Black Solstice-Chapter 16: A Great Devil’s Depravity [3]

It happened in an instant.

Before Cassius could react, a devastating blow struck his solar plexus. He flew backward in a straight line, slamming into one of the towering containers. The force was enough to leave a deep dent in the container, crumpling the metal like paper. Cassius truly slammed there before falling onto the gravel.

He showed no signs of getting up.

"Ahn," was Dagon’s dissatisfied cry.

Truly, he did not expect for things to end this fast.

"Huh? Are you really out of commission for reals?"

He received no response to his question. Indeed, his opponent was down for the count.

Normally, that would just be the end of it. However, considering how this little devil had spoken to him earlier, he couldn’t help but find this whole situation funny. As such, he laughed like a complete lunatic dominated by depravity.

"Hehehe~ Oh my, I honestly can’t believe this. What’s wrong!? Did you truly believe you could challenge a Noble Devil at your current level? You should have never come back here! You are far weak to be of importance! Fuck... damnit, what the hell am I supposed to do with all this anger and energy? You bastard, you can’t even take a single hit properly!"

Dagon clicked his tongue.

It seemed to have entered a peculiar predicament. He wanted to beat the shit of the lowly devil who had dared to insult his pride. However, his opponent turned out to be far weak than he expected and fell to a single blow. He hit him any more than this then it would be problematic. So he didn’t know what to do.

What he didn’t know was that Cassius was human.

Logically, there was no way he would have survived such blow filled with tremendous power. Best case scenario was if half of the bones in his body had been completely vaporized. But then again, that was far from ideal.

The result would not change.

Which was why Seraphis laying helplessly on the ground had entered a state of complete shock.

That boy had challenged Dagon. He had no weapon and he had confronted someone who could singlehandedly crush an entire army while smiling the entire time.

That boy had spoken to Dagon.

He had told Dagon to get away from her.

In other words, the reason that boy was on this battlefield was...

The reason that boy had risking his life by returning was...

– I am human, goddamn it!

– I’m not like you demons, devils, monsters or whatever name you choose to call yourselves. I can’t shoot fireballs from my fingertips. I can’t control objects with my mind. I don’t possess supernatural strength. I am nothing like any of you! I am a completely normal person who somehow ended up in this place because of some unknown, cruel twist of fate!

– Guess I was right. That look in your eyes already confirms you now see me as your enemy, right? Fine. I suppose I can’t blame you. Don’t worry, I’ll disappear from your sight and never show up again.

’What is this? Because of me, something like this happened...’

He was someone who did not belong to this world.

He had even spoken harshly to her before his supposed departure.

She thought he had truly left this world behind.

Perhaps that would have been for the best.

Yet he returned—walked straight into danger—and challenged an opponent he had no chance of defeating. All because of her.

A painful feeling bloomed in her chest.

No matter how hard she tried, she could not name the emotion.

Her heart pounded violently. Her breathing turned shallow, barely pulling in enough air. Even though her injuries were healing, the process felt unbearably slow. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

She wanted to stop him from facing Dagon. But her battered body refused to move.

Abruptly—without warning—Seraphis felt a helplessness she had never known.

She wanted it to end.

She wished for the strength to strike down her enemy.

She craved the means to stop this overwhelming brutality.

"..."

While drowning in those thoughts, her ears caught a faint sound.

It came from the collapsed Cassius. His heartbeat, against all odds and logic, thumped loudly in her ears. He was supposed to have died from that attack yet he was alive. More than that, he was whispering something.

The words were barely murmurs, yet they reached her clearly.

He seemed to be speaking to her.

So she remained still and listened. When the meaning of his mumbled words settled in, she let out a weak chuckle. As if she had just heard something absurdly foolish.

"Seriously, you came back for something like that. Are you an idiot?"

Even so, a soft warmth spread through her.

His words eased something inside her, which she did not realize had been trembling all this time.

And with that, the seal containing her "heart" quivered.

† †

"Huh? W-What...? T-This is..."

Dagon seemed to sense a bad premonition.

