I opened my eyes slowly, and my heart almost stopped.
The Abyss was dark.
The problem was, the darker it was, the better I could see the monsters with cat eyes.
“Damn!”
My ability, the Heavenly Sky Eye, activated on its own. I could see the depths of the Abyss, and I could also see hundreds of strange and monstrous creatures in the Abyss.
The rumors about the Abyss were true. Or rather, the rumors were downplayed.
They said there was only one demon, but why were there hundreds of monsters in this demon’s lair? In Quilz Castle, there were three demons, but now my siblings were the only ones who could protect me there.
“Brother and sisters, please save me.”
Wooshas approached.
Even with her horrific appearance, compared to the monsters in the Abyss, she seemed like a fairy.
“Stop exaggerating. What are you seeing?”
Even with my sister by my side, I couldn’t feel reassured.
From the beginning, Wooshas, with her unknown and eerie power, was not stronger than the other twins.
Her presence sent chills down my spine, like I had ice cubes placed on my back. My siblings weren’t afraid of the monsters in the Abyss.
The problem was me. I would soon encounter the monsters coming up from the deep, and they would engage in a fierce battle.
Could they protect me in such a situation? No, would they even think of protecting me?
Trembling, I glanced back at the abyss.
“Ah! They’re getting closer!”
I shouted frantically. My voice echoed, becoming even more desperate.
Monsters from the depths of the abyss were climbing up. It wasn’t for nothing that the priests had placed a barrier to block it. The appearance of these creatures was terrifying.
A creature with six heads, one with its facial skin peeled off, another with fingers as sharp as scissors, and limbs like a spider. Each seemed born to devour humans.
The monsters were familiar.
In my past life, I had often seen monsters from other worlds brought by hunters.
They were all formidable creatures.
But these monsters in the Abyss were bio-weapons designed for slaughter.
They surpassed the biological norms.
Why were there scissors-like claws attached to fingers? Damn it.
I shouted again, urging them to get out of the Abyss, but the twins didn’t seem to hear me. Only Wooshas, by my side, whispered in my ear.
“I told you, didn’t I?”
She grinned, her mouth curling upward.
Laughing in a situation like this?
“This place is hell.”
Finally, the appearance of the monsters became so close that it could be confirmed with the naked eye.
“I hate cutting through things like that.”
“Let me do it then, whatever.”
The conversation between the twins.
Facing the imminent attack of the monster horde, I boldly turned my head to look at Melissa, my second sister.
“Who, will, lend, me, strength?”
Nine tails.
One of them moved as if in response.
“Eight!”
Melissa playfully spread her palms towards the monsters.
Kwa-rung!
In an instant, a thunderous sound that could have burst eardrums echoed along with a dazzling light bright enough to make the pitch-black rays of cyan, which would have surely burned if seen by ordinary human eyes, imperceptible.
Perhaps I thought it was lightning. In an instant, a single beam of lightning burned down hundreds of monsters.
“Annoying, isn’t it?”
I blinked my eyes.
It was a deep pit, but even its end was visible to my eyes.
But not a single monster was in sight.
All the hundreds of monsters had been completely incinerated without leaving a trace.
“Haha, nice shot, sis.”
I decided to consider this situation as an opportunity to learn a lesson.
Humans are cunning; when things become too familiar, they sometimes crawl in unexpectedly.
Let’s not forget.
They are such beings.
* * *
I reached the bottom of the deepest pit in the underground of the Abyss.
The bottom of the Abyss, called the passage to hell, was different from my expectations.
While my Heavenly Sky Eye was in effect, I saw the true nature of the Abyss.
The vast underground world, though desolate and barren, had intricately constructed temples on the precipitous walls, reminiscent of the Pantheon from the Roman era.
The entrance to the temple was a giant outer wall adorned with several pillars, resembling the familiar appearance of the Roman era.
In the deep underground of the Abyss, there was a temple that led even deeper.
What was surprising was that the appearance of the temple was similar to the culture of Earth.
I had been feeling since the return of my memories from a past life that the civilization of this world was very similar to Earth’s.
However, encountering the architecture of the Roman era in the Abyss, where the monsters of the Abyss roamed, felt awkward and unnatural enough to be uncomfortable.
My gaze went beyond the temple, towards the deep recesses. There was something there. I stared with a throbbing head, but eventually closed my eyes.
“Interesting. It’s a really fun world, isn’t it, Cantavia?”
In the pitch-black world where not a single point of light came in, thanks to Melissa’s magic, the appearance of the bright temple was even more bizarre. The material used to build the temple was a metal similar to bronze.
“Who on earth made such a thing?”
Wooshas answered.
“The Abyss was not made.”
Her expression remained unreadable.
“Hell originally existed! Hahaha.”
I wondered what was funny.
Melissa was helpful in this case.
“According to the records, a great demon named Daimonion is sealed here.”
“What is Daimonion? Please explain.”
