I Gave Up on Conquering the Heroines

The Final Boss Draken is accompanied by four minions.

A Necromancer, a Druid, a Holy Knight, and a Demon.

Belphegor is one of them, claiming to be the Great Demon and Draken’s right-hand man…

|I, the Great Demon Belphegor, shall manifest in the current world|

“Mi Jeong, step back.”

“…Okay.”

Why the hell does that guy pop up here?

Without giving me a moment to understand the situation, Lawrence’s corpse rises and stands on two legs.

Its grotesquely disfigured, blood-soaked face creaks as it lets out a sound.

Lawrence has been dead for a long time.

The demonic energy dwelling inside him spreads out, forcing his corpse to move.

|I was wondering who it was that was smashing up the dungeons…|

Possession.

The body of one who has made a contract with Belphegor becomes his, allowing him to possess it whenever he wants.

I never expected to face Belphegor like this.

I quickly crunch my teeth and gauge my chances.

|It was you, huh?|

“Sigh…”

Damn. I was wrong.

I can’t win against that.

The amount of demonic energy surrounding him already shows the gap in our levels.

Even if I rush at full power, I might just barely beat Yerina.

There’s no way I can defeat the Four Heavenly Kings.

The only saving grace is that Belphegor is currently using a human body, so his specs must be greatly diminished.

The key is how much they’ve diminished.

|Dungeons have been screaming in their final moments, they said it was because of a tall man and a child.|

“Oh. Right.”

It seems our Four Heavenly Kings are really angry.

Sure, they can smash up a dungeon or two.

But there’s no reason to make their appearance so early just because of that.

‘No. Did I wake him up?’

Thinking back, it wasn’t Belphegor who came looking for me.

I woke him up.

The story of the game doesn’t reveal Belphegor’s early activities.

Even I, who have rampaged through every corner during these past twelve loops, never faced Belphegor at the start.

But who would have thought he was hiding in the body of the respected Mayor of Cologne, Lawrence…?

I unintentionally poked a hornet’s nest.

“Mi Jeong! Run away! Hurry and go ask for help.”

“…”

There’s no answer to this.

The moment we turn our backs, both of us die.

One of us has to buy time against Belphegor.

In the meantime, Mi Jeong must lead reinforcements.

That’s the best chance we’ve got.

“I… can’t.”

“Hey!”

But Mi Jeong just shakes her head and stiffens.

It looks like she’s been paralyzed by Belphegor’s ominous demonic energy.

Like a true monster, it seems she cannot resist against someone of such high level.

This is bad.

|Consider it a glory to die by the hands of the Great Demon Belphegor.|

“That’s ridiculous…”

Thud.

With the sound of the ground striking, rocks fly from where he stood.

And then, he vanished.

Without leaving a trace behind.

“Huh?”

I was clearly watching, but he vanished before my eyes.

Even my enhanced visual acuity from mana control can’t keep up with his speed?

The moment I realize this, my body instinctively moves.

Ugh?!

|He’s fast. Damn it.|

As I crouch down, a chilling feeling runs down my spine.

A black blade made of demonic energy narrowly skims past my eye.

I have no idea where it came from.

I immediately roll backward, tumbling on the dungeon floor.

Finally slowing down and stopping, I lock eyes with Belphegor, who’s slowly approaching.

…Although it’s hard to tell where his eyes even are due to his disfigured face.

‘Damn. This guy’s ridiculously fast, like a bug-level speed.’

I was confident in my agility, not far behind Yerina.

I’ve boosted my stats as a Guardian Knight by five times, and with mana control, it’s even more amplified.

Yet, I never expected to be so outpaced.

Even when I faced his main body last loop, he didn’t seem that fast.

This speed makes a confrontation impossible.

My hands tremble, and a sense of powerlessness overcomes me.

‘Huh? Faster than the main body?’

Wait a second.

Something’s off.

I’ve fought against Belphegor’s main body before.

At that time, he was fast, but not so fast that I couldn’t perceive his movements.

Yet, now this weakened version of Belphegor is faster than that?

