Chapter 52 : Emergency Gate (6)

Thump.

Dust rises from the tips of my toes.
Descending from hundreds of meters in the air, Caspar and I looked around.

“…Quiet.”

Somehow. Night had fallen.

Stars studded the night sky, shining brightly, amusingly looking quite similar to those on Earth.
Though constellations are supposed to change with time.

The field, draped in a dark curtain, was desolate.
Frequent wars meant trees were used for firewood and vanished, and animals were all hunted down and eaten.

Fields cracked from drought were visible far away, and because the world wasn’t spherical, the horizon beyond the fields stretched endlessly far.

The horizon wasn’t a clean straight line but composed of rugged mountain ranges and the curvature of the surface, gradually receding towards a vanishing point, blocked at the world’s end.

“Unpleasant.”

I muttered quietly. I didn’t like it.

It felt like this world was saying it was fake.
Even if not me, Caspar was definitely born inside a Gate.
Therefore, the bizarre horizon here was an irreverent phenomenon denying my lord.

And. Someone was walking towards us from beyond.

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

It had the shape of a human.
Its stumbling gait resembled a drunkard’s, and the flickering black energy was ominous beyond measure.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The black dot grew rapidly.
Though clearly stumbling as it walked, it approached like a ghost, leaving intermittent afterimages.

…Yes. Just like a ghost.

-Bang!!

A gunshot echoed.
Identifying the rapidly moving thing with my transcendent vision, I immediately prayed for the Blessing of Unerring Aim.

‘Target is the heart.’

*Squelch.*

“—-!”

Though I felt the heart being pierced, I didn’t think it would die from this.
Because that’s how demons are.

Indeed.

Though its speed decreased, it was still unharmed.

The densely spread darkness temporarily thinned, then thickened again.
Like adding a cup of water to a bucket of black paint.

“Caspar. Get ready.”

“Hooo… Alright.”

Dududududu-!

Now the fiend, practically flying as it walked, came into view.
Caspar seemed pleased, raising his greatsword and swinging it lightly.

Clang!

The clear sound of blades clashing rings out.
Past battles overlap, heightening the excitement.

I remember this tone. I remember this situation.
Vanguard and rearguard. Familiar voice and familiar position.

The metallic tang of blood and sparks flying from blades.
Caspar’s scent of sweat.
Dust, crumbling and floating, obstructing my vision.

The bond as comrades-in-arms, older than our time as lovers, bound us.
Battle experiences, etched countless times onto body and soul, slowly heat my spirit.

Without needing to say who, filled with excitement, we could feel extreme unity.
The limit of being one mind, one body, as if bound into a single entity.

…Yes. Just for today, just for now, acting arrogantly should be okay.

My coolly subdued voice echoed quietly across the field.

“Position 3. Demon hunt.”

“Confirmed.”

A heavy voice responded.
The fiend, having approached right before us, filled our vision, emanating vicious demonic energy.

The fiend lightly stomps its foot.
Shockwaves erupted consecutively centered on the fiend. Dust billowed up, obscuring vision.

My momentarily accelerated thoughts quickly analyzed the battle.
That action was clearly wasting power.

‘So this is a feint. What comes after this is-’

Instantaneously.

The fiend’s extremities accelerated rapidly.
Its hands, resembling the talons of a bird of prey, rushed towards Caspar at a speed never seen before.

-Swiiish! Thump!

“Hyap!”

With a short cry, Caspar swung his sword.
Simultaneously, I fired the gun.
Thinking at the same speed as me, reaching the same conclusion, he acted swiftly.

-Kiiiing!

Sparks flew as the sword was ground away.
Somewhat unnaturally so.

Because Caspar intentionally twisted the greatsword when receiving the fiend’s hand.
He didn’t try to block the attack.

Merely. Obscuring vision while deflecting the attack, he simultaneously hindered the prey.

“Ut?”

Naturally, the ground-away blade fragments shattered, and shattered blades must head somewhere.
The fiend voiced itself for the first time in this battle.

Its voice was alluring, almost distractingly so.

It didn’t matter.
The bullet fired this time aimed for the fiend’s brain.

Hidden right behind the greatsword Caspar swung was the bullet I fired.
If Caspar moves the sword with the maximum instantaneous power he can muster, it becomes faster than my bullet’s speed.

Thanks to that, this kind of trick is also possible.

Ting. Ting. Ting!

The Magic Bullet bounced off the shattered blade fragments here and there, advancing forward.
Being a bullet already half-detached from physical laws, the Magic Bullet didn’t lose power and headed towards the fiend’s brain.

*Squish.*

“Kerhuk!”

The fiend, struck full in the face by metal fragments, couldn’t avoid the Magic Bullet that flew in as a follow-up shot.
The Magic Bullet, blessed with unerring aim, pierced straight through the fiend’s wide-open eye and continued onward.

