206 Episode: Out of Control
“Ah! That’s refreshing.”
I gulped down the last remaining Eether of Water.
With my mind now clearer, I raised my gaze. Altear, carelessly tied up at the front of the Viking ride and left abandoned, came into view.
Let me clarify—she had merely been stunned with a stunner, so she was far from dead. I could see her body twitching like a worm.
“It’s your turn to get what’s coming to you, old hag.”
I slowly climbed atop the Viking ride.
My heart was racing faster than it had when I used to ride the Viking for fun. Every sense in my body was on high alert to an extent that even startled me.
Approaching the front of the Viking, I picked up Altear. She shuddered and let out a low groan.
“Ugh… Hmph.”
Seeing Altear in pain made me inexplicably break into a grin.
I hoisted her on my back and stepped down from the Viking. I then threw her carelessly on the ground, and climbed on top of her, with her still restrained.
“Can’t forgive you.”
As I said that, Altear muttered faintly.
She glanced up at me lazily with a dull expression. Her crimson eyes, soaked in blood, were glaring at me intently.
From within her gas mask, a voice filled with hatred echoed out.
“If you wanted to kill… you should have killed me! Those two didn’t matter, right? Why, why did you kill them?! If I could have persuaded them… They wouldn’t have stopped you!!”
Ah, the two you’re referring to are Dyrus the Human Hunter and Moskden of Solitude, right?
I made a face of deep understanding, smacking my balls and murmured,
“Right. Hmm. That could’ve been an option.”
It would mean subduing Altear and then persuading the other two.
I didn’t even consider that possibility—good call. It might have minimized the damage and avoided unnecessary fights.
It could have been a win-win situation, right?
“Ah, Altear, please stop spouting nonsense like a stray dog.”
CRACK! I delivered a grand, theatrical shout while stomping forcefully on Altear’s stomach.
With all my strength. The ground around Altear cracked as it spewed up a cloud of dirt.
“Gaah…!”
Altear convulsed like a struggling fish out of water.
Without missing a beat, I grabbed a fistful of her fiery red hair. I pulled her face, partially hidden by her gas mask, right in front of mine.
The absurdity of her claims made me burst into uncontrollable laughter.
“You think you could have persuaded them? Please, the only thing you wouldn’t do is stab me in the back if you got the chance, you dog.”
“I… I never… would have!”
“Never? Who knows? People are unpredictable. Once in that situation, it’s possible you’d do something unexpected. You were just itching to stab me in the back! Your history screams betrayal, you bitch.”
I have four past lives as Park Jeong-yong testifying.
Since I’m the victim and the witness, I’ll just file this directly to the judge. Death penalty. Boom.
CRACK! I smashed Altear’s head into the ground.
“And you, think about this.”
“Ugh… Ahh…!”
I pressed down on her head so hard she could barely breathe, but it wasn’t enough—it wasn’t satisfying. I began grinding her head into the dirt.
Pain distorted the features of Altear’s face. I leaned down close to her ear and growled.
“What if I tell you that I only killed you because I had no choice in saving my dying father? Would you forgive me for that?”
“… Grr… Now… what kind of nonsense…!”
“Yeah, bullshit. So, why are you ranting about excuses? Knowing their backstory might be interesting, but they mean nothing to me. Does innocence absolve murder? Does a compelling reason excuse such crimes?”
Altear couldn’t answer. She averted her gaze, burying her face into the ground.
Where else should you look when I’m having a discussion with the great and mighty Park Jeong-yong? Return to your skull before I devour your eyes like a scoop of ice cream.
“Hey, dildo, broken.”
I yanked off Altear’s gas mask with rough force and forcibly tilted her chin up to make her look directly at me.
I twisted my lips into a sardonic smirk.
“You know, as you go through life, you’re going to hit, get hit, and kill. There are lots of fights, especially when you’ve lived for 500 years. Haven’t you figured that out yet?”
“…”
“Use that brain you’ve got. It’s not just that you’re good and I’m bad so we’re in this situation. Both of us are good people who are fighting each other.”
Or let’s say one of us is bad from the start.
Even so, we both unwaveringly believe that we’re the good ones. That’s why the black-haired beasts fight like hell.
I slapped Altear’s cheeks repeatedly while taunting her,
“How great it would be if all the truly wicked bastards suddenly realized they were wicked. Then maybe we wouldn’t have all this fighting nonsense, right?”
“Shut up… Stop it… I don’t want to hear anything more…!”
Altear tightly shut her eyes and let the tears flow endlessly. Her face was covered in blood, and the mixing tears formed dark-red streaks that moistened the ground.
Why are you getting emotional already? I haven’t even started doing anything really bad. The situation was so absurd that I chuckled slightly.
“Wow, who would’ve thought… the reality where I end up beating someone while they’re tied up.”
That bizarre torn memo from my past life has now turned into a foreshadowing. Incredible how Park Jeong-yong’s life is so unpredictable. I don’t even know what’s coming next.
With a peaceful thought, I delivered a full-force punch to Altear’s face.
“Ugh… Black.”
Altear let out a low groan.
Great reaction. In truth, there’s no need for words now.
