Chapter 102
Just because I could see it didn’t mean it was close.
The mountain was a chaotic pile of boulders with no proper path to speak of.
Without my Body Reinforcement skill, I was just an ordinary man.
And Kanya had always been physically frail.
It took us three full days to reach the summit.
During that time, Kanya and I talked—a lot.
Mostly about food.
She told me she couldn’t remember the last time she’d eaten a proper meal.
So I described every kind of food I could remember from Earth—dishes she’d never even heard of.
Every time I described something, her eyes would sparkle like a child listening to a fairytale.
At night, we curled up together in the cracks of the cold highland rocks, holding each other for warmth.
No more cultists appeared.
No more enemies.
Just us—climbing, laughing, talking—step by step toward the top.
And then, on the morning of the third day…
“So then, you mash the potatoes, drizzle the gravy, layer the asparagus and steak, and—”
“Jericho.”
Right as I was describing steak and mashed potatoes, Kanya interrupted me.
We had reached the summit.
There was nowhere higher to climb.
Despite being the highest peak, the top of Talahaim’s rocky mountain was eerily still.
No wind. No sound. Just a heavy, solemn silence.
Kanya and I stood there, quietly taking in the view.
“You see those two stones ahead? The ones leaning together like a triangle?” she said, pointing. “That’s where my Goddess hid her shrine. Only I can enter it. No one else—not even the Demon Lords—can find it or go inside. She made sure of that.”
She pointed silently.
I gave her a small push on the back.
“Go. This is your path, Kanya.”
She took a few hesitant steps, then stopped.
“Jericho.”
She looked back at me.
“I think I have a right to know the truth. So, one last time—why are you doing all this for me?
Who are you, really?”
A fair question.
God, it must’ve been driving her crazy.
“I’m someone who’s supposed to carry your pain.”
That was the answer I chose, after a long pause.
“I’m not a good man, Kanya. I figured it made more sense for someone like me to bear the burden. There’s… something awful inside me. Something evil.”
I was just a man walking to my own death in your place.
That’s all I was.
“So don’t worry about me. Whatever happens—don’t look back. Go down there. Claim your salvation with your own hands. You deserve it. More than anyone.”
Her face twisted into a mix of confusion and emotion.
“Your name,” she whispered. “Jericho isn’t your real name, is it?”
“It is. More precisely… it’s my family name.”
I reached out and gently ruffled her hair.
“Amael. Jericho Amael. That’s my name.”
Kanya placed her hand gently against my chest.
“I don’t know why you helped me. I don’t know where you came from or why you have such impossible powers. I don’t even know why you still won’t tell me everything. But this much—I swear to you.”
She bowed deeply.
“I’ll remember you, Jericho Amael. I’ll never forget.”
Then, she turned and walked toward the triangle-shaped boulders.
When she neared them, the ground trembled.
The stones rumbled, and a staircase descended from beneath them.
She glanced back at me once, just once, before disappearing into the darkness below.
I stood there for a long time, staring at the place she vanished.
No one would get through here.
Not cultists. Not even the Demon Lords.
I’d stop them. With everything I had left.
And if I was lucky… they’d kill me. Shatter my soul for good.
As long as Kanya succeeded in raising Belia and finding salvation, that was enough.
So I waited.
And maybe it was bad luck. Or maybe it was mercy.
But I didn’t wait long.
The blue sky tore open.
And from it, something massive began to descend.
What descended…
Was no mere mortal.
My arms trembled. My knees buckled.
But I forced myself to stand.
And then—
Three figures landed on the mountain peak, just five meters from where I stood.
A woman with lank hair and a skeletal frame that looked like she hadn’t eaten in weeks.
A towering man, over two meters tall, clad head to toe in black armor.
And a small girl, looking far too relaxed for what she was.
They all stared at me in silence.
Sweat poured down my back.
I clenched my fists. Grit my teeth.
“If you came down here yourselves, then I guess Kanya really is important to you.”
I searched through the memories I had ripped from that cultist’s head.
Three cults had been assigned to hunt Kanya:
Envy. Sloth. Wrath.
These three… had to be them.
“She’s gone. You’re too late. If you want to pass, you’ll have to kill me first.”
I wanted to say something more clever, but that was the best I could do.
It felt like standing before starving wolves.
My sanity frayed just by facing them.
Their presence was eroding my will.
I stared at them with every ounce of defiance I had left.
Surely this was enough. Surely they were pissed enough now.
Just kill me already.
As I stood there trembling, one of the Demon Lords stepped forward.
The childlike girl with the lazy expression.
“[The Goddess of War isn’t our priority, Amael. You are.]”
Her voice hit me like a migraine.
It rang in my ears and echoed in my skull—human and inhuman at the same time.
I nearly collapsed.
Seeing me falter, her smile only widened.
“[Let’s talk, Amael. We’re not your enemies. We’re not like the gods of the Pantheon. We actually care about your well-being.]”
She waved at me like she was greeting a friend.
“A Demon Lord who wants me to be happy? That’s rich.”
But she just smiled.
“[It’s true. Or more accurately, we need you. We want you to join us. We want you to help us destroy the gods and the wicked beings they serve.]”
“You think I’d ever side with you?”
