Chapter 78
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Kwang!
Flames burst forth.
The sharp claws of the demon got caught in the grand spear, halting right in front of my eyes.
My pupils stung from the metallic aura.
The demon chuckled.
“Human. Did you expect something to change by coming here?”
It seemed like the demon had no intention of letting me enter the stake willingly.
The power kept increasing.
Though my grip on the handle was tingling, I steadied it.
The next attack was imminent.
“Foolish! This is my territory alone!”
A punch directly coming at me.
I twisted my body to evade, and the subsequent kick was deflected with the grand spear.
Every move was effective, even if just grazing.
▼
Detection of an attack towards the left pectoralis major…
Detection of an attack towards the right external oblique…
Detection of an attack towards the external intercostal muscles…
▲
The Iris of Laplace analyzed the ongoing battle without rest.
I strengthened my grip on the grand spear.
‘…Stronger than expected.’
Powerful.
Perhaps due to the absorbed demonic energy, it was much stronger than the intermediate demons I fought during avatar training.
The fact that the vicinity of the stake had a high concentration of demonic energy would also have a considerable impact.
‘It would be somewhere between advanced and intermediate.’
If I hadn’t faced three demons at once before, it would have been challenging.
‘…And it doesn’t let its guard down.’
After dodging and countering my attacks several times, the demon became cautious.
Rather than trying to overpower forcefully, we ended up in a fight where we had no choice but to inflict wounds on each other.
It seemed actively using regeneration was part of its strategy.
…Intelligent.
“Tsk.”
Crossing attacks.
As the tip of the spear penetrated the demon’s ribs, its claws grazed my shoulder simultaneously.
It was an exchange of piercing and slashing wounds.
If it were a human-vs-human fight, the tide might have turned here…
Bubble, bubble!
Bubbles boiled in the hole pierced in the demon’s chest.
…Regeneration.
I hastily pulled back my arm before the spear got stuck in the tough chest muscles.
The demon laughed grotesquely.
“Hehehe, looks like it hurts.”
“….”
“You’re such a lowly species. Get a little hurt, and you quickly become dull and weak.”
The tone suggested the demon was confident that the recent exchange was in its favor.
…It wasn’t entirely wrong.
But what mattered was that I was taking less damage than the demon anticipated.
I’m not an ordinary human;
I’m a Doppleganger capable of gradually healing physical wounds using polymorph.
I needed to exploit this blind spot of his effectively.
That way, I could steer this battle in the direction I desired.
Kwang!
Once again, the spear clashed with the demon’s claws.
I deliberately eased the pressure from my hand.
The demon’s claws gradually tilted towards me.
My forehead tore open, and the view turned entirely red.
The relentless cycle of thrusting, slashing, and striking continued.
Stabbing, cutting, taking hits.
An intense brawl with no respite.
Both the demon and I were gradually wearing down, being cut and sliced.
The demon sneered.
“Are you giving up?”
I didn’t answer.
Just a little more…
As naturally as possible.
Slowly… completely losing the strength to fight.
Instill in the demon the conviction that I am losing the upper hand.
Thud.
Thud!
Sharp claws and talons relentlessly battered my body without pause.
For a human, these injuries would be incapacitating, if not fatal.
“…Kuk.”
The ceaseless attacks stopped only after I dropped my head.
I spat out the collected blood in my mouth.
The scent of iron.
A foot approached my nose, crushing the spilled teeth.
I raised my head.
The demon’s eyes glowed with intense desire.
“Human. You’re stronger than I thought.”
“….”
“Indeed, it turned out better for me.”
The demon didn’t seem to have immediate plans to cut off my breath.
Just as expected.
“If I squeeze you, enough mana worth an entire village will come out.”
“….”
“I’ll crush your flesh, corrupt your spirit, and feed on that noble-blood.”
The plan had been laid out even before the fight began.
The moment I faced the demonic army.
I pondered why the demon launched a sudden all-out attack.
In truth, there was only one reason for the haste.
Probably a shortage of demonic energy.
