[Bonus Chapter for the Spacecraft super gift by "Maurve" ~ refer to the Author’s Reward system.

The muddy field dissolved, replaced by the interior of a massive, stone cathedral. The air was bone-dry and smelled of hot metal. Massive chains hung from the ceiling, and in the center of the room stood a giant, hollow suit of armor. It held a massive executioner’s axe.

「This is where I truly became a Demon,」 Libra said, her voice turning solemn. 「The Fable of [The Iron Maiden’s Thirst]. I was captured and put into a suit of spikes. Instead of dying, I drank the blood of the spikes and took control of the metal. You, however, do not have to be poked. You just have to defeat that Guardian.」 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

The hollow armor creaked. Its visor glowed with a fierce red light. It raised the axe, and the sound of metal scraping against stone sent a shiver down Yechan’s spine.

"That thing is ten feet tall!" Yechan yelled, backing away. "And it has an axe the size of my apartment!"

「And you have me,」 Libra replied. 「Stop looking at the size of the weapon and look at the flow of the mana. He is slow. You are small. Use your insignificance to your advantage. It’s the only thing you’re actually good at.」

"You really know how to motivate a guy," Yechan muttered.

The Guardian charged. The floor shook with every step. Yechan dove to the side just as the axe slammed into the ground, shattering the stone tiles. The shockwave sent Yechan rolling across the room.

"Oof! My ribs!"

「Get up!」 Libra screamed. 「He’s recovering! Strike the joints! The knees, Yechan! Use the edge, not the flat side! Do I have to explain how a sword works every five seconds?!」

Yechan scrambled up, his heart pounding in his ears. He ran toward the Guardian. As the giant began to lift its axe again, Yechan slid between its legs, swinging Libra with all his might at the back of the Guardian’s knee.

Clang!

The obsidian blade bit deep into the heavy plate. A shower of sparks erupted. The Guardian let out a metallic roar and stumbled.

"Ha! Got him!" Yechan cheered.

「Don’t celebrate yet, you idiot! Look up!」

The Guardian didn’t fall. Instead, it swung its massive gauntlet backward, swatting Yechan like a fly. He flew twenty feet, hitting a stone pillar with a sickening thud. The sword slid across the floor, coming to a stop a few feet away.

Yechan coughed, tasting copper in his mouth. His vision was swimming. "I... I can’t... that hit was too much..."

「Yechan!」 Libra’s voice was no longer mocking. It was cold and commanding. 「Listen to me. A Fable isn’t just a story about winning. It’s a story about the cost of winning. I didn’t become a Demon King because I was lucky. I became one because I was willing to burn everything I had to stay alive. Do you want to be small forever? Do you want to be the burden that Jin has to carry until the day he dies?」

Yechan’s eyes snapped open. The thought of Jin’s pitying face acted like a stimulant. He forced his fingers to move, clawing at the stone floor.

"No," he wheezed. "I... I’m not a burden."

「Then prove it! The Iron Maiden’s Thirst is about the hunger to survive! TAKE IT!」

Yechan lunged for the sword. His fingers brushed the hilt, and suddenly, the maroon light exploded. The obsidian blade didn’t just glow; it began to pull the surrounding heat and light into itself. Yechan felt a savage hunger roar in his gut. It wasn’t a hunger for food, but for victory.

The Guardian raised its axe for a final, crushing blow.

Yechan didn’t dodge. He sprinted forward, the obsidian sword held low. He felt the Fable merging with his soul. The weight of Libra’s past was no longer a burden; it was a propellant.

"I! AM! NOT! WEAK!"

He swung the sword in a vertical arc. As the axe came down, the obsidian blade met it head-on.

SCREEEEEEE!

The sound of metal being torn apart filled the cathedral. The obsidian sword sliced through the executioner’s axe like it was made of parchment. The momentum didn’t stop. The blade continued upward, cleaving through the Guardian’s chest plate and splitting its glowing visor in two.

The giant armor froze. The red light in its eyes flickered and died. It collapsed into a pile of useless scrap metal.

Yechan stood over the remains, his chest heaving, the obsidian sword still humming in his hand. The maroon runes were brighter than they had ever been.

[System: Fable ’The Iron Maiden’s Thirst’ - Completion: 100%]

[Rewards: Strength +10, Sense +7, Mana Capacity +15]

[Title Acquired: ’One Who Refuses the Cage’]

[Status: Libra’s authority has been significantly stabilized.]

The cathedral began to dissolve, turning back into the violet fog, and then, finally, into the familiar, messy walls of Yechan’s apartment.

Yechan fell back onto his sofa, the obsidian sword clattering onto the cushions beside him. He was covered in sweat, his clothes were torn, and he felt like he had been hit by a truck, but there was a light in his eyes that hadn’t been there before.

「Hmph,」 Libra’s voice returned, though it sounded slightly tired. 「You managed to not die. I suppose I should be impressed by your ability to survive despite your overwhelming lack of coordination. You’ve repaired about five percent of my core. My edge is sharper now.」

"Five percent?" Yechan groaned, closing his eyes. "I almost died for five percent?"

「Being a Demon King is a long story, Yechan. You’ve only finished the introduction. But...」 There was a brief pause, a rare moment of genuine acknowledgment from the blade. 「...your ’Thirst’ was acceptable. For a human.」

Yechan smiled weakly. "Coming from you, that’s practically a marriage proposal."

「Watch your tongue, brat!」 the blade vibrated, knocking a picture frame off the wall. 「Or the next Fable will be [The Execution of the Insolent Jester]! Go to sleep. You smell like wet Star-Eaters and failure. We continue tomorrow.」