This plan is dripping with uncertainty.
In the end, no one can predict how the demonic energy infused with Belphegor’s will will react until the very last moment.
In the worst-case scenario, Tay’s life could be in danger.
Still, I can’t just sit here, twiddling my thumbs anxiously.
I’ve personally witnessed the fate of those who had their bodies stolen by the Great Demon.
I can’t let Tay follow the same path.
“Mi Jeong. Unfold the first level formation. A formation that blocks everything except sound and light.”
“…Okay.”
She sheds her outer garment and takes a deep breath.
In the meantime, Mi Jeong closes her eyes and murmurs an incantation, and a red cube appears in the center of the wide room.
I pick up Tay, who has fainted, and walk into the middle of it.
One of the functions of the first level formation is information blocking.
By firmly controlling the interior space, it theoretically blocks all incoming light, sound, mana, demonic energy, and so on.
Of course, the more information you block, the more demonic energy is consumed, and the space looks bizarre, so it’s not used often.
Essentially, it can be operated like a barrier.
We’re planning to use that.
First, we confine Tay within the formation and give the black mana stone to the casing inside.
Belphegor’s demonic energy can’t perform many tasks due to capacity limits.
It should only respond when in contact with the black mana stone.
And the moment it contacts the black mana stone, the demonic energy will immediately reach out to Belphegor’s main body.
But due to the formation, the communication cannot reach Belphegor’s body.
We’ll intercept its communication and analyze where it’s trying to send the message to find Belphegor’s coordinates.
This way, we can find Belphegor’s location without getting caught.
“Ready?”
“…Yeah.”
Leaving all my possessions outside the formation.
I take only the black mana stone from the sword’s hilt and return.
At first, I considered using Kali’s dead soul, but the risk was too high, so I gave up.
Since I don’t know its exact value yet, it’s an item that can easily be replaced with another high-grade mana stone.
Of course, the performance of other high-grade mana stones wouldn’t match this one.
But since I’ve mastered mana control, the difference isn’t huge.
“Let’s begin.”
The crimson formation spreads all around.
And in the center lies the fainted girl.
If someone were to cut this scene out, they might mistakenly believe it’s a demon summoning ritual.
Ah. Not that it would be entirely wrong.
“Come forth, Belphegor.”
One hand rests on Tay’s chest as I check the movements of the demonic energy inside.
Meanwhile, with my other hand, I slowly bring the black mana stone closer to Tay’s palm.
Could it be because I stripped the coating that was hiding the mana stone’s brilliant color?
Demonic energy bursts out, intense enough to make one frown.
I hadn’t realized it when I couldn’t see the demonic energy.
But bursting out with such density feels like ‘I’m right here’ advertising.
I can understand why Transylvania was shocked at Kali’s dead soul.
‘It’s responding.’
Wriggle, wriggle.
Perhaps sensing the intense demonic energy, the mana within Tay begins to stir as well.
Moving away from the heart that was sticking tightly, it cautiously heads in the direction of Mi Jeong’s arm.
Good.
I can pull it out like this.
“Come forth! Belphegor!”
Thud.
As soon as I directly bring the mana stone to Tay’s hand.
Inside, the demonic energy goes wild and escapes from Tay’s chest in an instant.
The speed of the demonic energy is almost impossible to follow with the eyes.
Startled, I grab the demonic energy with my hand and try to contain it.
Although I can’t control it, I can certainly hold it tight.
|Do not! do not speak the true name carelessly!!!|
“……!”
The demonic energy thrashes around in my hand, producing strange voices.
The shape of the mana stone begins to wobble and transform.
The mana stone, now resembling a liquid, starts to melt away and morph into another shape.
“Damn it! What the hell are you doing?!”
|After a long slumber, I shall be resurrected in a new body!|
This crazy guy is making a sound like an unexpected jackpot at the end of a long wait.
The mana and the mana stone haven’t even touched yet.
The blob of melted mana quickly spreads out, resembling a human form.
A head sprouts, limbs appear, unmistakably taking the shape of a human.
I can’t leave it like this.
Once the form is completed and the demons enter it, that would be a catastrophe.
|I shall be resurrected! I shall be resurrected! I shall be resurrected!|
Ugh!
