Suhyeon’s Madness ------------------------------------------------------------------------

I kept wetting my dry lips with saliva. But before I could even steady my mind, two colossal storms clashed with each other, showing no mercy.

Rumble…!

A majestic sound echoed around us. His expression was one of relaxed confidence, arms crossed, while I found myself nervously swallowing, a stark contrast. Had the outcome already been decided? My pride, however, refused to back down. No matter what anyone said, the Colossus of Destruction was my ultimate technique. Retreating now would mean I couldn’t face Lady Lilith. I poured more of my power into the spell, and for a moment, I saw my meteor shower overpowering his swords.

But then…

“Aaaaargh!”

I let out a scream of pain. Each clash sent a violent shock through me, shaking me to my core. Why? How? I wondered, but I managed to steady myself. I had seen my magic overpowering the human’s, so I thought I just needed to hold on a little longer…

“Ugh!”

As I lifted my head again, I was left speechless.

The sight of the meteor shower and the rain of swords colliding was nothing short of spectacular. But I had no time to admire it.

Was the overwhelming display just an illusion? My meteors exploded upon contact with his swords and vanished. Yet, his flaming swords withstood the blasts, advancing toward me, occupying the space around us. No, they weren’t just withstanding—they were setting my meteors ablaze.

Suddenly, I coughed up a mouthful of blood. At the same time, a wave of exhaustion washed over me, draining my strength. Could it be that the reckless use of mana was causing my body to collapse, and the barrier set by humans long ago was activating? Why now, of all times…!

I had planned to finish this quickly and handle everything, but now I was the one being pushed back. The restrictions that came sooner than expected only added to my urgency. In that moment of distraction, a thought slipped through my mind, and the result of that fleeting moment left me in despair.

Whoosh…!

The swords, burning with a pure and clear flame, were rapidly pushing back my magic, intent on erasing my existence. If I withdrew my power now, I would be reduced to nothing but ashes. Desperately, I drew more power. I couldn’t accept losing to a human.

Feeling the magic surging through my body, I focused it into my hands. Yet, deep down, I wanted to flee. If I used the Dark Tale, maybe I could save my life. But a part of me couldn’t accept that, clinging to my pride. Even knowing I would die if I stayed, my years as a demon count wouldn’t allow me to retreat.

But as the meteors vanished one by one, replaced by the burning swords, even my pride began to waver.

Watching the relentless advance of the flaming swords, I suddenly felt the space behind me grow empty. Despite the storm-like clash, my neck felt cold. Was it over? Had my Colossus magic been completely burned away?

“Goodbye.”

The human’s cold voice was the last thing I heard as countless swords rushed toward me, covering the sky. My pride, which had held on until the end, finally took a step back in the face of death. As they came to dismantle my body, I closed my eyes tightly and summoned the remaining darkness within me.

…

…

…

“Gasp, gasp.”

When I cautiously opened my eyes, I saw a ceiling that hadn’t yet collapsed. At the same time, I heard the loud noises from the floor above. The moment I took the first hit, I instinctively chose to flee. Space transfer through darkness. I had only managed to move two floors, and I was still within the lab, but I felt a sense of relief that my body hadn’t been torn apart by that dreadful technique.

“Cough…!”

Once again, I coughed up a mouthful of blood. I wanted to rest. But my body was already pierced by several of his swords. I felt the burning pain, but the thought that the humans might pursue me again made me get up. There had to be a secret space somewhere on the first floor of this lab…

Shuffle, shuffle.

Dragging one leg, I moved for a while. When I reached my intended destination, I saw the door wide open. It wasn’t just here. Had I dealt with the ones here before coming up? I smiled at the thought of entering without interference and felt around the floor next to the door. It had to be here somewhere.

“Damn it!”

I had been feeling around the floor for over ten minutes, but I still couldn’t find it. My heart raced. Before they come, quickly, quickly. Suddenly, something unfamiliar brushed against my hand as I swept the ground. Thinking I had finally found it, I lunged at the floor…

Sizzle, whoosh.

”…”

The sound of something burning. Right, the aftermath of his attack must still linger in my body. Never mind that for now, I need to…

“Phew~”

”…”

“I never imagined a noble demon count would flee and be sweeping the floor. Cleaning, perhaps?”

