Hell (3)
Frondier clenched his fists, blood dripping from his palms.
While Belphegor remained relaxed, Frondier was anything but.
“Kuh!”
Pain wasn't the only thing consuming Frondier. Fear swelled within him.
‘Is this the feeling of transformation?’
Frondier recalled the time he absorbed the black monster. Had he felt something similar when it turned into Mana?
If he let his guard down even for a moment, he might actually die.
The structure of humans and devils wasn't that different. Frondier had confirmed it himself.
There was only one difference.
Wings.
“Ugh……!”
Crack, thud!
The sound of bones twisting reached his ears.
He had imitated wings with Obsidian before, but now it was time to have real wings on his back. His bones twisted around his shoulder blades, muscles stretching.
Belphegor called Frondier as a ‘devil,’ and Frondier fulfilled the conditions to become one.
By contract, to align both sides, everything Frondier possessed was transforming him into a devil.
A few seconds after his body began to change.
Swish, swish!
Frondier heard a scraping sound next to him. He glanced to his side.
‘……!’
The newly sprouted wing bones were scraping against the ground.
He was becoming a devil. Frondier realized it.
Woosh, Obsidian gathered behind his back. Not just his back. All the Helheim Mana he possessed was being absorbed into his body.
Obsidian was no longer a necklace he carried, but a part of him.
Obsidian was originally Mana. As his body transformed into a devil, the Helheim Mana merged with him, granting him the characteristics of a devil, closer to Mana than a human.
As a result.
[Oh my……!]
Satan exclaimed.
Wings began to sprout from Frondier’s back, most of them made of Obsidian.
Frondier’s energy had truly transformed into that of a devil. And not just any devil. It was Frondier, who had always used Eclexis that was distinctly different from others. Even if he turned from a human into a devil, his essence wouldn’t change.
No, rather.
[It’s like your true form, devil!]
One of the three Moirai shouted.
Just as they thought, Frondier’s Eclexis suited a devil perfectly.
His temperament, mindset, and all his abilities.
Perhaps it was more than just a devil─
Swoosh.
His racing heart calmed, the wings folded.
Silence fell.
“……Phew.”
Frondier exhaled. The pain subsided as the transformation seemed to be complete.
Which meant.
“This is how it feels.”
He had become a devil.
And a gate opened before his eyes.
[Well, Frondier.]
Belphegor, who had finally revealed himself beyond the gate, greeted him. He was sitting down, but not on a chair. He had plopped down on the ground, devoid of any dignity. It was just like Belphegor.
[I’m glad everything worked out.]
“What were the chances of success?”
[Hmm? I don't know how to calculate odds.]
This guy.
Frondier was the one in a more desperate situation, but Belphegor had just killed Nidhogg. That must have been quite risky.
And yet, he was unconcerned about the odds of success after such a feat. This place was a gathering of madmen.
Then Belphegor opened his mouth.
[Frondier, our contract isn't over yet.]
“What?”
[You remember, right? Devils grant wishes and take souls. I summoned you, so you have to grant my wish.]
“……I’m not interested in your soul. I don't particularly want it.”
[Khahaha. Do as you please. Either way, you're in a position where you have to grant my wish.]
Belphegor laughed heartily.
He had him cornered. Frondier responded to Belphegor's call, so he had no choice but to grant his wish.
“What’s your wish?”
[It’s simple.]
As he spoke, Belphegor glanced at Satan.
[Right now, the human world and the demon world are connected. Thanks to someone's hard work.]
Satan’s face contorted with anger. Of course, that was the intention, so Belphegor’s lazy smile only deepened.
Indeed, due to Satan's machinations, the human world and the demon world were currently connected. The fact that Belphegor, who should have fallen to hell after being cast out of the Seven Deadly Sins, was in Niflheim was proof of that.
Satan's original plan was to gather the powers of the gods to become the undisputed king of demons, and since he had indeed become the king, the plan could be considered a success, but.
[Kill all of the Seven Deadly Sins and the divines. That is my wish.]
At this very moment, Satan's actions were backfiring on him.
[What!]
[What did you say?!]
Satan and the three goddesses exclaimed in unison. The Moirai were especially shocked, as they hadn’t expected the ‘divines’ to be mentioned.
[Belphegor! What in the world are you thinking?!]
[What am I thinking? There's no one above me except the Seven Deadly Sins and the divines. Kill them all, and I'm the king. Hahahahahaha.]
Belphegor laughed dryly.
Belphegor had fallen from the Seven Deadly Sins.
So even if he ordered the death of all the Seven Deadly Sins, he wouldn’t be included.
However, everyone here knew.
That Belphegor wasn't interested in being ‘king.’
That he was hiding another scheme within him.
[Don't get too scared, Satan.]
[!]
Belphegor grinned maliciously.
[You don't actually think Frondier can kill all the Seven Deadly Sins, do you? We're talking about the seven most powerful devils. If you guys kill Frondier, everything will be resolved. What's there to worry about?]
[You…bastard……!]
Satan gritted his teeth at Belphegor's taunts.
Then, his expression changed, and he turned his back and disappeared.
[Hmm. Looks like your brain still works. Off to summon the Seven Deadly Sins, I see.]
When Belphegor said that, Frondier unconsciously looked at the Moirai.
Or rather, he tried to, but they too had already vanished.
“Frondier!”
Just then, Elodie’s voice reached him from afar.
He had seen Selena completely subdued, but she must have broken free.
“……!”
Elodie reached Frondier and her eyes widened.
Frondier with his wings spread. Moreover, his Mana felt different. She almost doubted that the being before her was Frondier.
Furthermore, a gate was open in front of him, and beyond it stood Belphegor, whom she had seen once before.
Elodie had never imagined this sight, but she knew instinctively.
“……You….”
Elodie’s face crumpled as if she was about to cry.
Frondier had become a devil.
“Don’t make that face.”
Meanwhile, Frondier looked at Elodie with a gentle smile.
“It’s still me.”
“……I know.”
Elodie shook her head as if shaking off her sadness.
“Rudra said you would die. That you’d sacrifice yourself, become a soul, and be sucked into Yggdrasil.”
Rudra had seen through Satan’s plan and reached the same conclusion as they did.
In other words, no one expected Frondier to become a devil. Except for Belphegor, who had prepared for this.
Elodie gave a sad smile.
“……Better than dying, I suppose.”
“Yes, better than dying.”
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