Chapter 91
Her body felt at peace.
It was… strange. An unfamiliar sense of calm she had never known before.
Kanya genuinely believed for a moment that she had made it to heaven.
Soft warmth wrapped around her entire body.
The scent of freshly washed linens and sun-dried sheets lingered at the tip of her nose.
She felt happy.
So happy that she desperately wished this feeling could last forever.
But then, an odd thought struck her.
Heaven?
How…?
Her last memory was crystal clear—
That follower of Sloth beating her face in.
She didn’t need anyone to explain what happened next.
It was obvious they had tried to recast the Words of Subjugation on her.
So then, what was this cozy warmth?
There was no way Belphegor would allow her to feel something this comforting.
...Where am I?
The moment the question hit her, Kanya sat up in a panic.
She quickly checked her body—
She was wearing clean clothes she didn’t recognize.
Then she looked around.
A small room.
Two beds.
A small table.
A wooden bathtub in the corner.
And across from her, sitting at the table preparing a meal, was a man.
He quietly turned his head to look at her.
Their eyes met in midair, and a thick, awkward silence settled into the room.
“Uh… you’re awake?”
His gentle voice and sheepish smile only left Kanya more confused.
What… is happening?
Where was she?
Who was this man?
After growing up her entire life surrounded by the torment of Sloth’s followers, being in such a comfortable place left her too stunned to even react properly.
But one thing was certain:
The man in front of her wasn’t a demon follower.
If he were, there’s no way he’d be treating her like this.
“Wh-Who are you? Where… where am I?”
She had a million questions, but this was the one she needed answered first.
The man gave a slightly troubled expression as he sat down across the table.
“I’m someone trying to help you. That’s all you need to know. You’re headed to the Rocky Mountains of Talahaim, right? I’ll take you there.”
Kanya’s eyes widened.
How does he know that?
“How do you know I’m trying to get to Talahaim?”
“I can explain… but before that, aren’t you hungry? Why don’t you eat first? We’ll talk after.”
He gestured toward the food on the table.
And the moment she saw it—
Kanya had to hear her own stomach let out a comically loud growl.
But even that didn’t embarrass her.
Without realizing it, her mouth began to water.
Tomato soup. Fresh-baked bread with butter. A wooden cup and a small pitcher of water.
It wasn’t much, but for someone starving like her, it was everything.
Drawn like a moth to a flame, she left the bed and shuffled to the table, sitting down almost automatically.
Before anyone could say a word, she started eating.
The moment the warm soup entered her mouth, tears welled in her eyes.
Part of her wanted to shovel it all in at once, to eat like a ravenous beast—
But her body had other plans.
Her already thin arms were too weak. Her muscles had deteriorated from starvation.
She tried to lift her spoon again, but her hands were shaking too much.
She was about to drop it when the man reached out and helped her hold the spoon.
“I’ll feed you. Open up.”
It was embarrassing.
But considering her condition, there was no other choice.
Kanya obediently opened her mouth like a baby bird, accepting his help.
The buttered bread.
The tomato soup.
The water.
She ate it all.
And when she was finally full, she felt something she hadn’t known before—satisfaction.
A deep, heavy drowsiness came over her, but she fought to stay awake.
She had to get answers.
She turned to the man, looking more alert now.
“I want your name.”
“Jericho. Just call me Jericho.”
“Alright, Jericho. I have questions. How did you know I was headed to the Rocky Mountains of Talahaim?”
He shrugged, like it was no big deal.
“I interrogated the man who was trying to kill you.”
He meant the follower.
At those words, Kanya’s tone sharpened.
“Where is he now?”
“He’s dead.”
“…Dead?”
“After the interrogation, he killed himself. His body dissolved into blood and vanished into the ground.”
She knew that scene.
It was exactly what happened when Sloth’s followers were publicly executed after slipping up.
He really was gone.
One less person hunting her down.
Which led to her next question.
“Then… are you the one who killed him?”
“Yeah.”
“Why? And before that—how did you even find me? Who are you, Jericho? What are you…?”
She fired off questions without breathing, but Jericho simply raised a hand to quiet her.
“God told me. Kanya. That’s all you need to know for now.”
God.
That word made Kanya suddenly realize something—
Belia had been completely silent.
“Belia! Belia!!”
She called out frantically.
But no matter how she screamed, the goddess who always responded inside her mind didn’t answer.
“Belia is—! No…!”
Panic overtook her trembling body, but Jericho gently reached out and took her hand.
“Calm down, Kanya. Your goddess is just asleep. She’s in shock. She hasn’t disappeared—not yet. I’ll protect you and help you in her place. So don’t be afraid, okay? All you need to focus on is reaching the Rocky Mountains of Talahaim. Wake her up. That’s your job now.”
His touch was warm.
The shaking in her body slowly began to ease.
Jericho gently patted her back.
“Sleep for now, Kanya. It’s late. We’re leaving early in the morning, so get as much rest as you can. Nothing’s going to happen—I’ll be right here.”
The words were simple.
But Kanya felt herself relaxing.
For the first time in her life—she felt full.
She felt safe.
Jericho helped her lie back down on the bed and pulled the blanket up to her chin.
She looked up at him, drowsy but curious.
“…Why are you doing all this for me?”
