Infinite Evolution: My Idle Evolution System

Hellion's trump card was one that drew upon her authority over HELL's Trial Gate area, meaning it wasn't even truly considered her personal power. However, even that wasn't enough to defeat the crazy bastard of an anomaly.

Hellion let herself fall onto the energy ball's surface, yet rolled over a moment later.

With bated breath and shaky eyes, she intoned, "Just end me. I am not afraid of death, and if this is what Fate has in store for me, then so be it. After all, I lost."

Cassius's amused expression froze in place. Then, question marks practically floated above his head. "What are you talking about? I'm not going to kill you," he stated, showing genuine confusion at her words. "From beginning to end, I know you were doing all of this for my sake, even if you went about it in a rather violent way. Well, no matter—I will not kill you for something like that. You did help me become stronger, after all."

"…If you're not going to kill me, then what will you do?" asked Hellion, her breathing still far from steady. "I still won't allow you to pass."
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"Even if you die because of it?"

"Yes."

A deafening silence took hold of the atmosphere. Then, completely out of nowhere, Cassius broke into an almost insane peal of laughter.

"???"

Hellion was puzzled.

"Y-You really are… Ha…" Cassius calmed himself, yet could barely hold back another flood of laughter. "You know what, Hellion?"

"What…?"

"I like you. I really do," said Cassius. "And though I was originally just going to slip past you, as my Quest has already been completed, I've changed my mind."

Slowly approaching the ample body sprawled out before him, he crouched down and locked eyes with Hellion. With his black-and-red hair slightly drooping, he said, "Hellion, Gatekeeper of the 1st Floor of HELL, what say you join me on my journey inside and outside of HELL? A pretty assistant with a good head on her shoulders—doesn't this just sound like the dream of any number of men? Well? Whaddya say?"

Hellion was speechless.

"You want me, the Guardian of HELL, to leave with an invading human…?" she asked, just to make sure she had heard correctly.

"Yeah, pretty much," Cassius responded absentmindedly. "So, wanna come with me? I have a pet dragon you could get along with. You're both mythical creatures, so you should hit it off right away— Well…"

Upon recalling how destructively insane his rambunctious dragon was, he immediately changed his mind. "Then again, you still have me! I'll pay attention to you, far more than any of the flesh-loving freaks you have as neighbors!"

"So, whaddya say??"

"…You're…"

"I'm?"

"You're insane…"

Cassius proudly stuck up his nose. "Thanks! I think you have insane curves as well!"

"…That wasn't a compliment," Hellion sighed. "And you… Are you just inviting me to join you for my body…?"

She showed barely any emotion, so Cassius honestly had no idea if she was disgusted or not. However, if he stayed silent any longer, it might as well have been confirmation of her lecherous assumption.

He shook his head, his following words sincere. "I do not lust after you. But your figure really is impressive; I am extremely curious why a mythical beast like you has an appearance like you have. My dragon also has the same thing going on for her, which really makes me wonder if all of you are shaped so perfectly… Truly intriguing…"

Hellion was once again left at a loss for words, even more so after determining that what he said was the truth.

His innocent earnestness was truly baffling.

Nonetheless, her answer remained the same—

"Did I tell you that I plan to kill a Demon King?" said Cassius, effectively interrupting her train of thought.

"Kill a Demon King? How do you plan to do that…?"

"By defeating it, of course!"

Silence.

"…You really are insane…" Hellion sighed, finding it extremely difficult to comprehend this perplexing man. "Even though you are able to become stronger through battle, the power level of a Demon King, even the weakest of them, is something beyond what your world could withstand. And as far as I'm aware, where you come from, the Demon Kings do not care about. At least for the 1st Floor… So tell me, why find trouble with an entity like that?"

'The 1st Floor… I feel like I heard that somewhere before… But where? And what does it mean?'

Despite his deep interest in that particular subject, Cassius responded to Hellion's question. "The answer to that is simple: when I ascend to the 1st Floor of HELL, I have a feeling that the 72nd Demon King will start hating me. And if Earthly scriptures are any indication of the pettiness of Demons, this small level of hate will surely lead to a death feud."

Hellion pondered what he said, realizing that he was right. 'As soon as this Child passes through the Gate, HELL will put more notice on him. The 72nd Demon King in particular, Andromalius, is known for his short temper and volatile demeanor… Death will come swift if he is involved.'

Hellion's original reason for fighting Cassius was to save him from a painful death. All she wanted was to let him go out peacefully, as she believed he had no idea just how excruciating living yet not being permitted death could truly be.

'So that's why he brought up the topic of Demon Kings…'

Hellion narrowed her eyes. She received a warm, inviting smile in return.

"You don't want me to suffer, is that not right?" asked Cassius. "If so, then take my hand and accept being my companion. Let's go Demon King hunting, why don't we?"

"Oh, and in case you're hesitating because you fear that this arrangement might be permanent, you need not worry," he added. "I don't know what is telling me this, but I have a feeling I won't be staying around for very long… Whether this feeling foreshadows my death or something more is still unknown, but joining me in figuring this out—doesn't that sound like fun??"