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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
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Chapter 207: Who the hell are you?
"Kneel."
It was a rather impromptu remark, but it was surprisingly effective.
The demon's current appearance, avoiding my gaze, was completely different from the authoritative posture he had been taking, as if he were looking down on everything.
The grotesque face, revealed after the white heron mask disappeared, a mixture of the leader and Vassago, was so bizarre that it made me lose my appetite just by looking at it.
However, his pupils, shaking like candlelight, clearly showed how confused he was feeling right now.
[What…….]
To be honest, I'm just as confused.
But when the situation is so favorable, there's no need to respond. If he's quick-witted, it could backfire.
Chuck—
Deliberately ignoring Vassago completely, I slowly moved towards the throne.
At the same time, I reversed all the circles of my heart and released mana from the Yin dimension.
About thirty seconds.
Vassago couldn't even take a proper breath until the moment I reached the throne, climbing the stairs.
I looked around as if surveying the surroundings, and then made eye contact with him.
His eyes were filled with incomprehension.
Since he's an insidious guy, he would have instantly grasped that the situation was nonsensical.
But the reason he can't easily make a judgment is because the being he mistakes me for has instilled deep-seated fear in him.
"Kneel."
[……How.]
"Kneel."
[Could it be…….]
"Worship."
[……!!]
The moment the suspicion in Vassago's grotesque face faded and astonishment filled his eyes.
I realized that my intention had worked properly.
Kneel. Kneel. Worship.
At first glance, it sounds like childish nonsense spoken haphazardly, but it's not.
It's like a secret being revealed after 300 years.
What Verkes said when he first appeared before us was something like that.
Brrr—
Shaking as if struck by lightning, Vassago knelt on the ground and recited like this.
[Are you, really, really, the Eternal?]
Eternal or whatever, I don't know what it is, but for now, I fully opened all the circles of my heart.
Mana from the Yin dimension.
As soon as I manifested Dark Heavenly Thunder, I directly struck Vassago's head.
Kwazijik—!
[Kuh!]
Vassago screams, having been completely hit by Dark Heavenly Thunder without even resisting.
Pitch-black smoke billows from Vassago's body, which has been penetrated by lightning from head to toe, and fragments of his shattered body repeatedly regenerate.
'He's not in perfect condition after all.'
I just confirmed one thing.
I wasn't surprised by the fact that he didn't disappear even after being hit by Dark Heavenly Thunder.
Rather, the fact that his body, unable to fully regenerate, continued to convulse grotesquely, was inferior to what it was 300 years ago.
Saaa—
Slowly, the aftershocks subsided……
I approached Vassago, who was sprawled on the ground, and placed my foot on his head.
A thought instantly consumed my mind.
Ah, fuck.
I want to crush him like this.
My temper began to rise from within, but I forcibly took a deep breath and suppressed it, and then suddenly……
Crack—
I came to my senses only after stepping on him.
Already, the circles of my heart were rotating strongly in reverse.
There was a newfound realization about madness.
5th Circle Reverse Incantation, the application of Hidden Hand. Called Dark Claw.
I once again looked at Vassago, who was trembling under my feet, and this time, I managed to calm myself down.
After all, everything is still full of questions. I can't miss this opportunity.
"I am the ruler. Verkes."
[Ah, indeed!]
I can feel it. The trembling of Vassago, who is sprawled on the ground, emitting an exclamation mixed with fear and joy.
[……Thank you. Thank you, Eternal One!]
What is he thankful for?
Does he think that my manifestation of Dark Heavenly Thunder was rather a light punishment in his own way?
"……."
I felt Black's gaze, looking at me with a dumbfounded expression from the side, but I didn't care and glared at Vassago.
Vassago, trembling with his head towards the ground. No more suspicion can be found in him.
I slowly began to ascend towards the throne.
* * *
My pretense of being Verkes was a rather impromptu decision, but there was a reason.
I had a feeling that I could grasp a subtle clue about this messed-up situation where cause and effect were mixed.
In fact, through this guy's reaction, I confirmed that several of my worries were true.
"……."
Suddenly, as soon as I felt that my vision was gradually turning red, I shook my head.
The feeling of madness surges just by thinking about it.
'Hoo.'
I took a deep breath and regained my composure.
For now, it is certain that Verkes, that son of a bitch, is alive.
However, he is not likely in a normal state. Otherwise, he would have appeared already. In fact, Vassago's astonishment was not only because he mistook me for Verkes.
How did he appear so soon?
Clearly, such a meaning was contained in it.
Making a plausible guess, wouldn't Verkes also appear later through the ritual called summoning?
Suddenly, I turned my gaze to the left.
"……."
Black, still looking up at me with an utterly dumbfounded expression.
Seeing the posture with his black sword lowered, he seems intent on watching what I'm doing for now.
I made strong eye contact with Black once and then turned my gaze away.
Below the stairs, Vassago, still kneeling on the ground with his head bowed, can be seen.
'Fuck.'
This guy is different from Verkes.
Even if Verkes deceived everyone at the last moment, this guy died long before that.
How the hell is he alive?
There wasn't much time to think.
[Great Eternal One.]
Vassago slowly opened his mouth.
If this guy is the one I know, then caution is paramount.
There was no reason not to answer any longer. But what should I answer?
I thought it would be good to give him some praise since I had been angry so far.
"Well done. Old subordinate."
As soon as I uttered a compliment as I could, Vassago's whole body trembled.
I couldn't tell whether it was a good or bad reaction.
I had a feeling it was the bad one.
"You scoundrel!"
[Has the grand prophecy finally been completed!]
"It was a good reaction."
[What do you mean?]
"The prophecy is incomplete."
[That's……!]
Paaaaang—
In an instant, an intense sonic pressure involuntarily erupted from Vassago's body.