A talkative sister was good in situations like this. Without waiting, Ranista and Wooshas walked towards the temple.
Melissa sister explained enthusiastically, and her voice was an octave higher than usual.
“About 500 years ago, a great demon appeared. On the day a saint of the Azhibita Religion was born, Daimonion appeared to devour him. The Empire sent seven knight orders to protect the saint, but they were all devoured. Daimonion corrupted half of the kingdom. The priests of the Azhibita Religion sacrificed themselves and succeeded in sealing Daimonion back to where he came from. Interesting, isn’t it? According to the records, the kingdom almost perished because of him. Hahaha.”
As I listened to the explanation, the muscles in my face gradually relaxed. Melissa, who laughed heartily, seemed to find it just exciting. Am I the only one taking this seriously? A great demon that could have caused the kingdom to perish. No, damn it, we unsealed that place.
“What if Daimonion really exists, sister?”
“We have to kill him.”
“Well, what can we do? We have to kill him. We have to kill the bastard.”
I shrugged my shoulders. What can we do?
The typical problems for a 14-year-old boy, such as proving his abilities, honor, and perhaps romantic relationships, would probably be the extent of his troubles.
I had to get used to it. Even in the case of such a different setting as coming to capture a great demon at the age of 14, I had to get used to it.
I followed behind Melissa through the entrance of the temple. No matter how much I thought about it, it was eerie.
The temple was definitely not a natural sight. It was a skillfully crafted structure by someone with exceptional talent. In the echoing silence of the temple, demons seemed to lurk, modeled after Earth’s architecture.
The humidity was high, making my skin sticky.
I walked through the entrance, feeling discomfort in various ways.
Though it was deep underground, the air wasn’t stifling. A breeze blew from the inside. It was a chilling wind. The fear of the unknown weighed heavy on my feet. It’s scary when there’s nowhere to run.
Melissa continued to mutter beside me. If I were in an equal position, I might have told her to shut up.
“Ranista?”
Not long after, a vast chamber appeared. At the end of the path was a cliff, and Ranista and Wooshas stood silently at the edge, gazing down below. What were they looking at?
A grim future seemed to unfold on its own.
“The tail really looks like a demon.”
“Cute.”
From their conversation, you could almost imagine something normal below the cliff.
I slowly leaned my head forward and looked down.
“Damn.”
As soon as I laid eyes on the figure lurking below the cliff, I couldn’t hold back the curses.
Cute, is it?
That massive, mutant cockroach-like creature filling the wide expanse with its grotesque appearance and colossal size?
That thing is Daimonion, the ancient demon from 500 years ago.
If the monsters in the Abyss were as repulsive as larvae, this guy was a horrifying monstrosity resembling a mutant cockroach.
And not just any cockroach, but a female one laden with eggs on its back.
My stomach churned, and my bile rose at the sight of him. I faced the most disgusting existence in the world. I hoped the twins would dispatch him quickly. Even if he’s a demon lord, I didn’t think the twins would lose.
I just wanted the fight to end swiftly and without harm to me.
I took a deep breath and stepped back.
“Who will face him?”
Ushas, the older sister, spoke. The twins seemed nonchalant about the monstrous cockroach demon. Lanista, with a sword slung over his shoulder, wore a remarkably arrogant expression as he responded.
“I’ll go.”
At that moment, Melissa, the younger sister, objected.
“I’ll handle this. Stand back.”
“Don’t refuse. I want to feel the satisfaction of cutting down on something worthwhile after a long time.”
“I didn’t suggest that. We need a standard. I’ll take him down.”
The atmosphere grew awkward.
Ranista and Melissa were both assertive.
It was the same four years ago.
Honestly, it was tolerable that they remained as the siblings of the Rainberg family without fighting until now.
Everyone considered themselves higher than the sun, not ones to listen to others.
Ranista’s sword pointed downward, and Melissa’s nine tails moved quickly. The tension escalated. If they fought each other, I’d rather become the prey of cockroaches before getting entangled.
“Let’s decide with Samguk.” (Oldest Sacred Scripture)
Fortunately, Wooshas suggested easing the tension. Strangely, it seemed they listened well to the words of third sister.
Samguk simply put, was rock-paper-scissors.
They played rock-paper-scissors to determine the order in which they would fight against the demon dangerous enough to destroy a kingdom. What a ridiculous situation.
“Ha! Not bad.”
“Let’s do it again.”
Ranista and Melissa’s rock-paper-scissors didn’t yield a clear winner.
They kept choosing the same thing.
Rock against rock, scissors against scissors.
The results remained unchanged for over twenty rounds.
I saw it in my eyes.
The momentary changes in hands adapt to the opponent during that brief interval of revealing hands.
If they were going to do that, rock-paper-scissors had no meaning.
Thud!
That was the moment.
While my siblings were fooling around, vibrations occurred beneath the cliff.
The aftermath of the vibration shook the ceiling, releasing a cloud of dust.
Unease settled in.
Whee-!
