DKFTI 125

“What do you expect to gain by saying all this?”

“Long ago, just as humans turned demons into evil, now it’s your turn to become a necessary evil.”

Leviathan slowly turned to face the Holy King. From the window behind him, brilliant sunlight poured in.

“Do you plan to kill all humans?”

“As your kind did.”

The brighter the light, the darker the shadow beneath it. So was Leviathan’s presence.

“I plan to erase humanity from this world. There’s someone who can’t help but care for all weak things, you see.”

“Do you think it will go as you wish?”

“That’s why I came to see you, because I need something.”

A black hand stretched out from the darkness and aimed for the Holy King. The Holy King swung his staff and surrounded himself with holy power.

Ssshhhk

The black hand touched the barrier of holy light and melted away. Leviathan looked at the Holy King with a note of surprise.

“So you’re not just an empty puppet after all.”

A pleasant laugh rumbled in his throat. The Holy King caught his ragged breath. The power his opponent wielded was far stronger than expected. The pressure was overwhelming, an immense magical force that didn’t fit a being who moved without even blinking.

He wondered how long had this Demon King existed.

“I’ll tell you now. Your pitiful power means nothing before me.”

Another black hand emerged from the darkness. The Holy King tried to block it as before, but this time, seemingly mocking his divine power, it broke through his barrier and seized him by the throat.

“Kh…!”

The Holy King floundered with his toes lifted from the floor.

“Why… are you doing this?”

“What a foolish question. You don’t need a reason to destroy demons either, do you?”

The Holy King’s throat was strangled tighter. Where the black hand touched, his skin began to burn and black smoke rose.

“Even after this… do you think God will forgive you?”

Leviathan looked down at the floor, watching the Holy King’s power fade. The tiles were carved with delicate vine and leaf patterns, beautifully crafted.

“Fortunately, this is not something I want to be forgiven for.”

He raised his head.

“This is to reclaim the divine power your kind worships so much. You should be honored.”

To Leviathan, humans were nothing more than filthy, cunning, and violent creatures. They banded together to torment and exploit anything weaker than themselves, then called anything stronger than them evil and spoke of justice.

Pitiful beings who courted divine pity to dream of paradise. At times, the fact that he was no different from them filled him with disgust.

That’s why humanity had to disappear. Only then could the ideal world he dreamed of exist. Only he could stop them from using their tears as weapons to exploit God.

“I’ll make good use of your name.”

The Holy King, choked by the black hand, gasped for breath. He could no longer protect himself with holy power. As his strength began to wane, the black energy seized the opportunity and engulfed his body.

“Kh…! It won’t go your way…! This world holds the power of God…! Ugh..!”

His eyes were bloodshot as he shouted at Leviathan, but his voice was swallowed by darkness. His body was consumed, and the staff he had held fell to the floor.

Leviathan walked over leisurely and picked up the rolling staff.

The staff, still carrying traces of holy power, shuddered violently when it felt Leviathan’s power. The clear crystal sphere at its tip turned red, then shattered.

A crack rang through the room as the crystal burst into fragments that fell to the floor.

“Such a shame.”

Leviathan looked at the scattered shards, then crushed them under his foot. He lifted the staff, now bare, and infused it with his own power.

Soon, a new sphere, identical to the one that had been there before, formed at the tip. It wasn’t the same, but good enough to fool the eye.

Leviathan brushed his fingers along the wooden desk that still smelled subtly of timber and walked toward the chair. The leather seat was comfortable, still holding the warmth of the man who had just died.

Leaning back lazily, Leviathan turned the chair toward the window again and looked outside.

The world looked peaceful, painfully beautiful. A beauty wasted on those unworthy to enjoy it.

When he closed his eyes, he could see Him, racing through the battlefield, standing on this beautiful earth, bleeding for those who hurt Him, and willingly choosing to die for their sake.

He hated both humans and demons. He wanted to erase everything that put Him in danger. Yes, he wanted it all gone. Humans, demons, everything that disturbed his heart.

‘Don’t be alone. Always live surrounded by warmth.’

The voice he had lost long ago echoed in his mind.

That was when it began. He would have accepted anything He said, yet that was when he first started to show even the smallest defiance.

If he wasn’t to be alone, he needed Him. Only Him.

Why were He the only one who didn’t understand something so simple?

Leviathan’s closed eyelids trembled. Bright light washed over his skin. It was warm. He wanted to give himself to that warmth and drift in peaceful sleep.

***

Sibel and Aizen were struggling inside the temple. Because they’d wasted too much time in the dungeon, night had fallen, and only the prayer hall and the central sanctuary still had light.

On their way to find the vault where the holy water was stored, they stumbled upon the washing area, where, at Sibel’s suggestion, they stole some priest robes hanging on the line.

Thanks to their indistinct faces and the robes, the two could easily walk around the temple.

“Hey, you two over there.”

Someone called out to them while Aizen was trying to recall the path from memory.

Sibel’s eyes widened in surprise.

“What is it?”

But Aizen replied to the priest as if nothing was wrong.

“Are you on duty? I don’t recall seeing your faces before.”

“I guess you have a bad memory.”

Sibel was taken aback by Aizen’s confident response. Was he really going to talk like that? Was he planning to switch to violence if this went wrong?

Then he saw Aizen’s hand move toward his waist. Just as he thought.

“Well, we’ve had so many new people lately that I can’t remember everyone. Anyway, I just got a message from the palace, so I need to step out for a while. Tell the guards at the vault that I’ll be late. They’ll need my confirmation for the shift change.”

“Where’s the vault?”

“You still don’t know your way around? Go down that hall, turn the corner, and take the door leading to the basement.”

“Ah. I see.”

What kind of luck is this ?

Sibel cheered inwardly. The priest thanked them and left, and Sibel, delighted, put a hand on Aizen’s shoulder.

“Looks like our luck isn’t so bad after all, right?”

He even had to stand on tiptoe to reach Aizen’s shoulder, but still insisted on slinging his arm over it. Aizen chuckled.

“I told you I’d find it eventually.”

“You’ve been wandering around this area for quite a while, though.”

“I’m just bad with directions. My memory’s fine.”

He must not have wanted to look like an idiot, given how he emphasized his memory.

“Let’s see, he said this way.”

They found the entrance to the basement without much trouble. As they carefully descended the stairs, they spotted four knights standing guard ahead.

“Did you hear? They’re conscripting troops again.”

“If you do well there, it could change your life.”

“What’s the point? So many were killed or maimed last time.”

“But guarding a storage room forever isn’t much of a life for a holy knight.”

The guards were chatting idly. They were talking about the coming campaign against the demons.

“I’d go even if not for glory. I just want to strangle those bastards’ throats.”

“It’s rare to find a holy knight without some tragic story.”

“Filthy demons. Why did God ever create such things?”

Their clucking tongues echoed down the basement hall. In just that brief exchange, Sibel felt as though he’d been hit twice, once as a demon, once as a god. He felt a sudden drain of energy.

“Why are you forcing yourself to listen to all that pointless talk?”

Aizen asked as he saw Sibel’s expression.

“What am I supposed to do when I’ve ears?”

It wasn’t as if he wanted to hear it.

More curses against demons drifted over from afar, harsher this time. It was unpleasant.

He began to wonder if he ever regained the power he once had, could he really make the same choice as before?

Of course, that would never happen. Just a useless thought. But if it did, what about Aizen?

With his hot temper, he might be even worse than Leviathan. Would he make the same extreme choice?

Sibel shook his head. What a ridiculous idea.

At that time, the holy knights noticed Sibel and Aizen.