Chapter 123 : To the Labyrinth (9)

I don’t know what kind of connection exists between Akiro’s Labyrinth and the Demonic energy.

Because it is my first time seeing something like this too.

However, one thing certain is that Akiro’s Labyrinth has the property of swallowing Demonic energy, and that gathered and eventually even created a Spirit.

“Lion.”

Lion, who was spacing out for a moment, only then lifted his head.

“……Ah, yes?”

“What did you see?”

“Yes?”

“Didn’t memories flow in?”

“How do you know that……?”

As expected.

“First, I will hear about that later, let’s get moving.”

At this, Luna, who had been watching the situation quietly until now, cut in.

“Huh? Suddenly? Did you perhaps find out something?”

“Yes.”

“What is it?”

“It’s not something to talk about here now, you will know soon.”

“Doing that again. Would it hurt to just tell me refreshingly?”

Luna grumbled, but she didn’t urge for an answer even so.

“Let’s go, it looks like it will become noisy soon.”

Boom!

Kwaaaang──!!

As soon as I finished speaking, the fight between players who had picked a fight intensified gradually.

Beyond the Demonic energy they emitted at first, they even brought out magic of a considerable level.

It was hard to see anything good by remaining here for no reason, so it was better to leave this place like others.

“Wow, even for a kids’ fight, isn’t that too excessive? Should I stop them?”

“Nonsense. It is meaningless work, so let’s just go our way.”

“Hmm…… Okay.”

As we left the 2nd floor safe zone, the endless desert spread out again appeared before us.

“Ugh…… I feel thirsty already.”

“Since we replenished water sufficiently at the oasis, it won’t be as hard as when we came.”

“That’s fortunate at least.”

Luna spoke like that and stuck closely to my side as always.

She stuck because my surroundings always maintained a cool temperature due to the Orb of Water.

“Won’t you move away a bit.”

“Isn’t it time for you to get used to it now? And does it make sense to enjoy this good thing all alone? Ah, Lion, you come here too.”

“Ah, yes yes.”

“……Sigh.”

As we walked the desert with baggage attached as always, demonic beasts blocked our front again as always.

【Lv.5】

【Sand Scorpion】

“You handle it.”

“I think you can just shoot with that gun? It’s hot so I don’t want to move.”

“I don’t want to either.”

“Aish.”

Luna did not procrastinate on work she had to do even while whining.

“Let’s go a bit easy, you tiresome guys!”

Kwaaaaaang!!!

Without even needing to use magic, the shockwave created by pure brute strength tore apart the level 4 demonic beasts at once.

I feel it anew, but it was still a physical ability that was ignorant beyond measure.

‘There was a time when even that looked laughable once though.’

Of course, it has become a distant past event to the point where I don’t even remember now.

“……Ah.”

At that moment, Lion stopped his steps.

“What’s wrong? No, wait. Again? It appeared earlier!”

Luna spoke as if fed up, seemingly used to this abnormality of Lion now too.

“Something is different……!”

Lion’s body trembled and the space around Lion rippled.

“Kkeuk, kkeu-euk!”

Along with that, the form of the anomaly that had appeared until now began to appear from Lion.

As if swallowing Lion.

“Lion!”

Luna, who watched that scene, shouted in an appalled voice and prepared to rush in.

“Wait, hold on.”

“What are you doing right now? Move.”

An unusual aura flowed out from Luna.

However, I could not step back.

“Just leave it be. This was a problem we shouldn’t have intervened in the first place.”

“……What does that mean?”

“Lion is a Spirit.”

I added.

“And that anomaly is also one.”

“……What?”

At that moment.

The anomaly that was embodied from Lion before we knew it roared while looking at us.

-Kieeeeeek!!!

The anomaly, which should clearly be Lion, was clearly showing hostility towards us.

As if it didn’t recognize the likes of us at all.

What this meant was clear.

“The initiative has been completely taken away.”

“……What does that mean?”

“Probably that anomaly and Lion were originally one existence. But they must have been split into two for some reason. The reason the anomaly chased Lion until now must have been due to the property of trying to return to one.”

