Chapter 105
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 105
Kiriel’s eyes widened, her voice trembling as she stammered.
“Roen? Y-You… How are you here?”
I adjusted my gauntlets, my voice remaining calm.
“That’s not what’s important right now.”
Fwip—!
I fired a spare chain, snagging the collapsed Silphiette and Rinarun and pulling them to my side.
Fortunately, neither seemed to have sustained major injuries, though they had been knocked unconscious by a crushing grip.
“Take them and run. It shouldn’t be too hard if you use your spirits.”
Carrying two unconscious people would normally be a struggle, but with the power of spirits, it should be no problem for Kiriel.
At my command, Kiriel hung her head low.
“I’m sorry… I… I’m out of mana.”
I looked down at her in silence. Her mouth was slick with blood. It seemed her spirit had been forcibly unsummoned, causing internal backlash. With her mana depleted, she didn't have the strength to reopen the path to the spirit realm.
At this rate, she’d be trapped here, swept up in the battle along with her friends.
“You’re a handful. Take these.”
I pulled out a medium-grade health potion and a mana-restoring stone I had prepared, thrusting them toward her.
“This is…”
“Use them to recover. As soon as you’re able, get out of here. I’ll buy you time.”
“…What about you?” Kiriel asked, her voice shaking.
She was always picking fights and making a fuss, but even she seemed genuinely worried about me in a situation like this.
I replied with intentional coldness.
“Don’t worry about me. You’re only getting in the way. Hurry up, take them, and get lost.”
“…”
Without another word, Kiriel used the consumables.
While she recovered, I raised my gaze to the massive figure bound in mana chains and the zombie-like creature standing beside it.
The two demons exuded an unnerving, heavy aura. I narrowed my eyes.
They’re stronger than I expected.
I had made a confident entrance because the situation was critical, but a single glance told me these enemies were no pushovers.
Their base isn’t human; they’re [Vampires].
These weren’t like Demer—a normal human who had turned into a demon via a Dark Mana Stone. These were original vampires who had evolved further using the stones. In short, both were a level above any enemy I had faced before.
I analyzed their traits, my eyes darting between them.
One is a thrall who received Carmilla’s blood and kept its mind. The other abandoned its sanity to maximize its physical stats.
It would be impossible to overpower them with my current abilities. Even with my improved stats and new items, a head-on clash was suicide. I would have to borrow the power of Roen’s bloodline, just as I had against Demer.
But for that, I needed to be alone.
I glanced back at Kiriel.
“I-I’ll fight too! I’ll be ready in a second…”
Having replenished her vitals, Kiriel declared her intent to stay. She shot to her feet, her strength seemingly returned. Her courage was admirable, but right now, she was a liability. She didn't seem like the type to listen to reason, and I didn't have time to argue.
Without a word, I reached into my coat, pulled out another vial, and handed it to her.
“Here, drink this too. It’ll help replace the blood you lost.”
“R-Really? Thanks.”
Trusting me after the effects of the previous items, Kiriel downed the potion without suspicion.
And then…
“Uh… this medicine feels a little… strange…”
Thump.
After fighting the effects for a few seconds, she collapsed into a deep sleep. I’d brought a sleeping potion just in case, and it had proven its worth.
Chrrk—!
I manipulated the last mana chain stored in my gauntlet, dragging the three unconscious girls a safe distance away. It wasn’t a perfect hiding spot, but it was far enough to keep them out of the immediate blast zone.
The gaunt, lanky demon in the tattered suit watched the entire process in silence before finally speaking.
“Have you concluded your business?”
“Yes. Thank you for waiting.”
I gave the demon a curt nod. Unlike a mindless beast, the fact that this one could converse meant there was room for negotiation—or at least information gathering.
“What do you want? What are you after, invading Union?”
“Hah. As one who has already become a thrall of Lady Carmilla, I have no personal desires. I merely follow her orders.”
“And what were those orders?”
The demon bared its teeth in a jagged grin.
“She told me to have some fun. And also… to test your ‘qualifications.’”
As the zombie-like demon smiled, the massive brute beside it let out a deafening roar and flexed its muscles, straining against the mana chains.
CRACK—!
The chains snapped like dry twigs under the creature's raw strength. With that, all the chains stored in Millia’s Mana Gauntlet were spent.
“UWOOOOH!”
As the roar thundered through the forest, I nodded to myself.
“So talking is useless, then.”
I briefly toyed with Derod’s Ring on my left hand before pulling my hand away. I had already raised my [Affinity] as high as possible during the Spooky Dungeon. Simply removing the ring and facing these demons would likely push my affinity to one hundred percent.
However…
If I take off the ring and use demonic energy here, I can’t guarantee the aftermath.
My initial plan was to overwhelm them quickly, but I hesitated.
The enemy has already pinpointed its location by screaming like a banshee.
Union reinforcements would be here soon. Using demonic energy now was an enormous risk. If I were seen, my life would be forfeit, and erasing the traces of such massive energy would be a nightmare.
Therefore, rather than subduing them with raw power, I would buy time with my current kit.
I let out a small sigh and activated my trait.
[Activating Trait: Overload. Please select the desired stat.]
“Intelligence.”
There was no point in a slight physical boost against these monsters. What I needed was a decisive, overwhelming blow. By boosting Intelligence, I would reduce mana consumption and maximize the destructive power of my magic.
[Intelligence stat greatly increased. Duration: 300 seconds.]
[Due to the additional effect of the [Alchemy] trait, the power of all offensive magic is slightly increased.]
[After Overload ends, all stats will be decreased for 24 hours.]
Five minutes.
Squeak—.
