Chapter 16: An Absolutely Impossible Deal (Conclusion)*

Hornedal, the Holy Kingdom.

Among the tales told by its priests is the story of the River of the Afterlife.

They say the flames of that river, which guide the dead and burn away all memories, never extinguish—just like the waters flowing through this city.

Perhaps calling it “water” would be inappropriate. It’s not water, nor is it holy water, but merely flames composed entirely of divine fire.

“Ugh… It’s so hot, unbearably hot!”

The divine fire filled the canal. Nearby, the succubus Lilith writhed in agony, rolling her slender body in an attempt to escape the unbearable pain.

The divine fire surrounding her was already overwhelming, and her body, which had been struck directly by the holy water, was still emitting smoke.

The once-alluring succubus body was now covered in burns.

Her precious wings barely retained their shape as Lilith gazed at the burning flames.

“My other half… I can’t feel Cain anymore…”

It was clear just by looking. The scale of the divine fire currently raging far surpassed anything a saint could achieve.

Even the top method among the seven ways passed down to the Grand Inquisitors for eradicating heresy—the so-called burning at the stake—could not convert the water in the canal into holy water and ignite it into flames.

There could only be one explanation. Even her own lifeforce must have been sacrificed as fuel to ignite this all-consuming fire.

It was madness she had only heard of, but now she was witnessing it with her own eyes.

Lilith resigned herself to the fact that there was nothing she could do about Cain’s death.

“My eyes… Where are my enchanting eyes?!”

Moreover, now wasn’t the time to dwell on the dead.

Earlier, Cain, Lilith, and the hero had all been struck by the holy water.

This could mean the hero’s Enchantment’s Gaze had also burned and disappeared.

Lilith quickly regained her composure and turned her head toward the source of another groaning sound.

“… It didn’t burn away, did it? Tell me! Hurry!”

The hero, unable to lift his head because of the heat in his eyes, was met with Lilith’s merciless kicks.

She grabbed his hair and lifted him up.

At this moment, nothing was more important to Lilith than the hero’s eyes.

That mesmerizing brilliance—the ultimate enchanting gaze that could captivate others.

The worse the situation grew, the more Lilith fixated on the hero’s eyes.

“… Unfortunately, it seems they’re not entirely gone.”

“‘Not entirely’ gone?”

Even after being directly struck by divine fire, the hero’s eyes remained unscathed.

Lilith let out a sigh of relief, but as if mocking her relief, the hero opened his mouth to speak.

“Isn’t it strange? Despite this unbearable pain, my mind feels clearer than ever.”

Even the divine fire, which led high-ranking demons to their deaths, couldn’t destroy the Enchantment’s Gaze.

It had merely stopped functioning for a while.

For the first time since being summoned to this world, the hero experienced having ordinary eyes.

To Lilith, however, this was a thunderclap on a clear day.

“… Shut up…”

“Argh…”

Lilith’s fist slammed into the hero’s stomach, sending him flying.

She began sharpening her long claws as she approached him.

The fact that the Enchantment’s Gaze, which was supposed to have been hers by now, no longer existed filled her with uncontrollable rage.

She had barely managed to subdue the people of the capital and gain immense power.

Even so, she hadn’t been able to overpower her opponents and had been forced to take hostages.

Now, how was she supposed to wait for the Enchantment’s Gaze to regain its function or find a way to execute her plan?

The hero wasn’t stupid. It had only worked the first time because it was a surprise.

For Lilith, there was no hope. Evidence of this lay in the fact that the hero had suddenly disappeared, and the wings on Lilith’s back were gone as well.

“So, I won’t be able to fly anymore, huh? I don’t usually like tormenting women, but I’m in a bit of a hurry myself!”

“Ugh… How dare you?!”

“Goodbye.”

The hero stomped on the remaining wing and drove his sword in without hesitation.

Lilith desperately grabbed at the sword with her hands, ignoring the pain as her palms were cut.

However, her physical strength was no match for the hero’s.

It was only a matter of time before the sword pierced her heart.

Even in this dire situation, Lilith kept her gaze fixed on the hero’s eyes.

Perhaps that’s why her final struggle felt inevitable.

“Do you really think you can save the saint?!”

“… Still so talkative, aren’t you?”

“Ha! Look at the divine fire all around you! No matter how holy she is, this is beyond what any human can achieve! She burned through her own lifeforce to create it! And yet you think you can save her? What are you going to do, swim against the River of the Afterlife? Don’t make me laugh!”

“Shut your mouth!”

No matter how effective taunting might usually be against the hero, in this situation, it seemed pointless.

The hero’s sword was already piercing her flesh, and his strength only grew stronger.

But this was exactly the reaction Lilith had been hoping for.

With the Enchantment’s Gaze temporarily out of commission, how could a hero who had lost his composure resist a succubus’s allure?

