The next morning, I left the house immediately.
I thought I should say something to Enfer or Azier, but there was nothing I could say right now.
Seeing Azier speak, it seemed Enfer had no intention of changing his mind. He would never hold me back.
It was stubbornness that wasn't stubborn at all. Perhaps even that was typical of Enfer.
I headed to Ludwig's mansion first. By car, of course.
'I hope Ludwig and Zodiac Monty are together again this time.'
Even if I wanted to go straight to Monty, I didn't know the exact address right now. It was different from Lily, who had pushed the contract on me first.
For now, only strange rumors were circulating, and Monty himself hadn't said anything to me yet.
Monty would probably move after the nonsense rumors had spread around like facts.
Even as I thought that, I didn't think Monty would be the one to spread the rumors first.
Perhaps someone else started it, and Monty was just watching the situation. I had promised to become Monty's disciple anyway. That alone would have been enough for Monty for now.
I looked at the woman sitting next to me.
"You followed me after all, Selena."
"I will not leave you alone in a dangerous place this time."
Selena said, glaring at me.
In the end, the reason Selena was angry was because I hadn't dragged her into a dangerous place.
Selena was my escort. She worked to protect me. In the past, it was a disguise to hide her true identity, but now she really was an escort.
That's why Selena wouldn't understand. She was doing her job to protect me, but I didn't take her with me when the situation called for it.
'...It's not just overprotection.'
However, I didn't intend to leave Selena out in every situation.
The fight against the devils was too incompatible with Selena.
Unlike Selena, who had a limited number of needles, the devil at the time had such a huge number that even if she counted for an hour, she would forget in the middle and have to start counting from the beginning.
Besides, they were flying in the sky, so it would have been difficult for Selena to respond.
For reference, Marco, whom I met at that time, was now entrusted to Aster and his colleagues for treatment.
I'm sorry for him, but I restrained him after he passed out. As expected, since he had already received Satan's power, he wouldn't obey me, but as long as he was bound by the restraints, escape would be difficult.
"Selena. It was too dangerous a place for you. You could have been seriously injured."
"That is the role of an escort. Didn't I say I would protect you with my life? Even if I lose my life,"
"I have so much to do in the future. What would I do without you then?"
"You're not someone who can die anywhere anymore."
"...But if Frondier-nim is in danger instead, it's meaningless,"
Selena shut her mouth at that.
"I need you. You once said this too. You said you would follow me to the ends of hell. Was that a lie after all? Was it just a typical exaggeration and bluff as I first thought?"
"...! That's not true!"
"Then, you'll be alive until we go to hell. Otherwise, it's going to be difficult."
"I won't say anything more about this. You can die when I tell you to die."
Only then did Selena nod.
As silence fell once more, I thought back to the recent battle.
I was strong against a large number weaker than me, but I always struggled in fights against skilled individuals.
It was especially dangerous if it became close combat. Up until now, I had somehow managed by leading the situation into one-on-one fights and using strategy, but if people with a certain level of skill attacked me in a coordinated attack, I would already be in a dark place. That's when I needed Selena.
To be honest, I wasn't confident I could beat Azier yet. Surely my output was much stronger.
In addition to that, there was Aster.
'...I didn't think Aster would actually attack me.'
When I had a fight with Aster, of course I wanted to persuade him, but I also knew it wouldn't happen.
What I was curious about was 'One Flash'. I hadn't seen it properly with my own eyes.
Aster had modified his sister Ellen's technique 'One Strike' in his own way.
That's what I heard, and after hearing the story that he had cut the Minotaur in one blow with that technique, I couldn't help but check it out.
And the result I saw before my eyes.
'How do you block that?'
At the time, I had no intention of blocking it. I just focused on observing it to fully capture it in my eyes.
And I knew. If I didn't respond in advance, it was a technique that would definitely kill me.
It would be impossible to dodge after it was activated, and it would be faster than the hand I stretched out to block it.
Even if I had a shield out from the beginning, it would be a close call. If I was unlucky, wouldn't it even cut through Ares' shield, Lynotoros?
'Grasping cannot overcome a single extreme. It's the right theory.'
Moreover, even in that situation, the look in that guy's eyes was still filled with firm resolve.
He must still be looking at me as someone above him.
He probably thought that the reason I didn't block One Flash was because I had the leeway. Aster would grow even more from there.
I was the wall he had to overcome, and now, as a friend who sided with the devils and needed to be reformed.
'Raising Aster is really not easy.'
That guy, who was like a collection of ridiculous talents, was targeting me. It seemed good at first glance, but when I actually tried it, it was just overwhelming. Maybe I had made the wrong decision.
Meanwhile, my head kept turning. I had been thinking, without even realizing it, that I might fight Aster someday.
That was probably the same for Aster. That's why I couldn't help but think about how to deal with One Flash.
'The best thing is to prevent him from trying it at all, and then...'
As expected, the best outcome would be to defeat him without seeing One Flash.
Someone might think that overcoming One Flash itself would be a true victory, but I wasn't interested in that.
However, the problem was that not seeing One Flash in the first place was difficult. Aster's One Flash started with a middle stance, which was originally his basic stance.
In other words, it meant interfering before Aster even got into a fighting stance, but unless Aster was completely my enemy, it would be difficult for that kind of situation to happen from the beginning.
'The only hint is that the trajectory is very honest.'
One Flash flew in a straight line. To be honest, if a single blow at that speed could change its trajectory in the middle of its flight, I would give up on strategy or anything else. I would just let Aster cut down everything, whether it be devils or gods.
It was a high-speed blow that was invisible and impossible to block, but it was an attack whose trajectory was too clear.
In other words, the strength of Aster's One Flash lay in the fact that 'you can't avoid it even if you know it's coming'.
'If I could just know the timing of the thrust, I could respond first even if it's too late to see and react...'
I muttered to myself after organizing my thoughts.
"It's too short with a sword."
Meeting Monty was, after all, something I needed.