Chapter 186: Bloody Revenge
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 186: Bloody Revenge
“Bloody revenge...”
I thought she might not remember me. My appearance was similar, but the horns on my forehead had grown so much larger that I thought she might not recognize me. But from Park Hyeri's reaction, it seemed she had some faint memory of me.
Park Hyeri, who had been staring at me quietly, lost in thought, finally spoke.
“Ah! You're that demon from back then.”
I smiled. Her remembering made it all the more fitting for me to unleash the feelings I'd kept locked away.
I raised my sword.
Levatain.
The Ancient Flame that burns the world.
As I poured my magic into it, a heat and flame so intense it seemed capable of incinerating everything around us erupted in an instant.
The roar of the flames echoed continuously. The heat from the blazing fire was so intense it distorted the air. Surprise flickered in Park Hyeri's eyes as she looked at me. I had grown incomparably stronger since we last met. She could surely feel it too.
Park Hyeri unleashed her own magic. She had grown stronger as well.
But I could feel it.
I am stronger.
The humans nearby, their faces a mask of bewilderment, began to back away while maintaining their defensive spells.
“S-Sir...”
“Don't provoke him, just back away. Dammit... what is going on...”
First, a probing attack. I threw all the daggers I had at Park Hyeri. The throwing daggers shot out at high speed, but I expected her to dodge them.
I swapped my daggers with the weapons of the dazed, retreating humans, and suddenly, it wasn't daggers flying through the air, but a volley of massive weapons.
It seemed they even registered as critical hits, as a deafening roar struck my eardrums. The ground shook each time a weapon slammed into it, but Park Hyeri kept moving out of range. The humans, who had suddenly lost their weapons, stared at me with dumbfounded expressions, but they didn't provoke me, likely deciding that survival came first.
In an instant, an unseen dagger would swap places with a greatsword or an axe.
CRACK!
The sound of them embedding in the ground was exceptionally loud. But Park Hyeri was no longer there. She was circling me in a wide arc. I, too, kept my eyes locked on her, never looking away.
An axe slammed into a tree, shattering it completely. A thrown spear smashed a boulder to pieces. The weapons landed closer and closer to her. As I predicted her movements and continued to pepper the area, my ranged attacks, which had seemed unable to reach her, began to strike down menacingly.
I have the advantage in range.
In our last fight, she got the better of me in close combat. Since she uses sound, the closer she is, the more damage she can inflict. My plan was to keep her at bay with Levatain's flames and wear down her stamina from a distance. I hadn't evolved into a highest-grade demon, but my increased magic pool was sustainable, barring any unforeseen circumstances.
This was because the Purified World Tree's Long Spear was constantly replenishing my magic.
Before I knew it, various weapons were embedded in the ground all around us. The humans had managed to escape; they were nowhere to be seen. It seems they chose to abandon their weapons. Not a bad choice. An excellent one, in fact.
“You've gotten stronger... Looks like you didn't bring your friends today. Is this revenge, perhaps?”
Seeing her smiling as if she was enjoying this, my eyes became bloodshot once more.
“I'll kill you.”
Park Hyeri charged toward me in an instant. I threw Archmage Isaac's Throwing Dagger at her. The dagger swapped places with the Greatsword Too Large to be a Sword, which now hurtled toward her, but Park Hyeri twisted her body, deflecting the greatsword with her own weapon as she continued her charge.
Her plan was to let the greatsword pass, then unleash a sonic attack with her own blade.
I reached out, trying to steal her sword with my unique ability, but I couldn't grasp it. Proof that the weapon had accepted her as its master. In that case, I had to block the incoming sound.
“Levatain!”
A wall of fire erupted in an instant, forming a massive barrier. Blazing flames shot out, swallowing everything nearby. Sound cannot be blocked. But it is possible to reduce its power.
The purpose of the fire wall wasn't to block an attack, but to act as a sound barrier. I was wounded, but the injuries were far less severe than before.
It worked.
A wound that could hardly be called a wound. Just then, Park Hyeri burst through the wall of fire. She had enveloped her entire body in magic and was parting the flames with her daggers. I raised my flaming sword and reached out.
A giant hand of fire emerged from the inferno and reached for Park Hyeri. It was an overwhelming sight, a scene I could hardly believe I had created myself. I felt like I was in a game. As I stood in place and swung my sword, the hand that extended from the flames moved with it. I had used a lot of magic just now, but it wasn't an unbearable amount.
Park Hyeri was busy dodging my attacks left and right. Realizing it would be difficult to get close, she began striking her two swords together, repeatedly sending sonic blasts my way. But the distance was too great. And she couldn't penetrate the sound barrier either.
Fwoosh...
The corners of my mouth curled up on their own.
