<Episode 3>
Is he a high dragon?
This was Gyrobel’s final conclusion after much thought.
It was something that couldn’t be explained otherwise.
What he knew wasn’t just his own true name. He was clearly also fully aware of the circumstances of the demon world.
To humans, the demon world was something that could not be accessed.
The realm of power, the terror that soars, and the unfathomable unknown.
Some of the greatest sages in human history had dared to explore the underworld, but all they had experienced was endless despair.
A very weak race that had not even been able to handle mana for ten thousand years.
As a mortal soul who would only live for a little over a hundred years, it was impossible for him to know the truth about the Demon World, which was infinite in itself.
What was even more disconcerting was that he knew the story of the distant ancestors of the Bern guys and himself.
The humiliating incident was a secret between the parties involved and the founder of Bern.
A strange thing.
Not even in the demon realm, let alone the human world, did anyone know of such an existence.
So…
Is that thing truly a dragon?
It could only be explained if it were one of the “Beings” protected and revered, governing the human world.
They are the watchers of the world.
With transcendent wisdom, they have interfered with providence, and only they can comprehend both the affairs of the demon realm and human history.
But that didn’t make sense.
The creature’s vitality was so strong and dynamic that it was hard to believe it belonged to a human.
It was the most dazzling prey in Bern’s history.
From the moment of its birth, it was none other than itself that had been his host.
Since he had been observing its entire life without fail, if it had the spirit of a dragon or was an incarnation of one, he would have noticed it long ago and been on guard.1Because Gyrobel was unsure of Ruin’s identity he was consistently referring to him as ‘it’.
“I am not a dragon.”
Gyrobel was momentarily dazed.
It’s truly mind-boggling to hear that guy speak as if he’s seen right into my head.
<Wh, what are you talking about?>
“Your logical approach is obvious. That’s what happens to people who believe they’re great. When they encounter a situation they can’t interpret, they tend to look for unreality, am I not right? Didn’t you think I was an incarnation of a dragon?”
<Shut up!>
“Ugh.”
Ruin, who had been stretching, checked his body with a dissatisfied look.
“If that much life force has been sucked out of you, I should have recovered properly. But what is this? The tendons and the muscles aren’t as they should be… Phew! Is that all you can do?”
<How dare you! This son of a ****!>
Gyrobel was absolutely speechless.
Is bringing life back to life some kind of child’s play?
Life is providence.
He barely managed to keep him alive by sacrificing almost all of his mobilizable magical power, and yet he was making such ignorant remarks!
Gyrobel’s voice, seething with anger, filled Ruin’s head once again.
<Who the hell are you? Tell me! How come you know everything about the Demon World… Not to mention, this Demon Lord’s circumstances.>
“Why would you think I would tell you?”
<I will tear your spirit and flesh to shreds without fail! I swear this by my true name, Gyrobel…!>
“Stop right there.”
Ruin’s face turned as cold as ice.
“This is not the Demon World. A being who is nothing more than a descendant at best tears the soul of a perfectly healthy host who has not even weakened? Is this a new type of suicide?”
For a moment, Gyrobel shuddered.
Now it was certain. That *****d’s knowledge wasn’t just superficial, pretentious talk.
It was clear that he had insight into the entire knowledge system of the Demon World.
“Besides, all your true magic power has been drained. Don’t bluff when it’ll take you months just to recover. You’ve always failed because of your bluffs, so why can’t you fix this habit of yours?”
After that, Ruin continued to poke Gyrobel’s sore spots, and eventually the initiative went to Ruin.
“I don’t plan on telling you anything right now, so don’t make a fuss and just stay quiet. When the time comes, you will naturally know.”
Ruin knew from experience that the longer Gyrobel’s curiosity lingered, the more it worked in his favor.
Considering the grueling hardships he had suffered in the past—constantly tormented by that being—this was but a trivial revenge.
Even now, the memory of those times made Ruin grit his teeth.
His clear pupils turned toward the interior of the secluded space.
In front of the small villa lay a desolate lake.
A garden, overgrown with tangled plants and neglected flowers, surrounded the area.
This sparse, seemingly abandoned space was a replica of the painful memories etched in his mind.
The bitter memories and sorrows he endured clawed their way back into his vision.
He let out a faint chuckle.
But no longer was he the fragile soul that once spent sleepless nights drowning in despair.
The Terror of the Abyss.
A power so immense that a single individual’s might could rival the military strength of an entire kingdom.
A being that had instilled countless horrors and shocks across the continent.
Ruin, the Archmage, had carried forward every lesson and hardship from his unyielding life.
“First things first.”
Even before restoring his magic, his priority was clear: he had to reunite with his comrades from this era as quickly as possible.
The entity he faced was something no individual human could ever hope to withstand.
He needed to guide his comrades’ talents to evolve into extraordinary levels as soon as possible, and even rally the entire continent’s strength.
The grim truth was that even achieving all this wouldn’t guarantee victory.
The divine powers of the entity, capable of obliterating hundreds or thousands like mere insects, loomed over everything.
