Chapter 181

CHAPTER 19 A Decade-Long Bond Rosalie’s face blanches as she glares at Eraser. “‘Fool the humans’? Explain yourself! Humans and demons are equals!” “Humans and demons were never equal. From time immemorial, humans have been little more than parasites.” Eraser’s attitude is completely different from a few moments ago as a tense air falls over the area. Cerceus pokes me in the shoulder. “H-hey, is it just me, or are things not looking so good?” “I knew it! The demons were just deceiving them!” Her voice trembling with rage, Rosalie shouts: “Eraser, do not test my patience. Surely, you haven’t forgotten how powerful humans have become after we gained power from you demons!” After unleashing her demon arm, Rosalie pierces the ground with her unsheathed sword, shattering bedrock with unbelievable strength. But even then, Eraser remains calm. “That power was a threat to demons in the past, and only the dragonewts benefited from our prolonged battle. Therefore, we decided to use you until the time was right. And now that Lucifer has been awakened, we simply have no use for you anymore.” Eraser throws down the Testament while firmly staring at Rosalie with his crimson eyes. “Our pact is over. Every human in this town must die.” The ominous threat creates a stir among the high-ranking humans surrounding Rosalie. “Remain calm!” Rosalie shouts before picking up the Testament. “It doesn’t matter what you think. Demons cannot harm us humans as long as we have the Testament!” There was no doubting that the pact was infused with a tremendous magical power. Not even Seiya in Berserk Mode could tear it. In other words, there is also no way to change what is written on it, either. S-so why is Eraser so relaxed? Rosalie points her unsheathed blade at Eraser and glares at him. “The pact states that ‘Demons shall not harm humans.’ However, there is nothing stopping us from hurting you. We could wipe out the entire demon population if we wanted to.” Rosalie is now the one threatening Eraser. And yet Eraser’s expression still doesn’t change. “You are absolutely correct. Demons cannot hurt humans, nor can we destroy that pact. Just as it states, there is only one person who can destroy it: Rosalie Roseguard.” Eraser’s lips maliciously curl. “That’s right… We won’t be the ones who break the bond. You will.” “What are y—” Rosalie suddenly pauses midsentence, and her demon hand faintly trembles while holding the Testament. “M-my arm…!” Rosalie appears to be fighting against her own arm as if it were trying to move on its own, but it’s no use. A horrible sound reverberates as she easily tears the pact, unlike Seiya, who couldn’t even leave a wrinkle. Rosalie looks at the Testament, which she herself destroyed, in astonishment. Eraser laughs through his nose. “We came up with a way to control humans who have gained the demonic powers. Flashika probably could have prevented this with a spell if he were still alive, though.” After witnessing the end of the Testament, the high-ranking humans surrounding Rosalie say with a frightened voice: “Th-this can’t be happening!” “Wh-what is going to become of us now?” Meanwhile, the Demon’s Sword soldiers and demons in the town, who had been watching, wear sinister grins, and I suddenly sense bloodlust wash over the town. Ugh! I knew they never should have been trusted! Demons are on another level from humans when it comes to being underhanded! The demons are crafty. They were already thinking about how they would rid themselves of the pact when they made it, and they hid their ill intentions for a decade as they continued to deceive the humans. The Testament was one of the only two things Rosalie had to rely on, so after losing that, she staggers over to Chaos Machina. “Chaos Machina…! Don’t tell me you plan on betraying me, too!” Chaos Machina averts her eyes and remains quiet. Rosalie then shouts: “We’ve gone on countless missions together, fighting dragonewts side by side! You’ve even saved my life before! Were all these years we spent together…nothing more than a lie?” “Princess…” I watch Chaos Machina look back at Rosalie and I gasp. She is now wearing the same ghoulish smile she showed to Seiya and me long ago. “Demons have a looong life-span, didn’t you know? While ten years may have felt like a long time to you, it went by in the blink of an eye for me. And you know whaaat? Of course we’d lie and betray youuu.” Chaos Machina then raises her voice with an enraptured smile: “We’re demons, after aaaall!” “Chaos Machina…!!” Clenching her teeth, Rosalie swings her blade at Chaos Machina. However… “Release.” Chaos Machina’s