◈ Episode 501. Contradictions (2)

My head is spinning, just……!!!

“I respectfully beg your forgiveness, my dear. I failed to save this man’s life in Antonium. If only I had hastened the preparation of the ‘incarnate body’ a little more……. none of this would have happened in the first place.”

Paimon, the Ninth Throne Demon King.

He’s no ordinary demon, nor is he an ordinary Demon King. A high-ranking demon born from Anomaly and the Demon World. It is a being so transcendent that it is impossible to know how many worlds it has swallowed.

And then.

“My, my, I didn’t mean to do this. The moment I faced you, my heart weakened. It’s a shame, but I can’t help it. Furthermore, I will dedicate this incarnation to this man’s homeland. I promise.”

…… Why is he so low-key?

‘No, apart from being a burden.’

Paimon, is that really a demon?

‘He’s better than most humans.’

I had my doubts.

Of course, it’s not just a demon, it’s a high-ranking demon king.

Considering that the stronger the demon, the more clever it is.

I shouldn’t trust him completely.

But I wonder if he picked up something from my silence.

“Oh, I see.”

seug.

Long Shenglac.

No, Paimon lifted his lowered head and the corners of his mouth turned up.

Somehow, that small smile seemed to hold a lot of meaning.

“You don’t trust the word of a demon, I understand, my dear. Trust is basically a non-existent emotion among demons. But I want you to know that not all demons are unaware of ‘pride’.”

What, pride?

‘A demon speaks of pride?!’

You’re about to get yourself in trouble with Grandfell, Paimon.

How strict Grandfell’s pride is.

A demon can determine pride…….

Jurluk.

‘……!

Suddenly.

Paimon lightly clenched his fist, and blood poured out of his hand.

It must be the blood flowing from the body of Long Shenglac.

While I stare in disbelief, Paimon explains.

“You should know about incarnation by now.”

I should know.

But I’ve been a player for a while now.

I have a vague idea.

‘It must be something to do with the Ten Thrones.’

I was right.

“The power of the Ten Thrones can shake a world and stir up beings in other worlds with its mere manifestation, so a Ten Throne like ours needs an incarnation to operate without revealing itself.”

If this had been nonsense, I would have questioned it. After all, it was still true that he’d used the body of Long Shenglac to create an incarnation.

‘……No, it makes sense.’

But I was convinced.

I was convinced, having witnessed the untold power of the high-ranking demon kings myself.

Why, I don’t have to go far, just Paimon.

‘It was enough to swallow the entire Arcana continent.’

Not to mention Bael, who destroyed the Seorn continent with a single arm.

Needless to say.

So my mind was bound to be confused.

“If your brain is beyond intelligence and is comparable to that of a sage. I think you have already grasped the structure of my incarnation body. There is no need for me to explain it to you.”

What the hell.

Like you’re putting me on an airplane.

As if I wasn’t already overvalued.

“And I swear by my blood through such an incarnation.”

You’re making me swear an oath I didn’t ask for……?

Isn’t this a trick of a demon?

I didn’t believe it either, so I kept doubting it.

However, even with the senses of a Demon Hunter with [Natural Enemy] triggered.

I sensed no deception or malice in Paimon’s words.

Furthermore.

[The Ninth Throne Demon King, the Noble Paimon, has an abnormal condition, Oath. If the Oath is broken, the Ninth Throne Demon, Noble Paimon, will die.]

A system that doesn’t lie has even been authorized……!

If it’s just me, I’ve unwittingly fallen into Paimon’s trap. I should have suspected it. A murmur of voices around me brings me back to reality.

“What are these mosaics?”

“Did you get a message too? What did it say?! Is it the same as mine?”

“Yes, an oath has been made. If it’s broken, someone will die……?”

Just as an ant cannot know what an elephant looks like. Those who have not reached the level of the Ten Thrones cannot even see the Ten Thrones properly. Players with systems are no exception.

‘There was a time when I could only see □.’

At that point…….

At this point, I wondered if it would be cognitive to relax my guard. The attitude of honestly admitting one’s mistakes, reflection, and follow-up.

‘It’s just a simple apology.’

Paimon in front of me was a demon.

I couldn’t believe it.

But there was no time to talk to Paimon.

“Lee Hoyeol.”

Lox called out to me.

I looked into Lox’s eyes.

The effects of [Corruption].

His pupils were blackened.

Perhaps because of that, Lox had seen it right.

“So, you were a hypocrite after all.”

A hypocrite.

No wonder you misunderstand.

You don’t know the story of me and Paimon, Lox. It must seem strange to you that I would sit silently listening to Paimon speak, or that Paimon would bow down to me and make an oath.

“I see, you were the same.”

But you know what, Lox?

Swoosh.

Fluttering demon wings.

The malice radiating from him.

The negative energy focused on him at the same time.

Right now, to me.

A mixed-race demon, even more so than the high-ranking demon king Paimon.

But you, the half-human.

You seem like a far more vicious demon.

I wonder if the exorcism will work.

Since it was [Corruption] and not [Possession], I couldn’t be confident in its effectiveness. No, I was confused in the first place. This situation, facing Lox in front of Paimon, a real demon, was confusing.

‘If I think about it…….’

Actually, Lox would be a decent guy.

How many bastards who weren’t demons but were worse than demons?

There were too many to count on one hand.

But.

My troubles were short-lived.

Because my eyes flickered.

‘……?’

*

Twitch.

Blood vessels throughout the body twitch. Consciousness becomes blurred and the senses become maximized. Lox thought. Is this the new [Hero] power I will acquire?

‘You have finally recognized me, Arcana.’

