Chapter 185
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 185
“Dammit…!”
At Watson’s sudden appearance, a crimson light glinted at the tips of Carmilla’s furious fingers.
Flash—!
A blood-red bolt streaked from her hand.
Watson reacted instantly, drawing the longsword from his waist and deflecting the projectile.
Clang—!
Carmilla’s blood magic detonated, unleashing a powerful shockwave. It was an attack swift and lethal enough to kill most knights instantly, yet it had no effect on Watson.
I grinned at the sight of Watson’s dependable back.
Like Aslan, Watson was a powerhouse who had attained the realm of a Sword Master.
The secretary of a Grand Mage should be a Sword Master at the very least.
“This way!”
While Watson engaged Carmilla, Alfredo urgently escorted Rebecca out of the tent. As the situation descended into chaos, the other branch managers scrambled to escape as well.
Carmilla blew on her fingertips, her gaze cold.
“Not bad for an old man.”
“My lady, I do apologize, but I believe you are far older than I. Might I ask your age?”
Watson looked to be in his seventies at most, but Carmilla was a monster who had lived more than ten times that.
In response, Carmilla flicked her hair back with a graceful hand.
“What are you talking about? I am beautiful. What would a wrinkled old man like you know of such things?”
Age was merely a human standard. To Carmilla, one of the original vampires, the passage of time meant little. And as she said, there were few humans in the world who could hope to rival her beauty.
Even so, her expression wasn't entirely bright.
Hit a nerve, did he?
With a hardened expression, Carmilla barked, “Gulados.”
“Yes, Master.”
“…You go play with the kid. I’ll teach this rude old man a lesson for asking a lady her age.”
“As you command.”
I, too, gave an order to Ciel.
“I’ll handle the demon. Ciel, go outside and help Alfredo.”
“Yes.”
After Ciel quickly exited the tent, Gulados cracked his neck from side to side and approached me.
“So you’re Roen, the successor who caught Lady Carmilla’s eye. I heard you fought Amur and survived. I won’t let my guard down.”
Shk—.
Gulados assumed a fighting stance, his face grim.
I gave a bitter smile.
…Please, let your guard down.
I hadn't survived against Amur on my own, and I couldn't transform and fight like I did back then.
Just then.
Crrrack—!
Gulados’s body began to swell, his clothes ripping apart. In an instant, he completed his demonic transformation, letting out a pained groan.
“Khugh.”
He now towered several heads taller than an average man, his muscles as hard as tempered steel. Jagged thorns tore through his blackened skin, sprouting all over his body. It was the unmistakable, grotesque form of a demon.
Wooooom—.
A menacing demonic energy radiated from him. It wasn't as overwhelming as when I faced Amur, but it was a violent aura, so intense it made my skin tingle.
“Hooo…”
With every breath he took, demonic energy spread like thick vapor. After catching his breath, he roared at me.
“Show me the power you possess!”
Fwip—!
The moment he yelled, the sharp thorns on his skin shot toward me like arrows.
I quickly extended a hand and deployed Aegis.
Swoosh—.
Then, I placed my gloved hand on the translucent shield that had appeared before me and commanded, “Structural Reinforcement.”
It was a new spell I had learned after reaching Intermediate Alchemy—a simple magic that increased an object’s mana density to strengthen its physical structure. With this, even Aegis, which used to tear like paper, had become incredibly sturdy.
Clang-clang-clang!
Gulados’s thorns shattered, unable to pierce the translucent shield.
As if he had expected his attack to be blocked, Gulados charged straight at me, maintaining his assault.
Whoosh—.
I infused mana into the enchantment magic circle engraved on my shoes and transmuted an earthen wall to block the path between us.
Craaash—!
But Gulados simply plowed through the wall, crushing it to dust as he charged.
At this rate, I’d be caught in his rush and beaten to a pulp. I immediately rolled to the side.
Gulados instantly changed direction, pivoting to charge at me again.
