Silence (2)

‘Where heaven and earth mix.’

That magic, true to its name, began to blend heaven and earth.

The ground shattered and rose toward the sky, while the sky seeped down and mixed with the earth.

Rocks and pebbles moved like the motion of stars, like a vortex turned sideways, forming a circle.

The boundary between heaven and earth disappeared, crushing everything caught between them.

“Heh! My carefully cultivated Hope duchy disappears in a single day.”

Belial clicked his tongue as he watched the miracle created by a single spell.

A large-scale annihilation magic that ground up an entire domain.

Since it was time to let everything go, it wasn’t a problem that the domain had vanished, but there was still a sense of emptiness.

The Hope duchy was a domain he had cultivated for over hundreds of years after infiltrating it.

Seeing it crumble with just one spell made him laugh bitterly.

“Let’s see.”

The demons and half-demons who had been living in the Hope duchy instead of the original residents were all swept up in Edge Forys’s magic.

Like the mingling of earth and sky, they were caught in the flow, their bodies crushed as they sprayed blood like rain.

Most of the half-demons had died, while the surviving demons were repeatedly crushed and regenerated in the swirling magic.

But even that was just a matter of time.

“Arghhhh!”

“Please save us! Lord Belial!”

Belial almost felt disgust at the sight of half-demons and demons screaming and calling out, but then shook his head.

‘This is only natural. They couldn’t respond because they were caught off guard, which is my fault, not their weakness.’

In war, being wary of the enemy’s magic is only natural.

The basics of warfare involve calculating the enemy’s moves and preparing countermeasures that could offset each other’s magic.

Wasn’t it Belial who had done nothing, despite a grand mage visiting the heart of enemy territory?

He should feel frustration and regret, not disgust.

Even if he treated their lives as less than ants’, that was all part of his plan.

If something happened due to his own inadequacy, he shouldn’t blame them.

He should blame himself.

What meaning was there if he couldn’t even properly use the power he possessed?

“Rex, gather the survivors and take them to the safe zone. And…”

Belial caught a sword flying toward him with his finger.

Stab!

Not magic, but physical force.

Aura, the exclusive domain of knights.

Another Hope’s aura, which once shone beautifully blue, was now tainted by Belial, emitting an ominous reddish color and wailing like a ghost.

Yes, he had made it that way.

“Take this one along too.”

“Phew… As you wish.”

As soon as Belial’s order was given, the Blade of Destruction, Rex, moved.

His swordsmanship was utterly ruthless and without hesitation.

“Let’s go play somewhere else, young master Another. Has your swordsmanship improved much? I hope so. Keke.”

“How dare you…!”

“Oops! That’s not good enough.”

Boom!

Rex’s sword, imbued with demonic energy and aura, cut off Another Hope’s arm and then struck his body.

Rather than slicing, it was an action meant to break the opponent’s bones. As a fellow demon, Rex’s actions could be more precise and violent.

Of course, as a warrior, Rex’s rank was higher, but as a demon, Another Hope, who had been meticulously crafted by Belial, was superior.

But there was a significant problem.

‘Of course, that’s assuming he had accepted that he was a devil.’

Another Hope still considered himself within the bounds of humanity.

That’s why Belial had no expectations.

He wouldn’t even be able to push back against Rex, let alone defeat him.

With human habits still lingering, there was no way he could defeat Rex, who lived fully as a demon.

For every swing of his sword, Another Hope had to mind his breathing and conserve energy while thinking about the consequences—a lingering habit that made it impossible for him to win.

“Well then, shall I lend a hand too?”

As Belial’s eyes gleamed ominously, the movements of the screaming demons stopped all at once.

The demons who had been screaming and writhing suddenly relaxed their bodies.

And some high-ranking demons who had survived Edge Forys’s magic were rescuing those demons and leaving the Hope duchy.

This sequence flowed without any specific explanation from Belial.

From the beginning, everything about them belonged to Belial, and when he commanded, their bodies moved automatically, making them more systematic than any army.

“Then let’s continue.”

Belial smiled as he looked at Edge Forys, who was floating in the air wielding his staff like a conductor.

Swoosh!

Twelve pairs of wings spread out.

These massive wings, large enough to cover even Edge Forys’s magic, brought night to the surroundings.

But the wings weren’t complete. Parts of the wings that spread out to cover the surroundings drooped like withered vegetation, unable to move.

“One pair and a half. Is that what His Holiness left on you?”

“Want to find out?”

The respect Belial had shown to Pope Cotinus, who had stood alone against him. The wound he refused to heal forcibly.

He was subtly hoping that Edge Forys would leave a similar mark, responding with a somewhat exaggerated attitude.

“He was truly remarkable. An achievement made through will alone, not power. So I merely paid tribute to that will.”

“Even in this situation, are you still pretending to be human?”

Belial chuckled at Edge Forys’s displeased expression. It was amusing.

From the beginning, he wasn’t pretending to be human.

