Chapter 124
Chapter 124
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 124
Chapter Title: Intrusion (3)
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“⋯⋯Hmm?”
Shea scratched his chin as he stared at the squishy mass in front of him.
It was the demon once called Cornelius. Though now it looked more like pulverized organic matter.
‘How many times have I killed it?’
He couldn’t remember exactly. It felt like he’d ground it up a few hundred times. All he recalled was that it had gone quiet afterward.
He’d turned this place into a kill zone and waited for it to last thirty minutes, but something was off about its condition.
The squirming chunks of flesh leaped into the air as if possessing a will of their own, forming a perfect circle.
Soon after, it floated up and flew into the spire.
“⋯⋯.”
Shea watched it silently.
“Hmm.”
He couldn’t say exactly what was happening.
But something was unfolding inside.
He rose from his seat and began pursuing the direction where Cornelius had vanished.
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Gray Chasefield’s most terrifying trait—if you could call it that—was that this beastly Hero never let her guard down, no matter her overwhelming specs.
“Lady, stop, stop it!”
Carlyle threw himself at Gray, who was relentlessly slashing at Alistair’s shattered body.
“What? If you’re going to kill it, do it thoroughly.”
“No, that’s not it!”
But in this situation, such caution wasn’t necessary.
“It hasn’t died yet to begin with!”
The title “Fatal Companion” wasn’t given lightly.
“⋯⋯.”
Gray’s movements halted abruptly.
“⋯⋯What?”
Even for a noble-rank demon, regeneration after this much punishment was impossible. Her voice carried that doubt.
-!
A mass of flesh burst through the inner wall of the spire where they stood.
‘……Ah, damn it.’
The most horrifying thing about the demon “Fatal Companion”...
Was the inevitable event that followed whenever both were beaten to a pulp like this.
A mandatory second phase, you could say.
The incoming flesh merged with Alistair’s remains, melting into it and beginning to “fuse.”
“……What the hell is that?”
As Gray muttered with furrowed brows...
It took the form of the spider knight still clad in armor. Except now, Cornelius’s wings were attached to its back.
And then.
The fully formed demon raised its greatsword and slammed it into the ground.
The next moment.
-!!
A massive explosion sent everyone flying like leaves in a typhoon.
What Alistair had just done wasn’t a direct attack on anyone—it was merely swinging the greatsword at the floor.
And yet, this was its power?
“……!”
The demon’s presence was utterly different from before.
Gray bit her lip as she realized this, rolling into a landing after crashing into the floor and glancing at Carlyle.
“Go take care of Rocket! I’ll handle this—”
But before she could finish, something slammed into her airborne body.
“I’ve been waiting for this moment!”
It was the culprit who had sent her flying.
A hearty laugh erupted from the demon—“Fatal Companion.”
Its voice brimmed with bloodthirsty glee that even made Gray’s blood run cold.
“An honor, Hero of humanity! To think the Archduke of Flies would grant me such a blessing!”
And Alistair’s next action perfectly matched those words.
In the midst of battle, shedding the heavy plate armor it carried was no rational choice.
The intent was clear.
To feel everything with its bare body.
The thrill of combat, the tension—all of it, raw and unfiltered.
Its skin and muscles, now grotesquely hardened from fusing with Cornelius, pulsed and writhed vividly. Beneath them boiled a deadly aura hot enough to vaporize the sweat beading on its surface.
“Let’s play—!”
With those words, the demon rammed Gray’s body straight out of the spire.
The blue sky filled her vision as both the demon and the Hero plummeted from the capital’s airspace.
But that was the nature of superhuman battles—they could clash anywhere.
Gray and the demon halted midair simultaneously, unleashing sword strikes at each other without missing a beat.
Between the skyscrapers, these monsters closed dozens of meters in single strides, their fierce exchange unfolding second by second.
The aftermath alone stripped building facades, upheaved streets, and made the air scream.
“⋯⋯.”
Gray’s expression twisted.
She couldn’t even properly recall the last opponent she’d truly clashed with.
At least since earning the title of Hero, she was acutely aware she’d never had one.
Sparks flew as the holy sword met the demon’s greatsword. A wail like the screams of the dead swept through the air.
Even as the Hero poured her full power into it, the demon matched her blow for blow.
No matter what she unleashed, the enemy showed no retreat.
Like a composer placing notes on a staff, they weighed each other’s rhythm without yielding an inch.
Those who wielded supernatural abilities were called superhumans—a title born of awe for those beyond human limits.
Yet even they had their bounds.
Gray herself was a monster who could cleave buildings with a single sword, but her foe was no slouch.
Reverse Mountain Shattering Force.
Strength to uproot mountains. Power that would astonish even fellow superhumans. It deserved the name.
