Chapter 185 - Awakening

# Demon Castle Underground

Stardust was there, in the underground, hunting monsters one after another.

"Huff... huff..."

In the dark interior.

Surrounded by creepily sticky black fluid covering the space, with humid moisture weighing down the air.

Stardust had fought another monster, and even after sustaining injuries, she continued downward. Further underground.

Like a mayfly flying relentlessly toward a flame.

"Ugh..."

Due to excessive combat, her body was already aching all over.

Yet she paid no attention to it and continued moving downward, following her instincts.

It was partly because her intuition, a kind of 'super-sense,' warned her that she needed to go underground right now.

You can't properly protect anything anyway, can you?

"....."

And partly because of a certain voice echoing in her ears.

As she descended deeper underground, the light grew dimmer and the darkness thickened.

In that place where black fluid filled every inch of the walls, voices began to echo in her mind.

Like the whispers of a demon.

You lost your mother, you lost your father. Is it really the world's fault that your parents are gone? Or is it yours?

No matter how much you struggle alone, do you think this world will change? You can't do anything. Who would understand you?

"Shut up..."

Stardust frowned and continued walking.

...This was clearly some kind of curse attached to this space. Probably created by the villain behind all this.

And Stardust's guess was exactly right.

A device that makes intruders think extremely negative thoughts, causing them to curse themselves. An ability set by Demons, the villain who created this demon castle, to prevent intruders from entering where he was sealed.

Therefore, the voice echoing in Stardust's mind never stopped. To drive her away.

Stardust, who roughly figured this out, gritted her teeth and tried to ignore the rising thoughts and move forward, but...

You'll end up destroying everything. Think about it... Egostic. You ended up destroying him too, didn't you?

Who would like you until the end? How long will the public like you? They can turn their backs on you at any moment because of your actions. Would Egostic still like you even after all this?

Give up. No one will appreciate what you're doing anyway.

"..."

The curse placed here drew out all the bad memories Stardust had buried inside, along with the negative thoughts she had recently felt.

It continuously dug up the dark thoughts sleeping within her and thrust them before her.

Telling her to give up, to leave this place immediately. That no matter how much she pressed forward, no one would appreciate it.

"...Ha."

However, there was one thing this curse overlooked.

The fact that Stardust's mental strength was unlike others.

So this curse, created to drive away intruders, was actually having the opposite effect.

"...I know."

Stardust muttered unconsciously.

So what? She knew all this, but deliberately ignored it. What did it matter if these actions were meaningless, if the public turned their backs on her?

And well, even if Egostic now hated her, that wasn't important.

...Probably.

"Ugh."

With these various negative thoughts rising, she unconsciously frowned and quickened her pace.

Yes. Far from slowing down, she descended even faster, encountering new monsters and facing them with clenched fists.

Yes.

There are two types of people in the world.

Those who lose all motivation and collapse when consumed by negative emotions.

And those who work even harder to drive away those negative emotions when consumed by them.

And Stardust was clearly the latter.

SCREEEECH!

"Shut up."

BANG-

After defeating another black gargoyle-like monster that appeared somewhere underground, she pressed on relentlessly.

Painfully enduring the curse that continued to gnaw at her mind.

And so, after running all that way.

She finally reached a large door at the deepest level.

"....."

An unnaturally huge door that must have appeared after the terror attack.

Now the voices in her ears had stopped.

Convinced that the villain behind all this would be inside, she pushed open the door.

With a creaking sound, the door opened to reveal a large room.

And in the center of that room, embedded, was something black and heart-shaped, several times larger than herself.

Thump- Thump-

Stardust's eyes naturally narrowed at the bizarre sight of that thing pulsating and writhing as if alive.

But she quickly made her judgment. Ah, whatever it is. This must be connected to that villain.

Having made that decision, she didn't hesitate.

"Hup..."

She took a breath, then raised her fist. And simultaneously, her fist began to glow.

It was a trick she had learned after defeating countless monsters down here. The ability to freely channel this strange glowing power into her fists.

With her fist raised, she extended it toward the black heart.

KWAAAANG-

"Ugh..."

As it exploded, an enormous amount of darkness poured out from within.

Black, heavy smoke rapidly filling the room like a flood.

In the room that instantly lost all light, a kind of roaring sound was heard.

[GRAAAAAAAH---!]

Simultaneously, darkness surged upward.

With the sound of something shattering above, the demon king's soul, freed from its seal, smashed through everything as it rose toward the surface.

The demon king has been released. Only terrible pain awaits you now.

"Cough, cough."

Left behind in the dusty underground, Stardust looked up and quickly began flying toward the surface, following it.

And so she ascended again.

