Unsure of the man’s unbelievable words, Nameless furrowed his brows and stepped back two paces while gripping his sword.
‘First, I must stay calm.’
And, I must be cautious. After all, my Master always said that having more caution is better.
To begin with, who would trust someone like him?
If this place weren’t just in my imagination, I would have laughed off the man’s words and ignored him altogether.
But this is indeed my imagination.
It’s okay to doubt what the man says, but I mustn’t completely dismiss it.
“Why have you come to me?”
So, I ask.
I need to gather as much information from the man’s words as possible.
“I came to retrieve what is mine.”
What is mine…?
Nameless’s brows knitted together at the man’s words.
“…What do you mean by ‘mine’?”
After all, this man and I are meeting for the first time.
So, even if he wanted to, he couldn’t possibly take anything from me.
I’ve never been taught by my Master to take from others.
“I have never taken anything from you.”
The man shook his head at my question.
“Of course. You’ve never taken anything.”
“…Then.”
“But, I was robbed.”
What nonsense is this?
As I frowned at the incomprehensible words, the man slowly approached me.
‘…Is he going to attack?’
Nameless raised his sword in preparation for any possibilities.
“…What.”
The man then removed his robe, revealing a look of despair on his face that made Nameless drop his sword.
“It was utterly miserable. I felt a deep hatred toward you, who lives as a parasite on the future I created.”
His face, previously hidden, bore scars and showed some wrinkles, but still.
“What in the world happened…?”
It’s because he looked just like me.
Confusion rose.
There was no possibility that this man changed his face through magic.
As I’ve said, this place is my imagination.
As its owner, it’s nearly impossible for someone else to exert enough influence to change their appearance here.
“What the hell happened…?”
Was the claim that he is me true?
Then, who am I?
In this incomprehensible situation, my head throbbed, and I wanted to back away from it.
“I have one question.”
For some reason, I couldn’t avoid the approaching man.
“Do you leave a bug found in your home alive?”
With a seemingly hateful expression, the man gritted his teeth and added, “No, that shouldn’t be the case. You must kill the damn bug and reclaim what is mine.”
Before I knew it, the man was right in front of Nameless, placing his hand on his forehead.
However, Nameless couldn’t resist.
The first reason was that the situation was so bewildering.
The second reason was that the power emanating from him was not inferior to my Master.
… I have no chance against this man.
The man, who had been gritting his teeth and expressing anger, suddenly smirked and said, “But, it must be unfair for you. So, I will show you mercy.”
As he spoke, a dark energy flowed from the man’s hand and enveloped Nameless.
“The price for taking your memories is that I will leave that ritual intact.”
As the darkness consumed me, my eyes began to close.
“…So scared, huh? Heh. Are you aiming for transcendence as well?”
The man’s voice gradually faded away.
“I suppose I need to adjust my plans a bit…”
Immediately, darkness began to fill the space.
*
…Is this really the Nameless One?
Why did he suddenly show up?
Recalling what Lucius had said about the Nameless One, he is different from the Demon King.
Yet, here he is?
This means the Nameless One evaded the Demon King’s pursuit and infiltrated this place…
Is that even a plausible story?
“…Nameless One, you’re not lying to me, are you?”
No matter how much I doubt it because of Lili and Jackal, this is their territory.
It’s generally a given that one can exert greater strength in their domain.
…It shouldn’t be easily breached.
Moreover, according to Lili, an uninvited guest cannot enter this room.
Yet the voice of the Nameless One is heard here. So, that doesn’t make sense.
As I was lost in such thoughts, change occurred.
– Flinch.
Suddenly, Nameless, who had been behind me, began to spit out a large amount of blood.
“Cough…! Ugh!”
“Nameless?!”
I dropped everything around me and shook his shoulders.
…Please! He must be okay!
How much time had passed?
“Ma-Master….”
Nameless spoke to me with a trembling voice.
“Yes, Nameless! I can hear you!”
“Do not listen to what he says…”
What does he mean ‘his words’?
As I wiped the blood from his lips, I began checking Nameless’s pulse.
…His pulse is normal. Thank goodness.
Feeling a slight relief, I calmly asked, “Are you talking about the Nameless One?”
