"Eh…?"
A hollow, confused sound escaped Rizevim as he looked down.
Asem's arm was buried deep in his stomach. It had punched clean through his torso; I could see Asem's hand protruding from Rizevim's back. Bright crimson stained the white fabric of the hoodie.
"When it comes to the elderly, you shouldn't make them suffer," Asem said in his usual airy tone. "You have to let them die in peace."
Asem yanked his arm back. Rizevim's innards were dragged out along with the limb, slick and grisly.
Rizevim still looked like he couldn't comprehend what had just happened.
"W-What… is this…? A-Asem…? What did you…?"
Asem wiped the thick blood from his hand and sighed.
"Oh? Has Grandpa Rize's body gone senile too? Well, after taking all those ridiculous drugs, I guess it's no wonder your senses are shot."
Rizevim collapsed to his knees again, blood pooling beneath him. His eyes were a cocktail of agony and shock as they locked onto the faintly smiling Asem.
"You… you're betraying me…?!"
"Hmm, 'betray' is half-right and half-wrong. You've just outlived your usefulness. Your name, your status, and Qlippoth were all quite useful for providing the world with a common enemy. A way to get everyone—high and low—to look in the same direction. Though, honestly, the gods' reaction to your name was a bit lackluster."
Asem began to pace in a circle around Rizevim, his footsteps clicking against the stone as he lectured him.
"—The Lilin of Scripture. It turns out that wasn't enough to make all the factions and gods get truly serious. That's why I had to move directly. I had to give the gods of this world a reason to actually try. As a result, I've become much more of a threat than you ever were."
Asem placed a finger to his cheek, looking troubled.
"I really debated the timing of my debut. Honestly, if I wanted to destroy this world, I could have done it instantly. But that isn't my goal. To unite the will of the entire world—from humans to the other races to the gods—it wouldn't work if I just jumped out alone. Rushing it would be meaningless. So, what to do?"
Asem pointed at the kneeling Rizevim.
"First, I had to have someone like you—someone the world already recognized as a danger—make a move. I thought the world might unite against a 'Malice' like you, but…"
Asem's shoulders slumped, and he let out a heavy sigh.
"Well, you were a bit… no, a huge disappointment. You kept acting on your own and doing unnecessary things. Thanks to you, I've had to hurry my schedule. Gosh, I'm just so miffed. I'm super-pissed!"
Asem did a little "angry" pose, trying to look cute. His expressions were incredibly vivid for such a short period of time.
But… hurry? Because of what Rizevim did, Asem had to speed up his plans?
While I was processing Asem's words, Rizevim managed to croak out a question.
"Y-You… since when? Since when did you plan to… backstab me…?"
"Since when? Since the very beginning, obviously."
Asem answered instantly, looking puzzled by the question. He held up an index finger.
"I planned to erase you as soon as the timing was right. Always did. You're an existence that simply cannot be allowed to exist in the world I'm aiming for. Oh, but don't worry—I wouldn't bother with anything as tedious as an assassination. Someone of your level is easy enough to just… delete."
"—?!"
Rizevim's eyes nearly bulged out of his head. He thought he was a partner, but he had been a marked man from the start.
Suddenly, Asem began to giggle.
"'Devils are the embodiment of Evil and Magic,' huh? I won't deny your philosophy. Everyone's entitled to their own opinion. But, but—"
Asem crouched down in front of Rizevim. He leaned in and spoke with pure, unfiltered mockery.
"—If you're going to call yourself 'Evil,' you'd better be prepared to be struck down for it. Did you think you were safe? Did you think you could do whatever you wanted without paying the price? Look at you now. Hey, Mr. Son of a Demon King. You really are third-rate to the very end."
"...…GAAAAAAHHH!"
Rizevim's face turned beet-red, his teeth grinding so hard I thought they'd shatter. He had probably never been humiliated like this in his entire life. His aura flared violently, directing all of his remaining hatred at Asem.
Somehow, he scraped together enough magic to form a sphere in his hand, preparing to blast Asem point-blank.
But then—
The arm Rizevim was using to channel the magic simply vanished. It was erased by the ominous, butterfly-like wings sprouting from Asem's back.
Asem laughed.
"Ah-ha! Do you really think you can win? I think this is the part where you should be running away. Oh, I know. As a thank-you for letting me use you this long, I'll let you choose."
Asem held up two fingers.
"Do you want to be erased by me right here and now? Or do you want to run away like a coward and be killed by someone else? Which will it be?"
What?! He was going to let Rizevim go?! Was he kidding?!
We couldn't let him—
Asem raised a hand to check us as we prepared to lunge.
"Now, now, calm down. An old man this weak can't really do anything anyway. But, well, if you're that worried…"
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