Though she had finally escaped the sealed, dark underground and could breathe fresh air after a long time, she had no moment to enjoy it, as she had to face the disaster that appeared before her eyes.

[WHO DARES AWAKEN ME------!!!]

Under the night sky where moonlight gently illuminated below, it appeared.

Darker than the night sky, with a form of black that seemed to pull you in, looking almost like it was wearing full body armor and a cloak, it roared on the ground.

And simultaneously, with a creaking sound, the head with two huge horns turned—one who failed to become the king of demons.

Then, seeing Stardust before it, it shouted so loudly that the earth shook.

[WAS IT YOU WHO AWAKENED ME------!!!]

[I WILL SEND YOU TO HELL—!]

"Ugh..."

A strong wind blew with its roar.

As she instinctively covered herself and stepped back, it charged at her with its massive body, wielding a red spear.

The killing intent she felt instinctively, the demon's whispers invading her mind again.

In a situation where an ordinary person would lose consciousness, she raised her head and faced that being that seemed to embody destruction.

...Wondering where on earth such things pop up from in this small country of Korea.

"Hup!"

And so, as Stardust's fist began to glow, the battle began.

She fought with all her might.

Although her body was exhausted from continuous fighting and her mind was worn down, she did not yield.

However, despite all that.

The opponent was too strong.

She kept getting pushed back, while the demon king pressured her, endlessly swinging its red spear.

Should she give up here?

No.

Stardust gritted her teeth.

There were things she had built up, and things she had lost.

She hadn't come all this way just to give up everything here.

With that wish, she swung her fist with all her might.

A light brighter than stars, a light to drive away darkness, flashed at her fingertips.

Bright enough to momentarily light up the night.

FLASH-

[GRAAAAAAAH-----!!!]

With the first scream she heard from the creature, it was flung far away.

The demon king crashed into a wall and collapsed.

Though she had properly hit and knocked it down, Stardust wasn't in good shape either.

"Cough..."

Among the shattered buildings.

Stardust, sitting in the middle, was half-collapsed from the side effects of excessive ability use.

"Haa... haa..."

With no strength left to move her body, barely holding onto consciousness.

She had done her best.

Even with her battered body, she had used an attack of this magnitude.

However.

She was a little short.

"Heh..."

Barely leaning against a collapsed wall, Stardust looked ahead with eyes that could barely stay open and let out a hollow laugh at the sight before her.

...The demon king she thought she had defeated was already up and approaching her, dragging its red spear on the ground.

Haha. Although she had given it her all, was this as far as she could go?

Collapsed and thinking such thoughts, Stardust suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu in this situation.

...Yes. Actually, this wasn't the first time she had been in a situation like this.

With death approaching before her eyes, Stardust suddenly realized something.

She had always faced crises. There were times when her life was threatened, times when she met enemies she couldn't handle and felt frustrated, moments when she gave up and let go of everything.

But strangely, each time, someone had appeared in her place. Someone who shielded her life, stepped up when she was frustrated, and encouraged her when she had given up.

...But could she really say that now was the same as then? She had already severely hurt and broken that someone. Would he appear this time too?

Naturally, he wouldn't come, right?

She unconsciously thought that.

As she quietly observed the approaching enemy with a bitter smile.

THUD-

Before her eyes.

As if it were natural.

Someone, just like before, naturally fell from the sky as if it were the most normal thing.

"Hmm..."

Landing on the ground, letting out a yawn, and naturally starting to stretch his arms, the appearance of the one who had suddenly and very naturally appeared before her.

Wearing a black hat, wrapped in a black cloak, with a mask covering half his face and smiling—his appearance was more familiar to her than anyone else's.

"Whew... Ah, hello, Ms. Stardust. We meet again. Oh my, but this time it's you who's collapsed!"

Turning toward her and smiling.

As if nothing had happened, as if nothing serious was happening here, smiling brightly at her like he was just out for a stroll—seeing Egostic like this, Stardust couldn't help but smile.

"Haha..."

"Anyway, you've worked hard, so take a rest. Does it make sense for my arch-enemy to be defeated by some villain other than me? I'll take care of the rest."

As always, saying nonsensical things while grinning at her, then turning his back and raising his weapon toward the motionless demon king.

Then, the camera he had brought with him turned on.

"Ta-da! Hello everyone, this is Egostic!"

Watching his back as he walked toward the demon king with a bright smile, speaking to the camera, drawing his sword, his cloak fluttering as he advanced.

Stardust unconsciously smiled faintly

And quietly thought to herself.

Egostic is a villain. This is a fact known to everyone and officially recognized by the Association.

Yes.

But. But you know what.

Someone like you.

How could I dislike you?

"How... could I?"

Stardust whispered to herself as she watched Egostic's back moving forward.