Chapter 234
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 234
“A half-human… half-demon?”
“What… what is that supposed to mean?” Elena and Beatrice stammered, unable to process Girena’s words.
“I-I must have misheard, right? Tell me I’m wrong!”
Kiriel’s reaction was much the same, but Freya alone remained silent, her hand tightening its grip on her sword.
Seeing the four of them so shaken, Girena let out a mocking smirk.
[You didn't know? Then again, I suppose he wouldn't have told you. Had his true identity been revealed, he wouldn't have survived this long.]
Girena looked down at me and continued, his voice booming.
[Listen well. Though he is but a half-breed, this boy is the primordial darkness, the heir to the bloodline of the Great One! He is not a being meant to associate with mere humans like you.]
“……!”
The four of them stood frozen by Girena’s declaration.
Still half-paralyzed by disbelief, they turned toward me, their trembling eyes demanding an answer.
There’s no avoiding it now.
Now that things had come to this, denial was a useless gesture.
I met their shaking gazes and slowly opened my mouth.
“He’s right. I am half-human, half-demon. Half of my body belongs to the demon race.”
“……!”
It was a truth that had to be revealed someday.
Though it wasn't by my own choice, my secret was finally out in the open.
Of course, at this stage, the exposure of my identity wasn't a catastrophic problem in itself. Now that the Venerables had shown themselves and declared all-out war on humanity, I couldn't remain within the Union anyway.
It was my destiny to follow them from the start, so there was no reason to shy away from the truth.
My only concern was…
The future of the Devalis family, who had taken me in, and everyone else who had been close to me.
How much will they be persecuted because of me...?
I let out a heavy sigh and addressed Girena.
“Are you satisfied now? Stand down. I’ll go with you willingly.”
But Girena just shrugged, acting as if he hadn't heard a word.
[Hah, not even close. I have yet to taste the power you've hidden, and I fully intend to kill those four behind you with my own hands.]
Girena was determined to see this fight through.
“If that’s how you want it.”
There was no other choice.
I deliberately raised my hand and slowly removed Derod’s ring.
Seeing this, Elena muttered blankly.
“...The ring.”
Elena had long suspected I might be a demon and had always shown a keen interest in that ring.
After pulling it off, I clenched my fist and gave the four of them a final warning.
“Step back. If you don't want to get hurt.”
Shaaa—.
The moment the ring left my finger, a tide of Magi surged into my body.
The abundant magic of the Forested Sea region and the dense Magi the five Venerables had spread across this land acted as fuel. On top of that, I drew from the life force of the massive demon army they commanded.
An overwhelming amount of Magi flooded my system.
The potent force saturated my muscles, bones, nerves, and magic circuits.
“Hoo.”
I took a deep breath, reining in the intense Magi churning within me.
Krrrrk—.
Vitality flooded back into my exhausted frame, and a sense of absolute fullness settled over my mind and flesh.
Seeing me in this state, Beatrice whispered in a trembling voice.
“A demon transformation… I see.”
Half-human, half-demon.
They might not have grasped the weight of those words before, but seeing me now made the reality undeniable. I could feel the confusion radiating from Beatrice and the other three.
But I had no time to worry about their feelings.
CRUNCH—.
I clenched my fist tightly and stood my ground before Girena.
Then, with my eyes wide, I made a cold declaration.
“After I kill you, I’ll kill every other Venerable and end this.”
[Your spirit is impressive. Let's see you try!]
Fwip—.
In an instant, the massive silver wolf vanished from my sight.
Above.
I instinctively read his trajectory and thrust my hand toward the sky.
Simultaneously—
CLANG—!
His massive claw, aimed directly for my head, collided with my fist.
Before, I couldn't even react to his speed, and my magic armor had shattered instantly. But now, things were different.
Krrrrk—.
I held my breath, pouring every ounce of strength into my arm.
“Hup!”
With a grunt, I grabbed Girena and hurled him into the distance, then aimed my fingertips at the forest where he had been flung.
FLASH—!
At my command, a beam of Magi erupted from my fingertips and struck him head-on.
KABOOOM—!
The black beam triggered a massive magical explosion, instantly setting the forest ablaze.
But I knew instinctively that the attack hadn't done the job.
Ranged attacks won't work.
As the smoke cleared, I saw Girena standing unharmed, treading atop the fallen trees.
Girena is invincible under the moonlight.
Under the moon's blessing, his silver mane—imbued with demonic power—acted as a multi-dimensional barrier that repelled any assault. Not even divine magic would scratch him now.
To kill a creature like that…
I have to tear through the barrier and his hide directly.
Shaaa—.
I shrouded both my hands in the authority to rend space and charged.
SWOOSH—.
As I closed the distance, Girena let out a wild laugh and rushed to meet me.
[Khahaha! You intend to trade blows with me in close combat?!]
Our attacks crossed, but Girena was a fraction faster.
CRUNCH—.
He opened his massive jaws and tore into my left arm.
“Kuh!”
The sheer force of Girena’s power sent me staggering, and I collapsed to the ground. Girena pinned me down, his teeth sinking deeper as he tried to rip the arm clean off.
As I struggled against his bite, a grim thought crossed my mind.
Even with the demon transformation, victory isn't guaranteed.
This transformation merely put me on the starting line—it gave me the ability to actually contend with the Twelve Venerables who stood at the apex of this world. It meant I had shed the fragile human shell that could be crushed with a single breath and gained a body capable of fighting back.
Krrrrk—.
His sharp teeth pierced through my Magi-clad arm, leaving deep, jagged wounds.
THWACK—!
I hammered my other fist into his head, using the authority to rend space to force Girena to release his hold.
The attack clearly had an effect.
Fwip—.
But Girena, retreating only for a second, used his overwhelming mass to press down on me again.
