Chapter 187: Nine-finger’s Counterattack (1/2)
“Why did you think we submitted to you?” Even without waiting for my answer, One-eye rushed off to his next monologue: “At the very beginning, all I wanted to do was make use of you to leave the Blood Sea. My inherited memories told me that if we didn’t leave soon, there wouldn’t be enough time. Thus, I chose to submit temporarily. I originally intended to court you along the way but who knew that you would actually ignore me so thoroughly, did you actually think I was some kind of brainless fool?!”
‘So he was never loyal to begin with. He willingly played the role of a subservient little brother only because he had the foresight to butter me up…’
Honestly, he was a really competent devil during his time under me. His performance was at complete odds to the first impression he left on me but because that impression was so engraved in me, I ended up pegging him as a moron from start till finish.”
If I was a female devil, I might have really recruited him as a close aide. No matter how incompetent he might be, he would, at the very least, fulfill some bodily desires. Unfortunately for him, I was and still am, a man. Being a man, I wasn’t too excited about any form of close contact with another male, thus his plan had failed by half from the very start. Ultimately, this aversion made him decide on another course of action.
Using force.
“…is this the reason for your betrayal?”
“Betrayal? In my eyes, the real traitor is you…my former master.”
‘Me? A traitor? Are you kidding me, exactly who did I betray?! I don’t remember having any sort of relationship with you so what do you mean ‘traitor’?’
“Do you know what I really want to do right now? To have a tumble with you of course!”
“One-eye! You dare to disrespect the Master like that! I’ll never forgive you!” Still sprawled on the floor, Big 4 bellowed with all his might before dragging his battered body towards One-eye. However, just as his show of bravado started, Nine-finger gave him a resounding kick on the head after letting go of No.3.
“What my Boss wishes to do has nothing to do with you.”
“That’s my Master! That’s your Master as well!”
Nine-finger paused for a moment before scratching his bald noggin two seconds later and stating thusly, in a silly voice: “I only listen to the Boss.”
“Well said, even though I won’t share the prize with you this time, I’ll make sure to reward you the next time we catch another female devil.”
“You’re going to reward me, Boss? What’s the reward? Is it edible?”
“…just look after those two pieces of trash, don’t let them spoil my mood.” Having reached a new level of being unable to read the mood, One-eye truly regretted not letting this subordinate of his have some souls in the beginning. However, having a silly subordinate did have its benefits as well; how else were they so loyal?
‘That b*****d, he actually…actually…I’d rather die than suffer through that!’
“I just knew you would look at me like that, you d*mned les!”
‘Huh…when did my sexuality change? I’ve always been a man who loves woman, all right?!’
‘Not that saying all that would help anything right now…perhaps I had always been a woman in One-eye’s mind. To think he actually betrayed me because he thought I liked those of the same sex. He probably assumed, rightfully so I might add, that he no longer stood a chance so he had to use force instead…well, now that has been confirmed, it’s time for my own counterattack.’
“Look me in the eyes!”
Even while prone, that didn’t stop me from invoking my control over illusions. My pupils immediately blazed with a blue light and as my voice resounded amidst the slight bubbling of the lava behind me, One-eye couldn’t help but turn his eyes towards me. The moment we locked eyes however, his body shuddered and everything suddenly turned foreign in his eyes.
The boiling river of lava turned into an eternal river of ice. The sweltering heat disappeared and soon, even a tiny gust of wind chilled his bones. How was this Purgatory, this was clearly Gehenna! By now, One-eye was beginning to suspect if he had entered the wrong gate. But he was in Purgatory just moments ago so how did it suddenly turn into Gehenna?
“Don’t you think this magical tattoo of mine is rather strange? It’s an illusion demon’s.” I couldn’t help but embark on my own triumphant speech even though I knew that One-eye probably couldn’t hear a word I was saying.
“Even though I never expected that you would betray me, I still left a trump card behind, just in case…illusion magicks might not work against the undead, but against someone with a weak psyche like you, it’s more than enough!”
Upon reaching Four-stars, a devil now possessed the basic defining features of a devil: a horn on their head, a tail similar to that of a bull’s, fleshy devil wings and the ability to control fire. Should that devil advance one more level, he would be gain the blessing of an original sin and become a true devil with a clan. However, One-eye’s evolutionary path was now at an end. Today, he had to die.
Bearing the burning ache running through my body, I slowly walked over to the ensorceled One-eye. By now, my numbed left hand was beginning to regain the majority of its mobility. As for my right, it reached for Shadowfang, still slung over my back.
Still under the control of my illusion, One-eye was currently experiencing a wintery hell that left him completely buried in layers of snow. Because of the perceived pressure of the snow and the cold it left on his body, he curled into a defensive and completely harmless ball.
Just as I was about to reach the incapacitated devil however, alarm bells began to ring out in my head. My chest suddenly felt constricted, my head felt light and my limbs began to weaken; these were all signs of mana exhaustion.