Devil's Luck[Arc 5: Worlds Apart]

What was Envy? Is it simply jealousy of others? Envy is a feeling that emerges when we see something in others that we wish we had ourselves—whether it's success, beauty, happiness, or wealth.

At its core, envy is born from comparison. When we measure our own worth against someone else's, we can feel a sense of lack or inadequacy.

Envy's goal, her life's purpose, was to kill the mortal that her creator, or whatever, had whispered into her when she appeared in this world. And as she saw him, she immediately felt a great surge of...Envy.

To her, she envied his good looks, his strength, his will—the ease with which he seemed to walk through the underworld, as though nothing and no one could shackle him.

Unlike her, he was unburdened by a purpose thrust upon him by another's will. Every part of him seemed to radiate freedom and self-possession, everything she lacked and everything she longed for.

Born from the mortals' sin of Envy, she was the Monster of Envy—Satella. Though, she didn't really understand why she called herself by that name once in a while. As the Monster of Envy, she naturally became his shadow, his silent pursuer, bound by her very nature to linger close to that which she could never have.

She hated him, and yet, was inexplicably drawn to him. He was everything she was not, a mirror reflecting all she lacked—a maddening contradiction.

When that mortal escaped the Underworld alongside the weakened Underworld Goddess, she didn't just wait in the Underworld for him—she silently watched him from the fragment of her Authority in his body.

Unfortunately, she could only watch him and not hear his voice, unable to fully understand the things he spoke about or the connections he made with others.

It was fine, as long as she could see him...and she saw how he interacted with those women.

Something snapped inside of her at that moment.

"Ah!"

Zenkichi's eyes snapped open to a world of darkness, with his body, except for his head, buried in the world of darkness. His breaths came in ragged gasps as he strained against the oppressive darkness surrounding him.

"W-What was that? Was that.... Envy's memories? What the heck happened to her?" Zenkichi thought aloud.

"Where am I? The last thing I remembered...." He weakly muttered, purple veins protruded all over his face with his dim eyes turning purple.

Then the memories of his fight with Envy, her arm burying into his stomach, her malicious grin, and the surge of her corruptive power overwhelming him.

Now, he was trapped in this void, unsure of how he had ended up here.

"Fuck....I lost to her, again...." Zenkichi muttered, his voice barely a whisper as he clenched his jaw in frustration. The bitterness of defeat seeped into his very being, fueling a flicker of anger beneath the layers of corruption Envy had woven into him.

Failure...what a familiar and bitter taste it was. It wrapped around him like a suffocating shroud, whispering doubts and insecurities that clawed at the edges of his mind.

Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure....

He never told anyone this, not even to Brunhilde, but he never could get over the first timeline—the world he abandoned and pretended that it never existed.

For his every failure, no matter how minor, reminded him of the destruction of the previous timeline of his Homeworld, of his helplessness as the world experienced the ultimate despair of every kind of evil in the world.

Every night, he would always dreamt of Medaka, brainwashed and broken, either attacking him or taunting him of how he just abandoned her and the others.

That might be the reason why he was so eager to have sex with Brunhilde and the others—seeking solace in the warmth of their bodies, trying to fill the void that his past had left in him.

It was a desperate attempt to forge connections and find redemption, to prove to himself that he was capable of caring for others, that he hadn't completely lost everything.

That him being Zenkichi Hitoyoshi wasn't a mistake.

But every encounter only deepened the gnawing sense of inadequacy, a constant reminder that he could never truly escape his past.

The shadows of his former life loomed over him, taunting him with every glance, every laugh, every moment of intimacy.

He was haunted by the echoes of his mistakes, the faces of those he couldn't save—the guilt festering like an open wound.

Especially at the thought that the timeline was still out there, the people he left still alive and waiting for salvation.

"Why do I always end up like this?" he muttered, his voice tinged with frustration and self-loathing. The darkness swirled around him, a reflection of the turmoil inside. "I should be stronger. I should be better."

This was the reason why that, even though he possessed the blood of a Demon and the power of Divinity, he still retained his status as a human.

For only a human could ever have a sense of shame and guilt that dug into his very core. The weight of his humanity was a double-edged sword, granting him empathy and connection while also shackling him with the burdens of his past failures.

The torment of lost opportunities and broken promises reverberated in his mind, a haunting melody that reminded him of all he had yet to accomplish.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm the chaos raging within. The whispers of failure clung to him like a vice, squeezing tighter with each heartbeat.

Yet, buried beneath the weight of his despair, a flicker of resolve ignited.

One of the advantages that humans had compared to other species—the indomitable human spirit!