Luna’s eyes reflected beyond the lens trembled roughly.

“Then, then what do we do? What happens to Lion now?”

“We have to make Lion gain the initiative of power as a Spirit completely.”

“How?”

“Simple.”

I reached out my hand and added.

“We just have to completely silence the consciousness revealed on the surface. Then Lion’s consciousness that was below the surface will naturally rise.”

And the special sleep medicine reveals its appearance from the hand along with the occurring blue halo of light.

[Activating ‘Weapon Summon(??)’.]

[‘Lv.2’ weapon is summoned.]

[Summoning weapon, ‘B686 Double Barrel Shotgun’.]

Luna spoke without being able to hide her aghast voice.

“……Is that really okay for Lion?”

“Well, I don’t know. But is there another way?”

“That is…… there isn’t.”

“Then watch quietly.”

I left Luna, who couldn’t hide her anxious look, behind and looked at the incarnation of the Spirit that was Lion and simultaneously the anomaly.

‘Hmm.’

A Spirit is an existence with a very extreme difference in rank between individuals, unlike demons who are transcendent from birth.

For example, some Spirits like the Emperor of Fire or the Spider Queen have reached a transcendent rank like demons, but there are also not a few Spirits that remain at the rank of merely one demonic beast level.

Then just how much would be the rank as a Spirit that Lion and the anomaly possess.

‘It won’t be that high.’

In the first place, the Spirit in front of my eyes is an artificial Spirit created by the intertwining of the laws existing in Akiro’s Labyrinth and the Demonic energy possessed by players from its very birth.

Considering that Spirits usually accumulate rank over a long time, it means the rank cannot be high even if it wanted to be.

‘However……’

Spirits have different powers and authorities they can exert depending on their origin.

The origin of the Spirit right in front of my eyes now is none other than Demonic energy.

It is a ferocious and evil power more than any energy existing in this world.

In other words, it meant that no matter how low the rank of the Spirit is, the possibility that the power it possesses is weak is low.

-Kieeeeeek!!!

As if symbolizing such origin, the incarnation of the Spirit emitted an extremely ferocious aura and rushed at me.

“Where to.”

Clack.

Along with the pulled trigger, the 70mm 12 gauge shotgun shell wrapped in Demonic energy rushed towards the incarnation of the Spirit.

Tang!!!──

Contrary to the expectation that the poured shotgun pellets would scatter the guy like dust, the heard sound was dull.

Kaang!

The shotgun pellets hit the guy, bounced off, and scattered in all directions.

“Tsk.”

What this meant was obvious.

Unlike the past when it was separated from Lion, it meant it had completely manifested now.

Usually, an existence without mass manifesting in the material world was like gaining a weakness that didn’t exist in a way, but speaking conversely, it means it can exert that much physical force.

Just like right now.

-Kieeeeeek!!!

Kwaaaang!!

“Cain!”

“I’m not dead so don’t worry.”

The automatically activated shield of the Orb of Water blocked the ignorant punching of the incarnation of the Spirit.

However, judging by the rough trembling of the Orb of Water, it seemed difficult to continue blocking if attacks like this continued several times.

Tang!

As the guy continued to rush in, I pulled the trigger for checking purposes, but as expected, it didn’t seem to have much use.

Despite being a Demonic Bullet filled with even Demonic energy, it seemed insufficient against the guy who even finished manifesting.

‘Then……’

Swaeaesaek!

The Demonic energy extended by the incarnation of the Spirit rushes towards me.

“Watch out!”

Luna’s scream-mixed warning was heard, but there was one fact that Luna didn’t know.

That to me, Demonic energy of a level I can handle cannot cause any effect on me.

[The authority of the Postponer of Ruin rejects the Demonic.]

Passeuseu─

The barrage of Demonic energy that rushed at me literally crumbled in midair.

If the Demonic energy emitted by that thing far exceeded my capacity, even the power of the Postponer of Ruin would have been useless, but fortunately, it didn’t seem to be at that level.