“Hehe, did you think you could accomplish something? No way… I will become even mightier because of you, and with that power, I will imprison your kin in agony.”
And from a powerful human, I can extract more… high-quality magic.
In a situation where mana was scarce, why would a demon engage in a full-blown battle with ‘quite a strong human’ without extracting mana?
It’s like a starving person rejecting a bowl of rice.
Realizing the cause and effect, the future unfolded before me.
The demon would never kill me.
Clunk!
With a triumphant gesture from the demon, the tightly closed gate of the pole swung open.
Creatures inside, focused on guard duty and torture, started emerging to take me away.
…And that moment arrived.
Crack!
Different magical energies collided within my heart.
An intense shudder ran through my body from head to toe in an instant.
I had to endure.
I focused my mind to avoid letting this pain disrupt my movements.
‘Just for a moment.’
I slammed the ground.
The demon’s perplexed face swiftly passed by.
It wore an expression that couldn’t comprehend how someone with serious injuries could move like this.
Certainly, if I were a human, these moves would be inexplicable with such wounds.
“What, how!?”
Belatedly, it swung its arms back to where I had been, but it was already too late.
Even by my own perception, I was reaching the speed of teleportation.
Suaaaaa!
Reaching into the pocket dimension created by the Key of Valber, I retrieved my hand.
Uuung!
As if it had been long-awaited.
A familiar sensation and weight wrapped around my fingertips.
A lump of iron darker than the surrounding darkness revealed itself.
“All right, hold on!”
By the time I was about to extract the remaining magic and complete the Halo, I was already inside the pole.
About ten remaining creatures stood there, unable to react, mumbling to themselves.
“No!!! Stop him!!!”
I heard the desperate footsteps of a demon rushing towards me.
I raised the black hope.
The ring of light coiled around the obsidian blade, rising like a black flame.
The surroundings fell into a silence.
Thud!
Thud!
Only the slow movements of the ‘core’ reverberated clearly.
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‘How many did it devour?’
I lowered my arm.
Quaaaaang!
A blinding flash of white washed over the entire field.
And then, the sound of tearing and breaking followed.
* * *
Quagwagwang!
A cloud of dust surged wildly.
In the midst of it, the hero stood still, observing the aftermath of the strike.
In the center of the pole, the core, which had exuded an imposing presence, lay shattered into pieces, rolling on the ground.
No matter how solid the material, it couldn’t withstand a direct hit from the Halo.
“…What is this?”
The demon stared at the debris with a bewildered face.
His slightly parted lips mumbled incomprehensible words, as if he were waking up from a dream.
Srrung-
But it was short-lived.
Feeling the sword pressed against his back, the demon clenched his teeth.
“It’s not over.”
The armored warrior covered in blood whispered.
“… Not yet.”
* * *
By the time Hans and the militia, along with the villagers, had prepared for the fight and stood on the wooden platform, the demons were already approaching.
Under the azure glow.
It was an ironically bright light.
Below that, sinister eyes glowed a lurid color.
“…”
Seeing the numbers, Hans unconsciously trembled, then gritted his teeth, not wanting those around him to see his fear.
If he, the strongest among them, showed fear, it would only worsen the already fragile morale.
Hans recalled the conversation he had with the man who had saved him.
It was right after the intense combat training.
“Your name is Hans, right? It seems the people in the village rely on you quite a bit.”
“Well, I suppose so. I’m a bit better with a sword than most people here. I briefly went to the city when I was young, earned my keep with a sword… that’s all.”
This wasn’t even worth mentioning.
Embarrassed, Hans scratched his head.
The man then said something thought-provoking.
“So, Hans. When the village is in crisis, people will naturally look to you.”
“Uh, yeah?”
“A trusted leader is essential in large-scale battles.”
“What are you talking about?”
“…When the fear strikes Lonkers, it will be your role to instill courage and determination in the people.”
“Uh… yes!?”
…Hans looked at the villagers standing on the platform.
They were all individuals with reasons to fight.