“Impressive! You’re good!”
And while pulling off such feats, it laughed heartily as if it still had leisure to spare.
Alistair’s booming guffaw echoed across the capital skies.
“Show me more, guardian of humanity—!”
Death and destruction surged from the tip of the demon’s greatsword.
A downward slash aimed at her centerline. Far from ordinary, its destructive force was hideous. The greatsword, trailing a ghastly blade glow, plunged toward Gray’s position.
And...
“-!”
However.
It was read completely.
In the split-second gap as she spun to charge, the enemy seized that breath of respite.
Swinging the greatsword with one hand, Alistair thrust his free fist toward Gray’s nape.
“!”
She reacted, defending. She jerked her head back to dodge.
But the fist halted right before her nose, spewing spider silk directly at her face. A substance harder than even the holy sword could cut. For a moment, her movements were sealed.
As Gray froze from the unexpected technique...
The greatsword’s flat side followed up toward her face.
‘Danger—’
The thought flashed.
Simultaneously...
The greatsword collided with Gray’s entire face. Her body rocketed back with terrifying force, embedding into the spire wall.
But the attacking demon let out a disbelieving scoff.
“⋯⋯What an absurd monster you are, Hero. You even blocked that?”
He’d thought it a solid hit, yet she’d defended against the final strike too.
⋯⋯Was this thing even killable?
As Alistair mulled that...
“⋯⋯.”
Gray...
Touched her cheek with a rigid expression.
A single drop of blood stained it.
“-”
She stared at it blankly.
Had she just been wounded?
After how long?
“⋯⋯Haaah.”
Gray irritably ruffled her hair.
“Should’ve listened to that guy.”
She might have inadvertently powered up the enemy by jumping in first.
Carlyle probably could’ve avoided this fight altogether.
“—That guy? You mean the man by your side? Carlyle Bellfast.”
“You talk a lot in battle, huh? I hate chatty bastards, so shut your—"
“As payment for the good fight, here’s some advice, Hero. You’d do well to cut ties with him quickly.”
“⋯⋯?”
Gray stared at him silently.
What the hell was this demon giving enemy advice for?
Receiving that look, Alistair shrugged.
“The Archduke of Flies has special plans for him. Even you can’t protect him forever—”
The next moment.
⋯⋯Gray’s vision flickered.
“---!”
She couldn’t comprehend how it happened.
No, her consciousness had snapped for an instant. Her reason had flown.
But the next instant.
She was before Alistair in a flash, swinging her sword at his nape.
“-?!”
Panic colored the demon’s movements this time. Compared to matching her evenly before, he hadn’t even registered this one.
Then.
The sword swung at Alistair’s neck decapitated his head and cleaved through the “scenery” behind it entirely.
-!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It wasn’t a sword cut—it was like a bomb detonating, the shockwave tearing at their eardrums.
Alistair’s body, which had withstood endless strikes like an immovable mountain, shook as if crumbling.
Blood and flesh sprayed everywhere.
“-!”
But as befitting nobility, he avoided instant death.
Staggering back, Alistair gasped for breath.
His aura was unmistakably different now.
That last strike was beyond what the current Hero should produce.
“⋯⋯.”
Even Gray herself was flustered, looking down at her body.
⋯⋯What was that just now?
The moment he mentioned Carlyle’s name.
It felt like “something else” had possessed her body—
“Hah.”
But before she could finish the thought.
“Hah, ha, hahaha, ahahahahahahaha—!”
A maniacal laugh that shredded the ears burst from the spider knight.
His greatsword whistled through the air. His energy surged even higher than before.
“Yes! A Hero needs to be like this! Worth coming here voluntarily!”
⋯⋯Even though he’d just been utterly crushed.
He showed no fear.
If anything, he seemed more exhilarated.
Gray’s lips twisted.
‘⋯⋯Demons.’
She’d ground lesser ghosts to dust.
Toyed with barons effortlessly.
But viscounts and above...
“That all you got, Hero? I’m ready! Pour it all out!”
Were on another level.
Not just combat power.
Mental fortitude, technique, conviction, presence—all of it.
“Threatening” through and through.
Probably worse above him.
⋯⋯She truly felt now why they were called “humanity’s archenemies” in her era.
“Let’s dance together—! I beseech you!”
“…….”
But for Gray, such bloodthirsty voices were familiar.
Humans mad for battle. Those who valued the “process” over killing.
Honestly.
“There were a few like that.”
Laughable.
“Until they faced me.”
None had left her fights untaught.
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-System Message
▶ Synchronization rate between target ‘Hero of the Holy Sword’ and ‘Gray Chasefield’ increases!
▶ Related event will generate soon!
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