Chapter 153
Chapter 153
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 153
Chapter Title: Let's Catch the Rat, Catch the Rat, Squeak Squeak! (3)
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As Draven and the other beastkin and barbarians joined the fray, the tide of battle slowly began to turn. Though ferocious, they carefully subdued the ratmen without killing them.
Isla, who had come with them, also proudly displayed her prowess by taking down two or three ratmen at a time.
Dodging the subdued ratmen, Lloyd, El, Connie, and I pressed our assault on Barbason in earnest.
Arrows pierced the darkness, swords cleaved it, and the mace tore it apart. Barbason was gradually being shredded to pieces.
‘He’ll try to flee if things go south.’
That was the nature of demons. They knew no shame. Thus, when their lives hung in the balance, they fled without hesitation to bide their time. Then they returned stronger and more vicious, screwing over their foes—that was a demon for you.
-Swoooosh…!
Barbason was gathering the scattered darkness. No, reclaiming it would be more accurate. Unlike before, he moved with extreme caution, holding back his attacks as much as possible.
‘Just as I thought—he plans to run.’
Pretending not to notice his intentions at all, I fired arrows with cunning precision, not enough for him to fully regroup. Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! The thinner light arrows, shot without full power, severed strands of the darkness.
‘Killing him is no easy feat.’
It was like facing Citra in the mining city of Rabata. Granting true death to a demon was nearly impossible. People here often said they’d “killed a demon,” but that merely meant destroying the vessel it had descended into.
Destroy a demon’s vessel, and it appeared “dead” for a moment. In truth, the demon simply returned to its origin—Hell.
To truly kill a demon required the power of a god, the power of a temple. But in Dehid’s temples, Barbason had already laid his groundwork…
Pipi’s power could certainly reclaim the Fragment of the Origin God. Yet Pipi’s power wasn’t divine. So whether it could fully erase Barbason remained uncertain.
‘Killing Barbason here might actually help him.’
He’d take a heavy blow, sure. But he’d recover in Hell. No matter how long it took, regaining his original strength wouldn’t be hard.
So then.
“……”
I quickly scanned the surroundings. The sunstones, faintly restored by Connie’s light, glowed dimly. It wasn’t enough. A bit more…
“Connie!”
Having surveyed the area, I called out Connie’s name. Connie, swinging his mace ferociously, turned to me with eyes sparkling brightly.
“Yes, Lord Theodor!”
“We’ll need to borrow Donar’s power. You okay with that?”
He put on a brave face like it was nothing, but Connie had already expended a great deal of energy. He’d already faced a horde of Barbason’s minions once before. If Donar exerted power through him again, Connie’s body would…
“Of course! I’m fine!”
“……”
But Connie replied without hesitation, in a resolute tone.
“Good. Honestly, I’m relieved you said that.”
I briefly explained the “plan” to Connie. It wasn’t much of a plan—just something simple. The only issue was whether Connie could endure it.
Just as Arjan’s priests created light, Nemea’s tore away the veil of darkness, and Linshaka’s bloomed flowers, Donar’s priests fundamentally wielded “water.” Even a novice like Connie should manage that—making it spring forth, flow, and pour.
But that wasn’t what I wanted.
What I sought was…
“……I’m counting on you.”
Without further ado, I left Connie behind and let out a long whistle. Isla, who had been subduing ratmen, raced over like lightning. I hopped onto her back, and we dashed across the vast underground temple. Spiraling from the center to the perimeter, I scattered moonflower seeds—widely, and in great abundance.
Barbason’s eyes followed me, but blocking Lloyd and El’s attacks seemed to occupy him fully; he couldn’t interfere. Fortunate indeed. After emptying all the seeds, I activated [Breath of the Forest] and shouted toward Connie at the temple’s heart.
“Now!”
The moonflower seeds took root and sprouted. Already improved once, the moonflowers stubbornly dug into the barren underground temple floor, hard as bedrock.
Preparations were complete.
Now, if only Connie could hold out…!
