Fated to Be Loved by Villains
chapter-123

༺ Seal (3) ༻

“…What did you say? Black Devil?”

Narrowing her eyes, Tatiana spat out those words.

‘What a load of nonsense. How could beings like the Devils be created so easily?’

Anyone with a certain level of knowledge about Material Realm and other dimensions could easily understand how ridiculous of a notion that was.

Even the Ancient Gods, beings who possessed the power to blow up the entire Forge of Struggle, were only as powerful as a mouse in front of a cat compared to those beasts of the Astral Realm or the Pandemonium.

And said beasts could be reduced to dust with a thought by the Devils.

The Angels of the Astral Realm.

And the Devils of Pandemonium.

They were the most powerful beings in the entire multidimensional universe. Godly existences whose mere manifestation could turn the entire Material Realm upside down.

Yet this guy was trying to imply that such a being was ‘artificially’ created.

“Strictly speaking, he is not really a Devil.”

Talker said while sweeping off all the ornaments hanging on one of his arms.

Rosaries, Crosses, Charms, Relics of Saints, Bracelets engraved with Ouroboros…

A variety of ornaments, each containing sorcerous and religious symbols, filled both his hands in an instant.

Each and every one could be treated as a national treasure in any country.

But he treated them as if they were disposable items, easily worn and discarded.

“True Devils will invoke a greater impact than this. The moment their true bodies manifested, both of us would be sent straight to the underworld. In other words, it’s an express ticket to our demise. But, that isn’t happening right now, as you can see.”

It was a bit shameful to say this, as even among the true Devils, the most powerful one resided within Lady Tristan and he had leisurely subdued it with a single ornament just a moment ago.

But that was only because Lady Tristan herself had a remarkably low proficiency in handling that ‘strength’.

“However, this bastard…”

Was a little different.

He couldn’t really say that he possessed the inherent overpowering presence of a True Devil.

However…

The ‘intimidation’ that he gave off sent shivers down Talker’s spine, before spreading through his whole body.

It was enough to tell him that he was something far beyond an immature Devil’s Vessel.

And both Talker and Tatiana realized that…

If they couldn’t subdue him here and now, a great disaster would befall them later on.

‘…It’s too late to purify him.’

Talker’s brain whirred as he observed the black aura enveloping Dowd’s body.

There was a stark difference between his aura and Lady’s Tristan’s immature one.

From that, Talker could tell that the man was on the level where it was possible for him to facetank his abilities without even giving them a single glance beforehand.

Then again, Dowd immediately severed his ability with a blast of wind the moment he sensed Talker was about to use it. In other words, trying to do the same thing again would be futile.

Besides…

Even if he were to use his True Speech, Devils’ were in a hierarchy incomparable to anything else in the multidimensional universe. Mere sorcery of the Material Realm could never control their power.

In other words, if Talker couldn’t even suppress the Devil’s Aura that had ‘fully bloomed’ and ‘materialized’ to that extent…

‘Then, we just need to fight and beat it to submission!’

After all, the fact that it didn’t feel like a ‘True Devil’ meant there was a high chance that its combat power was lower.

With that in mind…

Talker started the first exchange.

Several ornaments that he pulled out all shone at once. They aided a Cursed Speech User, who could converse with the laws of the world, in communicating more smoothly.

And the Cursed Speech User could now deliver a much stronger ‘wish’ than before.

As a result…

-Song of Songs¹The Song of Songs, also called the Canticle of Canticles or the Song of Solomon, is an erotic poem, one of the five megillot in the Ketuvim, the last section of the Tanakh., I wish.

-Song of Songs, I wish.

-O Flame, that lights a loveless life.

【Light up the world.】

He could now perform such acts.

As the flowing sentences ended, Tatiana let out a shallow moan at the sight of the flame materializing in the air.

The Primordial Flame.

Something that was known to be able to melt even the scales of a Juvenile Dragon.

A technique known to be used by the Angels of the Astral Realm. In the Material Realm, it was practically a technique from legends.

And this bastard…

Just recreated it right on the spot in a matter of seconds.

‘…His understanding of sorcery, knowledge of the multidimensional universe, combat experience, all of it is…’

Completely overwhelming.

Tatiana never enjoyed being involved with this man, but she had to acknowledge his skill.

Indeed, he was a monster even among the ‘Chosen Ones’; The Executives of the Devil Worshippers. It was to the extent that his reputation for being able to subdue even the Boy King in an one-on-one didn’t seem exaggerated at all.

