Chapter 569: Passing the Baton
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 569: Passing the Baton
The Eastern Plains were devastated beyond recognition.
Dmitri, his upper and lower body cleanly severed, was crawling across the ground. It was a wound that would have instantly killed any ordinary mage, but his body, bound by a contract with a demon, was more tenacious than a cockroach.
His utterly wretched face was a clear mask of unconcealable bewilderment.
‘I-I can’t regenerate…!’
Normally, he should have been able to regenerate his body just by concentrating his demonic energy, but the Fallen Flame embedded in Kang Hyun-woo’s Aura Blade was preventing his recovery.
Sizzle—
The severed area was burning away in real time.
Dmitri tried to use his shadows to swallow the fire, but the black flames, as if to mock him, burned the shadows like fuel and grew even larger.
“Kngh…!!”
‘Damn it, damn it, damn it…!! Even an archbishop’s divine power wouldn’t be this potent…!! Just what the hell is this guy…!!!’
It was an undeniable fact that demonic energy and divine power were polar opposites. But for someone like Dmitri, who had contracted a demon and been granted an Authority, divine power on the level of a bishop was hardly effective. At the very least, it would take an archbishop to inflict any significant damage.
‘First, I have to get back to my workshop and heal…!!’
“Where are you off to in such a hurry, Vice Tower Lord?”
“?!!”
Dmitri flinched as a low voice echoed by his ear.
His eyes met Kang Hyun-woo’s, who was looking down at him with a cold gaze.
“I almost missed you. From a distance, I thought you were a snail.”
“Kang Hyun-woo…!!!”
Dmitri’s face twisted viciously, but Kang Hyun-woo merely scoffed in response.
“This might sound like mockery, but I regret that things have come to this. I personally quite liked the papers you wrote.”
“Shut up!! Do you dare pity me?!”
“To slander my sincerity like that… Just as expected of a filthy demon worshipper.”
Kang Hyun-woo shook his head and placed a hand on the hilt of his sword.
“Crawling wretchedly on the ground like this suits you quite well, but… unfortunately, I’m not cruel enough to torment someone abandoned by their comrade. Besides, thanks to you, I’ve learned the extent of my own abilities. As a reward, I’ll make it quick and painless for you.”
“…What?”
Hearing Kang Hyun-woo’s words, Dmitri’s pupils began to tremble faintly.
The moment he reflexively drew upon his remaining magic power to use magic detection—
“…Flema!!! That fucking bitch!!!”
Dmitri roared as if vomiting out his rage.
“How dare she run off by herself!!!”
“What, you really didn’t know?”
The moment I shattered the barrier, the red-haired woman had activated the escape artifact she was carrying and fled without a hint of hesitation.
Naturally, I had no intention of letting her get away and tried to reverse-calculate and block the artifact’s activation.
But since the artifact had its own unique security system, I ended up losing her.
She probably planned to run from the start if things went south.
“Hmm… I don’t know if this will be any comfort, but don’t be too heartbroken. It’s not like you were expecting camaraderie in the first place, right?”
“Uwaaaaaah!!!!”
“Tsk, tsk. Screaming like that will only hurt your own throat.”
Fwoosh—!!
An ink-black Aura and jet-black flames erupted upon the Heaven-Shattering Demonic Sword.
“Well, it won’t hurt for long anyway.”
I slowly walked toward Dmitri.
But he, as if he couldn’t care less about me, just kept his head pressed to the ground, muttering something. I could even feel an unsettling madness emanating from him.
“…Do you think it will end like this? I am Dmitri Chernov. I am not a being who will end in a place like this…!!”
Kwoooaaaa—!!!!
At that moment, an immense amount of demonic energy erupted from Dmitri’s body as if exploding.
The fact that the dying bastard still had this much power left surprised me a little.
And his struggles didn’t end there.
“O, great President of Hell!!!!”
Fwshhh—!!!
Along with his crazed shriek, Dmitri’s shadow writhed, and from within it, hundreds, no, thousands of tentacles shot out all at once.
Crash, craaash, crash!!!
As if they had completely lost control, the mass of tentacles thrashed about in all directions, indiscriminately smashing everything around them.
Not only was their momentum extraordinary, but I also had no desire to get caught up in it and become the protagonist of some tentacle flick, so I had no choice but to back away for a moment.
Squirm, squirm—!!
‘Ugh. Fucking disgusting.’
In the meantime, new legs made of bundled tentacles had sprouted from Dmitri’s body.
And in his hand, he held a dagger of unknown origin.
I felt a nauseatingly foul demonic energy.
“Your humble servant offers his blood and soul! Take this body as your vessel and descend upon the earth!”
Puk—!!
Dmitri plunged the dagger into his own heart.
Even as thick blood trickled from between his lips, he glared at me as if to kill me and gave a grotesque smile.
“Khuhuhu… You will die here today. Compared to the power of the Great One, you are less than a worthless insect… Huh? Uh, w-wait, Your Excellency the Marquis…!! This is a breach of contract…!!!”
“?!”
Kwajik—!
At that moment, something that revealed itself from within the shadows swallowed Dmitri’s body whole.
From that utterly bizarre scene onward, Dmitri’s presence could no longer be felt.
Even an outsider like me could tell at a glance that his plan to summon Glasya-Labolas through a sacrificial ritual had gone terribly wrong.
But that wasn’t what was important right now.
