Chapter 104

A radiant pillar of light crashed down from the heavens with divine fury—

and immediately, screams erupted.

The two Demon Lords who had been gripping Asmodeus at my sides…

and the girl I’d punched across the battlefield…

All of them screamed in agony as they were thrown away from me.

But that was all.

They weren’t ordinary beings.

Even after taking that hit, they were already back on their feet.

“[How is he controlling Asmodeus?]”

The giant man—who I guessed was Satan, the Demon Lord of Wrath—voiced his suspicion.

“[That little bastard… I’ll tear you apart!!]”

The skeletal woman—likely Leviathan, the Demon Lord of Envy—exploded with rage.

Then came the girl I’d just fought—Belphegor, Demon Lord of Sloth.

She let out a hollow laugh.

“[You never cease to amaze me, Amael. First with your ridiculous stupidity… and now with your divine stupidity. How long do you think you can keep channeling Asmodeus’s power?]”

I tightened my grip on the white chain wrapped around my fist.

“I’ll keep going… for as long as I can.”

To be honest, I was terrified.

I didn’t know what Asmodeus might do to me.

I didn’t know how any of this worked.

And the idea of facing not one, but three Divine Entities?

It was paralyzing.

But still—

“Then shut up and bring it on!!”

Just like always…

A crisis was just another word for opportunity.

Let’s fight.

Let’s keep fighting.

If I’m lucky, maybe this ends not with brainwashing—but with my soul getting shattered instead.

At my words, the Three Demon Lords began to move.

“[Satan, it has to be you. Leviathan and I will keep Asmodeus busy.]”

“[Make it quick. His body won’t last long against that divine energy.]”

Leviathan and Belphegor split off, flanking to either side.

And the giant—Satan—slowly stepped forward.

His pace was calm, almost relaxed.

But the pressure radiating from him was overwhelming.

Then, he reached out and summoned a sword.

Not just any sword.

A blazing sword of wrath.

One I’d seen before.

“[Amael, watch out!—]”

Asmodeus called out from behind me, trying to warn me—

But she suddenly stopped.

Her left wing, the one darkened by black chains, began to shake violently.

She looked to the sky, her expression twisted in fury.

But she said nothing more.

And I didn’t have the luxury of waiting on her warning.

“[I won’t kill you, Saint.]”

Satan’s blade blazed like a living thing, shrieking with rage.

“[But it’s going to hurt.]”

And with that—he charged.

I activated every skill I had.

Even without Kon’s support, they executed with terrifying precision.

I pushed past my limits. Again and again.

My body underwent transcendent Physical Enhancement.

Time Stop wrapped around my body like armor.

I summoned a massive longsword forged from frozen time itself.

My reflexes and motor control accelerated to three thousand times their normal speed.

And my brain, aided by Absolute Hypnosis, raced far beyond its normal capacity.

And because of all that—

I was able to block Satan’s strike.

Our blades met with a cataclysmic boom,

shattering the boulders around us into dust.

And in that moment—while his blade clashed with mine—

[Activating Time Stop.]

The world froze.

Satan.

Leviathan.

Belphegor.

All of them stopped in place.

I twisted my body and darted into Satan’s blind spot, preparing to drive my time-forged sword into his side.

But—

“[That’s not how you use Time Stop, brat.]”

He caught it.

Effortlessly.

Two fingers pinched the flat of my blade.

And then—

He swung.

The burning sword carved into my side,

and the sheer force of the impact sent me flying.

I hit the ground hard, skidding through debris.

My ears rang. My vision spun.

I tried to get up—

But even in a world frozen by Time Stop,

the Three Demon Lords were moving freely.

“[Using Time Stop right in front of your enemy? Pathetic. Completely untrained.]”

Of course I’m untrained.

What, did you think I had lessons on how to use a Demon Lord’s powers?

“[Enough. You’re boring. Pathetic. Let’s end this.]”

It was a cliché.

But the attack that followed?

That was anything but cliché.

Satan’s onslaught shifted.

The playful exchange from before was over.

This was real.

I summoned another sword and braced for defense.

But that’s all I could do—defend.

Every time I blocked a strike, it was like tearing myself apart.

Even with 3000x faster reaction time, I couldn’t keep up.

Each block released a shockwave that battered my body further.

I lasted maybe five seconds.

Then—

Crack.

My vision went black.

Something had gone wrong in my eyes.

I tried to heal them with Physical Enhancement, but—

Satan was faster.

Crunch.

I felt the strength leave my hands.

He crushed them.

My hands.

Shattered in his grip.

I couldn’t even scream.

By the time my eyes healed, he had me by the throat, lifting me into the air.

My arms dangled, useless.

And then—

[This injury cannot be healed by Physical Enhancement.]

