Arrogance.
An overwhelming possession of a very important trait, self-awareness.
Those who are arrogant tend to overestimate themselves. That doesn’t mean every one of them will lose control, but most of them will.
That is how that tendency works. And for the case of Belthazor….He was one of those that has an overly exaggerated feeling of individuality.
“Heh…” A small, faint laugh escaped my lips as Belthazor began the process of mixing the two energies. The sinister resonance of his technique echoed through the cavern, creating an ominous atmosphere, yet for me, that didn’t seem threatening at all.
Belthazor, momentarily puzzled, furrowed his brows, questioning, “Hah? Has this guy gone insane?”
The truth was, my seemingly erratic laughter wasn’t a sign of madness. Instead, it was a manifestation of something far more dangerous – something that would end him.
“Hahahahahahaa…Maaan…..”
I couldn’t control it. How could I? At this point in time, he just acted as I had wanted him to be, as I had predicted him to be. The moment he used his strongest spell to showcase his capabilities while erasing his spatial barrier….
“You never let down others, don’t you?”
I mumbled, looking at the demon flying in my front. He was already half in the process of merging his favorite spell, yet the expression on his face didn’t even seem to be happy at all.
Belthazor, still immersed in his spellcasting, shot me a bewildered glance. His eyes, filled with the remnants of arrogance, now held a glimmer of uncertainty.
“What’s so funny, mortal? Your impending doom, or perhaps your feeble attempts at resistance?” Belthazor sneered, trying to mask the growing unease beneath his demonic demeanor. I could feel it….From his eyes, I could see….Slowly but surely, something was growing.
I knew one thing for a fact. This guy before me could instinctively sense what was about to come. It was not a thought he had with his logical reasoning. It was purely out of his own instincts.
“Heh… You just don’t get it, do you?” I smirked, my laughter intensifying. The crimson hue of my mana enveloped my vision, casting a blood-red tint on the world around me.
“I don’t get it….?” He raised his eyebrow. “Your body is battered, and your insides are sticking out. You can’t even move your body? What can you even do?”
His words were grounded in the tangible reality of the situation. I, a mere mortal, lay broken and bloodied before a powerful demon like him. Logically, it made no sense for me to find amusement in my current state. But logic, in the face of the unpredictable, often faltered.
“What even am I doing?” Belthazor mumbled to himself. “Why am I even bothering with this pathetic creature?”
Following that, he almost finished merging two spheres, yet just at that point, he made a crucial mistake.
「Mother Moon’s Guidance: Incessant 」
–SWOOSH!
Suddenly, chakrams materialized beneath him, swiftly launching toward the demon. Before Belthazor could comprehend the threat, the chakrams sliced through the air with incredible speed.
“Hu-“
He couldn’t even finish his exclamation. The chakrams moved with such swiftness that he couldn’t pinpoint their origin. The razor-sharp edges cut through the air, homing in on their target.
–SLASH! SLASH!
Just as Belthazor was about to unleash his devastating spell, the chakrams struck with precision. They cut through his demonic form countless times, each strike precise and lethal. The demon let out a guttural scream, his body shredded by the onslaught.
“AAAAAAH!”
–CRACK!
The pain, unexpected and severe, made Belthazor lose control. The beam of energy he held in his hand surged wildly, cutting through the cavern’s ceiling.
–RUMBLE! ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛ ꜰʀᴏᴍ NoᴠFre.nt
The once ominous atmosphere now turned chaotic as the unleashed power wreaked havoc.
‘Not enough.’
I knew it was not enough, both for me and for Belthazor. The inferior demon might have been just awakened, but even then, they tended to be like cockroaches. Escaping and coming back.
They are nothing but insects that you need to crush at once, or else they will get more in numbers and will bite you back.
Especially a cockroach bastard who can manipulate space.
“AAARGH!”
The cavern echoed with the remnants of his guttural screams and the destructive energy unleashed during his moment of lost control.
“Hahahahahahahahahahaha…..”
In the midst of the swirling chaos, I couldn’t suppress the eerie laughter that escaped my lips. The sound echoed through the cavern, a chilling accompaniment to the spectacle before me.
Belthazor, still momentarily dazed and questioning, looked up with a mixture of confusion and pain.
“Heh…” I chuckled, the laughter taking on an unsettling tone. “You demons are always so sure of yourselves, so arrogant in your perceived superiority.”
–TAP! TAP!
The sinister resonance of my laughter hung in the air as I began walking toward Belthazor. Each step carried an eerie rhythm, synchronized with the pulsating crimson glow that surrounded me.
The tattered wings of the demon twitched in futile attempts to rise, but the damage inflicted upon them hindered any escape.
Belthazor’s gaze, now clouded with both physical pain and a growing sense of dread, followed my approach. His attempts at defiance turned into feeble snarls as he struggled to rise from the cavern floor.
“You think this is the end?” he spat, his voice strained with both hatred and wounded pride. “You’re nothing but a pesky insect. I’ll crush you, even if it’s the last thing I do.”
He still seemed to hold a fighting spirit inside his head.