I heard his mocking laughter. Maybe I had known from the start. But my unwillingness to accept it had led me to self-deception. Perhaps I had wanted to avoid him all along.

“Even if you do a good deed now, I won’t let you go.”

I slowly turned my head. There he was, leisurely smoking a cigarette.

I laughed as I watched him sweep the floor. I had been saving it for later, but I couldn’t resist lighting a cigarette now.

“I never thought you’d actually run away. The Dark Tale is quite something, isn’t it? You’re as good at running now as you were back then.”

“Human… how…?”

Belphegor struggled to catch his breath, clearly exhausted. I exhaled the smoke and slowly closed the distance between us. As I approached, Belphegor awkwardly tried to back away, his feet shuffling. A sharp pain shot through my lower abdomen, but the thrill of the situation was too exhilarating.

“The… the demon sword Scurepht…”

“Whoa, whoa.”

Seeing him attempt to summon his sword, I dashed forward and kicked his hand. The sword, barely summoned, flew away pathetically. Belphegor looked up at me, his face drained of color.

I lifted my foot and pressed it against his head.

“Beg.”

“Ugh.”

“You’re just a demon scum, less than a bug. Beg for your life, and maybe I’ll spare you.”

“Kill me.”

His resolute words caught my attention. Belphegor, seemingly resigned, let out a bitter laugh.

“I acknowledge your power. But in front of them, you’re nothing but a bug… They’ll avenge me. And you’ll meet the same end as I did.”

“Who? The ones you adore so much? Lilith? Or Astaroth? Satan? Baal? Asmodeus? Lucifer?”

“Ugh… How do you know the names of the veiled lords of the demon realm…?”

As he spoke, I removed my foot and sat down. Then I punched him in the mouth. I felt something break under my fist, and shards of his teeth scattered.

“Too bad. They’ve all been killed by humans already.”

“No! Don’t lie! They have never descended to the human world!”

“Even though you can’t speak properly, you still argue. Don’t think those demon lords you worship are so great. I’ve killed them all once, so I know.”

Belphegor’s eyes met mine, and his face wavered. Demons were notorious liars, but they had the ability to discern truth from lies. It wasn’t absolute, but deceiving a demon was nearly impossible.

“I… I can’t believe it.”

But he still shook his head. Well, the truth was, those demon lords had been killed during my first cycle. But having actually killed them, my words were true. Seeing Belphegor’s shaken expression, I widened my eyes and spoke.

“I’m not lying. Ah, you’re the demon of sloth, so you’re Lilith’s subordinate, right? Killing Lilith was quite fun. She was one of the few female demons… It was quite enjoyable. Her body was truly something else.”

Mentioning Lilith seemed to ignite a spark in Belphegor’s eyes. It was true that they were still alive in the second round. It was also true that I had killed them in the first. The dissonance between these two truths left Belphegor seething with a low, simmering growl. Watching him, I continued in a nonchalant tone.

“Ah…”

“Do you know what happened? She stripped naked in front of the humans, knelt, and begged for mercy, rubbing her hands together. ‘Please forgive me~’ she pleaded. She was utterly pathetic, groveling for her life while her subordinates were being slaughtered.”

“Argh!!!”

“And as expected, the official whore of the demon realm was quite the performer. Not only did she take on all the humans there, but she even swayed her hips to entice them… Oh dear.”

“Argh!!! Argh!!!”

He screamed and lunged at me, but I deftly sidestepped and slapped him hard across the face. Smack! His head snapped to the side with a sharp sound. I grabbed a fistful of Belphegor’s hair and yanked his head up.

His face was already a mess, but I was no less deranged. A madman conversing with another madman. I lifted his head and slammed it into the ground.

Thud!

“Why are you so angry? You’re all the same.”

“Wh… why do you hate me so much…?”

His voice was a wheeze, like air escaping a punctured balloon, but I understood every word. With a face full of feigned sorrow, I lifted Belphegor’s head again.

“Do you really not know? Really?”

“What grudge do you have against me…?”

Thud!

