Chapter 490: Chapter 489: Yandere Demon ?
Pah!
Void’s feet hit the ground as he bounced like a spring, and at that moment, the rain of swords fell, drowning Ire beneath them.
Click.
At one point, Void found himself underneath the attack as the rain of swords descended upon him.
Void gripped Nameless even tighter as his eyes narrowed.
Like flowing water, he weaved through the rain of swords, destroying them one by one.
Finally, only one sword remained, flying rapidly toward him and about to strike his forehead.
Just then, Void grabbed it with his bare hand as a sharp sword intent spread through the surroundings.
Crack.
Bang!
Void clenched his fist as the sword exploded into tiny fragments before disappearing.
"Interesting battle awareness," Ire spoke from Void’s side with a smile.
She attacked with her scythe, but Void seemed to have sensed it and blocked with Nameless.
Now the two were locked in a stalemate.
Clang!
The two weapons clashed as Void was pushed backward, his feet digging into the platform while shards flew away.
Void skidded for a full two hundred meters before finally coming to a stop.
His expression turned cautious as he watched Ire slowly walk toward him.
Then afterimages began appearing as her movements became difficult to follow.
Void threw Nameless into the air as he clenched his fist.
Bang!
Cracks spread across the platform as Ire appeared a few meters behind him.
Snap!
Ire moved but suddenly felt a swirling heat approaching rapidly from the side.
She narrowly dodged as Void had already appeared above, holding Nameless.
He pointed the sword above him as it gleamed brightly. A brilliant light filled the surrounding area before a wave of blue energy spread from Nameless and slammed into the platform.
Crack... crack...
The surface of the platform shattered as an immense pressure pounded against it.
Ire felt her back grow heavy, forcing her to hunch slightly.
But the wave didn’t stop.
It continued growing stronger and stronger.
Seeing this, Ire gripped her scythe tightly and spun in a circle. Clouds of darkness erupted outward, and within moments, the platform was covered in darkness stretching for several meters.
Ire was nowhere to be seen.
Then a thunderous clap echoed through the battlefield as Ire burst out from the darkness, leaving a trail in her wake.
Her speed continued increasing as she rapidly approached Void.
Seeing this, Void pointed Nameless toward her.
A projection of a sleek white sword shot forward.
The scythe shifted to the side as Ire dodged, missing the attack by only a few millimeters.
A strand of her hair was severed, and even that strand was cut cleanly into two.
Then, when she looked up, Void’s fist was already inches away from her face.
Boom!
A figure fell rapidly and crashed into the platform.
Slowly, Ire landed as she looked at the crater, nearly five meters wide, with Void climbing out of it.
Void’s expression was solemn.
This wasn’t the first time that thing had happened.
He didn’t know why or how, but whenever he attacked, it was as if he switched places and ended up facing himself.
How could there be two Voids?
Void narrowed his eyes as his body began glowing. Waves of heat pressure were released over and over again.
Ire frowned as beads of sweat formed on her face.
Bang!
The air exploded.
The combination of heat and speed caused ignition, further boosting Void’s velocity.
He reached Ire instantly, and because of the heat, she slowed down ever so slightly.
This time, Void’s sword was only an inch away from her.
Splurt!
Void’s eyes widened slightly.
Then he saw it again.
The Void who had stabbed him also had a wound in his neck before disappearing.
Void’s body fell face-first.
Boom!
He collapsed onto the ground, his mind filled with questions.
How was this possible?
Looking at the supposed "Void," he noticed that version also had a hole through its neck.
There was only one explanation.
Void stood up, the wound already healed, and looked at Ire, who was calmly waiting for him.
Around Void, space collapsed as time slowed.
Then he moved.
He appeared behind Ire.
She seemed frozen in time, yet Void felt neither joy nor satisfaction.
He reached forward.
There was no one there.
"Thought as much," Void spoke slowly.
Time resumed.
The Ire standing before him disappeared as well.
"You finally caught on?" a voice whispered into his ears.
Ire appeared behind Void, her hand tracing along his forearm.
"Time, isn’t it? But how?" Void asked, not pushing her away this time.
"At Rank 3, we merge with our past, present, and future. So how are you still influencing me?" Void asked, his eyes filled with doubt.