“Shall we see how you handle this extremely incompatible match-up!”

With such a spirited shout, fireballs immediately flew towards Dowd.

The powers wielded by the Angels of the Astral Realm were, naturally, abilities that formed a supreme polarity with the creatures of Pandemonium.

At least, as far as Talker knew, it boasted the power to completely burn a Vessel with a single Fragment without there even being a chance to resist.

‘That bastard would have to brace for significant loss if he wished to use the Devil’s Aura to suppress this.’

Beneath the dark aura wrapped around Dowd’s body, something flashed.

It was an amulet shining on his wrist, even while he was in such a state.

Simultaneously, several ‘Arrays’ floated above his arm.

Though they were Arrays made of merely five Tattoos, insufficient to block the Primordial Flame, they were still capable of slightly diverting their trajectory.

Originally, the attack should have struck its target instantly upon launch, but Dowd moved through the ‘gap’ created by these minor disruptions.

He avoided all attacks with acrobatic movements, traversing the ceiling and wall as if gravity applied differently to him.

“…Forbidden Sorcery? Are you kidding me?!”

Talker’s voice erupted in disbelief upon seeing the ability used to dodge the Celestial Flames.

A Devil who drew out enough Demonic Aura to cover their entire body was usually in a berserk stake, and even if they weren’t, maintaining rationality and sanity with such aura surrounding a human body was extremely unlikely.

Yet, Dowd chose the most efficient within his own arsenal, instead of just blindly believing in his own power and running amok. It was as if this ability to make such choices were ingrained in his very instinct!

“Apostle! I need backup!”

With that one exchange, Talker already understood something. There was a high probability that he’d end up ‘failing’ to kill Dowd by himself.

And so, he needed one more card in his hand!

“In that state, he’ll only be focused on me! Get closer and unleash anything, Weakening Curse or whatever, just throw anything you can at him!”

“…Don’t order me around.”

Despite her grumbling, Tatiana leaped forward, following Talker’ command.

After all, she knew it was futile to hit such a mobile opponent directly with her curses.

To increase the hit rate, even by just a little, she had to get close while that man’s attention was wholly on Talker.

And at that moment…

Dowd moved.

He closed the distance in an instant, appearing right in front of Tatiana’s nose….

It happened before Tatiana could even fully register his movement in her consciousness.

As if he had already ‘anticipated’ her actions.

“…!”

She raised her wand in horror.

His move was something she had never imagined at all.

“Don’t underestimate me…!”

Though not in the level of Talker, Tatiana was also one of the most educated people in the continent when it came to knowledge related to curses. She knew countless ways to block such a simple charge.

From generating Dark Matter to reduce any damage from attacks of the demonic attribute.

Or a Curse that could reflect all physical damage.

Even a Phase Shift to absorb all damage this body received and created a whole ‘new body’ at a designated coordinate.

However, all those numerous abilities she possessed…

[ Forbidden Sorcery: Seal ] [ The target’s skills are sealed for 0.03 seconds. ]

Were sealed by the Array that appeared again on Dowd’s arm.

It forcibly made it impossible for her to use any abilities. For a brief moment, she completely forgot ‘how to use’ her abilities.

And that alone was enough to stop her from putting up any kind of countermeasures.

There was no doubt that, until now…

She had never seen him using such an ability.

Despite him being involved in so many hardships in the Forge of Struggle. Despite him fighting against three Ancient Gods. Despite even being almost bisected by a Devil just moments ago…

He never used the ability even once.

As if…

Showing it even once to her might lead to him leaking his countermeasures.

Almost as if, until this very moment…

He had kept it hidden.

As if he had anticipated such a situation from the very beginning!

“…!”

In that short time, nothing could stop his assault. No, it wasn’t a mere assault anymore, this attack was enough to be classified as a killing blow.

Seeing the fist flying at her face, she hurriedly clutched her wand in horror.

It was a spiritual object passed down through generations as a devotee that served as the Apostle of the Reversed Sea.

She herself couldn’t use any of its abilities, but the features built into this wand remained intact even if she couldn’t exert power.

It was a perfect decision for a judgment made in less than a fraction o a second.

Or at least it would have been…

If only Dowd hadn’t bloomed a ‘grey aura’ right in front of her eyes.

“…Huh?”

Tatiana’s eyes widened as she felt her body slowing down.

