Chapter 102: The Demon King's Vessel (4)

“This makes no sense…!”

Luce's eyes wavered.

“H-How can a mere doll…!”

Just like his voice.

Yubin, looking at such Luce, twisted his lips as if it were laughable.

“…!”

Except for the red-dyed hair, he was clearly in his usual form, but everything else was different.

“You bastard…”

His tone.

“How dare you… treat this body as a mere sacrifice?”

His eyes.

“For that impiety.”

And every small movement.

And, naturally imbued in all of those things.

“──you shall pay with your life.”

The overwhelming demonic energy.

By the time Luce belatedly realized it, Yubin had already disappeared from his view.

There was no time to react.

“Kuh…!”

The moment Luce flinched, Yubin's fist was already squarely planted in the middle of his abdomen.

『Ignite.』

Fwoosh!

Black flames erupted from Yubin's fist.

At the same time, a large explosion occurred, and Luce's body was sent flying far away.

Luce, who was shot like a bullet, crashed into a nearby iron cage, crumpling the iron bars, and fell to the floor.

As if uninterested in such Luce, Yubin didn't even glance at him, just looking down at his own hand engulfed in black flames.

“Hmm… As expected, this body won’t last long.”

With a bitter, almost self-mocking mutter.

“Well, I’ll finish your execution within that time. You impious traitor.”

Soon, black flames erupted from his other hand as well, and he slowly began to approach, one step at a time.

“Keuk…!”

Towards Luce, who had managed to get up again with difficulty and likewise wrapped his hands in black flames.

“Don’t be ridiculous, doll…!”

As if denying such Yubin's existence, Luce desperately extended his arms.

Hwareureuk!

「Hellfire」 was unleashed.

“Ho.”

Seeing the black fire rushing towards him, Yubin showed interest in it for the first time.

“You imitate it quite well, at least.”

As if watching a young child's cute act.

“However──”

The difference in caliber is different.

Yubin shouted.

“──Who do you think gave you this fire!!”

At the same time, just like Luce, he unleashed the black flames burning from his hands.

“──!?”

Those flames instantly swallowed Luce's 「Hellfire」.

“It was this very body.”

A fierce fire demon emitting overwhelming demonic energy engulfed Luce.

“Kuh, uaaak──!!”

Luce, whose whole body began to burn with black flames, screamed in pain.

“Kuhuhu…”

Yubin, who soon showed a satisfied smile, looked at his own body again, not at such Luce, and said.

“The sensation of a physical body after a long time… is not bad.”

Clenching and unclenching his fist with one hand.

“Even if it is a body like this.”

Eventually, the fire subsided, and thick smoke rose from Luce's body.

“How dare a mere doll, use that power…!”

Luce, as if he still couldn't accept it, expressed his anger even while staggering.

“My, power…!”

“Your power? Hmph. You did all those clever things, and yet.”

Yubin sneered at such Luce.

“In your eyes, does this body still look like your doll?”

Then he shook his head lightly and slowly raised his right hand, which was enveloped in 「Hellfire」.

“If so──”

Hwareureuk──!

As if to wrap that black flame around his whole body like a fluttering cloak.

For a moment, a wind that shouldn't have been blowing in such a basement raged.

His long, red hair began to flutter as if defying gravity.

“──Behold!”

Along with this, in the increasingly fierce flames, Yubin shouted boldly.

At that moment.

Hwareureureuk──!!

A pitch-black flame of unprecedented ferocity enveloped Yubin and Luce── around the two of them.

Like erecting a barrier.

“The power of a true king──!!”

Everything touched by the fire was instantly turned to ashes, and soon the surrounding scenery changed.

As if it had been a different space from the beginning.

“In──”

Seeing the majestic flames surrounding him, Luce was horrified.

“Inherent Reality…!”

Before he knew it, pitch-black darkness had arrived.

The 「Hellfire」 blazing as if to overturn that darkness.

The altar surrounded by those flames.

The throne beyond it.

And, Yubin and Luce.

“──Now,”

A world where only they exist.

“The throne you desired so much, is right there.”

In that place where the concept of ‘time’ does not exist.

“Go ahead, try to take it if you can.”

The time of judgment had arrived.

--

Yu Bin

Lv.■■

Race : ■■

Class : ■■■■■

STR 30

DEX 30

INT 30

MEN 30

CHA 30

--

In front of that overwhelming fear, Luce instinctively realized.

That unless the life of either himself or that doll── no, the master of this judgment seat── ended, the ‘fated time’ here would never end and would continue.

In other words, he couldn't escape.

Therefore, Luce gritted his teeth tightly and drew his sword engulfed in black 「Hellfire」.

Yubin, who twisted his lips in a sneer as if Luce was laughable.

Beckon, beckon.

Lightly waved the fingertips of one hand wrapped in 「Hellfire」, as if to say come if you dare.

As a king, accepting the challenge.

“Fine…!”

At once, dozens of magic circles appeared behind Luce's back.

At the moment he swung his sword blazing with flames along with this.

“I will take it back again, usurper…!”

Hwareureureuk──!

Along with the sword energy wrapped in fierce 「Hellfire」, magic bullets were fired all at once.