The pressure, as if it would make me collapse on the spot, crushed my whole body, but I kept the circles of my heart open and looked down on Vassago as if nothing was wrong.
[I'm sorry, Eternal One. I did it without realizing it…….]
Before this guy suspects me, I need to check.
Verkes. The most important thing is when that guy appears.
"A variable has arisen."
[If it's a variable other than the Divine Clans…….]
Suddenly, Vassago slightly raised his head, as if he had realized something.
[Are you perhaps saying that you have manifested in an incomplete state? A variable that requires you to check it yourself…….]
"I need to postpone the schedule. Old subordinate."
[Ah!]
Vassago bowed his head deeply again.
[Give me your instructions.]
"Postpone it by one year."
[……Are you referring to the last day of the second coming winter?]
"What?"
[…….]
I told him to postpone it by one year, but what came back was a strange answer.
But there's no way I can't guess the meaning. Two winters mean two years.
So, Verkes was originally scheduled to appear in one year?
That's too short to be plausible.
"Did you just say two winters?"
[…….]
"Answer."
[…….]
"You bastard, answer."
[Yes, it is two winters.]
"Delay it further."
[Great Eternal One. I have one question to ask.]
"What is it?"
Vassago bowed his head even further, as if he didn't know what to do with himself.
[Regarding me, who is carrying out the prophecy you have given, why is the summoning—]
While listening to Vassago's words with one ear and letting them out the other, I rose from the throne and counted numbers in my head.
This guy. He noticed.
One. Two. Three…….
Space Acceleration.
The moment I took a step aside quickly enough to leave an afterimage, intense cold air surged from below the throne.
In a split second, the throne was completely frozen.
Saaa—
At the same time, a sharp sword energy, imbued with a sharp edge, sliced through the magic circle at the rear as it was.
"Looks like we've been found out, Ruin."
Black, who destroyed the magic circle leading to the outside, descended beside me.
Black, who was looking at me with a dumbfounded expression, moved his lips a few times and then spoke as if he couldn't bear it any longer.
"You were thinking of deceiving that guy while fighting?"
"……."
"I can't even fathom it."
"Open your mind."
"Is this also Samael's way?"
Suddenly, I turned my head and looked at Black.
Black swept his black hair back with his left hand and muttered seriously.
"Impressive."
I looked at Vassago, who was slowly getting up, and replied.
"He's an insidious guy."
In the first place, the question Vassago threw was bait.
A question he threw after being convinced that I was not Verkes.
It was regrettable that I couldn't extract more information, but it can't be helped. Since he's a quick-witted guy, he would have noticed the strange points long ago.
Before I knew it, Vassago's subordinates began to gather one by one behind him.
[You…….]
Vassago observes me as if piercing through me.
[I don't understand.]
"You scoundrel!"
Paaaaang—
The sonic pressure erupted immediately.
Just in case, I tried to deceive him once again, but it doesn't work anymore.
I said this, as Black seemed to be looking at me with a somewhat disappointed look.
"There's no harm in trying."
"Look over there."
Now that I think about it, the target Black was looking at was not me.
Vassago.
The demon's face, a mixture of black pus and a human face, gradually twisted, and then the form of a white heron popped out from within.
[Is there really a traitor in the Myriad Demons Assembly?]
A changed voice.
This voice is definitely the leader's, or rather, the one we should now call White Heron.
"You're full of tricks."
[I didn't expect you to be this much of a hindrance.]
There's no way the consciousness of the leader who sacrificed himself would remain. It's more reasonable to assume that Vassago absorbed the leader's consciousness.
[Ruin Samael. Who did you conspire with?]
"You son of a bitch."
I glared at the white heron mask and said.
"Since earlier, you've been asking me alone. Originally, I'm not the type to do business at a loss, but considering our X-rated relationship from 300 years ago, I'll give you just one answer. There's a traitor among the seven bastards."
[If you're going to mention the clown, I'm disappointed. Tricks won't work—]
"The Phantom Thief."
[……What?]
The pupils inside the white heron mask suddenly widen even more.
[You know the alias that has never been revealed?]
"Of course. The culprit is the Phantom Thief."
[That can't be.]
The pupils of the white heron mask, which had been shaking as if in shock for a moment, suddenly calmly settled down.
Saaa—
Subsequently, his face began to distort grotesquely again, and with a chilling scream, that grotesque Vassago's face popped out.
[Samael……. That can't be. It's not even possible in the first place.]
Vassago mutters as if pondering.
[Even if there's a subordinate who abandoned the prophecy, it's impossible…….]
Vassago slowly begins to turn his head towards me.
[There is no subordinate who knows the true name. That is a fact that is only allowed to a few existences among the nobles who inherited the prophecy, those who were directly bestowed with his spirit.]
"……."
[Not to mention mimicking authority?]
"……."
[It's impossible. Ruin Samael.]
Finally, with his head completely turned, Vassago's gaze, which pierces through me, is filled with intense suspicion and anger.
[Just who the hell are you?]
"Who am I, you ask?"
Suddenly, Black raises his black sword and points at Vassago.
At the same time, a massive amount of demonic energy began to surge from behind Vassago.
"Go ask that son of a bitch, Verkes."
[……You dare.]
I briefly made eye contact with him.
"You're disgustingly ugly."
[I need to check.]
The verbal battle is over.
I took a step forward amidst the surging demonic energy.
Immediately, a massive pressure, as if it would burst with a single explosion, began to engulf my entire body.
Saaa—
At the same time, the fog rolled in.
I briefly made eye contact with him between his slowly disappearing form.
The source of the gaze full of suspicion contained a look of undisguised contempt and arrogance.
That's it.
He doesn't know me, but I know him.
300 years ago and now, the situations are different, but the results will be the same.
"I will annihilate you."
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
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