novelraw Chapter 72 : Demon Race (2)
Chapter 72 : Demon Race (2)
Chapter 72: Demon Race (2)
‘So they were fighting in a place this cramped.’
Even while spouting idle remarks, I carefully examined my surroundings.
I saw the Saintess crying as well. I pretended not to notice, in case she felt embarrassed.
‘More importantly, the enemy’s level is quite high. To think just five of them were holding off this many.’
About half of them had already become corpses. The remaining half clearly showed signs of exhaustion.
‘Each one is on par with Rhuin—or stronger.’
Rhuin had already reached the mid-to-late stage of Peak Realm. There was no way Holy Knights—at best only first-rate—could endure against such opponents.
There was one who had reached Peak Realm, but… the difference in strength made even that meaningless.
‘Alone, it’ll be difficult. I just need to hold out until the Captain and Kazan arrive.’
I released Requilith and said,
“Hide. Once the fight starts, I can’t guarantee your safety.”
“Then, you shouldn’t have brought me, in the first place, right?”
“…….”
“Tch…….”
I didn’t respond to his irritation. I simply stared at Bingpleru with calm, sunken eyes.
Feeling Requilith’s presence fade away, I thought,
‘Strange. Why isn’t he regenerating his arm?’
The regeneration ability of Demon Beasts was well known. Even lost limbs could be restored.
So why was he leaving it as it was?
‘Don’t tell me… they don’t have regenerative abilities?’
Requilith had said the Demon Race wasn’t much different from humans.
Was this what he meant?
The thought lasted only a moment.
I immediately charged at Bingpleru. Know your enemy, know yourself—never lose a battle. To confirm my hypothesis, I had to clash with him.
Kwaang—!!
Our swords collided midair. Sparks flew in all directions with every clash of sharpened blades.
‘Heavy!’
Bingpleru thought.
The human before him—he had already deemed him extraordinary. After all, he had severed his arm without him even realizing it.
Surely, he belonged among the ranks of the strong.
‘But he’s sloppy.’
Bingpleru’s gaze shifted to his comrades.
At once, the Demon Race rushed toward the Saintess.
“…!!”
My eyes widened. I saw through his intention.
I was the one pressed for time. The difference in strength was significant from the start.
If they could just tie me down with minimal force, the rest would be easy.
Wasn’t that why I had been trying to stall for time?
And yet, they targeted the Saintess instead. From their charge, I could feel their resolve to disregard their lives.
Of course, I had considered this possibility. They weren’t fools.
That’s why I let out a faint chuckle.
“I thought of various scenarios. Naturally, I also considered the case where you’d underestimate me.”
“…What are you trying to say?”
“That you’ve chosen the worst possible option—the one I would never choose. Think about it. Do you really believe someone like you can hold me back even for a moment?”
“…!!”
Kwaang—!!
At that moment, I kicked Bingpleru in the abdomen. It was a strike infused with all my internal energy. Unable to withstand the force, his body was sent flying backward.
“Kugh—!!”
Monstrous leg strength. Even though he protected his body with mana, immense pain surged through him.
‘I need to regain my balance—!’
“Where do you think you’re going!”
Boom—!!
His flying speed increased even more. I had already caught up and kicked him again.
Gush—!!
Bingpleru spat blood. It was mixed with fragments of flesh.
Even at a glance, his internal energy was severely damaged.
Swoooosh—!!
Eventually, he was flung all the way to where the others had rushed ahead.
Not only that, he arrived faster than any of them—right in front of a Holy Knight.
“Cut him down!!”
I shouted.
The Holy Knight, startled by my voice, reflexively swung his sword downward.
Fwoosh—!!
At the same time, Bingpleru’s body split apart, blood erupting like a fountain. Brain matter and organs burst into the air.
His body split cleanly into two.
The Holy Knight who had done it stared blankly between me and his sword.
“Didn’t I tell you?”
Step. Step.
I walked toward the Demon Race and spoke,
“That it was a bad choice. This is the result of ignoring my advice.”
My tone was calm—so calm it was hard to believe I had just killed someone.
The unreal scene froze the Demon Race in place.
Looking at them, I said,
“What’s wrong? Do you want advice too?”
---
Galur, one of the Saintess’s guards, thought,
‘Who is that man? His martial prowess is monstrous.’
At first, he had thought the man was a new enemy.
But after seeing him oppose the Demon Race, he recognized him as an ally.
And that only deepened his shock.
‘Each of those enemies is as strong as me. Yet he kills them so effortlessly.’
Moreover, he looked young—barely past twenty.
The world truly was vast.
Galur steadied himself. The battle wasn’t over yet. He couldn’t shamelessly leave everything to that young man.
Just as he was about to shout orders—
“…Accept the power of the Great Night.”
One of the Demon Race spoke with a resolute expression.
At that moment—
Woooooooong—!!
A terrifying aura surged from their bodies. It was completely different from before.
I stared at them with a hardened expression.
‘How did they do that? Are they drawing on innate energy?’
But their faces were too normal. Innate energy was life force—using it would cause visible changes like wrinkles or white hair.
