Inheriting the Novel

Chapter 132 : Escape (1)

Escape (1)

A roaring noise, like a string of bombs going off, echoed as the cavern shook.

At the same time, a brilliant white light filled every corner. It was exactly the same light I had seen when Jerta used the Sacred Arms.

All five Inquisitors had used their Sacred Arms.

The fact that they chose to wield power that brings death meant they were determined to eliminate us, even at the cost of their own lives.

"Damn it! Damn it!"

Lost in thought, I casually waved my hand to block the demonkin's desperate attack.

Each time, the demonkin's blackened claws melted and broke away, only to quickly regrow and repeat the process.

"What the hell are you playing at?!"

The gauntlet infused with Divine Blood was the deadliest weapon and absolute shield against the demonkin.

Even a mere graze inflicted a fatal wound on them, and when they attacked, they ended up taking more damage themselves.

"This is impossible. How can such a human exist?"

In his frustration, the demonkin leader shouted in a voice full of rage at this absurdity.

"There's no way Altair would have given holy power to his enemy... But if you're not a priest of some other god, this overwhelming power makes no sense. Just who are you?!"

The demonkin surrounded me, launching a fierce assault. I deflected their attacks with ease.

'... This is getting a bit annoying.'

The demonkin who had rushed at Mersaya became extremely cautious once their comrades were defeated in quick succession, moving with increased wariness.

Besides, since they had the ability to move through shadows, it wasn't easy to bring them down.

'In that case...'

I slowly inhaled.

So far, I had mastered up to the fourth stance of Heaven's Holy Ultimate Art.

Though still unfamiliar, if I wanted to quickly subdue these demonkin, I had no choice but to use it.

'Heaven's Holy Ultimate Art, third Stance...'

When I used Mystic Vision, all the magic power flowing in my body disappeared; the third stance was the opposite.

All the magic power in my surroundings vanished in an instant.

No, rather than vanishing, it would be more accurate to say that it was sucked into me at an incredible speed.

I raised my left hand vertically in front of my chest, stretching my right arm straight out horizontally.

As I began to lower my right hand toward the ground—

"That, that's—!"

A cry of panic came suddenly from the demonkin.

Their terror-stricken face suggested they'd realized what I was about to do.

I stopped while attempting to use 'Air Fang' and stared at the guy.

"Are you... no, who are you?"

"What do you mean all of a sudden?"

"Well, that technique... is it by any chance..."

I narrowed my eyes, looking at the demonkin.

The guy, flustered by my reply, hesitantly opened his mouth.

Just moments ago, he'd been rushing at me with curses, but he was now extremely polite.

"... Isn't that the Heaven's Holy Ultimate Art?"

"Ho."

It seemed this demonkin knew about Grancesia. Otherwise, such a reaction wouldn't be possible.

"S-so it is!"

Perhaps he was sure now that his guess was correct, for despair immediately clouded his face as he dropped to his knees.

"I—I'm sorry. I never imagined you'd be someone related to the Saintess Grancesia."

Watching him desperately bow his head made me recall something I'd heard.

Hadn't it been said that demonkin grovel and bow their heads to the ground before their betters?

I thought for a moment, and a good idea suddenly came to mind. Since I had a different appearance now, I could come up with a pretty 'suitable profile.'

"Do you know my master?"

"M-master?!"

[Huh?]

My words shocked the demonkin and flustered Grancesia.

"I am Ray, disciple of the Saintess Grancesia. And this child... is my own disciple."

"S-so that's it. Those extraordinary martial arts must all be... Heaven's Holy Ultimate Art's..."

"...?"

Now seemingly understanding, the demonkin nodded toward Mersaya, satisfied.

Of course, Mersaya had no idea what he meant and only tilted her head in confusion.

"But you don't seem to know a lot about Heaven's Holy Ultimate Art. You only recognized it just now."

"Well, I only watched from afar long ago..."

The demonkin shuddered, as if recalling Grancesia's appearance back then.

[What, how did this guy survive?]

Grancesia only used Heaven's Holy Ultimate Art when she was out for blood.

Which led to rumors among the demonkin that anyone who faced the Saintess inevitably died.

In fact, until now, none of the demonkin I'd met had recognized Heaven's Holy Ultimate Art.

'Guess you were too weak then to notice.'

[Mmm, that's true. Besides, I didn't bother chasing and killing the young demonkin.]

Anyway, it seemed that what this demonkin had seen back then was the third stance of Heaven's Holy Ultimate Art, which I had just tried to use.

'... Grancesia's name really is terrifying.'

The moment I revealed I was Grancesia's disciple, not only the demonkin leader before me but also the rest of the demonkin all fell to their knees in terror.

What a convenient situation.

If I'd known, I'd have revealed it right from the start.

[Reveal what? It's all a lie. When did you become my disciple?]

'I'm sorry, master. Your unworthy disciple will only borrow your name for a bit.'

[Oh, well... I, I'll allow it this time, hmph!]

Leaving the easily convinced Grancesia behind, I turned with exaggerated authority to the demonkin leader.

"Now that you know I am the Saintess' disciple, I'm sure you know what comes next."

