I Became a Foreign Worker Loved by Transcendents

Chapter 77: Plan Vs. Improvisation

Boom!

A series of light beams crashed down in the slum area.

The explosions of magic where these meteor-like projectiles landed boasted such power that one had to brace for fatal injuries if hit directly.

Its not just a magical explosion. Its an attack with mass, amplified by gravity.

Targeting not the enemy immediately but puncturing the enemy precisely with attacks timed to reach the target area by the minute.

Even someone ignorant of strategy would know how implausible it was to aim for such a thing.

But whats more annoying than the meteor is the sequence of traps. Not directly operated remotely, but time-delayed activation, making it difficult to predict the timing from my end.

Even if hidden, one could feel the traps magic and locate it by senses alone, but focusing only on such locations, one could be hit by a falling meteor at any moment.

A strategy of driving one into time-delayed attacks, not knowing when they would strike

Was it really possible, in a conventional sense, to grasp all the movements of a first-time opponent and accurately hit them with time-delayed attacks?

Are you a fortune teller?

The conclusion to the speculation came when she was pushed back to the square.

Merilyn began to compare the so-called fortune tellers she had once encountered with the adversary before her.

Yes, just as you said I am a fortune teller who reads the movement of stars to see the future.

The power they wielded, focused on prophecy, was not threatening in itself.

Given the years they had lived, which were no different from their appearance, their skills would also not exceed the limits of a human living only several decades.

However, the danger of the opponent lay not in their power but in their unpredictability. Indeed, she herself had been unable to counter effectively and had been pushed back this far.

Thats why I foresaw that you would come here, and I came to exclude you from his side.

Though preparation might be necessary, if already prepared, they could persistently push even an overwhelmingly strong opponent.

Such preparation went beyond setting traps in advance. It continued even during this standoff.

Did you come here because you read the future where you would take my partner from me?

The power felt from the crystal ball in her hand

Must be emanating because, even during the conversation, she was creating meteors in the atmosphere with her unique magic.

The Frenzied Jester, Mephisto Rage.

As she pondered how to respond, the woman glaring at her uttered her true identity.

She was briefly startled, but the shock was momentary.

No matter how skilled in disguise she was, the adversary was a fortune teller.

To read the future, one must read the past that formed its basis, so identifying the disguised opponents true identity would be easy.

I pity you.

But the words that followed were completely unexpected.

The sympathetic face that appeared alongside her indicated that her current statement was not merely pretense.

Pity Are you referring to me?

Yes, even though you are a member of the Demon Kings army, known for invading and destroying numerous dimensions Your purpose was not destruction or plunder but solely to please your Lord.

The concept of sin was created by humans to protect their society, but what use was it to adhere to human rules in a collapsing world?

If anything, one must first consider whether the target poses a threat to oneself.

In that sense, the person before her could be declared harmless to humanity, at least as long as she didnt interfere with her.

If, by any chance, he had chosen you.

Hence, Airi couldnt help but pity her.

Having lived in the void for an endlessly long time, she could respect the sentiment of cherishing someone who remained in her memory.

Even if I cant give him up, I might have accepted that he chose you. After coming to this world, he was starved for human contact, so he tends to react sensitively to any kindness shown towards him.

Even if the man she desired as a partner had a place in his heart for her, she might have acknowledged it, albeit reluctantly, if their meeting was purely as a man and a woman.

But now, after meeting you in person, I realize. You definitely shouldnt be by his side.

Ahaha~ You really are quite greedy. If you know what happened between him and me, you surely must have read that he still harbors feelings for me

You were planning to die with Woo Hyo-sung, werent you?

Snap.

The frenzied demon fell silent upon hearing the subsequent words.

Even amidst this silence, the lingering traces of magic in the sky intensified, but Merilyn, undeterred, continued to engage in conversation with her.

Well, I cant say for sure. Coincidentally, even I am uncertain of how I will act.