"I won't let you win," he vowed, his voice rising as he pushed against the oppressive darkness surrounding him.

"I still have a lot of unfinished business!" Zenkichi declared, his voice echoing defiantly through the void. The purple veins on his face throbbed as his hair darkened and eyes began to turn wine-red, dark curve horns protruded from his forehead with a blue fireball in between the tips of the horns.

[Demon Heart is stirring]

Blue flames exploded from his body, illuminating the darkness with an otherworldly glow. The blue fire danced and flickered, surging forth like a fire tsunami as blue flames burned through the world of darkness.

"Haaaaaa!" Zenkichi screamed as his red eyes burned with fierce determination, channeling all of his pent-up anger and despair into a concentrated force.

The blue flames intensified, crackling and roaring as they consumed the shadows around him, pushing back against the suffocating void that had trapped him.

The surge of power coursing through him felt like a rebirth, each pulse of energy reclaiming parts of himself that Envy had sought to corrupt.

He could feel the oppressive weight of the darkness begin to lift.

Zenkichi narrowed his eyes, 'This world seems to be a separate space from the Underworld, it's pretty strong. But like all small dimensions, it's like a barrier.' he brought his hands together, gathering all his blue flames into a single point and compressing the energy until it shimmered like a miniature star in his grasp.

The heat radiating from it was intense, a concentrated embodiment of his demonic power, willpower and fury against the corruption that sought to consume him.

'A demon purifying corruption, how ironic.' Zenkichi thought, wryly smiling.

The energy pulsed with life as he channeled every ounce of strength he had, visualizing the barrier surrounding him—the oppressive space that Envy had created to trap him.

With a fierce shout, he thrust his hands forward, unleashing the compacted blue flames like a certain ki blast from an anime about seven balls.

"Explode!"

The explosion of blue fire erupted outward, expanding rapidly as it met the walls of the dark dimension. The flames lashed out, the intensity causing the barrier to vibrate violently.

For a moment, he could feel the energy of the barrier pushing back against him, resisting the onslaught.

But Zenkichi was relentless. "You will not hold me here!" he roared, his demonic power surged, amplifying the power behind the explosion. Unbeknownst to him, a pair of large bat-like wings sprouted from his back.

The blue fire crashed against the barrier with an ear-splitting roar, illuminating the darkness with an otherworldly light.

For a brief moment, Zenkichi felt the space around him to crack under the pressure, distortions appeared all around him.

"Almost there!"

'No!' At that moment, a sweet sultry voice whispered in Zenkichi's ears. He felt a chill down his spine as shadowy arms wrapped around him.

"Fuck off!" His demonic blue flames roared to life, bursting outward in a protective wave, incinerating the shadowy arms that attempted to ensnare him.

"I won't let you take me again!" he shouted, shaking off the remnants of the corruption that lingered in the air.

The voice was familiar, taunting yet alluring, a reminder of the hold Envy had tried to exert over him. "You think you can escape me? You belong to me now," the voice purred, echoing through the swirling chaos.

Zenkichi smirked, channeling his rage into the flames. The shadows recoiled but quickly surged forward again, trying to envelop him once more. "Sorry, but you're not my type."

With a fierce gesture, he thrust his arms outward, redirecting the blue flames into a sweeping arc that tore through the remaining darkness.

The fire erupted in all directions, consuming the shadows and illuminating the space around him with brilliant light—causing a loud screech.

He could hear the whispers of the darkness faltering, the once-constant hum of Envy's corruption waning as his flames began to consume the very fabric of the space he was trapped in.

The air crackled with energy, and Zenkichi's heart raced with exhilaration.

"This is it!" he shouted, pouring everything he had into the attack. "I'm getting the fuck outta here!"

With one final push, he unleashed the full force of the blue flames, a cataclysmic blast that erupted in a dazzling display of power.

The flames surged forward, breaking through the small dimension with an explosive force, sending waves of light and energy rippling through the darkness.

As the dimension around him shattered, Zenkichi suddenly appeared back into the Underworld.

Right before Envy and Brunhilde fighting each other.

"You—?!"

"Zenkichi?!"

"I'm back!" Zenkichi didn't waste a second before he went and punched Envy's face, bringing her straight to the ceiling of the Underworld.

Just in time, as a portal appeared, conjured by Ereshkigal, and sent them both to the surface.

.....

AN: I put up the shoutouts and other announcements in my author's thoughts so it wouldn't take any word count on the chapter.

For one last time however, here:

Wanna support me and read up to chapter 169? Well head-on over to my ptreon! Moreover, it's on a promotion for 50% off~ Just use this code: 97397

p.a.t.r.e.o.n.com/FroztDouluo