To be able to alter his course mid-charge with sheer physical ability—a demon was a demon, indeed.
I pulled a steel ingot from my pocket and transmuted it with my Azoth Sword.
Zzzat—!
A wall of solid steel manifested, several times harder than one made of earth.
KRAANG—!
His charge was stopped short, blocked by the sudden barrier.
I used the opening to consume various potions and enhancement stones, pushing my physical specs to their absolute limit.
“Haste.”
On top of that, I cast Haste on myself.
My body felt much lighter than when I used a Haste Scroll. Because I had cast it myself, the magic aligned perfectly with my own mana properties, producing the best possible result.
[Overload]
I activated the trait as well, significantly boosting my agility stat. I would be suffering from agonizing muscle soreness tomorrow, but taking him down now was more important.
Fwoosh—.
Gulados vaulted over the steel wall and charged once more.
This time, instead of creating distance, I gripped my Azoth Sword and dove into his range.
“Hah, good!”
Seeing me opt for close combat, Gulados grinned and threw a massive punch.
As his fist closed in, I analyzed him.
His fighting style has no discernible pattern.
It was an unorthodox brawling style he had picked up while roaming the back alleys of the underworld as a child. In the game, he was a pain to deal with not because his patterns were complex, but because they were random and dependent on variables.
However.
A street fighting style has plenty of openings.
Since he hadn't learned to fight systematically, his attacks had large motions and long wind-ups. At my current level, I could see them coming.
I snapped my head back, evading his powerful punch.
Swish—.
The strands of my hair that his fist grazed disintegrated and scattered in the air.
He followed up with a heavy low kick.
Fwip—.
I performed a backflip, dodging the rest of his combo. This agile footwork was a combat skill I had honed by rolling in the mud with the knights during summer break.
Bam—! Pow—!
Gulados relentlessly pursued me, throwing a barrage of kicks and punches, but I dodged them all by a hair’s breadth.
Whoosh— Whoosh—.
No matter how overwhelming a demon’s physical specs were, with all my item and magic enhancements, I could now hold my own. I had raised my base physical stats during summer break, which allowed me to better benefit from my various buffs.
In the middle of his barrage, he spoke.
“That’s not the footwork of a mage. You move better than most knights.”
“Thanks for the compliment.”
After getting beaten up by Amur, I had focused heavily on training my physical abilities. This sense for close-quarters combat would be vital when I eventually fought using my demonic transformation.
“But you’re not good enough to land a punch on me!”
Swoooosh—.
The surrounding mana was sucked toward his fist.
That’s an instant-kill pattern.
Sensing the danger, I threw myself out of the tent.
Flarararak—!
As I burst through the thick layers of magic-infused fabric, the noise from outside flooded my senses.
Clang! Clang!
“Kill them!”
“Aaargh!”
“H-Help me!”
The clash of weapons and the screams of soldiers mixed into a deafening roar. The hundred or so soldiers brought by both sides were entangled in a scene of utter pandemonium.
The plaza ground was already soaked with blood, and the stench of corpses and filth stung my nose.
“…”
I thought I had grown used to it from killing monsters, but the sight of a true battlefield was horrific.
KRAAANG—!
Gulados smashed through the tent and emerged, asking me as I stood there for a brief moment.
“What? First time seeing people die? I guess it can’t be helped for a precious young master.”
“…Not really.”
Wiping away my sweat, I took my fighting stance again.
This was no time to be lost in thought. I had to defeat the enemy before me quickly to minimize the casualties.
Just then, Gulados scanned the battlefield and frowned.
“…What’s this? A whole bunch of knights I’ve never seen before have shown up.”
He spotted the Devalis Knights mixed in the fray, and his eyebrows twitched.
Although they weren't wearing armor or carrying swords bearing the Devalis seal, their performance was dazzling. Most of the soldiers dying in battle were, in fact, on Carmilla’s side. It seemed she had brought her elite troops, but they were no match for the Devalis Knights, who had been tempered on the Great Wall for years.
