Battle with the Iron Demon

Good! Let's play, then!

Gehenna twisted its lips in a chilling grin. At that moment, black blood poured from the empty air like rain.

Plop, plip! The moment countless droplets hit the ground, the surrounding forest died outright.

Sizzle! The dead woods gleamed and twisted like heated iron, suddenly sprouting into endless thin iron thorns.

Is it altering the terrain with demonic energy? I narrowed my eyes. Everything flowing from Gehenna's body seemed to transform into iron or change its surroundings.

"Everyone, fall back!"

Cecile's voice rang out first. The escort knights reflexively raised their shields and retreated a wide distance, but Gehenna spread its hand as if it had been waiting for just that reaction.

—Then take this!

Screeech! The entire forest screeched like metal scraping metal. Not just the sprouting iron thorns—even iron spears like black prison bars began thrusting menacingly from the ground, surging toward us.

Iron thorns filled the air, iron spears from below. And they weren't targeting just me. The carriage, the horses, even the retreating knights.

Bam! One iron spear slammed into the knights' shields. But it wasn't blocked. It crumpled them.

"Ngh!"

The knight was flung back pathetically. The spear's tip clung to the shield's surface, melting like liquid to spread over his armor.

"We must block the demon's energy!"

Cecile charged in, swinging her sword. Clang! Blue mana severed the iron's flow.

"Th-thank you!"

Only then did the knight gasp for breath and fall back. This wasn't a simple attack. Once it touched, it stuck, turning everything to iron—it couldn't be shaken off easily. Only by slicing through the demonic energy with mana, like Cecile did, could we counter it.

Grip! I tightened my hold on my sword. Black mana surged even stronger along the blade.

Balder Swordsmanship. A practical style honed in the North's harsh wilds solely to slay demons and monsters.

"Black Night."

The moment I swung my sword and murmured low, a single black line sliced through the darkness toward the iron thorns filling the air.

Clang clang claaang...! Not only the thorns but the iron spears caught in the line's path shattered like glass.

Shatter! Countless iron fragments scattered harmlessly through the air, but there was no time to relax.

Plop, plip! New iron thorns ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and spears kept sprouting wherever Gehenna's blood droplets fell. It was as if the entire forest had become Gehenna's domain.

—Heh heh heh! Protecting them after all, eh?

Gehenna laughed.

—Humans are fools. Mere mortals, too small to even see themselves in their fleeting lives.

"Yeah."

Step. I advanced straight ahead once more.

"Guess you're too scared to focus on just me."

Gehenna's red eyes flared viciously. Shwick shwick—! Innumerable black iron-like tendrils wrapped around its slender arms.

Screeech! They layered and twisted massively, transforming into a gigantic iron hammer.

—If that's what you want, I'll smash your limbs to pieces first!

Gehenna's arm, now a massive hammer, tore through the air and came crashing down on me.

"......"

I could dodge. But it was still targeting not just me, but the group too. My subordinates remained in the hammer's range.

......!

In my focused state, time crawled to a near halt. And now, Kairon's actions from the story finally made sense.

Kairon didn't push forward accepting minor losses. He protected everyone. Even if it meant taking wounds himself, he couldn't bear seeing his comrades hurt.

To me, that had seemed like a sucker move, endlessly naive. But no.

Kairon didn't act blindly. His body was telling me the answer in this very moment.

Just half a step sideways. Duck low at the waist. Swing to slash Gehenna's flank.

Whoooosh...!! That would evade the descending hammer and end it in one stroke. But then my back would be exposed.

Cecile. The knights. The carriage and horses. All of them.

A sword that doesn't protect has no meaning.

That was Kairon's creed. For a knight, wielding a blade just to kill stripped away any reason to live as one.

So I raised my sword straight.

"Dark Heaven."

I poured mana into my blade like a battering ram and clashed fiercely against the descending hammer.

BOOM!!

My sword arm shook violently in an instant. The impact raced up the blade into my entire arm. Amid the creaking in my bones, I steeled my mind.

Thud! Boom! The shockwave burst the soil at my feet, cratering the ground around us.

But I held.

"Your Grace!"

