Chapter 106
Chapter 106
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 106
Chapter Title: Top Speed (3)
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The Flame Demon was an ancient magical beast that had reigned over this scorching zone as its lord for ages.
Its colossal frame boasted a majesty befitting a giant forged of fire itself.
--...
And that giant stirred, rising from its long slumber.
By all rights, it should have been deep in its hibernation cycle right now, but an overwhelming "presence"—carried on some inexplicable scent—had jolted it awake.
-...
The Flame Demon sank into thought at once.
What could possibly make it feel this way?
It would have to see for itself with its own eyes.
With that resolve, the Flame Demon hauled itself fully upright.
Flames of mana wreathed its body, radiating the splendor of a natural disaster. The endless surge of power mingled with its every breath, leaving trails of superheated fire in the air.
As it strode forth from its lair with majestic poise, the lesser high-grade magical beasts nearby scattered in abject terror.
The ruler of this vast scorching zone had revealed its overwhelming might to all.
-...
Its gaze soon turned toward the strongest aura it sensed.
The distant sea.
It knew well what lurked beneath those waters.
The Sea Dragon. The lord of the oceans, a being of power equal to its own.
-...?
But something was off.
The familiar aura of the Sea Dragon was gone.
In its place pulsed something far more sinister.
Deeper than the depths where the Sea Dragon dwelled.
Much deeper.
-...!
The Flame Demon flinched as its instincts zeroed in on that presence.
It was ancient itself, to be sure—but whatever lay below was something else entirely.
Not merely old, but ineffable. Indescribable.
Just gazing at it stirred a slimy unease from the depths of its consciousness.
The moment that sensation hit, it stumbled back several paces before freezing in shock at its own reaction.
It was afraid.
It, of all things.
The unchallenged ruler of this region for eons, cowering before the aura emanating from that deep-sea entity.
Without even facing it directly.
-...
Stunned into rigidity by the shock, it only belatedly noticed the "changes" unfolding nearby.
-...?
Something felt wrong.
Something approaching from much closer than that bizarre distant presence.
The Flame Demon glanced that way—and found another incomprehensible sight unfolding.
-...
It stared at the ground and sky in baffled alternation.
What was this? Had the laws of the world changed while it slept?
Why were creatures that should be walking the earth floating around in the air instead?
-!!!!!!!
-!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Shrieks and roars filled the air. All from magical beasts battered half to death and flung airborne by something.
Some of those putting on the show were top-tier beasts—powerhouses that would demand even the Flame Demon's full attention if they swarmed it.
A fire golem larger than itself, built of flame cores.
Hellhounds whose fangs and claws could shred most armor.
Fire spirits capable of unleashing spells to reduce the area to ash.
Each one a walking calamity if unleashed beyond the scorching zone.
Yet there they were.
Dozens at least, screaming as they bounced through the sky like ragdolls.
-...?
A closer look at the scene would only deepen the mystery of what the hell was going on.
Because a human was batting away those elite beasts like feathers—with his fists.
He simply swung his arms as he ran, brushing them off like dust.
Like flicking away annoying obstacles in his path.
But those casual swipes...
-!
A fire golem shattered at the tip of his fist.
-!!
A half-hearted kick cleaved a hellhound in two.
-!!!
The flames conjured by a fire spirit's full power? He batted them aside barehanded and kept charging.
Disaster-class beasts, treated like toys.
What.
Where the hell did this monster come from?
-...
The Flame Demon gawked in a daze before focusing more intently on the humans.
They were a bizarre pair, perfectly suited to the absurdity.
In all its long years rooted here, the humans it had encountered were tense, reverent things—hunters gripped by awe and dread straight out of legends.
The tension, the reverence, palpable even through paper-thin differences.
But these two...
"Hey. Stand still. Who's saying I'm gonna kill it? I just want you to explain what that thing said."
"...Its eyes are all glassy, Riru."
A woman chased the man ahead, who was cloaked in blue energy and charged ahead like a demon-possessed berserker.
And the man, dangling from that terrifying woman, fleeing while sweating bullets.
No trace of "tension" in their banter as they barreled this way.
"Found it."
The man in front, the one being chased, even lit up with a grin upon spotting the Flame Demon.
As if this hellish scorching zone surrounding them, packed with mighty beasts—
—even its ruler—
—meant nothing compared to the woman hot on his heels.
-...
That attitude was more than enough to rile the Flame Demon, already smarting from recent events.
---!!!!!
Its roar shook the world. Beating its chest, it unleashed several pillars of mana-infused flame surging skyward.
Titanic blazes stretching from earth to heaven.
A trump card it saved for desperate straits—but against these pests, it went all-out from the start.
No legendary human hunter who reached it had ever withstood those pillars. Countless lives reduced to ash by this alone.
"Hmph."
It scoffed inwardly as the man arrived before the pillars and threw a futile punch.
No one had ever survived this. What was this pathetic resistance? Clearly suicidal.
It opened its maw wide, ready to bellow triumph over its soon-to-be-ash victim.
And then.
-...?
Casually.
Utterly unfazed.
It saw the fist dispersing the world-rending pillar.
That was its last memory.
●
"...Hmph."
