Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Translator: Ruby
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: I'll Finish This
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When an ear-splitting screech rang out loudly.
I immediately pulled out the hand that was tightly gripping the ring.
Hissss!
Smoke rose from my left arm where I had pulled out the ring.
My forearm had turned black.
However, it wasn't that my arm had taken damage.
It was because the clothing I was wearing had been completely burned away and turned to ash.
Due to the influence of the black lightning, my arm was a bit stiff, but...
'It feels like a muscle cramp at most.'
It was just unpleasant.
Moreover, this sensation was gradually fading, so it would probably disappear soon.
I raised my head and tried to leave this forgotten temple.
But... everyone was staring at me with half-vacant expressions.
"What's wrong?"
Albert barely managed to speak.
"Are... are you all right?"
He seemed worried.
I shook my arm to show him.
The burned protective gear fell off with a clatter.
"As you can see. I'm perfectly fine."
"......"
"Anything else to say?"
"N-no, sir."
"Then let's go."
"Let's do that."
Just before exiting the forgotten temple.
I stopped walking abruptly.
'Hmm?'
Seeing my behavior, the others also stopped one by one.
"What's the matter?"
I didn't answer and held a torch up to where my gaze was fixed.
And there.
'Claw... marks?'
Deep scars that had scraped the wall were left there.
In the original story, this forgotten temple itself was depicted so darkly that I must have missed it.
When the torchlight illuminated it, I could see it in detail.
Albert was also startled.
"Wh-what is this?"
"Well... I don't know either."
Inside those traces, black soot was visible.
I touched that soot with my finger.
'It's a burn mark.'
I could tell immediately.
Because the soot remaining on my arm right now was exactly like this.
What had burned here?
In this space where no one was supposed to be...
'Wait a minute.'
Why did I think this was a space where no one was supposed to be?
Based on what evidence?
As I pondered that far, I thought that my judgment might have been wrong.
I immediately went back to where the Ring of Black Thunder had been.
And then I carefully examined the spot where the ring had been.
After looking around for a while.
I discovered some trace on the ceiling.
It was a hole drilled right above where the ring had been mounted.
'It seems like electricity would have flowed through there...'
On the ceiling, paths extended in all directions centered around that hole.
For some reason, they looked like electrical wires to me.
But at that moment, a certain memory flashed through my mind.
'This, could it be?'
I kicked off from where I was and ran out of the forgotten temple.
And then I continued running toward the north.
When I finally arrived at my destination.
I realized that my uneasy premonition had been correct.
'This can't be...'
In the original story, in this corner here, there was definitely an unidentifiable skeleton.
A skeleton presumed to belong to a monster.
But now.
'It's not here!'
It meant that something that should have died here was missing.
And I looked at the Ring of Black Thunder clutched in my hand.
It was still just speculation, but... a hypothesis came to mind.
'What if this place wasn't a temple but a prison?'
And what if the guard was precisely this ring?
The monster's sound that was heard as soon as I pulled out the ring.
The skeleton that should be in this spot right now.
That skeleton was probably the skeleton of the monster that had just made that sound.
It was dead three years later, but at this point in time, it was a monster that hadn't died yet.
Then...!
'I've just released a monster that's still alive.'
I turned my head to look at Albert.
"The area where the missing persons occurred - is it not in the city center but above here?"
"That's right. That's why we're here, isn't it?"
"Where did you all enter through?"
"Us? Let me see, it was somewhere near here... ah, over there. There's a hole in the ceiling over there."
My expression became serious.
"Guide me."
"Ah, understood."
We immediately headed to the hole that Albert's search reconnaissance team had entered through.
"Here. The first disappearance also occurred near this area."
Standing beneath it, I could see what I had been missing all along.
'There are wire-like paths on the ceiling here too. But... they disappeared when that hole was created.'
It seemed that the black lightning created by the ring had been putting up a barrier to hold that monster captive.
But as time passed, the ceiling collapsed and a small crack formed...
'Through that crack, it probably extended something like an arm to hunt humans.'
But in the original story, that seemed to be the end of it.
The hole didn't get any bigger, and eventually the monster couldn't escape and starved to death right there.
However, this time it was released before it starved to death.
It was my fault.
"We're going up immediately!"
I became urgent.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Whew!"
A middle-aged man with a gentle mustache wearing silver armor exhaled rough breaths.
From behind him, a paladin shouted.
"Sir Klaus! Are you all right?"
"Don't worry. It's just a scratch. Who am I? One of the Seven Knights, aren't I! Haha."
Klaus replied with a laugh as if it was nothing.
But the reality was a bit different.
'I only took one hit... but at least three ribs must be broken.'
He had allowed exactly one attack while saving a child who couldn't evacuate in time.
He thought there would be no problem since his armor was sturdy and his own durability was also quite good...
The problem was that the demon beast's strength far exceeded his expectations.
His side throbbed every time he breathed.
He could endure and fight for a short time, but if it dragged on, it would be hard to guarantee anything.
"Did you contact the archdiocese?"
"We did! The main force will arrive as reinforcements soon!"