Cecile's urgent voice rang out. Gritting my teeth, I twisted my sword.

Screeech! Sparks flew fiercely between blade and hammer.

"Cecile, get the knights behind the carriage."

"But...!"

"That's an order."

Only then did Cecile relay the command, and the knights hurriedly withdrew from the front line. Even that movement was sluggish. Gehenna's pressure still weighed on their bodies.

Red text floated in the corner of my vision. It was clearly referring to me.

Iron Submission. My body felt undeniably heavy. The arm gripping my sword against the hammer was starting to sink bit by bit.

But.

Push through.

It was as if Kairon's memories were urging me on. Would I crumble in a crisis like this? He'd wielded his sword through worse blizzards. Faced more horrific demons without flinching.

So there was no reason to kneel now.

Step! I strode forward forcefully, swinging my locked sword with full power.

—Hmm. What an odd human. Standing firm against my authority on two legs.

Gehenna casually reverted its hammer-hand and suddenly raised its left hand.

Sss...! Black blood trickled from its fingertips, hardening midair into dozens of iron needles.

Whiiiish! They came surging in droves.

"Cecile!"

"I know!"

Cecile stepped forward. Clang clang clang! Her sword spun at high speed, sweeping the space ahead clean in an instant.

She wasn't just ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠guarding me. Cecile was clearing space for my movement, knowing exactly how to support.

Good.

I exhaled sharply and shook out my sword arm. Whoosh! The impact from before still lingered, but one shake dispelled the demonic energy.

As Cecile's blade slowly opened a path, I brushed past her in a flash and swung.

Slash!Thud thud thud...! My black slash pierced the air, dropping most of the iron needles.

Pok! But one grazed my shoulder ever so slightly.

Splatter! Agonizing pain flared like fire.

I need to seize momentum now.

Yet my mind pushed forward through the pain.

Click! I kicked off the ground into a massive leap.

Screeech!

"......!"

Then, mana suddenly stopped flowing from my wounded arm.

—Got you.

Gehenna grinned ominously, the short distance between us all but closed.

"Your Grace!"

Cecile rushed toward me in alarm.

"Stay back!"

I shouted loud, eyes on the space where Cecile nearly entered. Crunch! She'd almost fallen into a trap. Even now, the demon targeted not just me, but everything.

Shooo! Facing five incoming iron spears, I swung one-handed.

Clang clang! They all shattered. But two more sprouted immediately.

I couldn't close in like this. Worse, with mana not flowing smoothly, I couldn't match my earlier explosive speed.

—Not bad struggling, but this is the end.

Gehenna smirked knowingly, curling its lips. Beneath its jet-black hair and pale skin, its form filled my eyes.

Plip! I halted midway, lightly raising my sword. Rustle, rustle... Gehenna approached casually, unguarded.

—Dealing with humans is easy. Bind what they protect first, then snap their necks the moment weakness shows. Nothing's changed since ancient times.

"Talkative, aren't you."

I caught my breath short. My wounded left shoulder no longer channeled mana—or moved properly. Dragging this out would turn deadly.

This is the first calamity.

A hollow laugh escaped me unbidden, forgetting the situation.

"...Human, why laugh?"

Gehenna's voice rang clear in my ears now. It had closed to striking distance, as if victory was assured.

"Who knows."

I stared straight at the demon, letting everything go. Amid its black hair, blood-red eyes betrayed its beauty as pure demon.

Can I behead it in one stroke?

Or would I expose a fatal gap? Nothing was certain anymore.

Ding.

The world froze abruptly. Gehenna's eerie gaze. The iron chains in its hand, like coagulated blood, all ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠halted completely.

That's a solid chance, isn't it? The thought slipped in unbidden. Not a hopeless number.

Roll roll! A golden die tumbled through the air.

Will even the die betray me?

In near-resignation, the frozen die showed its face.

A small gap. The moment I saw those words, the world resumed.

Crunch. Mana began flowing again from my fully blocked left ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠shoulder. A tiny gap, but enough.

I can do it.

As I thought that, I opened my mouth.

"Don't mind me."

For coming right to me like this.

"...Human, what are you saying?"