Chapter 111: Endure
'Asmodeus'
Kurtz kept repeating the name.
He never expected Eric would be the first Demon King of the Demon Race. Is this fate? Will the hero who slays the dragon eventually become an evil dragon?
As Kurtz spoke the Demon King's name, black patterns beneath his arm began to spread. They moved like living things, responding to the call of similar power. The corruption within him grew restless.
"Norn, give me El's light."
Desperation forced him to use the simplest, harshest method available.
Norn looked confused but handed over the blade. El's light glowed with silver radiance after receiving human faith. It hummed softly in the moonlight streaming through the window.
Decades later, Kurtz raised El's light again. The weight almost made his hands shake—not from weakness, but from memory.
He aimed the sword tip at the black patterns, then drove it down.
Black and red blood spurted out, staining the carpet. Norn rushed forward to stop him, but Kurtz waved him back.
"Don't worry. I'm using the faith within El's light to suppress the erosion."
His corruption had seeped deep into his bones. If he didn't stop it now, it would spread throughout his body again. Then he would abandon this form, undergo reconstruction, and fall into the same endless cycle.
"Is it working?" Norn asked.
As El's light shimmered with silver radiance, the black patterns on Kurtz's arm retreated rapidly. They faded to barely visible lines.
"To deal with divine power erosion, you need power of the same level."
Kurtz drew out the holy scripture while Norn cast healing magic. Over the decades, Norn had learned the healing arts and taught them to others. Familiar warmth washed over the wound.
"Thanks. My magic power is too low for advanced healing." As the wound closed, Kurtz nodded with satisfaction. "The effect is better than I expected. Using faith to suppress erosion is completely possible."
Norn's eyes lit up with sudden hope.
He thought of Eric, caught deep in corruption.
"Can Eric return to normal with this method?"
The question hung heavy in the air. Kurtz looked at Norn's face, filled with pain and desperate hope, but didn't answer immediately.
The silence stretched between them.
Finally, Kurtz shook his head.
"I'm sorry."
Norn froze.
"I can't do it," Kurtz said quietly. "I've experienced this erosion. It's contamination from the soul outward. Once it spreads completely... there's no reversal."
He clenched his fists. "If we'd caught it early, maybe. But it's too late now."
Kurtz knew the divine power erosion had consumed Eric's entire body. Even his soul was thoroughly corrupted.
When Kurtz had faced the onset of erosion, he'd abandoned his body decisively. The contamination hadn't completely consumed his soul.
For Eric, it was too late.
"The Fertility Goddess's dying counterattack carried pure, parasitic essence. Eric's will and memories were dismantled and reorganized over time."
Kurtz's voice grew quieter. "The current Eric is the Demon King formed by the Goddess's residual will, using Eric as a foundation. The Eric we knew no longer exists."
Though he'd killed the Fertility Goddess completely, before death she'd used her connection to the Demon Race to infuse corruption into the divine power that erupted. Eric was unfortunately caught in that erosion.
He became the first human to fall and become Demon Race. He would also be the last.
With the Fertility Goddess dead, no more humans could fall due to her divine power.
Norn's body swayed when Kurtz finished explaining. He steadied himself against the wall.
Though he'd prepared mentally, he couldn't accept the reality laid before him. Decades of friendship, fifteen years of guilt, and what he received was the final pronouncement of his best friend's complete fall.
Kurtz stood still, watching Norn's powerless appearance. He reached out but withdrew his hand immediately. His own erosion remained unresolved—he dared not risk contact.
After a long moment, Norn raised his head. His eyes were bloodshot, but he controlled himself.
He took a deep breath. "I understand."
He didn't ask how to deal with Eric, nor did he speak further. Instead, he moved past the matter.
Kurtz noticed Norn's intention and followed suit.
Though the best choice would be bringing Eric peace, it would be too cruel to make his best friend say it. Kurtz wouldn't act until Norn spoke first.
He had his own problems and truly felt powerless.
If Norn ever spoke those words, Kurtz would consider finding a certain elf—one who still owed him a promise. He would let her complete this journey.
Though it would be cruel for him personally, Kurtz could only do this.
Norn closed his eyes. After calming his thoughts, he forced a change of subject. "So what do you plan to do next? Serie's been looking for you."
Serie.
Hearing that name, Kurtz's expression grew complex.
It wasn't that he didn't want to see her. The timing wasn't right.
If he could completely resolve the remaining soul erosion, he could use life authority to achieve continuous reincarnation. Then he might have the possibility of walking alongside that elf.
No need to rush now, He would have a long future to accompany her.
He had to endure.
A little more.
Kurtz convinced himself, the words echoing against the growing ache in his chest.
[End of Chapter]
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