“Dodge! It’s coming again!”

There was no time to rest.

The incarnation of the Spirit continued to rush at me, and I threw away the B686 Double Barrel Shotgun while moving and took out my strongest weapon.

[Activating ‘Weapon Summon(??)’.]

[Personal weapon is summoned.]

[Summoning weapon, ‘AKR-74 Assault Rifle (GF-40 Grenade Launcher Combined)’.]

“Eat this.”

Along with the pulled trigger, Demonic Bullets and grenades mixed together and poured towards the incarnation of the Spirit.

Tatatatatang!!!

Kwakwang! Kwakwakwang──!!!

If it gained a physical body, unlike before, the firepower of the grenade launcher also wouldn’t be ignored.

As the thickly risen explosive smoke cleared, the appearance of the incarnation of the Spirit staggering and unable to steady its body was revealed.

-Kiee…….

It meant the firepower projection just now definitely had an effect.

“Still far from it.”

However, it is still insufficient.

More firepower was needed to completely silence the anomaly’s consciousness.

Clack─

The trigger was pulled again and firepower poured out.

-Screeeeeeech!!!!

I, who completely emptied the magazine in a veritable instant, unfolded the authority of the Orb of Water as I was.

[‘Orb of Water’ activates authority according to the wearer’s will.]

[‘Orb of Water’ deploys ‘Splashing Waves’.]

Small sparks arose amidst the scattered water spray.

Tzzt, Tzztzzt!

[‘Nak’s Legacy─Jeon’ activates authority according to the wearer’s will.]

[‘Nak’s Legacy─Jeon’ deploys ‘Flash of Lightning’.]

Pajijijik───!!!

-Kieeeeeeeek!!!

White smoke rose from the body of the incarnation of the Spirit which was hit by all sorts of attacks in succession.

But not yet.

I, who drew the Fang of Blazing Fire, rushed at the incarnation of the Spirit as I was, stepping with the Gale Step.

“Go to sleep.”

Pu-uk!──

The Fang of Blazing Fire pierced the body of the incarnation of the Spirit, and the Blazing Fire flowed back riding the blade as it was.

-Kieeee…….

Only then did the body of the incarnation of the Spirit, which struggled for a long time, crumble.

‘Is it done.’

I finally succeeded in silencing the anomaly’s consciousness to some extent.

Then what remains now is to pull out Lion’s consciousness that would be submerged below the surface.

The method for that was simple.

Lion’s essence is a Spirit.

Then, as a contractor, I just have to forcibly call up the target to make a contract with.

Not as the anomaly, but as Lion.

“Contract declaration.”

Along with the recited incantation.

“Demonic Spirit Restoration.”

The world was dyed in darkness.

***

The world is submerged in darkness.

Nothing can be seen.

Nothing can be felt.

There was no need to think deeply about whose world this was.

If it is a kid with bad quality seeing the world so darkly, I already knew one.

As I walked inside the world created willfully like that, the figure of a child crouching in one corner was seen.

It was Lion.

“Lion.”

“I am sorry. I am sorry. I am sorry. I am sorry. I am sorry. I am sorry. I am sorry. I am sorry.”

“Lion.”

“I, I didn’t mean to do that…… I am, I am a monster. I shouldn’t be alive. I am……”

Has he become this weak even in his own contract space?

“Lion, I need you.”

“……Me?”

“Yes. So I want you to help me from now on, as a Spirit.”

“But I am a monster. Help from the likes of me…… you won’t need it.”

“Do not judge your value yourself. I came to this place to pay a fair price to you and make a contract.”

“……Contract, you say?”

Along with that, a black scale that originally didn’t exist began to reveal its appearance.

The Scales of Fairness.

It detected the Contract of the Golden Rule and revealed its appearance.

“What I want is Lion, for you to be with me as a Spirit of Demonic energy.”

Along with that, the scale made of darkness tilted to one side.

Because the price I would offer was not decided yet.

“The price I will give you is.”

That was decided from the beginning.

“I will take you to the world.”

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