Now, you call that an answer

Demons are beings faithful to desire. Once we obtain what we want, we simply do as we please thereafter.

As she said, she herself did not know what would happen next.

She only vaguely guessed that, had the woman not intruded, they would have indulged in passion as much as they could, regardless of what happened next.

Even if acting on a whim leads to destruction, can you accept that?

No matter the outcome, the end will surely be happy.

Even if the end result was the extreme choice she spoke of, her power had the effect of paralyzing the reason of those who indulged in it.

The pleasure derived from it was more stimulating and addictive than any drug.

Thus, the fate met while immersed in it could not be unhappy.

Wouldnt it be better to end that way? No matter how desperately we live in a world thats soon to end, both demons and humans will live in despair equally.

A finality soaked in pleasure rather than a torture of false hope

Some might consider it the ideal way to live in a world on the brink of destruction.

Indeed, if the empire had not developed the technology to mass-produce heroes, most people would have dreamt only of a comfortable death in a world filled with despair.

Theres no need to hear more.

But she was the last heir of the Haven family.

As someone with the mission to protect the future of destruction, she couldnt possibly sympathize with such nonsensical opinions.

You really must be eliminated here.

The man she wished to fulfill this mission.

She couldnt let him be manipulated by this demons tricks.

You speak quite confidently.

And the demon felt the same disgust toward her opponent.

Someone capable of making such perfect predictions to corner her, surely wouldnt have failed to foresee the demise of this world.

It was not difficult to predict that someone facing such a future would transfer that enormous responsibility to a mere human.

Even though I may be the weakest among the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon Kings army, I still have enough power to protect myself

Yes, the person before her must be trying to push him into a thorny path.

Such a goal was utterly incompatible with her own.

Promoting an impossible hope, suggesting living with it is, to the demon who spent her life in the torture of waiting for her lords return, an act of sin.

Sorry, but youve already fallen into a trap.

Therefore, for his sake, she had to eliminate this woman first.

As she was about to charge, the feeling of unease at her feet made her expression harden.

Crackle! Slice!

The attacks of sharp crystal formations sprouted up without giving her a moment to step.

She twisted her body to avoid the attacks as much as possible, but it was impossible to dodge them all.

Her clothes and skin were torn.

The traps, laid out over several hours since her arrival, succeeded in reaching even a being among the transcendent.

Dont let your guard down, Airi. Even if she is the weakest, she has a high rank in the Demon Kings army. I need to finish this quickly!

That momentary gap was the condition needed to deliver a decisive blow.

Boom! Bang!

The meteor shower breaking through the atmosphere hit the forest of crystals sprouting in the square, and the shattered crystal pieces expanded the magic within, causing a chain of explosions.

The power of each was weak, but enough to create a reflexive sense of caution in the opponent.

Even if a whim can change the future, if that whim feels a threat to personal safety, it tends to move in a limited direction.

Yes, what was needed was not just reliance on prophecy but a plan that minimized variables attempting to deviate from the prophecy.

Even if the attack didnt hit, as long as the result was driving the opponent to a predetermined spot, the next step was to guide her to move as intended.

While bombarding indiscriminately, the focus was on the outskirts rather than the entire area.

Narrowing down the escape routes with a downpour of meteors and thrusting a decisive blow at the unconsciously found safe spot.

BOOOOM!

At the moment a powerful meteor hit the designated spot.

The storm it caused scattered crystal fragments and dirt, and as Airi watched, her expression crumbled.

I hoped this would end it

Thud, thud.

The sound of quiet footsteps.

Proving it was not a delusion, the opponent, splitting the dust, began to close the distance with a leisurely smile.

As if to show that despite being caught in the shock, she was well enough to move without any serious injury.

Hehe, I was lucky. I avoided it directly.

Luck? Thats nonsense.

Originally, that barrage was unleashed to tighten the encirclement, control the opponents movement, and direct a powerful blow to the induced position.