‘Time’ was slowing down. Her consciousness stretched out before she could even do anything with the wand in her grasp.

It was akin to…

The Grey Devil’s Authority, ‘Corruption’.

‘How in the world is he controlling…’

‘This kind of ability…’

‘It’s a different Devil’s Authority…’

“…What!”

While such astonishment and horror was voiced by Tatiana…

Dowd’s arm was then enveloped in ‘blue aura’…

Similar to…

The Blue Devil’s Authority, ‘Pulverization’.

–!!

-!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Struck by that, Tatiana’s head…

Burst into pieces, like an exploding balloon.

Silence settled in the surroundings.

As Tatiana’s headless body collapsed…

Dowd caught that corpse with one arm.

The other arm reached near the neck where the head had once been.

Immediately after…

Something was ‘pulled out’ from inside there. It was the Spiritual Aura that constituted a human soul.

As if even the souls of the deceased were not free from that man.

As if he was filled with ‘malice’ that demanded such actions.

“…This feels like utter shit.”

Talker spoke in a low, sunken voice while looking at this scene.

It wasn’t necessarily a feeling of sadness for a fallen comrade.

“You. Are you fucking around with me right now?”

‘The bastard’s actions made it clear. I’ll be a fool not to realize this.’

From the very beginning, his goal was not to fight Talker, but to kill Tatiana.

The way he acted as soon as the opportunity arose proved it.

Not attacking immediately, despite being capable of doing so, was to make Talker ‘misunderstand’ that he had lost his reason.

This guy, from start to finish, had Talker dancing on his palm.

He had predicted his actions, reactions, and how the situation would unfold, even in that state.

In the end, Talker was manipulated into cornering Tatiana with his own hands.

“To be honest, I meant to just deal with you adequately, without trying too hard.”

And it wasn’t just that.

Right now, this bastard…

Used the Authorities of two different Devils ‘simultaneously’.

‘…It makes no sense.’

Setting aside how that was even possible…

If…

Just if…

If it was possible to simultaneously handle the powers of two different Devils…

Did that mean controlling more than that was also possible?

Then what in the world was the final point?

This was a stretch, but…

Could he wield the powers of all the Devils?

“…”

Then…

Exactly how much of a monster did that make him?

“I really need to kill you right—”

“…Stop, Talker.”

Talker turned around incredulously at the voice that restrained him.

There stood the Prophet, still looking dazedly at Dowd.

“…What?”

“I said stop.”

The Prophet continued with a sigh.

“We can’t kill that. At least not in that state. If he can use multiple Authorities, it means his very attribute has changed from a human.”

“…How do you know that? Wait, what does that even mean in the first place?”

The Prophet shut her mouth tightly.

Her actions seemed filled with an emotion like a deep wound was being gouged.

As if…

Dowd, in ‘that form’, evoked some terrible memories in her.

“…We’ll retreat for now. We can always get another chance.”

The sentence that followed, thought, carried none of that emotion.

“But next time…”

Her gaze lingered on Eleanor, embedded in the wall.

“We’ll make them pay.”

Her voice was undoubtedly filled with firm hatred.

“…”

Talker looked back and forth between Dowd and the Prophet with an incredulous look.

Though his face was blatantly expressing the question, ‘Have you lost your mind?’

The Prophet’s demeanor remained unwaveringly obstinate.

“…Ugh fine. Have it your way.”

In the end, Talker raised his hands in resignation.

The Prophet’s gaze lingered on Dowd, who was crossing his arms while watching them.

Having achieved his goal by killing Tatiana, he seemed to indicate he had no intention of fighting them further.

It was as if… Just like how she couldn’t kill him…

He also couldn’t kill her.

It was an attitude that both sides knew each other very well.

“…See you next time, Mr. Dowd.”

Upon seeing his intention, the Prophet continued with a sigh.

“I had no idea you would make such a ‘contract’ using yourself as collateral, but…”

A portal tearing through space opened.

It was the effect of one of the artifacts the Prophet possessed. A hyper-spatial transporter that teleported her anywhere regardless of distance.

“…I hope you attain the future you desire…”

Unbefitting of her…

The last sentence the Prophet left was…

“This time.”

Spoken in a voice tinged with something akin to sorrow.

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Footnotes:

• 1The Song of Songs, also called the Canticle of Canticles or the Song of Solomon, is an erotic poem, one of the five megillot in the Ketuvim, the last section of the Tanakh.