God-Tier Enhancement: My Upgrades Never Fail-Chapter 269: Episode _Legend of the Demon World (2)

2.

The more exhausted and mentally drained a person becomes, the more their true nature reveals itself. They unconsciously cast aside their social mask, and their inner self begins to surface.

This is why people say that if you truly want to know someone—whether for marriage, friendship, or business—you should push your limits together.

Of course, this is by no means a good idea.

Human nature is almost always uglier than the mask everyone wears.

No matter how kind a person may seem, they will inevitably put themselves first. Those who don’t are an infinitesimal minority among the more than seven billion people on this planet.

By that measure, Han Simin was in a perilous state.

It had been a full week since he’d begun the massive project of attempting a +14 enhancement.

The Demon World was vast, and the process of enhancing the twin swords to +14 was proving just as complex.

By a stroke of luck, reinforcements had appeared, and materials that were difficult to obtain even with the Demon King’s power were being gathered one by one. Still, they needed more.

It was only a matter of time, though.

The number of demons flocking to the Demon King’s command was steadily increasing.

Under the law of survival of the fittest, the Demon King’s orders were absolute. She had already proven she possessed more than enough strength to sit on the throne. To refuse her command now would be outright rebellion—treason against the crown.

And so, the demons who heard the rumors began to move.

Even with their help, they still hadn’t been able to attempt the enhancement.

The fact that they were gathering materials for two swords at once was certainly a factor, but the reality remained: they were still pulling all-nighters just to prepare.

“When will they be back?”

“I just sent five of my top demons. They should be back soon.”

“Hah. What kind of monster gives even demons this much trouble? Aren’t you guys supposed to be the strongest?”

“The Demon World is much like the human world. It’s true that demons rule here, but all kinds of demonic beasts live here as well. Some of them are strong enough that I have to step in personally.”

He fell silent.

“Survival of the fittest applies to the entire Demon World.”

“Right.”

One way or another, the preparations were nearly complete.

Epia was growing kinder and kinder—as if Han Simin’s unfiltered, irritable tone, now that his mask was off, reminded her more and more of the former Enhancer. Aria, on the other hand, watched him with an expression that grew steadily stiffer.

’I knew it!’

She had been fooled by his sweet talk, but his instincts were still those of a demon!

’He’s a wicked human!’

She should have realized it the moment he joined forces with the Demon King, spouting nonsense about conquering the continent and subjugating the Celestial Realm while enhancing weapons.

She was half-brainwashed now, so she no longer felt the urge to execute him on the spot, but the part of her heart that had wavered was snapping firmly back into place.

Han Simin picked up on that shift with uncanny precision.

“Haah.”

Being the boss was hard work.

If he had his way, he would have grabbed at least two hours of sleep before the last batch of materials arrived.

’At this rate, I might actually become the first person in history to die from sleep deprivation because of a virtual reality game.’

He sighed, but there was no easy solution.

As always, Aria was not the kind of Celestial whose mind could be changed by brute force. She was an upper-rank angel, personally chosen by the Heavenly King to exterminate demons.

There is nothing harder in this world than changing the beliefs of someone who has been indoctrinated since childhood. And he didn’t just need to change her mind; he needed to make her embrace the exact opposite ideology.

Strictly speaking, he didn’t have to care what happened to her. He’d already put a collar on her, so he could just ignore it.

But Han Simin’s instincts wouldn’t let him.

’I can’t just throw away a useful Celestial.’

How could he discard such a lucky windfall?

Unless BetaGo suddenly pulled some ridiculous stunt and forced him to choose between deleting his account and giving up Aria, there was no way he was letting go of an upper-rank angel.

So, he walked over to her.

“Hmph.”

Aria turned her head away. Even here in the Demon World, she shone with a lofty radiance that drew the furtive glances of the demons. And now, that Celestial was rejecting him.

Of course, the rejection was only in her mind.

Han Simin didn’t have the mental energy to argue with her for long.

“Sit down and be quiet.”

She remained silent.

“Ah, I really didn’t want to show you this.”

He gestured to Epia with an air of resignation.

Epia approached, her dark magic flaring to life.

*

Fortunately, the Heavenly King’s humiliation was short-lived.

Before the rumors could spread—while his Celestial attendants were still shooting him hesitant, sideways glances—another call came from the Demon King.

“Ahem! As I expected. It seems she had pressing matters to attend to.”

The Heavenly King, who had been fretting over his wounded pride and the fear of being snubbed a second time, raised his voice for all to hear and drew upon his divine power.

It was a declaration of his intent to communicate.

If he followed his heart, he would have rejected the call twice before accepting, but if he did that and she never contacted him again, he would be the only one to lose. This wasn’t about restoring his pride; it was a negotiation to bring back Aria, who was being held hostage.

With a grave expression, he addressed the image of Epia forming before him.

Solemnly.

“Are you the Demon King?”

“I am. What’s with all the fuss?”

He was speechless.

Naturally, the reply was anything but solemn.

How was he supposed to keep a straight face when the person on the other end was looking at him with an expression of pure disgust?

The Heavenly King felt the same.

She was the Demon King. A being he could fight to the death without a second thought. Hostility was his first instinct.

