MTLNOVEL Ch. 89
Chapter 89
It felt different from when she had undergone Corruption.
When she fell into Corruption, her magic would go berserk, and the sheer force of it alone could harm others.
But now, power was simply overflowing. She could probably unleash about three times her usual strength.
On top of that, there was even a sensation that she was connected to everything in the world, as if she could bend it all to her will.
(......Was I still holding back my power all this time? With this, I can even go up against the Archangel's magic.)
"What incredible magic power...... Demon King, you're just as abnormal as this Archangel......"
"Seems like it."
There was no time to chat leisurely. The Archangel had sensed Yuurai's presence.
The Archangel shook its head. Yuurai held Rifiris close with her right arm and firmly grabbed the Archangel's hair with her left hand.
"Stay still. And become my servant. ......Deep Corruption."
Even if she called herself the Demon King, Yuurai had no power to control Angels of the holy attribute.
However, if she dyed them with the attribute of darkness, even Angels could be brought under her control.
By calling herself the Demon King, she became aware of that.
Moreover, she could easily bring ordinary Monsters under her rule as well.
It was an overwhelming dominion, worthy of the title of Demon King.
"With this, you belong to me."
Black-purple light surged from Yuurai's body. The distorted light engulfed the Archangel, eroding its holy light.
"Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
The Archangel let out a scream. This time, it was a genuine cry of agony. It writhed in pain, as if its soul was being violated.
"A puppet stuffed with massive magic power. If you had a proper will, you might have been able to escape my control."
Yuurai's magic continued to erode the Archangel.
Along with that, the divine radiance vanished, replaced by black-purple light. Its hair, skin, and wings lost their color, transforming into hues close to that of an Undead.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
Did the Archangel have some degree of self-awareness? Was it feeling pain from the sensation of being rewritten?
Or perhaps, the countless souls that made up its body were rejecting the darkness. For those who lived in the Holy Capital, likely devout believers, submitting to the Demon King would be an unbearable humiliation.
"......To create this Archangel, would it take about thirty or forty thousand souls? I'll dye them all in my color. Fall into darkness. Along with this Archangel."
The Archangel was large. She couldn't dominate it all within a few minutes.
Bit by bit, but surely, the Archangel was falling under Yuurai's control.
"......God, are you watching? I'm taking your apostle."
Everything was going smoothly. Yuurai was convinced of her victory.
However.
Suddenly, a sharp pain pierced Yuurai's chest.
"Gah. Wh-what......?"
Rifiris's arm was stabbed into her chest.
"Kill the Demon King."
Yuurai turned her gaze to Rifiris. Her eyes held no reason, reduced to a puppet fulfilling her role as Hero.
Focused on controlling the Archangel, Yuurai had failed to notice Rifiris's change.
(......Is Perception Disruption not working? Maybe because my Demon King presence grew stronger, I can't fool her with Perception Disruption anymore......?)
She had let her guard down. Her opponent was a Hero, and the divine binding was exceptionally strong.
As the Demon King, she should never have taken her along so casually.
"Damn......"
Deep inside her chest burned. Rifiris was attacking from within with holy magic.
Rifiris had said she had no magic left. Yet now, she was using magic. Was it to fulfill her mission as Hero, or was something else happening?
(In situations like this, the cliché is that she's burning her lifespan...... Damn it, stupid God. What do you think a human life is worth...... I wanted Rifiris to live a long life here...... And this is seriously bad......)
The Deep Corruption of the Archangel was still ongoing. If she stopped carelessly, the holy power might overpower her, ruining everything.
She had no leeway to deal with Rifiris. Yet Rifiris's power was undoubtedly eating away at Yuurai's life.
"Rifiris......"
"Kill the Demon King."
"......Wake up, Rifiris! Are you really okay with being a puppet of that shitty God!? Even if you kill me, the Church will just use you however they want!"
"Kill the Demon King."
Killing Rifiris was probably possible.
She just had to use Blade of Darkness for a split second to sever her head.
(But...... I don't want to kill her...... She's a comrade from my homeland...... and she's just being controlled...... Should I kill her once and revive her as an Undead? But then, Rifiris's body would remain that of a five-year-old forever...... That's way too cruel...... Soul Rebirth would cost too much......)
"Kill the Demon King."
"......God sure has a limited vocabulary. Is that all you can make her say?"
Should she cut off her arm? But then, she'd just attack with another. Maybe cutting off all her limbs would be better. It'd look horrific, but it might be the best option.
"......Kill the Demon King."
Tears spilled from Rifiris's eyes. And she began to try pulling her arm out of Yuurai's body.
It seemed Rifiris was trying to resist the binding of the Hero.
Yuurai stopped attacking Rifiris.
"......Rifiris. Hang in there. I'll be okay for a little longer, so try to break that binding yourself."
"......Kill the Demon King......"
"If you can't control that binding, you won't be able to stay with me, you know? From what I heard, you were isolated in the Holy Capital all your life, right? Don't you want to see a bigger world? I still don't know a lot either, but let's see the world together. If a Hero and a Demon King join forces, we'll be unstoppable. No one can stop us."
"......Don't...... want to...... kill...... the Demon King......"
"Rifiris. Just a bit more. You probably died a senseless death over there, but here, let's live a fun life. Until your time's up. Don't let God interfere."
"......Demon King...... Uuuuuuuuuuaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
Rifiris screamed and slowly began to pull her arm out of Yuurai's body.
The feeling of a foreign object being removed from her body was nauseating.
(......Ugh. That was close...... My body's about to disappear. Undying skill, do your job......)
As Yuurai vomited blood and her consciousness began to fade—
Rifiris's arm came free.
At the same time, the burning pain in her chest vanished.
The sensation that her body was about to disappear also faded.
"You did great, Rifiris. Now, I just need to finish dominating this Archangel!"
With the discomfort gone, Yuurai poured all her strength into dragging the Archangel into darkness.
It had been a close call, but in the end, the Archangel was just a will-less puppet. Unable to resist Yuurai's power, it fell into darkness.