“I’ll criticize you once we get home.”
Now was not the time to reason with a cat, Shade said to the aggrieved feline. He reached out to snatch the ring from the cat's mouth and lifted the cat out of the box, handing it to Tifa to hold.
He placed the [God's Gift Box] at his feet. The box seemed to respond to the light of the scales in Iluna's hands, ensuring that the pus—which had already covered the entire clearing and was spreading toward the Crystal Forest—could not infect the three of them.
“Meow~”
Mia curled up in Tifa's soft embrace, her large eyes staring at Shade. A very faint golden shimmer clung to the cat, resembling the sun, yet also resembling the divine afterglow currently radiating from Shade.
“I believe your ring is here.”
Shade displayed the [Fish-Taming Ring] before sliding it onto his finger. This way, he wore a ring on each hand, appearing symmetrical. Earlier, when Darkness's right hand hit the ground, the dark shadow that surged out of the [God's Gift Box] was clearly Mia. Mia had snatched the ring from the severed hand; this cat liked the [Life-Creation Ring], so it was likely she would like the [Fish-Taming Ring] as well.
“You damned thief!”
A curse-like voice erupted from Darkness's mouth, but it was not Darkness's own voice; it was clearly a demon speaking in the Demonic Tongue. Amidst the gurgling sounds, Shade opened his mouth slightly in surprise
“Without the ring, you can actually borrow his mouth to speak? You really do intend to usurp Darkness's body!”
In this region of absolute darkness, the three people illuminated by golden light huddled together. The light from the scales in Iluna's hand barely allowed them to see Darkness.
“Ivan Darkness, answer me. Who is speaking to me right now?” Shade asked.
“Do you want to seize my body?”
This time, the voice coming from Darkness's mouth was indeed his own.
“Yes.”
The Demonic Tongue spoke from Darkness's mouth once more, but the man who had already become the second Chosen was not worried. Maintaining his form as the Pus of Humanity, he smiled
“Struck head-on by that terrifying potion, then taking so many attacks from a thirteenth-circle warlock on my behalf, and even handing over all the power absorbed from the darkness to complete the ritual... how much strength do you have left? I have become a Chosen; I have mastered that vast knowledge and a power beyond your imagination. Did you think I remained unguarded against you?”
Within the right eye covered by the Pus of Humanity, a crimson spark flickered. Darkness continued to talk to himself; perhaps this was how warlocks typically communicated with themselves.
The demon spoke through Darkness's mouth
“The moment the Chosen ritual was completed, influenced by the power of [Balance], do you truly think you are unscathed? If I weren't exerting effort, it seems you currently lack even the power of a mid-circle caster. Only a Chosen can kill a Chosen. Now, another Chosen stands before you, yet I am not affected by her terrifying balance.
Do you believe in the gravity of fate? My dear Ivan, you must be careful. That human beside her seems to hide an even more terrifying power. You still need my help.”
It looked very strange to hear a voice attempting to seduce him using Darkness's own mouth.
Darkness's back seemed to have merged into that giant crystal pillar. His height and physique continued to grow, while the black pus surging from the right side of his body increased.
But Shade continued to wait. As Darkness grew stronger, Shade was gradually grasping a certain sensation within the darkness. Enough Spirit—enough to allow him to cast a miracle across grade levels. It seemed this matter would not require wasting a single drop of divinity.
“What do you want?” Darkness asked softly. Both his normal eye and the covered right eye looked at Shade, but the words were clearly not meant for him.
The demon finally revealed its purpose
“I will help you devour the power of the [Dark Domain], allowing you to leap from the sixth circle directly into the high circles. In exchange, share your power with me. For six hours of every twenty-four, I shall have complete control of your body.”
“And then, through repeated requests, you will continuously extend that time until you occupy my body entirely?” Darkness smiled.
“You have no choice. Without my help, can you escape now? Opposite you is a Chosen who awakened before you, a woman possessing the power of a Witch, and a fellow who may not even be human...”
Shade felt insulted.
The Demonic Tongue whispered
“You need me, don't you?”
Shade translated the demon's words for his companions. Tifa shook her head, unable to understand Darkness, while Iluna looked with hatred at Ivan Darkness, who was gradually disappearing beyond the edge of the light
“We have all inherited the power of the Ancient Gods and shoulder that responsibility. Are you truly going to share your power with a demon, defile the pure darkness, and stain your own identity?”
“See, they are stopping me from helping you. They are all afraid of me.”
The Demonic Tongue continued to murmur from Darkness's mouth, and Shade thoughtfully provided the translation.
In reality, the Spirit converted from devouring the darkness was enough for Shade to incompletely activate the [Little Match Girl] Maze. Even if he couldn't defeat the current Darkness, it would be enough to lead his companions to safety, as Darkness would certainly have no time to waste on him here.
But Miss Galina was still here; Shade could not leave her behind. Moreover, he had a premonition that if they left now, the Church would absolutely not leave Darkness behind.
