514. Easy Revenge

Belzu watched from a distance.

He didn’t join the fighting, nor did he use his illusions to aid the two women. They were locked in battle with a [Cerberus] 30 levels above them. Sure, Salvos had her Grand Skill, and Scarlet had the Treasures of Alexander, but even though Belzu was the closest in level to Levithus.

However, he just looked on.

The gray world faltered as all kinds of colorful light flashed out with the clash of claws or metal. The iridescent glow of Divine Essence was the most visible here in the [Antimagic Field]. But Belzu also saw through this veil of colorlessness, looking on as Scarlet lashed out with a crimson aura, and staring as Salvos unleashed golden flames.

Levithus took it all on. He regenerated slowly. Not nearly as fast as Ira. It was like the [Cerberus] was bathing in a pool of a very weak healing potion. The regeneration was evident, but if either Salvos or Scarlet hacked off his three heads, he would instantly die. If he was impaled through the back of his neck, he very likely wouldn’t survive for long.

Maybe they’d defeat him if Belzu helped out. But he refused to budge. He just floated there as his wings buzzed, until Salvos drew back next to him. She clicked her tongue and faced the Lord of Lies.

“What are you doing? We need your help!”

As the silver-haired girl spoke, Scarlet backed away from the swiping claws of Levithus. He hounded after the Red Rose, but with the Boots of Alexander and the Greaves of Alexander, she kept him back.

Belzu turned to Salvos with a callous gaze. He glanced at her dismissively before shaking his head.

“We cannot kill Levithus.”

“What are you talking about? This is our chance to—”

Salvos started, only for Belzu to cut her off.

“I am not saying we are incapable of killing him. But that killing him marks our own defeat.”

Her brows snapped together. Did she forget? Belzu highly doubted it. Despite her casual and carefree personality, he knew she was rather astute when it mattered.

Salvos raised a hand and pointed at Levithus, unleashing a flurry of flaming projectiles his way. He leapt out of the way with ease, only to be intercepted by a kick from Scarlet.

“It is either we die to him, or he dies to us. We already tried to stop him without exacerbating the ritual. But we’re out of options, Belzu.”

The silver-haired girl spoke softly. Grimly. Her gaze was fixed on her target, and she stepped forward as she turned back to face the Lord of Lies.

“You can do whatever you want. But I know what I am going to do right now.”

With that, she charged at Levithus. Belzu watched as she flanked the [Cerberus] from the side, knocking him away from Scarlet. The Lord of Lies didn’t say a word. Belzu simply watched.

Alone, Salvos and Scarlet didn’t stand a chance against Levithus. Even with the injuries that the [Cerberus] had already suffered. But together, they were putting up a fight. And maybe if Belzu joined, they would actually win this fight.

But the Lord of Lies just closed his eyes. He thought of everything that had led to this moment. He recalled his journey from his birth, surviving through countless cycles of Advent and Desolation over and over again. Through it all, he had fled and escaped the clutches of the Demon King.

All he had cared about was his own survival. For so long, nothing mattered to him but his own life. He would betray and deceive anyone he encountered for his own gain. He had learned that was the nature of the Netherworld from his very birth.

His siblings— they had been so plentiful. But they had been slaughtered when they first encountered a wild Demon. It had been a [Hellhound], and it was a massacre. Belzu remembered pushing one of his sisters into the jaws of the [Hellhound] just so he could survive.

So Belzu had never cared for anything but himself. And that had been how he lived for so long. Maybe that was why he hadn’t leveled much for such a great period of time. But then he encountered the Beast. He spoke with the Devil.

But most of all, he had heard the Demon King’s plans for merging the planes.

And that was when the Lord of Lies finally became who he was now. No longer a coward, he rebelled against Regnorex. It was such a foolish plan. It was utterly ridiculous. Yet, here it was, so close to being fulfilled.

Belzu couldn’t allow it to happen. He had to do everything that was necessary to stop it. So he opened his eyes and… vanished.

Levithus pounced on Scarlet. She went flying as she barely blocked the attack with the Greaves of Alexander. She crashed into a wall, but the [Cerberus] didn’t let up. He leapt forward with a burst of black flames and opened his terrible maw.

The Red Rose winced, but there was a blast of iridescent flames. It knocked Levithus back, keeping him from reaching her. Salvos landed on his back and dug into his charred flesh with a dozen fiery limbs. The [Cerberus] howled in pain as Scarlet watched.

