252
I Killed the Demon King. It was a Mistake
Chapter 252
Caesar began to push Primachos back. It was the sword wrestling style that Primachos was confident in. Primachos rolled on the ground falling, just like Caesar did earlier. Ash and sand mixed together entered Primachos's body. Angered by this, Primachos swung her greatsword forcefully.
Clang!
Although it was meant to be a pushing attack, Caesar did not comply with Primachos' intentions. Caesar instead dove in while deflecting the attack path diagonally, just as Primachos often did. Then he placed his foot behind Primachos' ankle and deeply thrust his shoulder into Primachos' side.
Dong!
When Caesar's shoulder collided with Primachos' body, a bell-like sound rang out. With her ankle caught, Primachos fell forward.
-How...?!
Once Caesar gained the initiative, he never let it go.
He knocked Primachos down using the exact same method Primachos had used, and whenever Primachos tried to stand, he struck her down with Thunder, making her roll on the ground.
-Damn it!
Primachos swung her greatsword targeting Caesar's knee. It was quite a sharp attack, so Caesar stepped back. However, this too was within Caesar's plan. In that brief moment when Primachos was raising her body, Caesar imbued his own image into Thunder.
An intense wind whirled around Caesar's Thunder, and a sharp stream of wind formed at its tip.
Clear Field Form 2
Wind Blade
The sharp wind formed at the blade's tip intertwined with the bloody red aura flowing from Caesar's fingertips and whirled around. Caesar swung Thunder powerfully as if to slice the world in half.
Primachos was startled by Caesar's ominous attack. It was completely different from the attacks Caesar had shown until now.
-This is dangerous.
Though she had intended to block most attacks with her body, she felt this attack shouldn't be allowed. Primachos ultimately raised her greatsword to receive Caesar's attack.
Boom!
The sharp wind permeating Caesar's blade dug into the greatsword. Then lightning tinted with red blade energy sparked and split Primachos' greatsword clean in half.
Clang!
Primachos blankly stared at her greatsword that had been broken in half.
-This... Impossible...
-I can see you're quite something.
Caesar approached Primachos step by step.
Primachos momentarily shrank back from Caesar who was emanating a deadly aura.
"Sword wrestling, right? This is interesting since I've only heard about it but never experienced it before. It's been a while since I've been pushed around like this."
Caesar swung Thunder toward Primachos.
Primachos barely deflected Thunder with her broken greatsword.
-But this outdated method has its limits.
Screech!
A strange sound rang out as the sand grains inside Primachos' joints were ground away.
-What did you say? Outdated?
-Yes. The reason sword wrestling became obsolete is because it's only useful against knights or humanoid devils, but useless against wizard-type devils or monster-type devils.
Sword wrestling is possible because one can approach while blocking most enemy attacks with armor. However, after the appearance of the 'Devil of Plague, the number of wizard-type devils increased, making it extremely difficult to approach devils.
-Going forward, Gloria and I won't only face melee-type Devils. There are wizard-type Devils, monster-type Devils, and various others.
-Against Devils who push Gloria back with unique abilities, what can you do?
Caesar launched 'Wind Blades'.
While blocking the sharp wind blades, the distance between her and Caesar gradually increased, and the durability of the broken greatsword was rapidly wearing down. Before the greatsword completely shattered, Primachos forcefully deflected Caesar's wind blades while approaching.
At that moment, wind strongly whirled around Caesar's Thunder. The wind wrapped around Thunder like a giant hammer and struck Primachos directly.
Thud!
Primachos tried to somehow withstand Caesar's wind but ultimately couldn't and slid backward. The attack pattern afterward was the same. He would launch wind blades from a distance and create a wind hammer to shoot when approached. Primachos couldn't handle this simple pattern attack.
-Damn it...!
She tried to dodge instead of blocking, but Caesar skillfully predicted Primachos' movements and launched wind blades. She tried pushing through relying solely on her sturdy body, but since the ground was slippery with ash and sand, it was impossible to break through with brute force.
-You can't accomplish anything by pushing through so simply, Primachos.
Whoosh!
-Don't even hope for my stamina and aura to run out.
Primachos finally broke through Caesar's wind and approached.
However, this was because Caesar allowed it, not because Primachos succeeded on her own. When Primachos swung her broken greatsword, Caesar used the sword wrestling technique that Primachos had used and threw her.