For the first time tonight, the Dream Demon’s special ability was proving its worth.

“… I’m alive?”

The hero collapsed.

Feeling the pressure on her body lift, Lilith finally managed to draw in a breath of air.

“I’m alive… I did it! I survived! I, Lilith, trapped the hero in a dream!!”

Thud, thud—the dull sound echoed as Lilith relentlessly kicked the fallen hero, refusing to stop.

Though she couldn’t fully gain control over his body, she could ensure he remained trapped in an eternal dream.

The Enchantment Eyes may have been disabled, rendering her unable to claim them for now, but this allowed the succubus to maximize her greatest strength.

It was an ironic twist of fate, but there was no point in dwelling on it now.

“So, you wanted to protect your companions that badly? Fine. I’ll let you have an eternal, blissful dream… at least until those eyes return to normal.”

The saintess was dead anyway.

Even if some life force lingered within her, she wouldn’t have the strength to surface from the water.

Left alone, she would eventually drown.

Laura was unconscious, and Natalia was still under the enchantment.

Though the spell would soon break with Cain’s death, Lilith would have enough time to finish what needed to be done.

What mattered most now was securing the hero.

As long as she could keep him confined in the dream and wait for the Enchantment Eyes to regenerate, her victory was assured.

“Well, now, how should I deal with these women?”

Mutilating Laura or Natalia’s bodies was certainly an option.

She could sever their limbs, leave them barely alive, and toss them to lowly monsters for amusement.

The critical point was to show the hero an unbearable sight when he awoke from his dream.

Just one sentence would suffice to break him completely: “I’ll restore them to their original state if you give me the Enchantment Eyes.” With that, she could finalize their deal, and everything would be over.

The thought of that thrilling future consumed Lilith’s mind to the point where nothing else mattered.

“…I told you to shut up.”

Perhaps that was why she failed to notice the hero, whom she believed trapped in a dream, rising and driving his sword into her chest.

“Th-this can’t be…”

One might say the light’s blessing granted to the hero had worked a miracle.

Or perhaps the saintess, who was thought to be dead, had awakened and given him strength.

But the hero stood there, panting heavily, drenched in cold sweat.

If anything, he seemed more likely to collapse at any moment rather than appear empowered by some newfound awakening.

And that could only mean one thing.

“Serah risked her life… So I must do the same!”

“…You madman.”

Lilith tried casting her enchantment again, but the hero didn’t waver.

It wasn’t that the spell had no effect—it was clear that, for a brief moment, the hero’s body staggered.

But in the dream, he repeatedly took his own life to return to reality.

“D-don’t come any closer!”

Step by step, the hero advanced.

The sword embedded in his chest sank deeper, closing the distance between them.

Taking one’s life in a dream might sound simple, but how many could truly do it, assured it was only a dream? Who could guarantee the reality of that illusion?

Yet the hero did it without hesitation.

For no other reason than the saintess had risked her life, he resolved to do the same.

To Lilith, it wasn’t noble or admirable—it was just another form of madness.

And that madness terrified her as the distance between them shrank.

Still, the hero did not stop.

No matter how many times she trapped him in the dream or resisted, he never let go of the sword in his grasp.

Soon, Lilith’s hand fell limp, motionless.

Her terrified expression was unbecoming of the Queen of the Succubi, a pitiful and disgraceful sight.

“Wait for me… I’ll save you, no matter what.”

His body wouldn’t move as he wished.

His mind was clouded, and all he could see was ash and darkness.

His lungs screamed for oxygen, but his nose and mouth refused to cooperate.

Even so, the hero propped himself up, leaning on his sword for support.

The holy fire had long since subsided, and the water in the canal had turned clear again.

But this only meant the saintess’s divine power was nearly depleted. There was no time to hesitate.

Even if Lilith’s words were true, there was still a sliver of hope that Serah was alive.

With a splash, the water rippled as he plunged into the current.

The holy fire had burned much of the water away, and new streams were pouring in to replenish it.

Despite the turbulent flow, the hero finally found Serah.

Her motionless body drifted beside the disfigured corpse of an incubus, unrecognizable from the holy fire’s destruction.

If only he hadn’t allowed the succubus to gain the upper hand from the start, none of this would have happened.

Thinking about what Serah must have endured in the scorching flames made it impossible for the hero to lift his head.

But he couldn’t afford to keep his head down forever.

Fortunately, Serah was still breathing. Without hesitation, the hero pressed his lips to hers, sharing his breath.

Slowly and carefully, he carried her to the surface, shielding her from the harsh currents.

Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, the two of them would never know.

What they did know was this: the citizens of the capital remained in a deep slumber, and everything related to demonic energy had been consumed by the holy fire. A quiet night with no witnesses or evidence was drawing to an end.