"Sorry. I had to do this."
"I thought this promise would get me closer to God."
I looked at Casper.
I had known all along that there was something hidden behind those flattering grins he always gave me. There was always something lurking beneath that smile. I just hadn’t cared enough to dig it out. That was my mistake, not his.
And today...
He had finally exposed himself.
"He promised to get me closer to God," Casper said, laughing like a maniac.
"You..."
I clicked my tongue.
"I’ve put up with enough of you."
Standing beside him, Krillin smiled.
"He needs more energy," Casper continued, pointing at Krillin. "More energy that will help me ascend so I can finally meet God."
I studied Casper carefully.
He looked completely obsessed with God.
The madness burning in his eyes was no longer something an ordinary person could possess. His pupils trembled with fanatic devotion, as though he had already lost every shred of reason. His hands wouldn’t stop shaking. Not from fear. From hunger.
I clicked my tongue again.
I knew all along that this fool was an idiot.
Krillin had been using him from the very beginning, yet he couldn’t see it.
"You really think you’re going to meet God?" I asked.
There was no need to expose the truth to him now.
No.
When I killed him with my own hands, only then would I tell him everything.
Only then would I explain how thoroughly Krillin had manipulated him.
"What a fool."
"An idiot."
While Casper distracted me, Krillin caught me completely off guard.
With a wave of his sleeve, he scattered a strange powder across the ground.
The powder drifted through the air before settling onto my body.
The moment it touched my skin, my face flushed red.
My body suddenly became heavy.
Every muscle weakened.
It felt as though my strength was being drained away little by little. My own limbs felt borrowed, like they belonged to someone weaker and I’d been shoved inside them. Even breathing took effort I shouldn’t have had to spend.
I dropped to one knee before collapsing onto the ground, unable to move properly.
Krillin looked at Casper and smiled.
"Go."
"Finish him."
"You’ll finally see God. You’ll finally be reunited with Him."
Hearing those words, Casper rushed toward me.
His aura surged wildly as he prepared to strike.
Just before he reached me, I summoned my panther.
The baby panther burst from the shadows and lunged straight at Casper.
Its sharp fangs sank into his neck.
Both of them were almost equal in strength.
Casper immediately retaliated, releasing blasts of spiritual energy.
The little panther leaped through the air with astonishing agility, dodging every attack before pouncing again. Each miss cost Casper something — a stumble, a wasted breath, an opening he couldn’t afford. He didn’t notice. He was too far gone to notice anything but the promise still ringing in his skull.
As Casper became occupied with the panther, I slowly forced myself back onto my feet.
I only needed a little more time.
From my experience, I knew the powder’s effects wouldn’t last forever. I’d survived this poison before. Survived worse. That knowledge was the only thing keeping the panic out of my head while my body refused to listen to me.
For now, however, my body refused to obey me.
In my current condition, Krillin could stab me nine times, and I still wouldn’t have enough strength to defend myself.
Krillin grinned.
"My king," he said, slowly approaching me, "every part of your body is priceless."
"Just as your fingernail helped me become stronger..."
"So will the rest of you."
"I’ve been trapped at this bottleneck for years."
"But now..."
"With you in such a weakened state..."
"I’ll finally break through."
After saying that, he slowly drew his weapon.
Step by step, he approached me.
I silently counted inside my head.
One...
Two...
Three...
I waited for him to come just a little closer.
A little closer.
By the time I finished counting...
The powder’s effect would disappear. I could already feel it — a thread of heat returning to my fingertips, small, but mine again.
Krillin raised his weapon high above his head before driving it straight toward my chest.
The blade pierced my body.
The instant it did...
Purple flames erupted.
My hellfire had already been waiting inside my body. Waiting for exactly this — for him to get close enough that there’d be nowhere to run.
The moment his weapon made contact, the flames exploded and engulfed him.
Krillin cried out as the fire spread across his body.
The flames refused to go out.
Without wasting the opportunity, I drew my sword and slashed at him.
My blade tore across his body.
Even then...
He wasn’t dead.
Krillin still had enough strength remaining.
He vanished from where he stood, disappearing into the shadows before attempting a sneak attack.
"Not bad, Krillin."
"You’re as powerful as ever."
"You’ve made excellent use of the power hidden inside my fingernail."
The veins on Krillin’s forehead bulged with anger.
"I did all of this through my own strength!"
"It has nothing to do with your power!"
"I became strong by myself!"
I merely clicked my tongue.
I couldn’t be bothered arguing with him.
Ignoring everything he said, I tightened my grip on my sword.
Krillin rushed at me again.
His sword collided with mine.
Clang!
The sound echoed throughout the temple.
Again.
Clang!
Again.
Clang!
For a brief moment, it looked as though he was gaining the upper hand. His strikes came faster than I remembered, sharper, like the bottleneck he kept whining about had actually cracked open a little.
Then—
The baby panther, which had been fighting Casper, suddenly leaped through the air and sank its fangs into Krillin’s head.
"Good job, Panther."
"For once, you’ve done something smart."
My attention immediately shifted toward Casper.
The panther hadn’t killed him.
It had only left him lying on the ground, covered in blood and barely able to move.
I looked down at him.
"So..."
"Look at the state you’re in."
Casper suddenly burst into laughter.
"Hahaha..."
"I want to be connected to God."
"I want to see God."
"I want to worship Him."
I frowned.
"You’re insane."
"Do you really think that demon was ever going to let you meet God?"
"He was only using you."
"You were nothing more than a tool to help him gather sacrifices for the ritual."
"The power was always meant for himself."
Casper’s eyes widened in horror.
"No..."
"Impossible!"
"I was finally going to meet God."
"I was finally going to become His messenger."
"And..."
I smiled broadly.
"I’m not a messenger of God."
His face froze.
His eyes widened even further.
"Not... you too..."
I clicked my tongue.
Then I looked toward my panther.
"Panther."
"Feast on him."
The baby panther immediately lunged toward Casper, its fangs sinking into his neck, blood rushing out, while his breath soon stopped.