227

Chapter 227 — The World Is (12)

[You.]

Mammon spoke while staring at the half of the city that had vanished as though evaporated.

[You made a wish contract.]

The lava Mammon had spread in order to annihilate the humans was gone.

That, too, had already evaporated.

[You made a wish contract with a human.]

The same was true of half of Mammon’s body.

Mammon clutched the missing half and dug in their claws.

Though Wrath was not even the domain they governed, anger surged within them.

[You……!]

Contracts between humans and demons were usually lending contracts.

In a lending contract, the contractor paid a price, and the demon lent the contractor power equal to the value received.

Whether the demon used that payment to strengthen themself or traded it to another demon afterward, the power first had to be lent to the contractor.

From a demon’s perspective, however, a lending contract spared them the trouble of moving personally, and even if the contractor died, the demon merely lost the power that had been lent out—if fortunate, it could even be recovered.

The demon themself suffered little actual loss.

But a wish contract?

A wish contract was somewhat different.

The offered sacrifice was always transferred to the demon in the form of power, and in exchange for receiving it, the demon had to grant the contractor’s wish.

Because no power had been loaned, the contractor’s death would not cause the demon to lose anything.

The tradeoff was that the demon had to personally act.

Furthermore, a wish contract had to be fulfilled even if the contractor died.

If the wish contained enough loopholes, it was possible to wriggle around them.

But if it had none, then the contract could become nothing but a loss for the demon.

Even more so depending on the exact form of the wish.

[But with who? I couldn’t find any trace of a contract on you…….]

Yet wish contracts did possess an advantage.

Only with a wish contract could a demon receive power directly from the ancient magic each and every time a sacrifice was offered.

Not merely once at the beginning.

Every time the contractor and demon mutually agreed.

Just as Mephisto had skipped every step a moment ago and immediately received power from the supreme law.

[No way?]

[You’re slow to notice.]

But who in the world had that bastard Mephisto contracted with?

And what wish had the contractor made?

As Mammon tried to deduce the answer, realization struck hard.

[Right. I knew something was strange. There was no way you’d cling to a vessel even under circumstances this disadvantageous……!]

Before the battle began, Mammon had been certain there had to be some reason Mephisto refused to abandon the vessel even at the risk of having the soul captured by Satan or Mammon.

For example…

Perhaps the human soul was trying to hold Mephisto’s soul in place, preventing even the abandonment of the vessel.

But…

What if the human soul and Mephisto had made a wish contract?

What if the human had wished that under no circumstances would Mephisto be allowed to abandon the vessel and flee?

What if the human had been willing to risk being consumed in order to ensure Mephisto could never leave that body……

[Did your contractor wish for mutual destruction with you or something……?]

If the vessel shattered while Mephisto was unable to escape it, Mephisto would die along with it.

Considering the temperament of the vessel’s owner, who hated demons, that was not entirely impossible.

The problem was that such a hypothesis failed to explain what had just happened.

Naturally.

If the contractor truly wished to perish alongside Mephisto, why would they have granted Mephisto power just now?

[That’s right. It’s quite troublesome.]

[…Now that you’re admitting it so readily, I’m suddenly starting to think I’m wrong.]

[Such a lack of trust. How upsetting.]

…No.

Perhaps there was a reason.

Mammon remembered how Mephisto had pointlessly moved the Hero out of danger earlier.

If Mephisto’s contractor wanted to protect humans—

if saving someone took priority over mutual destruction with the demon—

then even that apparent contradiction could be explained.

Mephisto had definitely contracted with the original owner of the vessel.

The exact conditions remained uncertain, but that much was clear.

[And you keep hiding things like this… How the hell am I supposed to trust you?!]

Mammon gathered the remaining Demonic Energy and hardened their defenses.

How had the contract itself been concealed?

The unresolved question was thrown aside for later.

There would be time to solve it if Mammon survived.

Bang! Bang!

What mattered now was stopping Mephisto from attacking during Mammon’s regeneration.

[Damn it!]

Unlike Mephistopheles, Mammon’s regenerative ability was comparatively poor.

There was a reason Mammon had laid lava everywhere, hidden within it, refused to close the distance, and harassed the enemy exclusively with ranged attacks.

But with half of Mammon’s body gone, that balance had become precarious.

Focus on defense, and the body continued collapsing.

Focus on regeneration, and Mephisto’s attacks were far too vicious.

Rage and frustration swelled within Mammon.

Unexpected variables kept slipping into every point Mammon had thought secure, and the consequences were painfully severe.

[What’s wrong? You said you’d enjoy watching me struggle! Where did that Mammon go?! Huh?!]

[Damn you!]

Rising lava was cut apart.

The sword strike that slipped between it suddenly exploded and shook Mammon’s barrier.

And whenever even the smallest opening appeared, Ratel stabbed through like a needle.

