064: A Single Means

Never in my life had I wished so hard for the game's plot to be wrong.

This Demon was a freak that had transcended the very concept of death. It seemed the laws of this world didn't apply to it at all. I had a vague memory of the lore stating it had been born in the Demon World and then "unreasonably" cast down into the Human World.

But that piece of trivia wasn’t worth a damn to me right now.

"Gywaghiwaawe? Wrwgga?"

"I told you, I don't have a clue what the hell you're saying!"

I lunged forward to launch another attack, but the monster summoned a swarm of bat-like creatures from its back. To my horror, there were dozens of them. Every single one possessed the innate traits of an Undead Monster: self-regeneration and a total immunity to pain.

They were small, but the mana overflowing from them was significantly higher than the small-fry mobs we’d seen outside. To make matters worse, we were stuck in a cave. There was nowhere to run.

"Weiss-kun, I’ll support you from behind!"

"Don’t push yourself. If you take a direct hit from that Demon... you’re dead."

Olynn nodded. It wasn't an exaggeration; it was the cold, hard truth. The only reason I had even managed to wound the thing was thanks to my Dual Sword. With my old equipment, I wouldn't have been able to take it down even once.

Furthermore, the Demon—this guy—got stronger the more time passed. That’s how it was set. Its compatibility with being Immortal was honestly the worst. Good grief, the dev team really outdid themselves making a monster this obnoxious yet fascinating.

"Gahiwguaawfgauew!"

"Speak a language I can actually understand, you bastard!"

At the Demon’s command, the bats scattered and began swooping down on us. Because they were so small, they were a massive pain to aim at. I evaded the first and second, but the third one’s wing grazed my cheek.

The most annoying thing about these Undead types was their ability to hinder blood coagulation. Even a trivial scratch would cause damage to tick up over time, and depending on the individual, some of these monsters could even drain your mana. I might be gaining mana from the magic circle on the ground, but that only affected my stats. No matter how high my level, I couldn't just magically replace lost blood.

Right then, one of the Demon’s arms began shifting into a wicked-looking sword. It was adapting to the fight. Its internal program was "growing" as it calculated how to win. The number of bats would only increase from here.

But there has to be a flaw. There’s always a flaw. I just have to find it.

The bats charged again, but suddenly, one of them flitted forward to protect me. Its tiny body was glowing. Wait, could it be—?

"Olynn, don't tell me... did you Tame it?"

"Just one for now. But with this, I can fight too!"

"Hah, I’m counting on you then!"

To perform a Subjugation in such a short window... as expected of Olynn.

I sliced through the enemy bats as they came. Olynn manipulated his subjugated bat, slamming its body into the Demon to create openings. Support arrived at the exact moments I needed it. It was a feat only he could pull off—a result of him constantly using his Dark Eye on everyone around him.

"Hah, not bad! To think the day would come when I'd actually fight alongside you."

My words were a reflection of the future I knew from the original work. I truly wanted to see Olynn fighting from the back of a dragon with my own eyes.

Ah, I see. That’s probably why I came here.

I had already overcome the Calamity. I should be able to make the impossible possible.

After that, I spent what felt like an eternity defeating the Demon, touching the walls, and searching for any kind of exit. Over and over and over again.

Apparently, its memories carried over through its resurrections, because the Demon grew more enraged and powerful with every death. Hours passed. The types of summoned monsters shifted—Ghouls, Skeletons, and bats. But Olynn performed a Subjugation every single time, keeping the advantage in our court.

I was genuinely grateful for Olynn's compatibility with the Demon's summons. Thanks to the Blessing of Healing, my mana wasn't running dry, but there was simply no end in sight. I had killed the thing over twenty times now. The floor was literally carpeted with the corpses of monsters.

However—

"Gyagigyaggyagga!"

The next thing to crawl out of the ground was a grotesque creature I hadn't even seen in the original work. It looked like a Composite Monster, possessing the rotting flesh of a Ghoul and the exposed bones of a Skeleton.

"Huff... huff..."

My mind was fraying faster than my physical body. Willpower was everything here. In the original game, this guy was strong, but he wasn't an unbeatable wall. But it didn't matter how many times I took it down; it was a cycle designed to break a player's spirit.

I tried blasting the wall with Time Lapse, but I couldn't find a single crack. Still, I trusted the developers. An "impossible" situation like this shouldn't exist.

What is it? What am I missing—?

"Gigigagyagyagya!"

"Shut up, small fry."

As I struck down a Ghoul, Olynn noticed something and gasped. I stayed silent. Ah, so he finally figured it out?

"The space just distorted... is this space-time!?"

"We're inside its Subspace. Time is warped in here."

"No way..."

Olynn had probably heard the rumors. High-rank Devils and the Demon Race possessed domains. Inside them, the flow of time and space became distorted. One second on the outside could be an entire hour in here. In other words, help was never coming. We were destined to fight here until we died.

"Gagjoawgagagagwg!"

The Demon lunged at me, blending in with the Ghouls. Unlike a few hours ago, its blade was sharp and its movements were calculated. It was learning. It was beginning to understand my attack patterns and the timing of my magic.

It would revive no matter how many times I killed it. It had unlimited time. And its mana fully restored every time it died.

Think. Think—

—...I see. That’s it.

There was one way, wasn't there?

A single means of escape.

"Olynn! Tell me everything about Subjugation!"

"Eh!? What are you talking about!?"

"The formula! I’ll memorize it instantly, just give me the answer!"

