Chapter 215: Grudges Settled, Immature Playwright

"Pit fiend! How did this thing get in here? Get off me!"

The Smoke Demon shrieked as the armor of mist covering Shugin shifted and contorted, forming a massive limb that slammed into the stunned pit fiend.

It could not fathom why a demon had suddenly appeared, nor why the demonic aura radiating from the human before it had grown so abruptly potent.

Caught off guard, the pit fiend was sent hurtling into the corridor wall, shattering the masonry as it crashed through.

"Can you still move? You don't look like you're at death's door yet, do you, partner?" the Smoke Demon asked the silent Shugin.

"Kill it." Shugin did not ask why the Smoke Demon had appeared; he simply charged forward, encased in the misty armor.

Though his body was weak and his battle aura nearly depleted, the Smoke Demon armor acted like an exoskeleton, granting Shugin a massive boost. The synergy of two entities, each possessing the physical prowess of a Grand Knight, achieved a result far greater than the sum of its parts.

Normally, Shugin required deep meditation to drive demonic power, and the consumption of battle aura for Spirit Possession was exorbitant—limited to the uncontrollable demons within him. To force their power, a vast amount of aura had to be funneled into that meditation.

But the Smoke Demon was different. Using its power required no aura. When the Smoke Demon voluntarily surrendered its strength, the Spirit Possession served only to synchronize their movements into a seamless, intuitive dance.

"Good. That’s how my partner should look."

The Smoke Demon laughed heartily. As Shugin, draped in the misty armor, transformed back into the Smoke Knight, fine wisps of vapor coalesced in his hand, hardening into a chain.

"I’ve got it! Pull it over here!"

The clamorous voice was thick with excitement. The Smoke Demon had no intention of letting the pit fiend recover from that initial blow; it had marked the creature, and now that mark manifested as a chain binding the beast.

"Boom!" Shugin slammed his feet into the ground, digging in for traction, then lowered his center of gravity and heaved.

The chain pulled taut. From beyond the shattered wall came a roar of terror and rage.

"Yes, just like that! Drag the bastard over here and smash its skull to pieces!"

The Smoke Demon chattered incessantly, its excitement so palpable one could almost feel its bloodlust to crush the pit fiend’s head.

"Shut up..." Shugin gritted out through clenched teeth, straining against the weight, desperate to silence the noisy entity.

"Oh, how heartless! I rushed here to save your life, and you tell me to shut up? A bit uncalled for, don't you think? Fine, fine, let’s kill this thing first."

The Smoke Demon grumbled, though it fell silent for the moment.

"Agh! Hiss..." The chain was dragged back relentlessly in the hands of the Smoke Knight. The pit fiend, unable to resist the combined might of Shugin and the Smoke Demon, was slowly but forcibly hauled through the breach.

No matter how it clawed at the floor, no matter how it writhed or tried to slash the misty chain around its neck, it was futile.

The chain moved with a life of its own, autonomously dodging the creature's claws. Every time the fiend reached for the binding, it lost its footing, only to be pulled faster toward its doom.

"Bang!" The pit fiend’s body slammed against the wall, the taut chain pinning it firmly in place.

With one final, synchronized surge of strength from Shugin and the Smoke Demon, the wall collapsed, and the pit fiend was dragged, amidst a shower of debris, directly before Shugin.

"Thud!" Shugin planted a boot on the pit fiend’s chest. The immense force caused the ground beneath the creature to buckle and crack, and the sickening sound of snapping ribs echoed through the hall.

"Clack!" The Smoke Demon’s chain morphed into shackles, locking the fiend’s arms and anchoring them into the floor. It was pinned, immobile, unable to strike back.

"Roar! Hiss!" The pit fiend’s eyes glowed crimson. Panic, fury, and madness—emotions rarely seen in such intelligent denizens of the Hell plane—flared within it.

Its maw, the only part still capable of movement, began to glow with ghostly green flames; the explosive Hellfire was primed to strike.

Yet, before it could unleash the blast upon the Smoke Knight, an ice spear pierced its throat. Violent frost elements erupted within, instantly suppressing and extinguishing the Hellfire. The spreading crystals froze the creature solid from head to neck.

"I wasn't just watching the show, you know! This thing almost killed me—hurry up and die! Captain, finish it!"

Sharl roared, furious. He had been holding a grudge ever since the fiend nearly ended him.

"Click-clack..." The joints of the Smoke Demon armor ground together with a mechanical resonance, lending a sense of crushing weight to Shugin’s slowly rising, clenched hands.

A massive axe, identical to the one wielded by the giant Smoke Knight that had slain the Source of Life, began to form. It was smaller now, but no less lethal. As Shugin raised his hands to their peak, the swirling mist solidified into the weapon.