All that’s left is the responsibility for defeat. Adults must take responsibility for their actions, right?
I began striking Altear’s face repeatedly.
“Ugh, Ughg, Huff…!”
Left punch, right punch. Back to the left punch. With each strike, Altear’s body convulsed like a fish flailing on land. Sticky blood and teeth fragments clung to my fingers like medals of honor. Even the excruciating pain in my own hands felt strangely pleasurable.
I can’t stop now. I mumbled mantras while furiously thrashing every limb.
“Left foot, right hand! That’s how it is, you stupid, foolish soul!”
POW, URRR, CRUNCH.
I hit her. Again and again. And again.
I have no memory of why this brutality began or why it should end. I don’t even want to remember. I kept pounding on Altear’s face into a state of nothingness.
Until the moment it somehow became enjoyable.
“HAHAHAHAHA!!”
I erupted in hysterical laughter, gasping for air.
Even so, I didn’t stop my punches; on the contrary, I got faster.
“…!!”
Altear no longer responded to the punches. Now her whole body merely twitched in small convulsions.
My excitement began to wane quickly. I rummaged behind my shoulder and pulled out the Sword of Annihilation.
Swoosh. I gave the sword a quick swirl and reversed my grip, ready to thrust it into Altear’s neck.
“Dieeee!!!”
However, the incoming blade halted abruptly just before reaching Altear’s neck.
Not from my choice. Someone had tightly grabbed my wrist. Not only that, but someone else from behind had completely hugged me, restricting my movement.
“Enough already… Stop it. Surely… this is more than enough…!”
I recognized Ruci’s tearful voice.
I felt her characteristic bone-chilling coldness from her embrace behind me.
*
“Please… stop. The punishment has been… enough.”
The blade stopped midway.
A single droplet of blood trickled from where the greatsword had lightly pierced Altear’s neck.
Someone had physically restrained me with their arms. I turned my head toward the someone who firmly embraced me from behind.
“… Hey. Listen up, you dense jerk. Are you really not understanding what I’m saying? Or has your memory reset because I failed again?”
I suspected it might be her, so I was cautiously hopeful, and sure enough—it was Ruci. The distinct icy coldness of her body pressed firmly against my back.
My heart was heavy with mixed emotions. I sighed, growling in frustration,
“I told you clearly. I told you to wait.”
If I asked you to wait, why are you here? Don’t you trust me either? Is this the repayment of my trust?
That was the gist of my scolding and reproachful tone.
“… I, the Undying Demon King Rustica Asmodeus, have no obligation to follow a mere Guardian’s orders.”
Ruci pressed her body even closer to me as she said these words.
Her voice sounded strangely muffled. Though I noticed something strange with it, my betrayal that Ruci didn’t trust me was more overwhelming, so I focused on mocking her.
“Yeah, what? You’re this useless guy who failed four times already. You went berserk and stormed off alone, so not being trusted has some logic to it, I’ll admit that.”
“… That’s not it. Hero.”
Ruci muttered quietly with a choked voice.
But I pretended not to hear. I proudly pointed at Altear’s blood-soaked face.
Then I widened my view and pointed at the amusement park, drenched in the blood and flesh of runaway warriors. As she looked at the ghastly scene, Ruci’s frown deepened.
“That’s why I’m struggling here to earn your trust. Look! I’ve killed them all. All that’s left is to clean up this red-haired old hag. From now on, I’ll be Mr. Park of Unquestionable Trustworthiness, so you can rely on me to handle things without worry…”
“Isn’t that obvious!! Now shut up and listen to me!!”
A blunt shock reverberated through my body, and I was thrown forward.
Ruci had violently headbutted my back. The sudden impact forced me to close my mouth.
“Ugh.”
Gruuuuuh. A sharp object was pressing firmly into my back.
Judging from the three distinct points of pressure, it was obviously Ruci’s horns. As her head pressed harder, her horns dug deeper into my skin.
“A, Ah. Aaaah.”
Against my will, I began crying out in pain.
In desperation, I began hitting her forearm in the manner of a wrestler tapping out.
“Hey, it hurts. The horns are touching me. I’m turning into a skewered ribeye! It’s way more painful than I expected, so could you let go a bit..?”
“I knew you’d do this. That’s why I came!”
As I writhed and struggled, Ruci suddenly tapped my back with her fists and said,
“I heard you. But I didn’t understand fully… What?”
Ruci responded while her head remained firmly pressed against my back.
“Because at the last moment… your face looked so dangerous! I thought you’d go utterly berserk like this, so I came to stop you!”
What is she talking about? I managed to wriggle free from her grip and looked at her directly.
Ruci’s head was hanging low, her shoulders shaking.
“How could you… How could you die like that right before me? Have you ever once thought about how I feel?”
Ruci suddenly screamed, hitting me repeatedly with her fists.
This was her way of expressing her grievance. Usually, it would be weak kicks or punches delivered either before or after death. Apparently, even in the heat of battle, her habits don’t change.
I muttered vacantly with a defeated expression.
“Uh… Why are you getting so emotional all of a sudden?”
Because Ruci was unusually sobbing uncontrollably.
