Don't Take Away My Human Record Chapter 690: A Joke of Fate - Novel Cool

Chapter 690: A Joke of Fate

Chapter 690: A Joke of Fate

Pariya South Bank, District 2.

The Duchy of Tiffany.

Seated in the parlor, the Duchess of Tiffany furrowed her brows as she gazed out at the gloomy, rain-drenched landscape beyond the window.

With Nigel's defeat, she had not expected to survive the night.

But she never imagined that what began as a dispute between the ambitious Perlman and their kingdom of Bosen would escalate into a chaotic battle, involving not just the High Priest Loren but also Askassan.

According to high-level intelligence obtained by the United Parliament of the Kingdom in the Kreise Empire and confirmed by the cardinal of the Resurrection Church, the Bishop of Annihilation, Askassan, had perished half a year ago.

Yet, on the blurry screens of the Bosen Demon World Channel, she witnessed what appeared to be the resurrected Askassan defeating Perlman in a battle several kilometers away.

His formidable strength, terrifying sealing techniques, and the Primordial Tablet of Sealing—an obsidian-like divine relic—all undoubtedly pointed to the distant gray figure being none other than the true Askassan, and not an illusion.

Earlier, the channels had even captured his voice amidst the rain, declaring, "I'm back."

"Could he have truly returned from hell?"

The Duchess of Tiffany pinched the bridge of her nose, her mind filled with questions.

She knew she wasn't alone in her doubts, and the source of the intelligence, the Kreise Empire, was likely the most skeptical about Askassan's resurrection.

...

Bosen Demon World, District 10.

In the northernmost reaches of the Bosen Demon World on this rainy night, everything finally came to a conclusion.

As the last deafening roar faded away, the ambitious Perlman of the demon race lay limp on the cold ground.

"Why... why..."

His body was almost torn in two, and blood gushed from the wounds, his pale face a mask of bitterness.

The relentless rain continued to fall, the drops pounding like bullets on the shattered remnants of buildings, creating a dull, droning echo.

Blood mixed with rainwater, flowing freely amid the ruins.

Once towering skyscrapers were now mostly reduced to crumbling skeletons, riddled with cracks and gaping, sawtooth holes. Shards of glass, ready to fall at any moment, let out mournful cries in the flashing lightning and rolling thunder.

"Well, what can I say, Man."

Lanci looked at the desperately struggling Perlman.

Even as Talia was about to deliver the final blow, it would take some time to kill Perlman.

"Your demon race really has strong vitality. Give him a dignified death. After all, he was once a meritorious subject of the Bosen Kingdom and Nigel's foster father."

Lanci said to Talia.

"You're the demon, your whole family is demon. I'm a law-abiding citizen of Yikelite, 25 years old, and a platinum-level card maker."

Talia responded in Lanci's mind.

"..."

Lanci didn't know when it started, but Talia had come to dislike being referred to as a demon. In this regard, she had been completely influenced by Shubelian.

He felt that if other demons heard the thoughts of the current Demon King, they might have no choice but to accept the fact that "the demon race has indeed declined."

"Where did you really get the Primordial Tablet of Sealing?!"

Up until this moment, Talia still believed that the special effects on Lanci's tablet were fake.

She had been absolutely certain that the divine radiance of Lanci's Sealing Tablet was a counterfeit, just like the Wind Tablet, but when she saw its power, she knew something was amiss.

How could this guy have obtained the Primordial Tablet of Sealing just by going to the Northern Continent?!

"Laosan gave it to me."

Lanci replied matter-of-factly.

"Laosan is Askassan, right?! How did you beat him? And these sealing cards, did you take them from him?!"

Although Talia was still unclear about what had transpired, she had a general idea of how Lanci had obtained the inheritance.

Rounding it up, since Lanci had the tablet, it was as good as her having it too. However, her emotions were dominated by shock.

"What do you mean by 'take'? He gave it to me willingly."

Certified by the Protoss Empire.

"He willingly hammered it?!"

She didn't believe Lanci's nonsense for a second.

Just as Talia's Abyssal Black Flame was about to finish off Perlman, a chilling change occurred within Perlman's body, causing Talia to shudder.