‘Yes. That is how it should be. Fight me more…..You need to hope…You need to keep thinking that you can win…’
I felt like the corners of my mouth were crawled up so much that it was unnatural for my rigid muscles.
‘It won’t be fun otherwise. It won’t help me extinguish this fire, otherwise.’
I allowed a sinister smile to play on my lips as I responded, “Oh, I do hope you try your best, Belthazor. Give it your all. Show me the extent of your inferior demonic strength.”
Belthazor, despite his injuries, mustered a defiant glare. “You won’t escape my wrath. I’ll tear you apart, limb by limb.”
I stopped my slow advance, savoring the anticipation in the air. “Do your best, Belthazor. Struggle, fight, resist.”
「Dash」
–BOOM!
With a fast movement, I immediately dashed towards his face, my daggers in my hand. The pain from my injuries flared up as I tried to inflict more damage while pushing myself, yet the crimson hue around my body seemed to react in the opposite way, making me stronger.
I knew it was going to turn like this.
–SLASH!
I first attacked his right arm with a quick slash. My daggers were imbued with mana, yet I felt there was something more to that.
I knew, there was something more.
–FUSH! SPURT!
And, just as I thought about it, the slash of my dagger didn’t stop with only physical attack. The crimson aura surrounding the dagger continued to move, like a wave of an attack.
“Burghk-“
Belthazor spurted a mouthful of blood as my dagger cut through his right arm. The crimson aura surrounding the weapon continued its relentless assault, seemingly reaching deeper than a mere physical wound.
The demon, now more infuriated than ever, tried to defend himself, summoning what remained of his tattered wings. However, the pulsating glow around my daggers defied his attempts at a counterattack.
–FUSH! SPURT!
I followed up with another swift strike, this time aiming for his right kidney. The dagger pierced through, causing Belthazor to let out another pained roar.
“Argh! You… you insignificant insect!” he spat, his voice laced with both agony and rage.
I pulled back my daggers, the ethereal glow of the crimson aura dancing around the blades. Belthazor, weakened and wounded, struggled to maintain his defiance, his eyes were shaking.
‘Let me give you a moment.’
“Do you know why you are in such state?”
I asked him, while raising my hands, concealing my [Celestalith].
「Aura Strike」
SMASH!
My mana-infused hands collided with Belthazor’s face, and I repeated the brutal assault. The demon, weakened and disoriented, struggled against the relentless blows.
“Argh! What… what trickery is this?” Belthazor groaned, blood now streaming down his face.
I continued the barrage of strikes, each blow fueled by my determination and the crimson aura that enveloped my hands.
SMASH! SMASH! SMASH!
“Tell me, Belthazor,” I demanded between strikes, “do you understand why you’re losing? Do you grasp the reason for your imminent defeat?”
The demon, unable to form coherent words, managed only guttural sounds of pain and frustration. I seized the opportunity to drive my point home.
SMASH! SMASH!
“The reason is simple,” I declared, “you are just an inferior demon destined to die, yet you dared to underestimate me, underestimate the power of a mere ‘insignificant insect.'”
As I raised my hand, I looked deep into his eyes.
“Do you know what makes me feel like smiling in this world? The only thing that gives me pleasure? Do you know why my heart is throbbing so much right now?”
I paused for a moment, lifting my hand to gaze into his eyes. The crimson aura surrounding me intensified, and my expression twisted into a manic smile.
“Do you know what brings me joy in this world, Belthazor?” I asked, my voice low and filled with malice. “It’s seeing the fear in the eyes of the likes of you.”
–SMASH!
My hand continued to smash him to the ground.
“It’s witnessing you feel the terror of death, feeling the pain ‘she’ experienced. It’s watching the life that she was supposed to live being snatched away from the likes of you.”
I could see with my eyes that he was shivering underneath me. He was feeling it, yet that was still not enough.
Even though he was feeling fear, he was still yet to experience the true despair. The feeling of not being able to escape.
He needed to experience that, but that wasn’t the time right now.
Right now, in front of me, he still thinks he can escape. I could see it within his eyes.
–SMASH! CREAK!
“Burghk!”
He let out another mouthful of blood, as I had smashed him from his chest. My hands were already bloody enough from all the beating I gave to him, my body being fragile.
Yet, at that moment, I could see Belthazor’s eyes shining grey for a second.
–WARP!
And in the blink of an eye, Belthazor reappeared from a very far away place, reaching the location where he was absorbing the energy of the Phantoms.
His tattered form and disheveled wings spoke of the intense beating he had endured, yet his gaze burned with undying hatred.
“You think this changes anything, insect?” Belthazor spat, his voice a mix of pain and resentment. “I will kill you, and I won’t ever forget what happened here.”
Despite his battered appearance, the demon smirked in arrogance, proclaiming, “Next time, when I regain my full power, I’ll make sure to finish what we started. You won’t escape then.”
–WARP!
With those words, he began to utilize his spatial mana to teleport away, leaving a lingering threat in the air.
Yet, just as he initiated the teleportation, something unexpected happened.