CHAPTER 279: BLAZING WRATH, A THOUSAND-MILE PURSUIT

"Isn't the answer obvious?"'

Sif gave them an impish, wicked smile. The gleeful glint in her eyes revealed just how delighted the devil possessing her body truly was.

"Though you disrupted our plans this time, I do find greater joy not in toying with entire races, but in watching certain exceptional individuals struggle with choices... and suffer as a result.

"You see, the value of a soul cannot be measured by any crude means. Sometimes, I think of myself as a rather fine musician. I weave webs from strings of fate. Every time my darling prey writhes in agony, the chords they pluck sing out the sweetest music.

"That hesitation... that despair. It's intoxicating. Especially the souls of those born with immense magical talent—how deliciously they cry. The symphonies of their suffering have etched themselves into my memory. Their taste is exquisite. Unforgettable, even."

Sif licked her lips with theatrical relish. Her words oozed with malevolence. They were soaked in a rot so profound it seemed to seep between each syllable, a stench of corruption intrinsic to the devil's very nature.

"Avia Dovan... and your repulsive partner. You may have saved the Mother of the elves of Liaheim, but will you be able to save your own mother? You have half a month. I'll be waiting by my brother's side, beside the dear Lady Mira Svein. Perhaps it's a trap. Perhaps it's a ruse. But either way, you'll come, won't you?

"If I don't see you two by then, I'll drag darling Mira into the void. So... what will you do?"

The devil known as Five smiled, savoring the way Avia's face turned pale. Her features looked like they had been carved out of ice.

"What do you want?"

Avia's voice was like frost. It was laced with rare, deathly fury. Of the whole wide world, the two people who mattered most to her were Wang Yu and her mother, Mira Svein.

Threaten either one, and her gentleness would vanish without a trace.

"My dear genius, lady of Roland's Key, won't you let me keep a little mystery?" Five's grin widened. "Play your part in the first act. Then we'll move on to the next, hmm?"

Her anger didn't frighten him—on the contrary, it was a delight. He adored watching the fury of those who had no choice but to dance to his tune.

"You're far from your mother, after all. But worry not. The void will carry us across that distance with ease. As for you... best start running. Until next time."

With a flourish, Sif offered a courtly, mocking bow. Then, as if a string had been cut, her body went limp and crumpled to the ground. The devil had left.

Footsteps echoed across the ground. Wang Yu approached the unconscious Sif, silent and wary. He uncorked a vial of stimulant and waved it beneath her nose as he gently tapped her cheek.

"A-Atchoo! Mr. Wang Yu, what are you doing here? Thank—"

"You were possessed by a devil. Get some rest. We've got things to do."

Sif blinked. For a moment, her mind lagged behind her senses. Then, her memory caught up and gratitude bloomed across her face. She opened her mouth to thank him—but Wang Yu lightly pressed a finger to her lips.

A quiet, emotionless command.

"...A devil? I... Understood."

Her words froze in her throat. She had wanted to ask more, to offer help—but something stopped her. A coldness had crept up her spine. It wasn't aimed at her, but she could feel it radiating from him like an arctic wind.

"..."

She shut her mouth and gave a nod of silent obedience. As she turned to leave, her eyes lingered on Wang Yu's face. He looked as calm and familiar as ever, but something deep inside him was no longer the same.

She didn't hesitate. Her elven instincts told her now was not the time to stay. She left without another word.

"It's time I changed a few things,"

Wang Yu murmured. His tone was calm, like always—but something in him had snapped.

Rage had ignited deep within Wang Yu's soul. He was familiar with two kinds of anger Wang Yu knew: the usual venting of emotion—and something far deeper. A second kind, more primal, more dangerous. The kind of fury that drove a cornered beast to bare its fangs.

Since coming to this world, he had felt anger many times—at Beran, against whom he had sworn to take vengeance; at the cruelty Avia had suffered at the hands of her kin; at the quiet horror of the ruined village he passed on his way to the capital...

But the rage of the cornered beast was something that had only surfaced once before: back on Redmaple Street, when Hela stormed their home and threatened Avia to force Wang Yu into a pact.

At the time, he had silently unleashed Blood Tempest at a level that he didn't even know if he could reach at present.

And even then, he had a way out. He could have signed a meaningless contract to deceive Hela.

But now? The devil had played its hand openly, holding Mira Svein hostage and daring them to come.

Wang Yu hated being threatened more than anything, especially when the threat involved the few people he cared for: Avia, and Avia's mother, Mira Svein.

That was why he had always been cautious about their relationship. Wang Yu was a man who hated being chained. When alone, he was a free blade—sharp, untethered, and unbreakable.

But when he wasn't alone, he had vulnerabilities. And devils were very, very good at taking advantage of those.

Still, once Wang Yu made the choice to shoulder responsibility, he would continue doing so without any hesitation.

He, Wang Yu, did not bow to threats. He would never compromise. And if you touched what mattered to him, he would unleash everything he had at his disposal.