Caspar didn’t stay idle either.
In position 3, Caspar was responsible for the kill confirmation.
Since demons could survive even if their brains were destroyed, Caspar first needed to subdue it to make the follow-up strike easier.

“Hyaat!”

*Vwoom.*

*Crunch.* Lifting the sword towards the sky, Caspar impaled the fiend’s torso on the sword tip and immediately slammed it onto the ground.

“Kyaaaak!!”

Seeing the fiend shriek was satisfying.
As a woman myself, it’s unpleasant when another woman shows even a glimpse of beauty to Caspar.

Anyway. As expected, just destroying the brain doesn’t kill it.

Though adrenaline slowly subsided, I didn’t let down my guard.
The fight was just beginning.

***

The fiend, trembling violently as if having a seizure, soon went limp and became a corpse.

And, something was seen exiting the corpse.

“Just. As. Expected.”

How much did I regret letting Zamiel escape back then?
Never again would I let a devil escape right before my eyes.

-Grab.

Emanating bright green spirit flames, I snatched the damn devil bastard with my hand.
The devil struggled briefly in surprise, but that didn’t last long.

It was an unpleasant feeling.

This Gate is a recreation of the Chunqiu Zhanguo period.
It should have been.
They should have fought over the world, and brought the eternal war to an end.

But now, nothing of that remains.
The soldiers below are separated with Seolhyang, and the position of Emperor Qin Shi Huang was replaced by some fellow called Heavenly Demon wearing a human skin.

Seeing as he didn’t bring any soldiers down at all, it seemed he had no intention of respecting the rules here.

“Hwaaak! Wh-Why? Why my true body…!”

A panicked voice was heard.
Looking closely at the devil’s soul, indeed, there were similarities to Zamiel.

“Hmph. I already know you’re of a similar ilk to Zamiel. Parasitic maggots feeding on human hearts. Roughly estimating, you seem to be around the level of Zamiel’s subordinate.”

At those words, the Heavenly Demon threw a fit, screaming.

“Treating me like that bastard’s subordinate?! Take that back immediately! That word!”

‘What’s this idiot saying.’

Ignoring it, I tightened my grip.
Though it was a considerably weak opponent compared to our full preparation, conversely, it meant we had to go all out against a mere intermediate devil.

Absolutely, I would not be careless against a devil a second time.

“Do you know who is behind me! I will not die! We are immortal beings…! The Archduke of Hell will personally judge you!”

Ha.

I scoffed.

“Continuity of consciousness. From that aspect, you won’t die now. But you lose power, don’t you?”

Perhaps it’s fortunate.
Seolhyang will have a chance for revenge left.

“…B-But. Nevertheless. My immortality remains unchanged-”

*Squeeze.*

I tightened my grip even harder, consuming the devil’s soul.
My shadow gradually darkened.
I felt my rank slowly rising, which honestly felt unpleasant beyond measure.

“There are two things wrong with what you said.”

Caspar briefly closed his eyes, turning his gaze away from me.
Because he noticed I was ashamed of showing him this appearance.

Showing Caspar my naked body wasn’t embarrassing at all, rather I thought it a natural duty, but… this is different.

A crucial flaw of mine.
A horrific ritual clearly revealing the fact that I have become closer to a devil than a human.

“One. Devils die too. After dying dozens. Hundreds of times, and all power is drained, then, they die.”

Therefore, no matter how powerful a devil, there exists no devil that cannot be killed.

“And second. The Archduke of Hell behind you cannot judge me.”

Displaying spirit flames clearly beyond the human realm, I whispered to the devil on the verge of shattering.

“Wash your neck and wait in Hell. Devil.”

-Crumble.

With a sound like shattering earthenware pottery.
The devil’s soul died and was absorbed by me.

A tingling pleasure brushes against my body.
The moment of soul devouring was always ecstatic, hence, even more horrific and unpleasant.

“…Caspar. It’s okay to look now.”

Quickly retracting my shadow, I donned a human form again.
The form of my prime, boasting beautiful, sculpture-like beauty.

But Caspar didn’t look at me immediately.
Instead, he answered with a tense voice.

“Agathe. Look up.”

Tilt.

What could be happening?
Following his command, I looked up.

The night sky was dyed black as if painted with ink.
The fragile, unstable darkness looked like a stage draped with black curtains.

…No. It actually looked like it would shatter soon.
Only then could I read Hell’s thoughts.
Not those of a mere footsoldier, but the thoughts of the high command directing the devils from beyond.

“Haa… Even if not that fellow. Hell had no intention of winning from the start.”

*Zzzzt.*

Belatedly arriving communication reached me.
The information marked as urgent all contained details about Gates on other continents.

That the situation changed rapidly, forcing them to close the Gates prematurely.

Thus, the currently remaining Gates are… 669.

668.

667.

And…

-Clink.

A shattering sound like that occurred.

Like breaking glass, the black obsidian night sky shattered.
Colors as if descended from outer space emanated bizarre light from between the broken black curtains.

Now. 666.