I slammed his head down again. He let out a strangled cry, his body convulsing. I continued in a voice heavy with mock sadness. I had never forgotten what happened back then.

“I remember it all. It started when you did that to Dayeon. After that, I wanted nothing more than to kill you. You know, Dayeon was one of the few who smiled at me.”

Thud!

“But after what you did to her, and when she found out she was pregnant with a demon’s child, she took her own life. That bright, lively girl ended her own life.”

Thud!

“Fueled by revenge, I hunted you down. My brother tried to stop me, but I was blinded by rage. That was probably my first act of defiance. But… I fell into your trap, caught by your vile schemes.”

Thud!

“I can endure the humiliation I suffered then. I was captured because I was a fool. But you weren’t after me. You gathered your allies, all the demon lords you knew, and ambushed my brother who came to rescue me.”

Thud!

“In that battle, my brother died. Even as he sacrificed himself and his comrades to save his worthless brother, he lost his life.”

Thud!

“Argh…”

I paused, pulling Belphegor’s hair even tighter. His face was unrecognizable, a bloody pulp. I spat on his once-proud visage.

“But our cursed connection didn’t end there. You barely escaped with your life, only to become a demon duke when we met again. And then, you… you did that to her…”

Thinking of Han So-young, the dam of emotions I’d kept hidden burst forth with even greater intensity. Anger, pain, sorrow, despair—all those negative emotions.

“I reached the end. I wished desperately, so desperately. But I couldn’t get what I wanted. It was only after hearing the angels that I realized I had been played by you all along. Do you even know? How I lived, clinging to the hope of seizing that chance? And when I lost hope, just a step away from achieving it, do you know how I felt…?”

He was already foaming at the mouth, his face a bloody mess, the horns he once flaunted shattered long ago. Yet, he was still alive. Seeing his nostrils flare, I shouted and slammed his face into the ground again.

“Do you have any idea what it’s like to live with that guilt, to carry those memories in your heart?”

“Gah… gah…”

“Do you? Huh? It’s all because of you. If it weren’t for you…”

Thud!

“You, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you! You damned bastard!”

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Boom!

“Gah… gurgle…”

I tossed him aside roughly and stood up. My breathing was ragged, but I felt strangely entranced. I placed my foot on his head once more, savoring the moment before speaking in a dry voice.

“I’m glad. I’m really glad I met you here. That I can kill you here, I’m truly grateful. So let’s end it here. Our wretched connection.”

Belphegor was beyond responding. But I didn’t need his answer. And with that, I pressed down with my foot on his head.

---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=

(There will be no reader comments for this chapter. Thank you for your understanding.)

Hello, this is Royujin.

Haha, Chapter 101 stirred quite a bit of controversy. I think some clarification is needed.

First, for those who feel Suhyeon’s personality seems to change with each chapter, you’re not wrong.

During the rite of passage, he was a good brother and friend.

After the User Academy, he became a strict teacher or parent figure.

And occasionally, glimpses of Suhyeon’s first-round self emerged.

Now, meeting his arch-nemesis, his long-suppressed true nature has exploded.

You could say he’s not normal.

Having chosen to return with the Zero Code, I wanted to portray a protagonist driven to madness by desperation.

Of course, there are still many things in Memorize that haven’t been revealed, and I understand some readers may feel frustrated. But having come this far, I plan to gradually unfold the story naturally.

I hope this chapter has helped convey a bit of Suhyeon’s heart to you, and I’ll wrap up my thoughts here.

Thank you to those who provided constructive criticism.

And… I can distinguish between malicious comments and criticism. I’ve only deleted comments once or twice. Even excessive negative comments are still there. I always try to remember the early days when I eagerly checked for comments after posting the first chapter.

As I always say at the end of my notes:

Recommendations, comments, criticism, and questions are always welcome. :)

Your recommendations and comments are the driving force behind continuous updates. (This is the truth.)

I read all comments repeatedly.

Please don’t be too disappointed if there’s no reply.

If you have any pressing questions, feel free to message me, and I’ll respond!

With that, I’ll take my leave for today.

I hope you always read with a comfortable heart.

Recommendations, comments, criticism, and questions are always welcome.