Squeeeze—.
“Keuk!”
This time, Girena clamped his jaws onto my neck and crushed me under his massive forepaws. He looked down at me with sharp, vertically slit eyes.
[You're strong, but not strong enough to raise a fist to me yet.]
Krrrk—. Krr-crunch—.
My muscles and bones began to groan and break under the incredible pressure. It felt like being flattened by a mountain. I was helpless against the strength of his multi-ton body and muscles enhanced by the moonlight.
All I could do was sink into the earth as the ground beneath me was mashed like clay.
Just then—
CLANG—!
A sharp sound rang out, as if something had struck his steel-like mane.
I looked up and saw Freya, sword in hand, her expression grim and determined.
Following her lead—
KABOOOM—!
A barrage of multi-colored magic rained down on Girena.
It was a frantic bombardment of divine, spirit, and flame magic—a combined support attack from the other three.
Were they trying to save me? Or were they simply trying to take down Girena alongside me?
Regardless, their attacks couldn't even scratch Girena's body in his state of primal regression.
Girena’s yellow eyes flashed with irritation as he opened his maw.
[How annoying. Go and slaughter them!]
At his command, the howls of wolves echoed from every direction.
AWOOOO—!
Before long, Girena’s kin began to pour out from the depths of the forest. A pack of werewolves had arrived.
“Tch.”
Caught by the sudden assault, Freya and the others formed a defensive line, desperately fighting back against the swarming werewolves.
They were holding their ground for now, but tonight was a full moon. No matter how skilled they were, they couldn't hope to defeat Girena’s kin under the peak of their power.
This is bad.
Eventually, their stamina and mana would fail, and they would be torn apart. I had to help them.
As I struggled to move, Girena pressed his paw down harder.
[If you truly wish to save them, you'll have to try harder. If you keep wasting time, those four will become nothing more than wolf feed.]
*
Glyphish was in a state of total frenzy as the city struggled to contain the indiscriminate bombings.
Just as the soldiers had blocked the main roads and the situation seemed to be stabilizing…
“The… the barrier! The barrier is gone!”
“……!”
At the soldier’s panicked shout, everyone looked toward the sky.
Shaaa—.
Just as he said, the Spirit King’s blessing that had enveloped the entire city—the spirit barrier—was dissolving into motes of mana and vanishing.
At the same time—
KRA-KOOM—!
With a deafening roar, the ground burst open, and a colossal monster revealed itself.
SKREEEEEE—!
A burrowing worm hundreds of meters long—a Death Worm.
Gurgle—.
The Death Worm unhinged its massive maw, and a tide of monsters poured out from within its gullet.
Kiyaaa—!
Grrrrr—!
From small pests like goblins and kobolds to massive threats like orcs and trolls, the monsters flooded the city through the tunnel the Death Worm had created. Simultaneously, marine beasts began to crawl ashore from the harbor.
“Stop them from reaching the upper levels!”
“Close the waterways, now!”
As the city was swallowed by the flames of war, Ariel shouted, her face pale.
“The temple! What happened to the temple?!”
The collapse of the barrier meant something had happened at the temple where the Spirit King’s Orb was enshrined. She had to get there immediately.
But the report that followed was pure despair.
“We’ve lost contact with the Spirit Knights!”
“The Spirit Knights have been wiped out! The orb… the orb appears to be completely destroyed!”
“Kuh.”
Biting her lip, Ariel muttered in frustration.
“The urban terror was a feint to divert our attention. The real target was the Spirit King’s Orb…”
To break through seven Spirit Knights and destroy the orb—who was capable of such a feat?
Should I have reinforced the defenses even more?
It was a question she couldn't answer now. It was too late for regrets. For now, she had to do what she could.
Ariel clenched her fist, her mind racing.
This situation is part of the 'great current' the Chairman foresaw.
He had warned that this was the stirring of the Twelve Venerables—the prelude to a Great War. Ariel had objected, unable to stand by and watch Glyphish become a slaughterhouse, but the Chairman had insisted this was the only way to minimize humanity’s total losses.
The only silver lining was that they had already stationed troops from the Elven Kingdom and the Forested Sea Alliance within the city in anticipation of this. The Union had also dispatched several high-ranking individuals.
Ariel began barking orders to her subordinates, her expression hardening.
After deploying the forces, Ariel turned to the representatives from the Union.
“Dean Grania, Professor Martelzier. Please lead the students and residents to the floating ship.”
“...Understood.”
Grania, the retired Tower Master and Dean of Eredor, nodded. Though she wasn't on the level of the Grand Mage Chairman, she was still a formidable mage. Furthermore, the floating ship was a fortress protected by ancient magic barriers and armed with mana cannons. It was the safest refuge available.
After the Eredor faculty left to protect the refugees, Ariel continued.
“Professor Andrea and the Temple Knights, please provide rear support.”
Andrea was a cardinal of the Holy Kingdom. His divine magic and the strength of the Temple Knights would be a beacon of hope in the chaos.
And then—
“Sir Isley, we need your strength now.”
At Ariel’s request, Isley smiled faintly.
Isley Ahibalt.
Like Girena, he was an ancient of the beastkin race, capable of primal regression. He was also a descendant of the ancient Divine Deer, Cernunnos. In the Forested Sea, where the power of the forest was strongest, he could temporarily wield power rivaling a Venerable.
Isley slowly removed his glasses.
“But of course. It seems our guest has arrived.”
“……!”
As Isley looked up, Ariel and the others followed his gaze toward the far side of the plaza.
Step—.
A figure was slowly approaching, walking through flames as fierce as a wildfire.
It was the mastermind behind the invasion, the one who had slaughtered seven Spirit Knights and shattered the Spirit King’s Orb.
It was Iscariot.