The demonic energy begins to thrash madly in my hand.
It writhes and gnashes at my hand.
I thought I could somehow neutralize it and at least interrogate it.
But this is just a mass of desire for the black mana stone without reason or anything else.
There are no useful pieces of information to extract from this.
Making that judgment, I increase the pressure on my hand and crush the demonic energy.
|A body! A body here too!|
“What?”
But at that very moment.
Right before the form is complete, as if it had a change of heart, the demonic energy suddenly shifts direction.
Not toward another place, but straight towards me.
In that split second of panic, the demonic energy seeps into my hand.
“Ahhhh!”
Even if it’s just a minuscule amount, it’s still the demonic energy imbued with the will of the Great Demon.
Touching it externally is vile enough, but now that it’s inside my body, the nausea rises, and my head is in chaos.
My whole body trembles, and an unknown voice echoes in my head, making me feel like I’m about to lose my mind.
“Actually… this works to my advantage!”
But this is rather good news.
I was unsure whether I could destroy the Great Demon’s demonic energy with my power, but since it willingly entered my body, I can just contain it like this.
Using my power, I block the exit.
Now, the mana of Belphegor can thrash around inside me but can never escape.
It might come in freely, but not out.
“Hehehe! Got it! I’ve saved Tay!”
“…Yoo Jin.”
Dragging my queasy body, I check on Tay.
There’s no demonic energy felt inside at all.
And not a single injury on her.
Tay is completely fine, sound asleep.
Perhaps she hasn’t been able to rest well for a long time, as she’s even snoring…
A chuckle slips out.
“It’s over. You can now release the formation.”
“…Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. Really. No problem. Just feels like a severe hangover.”
As the formation is released.
Mi Jeong timidly approaches and pulls on my sleeve.
When I bend down at her tug, she touches my forehead.
“…It’s hot.”
“If your cold hand touches me, what would it be like not to be hot.”
“…Hotter than usual, that’s for sure. Instead, just give it to me.”
“No way. I can’t imagine what would happen if Belphegor steals your wonderfully talented body.”
I can’t pass this to Mi Jeong.
Unlike me, Mi Jeong possesses talents in curses, magic, and martial arts.
Belphegor would no doubt seize it and make use of it.
This is rightfully mine to bear.
After all, I have the trait of ‘Mental Strength Enhancement’, so I should be able to handle it somehow.
Somehow…
“By the way, did you catch a signal?”
“…Yeah. For a brief moment. High frequency, the signal was sent.”
“What are the coordinates?”
“…The purified coordinates? I don’t know. Just the direction for now.”
Then Mi Jeong points a finger toward one side of the room.
“…That direction.”
“Good job.”
I ruffle Mi Jeong’s hair and head in the direction she indicated.
As I pull back the curtain of the window, the view of Basel unfolds.
Tay pointed toward the west.
If it’s to the west of Basel, then that’s in the central part of the southern continent.
That’s the territory of the Holy Kingdom.
Just in this direction, there are at least three major cities lined up.
‘But at least the candidates have narrowed down to five.’
It’s a huge leap forward compared to when I knew nothing.
The scope has significantly shrunk.
However, what worries me is…
The candidate locations being Hameln and Cologne.
The capital of the Holy Kingdom and the former capital…
Each has the Priestess and Cornelia residing there.
I can’t help but wonder what tricks Belphegor is hiding.
I’d feel better if we could catch him as soon as possible.
|A body! A new body!|
“Shut up…”
In the midst of it all, the voice crashing around in my head is annoying.
The demonic energy roams my body as if it’s its own swimming pool.
Now it’s moved to my brain and is causing an uproar.
It seems to aim to take over my body, as it keeps shaking my mind.
But thanks to the ‘Mental Strength Enhancement’ trait, I can still hold on for now.
I have yet to give up anything.
Not the realm of the subconscious, not parts of memory, nothing at all.
It’s just floating around aimlessly inside my body.
|A new body! A new body!|
“Nope, it won’t work. You think that’s going to drive me mad? I’ve been living in the Clockwork City for over a month without sleep!”
|It’s all done!|
“…?”