Even so, he maintained a surprising level of composure.

“Ahem.”

’So this is a succubus. She really is beautiful.’

He spent his days surrounded by pure, snow-white Celestials. Seeing a demon drenched in blood, wearing a dress that was practically see-through—and a succubus, at that—made his heart stir.

In that, Celestials, Heavenly Kings, and demons were all the same. They were all living beings; only their races differed.

Still, the Heavenly King calmly said what he needed to say.

“It would be best if you released the Celestial you are holding hostage.”

His tone was a clear threat. This was not a negotiation; it was a demand.

He wasn’t ignorant. He knew that a proper negotiation would be an easier and more reliable way to ensure her safe return. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

But his opponent was the Demon King. The queen of demons. Beings of boundless cunning and endless wickedness. Showing any weakness to such a creature would be disastrous.

So he had no choice. He had to get Aria back, but he refused to negotiate. The only option left was to aggressively probe her intentions.

“I refuse.”

Naturally, the answer was a flat rejection.

Who would ever respond favorably to such a rude demand? If she had, the Heavenly King would have doubted she was the Demon King at all.

Which was why he already had his response prepared.

“Do you not fear the wrath of the heavens?”

“Nope.”

“Surely you know this path can only end in mutual annihilation.”

“Of course. The end has always been set in stone. The destruction of the Celestial Realm. And the death of the Heavenly King.”

“Demon Kings have been saying that for generations. Yet of the three who have come and gone in my reign alone, not one has made it a reality.”

“Mm. I’ll be the one to do it this time.”

“Insolent.”

The meaningless exchange continued. There was no way the two of them would reach an agreement, and they had no way to settle things by force. If she had truly intended to invade, she wouldn’t be wasting time with threats; she would have secretly opened a Gate and started a war.

In the end, they were just taunting each other, trying to land a few verbal jabs while they had the chance.

It was a battle for initiative.

“Oh, and hostage? Don’t you think you’re looking down on demons a bit too much?”

“Calling trash what it is, is no sin in the eyes of God.”

“Come on. She crawled in here of her own free will. Don’t be too hard on me.”

“Hmph. I don’t believe you.”

“Well, yeah. You people from the Celestial Realm only believe what you see with your own eyes.”

To seize the initiative, Epia showed him Aria, whom the Heavenly King believed was being held hostage.

He gasped.

The Heavenly King was so shocked he couldn’t control his expression.

“How about now?”

“How could this be...”

“What do you mean, how? We don’t normally accept filthy Celestial defectors in the Demon World, but what can I do when she wants it this badly? As long as I am the Demon King, if she says she will risk her life to fight for me, I have to accept her.”

He was too stunned to speak.

On the screen, Aria had shed the armor worn only by Celestials. Instead, she wore a black garter belt and a single, precarious scrap of cloth—something only a demon would wear.

It wasn’t particularly revealing compared to what she had worn on the continent, but the feeling it gave off was completely different.

It was as if she had become a naturalized citizen of the darkness.

On top of that, Aria wasn’t restrained in any way, yet there was no hint of resistance in her posture.

“See? Stop wasting your time trying to bring back someone who doesn’t even want to return. Just give up. Bye now.”

The Heavenly King fell silent.

The Heavenly King was too stunned to speak. He wanted to shout that it was impossible, but doubt had already begun to creep in.

’What if she’s been brainwashed?’

Even that thought was a contradiction. The idea that an upper-rank angel—one of his own favored Celestials—could be swayed by something as crude as brainwashing was absurd.

She would have died first.

Death, at least, would have allowed her to be resurrected as a Celestial again someday. That was why Celestials did not fear death. Even facing annihilation, they would not choose defection.

In other words, this was not the result of coercion.

While he was still reeling, the image vanished.

“This cannot be...”

This was a development he had not anticipated in the slightest.

For the Heavenly King and as for Aria.

*

Han Simin had asked her.

—“So, want to test him?”

She looked at him in confusion.

—“You can just call the Heavenly King and ask. See if he trusts you. If he really trusts you, if his faith in God is that strong, then it won’t matter what you’re wearing. He’ll still believe in you, right? You’re comrades who believe in the same god.”

She remained silent.

Aria’s wardrobe change had started there.

It wasn’t difficult. Her armor and weapons were already in Han Simin’s inventory, and all she did was change out of the black robe she had been wearing. She felt little shame in showing her body to others, so she had no reservations.

With Epia’s cooperation, they contacted the Heavenly King. Through nothing but a silent exchange of looks, Aria read the disappointment in his eyes.

—“See? Heavenly King, Demon King, they’re all the same. And God? Personally, I think that bastard BetaGo is just another AI, but leaving him aside, the Heavenly King isn’t God. Every living being has freedom of religion. Who cares if you’re a Celestial, a demon, or a warlock? Everyone should just live their own life, believing in whatever god they want.”

She did not respond.

—“When did I ever say I was going to worship an evil god? Did I ever force you to stop believing in your god? For me, this is all just business. Honestly, there’s no one in this world more trustworthy than me. Don’t you think?”

That’s just how life is.

A game of deception and schemes.

A world run by con artists.

*