This Isn’t an E*otic Game?

It was an obvious, low-grade temptation.
The kind of garbage line you’d hear from some creep saying, “Wanna come with me, kid? I’ve got candy.”

Valram, sharp as ever, immediately deduced several things from what the unicorn necklace had said.
That this unicorn still hadn’t given up hope of saving the Saint.
That he was trying to stir up internal conflict between Valram and Lucifer to create confusion—then exploit it to help the Saint escape.

And by that logic, the Saint’s mind was likely still intact—and the so-called “mental torture” earlier had been nothing but a show.
He could guess all of it.
If one truly served Lucifer—

If one were faithful to his will—
Then the correct course of action would be to wake Lucifer and expose the filth embedded inside this unicorn horn fragment clutched in his hand.
That would be the proper thing to do…
That would be right…

And he knew it was all a scam…
And yet, Valram’s hand trembled.
The Goddess of Life’s authority.

The power to be young again—forever.
Even Lucifer’s incomparably powerful black magic could only prolong lifespan; it had failed to restore his grotesquely twisted body to the one of his prime.
This was poison.

The moment he drank it, his relationship with Lucifer would shatter.
And still, Valram felt a temptation more intense than anything he had experienced in his entire life.
With a trembling face, Valram turned toward the Saint.

This was the Great Labyrinth.
Even the Pantheon and evil gods couldn’t interfere here.
Lucifer had overexerted his authority and collapsed under the overload.

The Saint, too, had exhausted himself from overusing his divine power—now strung up and powerless.
That unicorn had said he’d tortured the Saint’s mind. But that was likely a lie.
But what could someone in that condition even do to resist his black magic?

This was a once-in-a-lifetime—
No—once-in-a-millennium opportunity.
A priceless treasure capable of toppling the balance between Hell, the Abyss, and the Pantheon was lying in front of him, begging to be picked up.

“…Hah. This is…”
Valram’s lips trembled.
He withdrew the magic stabilizing Lucifer’s body.
Lucifer would notice and awaken.

Maybe in two minutes?
And those two minutes—
Would be the moment that changed Valram’s entire life.

“I can’t turn this down.”
Valram carefully removed the unicorn necklace from Lucifer’s hand and took it for himself.
Lucifer stirred.

He must have sensed the disappearance of the magic that had been maintaining his body.
Quickly—
He had to act fast.

Valram gestured at Kardak, ordering him to stand between himself and Lucifer.
Then he rushed to the Saint.
The Saint hung suspended in the air in a T-pose, bound by a magic circle. Valram moved to place his hand on the Saint’s forehead.

But then—
[No need for that.]
The unicorn necklace spoke calmly—and at that exact moment, the Saint opened his eyes.

Of course.
The unicorn and the Saint were in it together.
They were trying to escape.

They’d put on an absurdly obvious show like this to deceive him.
“Wanna be young again?”
That one line, spoken smoothly by the Saint, melted all of Valram’s anxiety and hesitation like snow in spring.

Valram nodded.
“I want to be young. I want to be strong. Let me live forever.”
The Saint smirked.

“Undo my bindings. I’ll modify your body immediately.”
Valram clutched the necklace tightly.
“If you try even the slightest trick, your friend’s life is—”

“I can barely even manage your modifications with this much divine energy. I don’t have the strength to pull off an escape. Just release me—it’ll make it easier to wield my authority.”
“Makes sense.”
“And that unicorn necklace. Give it back. My body’s in bad shape—I need that thing to use divine power properly.”

Valram swallowed dryly over and over, looking back and forth between Lucifer and the Saint.
“[…Valram?]”
He thought he had two minutes.

But that goddamn Demon Lord was regaining consciousness way faster than expected.
Valram made his choice.
He waved his hand—and the spell binding the Saint’s body unraveled.

The Saint dropped to the ground.
As he landed, Valram quickly rushed over and slipped the necklace back around the Saint’s neck.
“That’s good enough, right? Now hurry—hurry and modify me. Make me young again.”

The Saint was said to be able to touch not just physical bodies, but minds as well.
Valram knew.
Letting the Saint lay hands on him—

Was a dangerous gamble. He could end up with his mind altered.
But even knowing that, he offered up his body.
The Saint looked so feeble.

There had to be a limit to the divine power he could exert.
And Valram’s spirit and soul were top-grade—formed from a fragment of Lucifer’s very own self.
Arrogance.

Even if the Saint wielded the authority of the Goddess of Life, surely he couldn’t touch his mind.
That arrogance—that greed, that ambition—was what ultimately led Valram to misjudge everything.
“[Valram… Valram!! You wretch!! I told you not to approach the Saint!!]”

There was no time to mentally subjugate the Saint now.
If he wanted to defeat the furious Lucifer, he had to become stronger first.
Once Lucifer was dealt with—

He could imprison the weakling Saint afterward, reshape his mind, and claim him entirely.
In that moment—
Hell?

No.
Valram would become the ruler of the world.
Fueled by arrogance, greed, and ambition, he ultimately—

Failed to see the bigger picture.
“…This is a temporary alliance. Stop Lucifer for me.”
As the Saint said that, he placed his hand upon Valram’s body.

And in the next instant—
“Ah… ah!!”
A gasp of ecstasy spilled from Valram’s mouth.

Pleasure, joy, fear, anticipation, and hope—all mixed into one—and the sound soon reached its peak.
“[NO! Valram!! YOU—!!]”
Despite Lucifer’s roar, he was already a moment too late.

Valram rose to his feet.
“…This is incredible. I’ve never felt this good in my life!!”
Just as expected.

The Saint hadn’t touched his mind.
Instead, he had restored Valram’s body—
To a state even the most potent spells and elixirs hadn’t been able to reach in over a hundred years.