Suddenly, the fragment of the [Parloni Grudge Record] embedded in Perlman's chest burst forth with a strange flame.

At first, the flame was faint, like a ghostly whisper.

But gradually, it grew brighter and wilder, eventually transforming into a cluster of deep blue cursed fire that danced wildly in the rainy night.

"!"

Talia immediately shielded Lanci, pulling him behind her.

Its hue was eerie and sinister, its deep blue form grotesque and ever-changing, sometimes resembling a torn face and sometimes twisted limbs, as if it would devour everything in its path.

Talia's gaze remained fixed on Perlman's every move, afraid to miss any sign of impending danger.

Logically, her finishing moves should have been effective, and Perlman should have had no more tricks up his sleeve.

But Perlman's body began to convulse violently, standing up like a puppet on strings.

"Ahhhhhhh..."

Perlman's wails echoed through the ruins, as if he were fighting an invisible demon within himself or enduring unimaginable pain.

In an instant, Perlman's body stiffened, his movements mechanical and devoid of any sign of life.

When he lifted his head again, his face was utterly unrecognizable.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Beelzebub, a demon from the North."

Perlman's lips moved again, emitting a shrill, grating sound.

"It's truly a joke of fate, Rocky McCarthy, that you, someone capable of defeating Perlman, would appear here."

His hollow eyes fixed on Lanci as he spoke.

"..."

Lanci stared at the speaker.

He knew that this guy was the culprit behind the spread of the curse and the extremely demonic being from another system beyond the Land of Calamity, as Talia had mentioned.

With his remaining battle strength depleted, Perlman had been vulnerable to Beelzebub's intrusion and was now under his control through the fragment of the [Parloni Grudge Record].

"Do you think it's all over?" Beelzebub asked, a smile tugging at the corners of Perlman's mouth as he slowly raised his hand and pointed towards the depths of the ruins.

Beyond the rubble and broken walls, a massive screen stood tilting, riddled with holes and cracks yet miraculously still functioning, emitting a faint glow.

The screen still displayed the footage from Beelzebub's location.

He was no longer on the South Bank but had crossed over to the North Bank.

There, a grand earl's mansion loomed, now half-collapsed, its grandeur diminished.

The broken walls resembled the sharp teeth of a beast, and in the pouring rain, the mansion's gates stood wide open. Shattered stones and debris were scattered across the front hall and the garden, and amidst this chaos, a figure stood proudly.

The earl's mansion's barrier had proven to be no challenge for him, easily dismantled.

At his feet, amidst the ruins, lay a defeated red-haired maid. Crimson blood flowed from a gash on her forehead, staining the rainy garden red.

Her eyes were tightly shut, and traces of blood stained the corners of her mouth, a testament to her defiant struggle.

And in Beelzebub's grasp was another figure, a golden-haired girl, writhing and struggling in vain.

At that moment, Christina's snow-white neck was being choked by Beelzebub's grip.

Her face was as pale as paper, her eyes wide open, and sparkling tears streamed down her cheeks. She couldn't comprehend why such a terrifying demonic being had targeted their earl's mansion, and even Inoan was no match for him.

"Look, Rocky," Beelzebub said mockingly, "Did you know that I discovered your connection to Nigel that very night? And what of the Baptiste family you work for? Surely you care about them? They cower just beyond the shattered parlor, trembling in fear."

He pointed towards the inner sanctum of the mansion.

In an instant, it was as if Christina realized something.

"You... damn curse spreader..." she choked out.

"Oh? You don't blame Rocky?" Beelzebub asked, his gaze cold and cruel.

"If it was Rocky who stopped you... then I'd say he did a fine job..." Christina's voice grew more strained as Beelzebub's grip seemed to tighten slightly.

However, he had no intention of killing this valuable hostage just yet.

"Excellent," Beelzebub continued, his eyes fixed on Lanci through the screen, "The more loyal and affectionate you are towards him right now, the more valuable you become."

His eyes, piercing through the screen, narrowed as his lips curved into a sinister smile.

Without warning, Beelzebub's hand tightened its grip.

Christina let out a piercing, agonized scream as blood trickled from her mouth. Choked by his grasp, bruises formed on her neck, and her golden hair threatened to catch fire from the deep blue flames that surrounded her.