"I understand. You go evacuate the people."
"Yes! Understood!"
Klaus licked his lips while looking at the demon beast standing face to face with him.
"You play with me a bit more. Hm?"
"Grrrrrrr...!"
"You ugly bastard, even your crying sounds are disgustingly filthy."
"Kyaaaak!"
"Oh? You understand human speech?"
The creature opened its mouth wide and let out a screech.
That appearance was nauseating, just as Klaus had said.
It had strangely long and gaunt limbs.
It had no eyes or ears, and its mouth opened horizontally and vertically.
It was even more unpleasant because it looked somewhat similar to a human.
People screamed and ran away.
"Kyaaak!"
"It's a m-monster!"
That was a demon's beast.
It was what they called a demon beast.
Despite having no ears, it somehow reacted to people's screams and flew toward them with its mouth wide open.
Klaus also reacted immediately and swung his sword.
Whoosh!
The demon beast couldn't pounce on the people and retreated again.
"Where are you going! I said play with me?"
Throb!
His condition really wasn't good.
However, by his estimation, that demon beast also seemed to be in a considerably weakened state.
It was extremely hungry, but... it felt like it was so hungry that it had reached its limit?
Thanks to that, Klaus could still hold on.
'I heard a demon beast also appeared in Straun recently... the frequency is getting more frequent.'
Klaus felt ominous and manifested his authority.
'I need to deal with this bastard first, then stop by the church!'
Fog began to rise thickly around Klaus.
So much so that even his figure was hard to see.
It didn't stop there.
His fog gradually encroached on the space.
And finally swallowed even the demon beast into the fog.
However, for Klaus, that fog was like his eyes and ears.
He blocked the opponent's vision with fog, while Klaus himself could detect everything moving within the fog.
The Knight of Fog.
That was the alias of Klaus, one of Laderun's Seven Knights.
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The space covered in fog belonged to Klaus.
His true value was often demonstrated when dealing with large-scale armies.
No matter how many enemies there were, if you blocked their vision, they would inevitably be thrown into confusion.
Even friendly fire became difficult to distinguish, leading to cases where allies killed each other.
Even if they were demons.
Especially the magical fog he created was saturated with moisture.
It had the effect of making bodies heavy and breathing difficult.
Klaus was someone who perfectly suited the nickname of "one-man army."
Did that mean he was weak in small-scale combat like now?
That would be a mistake.
Rather, Klaus personally enjoyed dealing with a small number of enemies like this more.
When engaging in large-scale battles, the range of movement within the fog decreased.
But if the fog was wide and there was only one enemy like now?
It meant he could utilize all the remaining space.
The Seven Knights had reached superhuman levels with their basic physical abilities alone.
But if the opponent's eyes were covered while only he remained fine?
It was right to see this as already decided.
In fact, even among the Seven Knights, Klaus was classified as an uncomfortable opponent to spar with.
And Klaus was confident today as well.
"Grrrrrrr...!"
He quietly observed the creature in the fog.
The demon beast was not moving at all, only slightly turning its head.
Grin.
The corner of Klaus's mouth rose.
'Even though you're disgustingly ugly, you can't help it if you can't see, you little thing!'
He slowly gripped his sword downward.
Tap tap!
He charged straight at the demon beast.
That's when it happened.
Grin.
The demon beast's mouth corner also rose.
Klaus's eyes widened.
'N-no way... that bastard. It was pretending not to see...!'
The next moment, the demon beast leaped high using those long limbs.
Toward Klaus.
He also twisted his stepping foot with all his might to change direction.
But this time too, the side that was first attacked caused trouble.
Throb!
"Ugh!"
A momentary hesitation.
However, a moment during combat caused too great a butterfly effect.
Because of that flinching, he was late in changing direction.
Since he was late in changing direction, the demon beast's headbutt attack that flew in accurately struck Klaus's abdomen.
Whack!
Crash crash, thud.
Klaus rolled on the ground several times and collapsed.
He managed to break his fall at the last moment, avoiding losing consciousness, but...
He wished he had just passed out.
He couldn't even estimate how many bones in his entire body were broken.
Moreover, even though the demon beast could immediately follow up with consecutive attacks, it was circling around Klaus and wasting time.
The compatibility was too poor.
"To think the day would come when I'd be treated like a toy... haha."
The moment he let out a hollow laugh.
The demon beast leaped toward him once again.
Whoosh!
If it came flying at that speed, his breath would definitely stop this time.
Klaus looked straight at the demon beast and gritted his teeth.
He would not take his eyes off the enemy until the very last moment.
It was a knight's integrity.
Just then.
Whoooosh...
As if a strange noise was being heard.
He detected someone entering his domain of fog.
That mysterious being was falling from above at tremendous speed.
The demon beast's teeth that had approached right in front of him.
Crash!
Stopped with a roar.
A man with a golden-glowing left arm was standing in front of Klaus.
And under his fist was the head of the demon beast that had been flying toward him.
The mysterious man spoke while showing his back.
"You've worked hard. You endured well. The rest... I'll finish this."