I watch the Flame Demon's head sail through the air, jaws still agape.
From one punch.
Glancing at my watch—exactly five minutes.
[System Message]
[ Target 'Flame Demon' temporarily annihilated! ]
[ 'Fear Brand' imprinted on target! ]
[ Target will recall this experience every time it sees 'Dawood'! ]
Boss mob trait means it'll respawn periodically as long as it's in the zone.
But one-shotting it ensured the Fear Brand stuck without issue.
'...This is just ridiculous.'
I glance down at the gauntlet on my arm.
[Item Info]
[ Infinity Gauntlet ]
[ ▶ Ectoplasm: Exhibits extremely high compatibility with various abilities. Reinforcement and buff skills cast on the equipment have double the effect. ]
→
[ Trait: Martial Arts – Stand-up fighting effects doubled! ]
[ ▶ Adaptive Leather: Copies target's attribute on impact. Weakens target's attribute on second hit. ]
→
[ Fire attribute copied. Next hit will weaken fire attribute! ]
The Flame Demon's pillars were a real brain-twister in-game. Fixed percentage HP damage ignoring gear and stats—a nightmare pattern.
But I punched straight through and one-shot the bastard?
'...Even with Desperate Situation, this...'
Sure, Desperate Situation amps the raw power.
But all the utility maxing that power? This thing provides it.
Not listed, but 'Dragon Scales' let me shove my arm through those pillars damage-free.
Offense and defense in one.
More than enough to hold up against Tatiana—no worries there.
Haven't even tapped the anti-holy reactivity or curse resistance yet.
The problem?
Whoever's glued to my back right now.
[ Activating 'Skill: Proof of Faith'. ]
[ All stat bonuses temporarily converted to 'Endurance' and 'Holiness' stats! ]
[ Activating 'Skill: Asceticism'. ]
[ 'Trait: Holy Power Operation' influence: Generating two simultaneously! ]
This combo once blocked Casa's punch.
Accounting for Desperate Situation's explosive scaling, it'd be even tankier now.
-!
-!!!!
"..."
Yeah. Right.
I watch two holy shields shatter like paper as the hand punches through.
"Why you always running? Huh? I told you to explain!"
The blue-glowing arm grabs my collar next. Owner: Riru, naturally.
Her eyes are dead. Unfocused.
She's lost it bad.
"..."
Uh. But.
Can't answer if I can't breathe.
Dangling by the collar midair—no air. Choking gasps. Vision sparkling.
"You, you said you liked me before—"
Riru's forehead veins bulging as she starts ranting.
"Yes. That's enough."
A 'red aura' intervenes.
It interferes with Riru's rising blue energy, smacking her arm away.
[...]
I feel Kaliban seething inside the Soul Linker.
Makes sense. Red demon energy.
"..."
I turn. Feynol Raifek perches on a rock, staff in hand.
Called him here beforehand. Figured it'd come to this.
Grinning slyly, red aura rising from him.
Unlike Riru's wild flailing energy, his is controlled. Precise.
'...The one vessel that can rein in demons.'
Sighing inwardly at the trait.
Never planned to use him in real combat, but for handling Riru right now? Essential.
Only a demon handles a demon.
He just saved my life knocking her arm off.
"...And who's this freak?"
"Feynol Raifek. Applying for Dawood's next girlfriend slot. Nice to meet you, queue senior."
"..."
As Riru gapes dumbfounded at the cheerfully waving Feynol.
In that split-second distraction, I slap the prepped mana stone onto Riru.
A 'teleport' stone any decent mage can make.
Set to the Forge of Strife's outer edge.
Instant activation. Riru vanishes with a whoosh.
"...Whew, that was close to dying for real."
I stagger up, coughing.
My neck's got a fresh blue bruise from her grip.
Even with all my cheat skills stacked, this? Demon vessels are unpredictable as hell.
"...Isn't this just playing blind man's bluff?"
Feynol smirks wryly at me.
"I did everything you asked. What's the point?"
"Buys time."
"..."
He furrows his brow.
"...Blue demons are heavily influenced by their vessel. You've been stressing over that, right?"
"Yep."
"Yeah. But just yeeting her off without explaining properly? She's gonna be even more pissed."
"Probably."
I rub my neck, rummaging through the Flame Demon's shattered corpse.
Had something to find in here.
"...So how do you plan to calm her down once she's furious? If the vessel rampages, like the Gray Devil incident—this whole area's—"
"Not calming her."
I sigh in reply to Feynol.
His face goes blank.
"...Pardon?"
"Not calming her down."
I provoked her on purpose from the start. Sent her packing without a word.
Piss her off to the max. Let that demon energy flood out.
"..."
I'd been careful all chapter to keep her from blowing up.
But seeing Allan's state now? Changed my mind.
Like I said before—beating an unbeatable boss means going off the rails myself. Beyond even Tatiana's expectations.
Meeting Feynol was part of it, but I needed something... more 'effective.'
So I thought it over.
The craziest thing I could pull within manageable limits.
A hardline measure to breeze the boss fight.
And this is the answer.
"I'm gonna make the Blue Demon rampage once."
Whatever.
Time to see Riru stripped bare.
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