777 Trap [3]
Following Kevin's death, a lot of things changed.
I was able to gain access to all of Kevin's powers; I was promoted to the role of Alliance Head, and I learned the truth about what was going on behind the scenes.
In tandem with that, my rank improved, and although I did not inherit his system, I did obtain access to the abilities that he had previously possessed.
...and one of these abilities was the ability to create portals that connected to different planets.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Figures continued to appear beside me.
People like Octavious, Monica, Donna, Douglas, and Ivana—basically the most powerful people in the human domain—were among those I knew very well and counted among them.
"Wow, these are a lot of demons."
"Ho, ho."
"You really did bring us to a nice show."
The plan was rather simple.
Create a portal―> Send everyone to Immorra―> Infiltrate the city ―> Open the portal ―> Kill the demons ―> Go home.
It was a fairly simple plan.
One that didn't take a genius to understand. That being said, it wasn't as easy as it sounded.
If I had to be completely truthful, I would say that sneaking into the city was the most difficult part of the mission. Even though I was quite powerful, snaking past over a couple of dozen demons with the rank of Duke and one demon with the rank of Prince was a task that was challenging for even me to complete.
I wasn't entirely confident I could do it, but…
What if the demons were aware of my every move and made it their mission to make things simpler for me and the others?
What if I purposely set up dummies outside, masked as the forces of the human domain, and tricked them into letting us into the city and their main tower so that they could trap us?
…If that were the case, wouldn't everything be solved?
"Thank you very much."
I whispered gratefully, looking at the Prince ranked demon in the distance. His complexion was rather pale, and the sight made me smile.
"…Thank you for being easy to predict."
***
It should not have been surprising that, out of the trillions of lives that existed in the universe, a few of those lives would have been born with incredible potential.
One that was far superior to that of their contemporaries and elevated them above the rest.
In fact, it would be more surprising if such individuals didn't exist. Regardless of race, there would always be a few who were born above the others.
A 'special' one.
It was how the universe worked… and it was something it knew very well, hence the existence of the Protectors.
They were the antibodies of the universe, with their sole role being to eliminate or stunt the growth of these so called 'special ones'.
…For 13.7 billion years, the Protectors had been faithfully carrying out their job.
They infiltrated many races and secretly took control of them.
Whenever one such 'special one' appeared, they'd do their best to stunt their growth, and if nothing worked, they'd eliminate them.
Just like a brain couldn't control everything that was going on inside, the same was true for the Records. The Records, despite all their power, couldn't control what was within the universe. The races that lived within and the 'special ones' that appeared.
It was the responsibility of the Protectors to make sure that everything ran smoothly, and if a particular race displayed an excessive amount of potential or upset the equilibrium that they had created, they'd do everything in their power to eradicate it.
Such was what happened to the demon race many years ago.
…or so how things were supposed to have happened.
BOOM―!
A figure flew across the space, bits of metal trailing the area in which they flew. Judging from the intricate runes that were in the shards of metal, they seemed to belong to a piece of armor that had now been torn into shreds.
Finally stabilizing its body, the figure was revealed to be a bulky, golden-haired, gold-eyed male. He was one such Protector.
"H-how."
As the Protector looked off into the distance, where a figure with white hair stood, his voice conveyed an obvious sense of distress. He watched as the white haired figure—Jezebeth—held another figure in his hand.
It was another Protector.
His grip was tight around the Protector's neck as it drooped over his hand and held it firmly in place.
"How?"
Jezebeth's cold and leisurely voice reverberated through the space, mimicking the Protector's voice.
Crack!
His hand, which was firmly placed by the throat of the other Protector suddenly tightened, and a golden orb quickly materialized in his grip as golden dust flew in the space around him.
Putting it away, Jezebeth turned his head to meet the Protector's gaze.
"Protector of the Seat of Chastity."
Jezebeth called out his title, and the Protector moved back. His face was pale, and he was still in shock at the current situation.
Just then… he had witnessed the complete and utter annihilation of five other Protectors, with him being the last of them.
He, who was supposed to stand within the pinnacle of the universe, watched as his compatriots were killed one by one by the one whom they had allowed to get away many years ago.
…Their biggest mistake.
"You're shocked, aren't you?"
Before he knew it, Jezebeth had appeared before him. He was so fast that he couldn't even react on time, and with the injuries he had sustained, he could only watch as his hand firmly grasped against his throat.
"Kugh."
The scene seemed eerily similar to one that he had just seen a few moments earlier.
"How is it possible for me to be alive? How is it possible when all seven of you have personally shown up to eliminate us all?"
Jezebeth muttered the questions that had been lingering in his mind ever since.
Truly… he couldn't understand. How was it possible for him to still be alive? Even so… back then, he was someone insignificant.
Even if he did survive, he shouldn't have grown to this point.
"Have a look at this."
Right then, Jezebeth extended his other hand, and a number of shards of metal materialized. They were surrounded by a faint eternal aura, and Jezebeth's expression gradually softened as a result.
"You want to know how I managed to survive? …It's because of this. This is what helped me survive, and allowed me to be here today."
He slowly clenched his hand, feeling the rough texture of the shards.
"The sole reason I'm still alive is because of them, and if not for them, I wouldn't be who I am today… Everything started with this cube, but what came after is what truly made all of this happen."
Although the cube was the initial spark that set in motion the series of events that led to his ascent to power, his success was primarily due to the fact that he happened upon the planetary seed.
Because of that, he was able to mature into the person he was today and assist the demons in regaining their former glory, which would not have been possible without it.
…A string of events was what allowed everything to occur.
One could argue it was fate or a string of coincidences, but Jezebeth didn't care.
He had only one goal in mind.
Everything else was secondary.
"Do you want to know why seven clans exist within us demons?"
Jezebeth's expressionless gaze turned to the Protector. The force at which Jezebeth held his throat tightened, preventing the Protector from speaking.
"A lot of people wonder if it has anything to do with the powers that they possess. It bears a striking resemblance to their representative sin, but despite the fact that this conclusion is in large part accurate, it is not the reason why their clan is named as such."
Jezebeth gave a little shake of the head and then raised his head to look at the planet in the distance. The clarity in his eyes began to cloud, and a look of reflection appeared on his face.
"…What you've done to me," he started, "I remember all of it. From how you massacred my clansmen, my loved ones, and everyone that I care for… I remember all of it."
Perhaps unconsciously or consciously, his grip on the Protector's throat tightened even further. It was so tight that the Protector found himself unable to groan.
"Not a single day has passed that I don't remember what you've done to my people, and there hasn't been a single day where I haven't thought about it."
His gaze started to clear up at that moment.
"I thought… I thought that what you did should be remembered by every one of us Demons. Just like how humans keep all records of those who have heavily sinned in the past, I etched your sins into the Demon Clans. For each of your Virtue, I named a corresponding Sin."
Jezebeth's eyes gradually shifted to focus on the Protector, who was staring back at him with a shaky gaze that spread throughout his body.
"You've guessed it."
He smiled.
"The Clans were made with the purpose of eliminating you Protectors. They're a reminder of what you've created, and while it's a pity that you couldn't witness their true power, you should rejoice at the fact that the Records will soon bear witness to their might."
Crack!
Like that―with the clench of his hand―the last Protector died.
From this point forward, the Protectors were no more.
Brilliant particles flew into the space around Jezebeth, and his gaze followed them as they drifted away from him. Raising his hand, he wiped the corner of his mouth, where a black liquid trickled.
He looked at it for a brief moment before turning his head to face the distance. Toward a familiar planet. One where a special person resided.
A smile appeared on his face not long after.
"…Just wait a little longer. I'll be there soon."
