Chapter 194
Chapter 194
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 194
Chapter Title: Mutation - 2
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The entity that had corrupted—or mutated—the commander of the Golden Twilight Knights was obvious.
Demons.
In truth, there were no other candidates besides those bastards. The commander of the Golden Twilight Knights rarely ever left the imperial palace, so how could he possibly come into contact with anything else?
Demons craved strong hosts just as much as anything else, making the Golden Twilight Knights' commander the perfect vessel for them.
The stronger the host, the greater the total power they could wield upon descending to the earthly plane. If the host was weak, their body would melt away the instant they tried to unleash major power, ejecting the demon back to hell.
Descending in their true form removed all restrictions on their power, which was ideal. But if they got "purified" after coming down in person, it meant permanent death, so preference varied based on the demon's personality.
The reckless ones who didn't care about consequences and chased immediate pleasure would manifest at the first opportunity. The more far-sighted ones proceeded with utmost caution.
‘...That was from the in-game document description.’
The demon that had mutated the Golden Twilight Knights' commander was the cautious type.
It knew full well that descending in its true form right next to Kaykilia—who could slice a mere demon apart effortlessly with her holy sword—would be utter madness.
That was why it had hijacked this body. A formidable powerhouse that could wield great strength, yet even if it died, the demon's true form would remain unscathed.
All of this was detailed in the in-game documents.
“Lady Minerva. Hold on a moment.”
“What is it, child?”
I raised my arm to stop Minerva. The blue light gathering at the tip of her staff dispersed back into the air. Her eyes, filled with questions, fixed on me.
“Don’t be startled. Listen carefully. That thing has a demon possessing its body.”
“...A demon, you say?”
Minerva’s expression hardened. Even though I was spouting the absurd claim that a demon had descended in the heart of the imperial palace, she seemed to trust my words completely. That would make things quicker.
“Yes. And His Majesty the Emperor is probably locked in his bedchamber. There’ll be a magical barrier around it.”
It was a clever bastard. There was no way it would rampage in the middle of the imperial palace, smack in front of steadfast Kaykilia, without any insurance.
It had used human magic to layer barriers around Kaykilia’s bedchamber. She could shatter them at full power, but they were calibrated just right to take the palace and the capital with it.
No matter that Kaykilia possessed peerless might among humans alongside the pontiffs, dispelling the barrier without destroying it was an entirely different matter.
‘What a convenient excuse for why the player has to deal with the demon that appeared in the palace instead of the emperor.’
For reference, the emperor emerges after breaking the barrier himself—post-player slaying the demon.
Most demons had such fierce pride that they’d sooner die than use human magic, making this the first such case in continental history, or so it went.
“Then, you mean I should go dispel that barrier?”
“The air around the bedchamber will be tainted by the demon itself. Without holy spells, even you, Lady Minerva, wouldn’t last long.”
This wasn’t about skill—it was matchup. Even Minerva couldn’t purify an environment corrupted by a demon without holy spells.
It wasn’t mere demonic taint; it was a deliberate trap designed to kill anyone approaching the bedchamber.
The demon had used its head. It trapped Kaykilia with regular magic to hinder her holy sword, then scattered demonic aura outside to block even Minerva’s intervention.
“...I see. I understand.”
Minerva didn’t let pride get in the way and cleanly backed off. She must have realized forcing it would only harm herself.
“His Majesty can surely break through the barrier on his own. So, Lady Minerva, please head to the Holy Kingdom and just inform them a demon has appeared. Leave the rest to them.”
In the game, the player had to handle everything solo, making aid from inquisitors impossible. But not here. We could borrow the Holy Kingdom’s hands as much as needed.
I could take it alone if I had to, but why take the hard road when the easy one was open? Only if forced into a solo fight.
“Very well. Be careful, child.”
Minerva left those words and vanished without even a magic circle. What on earth had she seen in that crystal scroll to upgrade her teleport like that?
‘...I can ask later. Focus.’
I turned my head toward where gold and silver armored knights faced off.
Some had halted right after turning the corner, and the rest were too fixated on the golden knight commander to check elsewhere, so no one had spotted me yet.
I tensed my abdomen and bellowed in a resounding voice.
“Rize!!!!!!”
My shout echoing Rize’s name down the corridor made the helmeted armors whip their heads around in unison.
“Delta?! How’d you get here?”
She sounded blatantly flustered, clearly never expecting me to show up here.
“I’ll explain later. Leave this to me and fall back, all of you! It’s possessed by a demon—you can’t handle it!”
“A demon?!”
The knights recoiled instinctively, widening the gap in shock. Working in the palace meant they knew exactly what demons were.
They also knew they couldn’t harm it. In the game, the Silver Dawn Knights’ commanders tried blocking it and ended up injured, scattered throughout the palace.
I’d arrived far earlier thanks to Minerva; otherwise, the original fight spot was the palace garden. Proof their initial blocking attempt failed.
“......”
As the golden-armored helmet turned toward me, I drew Wingless Nightmare. The blade’s color began to shift.
Half to gold symbolizing the sun, the other to silver symbolizing the moon. Sunlight streaming through the windows amplified the blade’s sanctity.
I took a step forward. Whether from the holy power emanating from my weapon or inferiority toward me causing its state, its gaze locked solely on me.
The silver and golden armors parted to the corridor’s sides, clearing a path. As I walked between them, eyes stabbed from both flanks.
“Delta, you... sure you’ll be okay?”
At the path’s end stood Erika and Claudia.
“Of course. You two look after the others and fall way back. Secure the palace perimeter, evacuate people, and block off His Majesty’s bedchamber—no one gets near. You’ll see why when you check. But don’t get too close, or you’ll get swept up too.”
“But, Delta...”
“Why would I do this? You know me. Do as I say, Erika.”
Erika shut her mouth. Claudia too. Their weapon hands trembled faintly.
Without holy power, they were just meat shields against demons. Everyone here knew that, hence the reaction.
Claudia, silent for a moment, patted my shoulder then turned to her subordinates. Erika whispered, “Be careful,” and followed.
With Erika and Claudia relenting, Rize and Iris gathered their own and vanished down the corridor. The area emptied in an instant.
“Delta! Be careful!”
Rize’s voice echoed briefly, then faded, leaving total silence.
I gauged the corridor’s width.
‘...A bit narrow side to side.’
Palace corridors were wide, but nothing compared to the garden. If it used an AoE here, dodging space would be tricky.
Worst case, the whole section could collapse. I could dodge flying solo, but not a building crumbling.
“......”
From the moment it noticed me, it hadn’t stopped staring solely at me once. Natural, since I was the trigger for falling to demonic temptation.
“Didn’t I tell you not to have any funny ideas?”
I sighed and opened my mouth.
“I kept it vague to avoid sparking interest the wrong way, but I warned you, and look at you now?”
“......”
It remained silent. I’d hoped to drag things out with talk, but this might force an immediate fight.
No need to kill it outright. Minerva was fetching Holy Kingdom aid—some inquisitor or heretic judge would arrive soon. Just hold out till then.
“Whatever, if you don’t wanna talk.”
I gripped Wingless Nightmare with both hands.
Was that pillar of light I’d slammed into Behemoth one-time use, or enemy-triggered? Perfect chance to test.
I spread my legs shoulder-width, hoisted Wingless Nightmare overhead. The blade above my head began to glow. The golden armor hadn’t budged.
“You’ll change your mind after a good beating.”
I swung my arm straight down.