"W-wh-what!? What are you planning to do!?"

I shouted at Olynn while trading blows with a Ghoul and the Demon simultaneously.

"I'm going to—Subjugate this guy!"

I knew Olynn had been trying to do the same thing from the back, only to give up in despair. If the levels were too far apart, the skill was simply impossible to trigger.

But I was different. I could use the same Dark Magic as this monster, and my mana capacity was dozens of times larger than Olynn's. If it was me, there was a chance.

"T-That’s impossible! It took me years just to learn the basics of Subjugation!"

"Yeah, that's why I'm doing it right now! In the middle of this!"

I knew I was being reckless. I wasn't underestimating the skill. But this was the only option left. I was done whining. During the Calamity, I had been so ashamed of myself—frozen in shock by the words of the Demon Race.

I wasn't going to let that happen again. If I was going to die, I’d die clutching onto hope. It was as simple as that.

"S-Subjugation requires you to directly apply the target's characteristics, their magic, and the formula! After that, you have to control your mana perfectly... and most importantly, you have to understand their heart!"

"Understand... their heart?"

What a massive pain in the ass. But it made sense. That was exactly why Olynn had the aptitude of a Tamer. Because he treated everyone equally, he could empathize with the feelings of monsters. Allen couldn't use Subjugation in the original work, so I hadn't known the specifics.

I felt a smirk tug at my lips now that I knew the secret. Not that it made the difficulty any lower.

"Gyhjkowagatguagihiw!"

I stared at the Demon as we exchanged strikes, trying to read it. What are you thinking? Trapped in a hole like this... what have you been thinking all this time?

...Is it anger? Do you hate that you don't even know why you were born?

The creature had a certain degree of wisdom. Anger would be the natural conclusion.

...No, is it really that simple? Let's swap places. If it were me...

"Weiss-kun, I’ll apply the formula! But—"

"I know. You can't do it many times, right?"

The reason Subjugation was considered high-difficulty was that you couldn't afford to fail. In Noblesse, there were plenty of identical monsters, but if a Taming attempt failed, that specific monster would never trust a human again.

But—

"Hey, Demon... are you the same as me?"

"G7hjgpwkfgvgtw!"

...Yeah. Those words definitely reached you.

"Olynn! The next time I get close, hit him with the formula!"

"O-okay!"

"And give me the trick! How do I do it!?"

"It’s like the ball—just do it gently—"

At that moment, the Demon closed the distance instantly. This was it—a once-in-a-lifetime chance. I didn't hear the rest of Olynn's sentence, but I understood.

I evaded its sword-arm by a hair's breadth. I could hear the air sizzling against my ear. From behind, Olynn transformed the formula into a magic projectile and fired it at the Demon. Normally, that would be impossible, but I somehow knew that the current Olynn could pull it off.

"Weiss-kun, now!"

If I didn't Tame it within this window, I'd never get another shot at Subjugation.

I am making this work. No matter what.

I reached out and gently—very gently—placed my right hand on the Demon's forehead.

There was no murderous intent in the touch. I just had to persuade it. I had to make it understand my feelings, and I had to understand its own.

Yeah. I get how you feel perfectly, buddy—

"...g8jfaajwaf"

"...Hah."

The Demon lowered its sword-arm.

An instant later—

[Subjugation of the Devil, Demon, successful.]

An announcement echoed inside my head. It was the system voice that played upon a successful Subjugation.

Haha... of course. It’s almost funny how well I could relate to this thing’s emotions.

The very next moment, I felt the door to the cave swing open. Those damn Noblesse developers. I knew they had hidden a way out other than [Death].

"Weiss-kun, that was incredible... Subjugating a Demon... it should be impossible. You're amazing! Seriously amazing!"

"It turns out this guy was the same as me."

"The same? What do you mean?"

I didn't plan on answering him. What that monster had been feeling was... solitude. It had been here all alone. It wasn't just angry. It was lonely. It was hurting. It was sad. The only reason it attacked us was to fill that hollow emptiness.

Our situations were... pretty similar.

The Demon had been a grotesque humanoid, but suddenly, it let out a little pop and was enveloped in a cloud of smoke. When the smoke cleared—

"Debibibibi?"

"...Huh?"

For some reason, it had transformed into a "chibi" version of itself. It still had the bat wings, but it looked incredibly cute now. I recalled hearing that a monster’s appearance could change after Subjugation.

...But what the hell was this?

"Weiss-kun, your Demon is so cute..."

"...Demon."

"Debibibibi?"

They say a high-rank subjugated monster stays with its master until the day they die. Which meant...

Wait, am I stuck with this thing for the rest of my life?

"Debi?"

"...Don't give me that cute head tilt."

I turned my gaze toward Olynn. The number of monsters he had subjugated was already too many to count. I used to think his character was just a "nerfed" version of the original. I’d wondered if such an unreliable-looking guy could ever truly become strong.

I should have realized it the moment he transferred into our scholarship class, which never happened in the original plot. Just how much effort had this guy been putting in behind the scenes?

"Let’s get out of here. I don't feel like getting trapped a second time."

"Fufu, agreed."

Yeah, as I thought. I really don't dislike this guy.

"By the way, is that girl still alive?"

"She’s been under a spell this whole time. Dispelling the sleep effect will—"

As Olynn moved to help, the "Demon" floated forward and pressed a tiny finger against the female student’s forehead.

It was a chantless dispel. This little devil... he can do that too?

...Maybe he’ll actually be useful?

"Debibi?"