When I accepted my fate as the key to the Demon Realm, strangely, it didn’t feel like anything.
Giving up on my dreams, going to the Demon Realm to protect the continent, it all seemed natural, as if it was just meant to be.
When I studied monarchism as a child, I learned that everyone has their role in life. Now, a new role had been given to me, and I thought it was only natural to carry it out.
The only lingering regret I had was…
– Lorraine!
The face I saw before going to the Demon Realm.
That blue-haired boy kept bothering my thoughts.
And now, that boy was right in front of me.
“Simon.”
Just pronouncing his name made everything I had thought to be normal and certain shake.
Why was he shaking my resolve?
Why did he keep appearing and causing me pain?
I felt a little resentment.
“Stop now.”
At the words Lorraine squeezed out, Simon slowly let go of her and looked at her.
“I no longer belong to your world.”
Her voice trembled softly.
“I was never Nephthys’ daughter. I have the ability to move the Demon Realm with the power of demons. I was born….”
“No.”
Simon gently grabbed both of her shoulders and spoke softly.
“You are Lorraine Archbold.”
“…”
“Nephthys’ daughter, a third-year student at Kijen, a major in summoning magic, and—”
Simon smiled gently.
“You’re someone precious to me.”
Lorraine’s red eyes wavered.
“Who you are, you decide that for yourself. Fate, and whatever else doesn’t matter.”
“That’s nonsense!”
She pushed Simon’s chest and stepped back, continuing her words.
“Yeah, that’s right! What I want is to save the world as the key to the Demon Realm!”
“Then why—”
Simon’s eyes grew serious.
“Did you take my hand back then?”
“!”
Her heart skipped.
She couldn’t deny it.
Now that she thought about it, why hadn’t she pulled away from Simon’s hand when he reached across the space?
“Your expression and your eyes are telling everything. If you truly want to stay with us—”
Simon smiled.
“I’ll take care of everything else.”
Shhshhshh!
At that moment, a chain sword flew towards Simon’s back. Lorraine urgently called out his name, and Simon raised his arm without even turning around.
<Hongpeng Original – Sword Draw>
Kaang!
The flying chain sword clashed with Simon’s hand and bounced away. The chain sword whizzed back, and Bastion, who grabbed it, walked toward them.
“A touching sight.”
Bastion, with squirming diamond-shaped tattoos on his face, sneered.
“The disgusting mother who raised a child after picking up the key, the daughter who comforts herself by thinking that her fate is to be sacrificed, and the third party who forces their way in, telling everyone to do as they wish.”
Clank.
He lowered his stance while letting the chains fall.
“The world doesn’t work that easily.”
Just as Bastion tried to swing the chain sword by pulling both arms,
Whoosh!
Simon swung his right arm first. Instantly, the undead of the legion gathered like living arms and grabbed Bastion, slamming him into the rocky wall.
Kukukukukung!
The huge collision caused the rock wall to crack and collapse. Lorraine, watching from behind, widened her eyes.
‘This isn’t the absolute command Simon usually uses!’
GoOoOoOo!
“Not disgust, but motherhood.”
Simon’s eyes glimmered with dark shadows.
“Not comfort, but resolve.”
He grounded his two feet with force.
“It’s not stubbornness, it’s called confidence.”
With a clenched fist, a series of massive body explosions erupted. Simon didn’t stop, continuing to explode the legion-type zombies and push Bastion deeper into the rock wall.
“I’ll save Lorraine, Cult.”
KooOoooOo!
KwahhAaaAaaAang!
Amidst the explosion, two chain swords pierced through the smoke and hit the cliff, and Bastion, barely managing to escape, crawled out, battered.
“Damn you!”
He tried to resume his attack, but Simon raised his finger, pointing forward, his middle finger sideways, his thumb pointing up, and with a sharp motion—!
Swoosh!
From three directions, waves of undead legion soldiers surged towards Bastion. It looked like a scene where a demon was about to swallow him whole.
‘Bloodcutting Cycle (血斬環劇)!’
Bastion pulled out another pair of chain swords from behind and swung all four chain swords wildly. His surroundings turned into a zone of cutting, and all the undead trying to engulf him were sliced apart like meat chunks.
‘How about this!’
Bastion grinned while bleeding, but soon felt something was wrong. His body felt paralyzed, and he couldn’t move properly.
He soon realized that liquids and smoke from the decimated undead corpses were dripping down the chains and onto his body. The moment he stopped his chain sword,
“Corpse—”
Simon clenched his fist.
“Venom Explosion.”
Immediately, all the corpses’ flesh started emitting smoke, triggering a chain reaction of venomous explosions. As Simon motioned with both hands, the explosions did not scatter but fused together and compressed.