I could barely move, and my vision was still hazy—I couldn’t see his expression clearly. But judging by the way his shoulders trembled, I could guess he wasn’t smiling anymore.

The source of that palpable fear... was Seraphis herself.

She had pushed herself up from the gravel, and her injuries healed at a speed that defied logic. In mere seconds, every visible wound vanished without a trace.

But that was only the beginning.

Her thick crimson hair slowly drained of color, turning into a gleaming silvery-white. Her once green eyes shifted into a deep, slit-pupiled crimson, and her porcelain skin became an eerie, ghostly pale. Yet the most terrifying change was the pressure pouring out from her, warping the space around her and bending it forcefully.

My mind screamed that this was not the Seraphis I knew.

And yet... I knew it was her.

It was unmistakably Seraphis. Her entire presence just felt completely different.

It was difficult to put into words.

Perhaps the closest description was this:

It was as though she had become someone entirely different.

On the other hand, Great Devil Dagon did not seem pleased by this sudden transformation.

He was trembling openly and unmistakably in sheer terror.

"Wh-What is she...? This overwhelming sensation... Is this really the same person I was facing moments ago? Impossible! What kind of sorcery is this?"

His voice cracked as he staggered backward.

"And that spirit pressure... This presence... It’s just like Lord Sitri’s! You vile abomination just what the hell are you?"

Seraphis let out a soft, mocking chuckle at his retreat.

"What’s wrong, Great Dagon? Why are you backing away?"

Her voice dripped with amusement, dangerously sweet.

"I’m deeply hurt. Weren’t you the one who wanted me? Weren’t you eager to defile this body of mine?"

She stretched forth her hand as though inviting him.

"Come here and take it, won’t you?~"

Dagon took another step back, but as if refusing to show weakness, he clenched his jaw and snarled,

"You bitch! You dare mock the Great Dagon? Fine then! I’ll rip you apart and slice you into pieces!"

He whipped his right hand through the air. Something flew out... no, several things. Crescent-shaped arcs shimmered as they cut through the space and continued their tremendous flight.

A ranged slash attack?

Even so, Seraphis didn’t move. Her feet remained rooted to the ground, arms casually folded as though the attack wasn’t even worth acknowledging.

I instantly realized she had no intention of dodging.

...Not good! Doesn’t she know?!

They were fast.

So fast that even blinking could cost someone their life.

I couldn’t even choke out a warning.

Even so...

Seraphis didn’t so much as flinch. She remained completely unmoving at the attacks flew her way.

In mere seconds, the crescent slashes reached her and... shattered.

They simply collapsed the moment they touched her, breaking apart like fragile glass pressed against a mountain of steel. The fragments disintegrated into spiraling dust and vanished.

No, it was more accurate to say that a wind dragon had appeared there and blew away those measly attacks.

Dagon’s body froze over.

His breath hitched as though he had just witnessed the incomprehensible.

"Impossible! That was a killing technique... That attack could tear apart a mid-rank noble devil. How... how did it...?"

Seraphis tilted her head.

"What’s with that expression of yours? Don’t you know that a supernatural battle is battle of spirit pressure? It’s like a game of tug of war. The weaker one is obviously going to fall into the mud. I simply defended myself by condensing my reishi around my personal space."

There was a faint, unmistakable disappointment in her eyes.

"Still, I expected far more from a Great Noble Devil of the House Sitri. Is this truly all you can offer? If so, I don’t even need to use my Mystical Ability."

"T-That..." Dagon choked out, utterly lost for words.

"And you’ve already lost your conviction as well. How unsightly."

She smiled mockingly.

"I still owe you for handling my body with such gentle care earlier. So I’ll hit you only once, okay~"

In the next moment, Seraphis vanished completely from view.

A heartbeat later...

CRACK—!!

Her heel smashed across Dagon’s face in a brutal, sweeping roundhouse.

The demon shot into the air like a broken marionette, blood trailing behind him in a crimson arc.

His body spun and twisted midair like a discarded bamboo copter, before crashing headfirst into the ground with a skull-rattling impact.