No.
Even beyond his prime.
He felt like he could defeat Lucifer.

“Father.”
Valram smiled.
“I’m sorry, but the Saint… belongs to me now.”

In both his hands, an unprecedentedly powerful magic began to flare.
 
****

[Did you hit that bastard with Absolute Hypnosis or not?]
Corn’s question made me shake my head.
“His mind is protected by a special divine authority. To break through that would’ve pushed even me over the edge. I didn’t have that kind of leeway.”

[You should’ve used the chance to hypnotize him! You’re just gonna leave him like that?!]
Even at Corn’s screaming, I just laughed.
“Was there even a need to?”

I quietly looked up at the status window floating in front of my eyes.
[Warning!!]
[You are attempting a modification beyond what is permitted for a human being!]

[Excessive body modifications, including permanent youth, overwhelming strength, and absolute power, may result in severe mental and spiritual side effects!]
[Do you still wish to proceed?]
I transformed Valram’s body into something beyond human.

Superhuman reflexes with Sensory Amplification ×3000.
Massive muscle amplification.
And his magical circuits were reinforced beyond anything a human could possess.

I poured all of Lilia’s divine authority into it without holding back, sculpting Valram into the exact ideal body he wanted.
And just as expected—
The bastard fell.

He’d now become a creature unnaturally addicted to the Goddess’s power.
Just like that archangel 300 years ago, who couldn’t resist the allure of the Goddess of Life’s authority and fell from grace.
“[VALRAM!!]”

Lucifer roared as he unleashed magic.
The Bicorn, Kardak, flinched and retreated in panic.
Valram smiled and casually deflected Lucifer’s magic.

The walls of the Flame Dragon’s lair trembled as if an earthquake had struck, caught in the collision between two monsters.
“This is incredible. Incredible!! It’s the best!! HAHAHAHAHA!!”
Valram’s eyes were completely unhinged.

He poured magic at Lucifer with zero hesitation.
And then, when the Bicorn Kardak’s psychic wave joined the fray on the sly, the balance tipped.
[What the hell is that dumbass Lucifer doing? His own subordinate is rebelling with his own magic and he’s not revoking his authority?]

Taking advantage of the chaos, I slipped toward the edge of the nest and stuck close to the lair’s wall, moving along it carefully.
“I just confirmed it. That’s not possible.”
[Why not? Wait… did you read that guy’s memory?]

“Valram’s mind is too heavily protected to dominate it. But… I could read his memories.”
Dry swallows slid down my throat again and again.
I continued my slow crawl, praying neither Lucifer nor Valram would notice me.

“Valram’s soul is a split-off fragment of Lucifer’s own soul. He wasn’t just given authority—he’s not just a servant. He’s a literal byproduct of Lucifer’s personality, reshaped into another form.”
[So that’s why he calls him ‘Father’?]
“Yeah.”

I snorted, watching the two of them tear into each other.
“Lucifer’s fighting himself.”
While we whispered back and forth, keeping our voices low—

The battle between Lucifer and Valram+Kardak was pushing toward its climax.
“I built your body, Father!! I came down here carrying a piece of your soul! You think I don’t know you?!”
A burst of raw magic blew apart one of the horns growing from Lucifer’s forehead.

With that, the potency of his magic plummeted.
“[Valram… Valram!! How could you—?!]”
“Shouldn’t you understand, Father? You, too, fell three hundred years ago—unable to resist temptation. Isn’t that right… Archangel?”

A searing blast of magic surged from Valram’s hands.
And it was further amplified by the Bicorn’s psychic energy before being fired directly at Lucifer.
Having lost one of his dragon horns—the core catalyst for stable spell amplification—Lucifer’s divine power could no longer be unleashed at full strength.

His massive frame was hurled violently against one wall of the nest.
Valram stepped toward him.
“Don’t resist, Father. Just become mine. Give me your authority. I’ll build the world you always dreamed of. Maybe you won’t be the one on the throne… but it’ll be your world nonetheless.”

But Lucifer didn’t seem the least bit interested in accepting Valram’s proposal.
The remaining dragon horn pulsed as if it would explode.
The Dragon Heart inside his chest ballooned with raw power.

“[I made you. So I must be the one to destroy you.]”
“Suit yourself. But I’ll be the one who wins. Kardak!!”
“Haah, fuck. I didn’t think I’d end up fighting the Lord himself… But, well, it’s not like I don’t want to tweak this body and get a bit younger too.”

Kardak’s horn glowed with psychokinetic heat.
Valram’s magic rippled through the air with visible force.
Lucifer, not to be outdone, began gathering divine authority to retaliate.

The lair felt like a powder keg—ready to blow at any second.
And then—
[All this is great and all, but…]

“Yeah?”
[Those bastards are blocking the only exit out of the lair.]
“…Should I try punching through with my modified body?”

[You already blew all your usable divine authority modifying Valram. If you push it any further, you’ll wreck your own body before you escape. Without Lucifer’s healing magic, you’d already be a pile of broken meat, you dumbass.]
I’d managed to sneak along the wall just fine.
But ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) now I had no exit.

The two monsters roared and charged at each other.
And all I could do… was watch.
Please.

Someone.
Please clear those motherfuckers out of the way.
Just as I was making that desperate wish—

“Let’s end this—KARDAK!!”
“[SHIT!!]”
Someone crashed into the nest, slicing straight through the waves of magic unleashed by the monsters.

A man with a massive greatsword in hand.
And strapped to his waist was something I knew too well—
An Auto-Shotgun.

“[Where is the Saint?!!]”
The moment I saw him, Corn and I shouted at the same time—
“BAN!!”

[OLD MAN!! OVER HERE!! SAVE US, DAMN IT!!]
It was a goddamn perfect entrance.