Chapter 282 : Calm Before the Storm (7)
Chapter 282: Calm Before the Storm (7)
Water overflowing from a cup filled to the brim always happens because of the final drop that falls into it.
Until that moment, unless some external change or pressure occurs, no matter what happens, the water contained within the cup does not overflow.
And right now, Berenistella could faintly sense that the moment just before that final drop fell had arrived.
“…….”
Berenistella.
Having lived for countless years, she possessed many nicknames.
Even if one excluded the numerous names that Professor Windy May Maddown had mocked her with to her face.
Among them, the title she both liked the most and found the most unsettling was the title of the Eight Demon Lords.
She did not particularly like the modifier “the last” placed in front of it, though.
Setting that aside, she was a being known as one of the Eight Demon Lords—the pinnacle among the Demons.
No, even saying “among the Demons” was technically inaccurate.
The Eight Demon Lords… the eight of them, including her, were all beings who had half cast off the limits of the species they originally belonged to.
…And in the distant past, people used to call such beings “devils,” regardless of species.
‘Though it’s a time so far back that even I cannot remember it….’
If someone heard that a Great War had broken out over such a trivial fact she had happened to learn, who would believe it?
What about the fact that she alone survived after killing all the other Eight Demon Lords who had rampaged under the blind belief that they were the ones destined to rule the world beneath their feet?
“…….”
Berenistella had lived for a very long time.
Over those years she had accumulated countless experiences, knowledge, and wisdom, and during that time her convictions had changed into many different forms.
At first, she believed the world was like cheese.
Milk, given the right environment, conditions, and time, becomes cheese.
Which meant that even if the environment and conditions were present and time passed, cheese could not be made without milk.
Conversely, even if milk existed, cheese could not be made if the environment and conditions were not met.
Perhaps the world was the same.
That was what she thought at first.
In other words, she believed the world moved according to something people commonly called causality.
But the Berenistella of the present believed that the world moved according to a certain current.
Like the flow of a river.
Like the movement of waves.
What people often referred to as the flow of the world.
“…….”
And Berenistella did not resist that flow.
She simply followed it.
She was not a pebble or a grain of sand—she was something like a massive boulder.
If she wished, she could easily defy that current and swim against it.
But Berenistella knew well that if she did so, she would eventually be worn away.
Had not all the other Eight Demon Lords been eroded away after resisting the flow?
She had never resisted the flow.
The fact that she could see the future had also contributed greatly to that decision.
And so even when all the other Eight Demon Lords except herself were killed—
Even when her own territory was invaded by humans—
She merely observed and responded passively.
Even when she was mocked and despised endlessly, she did not care in the slightest.
She always looked at the wind rather than the waves.
She knew that if one resisted the wind, one would inevitably break.
And at that time, she knew it was the other side that rode the flow.
…Berenistella did not particularly desire anything.
Unlike some, she did not wish for immortality.
Unlike others, she did not wish to become a god.
She did not want to obtain every piece of knowledge in this world, including magic and ritual sorcery.
Nor did she wish to cover the world with her own bloodline.
She simply…
Like most beings living in this world, she merely lived.
There was no special reason.
No particular purpose.
She had been the same.
Yes, she certainly had been.
But now…
“I will not let this pass.”
Crunch.
A terrifying sound escaped from Berenistella’s mouth.
Was it directed toward Arpentia, who had caused all of this?
Or toward Talia, who had toyed with her by cleverly hiding words and mixing truth with lies?
Or perhaps toward the Saintess who had made the so-called prophecy—the root of all this?
Her anger had no clear target.
“…How dare you.”
She muttered quietly.
“How dare you.”
Human Sacrifice. Worthiness of a Sacrifice.
Conditions. Regression. Miracle.
Lian Gwendil.
Evil Dragon. Remnant. Ritual.
Foresight. Prophecy.
…And his death. His corpse.
“…….”
Countless words swirled chaotically through Berenistella’s mind.
Perhaps she was jumping to conclusions.
But the mere possibility that her thoughts might be correct was enough to make her angrier than ever before.
“Once again…”
Once again, were they planning to make her witness that scene?
Once again, were they planning to make her do nothing but stare down at a cold corpse?
Once again, were they planning to force her to realize her own helplessness?
“…Not this time.”
Berenistella muttered, grinding the words out with a chilling voice.
…Truthfully, even now she did not understand why she was so bound to a single human like Lian Gwendil.
Even if more time passed, she probably still would not understand.
How should she describe it?
He was like clothes gradually getting soaked by a drizzle—
‘No.’
That expression felt strange.
He was not like that.
If she had to describe it…
Yes.
He was like sunlight touching the body without one even realizing it.
Yes.
Like sunlight, he had grown within her before she even noticed.