This… was too close for comfort. If Scarlet failed to block or dodge even a single attack, she would die. She picked herself up and tightly gripped onto her daggers. Her Skills were mostly useless, so she didn’t even know why she held onto her daggers.

There were only a limited number of Skills she could use in tandem with the Greaves of Alexander. That was her best weapon against Levithus. So she stepped forward with the Boots of Alexander. She sprinted forward as the world blurred around her. At first, just turning into a messy smudge.

But then a crimson aura flickered around her. It sheared through the gray world, giving birth to color even in the [Antimagic Field]. Scarlet lowered her daggers and raised her legs as she spun in the air.

She targeted Levithus. She saw the [Cerberus] and only the [Cerberus]. Scarlet didn’t notice Salvos leaping away as he snarled dangerously. The Red Rose could avenge Mori Gladius here. She was going to slay his killer today!

“[Storm of Thorns—”

Scarlet started as she reached Levithus, accompanied by a crimson cyclone. The [Cerberus] snapped its three heads back her way and opened his mouths. He unleashed a breath of black flames her way, and the Red Rose swerved around the attack mid-air.

She avoided his fury as he growled. No matter where he turned, she was a step ahead of the attack. The Red Rose reached his back and landed a flurry of kicks. Levithus yelped as he was struck into the earth. But she didn’t let up.

The Red Rose continued digging into his back like a drill. She unleashed an unending strike of kicks with the Greaves of Alexander. There was nothing Levithus could do as he was buried into a growing crater. His bones break. His skin tore.

He was going to die today. And she was going to kill him.

Scarlet screamed as she aimed for his head, lashing out with a powerful kick. But the [Cerberus] snarled. He raised his head and chomped up, biting into the Greaves of Alexander. His teeth shattered. His mouth bled. The Red Rose blinked, but he stopped her attack.

“That’s…?”

And Levithus tightly yanked her leg with his shattered jaw, slamming her down on the ground. Scarlet gasped. She felt her bones shattering. She landed on her side, breaking her left arm. The Red Rose let out a heavy wheeze as she felt her body crumpling from the attack.

The [Cerberus] would have finished her off. But there was a flash of light coming from the sky. Salvos hovered high above, raising a sphere of black flames.

“[The Call of Armageddon].”

A deluge of small dark comets fell upon Levithus, crashing into his back. He let go of Scarlet and rapidly jumped out of the way. But the falling stars gave chase to him. They avoided Scarlet, crashing around only the [Cerberus].

The Red Rose lay there as she groaned. Her vision darkened, and she felt her blood pooling beneath her. She barely looked up and watched as Salvos descended, while the black flames continued to crash into the earth.

“Am I going to die here, Mori?”

Scarlet wondered aloud. She tried to pick herself up, but she could hardly even move her right arm. This had been her chance for revenge. To kill the killer of the man she loved.

But she was too weak. She had always been weak. She never understood what Mori saw in her. Still, he gave her a chance. And she flourished thanks to him.

Now, he was gone, and she was nothing. She could never amount to anything without him. It was ridiculous. She was supposed to be the successor of the Remembered Order Company. She was supposed to take up the mantle of the Champion of the Human Lands in the same way Mori Gladius took up the mantle of the Watcher.

But Scarlet had failed. She failed Mori Gladius. Not just in life, but now in death too.

“I-I’m sorry…”

Her eyes began to close as she stared at the black sphere hovering high in the sky. She heard the sounds of fighting in the distance. Salvos was still locked in combat with Levithus. But it was not just them.

The Red Rose listened as all her other senses grew dull. And in the distance, she heard the cries of battle. She heard the shouts and screams that came from beyond the rubble. The United Coalition of the Human Lands was here. All of them were fighting side by side to put a halt to this grand ritual.

And amongst that army was the Remembered Order Company. Scarlet’s company. The company she had been tasked as the leader.

Mori Gladius was dead. She had thought he came back to life, but he was fully dead. And that meant she was the leader of the Remembered Order Company.

So it wasn’t just Mori who she failed. She had failed the rest of her company too. Each and every adventurer who had died since Mori’s death— she had failed them all. So many friends and allies. All dead. Because of her.

Tyrian was dead because of her.

