-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: The Deeper Levels
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Deep beneath the Demon Castle.
There, Stardus hunted monster after monster.
"Hah… hah…"
Inside the dim, gloomy chamber.
The space was enveloped in horrifyingly sticky black goo, and a damp humidity pressed suffocatingly upon the air.
Stardus fought another monster, sustained injuries, but continued her descent. Deeper into the underground.
Like a mayfly ceaselessly flying towards a flame.
"Khh…"
Due to the excessive combat, her body was already aching all over.
But she paid it no mind, continuing her descent, guided by her instinct.
It was partly because her instinct, a kind of 'super-sense,' was warning her that she had to go further underground right now.
You're just a kid who can't protect anything properly anyway, aren't you?
"….."
But it was also because of a voice whispering in her ear.
As she descended deeper into the underground, the light grew fainter, and the darkness began to thicken.
There, where black goo covered every inch of the walls, voices began to echo as if from inside her mind.
Like a devil's whisper.
You lost your mother, you lost your father. Is it truly the world's fault that your parents are gone? Or is it yours?
No matter how much you struggle alone, do you really think this world will change? You can't do anything. Who would ever understand you?
"Shut up…"
Stardus frowned, continuing her steps.
…This was clearly a curse woven into this space. Probably created by the villain who caused all this.
And Stardus's conjecture was precisely correct.
It was a device designed to instill extreme negative thoughts in intruders, making them curse themselves. An ability placed by Demonz, the villain who created this Demon Castle, to prevent intruders from reaching his sealed location.
Therefore, the voices echoing in Stardus's mind never ceased. They aimed to drive her away.
Stardus, vaguely sensing this, gritted her teeth, trying to ignore the rising thoughts and push forward, but…
You're going to ruin everyone in the end. Think about it... Egoistic. You ultimately ruined him yourself, didn't you?
Who would truly like you until the end? How long will the public truly like you? They can turn on you at any moment, based on a single action. Even Egoistic, would he still like you after all this?
Give up. It's pointless. No one will appreciate what you're doing anyway.
"…"
The curse woven into this place drew out all the bad memories Stardus had buried deep within, and all the negative thoughts she'd recently felt.
It relentlessly dug into the dark thoughts dormant within her, thrusting them before her.
Telling her to give up, to leave this place immediately. That no one would appreciate her efforts if she pushed on further.
"….Hah."
However, this curse overlooked one thing.
The fact that Stardus's mental fortitude was not like others'.
And so, this curse, designed to drive out intruders, was having the opposite effect.
"….I know."
Stardus mumbled to herself, without realizing it.
But what did it matter? She knew all this, but she was simply choosing to ignore it. What did it matter if this action was meaningless, or if the public turned their backs on her?
And well, even if Egoistic hated her now, that wasn't important.
…Probably.
"Damn it."
As these various negative thoughts surfaced again, she instinctively scowled and quickened her pace.
Yes. Far from slowing down, she descended even faster, encountering new monsters and clenching her fists to fight them.
Indeed.
There are two types of people in the world.
Those who, at the moment they are consumed by negative emotions, lose all will and simply lie down.
And those who, at the moment they are consumed by negative emotions, work even harder at what they're doing to drive them away.
And Stardus was clearly the latter type of person.
Kieeeeek!
"Shut up."
Wham—.
Having defeated another black, gargoyle-like monster that appeared somewhere in the underground, she pressed on with unstoppable momentum.
Struggling to endure the curse that continued to gnaw at her mind from her ears.
After her relentless charge,
she finally reached the large door of the deepest layer.
"….."
An unusually massive door, clearly appearing after the terror incident.
Now, the voices in her ear had ceased.
Convinced that the villain responsible for all this was inside, she promptly pushed the door open.
Beyond the door, which opened with a creak, lay a vast chamber.
And embedded in the center of that room was something enormous, black, and heart-shaped, several times larger than her.
Thump— Thump—
At the bizarre sight of it pulsating and writhing as if alive, Stardus's eyes naturally narrowed in a grimace.
Soon, she made a judgment: Ah, whatever it was, it must be connected to *that* villain.
Having finished her thought, she didn't hesitate.
"Hup…"
She inhaled sharply, then raised her fist. And simultaneously, her fist began to glow.
It was a trick she'd picked up from pummeling countless monsters down here: the ability to freely imbue her fist with this strange, glowing power.
With her fist raised, she thrust it straight towards the black heart.
KABOOOOM—!
"Kuh-hk…"
As it exploded, an immense amount of darkness poured out from within.
Heavy black smoke, rapidly filling the room as if to engulf it.
In the room, instantly devoid of all light, a roar echoed.
[KRAAAAAAAAAAAH—!]
And simultaneously, the darkness surged like a dragon.
With the sound of something shattering above, the Demon King's soul, freed from its seal, tore through everything on its way upward, ascending directly to the surface.
The Demon King has been unleashed. Now, only agonizing torment awaits you.
"Cough, cough."
Left behind amidst the dust-filled depths, Stardus, who had been looking up, also hastily began to fly towards the surface, following it.