“I have business at the Rocky Mountains of Talahaim too. That’s all.”
“Go to sleep, Kanya. I’m right here.”
His quiet smile made something in her heart finally let go.
Her body—so long battered and weary—finally had a chance to rest.
Wrapped in the warmth of clean sheets and safety, Kanya drifted off.
And fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
***
[Poor girl.]
As Kanya’s breathing slowly settled into a peaceful rhythm, Kon muttered under his breath.
His voice—usually crude and flippant—sounded heavy for once.
Probably because I’d just spent the last ten minutes giving him a condensed version of Kanya’s life story.
[You’re gonna help her, right? That girl? I can smell it—you wouldn’t believe how rare she is. For her age, she’s unbelievably pure. She’s never dated, doesn’t even have the faintest clue about sex, and her body’s completely untouched. Sure, she’s not our species, but still… letting someone like that stay miserable would be a disgrace to all males. Amael.]
His words only made me pity Kanya more.
Of course she didn’t know anything.
She never had the chance to live a normal life.
“I’m going to help her. I have to get her to the Rocky Mountains of Talahaim. That’s where I can free the goddess inside her. Every piece of black magic carved into her body depends on the fact that the goddess is still in there. Once the goddess is gone… Kanya will be free too.”
[How the hell did you even manage that? I was only asleep for a short while. How’d you wring so much information out of that guy?]
“It’s a long story.”
I got up from my seat and opened the window of our inn.
The crescent moon hung over the city, bathing everything in a pale, ominous glow.
Somewhere out there, demon followers were hunting us.
From what I saw in that follower’s memories, the three demon kings were working together for one reason:
They absolutely could not let Kanya reach Talahaim.
Which meant they were going to do everything in their power to kill me before I helped her get there.
That’s fine. I’ve already made up my mind.
I’ll keep helping Kanya. I’ll keep provoking the demon kings until all three of them are forced to come after me. I’ll fight until the bitter end to protect her. I’ll die a glorious death if I have to.
And in the end, I hope my sacrifice will be enough to set her free—and release the goddess within.
“Kon.”
If I was serious about this, I had to be ready to face their followers in battle—no avoiding it.
“Remember that idea we talked about before? Using my time-stop power like armor or shaping it into weapons?”
[Yeah. Why?]
“It’s time. Let’s actually start developing it—seriously this time.”
I’ve graduated from swinging around belts.
It’s time I learned how to fight for real with what I’ve got.
[So what now, Belphegor? You’re just gonna let those two waltz up to the Rocky Mountains of Talahaim?]
Satan growled.
Belphegor shook her head.
[If we let that happen, it’s over. We’re not just talking about some broken-down goddess on her last legs—if she ascends to the Pantheon, she’ll be strong enough to side with Asmodeus. Then we’re really done for.]
Leviathan added coldly:
[Not to mention—Belia is a Pantheon-level goddess. What if she fully awakens and tells the saint what’s really inside his soul?]
[That can’t happen. If the saint finds out what Asmodeus really is, he might turn completely to the Pantheon’s side. We’ll lose our only shot at corruption. Think about why Lucifer is still out there using everything he has to block the Pantheon.]
Satan exploded:
[Then just let me send my followers in and tear that brat apart! Enough of this scheming and planning—I hate it!]
[Shut the hell up, you idiot!! If Amael is in danger, Asmodeus won’t hesitate to absorb Belia’s divinity! You remember what happens if she does, right? We won’t stand a chance!]
While Leviathan and Satan bickered, Belphegor raised a hand.
[Wait… what if Satan is actually right?]
[The hell are you on about now, Belphegor?]
[Look—fighting in the spirit realm? We’re clearly at a disadvantage. Asmodeus is just too strong. But… what about the mortal realm? The demon of lust doesn’t have nearly as many followers down there as we do.]
Leviathan stared at her, stunned.
[Did you forget what happened to Mammon’s followers in the Scrap Yard? Even with numbers, it’s over once divine power starts pouring in.]
[Think about it, Leviathan. Compared to Asmodeus’s power now, the divine energy we saw back then was nothing. And that’s the point. Asmodeus only has one conduit into the mortal realm—the saint. That’s it. But we? We’ve got dozens.]
Follower count.
It directly tied into how much of their divine power the demon lords could pour into the human world.
Asmodeus was a god in the spirit realm.
But in the mortal realm?
She had only one way to manifest.
The three demon kings were weaker in raw power…
…but their conduits? Countless.
[So even if we can’t win up there, we can win down here.]
As Belphegor laid it out, the eyes of the other two sharpened.
And in a flash, the plan came together.
Satan went first:
[My followers will take care of attacking the saint directly.]
Leviathan followed:
[Mine will focus on disrupting his divine energy and his time-stop abilities. That fits my power set best.]
Lastly, Belphegor:
[While you’re keeping them busy, I’ll separate Belia from the saint. Once she’s mine again… even the spirit realm will be winnable.]
All three of them swallowed dryly, recalling the sheer scale of Asmodeus’s power.
She was a monster.
One they couldn’t let grow any further.
[Summon everyone. Right now. This is a full-scale mobilization. No matter what it takes—
we CANNOT let those two reach the Rocky Mountains of Talahaim.]
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