Some of them had rarely experienced combat.
The tension of battle gnawed at them.
“What do we do?”
“D-damn it. Those things… seem to outnumber us.”
‘That man…’
His eyes moved quickly.
The man and the girl were nowhere to be seen.
They might have already left.
There was no need for outsiders to confront such a threat.
The surroundings briefly darkened.
Hans clenched his fist.
Clunk-
A hefty metallic sound resonated from the gauntlet.
The item the man had given him to protect the villagers.
‘Alright.’
From here on, the people of Lonkers had to take charge.
He spoke up.
“You stupid bastards!”
All eyes focused on him as he shouted decisively.
“Don’t just shiver in fear looking ahead; check behind you too!”
…Behind.
Behind them was the village.
Originally, this time would have been for the quick rise of smoke as they prepared for a meal.
However, now there were only short cries and sighs circulating among the people of Lonkers.
The expressions of the militia stiffened.
Behind them lay the village.
Old folks and children evacuating, carrying only essential belongings.
They left their families behind, and with each step, they kept turning back, their eyes filled with worry.
In an instant, silence lingered on the wooden platform.
Everyone was silently observing the families that might face their last moments.
Hans shouted again, as if screaming.
“Damn it, see! We have to do it!”
The villagers realized it again.
If they crumbled quickly, the village wouldn’t last long, becoming mere food for the demons.
“We have to… do it.”
They muttered those words like a prayer.
The tension that had filled the air began to rise slightly.
Kwoong-!
Kwoong-!
The demons were approaching.
Hans opened his eyes wide.
The sound of a pounding heart, as if it would break his ribs, and the rolling sound of the demons’ footsteps became indistinguishable.
“Everyone! Fire the arrows!”
A dense shower of arrows rained down.
The villagers, as long as their strength allowed, continued pulling their bows.
Fingers tore, shoulders burned with pain, but they didn’t stop.
Thanks to the continuous production of materials for the past few days, there were plenty of arrows.
“Ah…”
However, those who had been watching with hopeful eyes had to be disappointed.
The demons didn’t fall, not even one.
The remaining demons broke through the dense arrow rain and rushed towards the platform.
“Stop shooting and fall back now!”
“Activate the artifact!”
“The rest of you, hold up shields and protect!”
“Don’t back down! We have to do it!”
The militia threw away their bows and attached themselves to the water-based artifact.
The water-based weapon was undoubtedly much more effective than the bow.
The projectiles shot at an impressive speed tore through the tough bodies of the demons.
About thirty more fell roughly.
“Reload! Reload!”
But Hans’s face gradually darkened.
They hadn’t even managed to bring down half of them, and the demons were already approaching the nose of the platform.
They were about to crawl up the platform soon.
They had worked hard to prevent easy access, but judging by the sharp claws and tentacles of the demons, it seemed futile.
‘If they climb up to the platform…’
…To put it bluntly, it’s over.
There is no chance of winning.
Even if the militia and villagers stick together, it would be challenging to handle a single demon.
Although they practiced fortification diligently, it would probably only hold up for a short time.
…Thus, annihilation was the predetermined outcome.
Hans alone would find it challenging to deal with a single demon, and the demons wriggling under the platform still seemed numerous enough.
His lips twisted in a strange way, as if he were laughing or crying.
‘…Ha. Damn it. The crumbs of bread I ate earlier were my last meal.’
Contrary to expectations, his mind became strangely calm.
Hans turned his head again to look at the Lonkers.
Unluckily, fortunately, all the villagers had already left the village.
Seeing them in the distance, they looked like dots, and it seemed like determination surged.
…His wife and son are there.
Even if they perish, they will be the ones to remember the value of this fight.
“Everyone…!”
In the unfortunate moment when he wanted to encourage his comrades to endure a little longer so that their families could escape further, Hans fell silent.
Kwung-!
Someone had jumped down under the platform.
Looking down hastily, there she was.
The black-haired girl stood distinctly in front of the gathered demons.
Her dagger emitted a brilliant light.
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