aura instantly grows stronger. She doesn’t even use her treasured claymore to deflect the strike. Instead, she simply knocks Rosalie’s blade to the side with her arm, causing Rosalie to cut through the air. “What…?!” Rosalie is taken aback, but before she can even process what happened, Chaos Machina’s leg sweeps her onto her rear. After treating her attacks as if they came from a small child, Chaos Machina sits on top of Rosalie. “Sorryyy. I’m actually way stronger than you. I want you to remember something: Those who are truly strong neeever reveal their full power until the very end.” Rosalie struggles, but Chaos Machina grabs her by the nape of her neck and pushes her into the ground. She then brings her face closer to Rosalie’s and licks her cheek with her long tongue. “Hee-hee. Still, our years together haven’t been entiiirely unpleasant. I suppose I could simply strip you naked, put a collar on you, and make you my plaything for those looong, lonely nights.” Rosalie tightly clenches her teeth as her face turns bright red with rage and humiliation. Before long, however, she looks away from Chaos Machina as if she realizes that resistance is futile. I suddenly hear Cerceus gulp from my side as we watch. “Chaos Machina…! What a wicked demon! …A perverse, lewd demon! Her ‘plaything’ for when she gets lonely? Hff… Hff… Hff… I’m getting worked up just thinking about it…!” “What the hell?! Here I am, thinking you’re going to say something meaningful for once, and that’s what comes out of your mouth?!” Even after Chaos Machina stands back up, the surrounding demons continue to mock Rosalie on the ground. “Hyah-ha-ha! Chaos Machina would never trust a human like you!” “What an idiot! She even prepared the human sacrifices for us just because we asked!” “Now, now, nooow. We should feel grateful to the princess. Lucifer Crowe would have never awakened without her.” Chaos Machina then gazes at Lucifer Crowe with rapture. “Behold the extraordinary stats that surpass even those of the Demon Lord Xenosload! No longer need we fear the Dragon Lord! From this day forth, the demons shall rule the wooorld!” As the demons’ cheers echo, the high-ranking humans surrounding Rosalie and the townspeople all start to run. The sudden betrayal of the demons turns the town into ruins. However, in the midst of the chaos… “Automatic Phoenix.” Seiya calmly chants. Immediately, several fiery birds soar from Seiya’s back into the sky. He was acting like an NPC for a while there, but it looks like he’s finally ready to do something! I knew it! He always comes through when the chips are down! I take back all of the nasty things I thought about him. He really is a Hero! However, Seiya’s Automatic Phoenixes don’t head for Eraser or Lucifer, but instead fly off in the complete opposite direction. “What the…?! Where are your Phoenixes going?!” “I suddenly became concerned that Lucifer might have missed one of Paradura’s doppelgängers, so I sent the Automatic Phoenix out to patrol the town.” “You waited until now to do that?! Way to confuse me! You’re not going to defeat the demons?!” “Forget about them. Besides, anyone could have predicted that the demons would betray the humans. It doesn’t affect the plan at all. I’m happy as long as Lucifer defeats the Dragon Lord for me.” “How can you still say that?! You can’t count on them!” But as I’m about to point at Lucifer, I gasp…because she’s looking right this way! “Chaos Machina, who is that human over there? His stats are even greater than that woman who you dealt with earlier. I can sense a dreadful divine aura coming from the man and woman next to him as well.” O-oh, no! She’s talking about Cerceus and me, isn’t she?! My heart races as Chaos Machina smiles while saying: “That’s apparently the Hero, his Goddess, and another god. There is nooo need to worry about them, though. They are nothing more than relics of the past, after all. They pose no threat to you, Lucifer.” “Wh-who are you calling relics?!” “Oh, myyy… It’s not my fault that the Hero’s stats are but a fraction of Lucifer’s. Besides…I’ve prepared a little something for you all, anyway.” The demon standing behind Chaos Machina hands her a narrow sword. An ominous aura slowly emits from the blade as she unsheathes it. “Chain Destruction. I don’t need to explain what it does, riiight?” I shudder. Cerceus, in a trembling voice, then says: “Th-this isn’t good! She’s going to kill us!” Flap. Flap. Flap. All of a sudden, I hear the rustling of feathers coming from behind, so I look back and notice that Seiya is sending out almost double the amount of Automatic Phoenixes