Scarlet remembered the Brightsbane Archer. He was always so carefree. A truly kind soul who accepted Scarlet the instant Mori announced her as his successor. Everyone else had doubted her. But Tyrian didn’t.

He had died because of her. Because she was so distracted with Belzu.

And Scarlet was going to die now, failing Tyrian— failing Mori. She was going to die failing her entire company. This thought… it upsetted her. It made her mad. It snapped Scarlet’s eyes wide open.

Was she really going to die here just like that? After Tyrian’s death, and after Mori’s death. After all those lives lost, was she really just going to accept her fate like this?

No!

Scarlet groaned as she raised her right hand. The world was fading away. Her vision threatened to fail her. She couldn’t feel the rest of her body. The sounds of fighting grew muffled. But she didn’t care.

The Red Rose was driven forward by her anger. By her failure. If she was going to die, then she would die fighting, not lying around and accepting her demise. She dug through her Bag of Holding with her one hand, searching for the last gift Tyrian had given her.

She finally produced it— a Potion of Regeneration. And she gulped it down. Scarlet splashed it all over her body as she heard her bones cracking back together. Rising to her feet, Scarlet coughed and hacked as she took in her surroundings.

Her senses returned. She could finally see again. The sounds of the clashing of battle resumed, and she looked up as the black sphere in the sky faded away. Scarlet took a moment to regain her bearings before clambering out of the crater.

She emerged just in time to see Levithus ripping one of Salvos’ wings off and striking her across the stomach. The silver-haired girl crashed into a nearby pile of rubble as he growled, opening his mouth. He was badly hurt. He was burned and beaten, walking with a limp, but he still refused to back down. Black flames gathered in his three jaws as the Red Rose eyed him.

This was her chance. While he was distracted. She could finally exact her… her…

“Revenge?”

Scarlet raised her head for a moment in thought. But she shook her head and corrected herself.

“No— justice.”

With that, the Red Rose sprinted forward, and Levithus paused. He turned to face her with his three heads as he howled, unleashing the plume of black flames. Scarlet didn’t leap out of the way, nor did she jump above the attack.

She continued running. The Boots of Alexander rapidly carried her forward. And she rose above the blast of black flames.

Scarlet ran in the sky.

It was thanks to the Boots of Alexander. It let her run on any surface, even the air. So she easily ran over the pouring deluge of dark fire. Levithus watched as she easily avoided his attack. He backed up warily, growling as she ran directly overhead him.

And the Red Rose jumped. She propelled herself straight down at the [Cerberus].

He braced himself as she swung down with a kick. The Greaves of Alexander flashed. It wisped with an iridescent aura, and Levithus snarled. He couldn’t dodge out of the way. She was too fast, and he was clearly injured. So he did the same thing he had done just earlier.

He bit hard.

Once again, Levithus chomped down at her leg to block the attack. This time, he caught the Greaves of Alexander in all three of his mouths. His teeth didn’t shattered. His jaw didn’t break. He had taken the full brunt of her kick without flinching.

And he clung on tight onto her leg as he growled.

“You shall die for my King.”

He spoke in a muffled voice— an echo of three voices. The [Cerberus] raised his heads, lifting Scarlet up to slam her down onto the earth. But Scarlet was prepared for that. She had known this would happen. And the iridescent energy at her feet only grew wilder.

“You shall die for me.”

Scarlet countered as she kicked up. Even when her leg was caught in the jaws of the [Cerberus], she moved. The Divine Essence burned as Levithus recoiled, trying to let go of her legs. But it was too late.

The Greaves of Alexander exploded with Divine Essence. It poured out in a streak like a rainbow. It blasted through the three mouths of Levithus. His entire body staggered back, only to go limp a second after.

The Red Rose swung up with the Greaves of Alexander, and the three upper heads of the [Cerberus] went flying. All at once, she decapitated him from the inside. Everything from above his jaw was blasted straight off.

Scarlet flipped back and landed with a clink as the iridescent aura faded away. She raised her head as she whispered.

“Temporary Skill: [Divine Wave].”

And she glanced back. Behind her, Levithus collapsed to the ground, lifeless. The [Cerberus]— the [Hellprince] responsible for the deaths of her friends and the man she loved— was dead.

It was over.

Scarlet the Red Rose had finally brought Levithus to justice.

And as a barrage of notifications overwhelmed her, she collapsed in exhaustion.