No, it wasn’t mere rhetoric—it might truly be a divine entity.
However, what made human life shine brighter than that of these beings was its relentlessness.
‘Because it’s desperate.’
This being might be perfect, but it could never experience the desperate struggles of humanity.
Time.
The absolute force even the overseers of the world could not overturn.
Returning to the past and standing here now was proof of that fierce determination.
Ruin was convinced that in the very end, the one to claim victory would undoubtedly be human.
Resolutely, Ruin began moving toward the clearing in front of the garden.
His movements were neither human martial arts nor mere tricks, but bizarre, almost acrobatic gestures.
Gyrobel, watching this, was utterly shocked.
<You… How is this possible!?>
One of the highest-ranked demonic martial arts within the demon realm—
The forbidden Blood Mastery Art, designed to harness true demonic energy and perfect the ultimate demonic body.
<You… How do you know the Blood Mastery Art!?>
The Blood Mastery Art was a preparation for wielding the powers of the Demon Lord, a technique so precious that it was not shared even with his subordinates or blood relatives.
Ruin scoffed.
“And what’s so impressive about it?”
<What!?>
The Blood Mastery Art, if leaked, could lead to a full-scale war in the demon realm.
Yet here was Ruine, not only stealing the revered secret but ridiculing it as though it were worthless.
But what surpassed Gyrobel’s rage was an overwhelming sense of bewilderment.
<How… How is this possible…?>
Had some of his memories transferred to Ruin when he used him as a host?
No, that couldn’t be. Over infinite time, such a side effect had never occurred.
Still, nothing was impossible in the realm of the mind. Even if this was the first instance, it made little difference.
After all, Ruin was only human.
<Even if you managed to steal the technique, you’re a mortal. How could your feeble mind possibly contain infinite hatred? You’ll never perfect the Blood Mastery Art!>
“Oh, really?”
Ignoring Gyrobel’s taunts, Ruin continued his movements without a word.
<Ha! You’re merely mimicking the gestures! You might as well focus on human martial arts to improve your stamina instead!>
Crack—
Clenching his teeth, Ruin bit down on his seething resentment.
The rancor within him pierced through his lungs, reaching to the heavens.
He chewed on his bitter fury, enduring the torment and transcending his frail body.
Crack, crack—
Ruine’s entire body contorted grotesquely, resembling a skeleton coming back to life.
Blood gushed out from every pore in his body as he began to channel the essence of true demonic energy.
Gyrobel’s voice faltered.
<…Impossible.>
The time it took Ruin to transform his body into a vessel for true demonic energy?
Ten minutes.
Something that shouldn’t, no, couldn’t have been possible.
Even after witnessing it with his own eyes, Gyrobel could not accept the surreal sight before him.
<Just a human’s hatred…?>
Gyrobel had spent millennia honing his own malice to perfection.
Yet this mortal’s emotions seemed to surpass even the tempered hatred of demons forged in countless wars.
Even so, the sheer magnitude of such hatred should have driven Ruin insane.
How could a mere human withstand the infinite malice without breaking?
<Who… What are you?>
Gyrobel’s voice trembled with an unfamiliar tone—not of scorn but recognition.
For the first time, he regarded Ruin as an equal.
Licking the thick blood off his face, Ruin smirked.
“I told you—I’m not going to tell you.”
<You insolent—!>
The Terror of the Abyss.
Ruin, the Archmage.
A monumental figure whose power, if not for Gyrobel, would have been regarded as divine.
Ruin’s blood began to evaporate slowly.
The crimson mist, swirling like a mirage, gathered into a dark red vortex before being absorbed back into his body.
Gyrobel silently observed the scene, as though watching a reflection of his former self.
But an unsettling question arose in his mind.
Though Ruin had managed to shape the vessel, there was something fundamentally absent in the human realm: true demonic energy.
A dense and pure force permeating the demon realm, demonic energy was incomparable to the mana of the human world.
Its qualitative superiority rendered it impossible to replicate here. Even if it could be achieved, the limited lifespan of mortals posed an insurmountable obstacle.
“You’re wondering about that, aren’t you?”
Ruin chuckled faintly and conjured a blood-tinged mirage to draw a magic circle on the garden floor.
The dust swirled, forming an ominous and unfamiliar pattern that sent a shiver through Gyrobel as he shared Ruin’s vision.
<Could it be… the Grand Circle of the Abyss?>
This circle was a high-tier spell matrix used to summon the will of transcendent entities from the demon realm.
Without demonic energy, invoking such a circle required sacrificing half of the caster’s lifespan.
<Who are you trying to summon!?>
Ruin’s response was calm and deliberate.
“Balcaserius.”
<What!?>
Ruin’s teeth gleamed white as he grinned.
“The Great Evil. Your leader. Balcaserius.”
Balcaserius—the greatest predator of the demon realm, known as the Primordial Darkness.
<This… This is madness!>
Gyrobel, now panicked, struggled to escape Ruin’s soul. But having exhausted all of his demonic energy, his efforts were in vain.
