softly.
Carpheios felt a strange sense of incongruity.
For the Chaos Evil God to smile was unprecedented in the Demon Realm.
This was certain because demons had always been grateful for even a shred of his contempt and hatred.
Yet, for such a smile to be directed at Carpheios now was strange.
Especially since the Chaos Evil God had been unusually cold towards Carpheios compared to other Demon Kings.
Even now, look. His lips were smiling, but his red eyes, fixed on Carpheios, were choking the breath out of him with their gaze.
“For a change, I’d like to be called by a different name than Chaos Evil God.”
It was then that the aura around Reed changed.
What is this?
What is about to happen?
At a moment when Carpheios, only half remaining, convulsed with confusion.
“…!”
The archdemon’s grotesque pupils dilated enormously. The Chaos Evil God had transformed into a completely unexpected form.
His jet-black hair, like sin, became resplendent silver hair.
The color of his two eyes, which were like a murky sea of blood, turned into a clear, celestial ocean bathed in sunlight.
Purified.
The great power and status of evil, which demons had so admired, temporarily receded.
At last, the essence of his soul began to reveal itself.
The being before him was human.
And it was a human Carpheios knew well.
“Do you remember?”
Perhaps thinking Carpheios might not remember, Reed even brought out proof of his identity.
A pristine white sword, distinctive for the blue square gem on its hilt, was summoned and casually stuck into the sand, the ground.
“You, you are…”
“You recognize this form, then.”
“Y-You… Why… H-How could this be… That worm-like human… It’s impossible…”
The being before him was clearly the Chaos Evil God. Carpheios’s instinct to obey him proved this undeniably.
He had naturally thought him to be pure evil, forged from a part of the Chaos Evil God.
He had no doubt that this was a being even an archdemon who had seized the rank of Demon King should bow down to.
But…
But the being he had served until now was merely a human!
And the will of the great Chaos Evil God had resided in a mere human body!
And that human was the silver livestock he had used for amusement!
“How… can this be?”
A low, melodious voice pierced Carpheios’s ears as he reeled from the shock.
“Come to think of it, this must be the fifteenth time.”
“What…?”
“That I’ve killed you.”
“…!”
Privilege for Possessors