Thus, she ascended back to the surface.
She had escaped the confined, dark underground and breathed fresh air for the first time in a while, but there was no time for that; she had to face the catastrophe that had appeared before her eyes.
[Who dares awaken this body ------!!!]
Under the night sky, where moonlight faintly illuminated the ground, *it* revealed itself.
Darker than the night sky, with a black form that seemed to pull you in, appearing almost as if clad in full armor and a cloak, *it* roared on the surface.
And simultaneously, with a grating sound, *it* turned its head—the one who had yet to become the Demon King—its head adorned with two massive horns.
Then, *it* saw Stardus before its eyes and roared so loudly the very earth trembled.
[Was it *you* who awakened me ------!!!]
[I shall send you to hell—!]
"Ugh…"
Then, with its roar, a powerful gust of wind swept forth.
As she instinctively shielded herself and pulled back, *it*, holding a red spear, charged towards her with its massive body.
The instinctively felt killing intent, the devil's whispers once again invading her mind.
Even in a situation where an ordinary person would lose consciousness, she raised her head and confronted *it*, which seemed to embody destruction itself.
…Thinking, 'How do things like *that* keep popping up in a small country like South Korea?'
"Hup!"
As Stardus's fist glowed, the battle began.
She fought, drawing upon every ounce of her strength.
Though her body was exhausted from continuous combat and her mind was worn down, she did not yield.
However, despite all that.
Her opponent was too strong.
She was continuously pushed back, the Demon King relentlessly pressuring her, swinging its red spear.
Should she give up here, like this?
No.
Stardus gritted her teeth.
She had things she'd built up, and things she'd lost, until now.
She hadn't fought this far just to give everything up here.
Imbuing her fist with that hope, she swung it with all her might.
A light brighter than any star, a light to drive away the darkness, flashed at her fingertips.
Bright enough to momentarily illuminate the night.
Flash—!
[KRAAAAAAAAAAAH -----!!!]
With the first scream she'd heard from *it*, *it* was sent flying far away.
The Demon King, crashing into a wall and collapsing.
Though *it* had been properly struck and knocked out, Stardus herself was far from normal.
"Cough…"
Amidst the shattered buildings.
Stardus, slumped amidst them, was half-collapsed from the side effects of overusing her abilities.
"Haa… haa…"
She clung to consciousness, barely able to move her body.
She had done her best.
Even with her body in tatters, she had unleashed an attack of this magnitude.
However.
She had fallen just short.
"Huu…"
Barely leaning her back against a collapsed wall, Stardus, with eyes that struggled to open, let out a hollow laugh at the sight before her.
…The Demon King, whom she had clearly thought defeated, was already getting up and approaching her. Dragging its red spear across the ground.
Haha. Though she had poured everything into it, was this truly the end?
As Stardus lay collapsed, thinking this, she suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu about the situation.
…Yes. In truth, this wasn't the first time she'd faced a situation like this.
With death approaching before her eyes, Stardus suddenly realized something.
She had always faced crises. There were times her life was threatened, times she encountered insurmountable foes and despaired, and moments when she let go of everything and gave up.
Yet, strangely, each time, someone had appeared in her stead. Someone who had shielded her life, stepped forward in her moments of despair, and offered encouragement when she was ready to give up.
…But could she truly say this time was the same as before? She had already severely hurt that someone, and broken them. Would he truly appear this time too?
Surely, he wouldn't come, would he?
She found herself thinking that, without realizing it.
As she quietly observed the approaching enemy with a bitter smile,
Thud—.
Right before her eyes.
As if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Someone fell from the sky, as naturally as always, just like every time before.
"Hmm…"
Landing on the ground, he let out a hum, then naturally began to stretch his arms, his appearance before her eyes sudden yet utterly natural.
Wearing a black hat, draped in a black cloak, and with one side of his face hidden by a mask, his smiling figure was more familiar to her than anyone else's.
"Whoa… Ah, hello, Stardus. We meet again, don't we? Oh dear, but it looks like *you're* the one collapsed this time!"
His smiling face, turning to look at her.
As if nothing had happened, as if nothing out of the ordinary was occurring here, he spoke to her with a bright smile, like someone out for a casual stroll. At the sight of Egoistic, Stardus found herself smiling despite herself.
"Haha…"
"Anyway, you've worked hard, so you should rest. It wouldn't do for my arch-nemesis to be defeated by some *other* villain, would it? I'll take care of the rest."
As always, he said something absurd, grinned at her, then turned his back and raised his weapon towards the motionless Demon King.
Then, his camera, which he had brought along, switched on.
"Ta-da! Good evening, this is Egoistic!"
Watching his back as he walked towards the Demon King, sword drawn, cloak billowing, speaking brightly to the camera with a smile.
Stardus, a faint smile gracing her lips without her realizing it,
quietly thought to herself.
Egoistic is a villain. Everyone knows this; it's an undeniable fact officially recognized by the Association.
Yes.
But. But still.
Someone like you.
How could I ever hate you?
"How could I… possibly?"
Stardus watched Egoistic's retreating back as he moved forward.
And whispered, without realizing it.