‘…Is he dead? No, more importantly, what the hell is that? An owl?’
The thing that had swallowed Dmitri mixed with the shadows and slowly began to take shape.
Gurrrgle—
Honestly, it was definitely not a pretty sight.
What finally emerged from the mud-like, viscous shadows was a demon with pure white wings, a massive body that looked to be at least five meters tall, and a flaming sword clutched in its hand.
-Ah, ahh…!! Finally…!!!
The owl face perched atop its neck made an ecstatic expression and began to mutter incomprehensible words.
Diring—
[Devil Slayer has detected a demon’s Authority.]
[Accessing information on the demon.]
[Searching…]
[Search complete.]
Diring—
[Encyclopedia of Hell’s Demons
True Name: Andras
Title: Marquis
Authority: Maestro of Discord]
‘…Andras?’
Seeing the screen that appeared before my eyes, I couldn’t help but be stunned.
And for good reason. He was the one who had been subjugated by Valentina 23 years ago, only to lay a curse on Anastasia.
-Kieeeeeeek!!!
The fiend, mounted on a giant wolf, was bursting with bizarre laughter, rejoicing.
-Twenty-three long years!! I have not forgotten the humiliation and wounds I suffered at the hands of that goddamn harlot. I have waited all this time for the day of my revenge!!
“…Revenge?”
Pfft—
-Hm? You are…
The moment a scoff escaped my lips, Andras’s head tilted a full 90 degrees, as if he had only just noticed my presence.
He stared at me intently, then pulled the corners of his mouth up as if to tear them and gave a chilling smile.
-That utterly detestable scent!! You must be the harlot’s male!!
“And what if I am?”
When I revealed my killing intent, the fiend roared with laughter.
-How utterly foolish, just like a human. I’d love to tear you to shreds right now, but… I can’t very well ruin a precious gift that walked right up to me.
“Gift?”
-Yes. First, I’ll break your arms and legs, then pull out your intestines and weave them like a work of art. I’ll present it to the harlot as a surprise gift. Humans have a habit of cherishing their partners, I hear. She will surely make the most exquisite expression.
“What a disgusting idea.”
-Kieeeek!!
Drrrrr—!!!
With a bizarre laugh, Andras’s demonic energy began to surge violently.
It was a powerful energy, incomparable to Dmitri’s.
Of course, it wasn’t on the level of Gremory, whom I’d met before. It seemed he hadn’t fully recovered from the wounds Valentina had inflicted.
“Can I ask a question?”
-Hm?
“You don’t seriously think you can beat Valentina, do you?”
-Kieek!! A foolish question. A foolish question indeed! Do you think a wench who clings to the life of her worthless offspring could dare to defy me?
“…A wench who clings to the life of her offspring, you say.”
Crack—
Because of the curse that fiend had cast, Valentina and Anastasia had suffered for 23 long years.
They must have been hellish days that I couldn’t even begin to imagine.
‘I’d love to tear him to shreds, but…’
I gave a small smile and withdrew my killing intent.
-It seems you’ve finally realized your place. Good. As a special treat, I shall devour your brain myself. A mage’s brain is quite the delicacy, after all.
“It seems you’re gravely mistaken about something…”
Click—
I sheathed my sword and raised the corners of my mouth at him.
“You see, I’m not your opponent.”
-What nonsense is this……?!!!
Across the entire world, only three people had attained the rank of Archmage.
Duke Winchester, the lord of Britain’s Blue Magic Tower.
Mac Damon, the lord of America’s Black Magic Tower.
And the master of the White Magic Tower, who subjugated a demon single-handedly 23 years ago, earning her the epithet Witch of the Snowfield: Valentina Sasha Danilova.
-Th-this energy… Could it be…?!!
“Looks like you didn’t even know the curse you cast had been broken, huh? Then again, that’s probably why you were stupid enough to descend.”
Kugugugu—!!!!
An immense, unconcealable energy generated an absurd pressure that crushed the entire space.
The mana in the atmosphere trembled, and all the elements surged violently, as if responding to the emotions of a single person.
A rage beyond description seemed to be transmitted even to me.
‘An ordinary mage would probably suffer from mana backlash just by standing here.’
Wiping the cold sweat trickling down my cheek, I smiled faintly.
“Did you like your surprise gift?”
Swoosh—
Her pure white hair fluttering, Valentina appeared with a noble grace. With a faint smile, she pressed her lips to my cheek.
“I think I’m falling in love with you all over again.”
“Hehe, it was worth the preparation.”
Valentina snuggled into my arms, giving a seductive eye-smile as she naturally showed her affection.
She knew all too well how to sway a man’s heart.
While we were enjoying our leisurely moment, Andras’s demonic energy began to slowly fade.
It was obvious to anyone that he was pulling some trick to escape, but I didn’t pay it any mind.
After all, without Valentina’s permission, no one could leave this place.
“Did you think I would let you escape?”
Tactical-grade magic and strategic-grade magic.
These were all powerful spells whose use was strictly limited by international law, but an even more powerful magic existed.
Hundreds of years ago, it was observed for the first time when the First Tower Lord resolved a calamity that had befallen humanity in Greenland with a single spell.
-D-daaaamn iiiit!!!!!!! I can’t die like th—
He named that magic 8th Circle magic.
It was also known by another name: continental-grade magic.
[White Night Where All Creation Comes to Rest]
