Pielott cut him off.
The devil’s face crumpled.
“What?”
“I don’t need to know your name. I won’t remember it anyway.”
Pielott was annoyed by the pain in his abdomen and the devil’s grating voice constantly ringing in his ears.
He was on the verge of death, with the countdown ticking away, neither Frondier nor Elodie to help him, and an enemy he had to kill right in front of him.
Moreover, his mind and body were already prepared for battle.
‘Ah, no.’
The worst of his emotions collided, fueled by the fact that there was no one to rein him in.
Pielott felt himself slowly reverting back to his old self.
“You,”
His voice changed.
Pielott knew it was his own voice, yet it felt so nostalgic.
“Do you really think I give names to the trash I throw away?”
A cold, ruthless voice. Eyes that looked down upon his opponent.
The arrogant demeanor he once possessed, believing that he was the greatest talent on this earth, looking down upon everyone as equals in his ignorance.
His long-suppressed instincts, close to his true nature, slowly began to overflow.
“Why bother learning the name of someone who’s about to die? It’s pointless.”
“……Haha.”
The devil let out a dry laugh at the absurdity of his words.
Pielott was in no condition to move carelessly, with an arrow piercing his body and poison spreading through him. Moreover, the devil held a bow, while Pielott’s sword remained out of reach.
Yet, he dared to utter such words.
And while his previous words had been a bluff, these were genuine.
“……Fine.”
The devil pulled out an arrow.
“If that’s how you want to die, I’ll gra-”
In the split second he raised his arm to aim,
“Huh?”
Pielott vanished.
Clang!
“!”
The devil turned around in surprise.
The makeshift barrier he had created just in case shattered, and Pielott’s shadow descended ominously above him.
“Gasp!”
The devil rolled backward.
A sharp, unpleasant sensation grazed his leg, and as he distanced himself, he saw Pielott.
‘…Tsk, a graze.’
The devil checked his thigh. Blood flowed from a long gash. Pielott’s sword had touched him.
“Was that your aim? Shame. You almost had me.”
The devil hid his cold sweat and spoke.
The barrier, made of Mana, wasn’t actually created with Pielott in mind. It was a precaution against a surprise attack from another enemy.
He never imagined it would be shattered by the opponent standing right before him.
“But now…”
However, the devil was rather relieved.
Since that attack didn't work.
“Cough!”
Pielott let out a violent cough.
He vomited blood.
“Cough! Cough! Ugh, hack!”
Every cough sent a tearing pain through his body, causing blood to surge up and spill out.
“Ahahaha! I told you not to move!”
The devil laughed with delight.
He had been terrified when his thigh was grazed, but now the advantage was even more in his favor.
Having tasted the consequences of moving, Pielott would no longer be able to lift a finger.
“Ugh, gasp, ugh…!”
Pielott barely managed to catch his breath. Or rather, he forced his body to compose itself.
Just then, a voice echoed in his mind.
[Pielott, what flows within you is not poison.]
A voice he hadn’t heard in a long time.
‘…Hypnos.’
It was Hypnos, the god who had bestowed divine power upon him.
He spoke.
[It is the demonic energy of the demon realm.]
“……!”
Pielott’s eyes widened at those words.
[When a human absorbs the demonic energy of another world, there’s a tremendous rejection. The images, smells, sensations of that world, all jumbled together in chaos, consume the body. You’re only holding on because it’s from the demon realm. If it were the demonic energy of Tartarus or Helheim coursing through you, you would have died instantly.]
In the Falind continent, where the Mana Infusion incident had occurred, it was common knowledge that Mana from different sources shouldn’t be transferred haphazardly. The reason the Mana Infusion incident had minimal side effects was that it was conducted between humans.
However, when it came to completely different worlds, even that was impossible. Moreover, each world existed with a concept akin to distance, and the farther apart they were, the more difficult it was to accept each other.
[It’s time to realize, Pielott.]
Hypnos’ voice continued.
[Frondier has abandoned you.]
“……!”
[I left your side after you began to follow Frondier’s words. Because that wasn’t the you I desired. Because Frondier had extinguished your true power.]
Whizz!
Another arrow.
Even as Hypnos rambled on, time continued to flow.
The devil, to test if Pielott could still move, shot an arrow, and once again, Pielott sliced it in half.
It was more of a provocation than a probe.
[But look. An arrow pierced you, demonic energy from the demon realm is spreading through your body, pushing you to the brink of death, yet Frondier has no intention of coming. But you, you’re regaining your original form. Your talent was never in vain. You already possessed a talent that surpassed Aster and Frondier. It was Frondier who crushed that bud.]
Whizz!
This time, two arrows. Flying on different trajectories, just like before, Pielott sliced them both.
The devil, though expecting this outcome, couldn’t help but tilt his head.
How was this even possible?
Pielott was in a state where he could collapse at any moment, yet his blade still moved too fast for his eyes to follow.
[Put everyone beneath you, Pielott! That is your rightful place! Your true nature is what brings out your greatest strength! Stand above humanity! That is the true form of the arrogance you possess-]
“Hypnos.”
Pielott cut Hypnos off.
Just as he had done to the devil earlier.
And just as Hypnos himself had said, with an utterly arrogant tone.
“You too, shut up.”
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