Chapter 114: Faculty Branch (5)
Cain briefly looked down at the Archdemon before him.
Two horns typical of demons.
Bat wings on its back.
Purple skin with distinct facial features and sharp fangs.
He hadn't had a chance to properly see its face before since they'd always been fighting whenever it appeared, but now that he could look closely.
*Not bad looking, actually.*
Setting aside the horns and wings, its facial features were handsome enough to put most men to shame.
In contrast, the Grand Duke was.
*His face was covered, right?*
When he appeared briefly during the final event in the game before disappearing, his face had been obscured by noise. According to the lore book, his status was so different that mortals couldn't see him.
*I'm pretty sure those lazy developers just couldn't be bothered to design his face.*
After all, they hadn't even properly established why Skaya bullied Rain. With that track record, it's reasonable to suspect they were just too lazy to draw his face. And that wasn't the only issue.
*How can the Constellation following me be visible then?*
He knew the Grand Duke was a transcendent being. But wasn't The Goddess Who Sees Fate also a transcendent?
They should be of the same rank, yet unlike the Grand Duke, The Goddess Who Sees Fate's face was clearly visible. Was it because she descended in a weakened state?
Such thoughts briefly crossed his mind, but then.
*Whatever. Not my problem. Just blame the developers.*
While Cain was rationalizing this to himself, Rava, one of the Archdemons, was thinking:
*Why is the Grand Duke here?*
He knelt on one knee with cold sweat running down his forehead.
Actually, he had been quite pleased to return to the mortal world after so long.
Unlike the Demon World, he could rampage freely in the mortal realm without having to be wary of other Archdemons. Plus, the Grand Duke wasn't supposed to be here.
But contrary to expectations, the Grand Duke stood before him.
As if he had been waiting for Rava to be summoned.
*Wait. Is this really the Grand Duke?*
The being before him certainly looked identical to the Grand Duke he'd seen countless times in the Demon World. From his height to his noise-covered face that mortals couldn't see.
But while the appearance was the same, he hadn't confirmed his power or personality yet.
*Let me check first.*
With that thought, Rava spoke with a slightly tense voice.
"Grand Duke."
"Who gave you permission to speak?"
"T-That's...."
*His personality is almost identical.*
"I can see what you're trying to confirm."
"......"
"You're probably wondering if I'm really the Grand Duke, aren't you?"
"That's...."
"Well, you'll know soon enough when you see this."
Dense darkness began to emanate from the body of the being before him.
Soon, a massive amount of Demonic Energy was released, as if it could devour the world.
-Whoooosh!!
Seeing this, Rava:
-Gulp!
Swallowed hard while sweating.
*It's definitely the Grand Duke.*
Ordinary mortals can't sense a transcendent being's power because their existential ranks are completely different.
Therefore, the Grand Duke before him must be real. Despite releasing so much Demonic Energy, Rava couldn't feel anything from it.
While Rava wore a troubled expression, Cain was thinking:
*Whoever created that holy water deserves a Nobel Prize.*
He was inwardly praising the holy water. In reality, Cain wasn't actually releasing Demonic Energy.
He had merely released the holy water he'd secretly hidden in his inner pocket.
Nothing more.
*Well, I did do something.*
He had simultaneously used Effect Quality Adjustment, Color Setting, and Property Change.
But these could be activated just by thinking about them, so it was practically the same as doing nothing.
By the way.
*It's super easy to pretend to be a transcendent being.*
This wasn't the first time he'd pulled this trick.
There was one other person.
None other than:
*I did this with Anje before too.*
Back then, he pretended to be The Goddess Who Sees Fate to survive against her.
At the time, he wondered if it would actually work.
*But it worked better than I expected.*
And the same was true now.
Still, just to be safe:
"That doesn't seem enough. Let me show you more."
"Y-Yes!"
Cain released another holy water from his inner pocket, transforming it into Demonic Energy just like before.
-Whoosh!
Dealing with the Archdemon felt similar to handling Anje back then.
No matter what he did, he couldn't come up with a countermeasure.
No matter what strategy he devised, he couldn't find a perfect way to win.
Yes, just like when Anje came to kill him.
*Well, this is much easier though.*
Anyway, while trying to figure out how to handle this nearly unbeatable Archdemon, he recalled his conversation with Anje, when they spoke with "sincere" hearts.
This wasn't a game but reality.
There was no need to confront the demon head-on.
He could just pretend to be the Grand Duke and control it.
Looking at Rava, who was kneeling with a sweaty back, Cain spoke in a solemn voice:
"Well. Is this enough?"
"Yes!"
*Wow, he's really well-disciplined.*
Rava answered with a tense face, completely different from his previously dignified appearance.
The Grand Duke must have trained his subordinates quite harshly for an Archdemon to show such an attitude.
"Then let's get to the point. Soon, about nine humans will come this way."
"Yes."
"Two of them are Saintesses of those filthy goddesses, and the rest are also well-known in the mortal world."
"Saintesses... I see."
*He's responding well, this bastard.*
"Of course, if I step in, I could kill such mortals immediately. However."
"The goddesses might all intervene, right?"
*What? Did we rehearse this?* He was momentarily taken aback by how well Rava was following along, but he needed to match the demon's pace, so he nodded without hesitation.
