Chapter 200

Damian was facing three opponents even while injured.

Looking at the battlefields he had been through so far, one could say that 1 vs. 3 was nothing. The problem was just who his opponents were.

Lancelot, who possessed the greatest swordsmanship on the continent.

The thief Squar, who was said to have stolen the continent.

And Saintess Media, whose compatibility was so bad that it was despairing for a black sorcerer to face her.

“Come to think of it… Father once said… There’s a saying that three against one is a golden rule. Conversely, it also means one against three…”

Damian opened the magic book Enok.

[72 demons, take half of my remaining soul. Then, manifest as a sword.]

The black sword, created by summoning 72 massive demons and compressing them to their limits, was not meant for humans. It was a cursed blade wielded by someone who had abandoned their humanity. A double-edged sword that brought ruin to both the wielder and the target.

Its mass, power, and the intensity and number of curses it contained far surpassed the imagination of any ordinary person.

[Demonic Sword Remegeton.]

A sword covered in eyes and mouths, so grotesque that an ordinary person would vomit at the sight.

Saintess Media chuckled upon seeing it. She had grasped its essence faster than anyone, and she couldn’t help but laugh.

“You’ve completely lost it. Summoning 72 demons, compressing them into a sword… Are you out of your mind? Do you even know how strong the curses you have to endure are? Curses so severe that even after hundreds of reincarnations, you’d suffer miserably.”

“Yes. Even if I’m reborn, I’ll suffer from illness, betrayal, and a life of pain.”

The curses engraved on Damian’s body and soul had long surpassed their limits. It was obvious where those curses would go.

“By the way, that sword is dangerous. Even for me, destroying 72 demons is difficult, and with their power, magic, and mass compressed, even a slight hit would be troublesome.”

“You’re the ones with troublesome weapons, aren’t you?”

“Oh~ correct.”

Perhaps it was the privilege of one who knows the future, but Damian knew the power of their weapons very well.

“You have an arm imbued with the power of the Spirit Kings you’ve killed or transferred power to, that stick swordsman has a sword forged from the power stolen from one of the Apostles of God, and that little thief has a gem that reduces the magic consumption of objects to zero.”

“My, how knowledgeable. I’d rather have someone like you as an ally than an enemy… How about it? Instead of dying here, why not join us? It’s been a while since I’ve seen such a promising talent.”

“Just looking at your face makes me want to vomit.”

“How disappointing…!”

Media launched shining spears at Damian. As a black sorcerer, those spears were his natural enemy, and he leaped into the air to dodge them. Of course, the others didn’t miss that brief opening.

Clang!

Damian’s demonic sword clashed with Lancelot’s sword and Squar’s cards.

“Even with that much mass, sealing it isn’t easy.”

Lancelot’s sword, Arondight, had the ability to seal anything it touched.

“Persistent, aren’t you?”

Squar bit her lip slightly. Even for her, facing an opponent with such skill was a first.

“Heroes and the so-called strongest sure fight cowardly. Then again, trash like you probably buried your pride and honor in the gutter long ago.”

Media sighed as she watched his skill.

“Even with numbers and compatibility on our side, being pushed this much shows the difference in skill. How sad. My pride is hurt, and my chest aches. I should reflect on not anticipating such a variable. Well, that’s the proper attitude for a saintess.”

“Stop spouting meaningless words. Just the sight of your face makes me sick.”

“Hmm… If you keep being so prickly, we have no choice but to target your weaknesses. Even if you call us cowards, it’s better than dying.”

“What are you talking about…!”

At that moment.

“Brother…?”

Damian turned his gaze to where his younger sisters were. He had told them to stay put, but the continuous noise had worried them, and they couldn’t help but come.

“Well, the choice is yours.”

Squar’s flames, Lancelot’s slash, and Squar’s cards.

Each attack, with its terrifying power, flew toward the sisters.

“Ah…!”

Rachel, Violet, and Aila instinctively covered their faces. Whether it was because they sensed their impending death or because they were scared.

But what the sisters expected didn’t happen.

The light that had always protected them in the darkness now revealed itself boldly, blocking the attacks aimed at them head-on.

Even as his body burned with holy flames, even as he bled profusely from the slash, even as he suffered excruciating pain from the extreme poison on the cards…

Damian asked his sisters.

“Looks like you’re not hurt. I told you not to come.”

“Brother…?”

Rachel looked up to see her brother’s face. His mask had fallen off, revealing his bare face. The grotesque tattoos covering his face, the blood vessels clearly visible around his eyes, and the blackened whites of his eyes… The sisters knew what it meant.

What Damian had sold to the demons wasn’t his personality. It was everything except his personality. His body had transformed into that of a demon, and in the process, he had sacrificed his lifespan and endured excruciating pain.

Compared to the slight change in personality, it was nothing. Most black sorcerers chose this path, but Damian did not.

[I’m afraid of losing the love I have for those children. I’m afraid of losing the self-control to hide them. And that’s more important than me.]

“I should have scolded you when you wanted to follow me… I didn’t want to be hated more, so I indulged you. It’s my fault you’re caught up in this danger.”

As blood splattered on Rachel’s cheek like a waterfall, she tried to hold onto her brother in shock.

“Brother, stop the bleeding first…”

“I’m sorry. For not being able to hide it until the end. For making you suffer because of me. For forcing my selfishness on you.”

Damian shattered the gem he had received from his grandmother.

“Thank you. For growing up so splendidly even under a brother like me.”

A massive magic circle, radiating immense magical power, appeared beneath the sisters. It was a magic circle to send them back to their original timeline. Of course, Damian was not included.

The sisters trapped in the magic circle pounded on the magical barrier.

“I loved you. Every moment of you.”

“I congratulate you. For all the birthdays and happy days you’ll have in the future.”

Rachel recalled all the things she had said to her brother. Among them, the words asking if he had ever sacrificed anything for them. But the magic circle didn’t give her time to correct those words.

But it was unnecessary. Damian had never been hurt by those words in the first place.

“Wow~ such tearful sibling love. But what to do? I’m not sentimental enough to spare you after seeing that.”

“… Same here.”

Just moments ago, it was an even match, or perhaps Damian had the upper hand, but now it was different. His body was in critical condition, and he could die at any moment.

But he didn’t care.

From the beginning, he had thought that his end, his life, had no value. If he could use even a little of everything he had for others, he considered it fortunate.

Lancelot and Squar, who had approached closely, also pointed their weapons at him.

“Give up now. There’s no chance of you winning anymore.”

“Ah, maybe so.”

Squar had a displeased expression. Only she knew why she was making that face.

“Wouldn’t it be better to die comfortably? Even if you fight, there’s no way for you to win.”

“That line… I’ve heard it before.”

Damian’s grandmother, Werner’s mother, who was also a god, had once told him.

[To be blunt, that was the best future. There is no other path. There is no future better than the one you’re experiencing now.]

His answer was the same then as it was now.

Damian crushed his mask underfoot and answered.

“My answer is always the same.”

For the first time in a long time, he could smile.

“Even if I’m not rewarded.”

“Even if everything about me is forgotten.”

“I will create that path.”