Abyssal Sovereignty

In a pitch-black void, a girl with an expression of scorn and disdain looked down at another girl kneeling on the ground, who bore an identical face to hers.

"Had you just given me your body earlier, we wouldn't be in this mess," the girl with the mocking expression said. "Now look at us; we’re both going to die."

Despite the taunting words, the kneeling girl remained unmoved.

"Hey! Can you hear me? Hello? Hellooo~"

"I told you that obsessing over saving the world was pointless. Have you succeeded? Do they even show a shred of gratitude towards you?"

"They don’t need you! All they want is wealth and status. You’re just deluding yourself! From the start, they never needed you!"

"Oh, but there is one place where things are different. The church views you as a very useful tool, though they discard you as soon as you’re used up, just like your so-called good friends."

"What? You’re talking about the monsters that submitted to you? Don’t fool yourself. They only submitted out of fear of your power. To them, you’re merely a means to increase your own strength. And now, look at the result—someone stronger than you has killed you."

"…Hey, you’re about to die. At least say something. It’s rather awkward for me to be the only one talking!"

Seeing the unmoving, identical figure kneeling before her, she bent down and whispered into the girl’s ear.

"You’re nothing but a failed waste! Realizing the betrayal so late is too little too late! Don’t even think about revenge. You can’t even live on in the face of humiliation and ugliness! As your inner demon, I truly..."

Suddenly, a hand rested on her shoulder.

"Finally awake? After all this time, my throat is dry…"

"…You’re right. I’ve failed at everything. My naivety led me to this pitiful state."

The girl lifted her head, staring at the face identical to hers. Her expression was one of madness and icy resolve, as if she intended to annihilate everything.

"So I’ll return this pain a thousandfold! A billionfold! I won’t stop until my revenge is complete!"

The kneeling girl increased her grip, pushing the bent-over figure—the so-called inner demon—into a prone position, causing her to grimace in pain.

But that wasn’t the crux of the matter. The real issue was the bone-chilling sensation that spread through the inner demon as she looked into the eyes of her other self.

After all, she was the inner demon—symbolizing the dark side of all beings, whether the weakest human, a powerful dragon, or even gods.

And they all feared the inner demon. In most cases, the inner demon is stronger than the original self. They fear that their dark side might one day consume and replace them. Even methods like sealing or self-acceptance can't entirely remove this threat.

But why, as the embodiment of darkness and all negative emotions, was she feeling fear facing her own original self?

The obsession, despair, hatred, anger, and indifference were even more intense than the negative emotions she had accumulated over the past decade.

This made it seem like she was the original self, and the entity that terrified her was the inner demon.

At the same time, cracks began to appear in the pitch-black void, which widened rapidly until it shattered.

"…Chirp chirp…"

The sound of approaching insects grew louder around her.

Yvevrantheia looked at the insects, her eyes unwavering.

‘The way out… It’s right in front of me.’

She gazed at the remains of the bees—killed in her self-destructive explosion before the insects appeared.

Without hesitation, Yvevrantheia fought against the paralyzing toxins in her body, dragging her battered form toward the bee remains, and began to gnaw on them.

In an instant, a bitter, mushy, and nauseating taste filled her mouth, mingled with the metallic taste of blood. It was hardly food.

But Yvevrantheia had no choice. To survive, she had to replenish her energy, and the only available source was the bee remains.

"Mmm…"

The more she ate, the more intense the nausea became, causing her body to instinctively reject the inedible substance. A burning liquid surged up her throat.

To avoid vomiting, Yvevrantheia hastened her eating, forcing the rising stomach acid back down.

If she vomited, she would waste time consuming the vomit, and with the swarm closing in, she couldn't afford to waste time.

Whether it was because her body was overcoming the toxins and developing antibodies, or because she was consuming the source of the toxins, the paralyzing sensation began to diminish. Seizing the opportunity, Yvevrantheia increased her eating speed.

In the end, she managed to consume all the bee remains before the swarm arrived, and her magical power was partially restored.

"Chirp!!"

"Are they here?"

The swarm had encircled her within a radius of about fifty meters. For Yvevrantheia’s current strength, it was almost as if they were nonexistent.

With her current strength and magical power, it seemed impossible to fight off such a large swarm.

But she knew one thing: If her strength was insufficient, she could get stronger; if her magical power was lacking, she could consume the swarm in front of her to convert it into energy.

In one swift motion, Yvevrantheia leaped onto the nearest insect, using her momentum to jump onto its back, and began to bite.

"Chirp!?"

The sudden attack threw the insect into a panic. It had never encountered such a beastly assault, as if the human on its back was wilder than any of them.

It thrashed its body, trying to shake off the intruder, but the human clung to it tenaciously.

Blood gushed out continuously, and as Yvevrantheia bit through the insect’s core, it fell lifelessly to the ground.

From the gaping wound, a blood-soaked girl stood up.

Her face resembling the menace of evil.

She surveyed the nearby swarm with a gaze filled with madness and ruthlessness that made the insects tremble.

At that moment, they felt a shift in their roles. They were the prey, and that frail human was the hunter.

Suddenly, an authoritative will pierced their minds. They understood instantly—it was the will of ‘Him’.

[ Attack ]

For the insect swarm, commands from their superior were absolute. They only needed to obey. In an instant, their fear vanished, replaced by cold, emotionless obedience, turning them into ‘machines’ that followed orders.

Meanwhile, in the distance, a vast number of insects broke through the sandstorm, advancing towards Yvevrantheia.

Thus began the battle between a ‘hunter’ and countless ‘killing machines’.