“[So you’d rather be used and discarded by the Pantheon? At least we’re honest. They’ll use you ’til you break—and then pretend it was never their fault.]”
Her words slithered into my thoughts like a toxin.
“[The gods of the Pantheon are not the saints you think they are. They’re desperate. Weak. Exploiting everything and everyone just to survive. Including you.]”
My mind filled with memories of silence.
Of cold prophecies. Of doom promised without compassion.
“[If you’re going to be used, wouldn’t you rather it be by someone who rewards you? Help us, Amael. And we’ll help you. We can give you what you want.]”
She stepped closer, holding out a hand.
“[We’ll give you peace. A life free from fear. From pain. A life with the women you love—happily, without worry. Don’t you want to know the truth? About your suffering? About why lust took root in your soul? We’ll tell you. Just take my hand. We’ll be your allies. Your true family.]”
Her words were sweet as honey.
But like all things that taste too sweet…
I couldn’t trust them.
“I don’t want the entire world to suffer because of me.”
“[Amael, if you just take our hand, the things you fear won’t come to pass.]”
“And I’m supposed to believe that? I should trust the words of a Demon King?”
“[The moment you cross over to our side, the balance will be shattered. Amael, you’re far more important than you realize. If you join us, Pandemonium will become the strongest divine force. You’ll have the power to shape this world however you want.]”
“I…”
“[Just imagine it—a world without war. Without suffering. Without the cruelty of mankind. If that’s what you desire, then that’s what it shall be. With overwhelming power, there’s no need for conflict. You can create that world. You, Amael.]”
The being before me was a Demon King.
I knew I shouldn’t listen to her sweet words. I knew I had to refuse.
But…
I’d be lying if I said something deep inside me didn’t waver.
“What do you even want from me?”
“[It’s simple, Amael. So simple. Accept me. Let me into your heart. If you do, all your troubles will vanish. Don’t side with the Pantheon. Join us instead. Amael.]”
The young girl extended her hand toward me.
“[Take it, child of man. The benefits are infinite, the risks nonexistent. Only a fool would refuse.]”
I stared blankly at the hand stretched out before me.
Should I take it?
Honestly? The idea of telling the Pantheon to go to hell… yeah, it sounded kind of nice.
I never asked for much.
No, not once have I dreamed of something grand.
All I ever wanted… was a quiet, happy life.
But now? “Saint.” “Pantheon.” “Demon King of Lust.”
It felt like I was being buried under a mountain of stories too big for me to carry.
Would taking that hand really make things easier?
Would everything… actually go my way?
If I said I wasn’t tempted, I’d be lying.
Truthfully, I’d had the urge to give up entirely more times than I could count.
Why the hell am I running around, trying to die?
“If I say yes… can I live peacefully with the women I love?”
“[Of course, child.]”
“And you can give me a world without sadness, without pain?”
“[If that is what you desire.]”
“I just want a quiet life. I hate complicated, messy things. Can I live like that?”
“[I swear it on my name—you will have everything you want.]”
The girl’s smile widened.
Her voice was soft. Sweet.
So sweet that I wanted to just…
Just take her hand already.
Yeah. That’s all I ever wanted—
A simple life with the people I love.
If she’s saying I can have that right now…
Why not take it?
Just do it, Amael.
Take it.
Be free.
How long are you going to keep wandering around, hoping someone finally kills you?
How long are you going to keep living this half-life, unable to be with your wives in peace?
All your problems will be solved if you just take that hand.
Do it.
Just take it and—
Right then, a thorn buried in the tenderest meat of my thoughts snagged in my throat.
“If I take your hand… what happens to the gods of the Pantheon?”
“[They’ll pay the price for using you. They’ll all die, Amael.]”
“…Even the Goddess of War?”
“[Yes. She too will fall.]”
“Then what about Kanya? Her soul is intertwined with the Goddess of War. If Belia dies, so does Kanya.”
Kanya isn’t just a chosen vessel.
She’s like me.
She holds a divine being inside her soul.
If the goddess dies, Kanya won’t survive it.
I knew this from the memories I tore out of that cultist.
The little girl’s smile faltered for the first time.
“[She’s just a human. Why do you hesitate? If you don’t take my hand, the Pantheon will keep using you.]”
She reached out again, more insistent this time.
“[Think about yourself, Amael. Just take my hand. It’s that simple.]”
“I hate the Pantheon, sure. But that doesn’t mean I want to kill them. And I definitely don’t want Kanya to die.”
“[Amael. As long as they live, chaos won’t end. Trust me. This is the fastest, most efficient way. All you need to do is change your mind. Take my hand, Amael.]”
Her tone grew more desperate.
She extended her hand farther.
I looked at that hand for a moment.
And then, I had to laugh.
“Kill the entire Pantheon, huh…”
Thanks to Kanya…
My mind cleared.
For a moment, I’d nearly been lured in by that neatly packaged promise of peace.
But if I take that hand… I know exactly how this ends.
These beings in front of me… they’re Demon Kings.
A happy ending?
That was never going to be part of the deal.
A quiet, normal life?
A world without sorrow or pain?
Lies.
So, I answered the only way I could.
“I refuse.”
That’s the right answer.
And the little girl’s face twisted into a scowl of pure annoyance.
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