He still didn't know the exact situation outside or if the Blood-Weeper Hermons had other arrangements. Shade didn't want to spend the next decade constantly worrying about a powerful enemy in the distance, fearing his enemy would reappear every time he encountered danger, only to truly resolve the issue ten years later.
Therefore, he chose not to activate the [Little Match Girl] Maze to flee, but instead wanted to try another possibility.
“How about we try a different method.”
The golden luster of the scales in Iluna's hands was being compressed, and Darkness was completely hidden within the Dark Domain. However, the crimson light flickering in the right eye covered by the Pus of Humanity remained.
Before he entered the darkness, Shade had clearly seen a strange, slime-like thing clinging to his back, whispering softly in his ear.
Shade felt he understood what was about to happen; only this would be the most logical
“I see. So this is what the demon actually wanted.”
Dense whispers swirled in everyone's ears. The thick darkness and the Pus of Humanity flowing across the ground seemed intent on turning this place into an abyss. Iluna was already struggling to stand, and Tifa hurried to support her. The cat, previously held by Tifa, took this opportunity to leap onto the brown-haired girl's shoulder, looking down curiously at the golden scales she held.
The light of the Ancient God's power reflected in the cat's curious, innocent eyes.
“It's over,” Shade said softly, the divine afterglow lighting up his body as he prepared to roll the dice.
The voice of the Pus of Humanity demon echoed from the darkness. The voice used another, more ancient language, the power of which seemed capable of directly corrupting any strong soul in this world
“Why not, my Ivan, let me become your ‘other self’?”
Iluna and Tifa simultaneously looked in surprise at the crimson light representing Darkness's right eye. Amidst the gurgling sound of the black pus, they both heard Darkness's answer
“Why should I agree to that?”
“You must walk alone in the darkness, so why not let me become your shadow? Forever, my dear Ivan, forever with you. All for the sake of a greater power.”
There was only the sound of gurgling pus. After a few seconds of silence, Shade and the others heard the Chosen's answer
“You are me...”
This sentence was spoken in the common tongue of Delarion. Iluna sighed, knowing the most terrible thing was about to happen.
“...I am you.”
The ancient Demonic Tongue spoke this sentence. The crimson spark extinguished, and everything fell into silence.
After that terrifying second where the world seemed entirely voiceless, a wind that tore at the eardrums surged, and manic laughter erupted once more. Not from the front, but from all directions. Crimson sparks representing demons appeared everywhere; demonic whispers, horrific roars, and a terror that could not be described in human language closed in.
“Silver Moon!”
Raising his right hand, Shade shouted loudly. Because they were protected by Iluna's power of Balance, the light finally pierced the darkness.
All three saw that only the hemispherical area where they stood still held light. Around them, pitch-black crystals towered, and countless horrific things were taking shape from the pus on the ground, from the black air, and from the darkness overhead.
The combination of a modern human and an ancient demon produced an even more terrifying phenomenon.
Thousands of demons, utilizing the power resulting from the fusion of the [Darkness] Chosen and the Pus of Humanity demon, using the [Dark Domain] as a breeding ground, were emerging into the present from the crevices of history and the past.
The Silver Moon at Shade's fingertips and the light of the scales in Iluna's hand contracted sharply inward, while Darkness seemed to be everywhere.
He had now become these thousands of demons.
“To abuse the talent of a Chosen without restraint or awe... it turns out it leads to such terrifying consequences. He actually communicated with history, using the Pus of Humanity to awaken those demons of the past. It seems we still underestimated the power within Iluna. If a Chosen has no bottom line and stops intending to be human, they can be this terrifying... No wonder the Diviners do everything in their power to find them,” Shade said softly.
He stepped in front of the two girls
“Don't worry. Leave everything to me.”
Demons from the sides, the sky, and even beneath the ground simultaneously reached out toward them with hands or hand-like organs. The darkness extended, and the light was compressed into a tiny circular area around their feet; even the moonlight at his fingertips was about to extinguish.
However, the scars on Shade's body remained completely unaffected. The demons feared this light and dared not reach out to touch it.
He looked up at everything around him
“Darkness, in the end, you were swallowed by the darkness.”
The moment the [Twenty-Sided Die of Fate] is thrown, it immediately triggers good or bad luck, and the thrower will inevitably learn the result afterward. Although the good luck determined by the die cannot be specified, when facing a life-threatening situation, the result is more likely to influence the immediate surroundings to ensure the thrower knows what the die affected before they die.
That was why Shade chose to save the guaranteed Natural 20 for this moment.
Before throwing the die, Shade glanced sideways at the cat on Iluna's shoulder. At this moment, Iluna and Tifa had almost turned black, yet this shivering cat was still completely normal. Not only that, with the surrounding light extinguished, the faint shimmer on the cat's body was very prominent.
*I knew it. After the second Night of Divine Descent ended, it definitely wasn't me who restored you from a doll,* Shade thought.
He tossed the [Twenty-Sided Die of Fate] into the air
“It's over.”
(End of Chapter)