‘If they had hidden their strength, they wouldn’t look so panicked. If it were life force, their condition wouldn’t be this stable. Then… a blessing?’
I had heard of it. Among mages, some could grant others power like a divine blessing.
Though temporary, it could unleash terrifying strength.
‘Don’t tell me… one of them can grant blessings…’
Even among mages, only a handful could do that.
And their power was still increasing.
Meaning the blessing hadn’t fully settled yet.
‘Late Peak Realm… Transcendent Realm… is that their limit?’
This was bad.
‘Stalling is no longer an option.’
Now it was about survival.
‘Still, I have insurance.’
Warrior’s Mana.
Though it could only be used briefly, it would help me endure.
‘Let’s hope I can hold out until Garan and Kazan arrive.’
Boom—! Boom—! Boom—!!
At that moment—
Heavy impacts echoed. The ground trembled. The vibrations were getting closer.
I smiled without realizing it—a smile of relief.
“Seems warriors think alike.”
Kwaang—!!
The wall behind the Holy Knights collapsed. The Holy Knights flinched in shock—
Then saw Garan emerge from the dust.
“…An enemy?”
“An ally.”
Garan answered as he passed them without slowing.
“Leon, explain.”
“The Demon Race are targeting the Saintess’s heart. Just now, they suddenly grew stronger—likely from some kind of blessing.”
“To what extent?”
“They don’t regenerate like Demon Beasts. No need to worry.”
“Is that so?”
Garan grinned.
“Then there’s no problem.”
At the same time, he charged.
Despite his massive frame, his movements were swift. Even with the blessing, the Demon Race couldn’t keep up.
His fists crushed their bodies—literally crushed.
Though it was just punches, Garan was no ordinary man.
He was a warrior nearing the level of a Knight—and after consuming the Elixir, he could now wield Force.
To the Demon Race, his fists were more terrifying than any weapon.
Boom—!!
A deafening explosion rang out—it was the sound of a body bursting.
One Demon Race was split in half. Another’s neck was shattered mid-sentence.
It was a gruesome sight.
Yet watching him, I had a different thought.
‘It’s like a lumberjack splitting wood with an axe.’
His punches carried the familiarity of repeated practice.
‘So Garan chose an axe as his weapon.’
When a warrior reaches the extreme of the body, they begin to imitate weapons with their own flesh.
That was Garan’s current realm.
His body, honed to the limit, no longer needed training.
The only path left was refining technique.
And to do that efficiently, he treated his body like a weapon.
Before long, Garan finished the fight.
All but one of them had turned into corpses.
The last one was likely kept alive for information.
Garan spoke,
“You said Demon Race, right? Your goal is the Saintess’s heart—is that true?”
“……”
“No answer. Well, I wasn’t planning to believe you anyway. There’s no way you’d try to harm the Saintess with just this level.”
“What do you mean?”
I asked.
“They’re strong. Without you, Captain, they would’ve succeeded.”
“They’re too weak. Do you take the Holy Kingdom’s Holy Knights for fools? They were all defeated by a mere mercenary like me. There’s no way such weaklings could harm the Saintess.”
The Holy Knights flinched.
Naturally. It was widely known that a Saint’s heart could elevate one’s realm. Her guards should match that importance.
Even a Saint’s guard was chosen from among the strongest in the Holy Kingdom.
Would the Saintess be any different?
“Look, Leon. These Holy Knights are—”
Garan suddenly stopped.
His eyes trembled with confusion.
“…Why are they all so weak?”
The Holy Knights’ faces flushed red. They felt humiliated—but couldn’t refute it.
They had just been saved by him.
“In any case, it doesn’t make sense. This number shouldn’t be enough to target the Saintess.”
Even after seeing them, Garan didn’t change his stance.
“Speak honestly. The saints of the Holy Kingdom are not targets the likes of you can handle.”
“……Kek.”
At that moment, the remaining Demon Race laughed weakly.
“You’re wrong. We did target the Saintess.”
“Keep talking.”
“You’re under a great misunderstanding. We created this place from the start. The moment you stepped underground, the outcome was already decided.”
“I know that.”
Kazan had already told us on the way here.
“That’s why I’m asking—what is this place? It doesn’t seem like it exists solely to lure the Saintess.”
Even if the Saintess’s heart was valuable, it wasn’t worth risking everything.
There were other alternatives—rare, yes, but far safer.
So why take such a risk?
The Demon Race answered gladly,
“Because this is Bulgarutu.”
“What does that mean?”
“The ancient temple Bulgarutu. A place once built to worship Solar. Even after a thousand years, this city still overflows with holiness. It may not be what it once was, but it’s enough to restore His power.”
Rumble—!!
At that moment, the ground shook violently—like an earthquake.
‘This…?’
I heightened my senses.
No one was approaching.
‘Then… the entire underground space is shaking?’
I knew the Demon Race created this place—but not that it had traps like this.
“He cannot accept any power except divine power. With the Saintess’s heart and Bulgarutu’s holiness as nourishment, He will descend once more.”
The Demon Race spoke, his face filled with ecstasy.
“Witness it. The progenitor of the Great Night—Reculrus de Cheovarnte. He shall descend upon this land.”
At that moment—
My vision went dark.