The fact that I’m flying freely in the sky at this moment is also the power of a Hero. The Class Quest has already recognized me as a [Hero] and is giving me that power.

……flutter.

But it was all an illusion on Lox’s part.

At this moment, it was the power of the mixed blood coursing through his veins, but he didn’t even have time to pay attention to Arcana’s system message, which never lies.

[Your blood is becoming more and more turbid.]

[Status abnormality, ‘confusion’ is occurring].

[Status abnormality, ‘confusion’ is occurring] …….

“Lee Hoyeol.”

Sreung.

Lox raises his beloved sword, his hand having undergone a change as well. The right hand that held the sword grew rapidly, like a demon arm.

The effects of chaos.

But Lox was looking in only one direction.

The quest objective.

And it was Hoyeol who made a pact with the quest target, ‘The Worst Devil’.

Lox gritted his teeth.

“I’m the one asking the questions now.”

“I see.”

“Your answer will move my sword, the Hero’s Sword.”

It was a stern warning.

Lee Hoyeol.

His expression didn’t change.

……ppadeug.

The steadfastness of his demeanor and attitude got on Lox’s nerves.

For a moment, it made him compare himself to Hoyeol.

How could you do that, Lee Hoyeol?

The answer came to him in his foggy mind.

Yes.

That’s right.

“Now I know why.”

“I’ll listen as much as I want.”

“Don’t urge me arrogantly.”

Lox’s hand on the sword bulged even more.

“You were not without blood or tears.”

“?”

“You never had a human heart in the first place.”

Swoosh.

“You can’t understand the pain or sorrow of others!”

Lox charged toward Hoyeol.

He hears someone, a voice calling out to him, urgently.

But he doesn’t stop.

It’s Lee Hoyeol, who has made a pact with the worst of demons.

He, too, is determined to fulfill his class quest goal.

He’s convinced Hoyeol’s the one who will stand in his way.

BANG.

The sound of air exploding.

Lox’s sword attack was blocked out of thin air.

Or, more accurately.

“Yes, your unwavering expression in this situation is proof.”

A different kind of magic.

No exploration, no interference, no manifestation.

It was simply pure magic that blocked Lox’s sincere blow.

“Lox, please……!!!”

“What, are you crazy, is that it? What are you doing, Lox?!”

Camilla collapsed. Leonie panicked.

The conical hat speaks to Jessie, who has a stern expression.

-What an overwhelming gap.

The attack was blocked by an unprocessed, raw, magic power without going through any magical process. Considering Chief Lee’s manifestation power is unprecedented even in the Magic Tower.

-Chief Lee is capable of slaughtering even with basic magic.

There was nothing to be said for lesser magic.

……So.

Therefore, Jesse could only bite her lips hard.

Lox had already been demonized with [Corruption].

As I said, she knew it.

Hoyeol lips slowly parted.

“I knew the meaning behind that sword strike.”

Hoyeol’s mercy had never been shown to a demon.

“Huhuhu.”

Paimon spat out a laugh at such a situation.

I never thought I would see such a sight.

It was worth it to bow down and apologize to you.

‘I can’t contain my excitement.’

I look forward to the day when you will enter the Demon World.

Demon King of the Ten Thrones.

I have lived for eons.

I can see the future from the landscape I contemplate.

At this moment, all Paimon can see is Hoyeol.

So, from the same eye level as you.

It wouldn’t be a bad idea to put myself in your shoes.

‘If it’s you I know…….’

As expected, I won’t show you any mercy.

They say he’s a mixed-blood demon.

Even if he still had a human heart.

To you, a demon is a demon.

“That’s what turns me on.”

The corners of Paimon’s mouth turned up even higher.

Paimon sensed the negative emotions floating around Seoul.

Indeed, this land was more coveted than even the Arcana continent.

The sad, frustrated, and confused negative energy was spreading beyond the city and into the rest of the world in real-time. Paimon looked to the sky.

More precisely, he looked at Evil Eyes in the sky.

‘Bael.’

A world like this, you can’t help but covet it, can you?

Just like you did with the Seorn continent.

But, I’m afraid not.

‘I have no intention of backing down as quietly as I did back then.’

Now that you are here, I am not alone

Paimon’s gaze swept over Hoyeol.

‘My dear.’

How much of an impact your current experience will have on your future self.

You wouldn’t know.

“Still, there is no need to worry.”

Paimon’s eyes narrowed.

“Because I will watch over everything.”

But it didn’t take long for Paimon’s resolve to fail.

It didn’t take long.

Because then, he realized.

Suddenly, a foreign sensation in his palm.

“……?”

Paimon opened his palm at the unfamiliar sensation. Sweat beads formed on his open palm. It’s not that Paimon doesn’t feel things because it’s an incarnation of a human corpse.

‘Is it hot……?’

It is because the incarnation is not made of lowly curses. Yes. It meant that even if Paimon, his own body, were here, it wouldn’t be any different.

‘……I’m feeling the heat?’

That was the moment Paimon realized the cause of the sweat on his hands.

Hoyeol opened his mouth.

Those were words that Hoyeol did not say in Paimon’s predicted future.

“I see.”

……No?

“샤이닝 (Shining).”

The benevolent voice continued.

“You wanted to be the light, Lox.”

Light, Paimon’s face contorted at the word.

.

.

.

[There is a participant in your ‘Exorcism Ritual’.]

Exorcism Ritual.

In my consciousness in contradiction.

It was the flames that guided me.

A green flame, burning brightly.

Yes, you must have suffered the same anguish as me.

No, you must have suffered it yourself.

They were seniors, the Akshans of Hell.

[Class Quest: Are We Still Demons?]

hwareureuk!