Simply forcing it back again required every shred of attention.

What was even more infuriating was that through all of this, Mephisto was consuming only a tiny amount of Demonic Energy.

Having seized the advantage, Mephisto spent only as much as naturally recovered while steadily driving Mammon into a corner.

Unlike Mammon, whose reserves were draining rapidly simply from defending.

At this rate, I’ll lose.

Mammon realized it.

[King! Do something!]

Mammon even tried urging Satan, who had to be watching.

But Satan did not intervene.

The blessing already bestowed had probably demanded enough strain.

Mammon understood.

[Damn it!]

Understood—

but still resented it.

Mammon was about to die.

Of course resentment would come.

[No, no, no! This can’t happen!]

I don’t want to die here.

I don’t want to die here.

I—I have to possess everything in the world.

[You, you! If you kill me, you’ll be alone forever—!]

Desperate, Mammon tried to bargain.

To the other god, Mephisto was just as much an invader.

Turning even Hell, which could potentially become an ally, into an enemy could only harm Mephisto.

That was the heart of the argument.

[And yet.]

But there was no chance such an argument would work.

[A world filled only with enemies is familiar territory to me.]

After all, the opponent was Wrath—

the being who had once wanted to destroy even Hell itself.

CRUNCH!

Ratel broke through every layer of Mammon’s defenses and finally buried itself in the body.

Mephistopheles had not escaped unscathed either, but ignored all the flesh melting away and merely stared directly at Mammon.

[Let’s finish this.]

The horizontal pupils inside the crimson light curved mockingly.

Mephistopheles remembered the misfortune that had descended like a disaster without reason.

Every hardship suffered because of it.

Every humiliation endured in the days of utter weakness.

Then unleashed all that hatred at once.

. . .

Pak!

Inside a crater dozens of meters wide, Mephisto pulled Ratel free.

What remained of Mammon’s corpse had been ripped and shattered until most of it existed only as fragments.

Though the name and the power Mammon possessed had not yet dispersed.

「…Still alive.」

Meanwhile, the one who had grown visibly exhausted from spending part of the soul whispered dryly.

Even cracked and hoarse, the voice demanding fulfillment of the promise remained remarkably firm.

You want me to kill that too?

「If you return while leaving that thing alive, your life will still be in danger.」

Not wrong.

Mephisto quickly agreed.

But simply obeying was…

slightly offensive to the pride.

The corpse is mine.

Mephistopheles had no desire to work without compensation.

There had to be something to take.

That was all Mephisto said.

The contractor gave no answer.

Silent permission.

The contractor knew that with the soul diminished, every bit stronger Mephisto became was a disadvantage.

But also knew Mephisto would refuse to move without permission.

In the end, the concession came.

Mephisto’s lips curved mockingly.

[O ancient magic.]

Of course, to accomplish that, Mephisto also had to make an investment.

Flames rose and drew a crude magic array.

The name and power of Mammon, held in place through Demonic Energy, were placed in the position of the sacrifice.

If left alone, priests would purify them or another demon would snatch them away.

There was no reason to hesitate in offering them.

[O supreme law.]

Fwoosh, fwoosh.

Flames blooming on every side danced and chanted the incantation in Mephisto’s place.

Each time the many mouths of fire engraved another line of magic, the already-dark night grew blacker still.

[O scales of the universe.]

And at the darkest hour of the world—

the scales tipped.

[Grant the rightful price.]

Mephistopheles’s sword moved once more.

——!

Heat that swallowed even sound erased the entire coastal district of the city.

The only thing left was the turtle’s shell, upon which Mephisto had deliberately weakened the force.

Of course, only the shape remained intact.

Whatever had been inside was probably cooked through.

Since it was still an Ancient Beast, the snake hiding within had likely managed to barely cling to life.

[Hmm. Maybe offering the name too was unnecessary. There’s far too much power left over.]

At this rate, perhaps Mephisto should have wished for an increase in total power rather than a temporary enhancement.

The latter had been chosen because the former did not provide power immediately.

But there was no time to devour and digest the remainder personally, and doing so would only distort the essence.

There was little value in that.

Besides, the contractor would never permit it.

In the end, this really had been the best choice.

Though regretting the power that would evaporate once the time limit ended, Mephisto faithfully delivered a second strike.

The flying flames burned into the turtle’s shell as though gnawing it away, leaving behind only the pure white snake.

Read only on MUGEX

[Eat.]

What came next was obvious.

Ratel was thrown forward and swelled under the inflated power.

CRUNCH!

A gigantic badger bit into the snake’s neck and swallowed it whole.

Of course, it was not truly eating in order to digest it.

Ratel was not a living creature, merely an intricate device.

Instead, within Ratel’s body, a gap connected to somewhere outside the world was forcibly pried open, and the enormous creature was shoved inside little by little.

That, too, would have been impossible without the enhancement.