I clenched my fist, tightening the grip of my gauntlet. That would be more than enough.
Ever since my encounter with Carmilla, I had been preparing for a demonic assault. The paralysis crystals from the race and the sleeping potion were all part of that preparation. Though I’d used them in unexpected ways, they were serving their purpose.
As I took a fighting stance, the lanky demon asked, “Are you ready?”
“…Come.”
I beckoned with my hand. The giant brute kicked off the ground, charging like a runaway train.
“KUOOOH!”
Fwish—!
I threw a magic scroll from my coat directly at the beast.
BOOM—!
The scroll exploded, releasing a thick, black smoke that blanketed the area. It was a black-market item I’d bought specifically for this. My agility wasn't high enough to dodge its attacks reliably, so I had to kill its accuracy.
“UWOOOOH!”
Blinded, the brute roared and charged blindly. I threw myself to the side with everything I had.
CRASH—!
The brute slammed into the massive tree where I had been standing a second ago. The trunk snapped and toppled as if it had been hit by a siege engine.
“KROOOH!”
CRUNCH—.
The creature crushed the fallen timber underfoot and pivoted, lunging precisely toward my new position.
Fwoosh—!
Its accuracy was terrifying despite the smoke. It was tracking me through smell, mana, or hearing.
In that case…
If I couldn't dodge, I would meet it head-on. Trusting in my Aegis Shield, which I had restored to maximum durability, I thrust my gauntleted hand toward the monster.
SHATTER—!
The brute obliterated the Aegis Shield in a single strike and kept coming.
“UWOOOOH!”
But then, its charge stopped dead. The brute froze in place like a stone statue.
The secondary effect of [Millia’s Mana Gauntlet].
It was the stun effect triggered upon contact. In Myrillin Saga, stun skills had the unique property of canceling an opponent’s momentum and charge-type abilities.
I held the creature’s fist in my gauntlet, my eyes gleaming.
Swoooosh—!
Suddenly, a torrential amount of demonic energy was sucked from the creature’s fist into my hand.
Thrummm—!
The veins in my right arm burned black. I could feel the tendons and muscles writhing beneath my skin as the creature’s massive power flowed into me.
“Kuh…!”
The volume of energy was on a completely different level compared to the Dark Rats. Derod’s Ring vibrated violently, glowing with a dark light as it struggled to suppress the energy radiating from my body.
After draining a significant portion of the creature’s power, I wrenched my hand away.
Fwip—.
“Grrrr…”
Having lost its core energy, the brute slumped, struggling to even stand.
“Khuff, khuff…”
It gasped for air. What had sustained that massive body wasn't flesh and bone, but the demonic energy itself. Deprived of that fuel, it was like an elephant trying to stand with its bones removed.
Swaaa—.
The excess demonic energy I couldn't absorb swirled around me like a storm. I decided to test a theory: casting a spell using this stolen energy. My own mana had low conversion efficiency, but if I used the raw demonic energy taken from an enemy…
…It’s possible.
I aimed my palm at the creature’s head.
“Fire Bolt.”
With the system’s correction, an explosive amount of mana gathered in an instant.
KIIIIING—!
With a brilliant flash, the stolen energy transformed into a roaring pillar of flame. The fire shot forward, consuming the weakened brute.
POW—!
The brute’s head was vaporized in a fiery explosion.
“Uh… agh…”
Its headless corpse twitched for a moment before collapsing into the dirt.
THUD.
The flames shot high into the sky before dissipating into mana particles. I stared at my hand. The destructive power was unbelievable. To think a simple 1st-tier spell like Fire Bolt could do that.
Even the lanky demon seemed impressed, beginning to clap slowly.
Clap. Clap.
“Hoh… now that is a surprise. I didn't expect you to subdue Demper so easily.”
The creature tilted its head. Only now that its companion was dead did it finally decide to move. It eyed my gauntlet.
“It seems that artifact absorbs the mana of those it touches. I shall have to be careful.”
The demon pulled three longswords from its coat, wedging the hilts between its fingers.
Ch-king—!
The blades glinted coldly in the dark.
Unlike the brute, this was an agile, swordsman-type opponent—the worst possible matchup for a mage. Moreover, it had already seen my trump card.
“Well then, shall we have some fun?”
Just as the creature’s eyes lit up for the second round…
Rustle—.
“…?”
A sound came from the bushes behind it. A security guard stepped out into the clearing. The demon frowned, clearly offended that an ordinary human had managed to sneak up on it.
“…What do you want?”
Whoosh—!
The demon swung its blades, intending to bisect the guard in a single motion, but…
Stop.
The blades froze inches from the guard’s chest.
“…?”
The demon’s arm trembled. It put all its strength into the swing, but its hand wouldn't budge, as if caught in an invisible vice. The creature’s eyes widened as it stared at the man.
“You… Who the hell are you…?”
In response, the guard slowly removed his helmet. Beneath it was a shiny, bald head flanked by tufts of white hair. A kindly old man with a round, pleasant face smiled gently.
“You don’t need to know.”
Then.
POW—!
A formless, crushing energy obliterated the demon. Space itself seemed to warp under the weight of divine punishment. The creature vanished instantly, leaving nothing behind.
Clink.
The only proof it had ever existed was a fragment of a Dark Mana Stone falling to the grass.
After deleting the demon without lifting a finger, the old man turned to me.
“Hoho, it seems I was a little late. Are you alright, young Roen?”
“…”
The Chairman of Union Academy, Hengard Ubelon.
No—one of the continent’s only two Grand Mages and the descendant of the Great Sage.
It was the arrival of Ain Soph Fingard.