I never thought I would feel this good dominating a woman. I had always had a romantic view of sex, believing it should primarily be an emotional connection translated into a shared dance between two bodies that love each other with equal intensity.
Purely lustful sex had always seemed like a shallow act to satisfy a fleeting desire. Not to mention that, like masturbation, excess would eventually corrupt the mind.
Of course, back then I hadn't considered that none of that mattered when your mind was already completely fucked. Now, after everything I had been through, the feeling of being in control during such a pleasurable act filled me with euphoria.
"Wait!" Satella cried, though her tone suggested something else. "Not so hard!"
I had her on all fours, venting my anger as I pulled on her silver hair and thrust into her from behind.
"Did you say 'harder'? As you wish."
Grinning maliciously, I moved my hips with more force, drawing sharper, longer moans from her. I had finally kept my word—I was destroying the witch's "little ass."
To celebrate, I smacked Satella hard with my free hand. She writhed and cried out again, but I could feel her growing more aroused. She was slicker now, hotter than before.
"You know, if you're enjoying it this much, it doesn't really count as punishment anymore."
"W-why... ah!? Why are you punishing me!?"
And she still had the nerve to ask...
Without stopping, I pulled her closer by the hair and pressed my lips against her ear.
"Because you've been a bad witch!"
"Please forgive me!"
I chuckled.
"I can't forgive you, but I can give it to you in four." (Yes, it was forced because the joke in Spanish cannot be translated.)
I was enjoying this far too much. Part of me wished it wouldn't end. The only reason it would was because, very soon, I'd be able to save Rem.
After a while, Satella stopped complaining entirely and began moving on her own, pushing her hips back against mine. It was a relief—my stamina wasn't infinite, and my back was starting to ache.
"Hey... who does it feel better with?"
"Excuse me?"
Out of nowhere, Satella asked a question that caught me off guard.
"Pandora or me?" she clarified without hesitation. Her eyes locked onto mine, gleaming with something dangerous. Depending on my answer, I might live—or die in the most ridiculous way possible.
Fortunately, I didn't have to lie. While Pandora was physically appealing and had a supernatural charm, she couldn't compare to this gothic elf's voluptuousness and sensuality.
"You're better. Definitely."
Satella smiled—a rare sight. It wasn't simple happiness; there was a dark satisfaction and pride behind it. That only made her more attractive in my eyes.
"But don't let it get to your head," I warned. "I'm still very angry with you."
"I'll make it up to you!" she rushed to say. "I'll be good for you! I will, so...!"
"So...?" I asked, slowing down slightly from exhaustion. She misinterpreted it and began moving more desperately.
"Don't stop, please! I want us to stay connected!"
Somehow, it turned into something almost romantic.
"Relax. I wasn't going to stop."
Seeing how far things had drifted from the original purpose, I changed positions so we were face to face, and we continued in a more affectionate way.
It wasn't so bad.
As the minutes passed, my breathing grew ragged and uneven as I neared my limit.
Unlike what had happened with Pandora, I wasn't worried about getting her pregnant—this wasn't my real body, so it shouldn't happen. Because of that, I didn't bother warning her or asking where she wanted me to finish.
Besides, she had wrapped her legs tightly around me, clearly intending for me to finish inside. When I finally did, it felt like all my accumulated stress was released, and for a moment, I forgot my worries.
Satella was panting—she had climaxed as well. For a split second, I imagined what it would be like with Emilia, wondering if she would make the same expression.
The next instant, I scolded myself for even thinking about corrupting someone so pure and innocent.
"What are you thinking about?" Satella whispered. My skin prickled at the realization that sometimes, female intuition really does work—or maybe men are just too easy to read.
"Nothing in particular. I'm just enjoying the moment."
Her arms tightened around me as she buried her face against my chest.
"I'm sorry for getting so jealous earlier. Most of the time, it's hard for me to be reasonable... but I know I can't expect you to love only me. That wouldn't be fair to you, since you'll have to..."
"Do what? What do I have to do?" I frowned.
Satella gave a sad smile.
"Let's leave that for another time." She paused. "You want to go back and save that girl, don't you?"
Suddenly, Rem's face filled my mind. My heart raced at the thought of seeing her again—of holding her and never letting go.
"Yes!"
"That's not possible."
"...What?"
I must have misheard. There was no way she had just said that.
"I can't send you back."
"Why!?" Anger surged through me again. Was she playing with me? Because if she was—
Just as I was about to snap, Satella said something that stunned me.
"Pandora is interfering with my power. Do you remember when she visited you recently? At that moment, she placed her own influence on you. You can no longer use Return by Death. In fact... you can't die at all anymore."
And at that exact moment, the darkness shattered.
***
Gilbert stared at Leandro's lifeless body. Killing him like that felt like a waste, but he hadn't expected that bastard to have such a power hidden up his sleeve.
"What the hell did he do? Wind magic? Telekinesis, maybe?"
It didn't matter. The man was dead, which meant he couldn't feel anything anymore. That made it impossible to make him suffer as Gilbert had planned.
His long-awaited revenge remained unfulfilled.
"You fucking bastard..."
Even so, Gilbert stomped on the corpse and fired several more shots into it out of frustration.
After emptying the cylinder, he sighed and began to walk away.
"Clean this mess up," he ordered his men as he activated his Divine Protection, turning invisible to move more freely.