In the dead silence of the Baptiste earl's mansion, Christina's heart-wrenching screams cut through the heavy air like a sharp blade, piercing the hearts of all who heard.

The Baptiste family was surrounded by a circle of deep blue flames, as if they were being herded and trapped. Their faces were ashen, their eyes burning with a mix of anger and terror, and a bone-deep sense of powerlessness.

The earl's fists clenched tightly, veins popping out, while the countess covered her mouth, tears streaming relentlessly between her fingers as she could only watch her daughter suffer.

"Let her go..." Inoan struggled to her feet in the pouring rain, as if awakened by Christina's desperate cries. Once again, she staggered towards Beelzebub.

But he merely sidestepped, treating her like a child, and with a casual kick, sent her flying. The deep blue curse flames engulfed her, and she tumbled across the withered grass.

"So, this is your backup plan in the Baptiste family, Rocky? She's like a cockroach that just won't die, no matter how many times you step on her, she doesn't even scream." Beelzebub appeared in front of Inoan, his foot pressing down on her back as if she were nothing but a rag doll. Surprisingly, not even a whimper escaped her lips.

This maid possessed an unusually strong physique yet was strangely weak, like a delicate, untrained maid who had never learned to fight despite her natural talent.

"No... Christina..." Inoan weakly reached out, still trying to save Christina.

Beelzebub twisted his foot on Inoan's back and turned his attention back to the screen.

At the same time, on the ruins of the 10th District of the Bosen Demon World, Perlman, under his control, echoed the same words.

"Rocky, make your choice," the controlled Perlman said. "If you hand over the key to me, we can avoid this battle, and I will make a promise to you. I will no longer harm the civilians of Florest, and you can take whoever you want to leave. You should know that our demon race takes our pledges very seriously, right?"

On the screen, Beelzebub lifted his finger slightly, as if to tell Lanci that killing this fragile golden-haired girl was as easy as squashing a bug.

"On the other hand, if you choose to continue fighting, I won't try to take the key by force, but I will do my utmost to slaughter the civilians of Florest, to kill everyone you know in the city. I will do my best to destroy Florest, and even if you manage to defeat me by some miracle, you won't be able to keep me here. You will bear the blame that can never be washed away... One day, I will return and take everything that is important to you..."

In the ruins, Perlman, controlled by Beelzebub, bowed elegantly to Lanci and asked.

"Rocky...! Don't listen to him...!" Christina tried to speak, but Beelzebub punched her, causing her to spit out a mouthful of blood, and her eyes dimmed.

"Go on, take back Florest today. What will you have then? Nothing." Beelzebub continued to smile on the screen.

"..."

Talia hesitated, unsure if she dared to continue her attack on Perlman.

"Lanci, what should I do?"

She directed her thoughts to Lanci, her eyes fixed on the screen and the enemy before her.

"..."

Though Lanci didn't respond verbally, he conveyed his answer to Talia.

"Talia, don't compromise with terrorists. Fight to the very last moment."

Lanci communicated through their mental link.

"No, no, there must be another way, Lanci. There must be something else you can do."

Talia struggled, unable to bring herself to make such a cruel decision, ignoring the lives of her friends.

It wasn't just about the Baptiste family; if things continued this way, even if they managed to defeat Perlman and reach the South Bank, there might not be many survivors. Rosalinda would die, and everyone else might perish as well.

She was no longer the demon princess she had been a hundred years ago.

After living a peaceful life for so long and coming to understand human emotions, she couldn't bear the guilt that came with this decision!

"Success is not the endpoint, and failure is not the end of the road. We must forge ahead relentlessly. Compromising with the enemy is never an option."

Lanci looked at her helplessly, conveying his thoughts.

He, too, had run out of options. They had given it their all to reach this point, and now they could only pray for a miracle.

If the enemy was just Perlman, he might have had a chance to win. Even with two enemies, if they sought victory, he might have been able to hold his ground.

Unfortunately, the enemy before them was the most extreme kind.

When he realized his chances of winning were slim, he no longer pursued victory and instead chose to fight in a purely malicious manner.

"..."

Talia stared at Lanci, unsure of what to do.