Thud!
Acrid ash and sand poured into Primachos' body.
-If you have nothing more to show, how about we end it here?
The emotion in Caesar's eyes as he looked down at Primachos was clear.
Disappointment.
Although Primachos was angered by Caesar's arrogant gaze that dared to judge her, at the same time it felt like an insurmountable wall that could break her spirit. But Primachos rose and gripped her greatsword. It wasn't out of stubbornness that she couldn't lose to that young doppelganger. Nor was it anger at Caesar's words that belittled her life of constant struggle. While everyone saw Primachos as armor, she had always thought of herself as a knight.
A knight must be victorious. The saying that one learns from defeat only applies when life isn't at stake - for a knight, defeat meant death. The three partners Primachos had fought alongside had also led countless victories, but… With just one mistake, just one defeat, their flame of life had dimmed.
That's why Primachos had to show Gloria.
She had to prove victory.
She had to instill absolute confidence that victory was certain when fighting alongside her.
And...
-This time, I won't let my partner die.
A terrible smell of blood emanated from Primachos's body.
Raven's eyes widened at the sudden change in Primachos's magic waves.
"Caesar, danger...!"
Caesar had sensed the danger even before Raven spoke. Sensing danger meant he was prepared, and he was sufficiently ready when Primachos broke through Caesar's wind blade with beast-like movements.
Primachos' broken greatsword pierced through like a beast's fang, savagely. Caesar brought down Thunder heavily, with enough force to break Primachos' sword. The broken greatsword was already at the end of its life.
Due to the intense battle, the blade was cracked all over like wrinkles on an old man's hands. But when the reddish blood flowing from between Primachos' armor seeped into the broken greatsword...
Clang!
It withstood Caesar's Thunder.
'It's hard.'
Though Caesar struck Primachos' greatsword with all his might, it only moved about one finger's width and didn't completely embed into the ground. It was incomprehensible how she had hidden such strength. Caesar used psychometry to check Primachos's condition.
-...Victory.
As he deeply penetrated Primachos' mind, a strong blood scent lingered in his nose. Primachos' greatsword was raised up and Caesar blocked with Thunder. But the blood that had seeped into Primachos' greatsword became a sharp blade and...
Slash!
Created a long bloody line from Caesar's stomach to chest.
-Absolute victory.
A burning pain shot up from below. Caesar instantly realized what state Primachos had fallen into.
Ghost transformation.
A passive skill where when a knight wearing Moon Knight armor dies, the armor moves on its own to desperately pursue and kill the enemy who killed its master. What Caesar had dismissed as a trash skill had become reality and was now driving him into a corner.
***
When Primachos opened her eyes, she saw a woman with dull red hair staring at her intently.
She was Wendy the Red Crescent, the greatest Devil hunter she knew.
-How fascinating that armor can move on its own.
-I wonder if it's useful for catching Devil bastards?
The life Primachos remembered of Wendy was like walking a tightrope. While this was true for all knights who wielded swords during the time when the Devil of Plague ruled the continent, Wendy especially lived life on the edge.
Not because she was running from Devils, but because Wendy had the personality to fight to the death with any Devil she encountered. It was commonplace for Primachos to move on her own to carry Wendy to a safe hideout when she collapsed from exhaustion after fighting.
That's why everyone who saw her called her the 'Red Crescent'.
-You'll die like that?
-Let them try to kill me if they can.
-I am the Red Crescent.
-I may be corroded but I won't lose my light.
Wendy's life was far from a flickering campfire. She was like the red crescent moon glowing red just before an eclipse. Cold rather than warm. Though knowing she would lose her light to the shadow, she drew people's attention. And without realizing it, they would pray.
Please don't be consumed.
Please keep shining just as you are.
Even in defeat, if Wendy survived the battlefield, people had hope, and even in victory, if she wasn't seen, people trembled with anxiety. She became a goddess of Devil hunters who had descended to this world, not an goddess who had abandoned this land, and fought against Fleming until the very end.
And...
-Cut off my head, Primachos.
-I don't want to die as a Devil.
She was ambushed by her husband who had become a Devil and was 'infected'.
Humans who are infected cannot stop Devilization by their own will. Wendy had always coldly beheaded infected soldiers and knights, and mourned them with tears. With all the knights who followed Wendy dead, there was only one person who could behead her, only Primachos the gargoyle who could not shed tears.
