This Wasn’t an Erotic Game?

Chapter 42 - Installment vs. Lump Sum

『 Translator – Divinity 』

The Healing Saint was trying to improve the host's mental state.

Despite knowing that he could be harmed by the curse, he spent time with the princess, laughing and chatting, without showing any fear and without wearing a protective suit.

The Evil God's chosen one could vividly see all of this through the various magic circles installed in the detached palace.

What was his reason for doing this?

His intention soon became clear.

The fragment of the Evil God had been significantly weakened due to being bombarded with divine magic every week for sixteen years.

In its current state, it was more likely to seek out a new host with a stronger soul connection and transfer to them.

The Saint was trying to lure the fragment of the Evil God into his own soul.

Even a saint wouldn't be safe with the fragment of the Evil God dwelling within their soul, yet he was acting as if he was tempting the fragment.

What kind of person was he?

He was acting as if he had a way to deal with the fragment of the Evil God even if it entered his soul.

When this was reported, the Church of the Evil God gave the order to urgently awaken the incomplete fragment of the Evil God.

The chosen one agreed with their decision.

It meant prematurely awakening the fragment they had obtained after so many sacrifices, but it was better than letting it be taken by the Saint and vanishing without any effect.

The chosen one waited for the Saint to leave the detached palace.

And as soon as he left, he took action.

There weren't many people to deal with at this hour.

After easily killing the mage and priest on duty, and the two knights of the Royal Guard, the chosen one approached the detached palace.

The detached palace was filled with all sorts of defensive measures in case the fragment of the Evil God in Iomene's body went berserk.

He disabled the sacred object that would automatically trigger hundreds of Miracles of Evil Destruction if the curse exceeded a certain level. He also deactivated dozens of defensive magic circles and miracles that prevented the curse from leaking out of the detached palace and into the Imperial Palace.

Of course, this didn't come without a cost.

The Evil God's chosen one had to expend a tremendous amount of resentment.

The resentment that maintained the Miracle of Concealment, his lifeline.

Originally, the Collector would have gathered and brought the additional resentment needed, but since she was dead, there was no other choice.

After taking all these measures, the chosen one entered the detached palace.

He saw Princess Iomene sleeping soundly on the bed, a peaceful, happy expression on her face that he had never seen before.

As the chosen one placed his hand on Princess Iomene's head, the fragment of the Evil God slumbering within her soul began to react.

Due to the periodic exposure to divine magic, the connection between the fragment and the soul, which should have been firmly rooted, was terribly weak.

In this state, even if the fragment was awakened, it wouldn't be able to exert its full power.

What a cruel and heartless bunch.

How could they choose to torture their own daughter for sixteen years?

Even the Church of the Evil God and the chosen one hadn't expected them to go this far.

They knew that the Emperor, despite his outward appearance of strength, was incredibly weak when it came to his family.

If they had implanted the fragment of the Evil God in an ordinary person, the White Church would surely have removed it, even if it meant sacrificing that person's soul. So they chose Princess Iomene as the host, someone whose soul the White Church couldn't easily destroy.

The Church of the Evil God had hoped that the compassionate Emperor, who couldn't bring himself to order his daughter to be tortured, would confine Princess Iomene to a remote countryside.

It would be much easier for them to access her in the countryside, and there they could nurture the fragment of the Evil God and awaken it at the critical moment.

That way, due to the nature of twin souls, they could corrupt not only Iomene but also Princess Almene, whose soul was connected to her, and unleash the curse in the heart of the capital, Mars City.

Since Princess Almene, who had been perfectly healthy, would suddenly become the source of the curse, the Empire would be caught completely off guard.

But the Emperor had made a difficult decision and chose to torture his daughter for sixteen years, leading to this situation.

And with the appearance of the Healing Saint, they were forced to awaken the fragment two years earlier than planned.

It was a complete mess.

It was obvious that even if the fragment of the Evil God awakened, its structure would be extremely unstable.

But what choice did they have?

There was no other option.

"Awaken."

At the chosen one's words, the fragment of the Evil God parasitizing the soul began to exert its power.

A powerful curse started emanating from the wings.

Although it was excessively unstable, to the point where it could shatter from the slightest shock, its power was indeed transcendental, as they had heard.

A chilling scream.

A bizarre and horrifying sensation that scraped at the soul.

And with it, an overwhelmingly powerful curse began to erupt into the world.

It was the beginning of destruction.

─ 𓆩♱𓆪 ─

The closer I got to the Imperial Palace, the worse the situation became.

"Ugh!! Agh!!"

"Help me!! Help me!!"

Countless people had been struck by the curse, collapsing on the ground and convulsing.

"Quickly!! Quickly! Pull out those affected by the curse and heal them!!"

While the priests of the Grace Church who had followed me were busy healing the sick, I ran towards the Imperial Palace without rest.

The moment the Imperial Palace came into view, I immediately cast Time Stop.

I wanted to cast it the moment I felt the curse erupt from the Magic Tower Temple, but then I would have fainted from exhaustion before even reaching Iomene.

So, casting Time Stop from this distance was the best I could do.

Please, let her soul be intact.

Please, let Iomene still be alive.