I shrugged.
“They’re the forces I prepared for today.”
“…How? We checked the entire terrain around the meeting place. There was no space to hide that many soldiers.”
“If there’s no space, you make it. We dug a tunnel.”
“A tunnel? That’s not something you can dig in a day or two. And how did you know where the meeting would be…?”
“We started digging months ago. I knew the meeting would be here.”
“Hmph, bullshit. Are you saying you can see the future?”
“Maybe I can.”
At least when it comes to the events of the Myrillin Saga.
Gulados observed the knights’ movements for a moment before speaking.
“With that level of strength, are they the Devalis Knights? This is going to be annoying.”
“It’s more than annoying. Everyone except Carmilla will die. Including you.”
*
While the battle between humans raged below, a far more intense fight between beings who had transcended humanity was unfolding above.
Kachang—! Kakang—!
In the air, streaks of pure white and crimson light clashed, creating violent collisions of mana.
“Hey, is this all you’ve got, old geezer?”
“…”
With a flushed face, Carmilla faced Watson, wielding a crimson spear.
Instead of her usual blood magic and shapeshifting, she had created a spear from her own blood to engage Watson in close combat. Though she was unaccustomed to melee fighting, after regenerating her limbs a few times from Watson’s sword, she was now displaying formidable spearmanship.
Watson broke into a cold sweat as he looked at the beautiful woman before him.
Good grief.
Carmilla’s skill with the spear was improving by leaps and bounds. Her rate of progress couldn't just be called genius-level; she was evolving with every passing moment.
Just dozens of exchanges ago, Carmilla couldn't even hold a spear properly. She must have chosen it as a weapon based on instinct, picking what suited her best. But now, she had grown enough to trade blows with a Sword Master.
Clang—.
Watson smoothly parried the crimson spear and said, “You… are a truly dangerous being.”
“Heh, you’re only just realizing that? Then die!”
Whirl—!
Carmilla’s spear suddenly spun like a drill, pushing Watson’s sword aside and thrusting forward.
The attack came from an unavoidable angle.
As if she had already seized victory, Carmilla’s eyes held a glint of madness as she smiled.
Woooong—.
But Watson caught her spear in mid-air with his bare hand.
Or, to be more precise…
“It stopped?”
He had concentrated mana in his palm and simply pushed her spear away.
Paang—!
With a flick of Watson’s hand, Carmilla’s spear was sent flying into the distance.
Watson then pointed to the battlefield below. “My lady, the tide of battle has already turned. Victory is ours.”
“…”
At Watson’s words, Carmilla silently looked down.
The screams and cries that had been a pleasant symphony to her ears were gradually fading. The battle was reaching its final stages.
Her personal guard had been annihilated. The branch managers from each district were captured and kneeling before Rebecca. The only ones still fighting were Gulados and a few other demons, along with a handful of soldiers who had managed to take their mana-diluted pills in time.
Carmilla tilted her head at the unexpected outcome.
“How? We should have had the superior force…”
“Not anymore. You’ve fallen into a trap. Everyone but you will be subdued shortly.”
“…”
Carmilla let out a small sigh and shrugged.
“So what? I don’t care if that rabble dies. I can always make more kin, and I can just pick new managers for the underground cities.”
Shhhk—.
Carmilla drew blood from her palm and formed a new spear.
“Killing you is more important right now.”
Watson looked at the sharp spearhead aimed at him and nodded.
“…If you insist.”
Watson reached into his coat and took out an item the Chairman had lent him.
In his hand was a small glass vial.
The moment Carmilla saw it, her face contorted in horror.
“You… you bastard…!”
“It seems you know what this is.”
Pop—.
Watson uncorked the vial and poured the transparent liquid onto his sword.
The liquid flowed down the blade, shimmering with a faint light.
It was holy water, imbued with the divine power of the previous saint, Selene.
The very substance that had sealed Carmilla away centuries ago.