compared to earlier! Seiya’s finally going to do something! But the fiery birds head straight for town, once again ignoring the demons. “I deployed fifty more to make certain that the dragonewt is dead.” “You’re still on that?! And how many of those are you going to send?! What are you doing, cormorant fishing?!” “Oh, myyy. Even after recognizing the situation he’s in, he’s still acting like that. What a bizarre Herooo he is.” Chaos Machina appears completely taken aback by Seiya’s behavior. “I have no interest in fighting you. If anything, I want to help.” “Ohhh?” After I roll my eyes at the Hero who has no will to fight, Cerceus whispers into my ear: “H-hey, Rista. Do you think maybe Seiya doesn’t believe he can beat Lucifer?” “What?! You know how strong Seiya is! It doesn’t matter how much lower his stats are. If he turns into a berserker, even Lucifer would—” “Even if their stats were the same, what would he do about her Magic Bow?” “Th-that’s, uh…!” Cerceus actually makes a good point for once, and I fall silent. I-is he right, Seiya?! Are you trying to suck up to Lucifer because you don’t think you can win against her?! All of a sudden, Cerceus clenches his fist. “…Let me handle this.” “C-Cerceus?! There’s no way you can defeat someone that even Seiya can’t! They’re using Chain Destruction, you know!” But that’s when I suddenly notice demon horns growing from Cerceus’s head. “Did you use Demon Mode?! But Uno said not to use it outside of the underworld!” “I only unleashed a small percentage of my power. It shouldn’t be a problem.” D-does he really plan on fighting them?! Is he finally taking pride in his title being the Divine Blade?! However, my newfound respect for Cerceus is short-lived. After approaching the group of demons, Cerceus puts on an exaggerated smile. “Look at these horns! I’m actually a demon, too! Lady Chaos Machina, I beg you! Please use me as your plaything in the bedroom, as well!” “Did he seriously just volunteer to be her plaything?! Get back here, you degenerate filth!!” But after yelling at Cerceus, a certain someone reminds me that he’s not the only useless man around. “No signs of the dragonewt. I’m impressed. Lucifer Crowe seems to have killed every last one of Paradura’s doppelgängers.” “This is no time to be impressed! Lucifer is the enemy of mankind!” “Again, not my problem.” Seiya then approaches the horde of demons surrounding Lucifer as well until Chaos Machina stands in his way. “I told you already. I have no interest in fighting you, so how about we work together to defeat the Dragon Lord?” “The Herooo helping a demon? Surely you jest. You must be trying to deceive us. But you can’t fool a demon.” Eraser walks over and glares at Seiya as well. “Hero, that would mean leaving the humans here to die. Are you okay with that?” “Sure. I really don’t care.” Both Eraser and Chaos Machina are clearly astonished by Seiya’s immediate reply. I’m surprised, too, of course, and I yell: “Seiya?! No! You have to care!” But Seiya suddenly tilts his head to the side, coming to some sort of realization. “Hold on. You said the humans ‘here.’ That doesn’t include me, correct?” “Heh-heh-heh. The Hero is a human, yes? Of course that includes you.” As Eraser laughs, Cerceus’s face turns pale. “I-I don’t count, right? I’m one of you, right?” “Sorryyy, but you’re no good, either. Your demon and god auras are equally pathetic. Besides, I don’t trust you just like I don’t trust that Herooo.” “B-but…!” Cerceus immediately tiptoes back to his spot next to me. “Tch! I was planning on waiting for them to let their guards down so I could slaughter every last one of them! Shucks.” “I wish I could slaughter you!” Seiya is still standing near Chaos Machina, almost like he’s reviewing his bargaining chips. “It would greatly inconvenience me if you attacked me.” “Ha-ha-ha! It would ‘inconvenience’ you? Was that a sad attempt at begging for your life? What a pathetic, pathetic, pathetic Heeero.” “Could you please just kill all the humans except for me?” “Oh my gosh! He really is begging for his life! Seiya, knock it off!!” I’m so embarrassed and so upset that I can’t help but scream at him. Yet Seiya still tries to bargain with Lucifer. “Let’s talk this over rationally. I don’t care how many humans you kill, and I plan on supporting you from the shadows in your quest to defeat the Dragon Lord. I don’t mind killing a few humans in this town to prove that.” Wh-wh-what scum! I don’t care if this is a warped world! How could he say such a thing?! I find myself dumbfounded by Seiya genuinely attempting to endear himself to Lucifer, so I look away and