Primachos could not accept Wendy's defeat. Unlike the four goddesses who had abandoned humanity, Wendy was a living goddess of the battlefield. She was the goddess of the Red Crescent. Her path should have been filled only with victories, and she was a living hero that disheartened knights and the despondent could lean on. For Primachos, it was unbearable to see such a steel-like woman begging for death after being caught in a mere ambush.
-You must become a hero.
-You must die as a hero.
-Your life must be made into poems and songs.
Primachos couldn't remember anything after facing Wendy begging for death before her. When Primachos came to her senses, her right hand was holding the neck of a Devil with nine horns.
It was the neck of Fleming, the Devil of Plague. After throwing away the neck of the Devil of Plague, Primachos staggered endlessly southward. It was the direction where the demon realm was. Meanwhile, rumors reached Primachos' ears that the Devil of Plague had suddenly died and the disease eaters were thrown into confusion.
But that meant nothing. What use was it whether the Devil of Plague died or not? What use was it that the disease eaters disappeared from the world? When Wendy, whom Primachos loved, had died. Primachos' mind returned from being far away.
Primachos saw Caesar enduring her greatsword. Caesar's body was in tatters. The clothes Caesar was wearing had already become rags rolling on the ground, and his firm skin was full of cuts.
-Stop now.
Primachos doesn't tire and doesn't stop. If this continued, it was obvious Caesar would die. Primachos didn't want to kill Caesar. Though it was a short time, Primachos knew how precious Caesar was to Gloria. She wanted to give Gloria victory, not bloody sorrow.
-I said stop. You can't beat me.
Primachos urged defeat to Caesar while spitting sharp blood. Caesar can never beat Primachos. This is the body that even killed Fleming, the Devil of Plague who once almost brought humanity to extinction.
Primachos is the one who created the legend of the 'Living Armor' that doesn't exist in the world. Charging at someone like her is no different from hitting a rock with an egg. So if you don't want to die, it's better to give up.
-Are you going to lose another partner?
Caesar's words stabbed deep.
Clang!
Caesar's Thunder deflected Primachos' greatsword. Sharp winds flowing from Thunder slashed all over Primachos's body.
-What use is it that you're strong?
-Gloria needs to become strong.
Deep cuts formed along the winds Caesar created.
-And you don't even know you're eating away at yourself because you can't properly control your ability.
-...What do you mean?
-Look at your body.
Primachos's entire body was covered in cuts.
-Getting scratches like this is natural when fighting.
-Don't you remember until just now not getting a single scratch from my wind? Then why do you think my wind is leaving marks now?
Come to think of it, that was true. She had only been pushed back by Caesar's wind attacks without a single scratch on her armor. But why are there wounds now?
-How long were you unconscious after killing the Devil of Plague?
-...What do you mean?
-I'll ask again. What did you do for 100 years after coming to the demon realm?
-I... I just...
Primachos tried to trace her memories but couldn't remember anything in particular. Or more accurately, there was nothing to remember.
-It doesn't make sense that there's no price for recklessly using such an impossible ability.
Primachos' ability is simple. Covering weapons with blood to increase durability and shooting sharp blood, and moving without tiring until killing the opponent. The price for this simple but powerful ability was the armor's lifespan.
-For 100 years, you were asleep, healing your body.
The reason Primachos instinctively headed to the demon realm after losing her partner was to absorb the magic spread in the air to heal her armor. After deflecting Primachos' greatsword, Caesar stabbed her side with his shoulder.
Crunch!
Primachos' side caved in.
-So if you want to sleep for a long time again, keep fighting me.
-I won't hand Gloria over to you even if I die.
Primachos gripped the handle tightly.
-...Then prove it.
Blood gathered on Primachos' greatsword. The greatsword shattered, unable to withstand Primachos' blood. But those fragments spread along the blood to create a massive greatsword.
-Prove that you're more necessary for Gloria than I am.
Caesar also drew on the Clear Field. What he drew was a fierce wind that could uproot trees. And a massive tidal wave that devours the ground.
Clear Field Form 7
Storm.
Lightning gathered in Caesar's Thunder along with a powerful wind.
-There's only one way to prove it.
Primachos' hands trembled.
It felt like she was holding not a greatsword but a wave about to pour down.
Primachos and Caesar swung their weapons at each other as if they had been waiting.