Chapter 44 - The Immortal Athanasia (4)
Athanasia felt a question.
'What is it?'
It wasn't that she thought she would lose.
'Is he a bit lacking?'
Whether he was a new god born from the demon race or anything else, the Demon King before her hadn't properly elevated his status.
'He's closer to a human.'
She even felt a species difference between him and the demons around him.
Why such a being was called the Demon King here, she didn't know...
'I just need to find my place.'
If the Demon King rushed in like a moth to a flame, it would actually be a welcome event.
Athanasia immediately moved forward.
The Demon King also didn't stop moving, and the distance between them closed in an instant.
SWISH!
The Demon King suddenly swung his sword.
As the inscription on the blade glowed and disappeared, the same kind of slash as before flew towards her.
"!"
This time, she couldn't avoid it.
It was too close.
While Athanasia staggered for a moment, the Demon King continued to thrust his sword forward.
THUD, the sword pierced Athanasia's body.
SLASH!
The Demon King twisted and pulled out the sword, swinging his arm several more times.
Like a training dummy made of straw, Athanasia took all the attacks.
"Amazing!"
"He's overwhelming her...!"
The highly encouraged voices of the demons were heard.
Athanasia was pushed back by the countless slashes, stumbling.
Anyone watching would think she was about to lose.
CRASH!
Then, she stomped her foot down onto the ground.
The Demon King, possessing quick reflexes, immediately leapt far away.
CRACK, CRUMBLE.
The ground cracked.
She glanced down at the web-like cracks on the verge of collapsing, then Athanasia raised her head again.
"Disappointed?"
She couldn't die anyway.
Her torn body mended itself as if being sewn with thread, then sealed up, erasing even the scars.
"Now, it's my turn to come to you."
Athanasia immediately rushed towards the Demon King.
STAB!
She was pierced again.
'Annoying.'
Each time a new inscription was etched onto the sword and disappeared, some terrifying power was added.
It was clearly an artifact that used spells in an instant-cast form.
GRIP!
She grabbed the sword piercing her and ran her hand along it.
As she did, her blood, shed from being cut by the blade, clung stickily to the inscribed part.
HUMMMMMM.
The sword glowed, trying to erase the blood.
"You won't be able to."
Athanasia let out a hollow laugh and kicked the Demon King.
As he flew back, the sword embedded in her body also SLICK pulled out.
"Keep cutting. Keep going."
Athanasia scorned the being before her.
"I'll teach you what immortality is."
Her body was torn, cut, severed, and broken repeatedly by the Demon King, who rose again and continued his attack.
It wasn't that there was no pain in the process.
She screamed and groaned, staggering to her feet again.
"Immortality is this, it never ends."
Taking another attack that left her battered and bruised, then standing upright again, she let out a self-mocking laugh.
"If it doesn't end, you have to adapt. To pain, to malice. To do that..."
She stood before the Demon King.
"You must never lose."
SCREEEEECH!
As she glared, a wave of immense intensity enveloped the surroundings.
SHRIEEEK!GASP!GROOOAN!
The undying legion, and even the demons opposing them, were all struck by the wave and sent tumbling to the ground.
"I'll kill you and get my worshippers back."
CRASHHHHHH!
She gathered all her strength and pressed down on the Demon King.
The Demon King was pushed back by the wave, retreating with his sword.
"Ultimately, you're scared, aren't you?"
At that moment, the Demon King suddenly spoke.
"You needed power to not suffer, because you had to live without dying, right?"
"What?"
"So no one could trap you in pain. But,"
The Demon King's red eyes fixed on Athanasia.
"You've already been trapped once."
The Demon King exposed a weakness she couldn't defend against.
"Even if you put your worshippers back under your command, are you confident you'll never experience such a thing again?"
"What are you suddenly talking about...?"
"Your power right now is far too weak."
CRACK!
The Demon King's thrusting sword pushed through the several layers of waves she was emitting with all her might.
"This!"
Surprised, she gritted her teeth.
The Demon King's sword stopped.
'It's fine.'
There was no need to fall into fear.
She was immortal.
'H-Huff.'
But precisely because she was immortal, the pain she received was endless.
She wasn't simply sealed.
She was trapped in a crown of thorns.
Elhaim had inflicted endless pain upon her, saying she was disgustingly persistent in coming back to life and clinging on.
'D-Damn it.'
Pain worse than death.
It was the fear that this suffering would never end.
"SHUT UP!"
Athanasia, cornered by her thoughts, shrieked.
"You know nothing!"
Athanasia raged, recalling a time she never wanted to remember again.
"How many treacherous bastards there were! Because of them, many of my worshippers lost their faith and betrayed me! That's why I can only exert this much power!"
What remained were those who had maintained their faith, waiting for her until now.
"I will definitely reclaim it! The faith that doesn't betray...!"
It was then.
The Demon King smiled.
"Wh-What is it?"
There was no answer.
Meanwhile, the Demon King's smile twisted, and soon it became a maniacal laugh that pierced her ears.
"What is it?!"