“What’s wrong with a child mimicking their parent? You seem to think that we devils are beings you can’t associate with, but that’s actually wrong. It’s the devil that you are turning away from.”

Devils are born from human malice. They inevitably mimic and learn human malice. That’s why it’s frustrating.

“The pain of a child abandoned by their parents. Truly painful.”

“Such eloquent nonsense. When a child goes astray, it’s the parent’s role to guide them. How can a wayward child expect a parent’s love?”

“Love? Wrong. All we wanted was recognition of our existence.”

That’s what the imprint was for.

After all, it was human malice that created him. He would merely show the essence of malice that they couldn’t even deny.

He could do anything for that. Only he could do it.

Some devils chose to adapt to this world and die.

Some devils still loved humans and chose to act out of one-sided affection for them.

In that case, he, who was the weakest and most vile, would simply live as the only ‘devil’ left in this world.

“So, my political rival, please accept this devil’s malice.”

Darkness settled over the world.

That darkness couldn’t be countered even by Edge Forys’s 8th circle power that could overturn principles.

Belial’s power didn’t just block the sun—it created a complete night.

In that world of eternal night, black shadows began to swarm.

Clang!

Something collided with the moving rock where Edge Forys stood. The sound, like a sword striking against rock, was oddly clear.

Only then did Edge Forys realize that sound had disappeared in this space.

The night Belial created could even swallow sound.

The noise just heard was the sound of Belial’s authority clashing with Edge Forys’s magic.

And that meant Belial was currently dismantling Edge Forys’s magic.

“Now, show me, Edge Forys. Your life! Your power!”

BOOM!!

The rocks that had been mingling with the sky were struck by something and bounced away.

Split in half and then shattered further, they finally sank into the darkness.

“Hmph!”

There was no reason to just stand by and watch these obvious tricks.

Though Belial’s manifestation of power was utterly eerie, Edge Forys continued doing what he needed to do without concern.

Calmness is also a virtue of a magician.

Edge Forys’s principle-overturning power gave a new phenomenon to the earth that had mingled with the sky.

Boom!

Just as a thunderous sound was heard, Belial’s body swayed greatly a moment later.

A rock was lodged where he had been, as if lightning had struck.

The power of the 8th circle, forcing a lightning-like phenomenon on solid earth.

Belial smiled bitterly at the sand and gravel crawling over his body like insects.

“How annoying!”

Not only did his body feel electrified, but the physical properties of the rock made it difficult to move.

Truly a strange power.

It was hard to counter because it was a phenomenon that overturned common sense itself.

Bang! Boom!

Belial’s form swayed in all directions. Edge Forys’s magic tore, pressed down, and burned him.

The rocks that had seeped into the sky rained down, smashing everything Belial had built.

He wanted to counter but couldn’t.

The rocks, gravel, and sand that Edge Forys hurled would sometimes be hot, sometimes cold, moving like wind and striking like lightning.

Against a power that shook the very principles, it was impossible to respond appropriately to each situation.

There was only one way to face an 8th circle magician.

‘Overwhelm them with absolute power.’

Flap!

The sound of wings beating came from the void.

The wings that had spread as if merging with darkness itself flapped as if tearing apart space itself.

Yet they remained invisible.

Only the massive sound of air being cut and the wind pushing away everything around could be felt.

Belial’s body swayed slightly up and down.

Like a puppet on a string, the limp Belial’s eyes glowed red.

-Why do you cling to such meaningless things! You fool!

-What’s the difference between nobility and commoners! This is unfair!

-All useless endeavors.

-Destroy it! Destroy all the symbols they believe in!

Human voices began to mix with the beating of Belial’s wings.

Edge Forys frowned at the noise, but Belial listened with a satisfied expression as if it were a sweet song.

“Ah, I can hear them. The malice-filled voices of my parents proving my existence.”

These were the voices that created him. Just as human faith creates gods, human screams created him.

The human malice that seeped into him.

<Worthlessness>

<Inequality>

<Uselessness>

<Destruction>

And…

-Ah…

A being born from humans but rejected by them.

The foundation of his soul.

A monster born from human fear.

-Darkness descends…

<Darkness>

Yes, truly the <King of Darkness>

Crack!

Space cracked.

The “place where heaven and earth mix” that Edge Forys had deployed seeped through the cracks in space.

Flap!

As the sound of wings beating was heard, the world gradually destroyed itself.

Though the world was already in chaos, Edge Forys could feel that something was being destroyed.

“Everything is worthless.”

The devil’s mental image.

For humans, it would be like 8th circle magic or an apostle’s authority.

The meaning his name carried and the trajectory of his life.

Kekekek!

Belial laughed. Hideously, viciously, spine-chillingly.

At that moment when his smile, seemingly representing his very existence, stretched long like a crescent moon lying on its side.

“Even hope.”

Worthless Hope

At last, the world Edge Forys had deployed completely collapsed.