"That's right. The moment I step in, there's a high chance five goddesses will intervene. Even I can't win against five transcendent beings."
Rava nodded with a face that seemed reluctant to admit it.
Cain continued, ignoring his reaction.
"That's why I need you to step in."
"I see. Understood, Grand Duke. I will bathe those filthy Saintesses and the rest of the humans in blood."
"No."
"...?"
Perhaps because of his firm denial?
Rava tilted his head with a confused expression.
"Just subdue them."
"May I ask why?"
Cain quickly provided a reason before the demon could become suspicious.
"We'll absorb their power, and both you and I will gain that strength. It will significantly increase our forces in the Demon World."
"Ah...."
"Understand?"
"Yes!"
"And don't worry. Even if you lose, I'll be behind you, so you won't die."
"Yes. Understood."
Was it because he promised to give him power too?
Or because he said he would protect him?
For whatever reason, the Archdemon before him nodded with a touched expression.
Like a junior soldier moved by a previously bullying senior who suddenly looked after him.
Seeing this, Cain:
*Okay. Everything's going according to plan.*
He raised one corner of his mouth.
The demon's promise to subdue rather than kill meant:
*He won't use his ultrasonic attack.*
One thing Cain had learned after countless regressions was the demon's characteristic ability.
While he wasn't sure exactly what kind of attack it was, one thing was certain:
*That ability can only kill, not incapacitate.*
Of course, someone like Cain could completely lower the volume to counter it, but that was impossible for others.
Only Cain possessed that ability.
*Well, earplugs would work too.*
But there was no way Kim Su-yong's group had those right now.
So the Archdemon before him had essentially had his main technique sealed.
*And that's not all.*
Subduing someone is several times harder than killing them.
It's practically impossible for this demon to subdue Kim Su-yong's group with his characteristic ability sealed.
The demon had lost to them multiple times before.
Though some of the group had died in those encounters.
*Well, that won't happen now.*
He told the demon to subdue, not kill.
So all he needed to do was hide somewhere, eat popcorn while watching the fight, and then deliver the final blow when it was almost over.
*I should have thought of this earlier, damn it.*
Just as Cain was thinking this:
[The Goddess Who Sees Fate asks if you're the villain at this point.]
No, why? Where else can you find someone as fair and square as me?
***
Meanwhile, around the same time.
After killing the remaining Cult members in the area, Kim Su-yong's group was holding a brief meeting.
William looked around at the group and asked:
"Did everyone feel that?"
No one misunderstood what he meant.
It was about the Demonic Energy.
And a tremendously powerful one at that.
"......"
"......"
A brief silence fell among the group.
They probably all knew.
That something ominous was happening here.
Kim Su-yong looked around.
Then he broke the silence first.
"It's probably a demon being summoned, right? Like during last year's Performance Evaluation."
"Yes. That seems to be the case."
William nodded at his question.
Lisana tilted her head and asked:
"A demon? Like the ones from fairy tales?"
"Yes. The demon that Lady Anje defeated."
William answered her question.
Lisana looked at William, wondering how he knew about the demon being summoned.
Realizing that Willy and Lisana weren't present during last year's Performance Evaluation, he immediately spoke up.
"Come to think of it, you two weren't here last year. Let me explain."
William explained what happened during last year's Performance Evaluation.
Normally, it would be confidential, but this wasn't the time to withhold information.
They might have to face the demon.
*It's not "might" – we absolutely must kill it now.*
He didn't know why the demon had been summoned.
But one thing was certain:
*If we don't kill it now, who knows what will happen later.*
If the demon were to rampage in the Capital City:
*Innocent people will die.*
And that's not all.
If the demon cooperates with the Cult, things will get really complicated.
They already had no useful information about the Cult, and if a powerful demon joined them:
*Things will spiral out of control.*
Therefore, they needed to kill the demon right here, right now.
But he couldn't force anyone, so:
"Is there anyone who wants to turn back now?"
Willy raised her hand at his question.
"Um...."
"It's okay. You can go back. This isn't mandatory."
"That's not it. What happens if we can't kill the demon here?"
Rain, the Saintess of The Goddess Who Brings Happiness, answered instead of William.
"I can't say with certainty, but it might rampage in the Capital City, killing innocent people, or it might join the Cult."
"......"
"......"
At those words, Willy, Skaya, Illin, and even Lisana all had the same thought by coincidence.
Rampaging in the Capital City.
That meant Cain, who was currently sick, might die.
*We need to kill this demon or whatever it is right now.*
With that thought, the four spoke with blazing eyes:
""""Let's go kill it right now.""""
***
Having steeled their resolve, Kim Su-yong's group followed the energy without hesitation.
They needed to catch the demon before it escaped from the branch.
Of course, the remaining Cult members tried to attack them, but:
"Get lost!"
"Out of our way!"
They killed them all with a single strike.
About 30 minutes later:
"It's in this room....."
They finally reached their destination.
Kim Su-yong surveyed his group.
*Everyone's fine.*
Their stamina and overall condition seemed good. That meant now was the perfect time to strike.
"Let's go in."
As Kim Su-yong broke down the door with a serious expression:
-CRASH!
In their view appeared one demon and another being presumed to be a demon with noise covering its face.
At the same time, Lisana jumped in surprise and:
"That bastard has farts floating on his face!"
She pointed at Cain's face.