Minimizing that damage meant she had directly withstood the attack she induced and escaped its range in advance.

If she wanted to protect herself, she would naturally avoid attacks that felt threatening, yet she managed to instantly demonstrate the wit to withstand them with her body.

Even if she had lived in the void for eternity, did that mean her experience was not meaningless?

Crackle!

However, her opponent also considered the possibility that the first trap would be foiled and designed a trap to be activated with a time delay in the direction she believed she would come from.

A surprise thrust in an unguarded moment would be enough to deal a decisive blow to a less-defended opponent.

Why are you doing this?

That attack missed by just one step.

Merely shifting her body sideways made it miss.

Wh-what?

Oh my~ Why are you so flustered? I just moved because I wanted to. Are you telling me you couldnt predict this with your precious prophecy?

Kaboom!!

Right after that, the falling meteor crashed behind her.

But this time, she made no attempt to dodge.

She just slightly increased her walking pace, a radical action done without any particular forewarning.

After all, the future is based on the past.

Then, moving lazily, the frenzied demon closed the distance, nonchalantly bypassing the traps she had set.

Her actions were highly irregular, and her face showed no confidence in having thwarted the opponents prediction.

She just did as she felt like.

Faithful to a race guided by desire, she just moved as she pleased, wearing a leisurely smile.

That means even your so-called great prophecy is based on information accumulated from the past If you had predicted everything, you wouldnt need to waste time and could have killed me instantly. The fact that you resorted to such a cumbersome strategy proves that your prophecy is not perfect.

Rumble! Thud!

She gracefully weaved through the battlefield, which was turning into a slaughterhouse, as if she were just dancing.

Having dodged every attack from the sky and the ground, she had now taken out an instrument, ready to play a tune aimed at herself.

But what should I do? Whenever I get seriously involved in anything, even I dont know how my body will move.

That scene felt horrifying to Airi.

Even if a transcendents whim could change the future, a whim couldnt be intentionally caused.

Even if she defined it as a whim, if it was intentional, the God observing this planet would include even that in the realm of prediction to derive the precise future.

If a whim did occur, its signs could be detected if they were nearby. It was believed that if faced directly, it would be possible to read its movements.

But thats only true for ordinary transcendents It doesnt apply to this demon at all.

Yes, the opponent was a demon rooted in madness.

Madness meant not even being aware of ones actions, so if one deliberately indulged in it, all actions would become spontaneous.

The whims didnt stop at one instance but continued, possessing a sudden nature that was unpredictable as to when and where it would happen

For a fortune teller who included even one or two whims in her plan, such an existence could be considered diametrically opposed.

Well then, it seems youve shown all of the show youve roughly prepared. Now, its my turn to perform.

Pluck!

A requiem should suffice as your theme song, right!?

The strings were roughly plucked by her fingers.

The bizarre sound formed the basis of the sound wave, which, amplified by magic power, began to shoot forward.

Bang!!! Bang!!!!

The continuous explosion of sound waves.

As the attack blasted in all directions, destroying the hit buildings, Airis body, caught in the storm, tumbled into the collapsed ruins.

I avoided a direct hit, but now all the plans Ive made so far are meaningless.

Her body hurt, but she couldnt stop. For now, she must hide in the surrounding dust and increase the distance from her opponent.

At least she knew there was no answer to confronting the opponent head-on, so she needed to hide in a safe place and revise her strategy.

Cough!!

But the opponent had no intention of giving her such a respite.

The demon, instinctively stepping towards a place to flee, was ready to lift the fortune tellers body by grabbing her neck unflinchingly with her own hand.

Pffft, hahahahaha~!

Without even a bit of seriousness.

Wearing a smile befitting the epithet of a frenzied demon.

Peekaboo

At that moment, she felt a chill down her spine from that smile.

Kaboom!!

Before she could react, her body, thrown with full force, mercilessly crashed into the ruins wall.