1566 Plague Incubation
Date- 13 April 2321
Time- 10:14
Location- Southern Region, Southern Capital
Witnessing that his punch, delivered with all the strength and fury he could muster, failed to even leave a mark on Belphegor, Wyatt felt a cold, rational acknowledgment rather than surprise. Facing a devil realm Worldhog was not an easy task. This particular opponent was armored in dense fur, not to mention thanks to Belphegor’s fire rule mastery each strand of its dense fur was imbued with an extra layer of fire rule power, creating a nearly impenetrable shield. If not for the cover of Celestial Repulsive force on his fist his hands would be incinerated by the fiery fur.
But beyond the physical challenge, a more insidious sensation was alerting within Wyatt’s awareness. A dark and creepy feeling emanated from within Belphegor’s body, intensifying with every passing second. This sensation felt like an announcement that death was arriving. From this Wyatt concluded that the devil was willing to sacrifice his precious Worldhog Incarnation, a vital aspect of his very might that allowed him to conquer and reign countless realms, just to kill Wyatt. This realization was both chilling but considering the deep grudge between them it seemed natural.
Just as Wyatt’s determination was mounting, and he was on the verge of activating the abilities of the other SSS-rank curses, a sudden and unexpected interruption stopped him in his tracks as his grimoire, sounded with an unusual notification. It was not merely a beep or chime but a resonant call that hinted at something important and urgent. He did not know that a grimoire could do that.
With a sense of foreboding, Wyatt accessed the message and found it to be a text from Colleen Heatsend. This very name sent a shockwave through him forger condensing his doubts that the royal families and central government have special privileges to grimoire which were not known to regular card apprentices.
Speaking of Colleen, the unreasonable figure who had kidnapped him, and forcefully detained him in the Southern Capital City under the guise of his safety, was now inexplicably absent. Wasn’t that convenient?
Pushing the chaos of the battle to the recesses of his mind, Wyatt’s eyes locked onto the text from Colleen, his heart pounding with a sense of urgency. The very nature of the communication, sent in such a frantic manner amid a life-or-death struggle, indicated its critical importance.
The message glowed on the surface of his grimoire, each word revealed a shocking revelation:
[Wyatt, kill the devil immediately. It is using its body as an incubator to grow a plague specifically designed for this world. Once that plague is released it will not only kill all living beings on this world but will also target the world’s will. So kill the devil before it successfully creates the plague and releases it in our world.]
The words struck Wyatt like a lightning bolt, illuminating the darkness of an uncertainty that had clouded him ever since his soul pupils had noticed the creepy soul energy gathering and growing in the Worldhog’s body. Wyatt finally had a name for the sinister soul energy that he felt in the devil’s body, a plague, a monstrous creation that threatened not only the lives of every creature in the world but also the very Will of the world itself.
Wyatt’s mind reeled from the implications. His hands trembled as he grasped the gravity of the creepy sensation he had sensed growing in Belphegor’s body, it was the harbinger of doom for not just him but this world itself.
Wyatt could relate to what the devil was planning, perhaps due to his past experience of defeating the Viltronain that had attacked Earth. Every time Wyatt thought he had killed it, the Viltronian would come back even stronger. In the same way, the devil’s attacks, which could kill any demigod or devil, never seemed to finish Wyatt off; he would always return, even more powerful than before.
The devil couldn’t figure out how Wyatt was doing this, so he decided to destroy the world that seemed to have given birth to Wyatt’s existence. He thought that without his world, Wyatt wouldn’t be able to survive in space.
Wyatt, of all people, could understand the devil’s actions. He had once created something like a plague that only targeted those with the Viltronian gene.
However, a significant difference separated Wyatt’s method from the devil’s. Wyatt understood that his opponent could endure the infinite emptiness of space. Rather than attempting to obliterate an entire world to defeat just one individual, he crafted a bio-weapon capable of wiping out an entire race. This strategic move highlighted a contrast in their approaches, and Wyatt found a strange irony in the fact that he could draw parallels between his past experiences and those of a devil.
Wyatt hurriedly replied to Colleen, ‘How about you stop spectating the battle and come help me?’
Wyatt knew about the two space vestiges in the space around the Southern capital, thanks to his enhanced soul pupils. But he had ignored them, wanting to prove to those watching that he wasn’t a pushover and could hold his own. Now, though, things were different. Belphegor was creating a realm-ending plague inside his body, and Wyatt couldn’t afford to fight a prolonged battle. He had to stop him now.
However, Wyatt wasn’t strong enough to face Belphegor head-on. The extra strength he’d gained from the SSS-rank cursed blood rejuvenation curse and the celestial force was no longer enough for him to battle Belphegor on equal footing ever since the portal to the dark realm opened in the sky of the city. With his power, he had no problem evading Belphegor’s powerful attacks but he could not confront him. Therefore did not hesitate to ask for assistance from Colleen considering what was at stake he could not afford to be prideful now.
[No, I have bigger fish to catch. The devil is all yours. You can stop it, I trust you.]
Colleen’s reply arrived instantly, refusing to provide Wyatt any assistance to defeat the devil saying that she was stalking a bigger enemy. Wyatt wondered if she was just making up excuses since his enhanced soul pupils did not find the enemy she spoke of.