-Drip…
-Drip…
Somewhere, water droplets fell—or rather, welled up. I placed a hand on the floor, faintly pulsing with earthly energy, and watched Connie.
He had driven his mace into the ground, knelt, and prayed with blood streaming from his nose.
-Splash…
-Splash, splash…
……It was done.
Water began pooling on the underground temple floor. Barely wetting our soles for now, but given the temple’s vastness, even that was an enormous volume.
‘But it’s still not enough.’
The water rose agonizingly slowly, like wringing an orange already drained of juice. It wasn’t a lack of faith. Connie had nearly exhausted Donar’s borrowed power. This rising water…
It was Connie squeezing himself dry to produce it. His body at its limit, he was drawing forth Donar’s power again, no doubt enduring the agony of boiling blood. Yet he prayed on, unwavering. That foolish-seeming resolve… that was what it meant to serve a god.
-Splash! Splash!
-Splashhhh!!!
Slowly but surely, the water level climbed. Sounds of El and Lloyd splashing about, and Barbason evading them. Fortunately, Barbason paid no mind to the pooling water.
“Alright, then…”
I gripped the floor with all my might. The unyielding stone dented as my fingers dug in. Focusing my mind, I began the incantation. I felt the forest’s energy, Linshaka’s “power,” reaching each sprouted moonflower.
-Splash, splash…
The moonflowers shot up, buds emerging above the surface. Just a bit more, a bit more! I waited for the water to rise—for the moonflowers to submerge!
‘Please…!’
But then.
-Thud!
-Splash!
Connie collapsed. Unconscious, face planted on the floor, unmoving.
“Damn it… Isla!”
-Woof!
Isla dashed to Connie, hoisted him onto her back, and bolted toward Draven.
No choice now. I’d have to do it alone…
-Rumble…!
……Huh?
-Gushhhh!!!
It happened as I tried to make the moonflowers bloom fully. From the tip of the battered mace Connie had embedded in the floor…
-Gushhhh!!!
Water erupted like a fountain!
“My god.”
The sight of that old mace spewing water toward the ceiling was spectacular.
‘No, not the time.’
This was my chance. I swiftly focused and finished the incantation. As cool, verdant forest energy spread from my dantian across the temple floor…
-Whoosh!
-Shine!
-Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!
Buds burst open everywhere. Soon, the clear water brimmed with fully bloomed moonflowers swaying beneath the surface.
Now, preparations were truly complete.
-Shineeee…!
[Moon Light].
Moonlight borrowed from Nemea poured from the bloomed moonflowers. Unlike usual silver flames, it spread across the entire water surface. The soft moonlight diffused, illuminating the water in radiant splendor.
“Grahhh!!!”
Barbason, belatedly noticing the light, leaped high and clawed into the wall, scrambling upward.
But it was too late.
-Ping!
-Ping!
-Ping!
The floor gleamed as if moons had risen from it. Light spread upward from below.
“Damn you, cursed, chew you up…!”
“Crawl faster, Barbason!”
I’d never planned to catch Barbason with [Moon Light] alone. It was potent against undead and demons, true, but one [Moon Light] couldn’t incinerate a demon of his caliber.
-Crackle!
-Zzt!
-Zing!
Moonlight reflected off the sunstones embedded in the supporting pillars, tracing lines. The dim sunstones, bathed in moonlight, began glowing with deep, vivid blue. The blue lines connecting pillars and sunstones intensified.
“No, no, no!!!!”
Barbason flailed up the wall, screaming as blue light grazed him. His claws crumbled on contact, the darkness cloaking him like a mantle fading. The sunstone light, ignited by [Moon Light], bounced off the water, amplified, and tightened around him. Dodging it would be struggle enough—no room for counterattack.
“Guh, grahh, aaaah!!!”
-Hahaha! Thrashing like a rat pup.
Dimakushel cackled at Barbason’s frantic wall-crawl. I shushed him, raised my gleaming rainbow bow, and aimed at the wriggling demon. Thanks to the moonlight, the light arrow forming on the string shone more brilliantly than ever.
“……Farewell, Barbason.”
-Screeeeech!!!!