"We—we had no idea! P-please, show us mercy!"

"Mercy, you say..."

I hadn't expected to hear such a word from a demonkin's mouth.

What on earth had Grancesia done during her lifetime?

"Then I'll give you a chance."

"A-a chance?"

Slowly, I moved my Heaven's Holy Ultimate Art-imbued palm up and down. The demonkin leader's pupils wavered in sync with the movement.

"If you answer a few of my questions, I might just grant you mercy."

I then glanced in the direction of the Inquisitors.

A fierce battle was still ongoing there.

'Perfect timing. I might as well extract some information while I'm at it.'

There were a few things that had been bothering me anyway.

For example, the reason why the demonkin were helping the Inquisitors.

[Isn't it just because they're on the same side?]

'Right now they seem to be, but I find it suspicious.'

While fighting the demonkin, I examined their profile.

There were several points that caught my attention.

'They've temporarily joined forces for mutual benefit.'

They hadn't been allies from the start.

The demonkin had their own motives, and the Inquisitors had theirs—they were borrowing each other's strength for differing purposes.

'In this case, it's better to say Setram—that is, the Altair Order—rather than just the Inquisitors.'

Setram was aware of the existence of the demonkin's corridor.

Nevertheless, they did nothing, and continued to overlook the corridor until Daidalua commissioned the Seven Heroes.

Why?

'Each party's motivation is what matters here.'

What do the demonkin want, and what does Setram seek?

One thing is certain: their goals must have overlapped, at least up until a certain point.

"If you answer honestly, I'll show you special mercy."

"..."

At first, hope lit up in the demonkin's face at my words, but it soon faded.

He must have been dreading what questions I'd ask.

Of course, I had no reason to care about his worries.

"Why are the demonkin gathering the Seven Swords Under Heaven?"

"...!"

His eyes widened in shock.

"H-how do you know about that?!"

"Word's spread far and wide—anyone who doesn't know by now is just ignorant. After everything that happened in Eintban and Lavantara."

"... That's true."

The events at Eintban and Lavantara had already spread across the continent. The details of the Seven Swords Under Heaven weren't widely known, but anyone with knowledge of the event would know enough.

"..."

"If you don't want to answer, you don't have to. It's simpler for me that way."

I slowly raised my right hand, power rapidly focusing into it.

"W-wait!"

The demonkin hastily reached out to stop me.

"As for that reason... I actually don't know. Only the Demon King and a handful of noble demonkin are aware of it."

"I see, just as I thought."

I'd asked just in case, but as expected, a mere mid-to-high demonkin knew nothing.

"Then let me change the question. Is Setram aiding the demonkin in collecting the Seven Swords?"

"That's not it. We're the only ones collecting the swords."

So the collection of the Seven Swords Under Heaven was solely a demonkin objective.

"... However."

The demonkin hesitated before continuing.

"I don't know why, but they're waiting for us to gather the Seven Swords. I don't know the reason—such things are discussed only among the upper echelon."

"Really?"

This was excellent information.

After cross-checking the demonkin's profile with what he just said, everything fit together.

"Alright. That's enough. As promised, I'll let you go."

"T-thank you!"

He quickly bowed his head and gave a signal to the other demonkin. It seemed they meant to get out of here before I changed my mind.

[Are you sure about letting them go? Those guys will... ]

'Report to the Demon King about me?'

[Huh? Oh, you knew?]

'Of course. Why else would they desperately try to survive even if it meant revealing secrets?'

From their behavior, the demonkin would have fought to the death, not fled so desperately.

Sure, Grancesia's reputation was intimidating, but more importantly, they needed to report what they'd learned to the Demon King.

The martial arts used by Saintess Grancesia.

A successor to Heaven's Holy Ultimate Art had appeared.

What information could possibly be more important to the demonkin?

That's why I intentionally revealed it to them—to make sure they would be desperate to escape this place alive.

'Too bad it's just a fictional character, though.'

[And that's why you emphasized 'Ray'?]

'No one will ever find a person named Ray, no matter how long they look.'

I was genuinely curious how the demonkin would react.

And also wondering if this information would leak to Setram.

'Besides, if I ever need to use the name Ray again, I can just bring it up any time.'

[... You sly rascal.]

I smiled as I watched the demonkin flee, thinking they had obtained precious information.

Unlike me, who was grinning in satisfaction, the Inquisitors looked extremely flustered.

"Harga! What are you doing?! Right now... You need to deal with them...!"

As the demonkin escaped, from afar Luem shouted in confusion.

Just like Jerta, he had become a walking blaze and was engaged in a fierce battle with Sehenz.

In response to Luem's call, the demonkin Harga shook his head.

"We only aided you because you said it would be simple from the start. I have no intention of helping with such a disadvantageous affair any further."

"You damn demonkin scum!"

He looked likely to jump at Harga, not Sehenz in front of him.

Of course, that was impossible.

No matter how much power Luem had gained from the Sacred Arms, he couldn't simply bypass Sehenz.

"Well then..."

I slowly turned toward the Inquisitors.

With all the demonkin fleeing, all that was left was to deal with the remaining Inquisitors.