Athanasia reeled, feeling an inexplicable sense of unease at the incomprehensible situation.
"Betrayal, is done by those you trust the most."
The Demon King's two eyes, as if containing the abyss, pierced her gaze like sword blades.
-Your Majesty, the Demon King!
While she flinched, a voice was heard from somewhere.
-We are ready!
Ready?
Athanasia reflexively looked up.
"What..."
And she saw it.
Hundreds of people, bound, standing on a nearby rocky cliff.
"O-Oh, Lady Athanasia!"
They were all wailing.
"We are sorry, Lady Athanasia!"
"You just got released, but our power is weak..."
"Please escape from here!"
Athanasia wore a blank expression.
'What, what happened?'
Surely the knight from Kratia had said that if the Demon King was immediately defeated, her worshippers would not be exposed to the demon race.
Because everything would be over before the demon race began serious reconnaissance.
The logic was that since the demon race didn't know how her worshippers differed from other people, if they just quickly captured the leader before any contact occurred, nothing would happen.
But now, the Demon King's subordinates had gathered all of her worshippers.
As if they had known she would escape her seal and come straight here.
'Ah.'
Cold sweat trickled down her horrified face.
'It's not, all of them, is it?'
That would be impossible.
But it was definitely a large number of worshippers.
If she lost them here, she would face certain defeat.
"You!"
Athanasia shouted in dismay.
"Did you know I would come, and prepared for it by finding them in advance?!"
"Yes."
The Demon King calmly said.
"Because I thought, if they released someone, you'd be the first."
"How could you...?"
"The immortal is tenacious."
It was natural, as their power stemmed from an inability to die.
"The one who released you would have known you were the one who would torment me the most."
"You..."
"The Emperor of Kratia is that kind of person."
The Demon King's expression twisted slightly.
"He prefers methods that wear down the opponent. He likely calculated that even if you were to be pushed back, if you persistently bought him time, he could release other gods from their seals."
"How can you be so certain?"
To Athanasia, who asked dumbfounded, the Demon King softly uttered.
"Because I was once on his side."
"What?"
"I am human."
Along with that shocking declaration, the Demon King raised his sword high.
"Cast down all those who do not follow the new faith!"
At his command, the demons on the cliff began to push Athanasia's worshippers towards the edge.
"W-Wait!"
"Don't!"
"NOOOOOOO!"
Athanasia stared blankly upwards at the sight.
The Demon King had clearly said he was human.
The reason why a human became the leader of the demons, why a human became so wicked as to attempt to kill other humans so readily, she didn't know.
But what was certain was that if things continued as they were, she would lose her worshippers.
"Stop it!"
Athanasia gritted her teeth and shouted.
"I said stop!"
But the demons didn't stop.
They merely continued to push her worshippers towards the edge of the cliff.
"H-HAAAHHHH!"
The worshippers began to fall.
"AAAAHHH!"
"NOOOOOOOO!"
Seeing her worshippers pouring down like rain, Athanasia reached out to unleash a wave that would serve as a cushion for them.
SLASH!
But at that moment, the Demon King's sword slashed her wrist.
"Gah?!"
While Athanasia staggered, clutching her mangled wrist, even more worshippers plunged down the cliff.
"Y-You monster!"
Athanasia screamed.
"How could a human... kill other humans...!"
"Humans,"
The abyss settled in the Demon King's eyes.
"Always betray in the end."
CRUNCH! SMASH!
The sound of humans falling from the cliff.
The one who stopped that carnage was none other than Athanasia's worshippers themselves.
"W-Waaaait!"
"We'll follow!"
"We'll follow you!"
Follow, what?
While Athanasia stared blankly, the worshippers immediately prostrated themselves on the ground.
And their direction was...
"Y-Your Majesty, the Demon King! We will follow you!"
A promise to follow him.
"What...?"
Athanasia involuntarily gasped.
"This, what..."
Her worshippers were a group that had continuously upheld their faith.
For such a group to so easily deny their faith in her.
"Do you think it's impossible?"
The Demon King spoke.
"The fervent belief in you was held only by people of old. Those merely mimicked belief in you through transmission."
"Wh-What did you say?"
"It means that for them, prostrating themselves before the immediate fear is the best they can do, rather than truly believing in you."
Fear.
Athanasia looked at the Demon King.
He stood there as a god of despair and destruction.
"...Faith doesn't shift so easily."
Athanasia barely managed to speak.
"You also haven't truly made them believe and follow you."
"It doesn't matter."
The Demon King replied.
"Because the scales have already tipped."
STAB!
The Demon King's sword pierced Athanasia's ribcage.
"Gah?!"
The sword continued to advance.
Just a little further, and it would reach her heart.
"Athanasia."
"Y-You bastard..."
"Can you still be sure?"
The expression the Demon King showed then was one of pity, looking upon the fate of one who had been too easily betrayed by what they believed in.
"That you are still immortal."
Fear.
Athanasia, feeling a sense of despair stronger than pain, held her breath.
And then, the Demon King had already taken one more step towards her.