My hands—were gone.

Unusable.

I trembled, staring at Satan.

“[I told you it’d hurt.]”

He raised his sword.

And plunged it into my stomach—

right through a weak point in my armor.

Flames seared through me.

I screamed.

“[Amael!!—]”

Asmodeus screamed too.

But she couldn’t help me.

“[Stay still.]”

Leviathan and Belphegor weren’t just standing around.

They were pinning her down.

Each gripping one of her arms, locking her in place.

“[Let go… of me!!]”

Asmodeus roared, and the pillar of light from above flared even brighter.

The Three Demon Lords’ flesh began to burn.

But they smiled.

“[You made a mistake, Asmodeus. If you pour that much power into him—do you really think Amael’s body can withstand it?]”

And they weren’t wrong.

The moment the light intensified—

I felt it.

A weight. Crushing. Immense.

Like something unimaginably massive pressing down on my body.

Along with the agony of my burning stomach…

The pressure made it nearly impossible to stay conscious.

“Asmodeus…!! Stop!!”

At my voice, the light dimmed.

I understood now.

What came next—was up to me.

Checkmate.

Asmodeus could only channel a limited amount of her power because of me.

And on top of that—she had to deal with Leviathan, Belphegor, and that unknown force controlling her black wing.

The same one Asmodeus had called Lucifer.

She was shackled.

And so was I.

There was no winning against Satan in this state.

No one was coming to save me.

Satan knew it, too.

His flaming sword pressed closer to my side.

The searing pain—too extreme to even call it burning—clawed its way through my body.

I wanted to pass out.

No—needed to pass out.

But for whatever reason… I couldn’t.

“[It hurts, doesn’t it? It’ll only get worse. That sword you saw before—Baltaluch—when it was in the hands of that brat from Sloth? That was nothing. This sword… only I can wield it properly.]”

He mocked me as he pulled the blade out, spinning it casually before letting it vanish from sight.

I was soaked in sweat from head to toe.

I had already deactivated all mental enhancements just to keep myself from blacking out.

My Absolute Hypnosis was released, my accelerated thoughts undone.

Even the time-stopped armor I’d summoned earlier melted off my body.

I was completely powerless.

Like an insect flailing in his grasp.

Then suddenly—Satan set me down gently on the ground.

He extended a hand toward me.

“[You don’t want to suffer anymore, do you? Then take my hand, Saint. If you do, the pain… the sorrow… the despair… it’ll all be over.]”

I stared at his hand, trembling.

It was different from Belphegor’s approach.

And, honestly?

It was more persuasive.

That pain—just a moment ago—wasn’t something I ever wanted to feel again.

Every instinct in my body screamed at me to grab that hand.

But I didn’t.

I couldn’t.

I forced myself to stand.

My legs shook violently.

My waist—still scorched from the blade—throbbed with every breath.

[This wound cannot be healed with any skill.]

It was a wound I couldn’t fix.

By any measure…

Taking his hand would be the smart move.

Satan looked down at me, then smiled with smug certainty.

“[Don’t resist any further, Saint. You’ll die. And not just physically—if my sword pierces you again, it will annihilate your very existence.]”

I looked up at him, clutching my stomach.

“So you’re saying… my soul’ll be shattered, huh?”

“[Yes. And the pain of that process… will make what you just felt seem like a tickle. It will be excruciating beyond your comprehension. Do you really want that?]”

I chuckled under my breath.

Then slowly—raised my guard again.

Cold sweat poured down my face.

My stomach was cooked.

My vision was blurry from the repeated shockwaves.

My hands were crushed.

Just standing hurt.

But even so—

I saw a sliver of hope.

Satan’s expression shifted.

“[...What do you think you’re doing?]”

“I can’t take your hand, Satan. I don’t know exactly how you’d use me if I fell… but I know it wouldn’t be anything good.”

“[You fool. You want to feel that pain again? You’re seriously choosing to risk the destruction of your soul?]”

His voice rose in disbelief.

And in that moment—

I thought of all the people I’d met since coming here.

The cruel ones. The dumb ones. The annoying, frustrating ones.

But more than that…

I thought of the people I loved.

The ones I pitied.

The ones I wanted to see smile.

“Yeah. If my suffering keeps the people I care about from hurting… I’d rather take that hit.”

I know how stupid that sounds.

I know it’s irrational.

But what can I say?

It’s the only choice that feels right.

My body’s wrecked.

The gods of the Pantheon won’t answer me.

Asmodeus can’t help me.

Everything around me is screaming for me to give up—

—which means maybe, just maybe, it’s the perfect time not to.

Maybe now, I can finally go home.

I forced a smile.

And with a shaky hand, I waved at Satan in mock invitation.

“Go ahead… bring out your damn Baltaluch.”

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