While praying for something that seemed utterly impossible, I repeatedly released and reapplied Time Stop locally, moving towards the detached palace as quickly as possible.

And then I saw Iomene, soaring high above the roof of the detached palace.

Dozens of eyeballs had sprouted on the wings on her back, looking down at the ground.

That in itself was still bearable.

What truly filled me with despair was something else.

A cruel smile, one I had never seen before, was plastered on Iomene's face.

An ecstatic yet horrifying smile that could only belong to someone who mocked and scorned the world, filled with resentment towards all living things.

Iomene was completely gone.

Her body was there, but her soul had been completely consumed by the fragment of the Evil God.

Why?

Why would they go this far?

I didn't know who had cast the curse, but why would they do this to a woman who had never experienced happiness, who was finally starting to recover?

Rage.

An insane rage surged within me.

Like I did at the factory, I started to climb, using the time-frozen space as footholds, stepping on the air.

Just as I was almost within reach of Iomene, who was floating in the air...

My mental energy was nearly depleted.

Damn this inefficient skill.

What should I do?

There were still about three meters left to reach Iomene.

If I released Time Stop now, I would fall.

After racking my brain desperately...

I came up with a solution.

I released the Time Stop I had cast on the world.

While maintaining Time Stop only on the space beneath my feet.

This way, I could minimize mental energy consumption while still standing in the air.

As soon as Time Stop was released, an unimaginable chill enveloped my entire being.

The sensation that had felt like my soul was being scraped now turned into a horrifying and repulsive feeling that made me want to vomit.

I don't know how to describe it.

But it felt like my very soul was speaking to me.

Telling me that it could be destroyed.

That if even a little of that black mist-like curse surrounding Iomene entered me, my soul would shatter and disappear.

I could feel my soul trembling uncontrollably in fear, despite my own will.

But whether my soul was afraid or not, I wasn't afraid of that black mist in the slightest.

It was a novel experience to have my mind and soul disagreeing.

Soul shattered?

That meant Korea.

A return to a safe and happy place, free from the fear of hell.

I straightened my back.

And I looked directly at the fragment of the Evil God that had taken Iomene's form.

The fragment of the Evil God also looked at me, emitting an enormous amount of curse from its wings.

[Die!]

[Destroy!]

[Perish!]

The fragment of the Evil God giggled like a child, uttering simple words in a grotesque voice.

I hoped for a miracle, but there was none.

Iomene was gone.

Tears unconsciously streamed down my face.

I unbuckled my belt and held it in my hand.

Using the time-frozen space as a foothold, I walked on air towards the fragment of the Evil God.

The fragment mocked me.

[You die too!!]

[You're going to die too!]

[I'll eat you too!]

[Eat! Eat!]

The curse focused on me.

But I didn't care.

You can destroy my soul.

Go ahead and destroy it.

But in return, I'll hit you just once.

I can die, but I'll hit you just once.

The distance between me and the fragment of the Evil God started to close.

A flustered voice finally emerged from the fragment, which had been mocking and jeering just moments ago.

[Why?]

[Aren't you afraid?]

The pitch-black mist enveloped my body even more thickly.

My soul was now trembling to the point of convulsing in fear.

It was trembling as if screaming, 'You idiot, I'm going to be shattered!!'

But I didn't care.

With blood dripping from my nose due to the strain of overusing Time Stop, I tightened my grip on the belt in my right hand.

This was a checkmate for the fragment of the Evil God.

It didn't matter if I failed.

If I failed, I would go to Korea.

If I succeeded, I could inflict proper pain on that goddamn fragment of the Evil God.

I felt no fear at all.

Yes.

It didn't matter.

Destroy it.

I'm not afraid, you know?

You can shatter my soul, but in return, I'll hit you just once.

Just once.

[Strange! This is strange!]

[Stronger! Make it stronger!]

The fragment of the Evil God was now visibly flustered.

The black aura grew even thicker.

I could feel the curses that had been cast on countless people on the ground leaving them and concentrating around me.

But still, nothing happened.

You goddamn bastard.

I'll make you experience the worst pain imaginable.

When the distance between us was less than a meter, fear finally appeared on the fragment's face.

[Don't come any closer!!]

The fragment flapped its wings as if trying to escape, but no way.

I cast Time Stop on the fragment's feet as it tried to flee.

Unable to escape, it froze in mid-air, as if nailed to the spot. I lunged towards it.

And I placed my hand on its body and activated the skill.

[Casting skill Sensitivity 3000x!]

I couldn't cast the skill on the fragment of the Evil God before, but this time, it worked.

They said the skill could only be used on living beings, right?

You made a mistake.

Fragment of the Evil God.

If you had just remained a parasite in her soul, this skill wouldn't have worked.

But now, Iomene's body is your body.

The pain felt by that body is naturally your pain as well.

"The pain that Iomene felt in installments over sixteen years, I'll make you feel it all at once, in a lump sum."

[N-No!! No!!!]

"Yes!!"

The belt swung.

With a sharp crack, Iomene's cheek swelled up, and a few corn kernels burst out.

And then...

[Ugh!!... Uwaaaaagh! Aaaaagh!]

The fragment of the Evil God started screaming.