“No… That guy is lying to trick you, Master.”
“Lying…?”
What gain could there possibly be from lying?
Confused, I tilted my head, and Nameless added,
“That guy is not the Nameless One, but the Demon King.”
“…The Demon King?”
I had my doubts, but…
Are you saying he’s really not the Nameless One?
I quickly looked around to confirm, but the voice that had been heard earlier suddenly went silent.
…When did this guy vanish again?
Could it be that my internal energy is insufficient to have a prolonged discussion?
“Is that true?”
“Yes.”
I narrowed my eyes at Nameless’s words.
However, it seemed a bit odd for him to be the Demon King.
There shouldn’t be any reason for the Demon King to play word games with me.
Moreover, why mention the Nameless One?
No matter how I think about it, there’s no benefit for the Demon King to deceive me.
Just as my head was swirling with confusion.
“Ugh.”
“…Nameless?”
Nameless swatted my hand away from his forehead and started to rise from his lying position.
“You should rest a bit longer, right?”
“I’m fine. But there’s something more urgent; I need to deal with that.”
Despite my attempts to stop him, Nameless stood up and began to take slow steps.
“…What’s the urgent matter?”
“The Demon King has betrayed us.”
With his calm words, I frowned and asked back.
“What do you mean? Explain it in a way I can understand.”
“When I lost consciousness, I spoke with him.”
At the moment I lost consciousness, I would have been talking to him… Did he invade Nameless’s consciousness during that time?
As I nodded for him to continue, Nameless moved his feet and added,
“The Demon King seemed to think he could take over my body, and he revealed his plan.”
Perhaps we had arrived at our destination.
Reaching the Demon King’s chair, Nameless looked around as if searching for something.
“He said he would confuse you and look for an opportunity to steal your karma. Ah, found it.”
The Demon King intends to steal my karma?
Nameless touched something around the chair and soon revealed a massive crystal.
– Kuguu
Narrowing my eyes, I looked at it and saw a man trapped inside the crystal.
He had the large horns typical of demons, and his long white hair hung down around him—a skinny man.
From him emanated the strong dark energy I felt while entering the Demon King’s territory.
“Is that guy the Demon King…?”
Thus, I realized that indeed he was the Demon King.
Nameless, gazing at the crystal, turned his gaze towards me and added,
“We must make that Demon King pay for repaying grace with betrayal.”
“…Are you suggesting we kill the Demon King?”
“Yes.”
I had never seriously considered the idea of killing the Demon King, but… so suddenly?
In my surprise, I spoke to Nameless.
“Still, is it really the case that the Demon King has done this? Couldn’t we at least talk to him—”
“Master.”
With a firm expression, Nameless shook his head, cutting me off.
“Sometimes excessive caution becomes a poison.”
Having said that, Nameless handed me a sword.
“Quickly, break the crystal sealing the Demon King and kill him. You shall absorb his karma.”
At Nameless’s resolute words, I couldn’t help but murmur.
If what was said about betraying me is true…
Then I have enough justification to kill him.
However, my hesitation stems from not understanding why the Demon King is going through such difficult lengths to deceive me and absorb my karma.
Wasn’t the condition set by the Cheonma Church sufficient to gather karma?
“Master. Time is of the essence. Surely Lili or Jackal, or any other members of the Demon King’s army will come here shortly to interfere with us.”
At Nameless’s urging words, though I still felt hesitant, I nodded.
After all, my only true source of trust is my disciple.
But.
“I don’t think we necessarily need to break the seal.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Nameless’s surprised question.
I passed by him, grabbing a wooden sword.
He said that excessive caution is poison…
I agree, but I’m too much of a coward to not prepare for any possible situations.
Who knows?
What if the Demon King, upon awakening, seeks to harm me?
If the Demon King possesses enough power to conceal himself from me, I might lose.
As long as there’s even the slightest possibility, I have to be careful for Nameless’s sake.
Wrapping my internal energy around the wooden sword, I said.
“There’s an advanced technique I haven’t taught you yet.”
“You haven’t taught me…?”
The Divine Slaying Sword Technique, Fifth Move: Absorb Sky.
If I use this, then rather than going through the trouble of killing the Demon King, I can simply make his karma my own.
