Family heirloom, then turned into a demon girl

Chapter 338 Mission: 02-2 The Hero Arrives
“…I’m really disappointed.”

Nero, drifting unconsciously in the chaos, was awakened by a familiar voice. She opened her eyes and saw a dark shadow gradually taking shape in the void, emitting a mocking laugh:
"But if you think about it carefully, it is inevitable. After all, nothingness——"

As he spoke, the shadowy figure finally revealed its true form. He was dressed in a jet-black tuxedo and a bowler hat, waving an exquisite cane in his hand. An irritatingly sarcastic smile played on his lips: "—will never perish."

"Mephistopheles?" Nero's eyes widened, and he uttered a surprised sound: "No, it's 'Samael'... You're still alive?"

"How could I have ever died?"

Samael opened his arms. "I am a spirit born from the void. The void is eternal, and so am I. Since you have once again plunged your heart into the void, isn't it only natural that I should appear again?"

“Who is nothing?”

Nero retorted subconsciously, but Samael, as if he had guessed what she would say, pressed a finger against her lips.

"Shh..." He smiled mysteriously, "Don't lie to yourself. My mouth may lie, but your heart won't."

Samael calmly pointed out the futility of Nero's rebuttal: "You know, a person with a rich heart wouldn't stay in his room and sleep all day long."

Nero frowned instantly and slapped Samael's hand away in annoyance. "It's as if I have something to do besides sleep. How about you go to jail for me?"

"Look, I'm in a hurry."

Samael wasn't upset. He cheerfully stepped back, floated a few inches upward, looked down at Nero, and said, "This proves I was right about you. But there's no need to be so disgusted. You feel empty because your heart has been satisfied."

"People who are content with the status quo will fall into emptiness and stagnate. This is human nature, so there is no need to feel inferior."

Hearing Samael's words, Nero narrowed his eyes and looked at him with both anger and amusement: "Are you saying that I'm content with being locked up in a cell, without food, water, or clothes?"

“There is a certain relationship between a person’s circumstances and their inner satisfaction, but it is not absolute.”

Samael said: "Some people have mountains of gold and silver, and are powerful, but they are still not satisfied; some people are poor and lonely, but they are still fulfilled."

"That seems like nonsense."

Samael, rebuked by Nero again, shrugged, spread his hands, and smiled with his eyes closed. "I'm just analyzing your thoughts, aren't I? Only now do I understand why I couldn't satisfy you that day—you're truly too self-centered."

"I don't want you to say that."

"I'm complimenting you."

"Then you should learn how to praise others."

"Okay, okay, I'll just assume you're right."

Samael reluctantly gave in and stopped arguing with Nero. "Maybe you haven't noticed it yourself, but have you ever thought about why you've come this far and accomplished so much?"

"Even if you ask..."

Nero thought for a moment and replied helplessly: "There can't be only one reason for so many things."

"What if what I said was true? Do you remember what you said when I asked you why you gave up your wish and left?"

"…I am willing?"

"That's right." Samael nodded. "This is the root of all your actions. 'To save the world,' 'To protect my family'... in reality, those are just annotations you added after 'wanting to do that thing.'

"In short, you don't care about the world outside of your own heart. All your actions ultimately come down to one reason: 'I want it.'"

"I don't understand. No one would do something they don't want to do."

In response to Nero's question, Samael laughed again.

"This is what I want to praise you for. You are so pure. You neither act for the sake of getting results nor for the evaluation of the outside world. You put aside all external confusions and put the meaning of action in the fact itself of 'I want to act, I am acting'. So as long as you never stop, you will naturally never fall into nothingness. It is natural that my temptation has no effect on you." Samael chuckled and reached out to pinch the chin of the unresponsive Nero.

"But on the other hand... as long as you stop, the void will naturally catch up with you. I don't even need to make a move.

"Like now, without that goal that made you feel 'I need to act,' you immediately see me."

Nero felt a surge of anger in his heart and turned his head away from Samael's hand.

"Are you trying to say you won?" she asked.

"I wouldn't say that."

Samael chuckled. "I know you too well. If I say I win, you'll immediately start taking action to refute it, and then you won't feel empty anymore."

"cut."

"Throughout history, there have been countless instances of people boasting of their boundless desires, but that is nothing more than self-deception. The so-called 'never being satisfied' is simply a lack of knowledge of what they truly want."

Samael, relentless, reached out and touched Nero's face again, saying, "From this point of view, you are indeed a genuine human being, as you said."

"I don't want you to say that."

"It's the second time."

Samael met Nero's eyes again. "But I'm still praising you. I really like humans."

"Go away, don't disgust me."

Samael dodged Nero's counterattack and stepped back, a playful expression on his face: "Haha, it turns out the truth is hard to hear."

Then, He looked at His body which was gradually dissipating and let out a soft sigh, “Ah!”

"Are you really angry?" Samael raised his head and smiled kindly, "In a sense, you're quite understandable."

"Stop pretending."

In the real world, Nero, who was curled up in the corner, opened his eyes. A sharp light flashed in his azure pupils: "You ran out just to annoy me."

It must be said that this guy's provocation was quite successful. From this moment on, Nero's rest period of drifting with the tide, doing nothing and indulging in self-pity came to an end.

Because Dante and Virgil are here, there's nothing to do? You're kidding.

The Yama Blade is broken, the magic power is gone, so the only option is to ask others for help? This idea is completely lazy.

Maybe that was indeed the case when Virgil first found him, but after resting for so long, it can only be said that his mentality was hit by the loss of strength, and his thinking accidentally got into a dead end.

"That's right, that's right! It seems you finally understand!"

In Nero's mind, Samael's laughter echoed: "Nothingness will last forever, but true heroes will always emerge from it..."

The laughter gradually faded, and Nero's figure, locked in the cell, gradually melted away. Looking at the cane that appeared in her palm, she couldn't help but sneer.

"Chains that hold a demon can't hold an angel... That's an overly simplistic answer."

"Indeed. But... I have one last thing to remind you.

"Be careful not to let anyone steal your 'desire' again..."

After offering his final advice, the revived Samael finally vanished once more. Nero raised his cane and stepped into the void adjacent to the mortal world.

(End of this chapter)