Even with my enhanced mana control, I should be stronger and faster than I was back then!

Nothing adds up.

|You’re slow to give up. If you surrender, I’ll ensure you can rest comfortably in hell…|

“You. That speed isn’t your normal, is it?”

|…|

That speed isn’t something Belphegor should be able to produce.

Whether it has a cooldown or a limit to its uses, one way or another, there must be restrictions.

One thing’s for sure; it’s not a technique capable of taking me down in one strike.

|You’re saying strange things…|

“Listen, let’s see you try again, punk.”

Hock!

Spitting a mouthful, I get ready again.

If he truly has that kind of speed to dodge out of my sight, it doesn’t make sense that he couldn’t slice my neck just now.

He should have cleaved my head before I even had the chance to react.

So, his overwhelming speed must be an illusion.

That conclusion comes naturally.

“Why? Scared? Should I go first?”

|Hah…|

Belphegor lets out a deep sigh, releasing more demonic energy.

Soon enough, the dungeon is filled with dark air, making it hard to breathe.

That monster is the cause of the pollution.

|Die!|

“…!”

Ka-pow!

Once again, he kicks the ground and vanishes from view.

At the same time, instinct screams.

Roll to the ground and move back!

But this time, I don’t follow instinct.

Instead, I turn my head to check behind, where thick demonic energy is emanating…

Ugh?!

Suddenly, he appears behind me, swinging a sword of demonic energy.

It sweeps across my shin.

If I had followed my instincts and rolled away, it would have been a perfect angle and height for him to cleave me in two.

Rolling forward to evade, Belphegor seems to flinch, stopping his movements.

“I get it now.”

His face is mangled, but I can more or less see his expression.

He must be asking how I knew to dodge.

“You. It’s not that you’re fast, it’s that you’re teleporting, isn’t it?”

His body twitches and trembles.

Bingo.

Finally, I have clarity.

Belphegor is not fast enough for me to lose sight of him.

His running and ground-kicking actions are all fakes.

He approaches me through teleportation.

He disappears entirely while teleporting, so it makes sense I could lose track of him.

But despite using that broken teleportation technique twice, I’m still alive?

That means there’s something seriously wrong with his ability.

‘That bastard. Using a familiar technique.’

By the time I reach that conclusion, a wry smile creeps onto my face.

It felt oddly familiar for some reason.

“If it’s unlimited teleportation, I should be dead before I can even blink. The fact that I’m still here means your power has restrictions. Quite significant ones too, like only being able to teleport within a 5-meter radius of your target.”

|How did you…!|

How did I know?

It’s simple.

I’m a veteran who has memorized all the hidden items and traits in this game.

A random trait called ‘Jump’.

It allows the user to teleport up to 5 meters away from a hostile target.

Who would’ve thought Belphegor acquired it this round?

|You foolish… you missed the point.|

“Really? How about I just get in close and fight?”

|…!|

The way to counter ‘Jump’ is simple.

Close the distance quickly and get within that 5-meter range.

Since I’m the only hostile here, he can’t use teleportation to escape.

|You will regret this!|

“What a waste.”

As I quickly charge in, Belphegor only flinches, strangely not responding at all.

I wonder what kind of trap he’s planning.

But soon I realize.

I’m just too fast.

He’s too slow to react to my speed.

Realizing that, I have no need to hold back anymore.

|Cough!|

Shhh!

A chilling sound echoes as my blade cuts through skin.

At the same time, Belphegor’s limbs are severed, scattering in all directions.

As his limbs fall off and hit the ground, he can only let out weak screams.

This isn’t even a proper fight.

“Wow, that was easy.”

If he hadn’t hesitated from the start, this would’ve been a piece of cake.

Oh, perhaps if he had acted without giving me a clue about ‘Jump,’ I wouldn’t have figured it out.

Anyhow, this is a major gain.

When I face his main body later, at least I won’t be caught off guard when he suddenly disappears from sight.

|You… what’s your name, human!?|

“Would you tell me yours?”

The moment I reveal my name, I’ll be chased down until my dying breath.

There’s no way I’d tell him.

Time to finish this.