Getting it back out later might be somewhat troublesome.

But by then, the useless flesh would have melted away and only the core should remain, compressed.

It would be fine.

Satisfied with the spoils, Mephisto flicked a finger.

「…It’s time to come back.」

The contractor who had watched everything finally weakly invoked the last condition.

So impatient. Do you know how hard I worked to earn this opportunity? Surely a little cleanup is fine.

But why should Mephisto obey immediately?

Sneering, Mephistopheles pushed against the ground.

Thoom.

With one light step, the body seemed to disappear.

No.

The movement had simply been instantaneous.

Mephisto landed outside the crater.

The outer robe draped over one shoulder fluttered like a cape.

「The promise…….」

Certain individuals must be kept alive. Once their survival is secured, control must be returned to Gretchen. In addition, I’m not to harm the humans at all, and if possible, I’m to protect them. That’s about it.

Returning control was irritating.

Still, it had been preferable to being slaughtered helplessly by Mammon without even being able to struggle.

That was why Mephisto had accepted.

But look. Is survival really secured?

Why return control immediately?

Especially now that Mephisto had fought on the humans’ side—

regardless of the true motives, they had been protected—

while openly displaying the power of a demon?

Mephisto knew the fear brought by overwhelming strength.

Under circumstances like these, even if Gretchen regained control, would the humans really allow this body to live?

Wouldn’t they instead think it safer to kill it precisely while Gretchen held control—

while it was weak?

Even the ancient magic still considers the contract valid. This body isn’t safe yet.

Why had Mephistopheles killed Mammon even at the cost of turning Hell into an enemy—

though strictly speaking, Mephisto had never considered Hell an ally, so saying it had been turned into an enemy was not entirely accurate?

For survival.

And after doing all that to preserve this body, letting some human kill it afterward would be laughable.

Mephistopheles had no desire to leave that sort of risk unresolved.

A stronger guarantee was needed.

Something more explicit.

「You bastard…….」

Don’t worry. I’m not going to kill them.

Ordinarily, Mephisto would prevent danger by exterminating every possible threat.

But the contract itself forbade that.

So another method was necessary.

A deception that would eliminate even the possibility that Gretchen might return and ask them to kill the body.

Step by step, Mephistopheles approached the humans.

The poor contractor tensed rigidly.

That only made Mephisto happier.

Other people had to be miserable for Mephisto’s own misery to become less visible.

“…It—it’s coming.”

Fortunately, the humans did not immediately point their weapons.

The idiotic lackeys of the other god did not either.

Now that all demons had fled from Mephistopheles and the immediate danger had passed, granting them a little breathing room, they merely watched.

Their expressions were rigid.

Their eyes wary.

Terrified.

And that pleased Mephisto considerably.

Yes.

Only when Mephisto ruled through fear did the world as they knew it become remotely peaceful.

[Who is your leader?]

Mephisto would have liked to keep things exactly like this.

But there was no chance that pushover Gretchen would do so.

Damn Gretchen.

Never makes anything easy.

“My Lord!”

Before long, someone stepped forward despite the objections of many others.

Mephisto remembered seeing this person through Gretchen’s eyes.

Perhaps the ruler of what had once been this city?

Mephisto had expected the Hero to come forward, but apparently not.

Then again, perhaps it wasn’t surprising.

Judging by the presence, the Hero was still unconscious.

“…Who are you?”

[You’re asking because you truly don’t know? I would’ve thought those servants of the other god had already told you everything.]

Regardless, what mattered was negotiation.

Mephistopheles chuckled and changed Ratel’s form.

Ratel became a chair and supported Mephisto’s body while mocking the visibly agitated soldiers.

[I am Wrath, one of the Great Demons you people are so desperate to kill.]

“…….”

[And at the same time, I am someone with no need to obey Satan’s commands.]

“…Is that meant to explain what happened just now?”

[Explain? No, no.]

Mephistopheles slowly crossed one leg over the other.

The relaxed composure flowing from that posture became pressure the moment it reached the humans.

[This is a notification.]

The crimson eyes between the goat bones curved in amusement.

[I have no intention of losing the vessel I finally acquired.]

“…What exactly does that mean?”

[For example, this.]

At the same moment, there was a crack, and fractures spread across the bone.

The white hair that had hung wildly all the way to the ground shortened upward, upward, while gradually taking on the color of night.

Hair in which ash and darkness coexisted.

Crk-crk.

At the same time, the body covered in black Demonic Energy and Ratel grew thicker.

The clothing changed into a familiar form.

“…Sir!”

“The Demon Knight……!”

[Consider this notice that the instant you try to put a blade through this bastard’s heart, I’ll come out.]

Black Demonic Energy swept across the face one final time.

Crack.

The bone mask shattered completely.

With the face now fully revealed, Mephistopheles smiled.

A smile made with the Demon Knight’s face.