Now, Five had crossed that line. Wang Yu had been cornered. The beast had bared its fangs, and what came next... would be beyond anyone's control.

"Until now, I've always stuck to one principle," he muttered. "If it's not within my ability, I won't get involved. That was true back in Aleisterre, and it's been true ever since.

"But that's made us passive. We've always been reacting to incidents, never acting on them. The devil invasions, the academy incident, the descent of the God of Terror... all those events befell us.

"I was wrong to believe I was insignificant. My body, my soul, this strange identity I carry—it was always going to lead to something more. A certainty that I would face things others never would. Like these wretched devils...

"Maybe I can keep pretending I'm a nobody elsewhere, but not against devils. Sitting back and waiting for those filthy things to act, only reacting once the fire is at our doorstep... that won't do anymore!

"I can't stand these maggots that shouldn't exist, this festering filth. It's past time I started doing something. I'll wipe them from this world!"

Wang Yu's voice was steady, calm even—but the words he spoke were anything but. Avia stood beside him, listening in silence. She could feel the change in him. Wang Yu seldom spoke at such length, but unlike Sif, she didn't feel chilled by his anger. Something in her heart, too, began to burn.

"Yes. You once told me that there are choices that may not be rational or even just, but if you don't act on them, you'll regret it forever. Whatever you choose to do, I'm with you."

She nodded. She didn't know exactly what he was planning—but that didn't matter. They were family. She trusted him. They would save her mother. Together, they would destroy the devils.

"Let's go."

"Got it."

Avia secured a meeting with Gewen easily. "Mr. Gewen," she began, stepping forward without preamble. "We need a mount—something fast enough to cross a great distance. The elves must have such creatures. We need to return to human territory within two weeks."

Gewen blinked, caught slightly off guard by the request. Given all she had done for Liaheim, the elves would never deny her request—but still, her abruptness was unexpected.

"Take Angola," he replied. "It's a king-class Storm Eagle, one more than capable of meeting your needs."

"Thank you."

With that, Avia took the token Gewen handed her and turned toward Angola's roost.

"..."

Gewen watched her go, a strange unease blooming in his chest. Something big was coming, he could feel it—though perhaps the rest of the world would never even know of it.

Next was Sieg, who frowned as he summarized Wang Yu's explanation. "The devils made a pact with the Dovan family, and the devil in question, the one who distorted the Tree of Life, is now possessing Mira Svein and using her life as leverage?"

Wang Yu nodded. "Exactly. Avia and I are headed back to the cursebinding spire, where her mother is being held. I intend to slaughter every last one of them."

He said his goal flatly, without flourish—words so staggering they defied common sense.

Sieg gave Wang Yu's chest a firm knock with his fist. "Count me in. I may not match a wizard's knowledge of the void, but I've got my part to play."

Wang Yu's claims were unbelievable—but that was nothing new. The unbelievable had become routine with him.

"Thanks. Avia's gone to borrow a mount from the elves. We'll set out as soon as she's back."

Among friends, no elaborate thanks were needed. A simple word would do.

"My apologies," Sieg said, turning to the dazed dwarf beside him. "We'll have to put our discussion of the Iron King Bogul and runecraft on hold. I've got something I need to take care of. We'll arrange the rest later."

Without waiting for a reply, Sieg turned and left, leaving the astonished Tobey gaping behind him.

"What just happened?" the dwarf muttered, stroking his beard. "We were having such a fine discussion... What a waste of a brilliant mind."

Tobey had been preparing to invite Sieg to join the reconstruction and enhancement project for the Iron King Bogul. Now, those hopes were dashed.

Hours later, the great eagle Angola was soaring above the sky, its colossal wings summoning incredible gales augmented by its innate wind magic. It flew so fast that even Sieg's dragon form would have struggled to keep up.

On the eagle's back, a barrier of magical force shielded its three riders from the biting wind.

"So, what's your plan for dealing with these devils?" Sieg asked seriously, watching Wang Yu. "We still don't understand their nature. Even the God of Light can't reveal them unless his divine light is precisely targeted. How do you intend to fight something we can't even see?"

He had to know that Wang Yu wasn't just acting on blind rage.

Wang Yu met his gaze. "Professor, you're aware of some of my peculiarities—my body, my soul. They're tied to a unique identity. I'll explain it to you later.

"The devils are bound to the void. It makes it almost impossible to hurt them in the material world. You can't even observe them, most of the time.

"If they simply remained hidden, I'd have no way to fight them. But..."

A memory flickered: the Wishing Coin elixir slipping through his body as he reached out with the force of the Chariot reached out and caught it.

He was more unusual than he had realized. The reason didn't matter—at least, not yet. Someday, he would come to understand it all.

"They want to drag Avia's mother into the void," he continued. "Then... surely, in the void, they must have true, physical forms.

"So I'm going in there, and I'll kill them all."

Around him, the might of the Chariot surged, blazing with the flames of wrath.