Ire chuckled.
"Well, if you’re thinking this involves me touching your past, present, or future, then you’re wrong..."
"Very wrong."
"It involves much more than that. But you’re still young," Ire said as Void narrowed his eyes.
Much more?
Did that mean other Origins were involved?
Or something else entirely?
While Void was lost in thought, he and Ire had already returned to the dining room of his castle.
A small table sat between them.
Finally, Void snapped out of his thoughts.
Although he had noticed some clues, he still hadn’t figured it out completely.
Just as Ire had said, it came with experience.
It wasn’t as simple as manipulating time or affecting Void’s past, present, and future.
From her words, it involved far more than that.
And he hadn’t even sensed when she used it.
It was as though his body had simply been transported to another position.
Void had no doubt.
This was something only a Rank 4 being could accomplish.
But how?
She hadn’t merely swapped positions.
Void had been forced to face a version of himself attacking him while occupying Ire’s previous position.
It wasn’t necessarily the future after all.
If one were to throw a punch at a wall and then swap places with the wall, a simple position swap would only place you where the wall once stood. The wall wouldn’t throw your punch back at you because it was just a wall.
But what Ire did was different.
You replaced the wall, yet the wall wasn’t the one continuing your attack.
The wall wasn’t even anywhere near you.
Yet you could still see "yourself" from a moment ago continuing the motion and attacking you.
And it was real.
Void took a deep breath before turning his attention back to Ire.
He became even more cautious.
If she could demonstrate such abilities in battle, then during negotiations like this, couldn’t she do even more?
What if Void’s suspicion that something was fishy had been intentionally planted by her to hide something even bigger?
Seeing Void deep in thought, Ire smiled.
That smile only made Void feel even more uneasy.
It was as if she was hidden in the darkness while he stood in the light.
She was guiding him, allowing him to know certain things while concealing others.
Not completely hiding the truth, but revealing just enough to keep him invested.
"So, do you want to sign a contract before we begin?" Ire asked.
Void instantly felt a chill run through his body.
A single thought appeared in his mind.
Trap.
This could definitely be a trap.
One thing demons were naturally skilled at was finding loopholes in contracts.
And once a contract was signed, even if you were taken advantage of, there was often nothing you could do about it.
"No. I’ll take your word for it," Void finally replied after a long moment of silence and hesitation.
The smile on Ire’s lips widened even further.
"Brilliant."
The moment she spoke, the table disappeared.
Then she pounced on Void.
---
(Five thousand words omitted.)
A month later...
Void and Ire emerged from the castle.
Both wore satisfied smiles.
They could have continued, but their objective had already been achieved, so there was no need to go any further.
Ire was already pregnant.
However, demon gestation was very different from that of humans and most other races.
Demons gave birth through eggs.
There was also a universal rule that governed existence.
The stronger a being became, the more difficult it was for them to conceive offspring.
As for why Void and Ire had succeeded within only a month...
Ire had consumed a rare substance capable of guaranteeing pregnancy after intercourse, regardless of whether the user was male or female.
When Void first heard about it, he felt his scalp go numb.
What if someone accidentally consumed it?
Wouldn’t that mean even he could end up giving birth to a child?
"Papa..."
A horrifying image suddenly formed in Void’s mind.
He saw himself with a large belly and a bright smile while a small child happily called him father.
Void immediately shook those thoughts away.
Looking at Ire, he could see that she seemed completely satisfied.
Her face was flushed, and her breathing remained slightly uneven.
"What’s next?" Void asked.
Ire smiled.
"We wait through the long gestation period."
"When I’m close to giving birth, I’ll call you, and then we’ll begin the plan."
Void nodded.
Just as Ire was about to leave, she suddenly paused.
"During this period, don’t leave the Abyss."
"And oh..."
"Don’t spend time with any female demons."
After saying that, Ire disappeared.
Void’s expression froze.
"What the...?"
They were demons, for crying out loud.
He could be with as many female demons as he wanted.
What exactly could she do about it?
But the moment that thought crossed his mind, a chill ran down his spine.
He immediately began coughing.
"Yes, yes..."
Only after he said those words did the chilling sensation disappear.
"Damn..."
"Is she really a demon?"
Void muttered as he turned and returned to his castle.