Just as I was about to stab him in the heart, still writhing without limbs…

|I didn’t want to go this far!|

“Damn it, phase two is too much…”

Boom!

Black smoke erupts from his body, engulfing me.

The pain of my skin burning forces me to retreat urgently.

|Consider it a glory. You are the first to make me unleash some of my true power.|

In the place where his lost limbs were, swirling dark magical energy fills in.

Belphegor’s body is now filled with thick demonic energy.

He’s become a body of weaponry.

“Hah, even with the real body, you couldn’t win.”

Though I try to act tough, I too am nearing my limit.

Perhaps it’s because I’ve been running mana control at maximum for too long.

My eyelids are getting heavy, and my body feels sluggish.

The early signs of mana exhaustion are creeping in.

I have almost no mana left.

I have to kill Belphegor in one blow now that he’s entered phase two with his entire body turned into a weapon.

Can I do it?

“Hah…”

I’ve been saying some weird things.

Whether I can or can’t, it’s irrelevant.

I have to do it either way.

Taking position to leap forward, I grip my sword tightly.

A charge neglected both post-hit distance and defense.

A basic stance emphasizing speed above all else.

‘Dakia-style Swordsmanship. Zero Placement.’

With a single strike, everything will be decided.

Whether I die, or Belphegor dies.

Or perhaps both of us.

And the moment I was about to kick off the ground…

|It was a pleasure, human.|

“This is insane.”

Boom!

The magical energy that burst from the severed limb overwhelms my vision.

If I get hit by that, I’m going to be shredded apart.

I have to dodge.

But if I dodge, what comes next?

With mana exhaustion hitting, I’ll be out cold right after.

I’ll only have one move.

If I evade, there won’t be a chance afterwards.

I have no choice.

I have to run into the demonic energy knowing I might die.

If I don’t want to die, I have to leap into death itself.

“…No way!”

|What?!|

At that moment, Mi Jeong’s piercing scream cuts through the air, and the magical energy engulfing my view disappears.

Swinging a wooden club at Belphegor, Mi Jeong enters my line of sight.

She retrieves the wave of magic that reached for me and immediately tries to counterattack Belphegor, but…

|Ugh! Hah! Gack!|

Mi Jeong’s movements are exceptionally swift.

The normally sluggish and mumbling girl is now a whirlwind, evading each darting stream of demonic energy.

Simultaneously, the wooden club strikes repeatedly at Belphegor’s face.

“Thanks, buddy.”

Because of you, a gap has opened.

I squeeze out the last of my remaining mana and charge in like lightning.

|This nonsense…!|

With a single strike, I sever Lawrence’s ugly head.

At that moment, the swirling demonic energy is eagerly sucked in.

|I will find you and kill you! I will find you and kill you! I will find you and kill you!|

Even just before the magic dissipated, he endlessly prattled on.

Finally, as the magic converges into a single point, the grotesque voice that echoed throughout the dungeon fades away, returning to silence.

As if nothing had happened.

Only the dismembered body lies scattered around.

At the location where the magic had condensed, a single stone emitting ominous light is left behind.

Is this possibly a Mana Stone?

“It’s over…”

Everything is finished.

At last, unable to withstand the exhaustion sweeping through my body, I collapse.

First, I need some recovery.

[Reputation is increasing.]

[No known name, so reputation accumulates.]

Just then, a system window pops up.

So, I didn’t give Belphegor my name after all.

Belphegor should be unable to move for a while now, with the backlash from his possessed body dying.

I don’t have to worry about being chased anymore for now.

“Phew.”

Things went better than I thought.

There must be remnants of Belphegor’s possession on Lawrence’s body.

So as long as I carry out the dismembered corpse, I can easily legitimize the murder.

Then Cornelia will be liberated, and I get a solid backer.

It’s a win-win situation.

Everything turned out well.

But…

“…Hah. Hah. Hah.”

“Mi Jeong?”

Mi Jeong’s condition seems off.

Huh. What’s wrong with her?

Her eyes are sparkling like they’re about to pop out, and she’s breathing heavily?

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