A huge flame covering the altar and dozens of magic bullets headed towards Yubin.

Those things.

Futile!

Yubin turned them into nothingness with just a single 「Word Command」 shouted like a command.

“Wh-What…!?”

Luce was horrified once again.

But he quickly hid his flustered expression and kicked off the ground to rush in.

Hwareuk──!

Black flames flickered along with the swung sword.

Yubin, who easily dodged it by slightly leaning back without moving from his spot, immediately deflected the subsequent slash with a single hand gesture.

Luce didn't stop and created a flame in his other hand, spewing 「Hellfire」 again.

Yubin's 「Hellfire」, which also extended his hand, swallowed it again as if water were extinguishing fire.

Then, the moment he pushed and kicked the abdomen of Luce, who barely avoided the flames.

“Keuk!?”

Bang!

A shockwave exploded, and Luce's body was sent flying far away.

“How lamentable.”

Yubin shook his head.

“Is that all the fire you can handle, even after inheriting this body's power?”

At this provocation, Luce, who was getting up again, swallowed a groan of frustration and readjusted his posture.

Then, he thrust his burning sword into the altar.

As if to show him.

『Fire of hell──』

His── ultimate ‘flame’.

For a moment, flames began to flicker in the pitch-black ‘sky’.

Like, ‘shooting stars’.

『──Burn the sky!』

‘Meteorites’ engulfed in black flames embroidered the sky.

──「Inferno Meteor」.

A miracle of ‘hell’ that only chosen demons can perform.

The rain of meteorites engulfed in black flames began to fall towards the altar.

Surely, if it were the day the world ended, it would look like this.

Looking up at the scene that seemed to have finally realized the fantasy of that fateful day.

“Kehaha! Kehahaha──!!”

Yubin laughed heartily, as if something worth watching had finally appeared.

“Yes! It should be at least this much!”

And then.

The Die──

The rain of meteorites embroidering the sky── the ‘fate’ of predetermined destruction.

──is Cast!

He overturned it.

Luce didn't realize what had happened.

While looking up at the scene where the meteorites that were clearly about to cover the altar, cover Yubin.

“Wh──”

Exploded in the sky all at once.

“What──”

And instead, countless rains of black flames began to fall.

“Can’t you tell by looking.”

Yubin said.

“I overturned fate.”

Having approached Luce before he knew it.

“──Keoheok!”

Yubin's two fists wrapped in 「Hellfire」 mercilessly pummeled Luce's face, ribs, collarbone, solar plexus, and jaw.

Following the barrage of strikes faster than light, dull impact sounds echoed a beat later.

Luce, who was helplessly hit without even daring to block or dodge, staggered, unable to control his body from the shock.

“Did you say this guy's heart was yours?”

Yubin, who raised the corners of his lips as if mocking this.

“──No.”

“──!”

──Puk, and.

Pierced the middle of Luce's chest with his outstretched hand.

“It belongs to this body.”

Just as Luce had done to Yubin before.

“How dare you, covet what belongs to this body…”

Then, snatching Luce's heart, which was spewing out blood and breath that had flowed back.

“You are thousands of years too early, damn brat.”

He tore it out.

Shwaaak!

Red blood splattered amidst the rain of black flames.

Luce reached out his trembling hands as if asking for his heart, which was still beating, back, but he only managed to barely grab Yubin's shoulder.

“I, I……”

Luce's blazing eyes, glaring at Yubin, began to slowly lose their light.

As if a flame were gradually dying out.

“To a doll… like this……”

Yubin, who shook off his two hands, immediately extended his grip and grabbed Luce's neck.

Thus lifting Luce up.

Disappear.

He declared the end.

Fwoosh!

Black flames flared up.

That 「Hellfire」 instantly covered Luce's entire body.

“All things in this world, are solely mine.”

Looking at Luce, who could no longer even scream, Yubin declared again.

“Now, I will go to retrieve what is mine.”

Saying that this is the destined fate.

Eventually, the ashes that flowed down from Yubin's grip scattered into the pitch-black darkness.

***

For them, it was impossible to catch up.

Yubin's sudden death.

The changed atmosphere of Yubin, who had resurrected from that death.

Luce, who had declared that death, and his fierce battle with Yubin.

The fierce hellfire that had never been seen before, which suddenly rose up as if to surround that fierce battle.

The situation where Yubin and Luce, who should have been beyond that fire, disappeared from their eyes in an instant.

None of it, could be properly accepted.

However, not long after, the hellfire subsided.

And when they saw Yubin kneeling on one knee in the middle of the circle engraved by the fire.

They no longer cared about any of it.

The fact that unlike Yubin, who was breathing heavily while kneeling, Luce's figure could not be found anywhere.

The fact that Yubin's long red hair, disheveled on the floor, was slowly beginning to regain its original black color.

Everything.

As if it didn't matter to them right now.

Yubin, who tried to stand up again but staggered, still possessing pathetic stamina, was in front of them.

Their companion, had returned to them.

“Mr. Yubin!”

“S-Sir!”

As if they just had to accept that one fact for now.

Without anyone having to go first, they ran towards the returned Yubin.