Chapter 155 - Lord of Pride – 1 (1/2)
Lord of Pride – 1
The world began to shake.
No, the underground and my very existence was shaking. Lucifer declared he would create an entire world by himself, but that would destroy the relationship between the underground and the Rookie’s Battlefield. If that happened, they would disappear without leaving a trace. It would undo all I had done to prepare for the Great Fusion, killing all inhabitants of the underground.
“Lucifer, you…!”
“Fate, you can’t.”
“…I want to kill you.”
[My bride, you are the only one in this world worth salvaging. You, who monopolize the beauty of this entire world. I was delayed in preparing your gift, but please forgive me.]
The giant sphere that carried his message expanded for a moment, creating a black gate in the air that only one could pass through. It was a gate made solely for L. What would happen to any other than her who tried to pass was too horrible to try and imagine.
[Come on, come on. It’s been so long since I’ve seen your face.]
“If you don’t want to die, be silent. That is the worst proposal I’ve heard in my life.” L spat out the words with an expression of disgust, but Lucifer replied without missing a beat.
[Between Fate, who has no strength to protect you, and I, who can create an entire world, isn’t the answer clear? I see no issue with my words.]
“It’s your existence that’s the problem.”
[The weak are instinctively attracted to the strong. To survive, you chose Fate, the strongest one you know, and he protected you. Isn’t that it?]
Slowly, but steadily, the tremors increased in magnitude. We still had time; giving his new world any independence would be no easy feat. There was only one thing I could do now, whether I liked it or not. I began to increase the mana around my body, surrounding myself with the power of Domination. L turned her gaze from me to the floating sphere in the air, her eyes piercing through it as if she were looking at Lucifer himself.
“You don’t know anything. I don’t even need to tell you anything about me. You just assume you are the best in the world, and as such must have the most beautiful woman by your side.”
[…]
Unlike Lucifer, I knew her answer from the beginning. Arrogant as he was, he thought the best thing for him was the best for others, but it wasn’t. He didn’t understand the reason behind the Great Fusion or why L was here like this.
“I will stay with Fate. I can’t lie to my own heart even if I’m erased. Lucifer, it is a fact among the demons of the world that the most emotional one is none other than me. My feelings will never be moved with such cheap threats.” The sphere shook unusually at her rant. The mana inside showed signs of losing control, but I noticed what he was trying to do.
[I see. After you disappear from the world, no one with your beauty will ever be born again in the new world.]
It was nothing but full agreement with her words.
[Foolish. You can’t see the obvious before your very eyes. I will erase you without leaving anything.]
“You are more disgusting and filthy than a rotting carcass filled with maggots!” The sphere exploded as L’s cry rang out. Dozens of chains sent out by Rain momentarily suppressed the explosion, but only for a few seconds. Nevertheless, it was enough time for me to exert the energy of Predation.
“Finally.” I encased Lucifer’s exploding energy with a dark gray cloud. Violent power slammed into me as I struggled to absorb it. The magic that was trying to open the gate to the battlefield raged around me.
[I know what you’re trying to do, but it’s in vain. There’s nothing left for you! All you can do is count the time left until your destruction.]
Lucifer’s consciousness remained connected to this place through the mana that made up the sphere. I was too busy focusing on the magic to listen to his hateful words. My mana was slowly eating away at it and soothing me.
[No…why?]
More specifically, it wasn’t magic. Rather, I was preparing to activate the abilities of my Domination skill. I could call out to my subordinates through my original skill, but now I could move to them as much as possible. Even if I were no longer an elf, I could go to the battlefield so long as one of my subordinates was there. What I prepared now was that very skill. I didn’t know what Lucifer was thinking, but I had already predicted he would behave beyond my expectations, which was why I dared to place Mireina on the battlefield in advance.
I needed to infiltrate it. I wanted to gather information in advance, of course, but my main purpose had always been that. I wanted to take all of the troops I commanded there, but I could only take one or two in reality.