notice Rosalie muttering to herself. “What… What have I done…? All these years…” Tears gather in her good eye before rolling down her cheek and hitting the ground. Rosalie…! From the bottom of my heart, I despised Rosalie for abandoning her loyal retainer Flashika and letting him sacrifice himself for Lucifer’s revival. But her expression has finally returned to one that I remember. It’s like she’s become the reckless, honest Rosalie that I once knew. “I’m such a fool. I was a pawn for the demons and sacrificed my own people for them. Even Flashika…” She’s biting her lip in regret. I’m having trouble finding the words to comfort her, but I don’t have time to think, because she suddenly turns her sword on herself! “R-Rosalie?!” She unhesitatingly brings her sword toward her throat just like Flashika did. I rush to try and stop her, but someone manages to grab her arm before I do. “Please don’t, Rosalie!” Most of the townspeople have been running away ever since the demons showed their true colors. And yet… “Nina?!” Still holding on to Rosalie’s arm, Nina looks her right in the eye. “Why did you stop me? I’m the one who sacrificed your father for this.” “My father trusted you. He told me that you were a kind person deep down—one who only hardened her heart to save mankind.” “No… I…” Nina doesn’t let go of Rosalie’s arm, but she gently smiles at her. “The day my father died, I went home and found a note he left me. It said, ‘By no means should you resent Princess Rosalie for my fate.’” A river of tears flows down Rosalie’s cheek. “Forgive me…! Forgive…me…!” Ngh…! I feel like I’m going to start crying soon! I wipe the tears from my eyes as I watch their embrace. In spite of how serious things are over here, I look back to Seiya to find him still trying to persuade Lucifer. “I’m going to ask you one more time. Could you please just kill the humans from this town?” “Just how long do you plan on begging?! You’re talking in circles now!” I find myself enraged by how spineless the Hero is being. Lucifer is also glaring at Seiya the same way someone would look at trash. “Do you really wish to live that badly? It appears you are a Hero in title only. Nothing more than an insignificant worm.” “I’m fine with being a worm if you defeat the Dragon Lord for me.” Lucifer harshly replies: “Do you still not get it after seeing what just happened? Demons and humans shall never cooperate again. You inferior vermin shall perish long before we slaughter the dragonewts.” Chaos Machina suddenly chimes in: “Sooo…? Should I kill all of them? Or should we keep a few as beasts of burden?” “Simply being near humans makes me sick. I see no reason to leave any alive.” “But…” Lucifer and Chaos Machina discuss how best to proceed, but it’s little more than a conversation of what to do with the humans. The only two options are fear and despair. There is no future for mankind either way. But before I even realize it, Rosalie has regained her knightly demeanor. “Nina, now’s your chance. Run. Get out of here.” “What about you, Princess Rosalie?” “Don’t worry about me. I will protect you no matter what.” Meanwhile, Seiya deeply sighs while walking back over with clear discontent. “Sigh… It just had to be this way, huh?” He begins rolling his neck and shaking his hands as if he’s getting ready to work out. “Wh-what are you up to this time?” “Having the demons defeat our enemy for us would have been the safest and best possible outcome, but I guess things are never that easy. It looks like there isn’t any other option.” “Wait…! Do you mean…?” “I’m going to fight Lucifer Crowe.” “R-really?! You’re finally ready to be a Hero, huh? But…are you going to be okay? Her stats are on par with a Demon Lord’s, and that’s without her Magic Bow. You saw how she was able to strike multiple targets at once, right?” “I don’t need you to tell me that. I already checked her stats. They were similar to Ixphoria’s Grandleon.” “Oh… You already Scanned her…” “It doesn’t matter if this is a warped world or not. I’m always exercising extreme caution to protect myself. Fighting Lucifer is merely a natural consequence of failing to persuade her.” Rosalie glances up at Seiya as if she overheard our conversation. “You three need to get out of here. Run. There is no point in trying to defeat them. There is no human that can defeat Lucifer Crowe. She is a legendary monster that surpasses even the former Demon Lord.” “Shut up, Worn-Out Rosalie. You just think about how you’re going to rebuild this town once the battle is over.” “H-hey!” Seiya begins marching toward Lucifer, leaving Rosalie behind and ignoring her pleas.