"Yes, sir."
His subordinates obeyed, beginning to gather the bodies and remains while the market resumed its activity as if nothing more than trash had been spilled.
Then something strange happened.
One of the bodies stood up.
No visible wounds. No blood. No damage to his clothes.
It slowly raised its head.
Madness was written across its face.
A second later, the entire market was obliterated by a mysterious force.
***
The landscape was desolate, perfectly in tune with my feelings.
I couldn't believe Pandora had done this to me.
It had to be because of the pact. All of this shit was because of that damn pact.
I wondered if every clause had been designed just to screw me over.
"This is bullshit... absolute fucking bullshit," I muttered, using the Authority of Sloth to fly away from the area.
In the end, my best chance to recover Rem had been ruined, leaving Félix as the only viable option again.
All I had to do was find him. Before or after that, I would kill every resident in the city.
Over the next few minutes, I swept through the rest of the district, slaughtering residents left and right while searching for Félix among the slaves who stared at me with empty expressions.
Killing extras stopped being fun after a while. I went through the entire district and finally found the leader—a fat, greedy old man. He tried to hide behind his bodyguards, but I made them explode like balloons in an instant.
"Where is 'Blue'?" I asked, walking over spilled blood and organs to reach him.
"I don't know!" he cried, crawling backward. There was a wet stain on his pants, and the foul smell confirmed he had literally pissed himself in fear. "I wanted him for myself, but they told me he wasn't for sale!"
"Do you have any idea where he might be?"
"The coliseum, maybe! If they want to take advantage of his healing powers—!"
"Useless," I muttered, cutting off his head with a gesture. "I already figured that much out."
I left the district. The only resident I hadn't dealt with was Gilbert, which greatly increased my irritation.
If they were smart, the criminals would start fleeing through District C—the most heavily guarded exit. But I doubted they'd get far once they reached the surface, with Reinhard and the knights on their heels.
Except for Gilbert. With his invisibility, he would be extremely difficult to catch.
And now he had an unknown number of revolvers. Honestly, even one would be enough to cause worldwide chaos. If that technology spread, the domino effect would be catastrophic.
"I'm the worst thing that's happened to this world since the Great Calamity."
With those thoughts in mind, I headed toward District B, considering the possibility that the residents were using Félix to heal slaves fighting in the coliseum.
Yes, these bastards also ran an underground fighting ring. It functioned like a sport, filled with betting, cheating, and audience interaction for entertainment.
Ignoring the other buildings, I descended onto the coliseum. The stands were packed with residents, all excited by the spectacle in the arena. When I looked closer, I found something interesting.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Today we have a very special event! A man fighting for his freedom!"
A presenter stood on a platform, speaking into some kind of amplifier. His flashy outfit drew attention as effectively as a beautiful woman's naked body.
His style reminded me of Roswaal. I quickly decided he'd be the first to die.
"As you all know, there is no mercy in this city! If you want something, you have to fight for it, kill for it, survive for it! And even then, you can never let your guard down! Hahaha!"
The genuine amusement in his voice suggested he wasn't entirely sane... just like the rest of the residents.
At that moment, multiple gates around the arena opened, releasing a large number of mabeasts, all chained or restrained in some way.
"To claim the reward, every single one of these monsters must be killed!" the presenter shouted, pointing at them. "Not a single one can be left standing! Can our challenger achieve such a feat?!"
Honestly, I wasn't in the mood to watch such a grotesque show. I was about to intervene when the presenter added:
"Presenting the man who survived a Witch Cult massacre! The last blacksmith of his lineage, the most talented in the world—truly worthy of the title God of Creation! Nadir Ashveil!"
His entrance was the opposite of grand—quiet, subdued, almost timid.
At a slow, almost irritating pace, Nadir walked to the center of the arena. He was the only one there without restraints.
He looked... I was going to say "fine" or "normal," but those didn't fit. He looked like a drunken ghost—pale, unsteady.
"Why is he here? I doubt Gilbert would waste him like this... unless he's no longer useful."
I knew firsthand that Nadir was an unmatched blacksmith, but his stubborn attitude undermined his talent. If Gilbert couldn't make him cooperate, this decision made sense.
After all, the revolver's design was no longer a secret. At that point, quantity mattered more than quality.
No matter how skilled Nadir was, a production tool that refused to function would eventually be replaced.
"Should I save him? Because of him, Gilbert learned about the revolver. Sure, I started all this, but if this idiot hadn't been so careless..."
Despite my thoughts, I had no intention of just watching him die. Still, my frustration got the better of me.
"I'll let him suffer a bit. When he's about to die, I'll step in."
The presenter chuckled darkly.
"Are you ready, challenger? I hope so, because the trial begins now! Try not to die!"
The crowd roared as the mabeasts were unleashed.
Nadir calmly watched the pack of Wolgarm rushing toward him. His body swayed slightly, as if struggling to stay upright.
I had a strong feeling that idiot wouldn't last five seconds.
Was he even aware of the deadly danger charging at him at fifty kilometers per hour?
When the Wolgarm were just a meter away, I activated my authority, ready to intervene.
But—
"What the hell?"
Suddenly, all the Wolgarm had turned into a pile of flesh and blood.
Nadir stood in the same spot—but with one crucial difference.
Now he was holding a strange spear with a bright red tip.