DKFTI 131

He knew that if his identity was revealed here, he might die, yet he had to figure out what the other person was thinking. But for some reason, he couldn’t even bring himself to make excuses or deny it.

Those were the eyes of someone who had already seen through everything.

“You’re trembling.”

The Holy King’s gaze landed Sibel’s fingertips. At that moment, Sibel felt something strange. It was a moment he was sure he had experienced once before.

Why? Why did this Holy King he had never met before feel so familiar?

A breeze blew from behind the Holy King and brushed against Sibel’s nose. The subtle sweet scent wasn’t unfamiliar.

“…You.”

At that moment, Sibel felt that something was wrong.

Why was Leviathan here?

“Leviathan.”

He managed to whisper the name. And the moment it left his lips, the windows in the bright sunlit corridor turned pitch black.

Darkness spread across the hallway. The Holy King’s unfamiliar face began to slowly change into one Sibel knew all too well.

“Why are you here…?”

Sibel felt a throbbing headache at the sight of Leviathan standing before him. He couldn’t even begin to retrace how things had reached this point. What Brivan said had been true. The reason he found the Holy King strange wasn’t because of some minor change. His entire existence had changed.

“You’ve come at the perfect time. I wanted you to be the first to see the dawn of your era.”

Leviathan looked pleased. Maybe even excited.

“What did you do to the Holy King?”

“Oh. Are you interested in that?”

Leviathan asked gently, and Sibel took another step back.

“Perhaps you wanted to see it at least once. I didn’t think of that. If I’d known, I would’ve let him live.”

Leviathan smiled brightly.

Did he mean he killed him? The Holy King? Why would he do something like that? Was it just because he was a demon? But Leviathan had never shown much interest in the world, nor any affection toward his own kind. For him to have done it made no sense.

At this point, Sibel started to wonder if even his arrival here had been part of Leviathan’s plan. Maybe he had been playing on the board Leviathan had set up from the start.

“What are you thinking, wearing that face?”

Sibel finally realized Leviathan wasn’t someone easy to deal with. The way he had obediently released Sibel’s restraints back then might have been to make him lower his guard.

“A plan? I’m simply bringing you to the place where you’re meant to be.”

“There’s no such thing. Your past is just your past…”

“It’s fine if you don’t understand now.”

Leviathan treated Sibel’s emotions as nothing more than fleeting confusion.

“What are you trying to do?”

“I thought triggering a war, making humans and demons kill each other to reduce their numbers, wasn’t quite enough. I must be impatient after waiting so long.”

His self-deprecating laugh echoed down the corridor.

“I intend to erase the flawed creatures from this world. The weak have no place in your world.”

“What kind of nonsense…”

“I don’t enjoy dirtying my hands, but you know. I’ll do anything for you.”

His voice was polite and full of reverence, as if he was ready to kneel at Sibel’s feet, but that only made Sibel’s body stiffen more. He couldn’t bear to believe that all of this madness was happening because of him.

“You’re going to kill humans?”

“There’s no need to define species. To me, humans or demons are all the same.”

The way he spoke, as if nothing in existence held meaning except for Silvaren, was almost madness.

“I’ll stain these hands to create a new world. You’ll live there freely.”

“No one wants that. It’s insane.”

“It won’t take long. It’ll be over in a moment.”

Sibel felt choked, watching Leviathan who no longer even listened to him.

“There’s something interesting in the Holy Kingdom. Something I thought had vanished long ago.”

“Did you make them bring the relic?”

“Yes. Though wearing the Holy King’s face to do it was rather unpleasant.”

His laugh, seemingly amused by a small inconvenience, sent fear through Sibel.

“The Horn of Resonance is a divine artifact that delivers the voice of God to all humankind. It must have been made with good intentions. But I plan to use it a little differently.”

Sibel looked at him with confusion. He couldn’t guess what he intended.

“Everyone will hear it. The sound of death.”

Sibel felt his breath catch at Leviathan’s horrifying plan. Did the Holy Kingdom ever imagine that a divine relic could be used in such a dangerous way?

The world needed to know about this twisted scheme. He had to tell someone, anyone, right now.

“When the sun rises, the relic’s protection will be lifted under the pretext of delivering God’s revelation. It’s not something the Holy King could do alone. But the high priests can’t defy the Holy King’s order, so they’ll obey without question. After that, everything will be over.”

What scared Sibel most was that Leviathan was explaining his plan so overtly. That meant Leviathan was confident Sibel couldn’t stop it, even if he knew everything.

‘So he has no intention of letting me go…’

His head felt like it might explode. Would he escape if he turned and ran right now? But even if he caused a commotion here, Leviathan, wearing the Holy King’s shell, would still have the advantage. No one would believe the words of a mere Demon King.

When Sibel bit his lower lip, Leviathan let out a soft laugh.

“The new you can’t hide what you’re thinking.”

“……”

“It’s adorable, but every now and then I can’t help feeling a bit disappointed.”

Leviathan slowly approached Sibel, his steps sure and unhesitant.

When he reached him, Leviathan’s fingers brushed Sibel’s cheek. The spell Ruru had placed on him vanished in an instant.

The shimmer of his hair, his white translucent skin, and eyes as blue as the sea were revealed. Fear lingered in Sibel’s gaze as he looked up at him.

Leviathan’s cold fingers slid slowly along Sibel’s cheek and jaw.

“What are you afraid of?”

“I can’t kill humans for your desire.”

“All living things die eventually. If it’s for the new world, that sacrifice will be their honor. Their existence means nothing unless it ends this way.”

Sibel felt his stomach churn at Leviathan’s gaze, which regarded humans as if they were insects.

Memories of the past surfaced, back then, it had been the opposite. Leviathan, who was treated worse than an insect and born from the dregs of darkness, now wore the face of what he once despised most.

And it was, without doubt, his own fault that Leviathan had become like this.

Sibel closed his eyes.

Leviathan bent down. He kissed Sibel’s forehead, then moved beside his ear.

“Close your eyes as much as you like. The dying creatures won’t know you turned away from them.”

His whisper was far too gentle. It was the voice of a devil. It whispered that if Sibel closed his eyes just once and stayed still, all his lost glory would be returned to him.

That heavy burden he had never wished for.

Sibel opened his eyes and pushed Leviathan’s chest away. Leviathan stepped back quietly. At that moment, sunlight streamed again through the windows that had turned black.

When Sibel blinked against the brightness, the smiling figure of Leviathan was gone, replaced once more by the Holy King. The change happened in an instant.

“Have a pleasant dream for a while. After that, enjoy the power that will return to you from the new world.”

As Leviathan’s words ended, strength began to drain from Sibel’s body. From his fingertips and toes, up through his arms and legs, until his knees buckled.

Leviathan caught him as he fell. Sibel’s vision blurred and dimmed.

He knew he shouldn’t let this happen. He had to open his eyes, shout, and call for Aizen.

But he had no strength left even to think. The drowning weakness swallowed him whole.

Sibel’s eyelids quietly closed.

***

Meanwhile, Aizen, who had persuaded the guards with smooth words and entered the Holy King’s office, felt something strange as he searched through the traces left behind.

His eyes turned toward the closed door. Then he shook his head and looked around the office again.

Everything here was ordinary and familiar, yet for some reason, the atmosphere felt unnaturally cold. Especially in the shadows, he sensed something watchful.

He wondered if his senses had changed after losing his holy power. So Aizen waited there, for the Holy King who would never come.