"Hah! Boom!" The great axe tore through the air, accelerated by the dual strength of a Grand Knight and the Smoke Demon, and descended mercilessly onto the pit fiend’s neck.

The resilient demonic vertebrae snapped like dry twigs upon impact. The demon’s head was severed from its body, and a grotesque fluid sprayed from the stump, staining the floor in a chaotic mess. This time, no amount of vitality could save it.

"Ugh, what a disgusting thing. Alright, get back to what you were supposed to be doing."

The Smoke Demon’s clamorous voice returned; it had truly stayed quiet only until the fiend was dead.

"How did you get here? I thought I told you to follow Wang Yu and help him with his mission?"

Shugin didn't tell the Smoke Demon to be quiet again; he simply dissipated the misty axe and asked calmly.

"That kid figured it out. I doubt he knew exactly what you were planning, but my following him definitely tipped him off. He was right—you’re the one who’s conflicted and needs me more than he does. That kid will be fine; I trust him to handle his own problems."

The Smoke Demon’s voice was less abrasive now. As it spoke, it dissolved its form into mist, spreading out to scour the mansion.

It needed to locate Marquis Enkai. The inverted world would only last another ten minutes or so; in that time, it had to drag the Marquis out and finish him.

"That’s good..."

Shugin nodded, closed his eyes, and linked his senses with the Smoke Demon. Through the mist permeating the manor, he began to hunt for the enemy whose fire of hatred had burned in his heart for over a decade.

"He’s already reached the Abyss. It’s quite dangerous there; a large group from the Abyss Gate is blocking him. But, well, the kid is well-liked. The Night Veil Church and their gods have all come to help. If he gets into trouble, he won't be alone—not like you, you unlucky bastard. Don't worry."

As the Smoke Demon spoke, its mist covered more and more of the mansion. Finally, after a brief pause, its tone turned strange.

"Found him. In a hall filled with puppet scraps and explosion residue. Enkai is sitting there, waiting for you."

"Understood."

Shugin replied flatly. He felt no wild surge of emotion at finding the enemy he could never forget; he simply sprinted toward the hall.

With the power of the Smoke Demon, Shugin ignored obstacles like walls. Encased in misty armor, he crashed through the mansion until he reached the grand hall.

As his boots struck the floor, Shugin saw Marquis Enkai sitting there. The man opened his mouth as if to speak.

But Shugin had no intention of letting him utter a single word. He lunged forward and threw a punch with all his might at the man's head. Shugin wanted him dead—it was that simple.

"!" Shugin’s fist froze in mid-air. A flicker of shock appeared in his eyes.

The demons within him, previously suppressed by the devil "One" inside Sharl, were rioting again.

They were more violent and hysterical than ever, bordering on insanity. In an instant, Shugin’s control over his own body was seized.

"I know you want to kill me, but take a moment to think if it’s worth it. I left a contingency in all those demons inside you. If I die, they all die, and you die with them."

"I can atone for the past. I can make amends. I am willing to transfer all the wealth I’ve accumulated over the years to you privately, or even the entire Night’s Edge."

"Then, I will leave Alastair as an ascetic, using good deeds to compensate for my sins."

"Shugin, think. You have so many people who care about you. The love the members of Night’s Edge have for you isn't fake. You’ve done well for so many years."

"Your dear friend, Mr. Zieg Wilsbach, and Father Fang—think of them. How much grief would they feel if you died for revenge? Your life shouldn't end like this; you can do so much more."

"And the Royal Family—you’ve killed enough nobles to know how rotten they are. This festival, the God of Fear descending on Sewentan—it was all part of their plan."

"A great purge, designed to wipe out those restless new nobles. After this, without the opposition of those nobles, the Royal Family will only become more ruthless. What will happen to Night’s Edge without you as their leader? Think about it."

"You heard all that, didn't you, Sharl Reid? Go on, persuade your captain."

Marquis Enkai spoke with rapid-fire intensity, seizing the brief moment of Shugin’s paralysis to plead for his life.

"Captain..." Standing at the entrance, Sharl had heard every word. His mind was in turmoil.

"Damn it, is this guy telling the truth? If the Captain kills him, he dies too? One, can you tell if he’s bluffing?"

"It’s true. All those demons signed a contract with him. If Marquis Enkai is killed, they will be forcibly sent back to Hell, and Shugin will be torn apart by the spatial rift between this world and the Hell plane. With our current power, we cannot save him."

The words of the devil "One," echoing from within, sent a chill through Charles, and a frantic anxiety involuntarily flooded his mind.

Though he rarely held this captain in high regard, when it truly came to this, he could not accept such an outcome.

"Damn it, Captain, don't be so rash! We have a chance to kill this bastard. Just let someone else help you deal with those demons inside you; the world is vast, there’s always a way. It’s been this long, no need to rush it, right?"