While their thoughts could be conveyed instantaneously, she was at a loss in that moment.

On the shattered screen nearby...

"What's the matter? Are the two of you disagreeing?"

Beelzebub seemed to notice their discord and laughed delightedly, clearly relishing the situation.

This was exactly what he wanted to see.

"Are you going to be the ones to harm innocent people? This time, they will truly die, and you're still going to let it happen?"

Beelzebub's voice carried a hint of resentment, as if he were already envisioning the countless souls that would perish in Pariya that night.

"Don't be ridiculous."

Lanci glanced at Beelzebub.

Then, he focused solely on Talia in front of him.

"Talia, finish off Perlman and head to the South Bank. Save as many people as you can."

He conveyed his thoughts to her.

"..."

Talia looked at Lanci, wondering why he, usually the most gentle of them all, could be so firm and decisive at this moment.

"When I hesitate, you're decisive, and when you waver, I'll be resolute. This way, aren't we invincible? When one of us doubts, we'll just follow the other's lead."

Lanci's thoughts seemed to be trying to rouse her,

"Perhaps you feel that, to a certain extent, everyone who dies today does so because of this choice, and you care, you'll grieve, and you'll suffer. But it's not your fault!"

Lanci covered her cheeks with his hands, his gaze intense as he willed her to listen,

"Summoners bear the responsibility for all the actions of their summoned creatures. So, you don't need to hesitate, you don't need to think about it. Go defeat the enemy. All the sins are mine, Talia. You've done nothing wrong."

Talia was a little incredulous that Lanci could say such things to her.

"And aren't you the same? You care, and you'll grieve and suffer, too..."

Her golden eyes glistened with tears as she looked at Lanci, knowing that he cared even more about Christina and the Baptiste family than she did.

But what followed was a determination that settled over her like a calm after a storm.

"I understand."

As Talia's words fell, she once again opened a spatial rift beside Perlman, signaling her decision to end his life.

While she and Lanci might never be completely in sync, they could entrust themselves fully to each other when one was hesitant and the other resolute.

Their lack of explicit coordination was, in itself, their best form of coordination.

"What a pity. It seems you've chosen a path that will leave you with lifelong regrets."

Even as Perlman, controlled by Beelzebub, suffered new and fatal wounds, he laughed aloud.

Now that his enemies had chosen to fight him to the bitter end, he would make sure they lost everything, and he would ensure that Rocky McCarthy would never find peace!

On the other side...

Pariya North Bank, District 4.

In the garden of the Baptiste Earl's mansion, Beelzebub threw back his head and laughed, his laughter piercing and grating, like a demon reveling in chaos.

"Rocky, you've won, but you will never forget me. I will forever brand your soul with the pain of sin."

He spread his arms, holding Christina by the neck as he spun in the rain, announcing his pleasure to the whole world,

"Let me show you how I'll burn this young girl's flesh and bone to cinders."

Beelzebub then turned his gaze to the Baptiste family within the mansion, not just Christina, but their expressions as well, were all delightful sights to him, a perfect offering to Rocky McCarthy.

"Stop! Please!"

Inoan, disregarding her own injuries, attempted to fight back against Beelzebub.

"There's no need to rush. Don't you think that sound is quite delightful?"

Beelzebub mocked, then stomped on Inoan's head with his foot,

"Well, what do you feel now? Do you sense anything stirring within you? If not, then let's make her screams even more delightful."

He twisted his hand slightly, causing Christina's spine to emit a faint, rhythmic cracking sound as her already weak body convulsed and emitted a mix of whimpers and screams.

"..."

Inoan clutched the muddy ground helplessly, her eyes vacant as she lay on the grass.

Pain. This was a concept she had never understood in her life.

Once upon a time, she thought she would never understand what pain represented.

But now, as she witnessed Christina enduring that hellish torture, she finally comprehended. Pain wasn't just about physical wounds; it was the excruciating torment of the soul's tenderest parts, an enduring agony beyond a moment's discomfort.

She felt that she had heard this voice countless times before.

Yet, she couldn't quite place where she had heard it or why it sounded so familiar.

"...Inoan..."

"Oh? I wonder if you can hear her pleading for your help."

Beelzebub cupped his hand to his ear, tilting his head to listen to Christina's feeble voice.

