NOVEL WEB Chapter 1433: Baiting
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"N-No… this cannot be happening to me…"
Dylan looked back at me in disbelief, his eyes filled with resentment… I didn't expect such a change in expression and personality, as if his entire charisma, his previous self, was gone.
Was it all a mask? To show the true self beneath…
I suppose that was my goal from the beginning.
To expose this fraud.
"D-Dylan lost…?"
"What?!"
"W-What was that power?"
"How is Blake so strong?!"
"Isn't he a damn Summoner?! He hasn't summoned a single thing yet!"
"Is he… is he a demon or something?"
"But his power… no, he's more like a god?"
"What sort of nonsense are you talking about? He's merely a student!"
"Is he?! I don't even know what the fuck he is anymore!"
"Hero Dylan! How could he lose?!"
"This isn't real life, right?"
"But how?!"
"Isn't he the strongest?!"
"What's going on?"
"Please say this is a joke!"
"Hero Dylan cannot lose!"
"He's the strongest… Please stand up!"
"Hero Dylan!"
The audience could simply not believe what they were seeing, as Dylan slowly stood up, covered with blood, his eyes glowing with a red light.
"Aaah… so annoying… when will they stop with this? I am not… the invincible bastard they think I am…"
"I suppose being a Hero has put a lot of stress into your mind, right Dylan?"
"Like you could never guess… Blake… I envy you."
"You do?"
"Yes, you're not like me… you never faced any of my difficulties… you never had to promise so many things… you never were forced to do this… the amount of pressure, the stress… seeing thousands of young, promising students die in the battlefield… hopelessly…"
"So this is the real you beneath that charismatic mask, huh? Dylan…"
"You think I wore a mask because I like it?! There's no other option! Just look at them! All of those damned leeches! They do nothing but demand, demand, DEMAND! They ask me to do everything for them! And now that I've lost, I suddenly am a disappointment?! They cannot even give me a break… they don't even see me as a person…"
"Don't do this Dylan."
"You know, don't you? Yeah… you always knew, didn't you Blake? Hahaha… It doesn't matter anymore. I intended to put you in your place… I negotiated with them that if I defeated you, we wouldn't have to do anything… the status quo would remain untouched. But you were stronger… so much stronger… with this power… With this "gifted power" that isn't even enough to defeat those monsters, not even with that I could defeat you?! Then… it is truly useless, hahaha…"
"Its not useless, your power is a gift from the Holy Spirits, you can-"
"SHUT UP!"
He completely broke character; the audience was shocked as they heard his words.
They couldn't believe their idol and hero was talking like this.
Showing how his heart had been corrupted through these last decades.
Into the person he was now.
"You don't know a single thing about me…! Nobody does! NONE OF YOU DO!"
"I know that you're better than this… I want to believe that you can fight back against the temptation."
"What temptation?! You also wielded demonic power! Aren't we the same at the end?!"
"…"
"Yeah, you fell into silence, right?! Hahahah… HAHAHAHAHA!"
As Dylan burst into laughter, he grabbed something from his pocket, a red-colored stone, shining brightly.
At the same time, several people stood up amidst the audience, wearing black robes with hoods covering their faces.
They raised their hands, unleashing the power of red colored jewels, the same ones Dylan was holding.
"Honestly, I was looking forward to this! We're finally doing it, all thanks to you disrupting everything, Blake! Aren't you happy?!"
The red jewel fused into his forehead, spreading red and black veins through his head and down to the rest of his body, as his green hair gained red and white colors, growing several times longer.
His body became muscular, and he regained a new black and red armor, overflowing with corrupted power… the spirits that had died temporarily were revived, twisted, demonic in form and power.
"So you've decided to walk this path…"
I glanced at him in calm silence before speaking a few words, realizing that he had indeed decided to embrace this path and nothing else.
So be it…
If this is what he truly wants, then I will simply stop him.
"Can you see this power? CAN YOU FEEL IT?" Dylan laughed, smiling viciously as his eyes glowed bright red, the people screamed as his Aura burned everything with demonic flames. "This is the power I could never attain on my own! The corruption that Lucifer's Crystals bring is the finest, and highest quality! He told me that I had to kill you, I didn't want to do that! I pitied you when you were weaker! But now I see why you're such a big threat to us all, Blake… I must eliminate you now! At all costs!"
RUMBLE!
He gave a single leap, destroying the floor beneath him and reaching me within in an instant with his gigantic hands, aiming to grab me with them and swing me around like a ragdoll.
His immense new power and his identity as the traitor I had suspected so long ago wasn't all the surprises of today, as every one of those demonic sorcerers used a red jewel, transforming into giant demonic abominations.
At the same time as a giant crimson pentagram appeared above the entire city, spiraling around, channeling demonic power…
And how I felt the power of a certain someone within.
"YOUR TORTURE BEGINS TODAY, ASMODEUS! I SHALL BEGIN BY BURNING YOUR PRECIOUS LITTLE ACADEMY TO THE GROUND!"
His voice reverberated through the skies, as he finally decided to step forward and begin his assault against me, even when we had yet to meet again.
"So you've finally showed yourself, Lucifer…"
However, I wasn't annoyed, or angered, or shocked, nor even afraid.
I was happy he was finally deciding to step up.
After all, it wouldn't have been worth it with all the preparation we did.
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