Charles spoke urgently, secretly dampening his magical fluctuations behind his back to gather strength; he needed the Judgement tarot card to pin Shugin down—no matter what, he could not let him die here.

"Look, even your subordinate feels your life shouldn't end here."

Count Enkai flailed his limbs in a panic, wearing a forced smile as he continued trying to persuade Shugin, who was still wrestling for control of his own body.

"Partner, well? Have you made your decision?" the Smoke Demon’s voice resonated in Shugin’s mind.

"You didn't really need to pause. You should know that when facing this guy, I could never hesitate. No need to ask me."

"..."

"Cackle, cackle, cackle!" The armor emitted a harsh, grating sound as Shugin’s body was forced into motion.

Acting as an auxiliary engine, the smoke armor granted Shugin the ability to move even while he remained locked in a struggle with the demons within who refused to perish.

An arm shot out, and before Count Enkai could react, it clamped firmly around his throat.

"Cough, damn... you stubborn fool, stop this!"

Count Enkai’s neck strained under the mounting pressure, his cervical spine groaning as breath became a luxury.

"Stop it, I said!"

Enkai struggled to wave a hand, slamming it against his own chest where he had traced a bloody formation during the explosion earlier.

A sudden ripple erupted from Enkai’s chest, a bizarre force spreading out to wash over Shugin.

The demons within were affected, their power surging for a brief moment to suppress Shugin into total paralysis; even the Smoke Demon could no longer force the body to move.

"Cough! Let go, you damned wretch!"

Fumbling in his pockets, Enkai pulled out an alchemical bomb and pressed it against the demon-bound Shugin.

He would be caught in the blast, but he didn't care; survival was all that mattered. Holding out until the Reflection Space collapsed should be enough—those contingencies were sufficient to keep Shugin immobilized for a long time.

"Snap!" The alchemical bomb was caught by a hand formed of smoke and tossed into the distance.

"What a pity. I wanted my partner to kill you with his own hands, but now, I suppose I shall have to do it for him."

The Smoke Demon’s voice drifted out as the smoky armor detached from Shugin, leaving the immobile man behind while the smoky hand tightened around Count Enkai’s throat, never once loosening its grip.

"You—how is this possible? Why didn't it affect you!"

Enkai stared in disbelief at the Smoke Demon, unable to grasp why this entity had not been controlled.

"Because I am not one of those poor wretches you stuffed into this guy years ago. I was captured by him."

As the Smoke Demon spoke, he increased the pressure, crushing Count Enkai’s neck without hesitation and ending his life.

At the same time, an invisible barrier of smoke blocked a spear of light thrown from afar.

"Do you understand? Sometimes, respecting the choices of those you value is the right thing to do, rather than presuming to make those choices for them."

The Smoke Demon turned to look at the grim-faced Charles; clearly, Charles had tried to stop the execution and failed.

"My apologies. For me, joining the Night’s Edge was about revenge, but I’ve truly enjoyed my years with them. Their ideals and their will have genuinely influenced me, making me willing to fight for them."

"Yet, I am not a particularly noble man. My purpose never changed from the start: revenge. To kill this man, even my life is a small price."

"Thank you for coming to help. If not for your timely aid, what I left behind might not have been enough to kill him."

"Death is indeed a certain ending. It seems you, the self-proclaimed playwright, are still too green; you couldn't write the fate you wanted. Try harder next time."

After Enkai’s death, distorted traces began to appear on Shugin’s body—the precursor to a spatial rift opening between planes. The demons within Shugin began to be deported back to the Hell plane.

The sheer force generated by the mass deportation of so many demons at once was more than Shugin or the demons themselves could withstand; they were doomed.

In his final moments, Shugin looked at the distraught Charles and offered a smile entirely different from his usual stern expression. With his great vengeance fulfilled, there was no emptiness—only a profound, exhilarating sense of relief.

Were there regrets? Perhaps, but achieving his goal of revenge made it all worth it.

"I..."

Charles was speechless. He could already see the spatial distortions manifesting around Shugin. The crushing force of inter-planar space was beyond their control; Shugin’s life had entered an unstoppable countdown.

"You heard his words. I don't worry about the Night’s Edge. It is precisely because I know what kind of people they are that I have faith in them."

"They will be fine without me. Now, you must go. Get to the edge of the Reflection World, or the spatial distortion here will drag you in as well."

Shugin waved at Charles, and the Smoke Demon detached from him, rushing toward Charles to drag him away from the hall.

The last scene Charles witnessed was the space around Shugin turning chaotic and twisted, collapsing inward upon itself.

"Damn it, I, the so-called playwright of fate, am still too weak, too naive. My power is not enough—not nearly enough..."

Charles gritted his teeth, his fists clenched, his thoughts churning like a violent storm.