"Run away..."

Christina's voice grew fainter.

"...!"

Rain mixed with tears as they streamed down Inoan's cheeks, dripping into the puddles of water strewn with fallen petals, creating barely perceptible ripples. And in that pitch-black water surface strewn with flower petals, her shadow was reflected in a blood-red hue.

As Christina's voice faded, Inoan's pupils constricted.

This moment felt both fleeting and eternal.

"Why does it feel so familiar?"

Inoan's lips quivered.

The world seemed to come to a standstill.

The rain continued to fall, but the raindrops seemed to lose their weight, and though the wind blew, its direction was indiscernible.

All was silent.

Flames, blood, charred corpses, and wails of agony...

Everything seemed to replay from the day before.

Suddenly, her mind went blank.

Her consciousness traveled back, retracing steps until it plummeted, as if her entire body had sunk into a crimson ocean that threatened to suffocate her—an ocean filled with her fragmented memories.

When she finally came to, she found herself no longer in the rainy courtyard of the Baptiste mansion but on a gloomy riverbank.

She seemed to be standing by a river of blood, watching herself.

The pure white maid, Ivanose, stood on one side, while on the opposite bank, a red-haired woman in a black robe smiled at her.

The red-haired woman opened her mouth slightly, but no sound escaped.

Yet, her words echoed in Inoan's ears—

"Because you are also a villain, just like me.

Have you forgotten the people you've killed? Didn't they make the same sounds as they died?"

"...!"

Inoan, sprawled on the ground with a vacant stare, gradually snapped out of her daze and went berserk.

"I remember..."

Long-sealed memories, forgotten in the depths of her mind, surged into her consciousness like a broken dam.

"I am...

Ivanose."

...

Under the dark clouds, Beelzebub, who had been laughing just moments ago, suddenly felt an icy chill in the air. Before he could react, he realized that his right hand, which had been tightly gripping the girl's delicate neck, had somehow vanished without a trace, wrist and all.

"Ah! Ahhhh!"

Blood gushed from the empty socket where his hand had been, quickly staining his pale skin red.

Christina, whose fate had hung in the balance, now stood before him, cradled in the arms of that ghostly red-haired woman.

"How... How is this possible...?"

Beelzebub's eyes widened in disbelief, his lips quivering. Slowly, he lifted his head, his gaze filled with incredulity and profound terror.

The red-haired woman seemed like an embodiment of the red spider lily—both terrifying and strikingly beautiful, a delicate balance between life and death, creation and destruction, and the embodiment of the god of death.

In her eyes, there was no longer the meekness of a maid but a chilling cruelty—the pure evil of humanity.

Even as a demon himself, Beelzebub felt an indescribable, bone-chilling malevolence emanating from her that made his hair stand on end.

And that red divine light—

Undoubtedly, there was only one holder of the [Primordial Stone Tablet-Fire].

This woman was none other than the infamous Cardinal Ivanose of the Resurrection Church from the Southern Continent!!

At this moment, Beelzebub had no doubt that the stone tablet was genuine, for the rampaging magic power emanating from her left him breathless.

This was truly a joke of fate!!

He couldn't begin to imagine how he had managed to incur the wrath of the Destruction Bishop to such an extent.

"How could this be part of your scheme, Rocky McCarthy?!'

Beelzebub shouted in a somewhat hysterical tone.

Only a true High Priest could possibly stand a chance against such a monster!

In the Bosen Demon World, Lanci and Talia, who were in the midst of defeating Perlman, were equally stunned.

They had no idea that Inoan was actually Destruction Bishop Ivanose.

"Lanci, is this your doing?"

After witnessing the power of Lanci's sealing stone tablet, Talia was ready to believe anything.

"What...? How could I have planned this? I'm not the Holy Emperor."

Lanci's expression was equally dumbfounded. This turn of events, where their enemy had inadvertently come to their aid, left him feeling conflicted.

He felt a mix of emotions.

"Could it be... that I actually defeated a Cardinal?"

Talia was completely baffled. She couldn't fathom how every wish she had unconsciously made to Lanci had come true.

The two exchanged glances, then quickly averted their eyes, embarrassed by the situation.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end

Report