In terms of matchups, I had the complete advantage. Park Hyeri of the Spider Clan might have an advantage against melee warriors or mages, but she was surprisingly vulnerable to an unorthodox warrior like me, who could fight at close, mid, and long range. Of course, she must have a trump card. I reached for one of the human spears embedded in the ground. The Archmage Isaac's Dagger, which I had recalled, swapped places with the spear, and a moment later, the human's spear was in my hand.
Park Hyeri was still struggling against the flames. I hurled the spear at her. She saw the spear streaking toward her, but it would be hard to dodge now that it had entered her immediate vicinity. Especially while she was contending with the flames.
In the end, the spear I threw grazed Park Hyeri's side.
Accumulating wounds and losing stamina is fatal for her type of fighter. It was a shallow wound, but it could be considered a success.
The face that had maintained a constant smile now contorted into a frown. A strange, unknown pleasure washed over me.
Of course, I had no intention of killing her right away. I would make her die slowly, very slowly, feeling every bit of pain.
“Hah...”
A groan naturally escaped her lips. I slowly began to walk forward.
I had always felt myself getting stronger, but never had I felt it as keenly as I did today. The enemy who had once played with me like a toy was now staring at me with a hardened expression. What could be more joyous than this? It wasn't without problems. The issue, of course, was my magic. The World Tree's spear was replenishing my constantly draining magic, but I couldn't maintain the output I had just used indefinitely.
But whether she knew that or not, Park Hyeri's face remained tense. I swapped Levatain for the World Tree's spear and looked at her. I could see her expression had grown somewhat grave.
There was no decisive blow from the flames, but the constant heat had drained her stamina, and she was bleeding. All I had consumed was magic, and since I was constantly recovering it, I was like a rechargeable battery. As long as I didn't let my guard down, I could continue to lead the fight advantageously.
I smiled, and Park Hyeri's expression hardened.
“You...”
Clutching her wound, she glared at me with eyes burning with rage. A look like that, I was happy to welcome.
“Youuuuuu!!!”
It was then.
Suddenly, a massive explosion roared from nearby.
To be precise, a series of explosions was heading my way. The power output was beyond imagination. It wasn't Park Hyeri.
“Aegis!”
A surprise attack. There was no time to dodge. A fragment of a giant shield materialized before my eyes, blocking the explosion that rushed toward me. A flash of light erupted, but there was no aftershock.
Suddenly, the memory of the Forest Worm's burrow flashed through my mind.
There were two of them?
Thinking back, it was highly probable. The Forest Worm's burrow had collapsed with a series of explosions. At the time, I thought the culprit was Park Hyeri, but given the nature of her class, it would have been difficult for her to collapse the entire burrow at once with her power.
It wasn't that a powerful person like her had no way of doing it, but it wouldn't have been a practical method. But if I assumed she had a companion with that kind of firepower, it all made sense.
Two against one.
My magic consumption was severe. But it wasn't an impossible fight. Just as I swallowed nervously, Park Hyeri shouted.
“Stay out of it!”
The reply came from deep within the forest.
“Didn't you say it would only take a moment? The Master is waiting.”
A mage who seemed to specialize in explosion magic. A voice came from the opposite direction.
“I get that you want to have fun with a strong one, but we have other things to do, don't we? Honey. Hmm?”
A warrior with a massive build emerged.
Go Ungjin.
He was carrying the corpses of the humans I had initially chosen as bait on his shoulder. The woman who looked like a cleric didn't seem to be dead yet, but her body was broken as he dragged her along.
“To be precise, the ones Mr. Ungjin is carrying were Ms. Hyeri's prey. In other words, that demon is an uninvited guest. He looks like a Named Monster. It should be fun to dismantle him.”
A tall, thin man appeared alongside him.
Lee Hyunhak.
All the members of the Spider Clan I knew were here. I had been so focused on the fight that I hadn't even sensed them approaching. Spreading my magic, I confirmed they were the only Spiders here.
“We need to leave soon to be on time. As you know, the Master dislikes waiting.”
They were placating Park Hyeri as if she were a child, but she was still glaring at me. It seemed she was displeased that I had wounded her.
“I told you, I don't care about the Witch of the East or the Queen of the North.”
“He clearly stated it was an order.”
“Yeah, an order's an order, so we have to follow it. It's definitely going to be fun, right? Hmm? But before that, let's deal with this guy first. He's a pain, isn't he?”
At Go Ungjin's words, Park Hyeri spoke.
“Don't touch him. I'll deal with him. I'm going to tear him apart slowly and kill him...”
The mage who specialized in explosions replied.
“You can't handle him. Even if you could, it would take too long. The ideal course of action is to dispose of him quickly and move on. If you really want to vent your anger, it wouldn't be a bad idea to subdue him and take him with us.”
Hearing the mage's words, Park Hyeri kicked a nearby stone, as if displeased. It was likely a silent agreement. Go Ungjin casually stroked his blunt weapon, and the mage began to chant. Lee Hyunhak also drew his longsword.
A fucked-up situation. I gripped the spear in my hand tightly. At the same time, Go Ungjin was the first to charge at me.