Just as I found that hard to understand.
When I turned my head, both Mi Jeong and I froze in place.
Something stood in front of us.
“Insane.”
Long, slender limbs.
Thin fingers.
A slim waist.
Thick horns towering over its head.
The black mana stone had by now turned into a demon.
Its surface was just black, but it was practically complete.
|A new body!|
What it meant by a new body wasn’t my body.
While pretending to steal my body, it had been diligently molding a form all along.
Thud.
The mannequin-like blob slowly approaches me.
I draw my sword and swing at its waist, but it’s useless.
The sliced part swiftly rejoins seamlessly.
“…Flame, magic—”
“Stop.”
I restrain Mi Jeong, who was about to raise her hand and chant a spell.
Using magic now would be a bad idea.
Currently, that blob is in a state that’s neither a mana stone, nor demonic energy, nor organic matter.
If I hit it with fire magic, it would instantly collapse into demonic energy.
If that massive amount of demonic energy were released into the air, it would be catastrophic.
It would be more than enough to suffocate and kill everyone in this building.
‘An idea surfaced.’
Just as I wondered what to do next, a method popped into my head.
This will work.
|A body! A body!!!|
“Alright. I’ll give you what you want.”
“…Yoo Jin?”
“I’m fine.”
I approach the blob, grabbing its neck.
Instantly, a thick, gooey, nauseating sensation clings to my hand.
I open only one exit of my body that I had tightly sealed.
|Finally! My wish! My desire! Resurrection!!!|
Whoosh!
Demonic energy shoots out like lightning toward that opening.
Thanks to that, my muddled head clears up.
The demonic energy rushes into the blob.
|Aaaaah! This refreshing feeling! The same level as the main body! The same power! I’ve regained the power I lost long ago!|
Then slowly, the surface, which was completely painted black, begins to change.
From the tips of its fingers, its skin transforms into a sun-kissed hue, as if it waited to be tanned.
The texture of the black horns comes to life.
But just before the blob transforms completely into Belphegor, as I grab its neck, the change abruptly halts.
And it rapidly returns to the form of a black mannequin.
|Ah?|
“I’m sorry, but this mana stone has become a part of me after all the work I’ve put into it over the months.”
The control of the blob fully shifted to me.
I wonder how much mana I’ve poured into this mana stone as a total.
It’s been like my own body, spending all that time together with it.
Even if its form changes, it’s still fundamentally the same.
Moreover, having learned to handle demonic energy while studying curses means I can now fully control that ‘in-between thing that is half-demonic energy and half-mana stone’.
|Ah, no!|
As I squeeze its neck, the blob’s form twists.
Like altering the formation, I reshape it however I want.
Although I still couldn’t evolve from level 0 to level 1.
I think I can mold this mana stone as it’s already familiar in my hands.
I twist, compress, and condense it.
Regardless of the relentless screaming of Belphegor’s demonic energy from within, it’s pointless.
Its will has already melted into the mana stone, leaving it powerless.
Only its voice, a mere annoyance, remains.
“I’ll revert it back!”
The goal is to return it to its original form.
To reshape it back into the mana stone of the sword hilt.
Although it might turn into something grotesque that occasionally lets out strange voices.
It can still be recycled, so it’s the best option.
“Huh?”
I thought I was going to change it back into a mana stone.
But the shape being molded from my fingertips looks slightly different.
It seems like it wants to condense into a small jewel but starts to stretch sideways instead.
As I’m bewildered by this oddity.
I apply strength to grip the mana stone tightly, and light sparks.
That unstable state between demonic energy and mana stone stabilizes.
“Whoa…”
When I opened my eyes, I was holding a black sword blade in my hand.
It’s a deep black, as if made of high-carbon steel.
I was admiring its beautiful shape when…
“Wow. A magic sword.”
“Hey, what kind of name is that for a sword? Watch your mouth—”
[Item name registered.]
[Magic Sword]
[A sword made from the demonic energy of a Great Demon. It possesses qualities like metal, but also flows with demonic energy and mana. A skilled user may be able to shift it into an unstable state.]
It was instantaneously given that monstrous name.