The first bond she had ever formed.
The first relationship she had ever formed with another person.
To Berenistella, who had lived alone for so long, that bond was a single drop of water.
Because of Lian Gwendil, Berenistella’s cup had overflowed.
And when she foresaw his death—
When she saw the image of his severed body discarded in a miserable state—
When she understood better than anyone that it was a fate that would inevitably arrive, one she could never stop no matter what she did, and that she could only watch helplessly—
…What kind of feelings had she experienced at that moment?
One thing was certain.
That indescribable emotion she felt then was what made her choose, for the first time, to resist the flow of the world and swim against it.
And that was why Berenistella was now heading directly toward the Underground Auction House where Talia was waiting.
“…….”
She had already been enduring an incredibly bothersome situation while respecting Lian’s will and following his thoughts.
She had even extended her hand and lent her power to the descendants of those who once trampled her territory.
…And yet they dared to trample and mock her decision and patience so lightly.
“Oh?”
When she arrived at the Auction House, Talia had already finished preparing for some kind of ritual.
“Ah.”
A ritual.
She knew the moment she saw it.
It was the Human Sacrifice Ritual.
There were five positions prepared for the required sacrifices.
“…….”
Her prediction had been correct.
Berenistella let out a quiet breath.
“What’s this?”
Talia blinked as she looked at Berenistella.
“You came earlier than I expected. But why are you breathing so heavily? You didn’t have to rush that much. There’s still a little time left—?!”
Talia suddenly cut herself off.
She immediately leapt backward while rapidly forming complex hand seals.
At the same time, an indescribable sound poured from her mouth like a waterfall—something that could not be expressed in human language.
KWA-KWA-KWA-BOOM!!!
Geometric patterns were carved into the air, emitting a brilliant light.
Then a terrifying wind extending from Berenistella’s hand crashed into the pattern and scattered violently in every direction.
CRACK! CRRRAAAACK!
Wherever the scattered wind touched, the surroundings turned black as if rotting away, twisting grotesquely.
The twisted areas shrank inward—
And then vanished completely, as though nothing had ever existed there.
It was a sight almost impossible to believe even while witnessing it with one’s own eyes.
If even a fragment of that wind had touched her, even Talia in her current state would not have escaped unscathed.
“…What is this?”
Talia’s eyes narrowed at Berenistella’s attack, which contained nothing but killing intent.
Even during the Great War of the past, she had never seen Berenistella harbor such intense murderous intent.
“You’re going too far for a jo—”
“Die.”
Berenistella had no intention of talking with Talia.
She simply wanted to tear her apart.
Before she had even been called one of the Eight Demon Lords—
Long before that, when she had not even known her own name and had been nothing more than a beast without intelligence—
With that same ferocious aura, she muttered coldly.
“I don’t care if it’s just your corpse. I’ll kill you, tear out your liver, and chew it myself.”
“…It looks like too much blood has rushed to your head.”
If this continued, something irreversible might happen.
And unlike Berenistella, Talia had things she needed to protect.
“…….”
She abandoned the idea of fighting alongside her two companions.
Even if they were strong, she could not guarantee what would happen if they were struck by that strange wind.
More importantly…
‘We can’t end up lacking sacrifices after coming this far.’
Arpentia was still unconscious, likely because of the Iron Needle embedded in him.
The only remaining person was Valen Zeisho.
“Jay.”
At her call, Valen Zeisho—who had been just about to release the arrow drawn on his bowstring—answered.
“What is it?”
“I’ll handle this alone.”
“Are you out of your mind?”
Valen Zeisho replied calmly.
“Have any of us ever fought one of the Eight Demon Lords alone? Shameful as it may be, we must admit it. None of us here can defeat her alone right now.”
“I know that.”
Talia said that as she formed another series of hand seals.
Berenistella had already steadied her breathing and was staring at her—and at Arpentia behind her—with a calm but terrifying gaze.
From that alone, Talia felt like she could vaguely guess what had happened.
‘Did some misunderstanding occur? Or…’
She clicked her tongue softly.
“Jay, please. Protect the others.”
“Talia.”
“Please. You know what matters most, don’t you? Don’t confuse your priorities.”
She spoke in a calm voice.
“If that wind touches them, you and I might survive—but the other three will turn into a handful of ash without even resisting. Are you really going to let that happen?”
“…….”
Hearing that, Valen Zeisho finally lowered the bow he had been holding.
Instead, he stepped back and carefully lifted the still-unconscious Arpentia.
“…Be careful.”
“Don’t worry.”
Talia flashed a grin.
Her voice was full of bravado.
“I can’t die before I die.”
And perhaps those words had touched Berenistella’s nerves.
She released a furious roar and once again unleashed that terrifying wind.