Chapter 30
Chapter 30
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: Devil's Labyrinth (4)
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1.
💥 CRASH! 💥 The mid-level demon, the Lord of the Dead, lost consciousness for a moment.
What the hell had just happened? In a space where magic shouldn't have been usable, he had cast a spell.
And not only that—Cyan had merely thrown a punch, yet it had twisted space itself.
It wasn't just fast movement.
It was a special motion that warped space—a technique that had long transcended the realm of martial arts.
Truly fitting for the title of Martial God...
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Kr, Kraaak...!] As consciousness returned, overwhelming pain surged through him.
There was no sensation.
He couldn't feel half his body—only excruciating agony spreading across his entire form.
He had clearly dodged the direct hit, yet the mere shockwave had this much power. A direct strike would have meant certain death.
For the first time, the demon tasted the fear of death, breaking into a cold sweat as he poured all his mana into regenerating his body.
💥 CRACKLE! 💥 His missing half began to regenerate.
Form took shape where it had been obliterated, and soon fresh flesh sprouted.
A demon's regenerative power was unmatched—as long as it didn't die outright, it could recover endlessly.
Of course, the process consumed vast amounts of energy.
'Tch, is that all it takes?'
Cyan clicked her tongue at the demon regenerating so quickly.
Martial arts techniques lost half their power against massive foes.
The Heavenly Demon's techniques had the advantages of no mana cost and short cooldowns, but the inherent weakness against giants remained a problem.
Despite the overwhelming level gap that should have killed it in one blow, the demon still clung to life.
The Lord of the Dead wasn't on Louis's saint-beastified level, but its size was still far beyond a human's.
In truth, humans were at a disadvantage against demons precisely because of this sheer size disparity.
Even sword masters or Heavenly Demons struggled against enemies hundreds of times larger.
That was why dragons and other massive races dominated the human realm's pinnacle.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Kr, Kruu...! I won't forgive you...!] The demon roared.
And with it, its form began to swell dramatically.
'Phase 2, huh.'
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Kraaaaa...!!!] Its body grew enormous, mana amplifying wildly.
It was incomparably larger than before.
The Lord of the Dead transformed into a colossal giant that could treat even a dragon like a sparrow.
The already massive demon had ballooned to an unimaginable scale.
This was the racial size gap.
No matter how much a human trained to reach mastery, they remained human—sacred beast transformation was beyond them, making combat itself impossible from the start.
If you wonder why, let me ask you this: Have you ever fought an ant to the death?
No matter how venomous that ant, it's still just an ant.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [...This is my true form! The true power of a demon, unreachable by half-breeds like you!] The Lord of the Dead declared confidently.
In this form, it could even fight high-level demons.
The energy drain afterward was a drawback, but absorbing the half-demon in front of it would more than recover that.
She didn't seem capable of sacred beast transformation herself.
Thus, invincible in this state.
A power no weakling who fled to the human realm could touch—!
💥 BOOM! 💥 An inexplicable impact struck at that moment.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Kr...Huk?!] At the same time, the Lord of the Dead watched its lower body fly away.
From a mere ant-like existence, no less.
"Thanks for using sacred beast transformation—such an obvious opening."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Wh-what the fool?!] Cyan's calm voice followed.
She was already right in front of the trembling Lord of the Dead's eyes.
The demon had no idea when she'd closed the distance, but it knew that last attack was hers.
How had she pulled off such a strike? And it wasn't just damage.
An unnatural wrongness filled its body.
What was it?
Regeneration had stopped—strangely so.
"Let me get close before you noticed."
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡ Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon, 4th Form - 『Giant Killer』 Attribute: Physical / Range: 10m / Max Targets: 1
Special: Nullifies the target's giant traits.
▶ A punch infused with qi attacks the foe, collapsing a giant's body from within.
The Heavenly Demon—a name for the god of martial arts.
Such a being would have ways to counter giants, though its practicality was low, limiting it to specific situations.
'Sacred beast transformation has huge openings during the shift.'
Still, it was valuable against demons that went huge right after Phase 1.
Ultimate-level damage from another class, dealt as a basic attack with minimal cost.
'So the core mechanics are the same as Novel Online, huh. Good info.'
Cyan smirked, recalling the sensation lingering in her fist.
Unlike magic she didn't know how to use, these martial techniques were etched into her body—skills once game-only now usable freely.
'Giant Killer,' made for the Heavenly Demon to fight the Giant Race, was proof.
The thrill was indescribable.
It felt like she'd become the game character herself.
'Oh, right.'
Victory was already decided.
Cyan gathered her whole body's qi at her feet, preparing the finishing blow on the demon below.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Kr, Kruuk...] Unable to move, the Lord of the Dead realized it would die here soon.
(I can't die here.)
But surrender wasn't an option.
(I have to inform 'Her'.)
Its savior from the chaotic demon world.
Even if it died, it would alert her to this demon's existence.
Though it had failed the mission she'd given.
(This demon's power... She's definitely an executioner sent from the demon world for 'Her'.)
Her strength could only be explained as one of the demon world's 'apostles.'
Else how could a mid-level demon like itself be dismantled so easily—even after sacred beast form—in one hit?
The demon world was in chaos from civil war, and some absorbed fleeing demons to grow stronger, or so she'd heard.
That explained the sudden visit and human disguise.
Desperate to warn her, the demon pushed on.
This foe wouldn't stop at it—she'd hunt all the demonkin who followed 'Her' to the human realm.
Thus, the Lord of the Dead thrashed in desperation.
To alert her to the danger before its eyes.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Kraaaaaak!] The demon suddenly roared loudly.
Cyan furrowed her brow.
"Quit your nonsense..."
💥 CRACKLE! 💥 "...Huh?"
Cyan took her finishing stance, but sensed the ominous mana the demon was gathering and leaped back.
💥 CRACKLE! 💥 Mana surged violently.
It resembled a dragon's breath.
Compressing mana into one spot, then sealing it with a thin membrane—identical.
She could guess the power of a breath from that much mana.
'Breath, huh. Thanks to sacred beast form.'
But it wasn't aiming at her.
Couldn't, precisely.
Giant Killer's damage prevented movement in sacred beast form.
To act, it had to release the form—but as no dragon, its original body couldn't contain that mana and would self-destruct.
So what was the point...?
'What're you planning now?'
Black mana converged in one place.
One wrong touch, and it'd explode—wiping out the city and even where Louis was.
Cyan would survive, but the rest would vanish without a trace.
Including the demon...
But it didn't plan to die here.
It had activated a 'portal' to escape.
So, targeting something else.
'No way.'
Cyan glanced at the ceiling and realized its goal.
A bad premonition hit.
'That's what you were after.'
Too late to stop it.
Interfering now would trigger immediate, worse explosion.
"...Hoo."
She bit her lip, suppressing anger.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [This won't kill you, but it'll at least hold you back.] A powerful mana wave enveloped the area.
The Lord of the Dead had gathered all the space's mana and successfully compressed it.
And then—
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Hahaha...! Farewell, you damned demon!] 💥 KABOOM! 💥 Black light erupted with a deafening roar.
💥 RUMBLE...!!! 💥 The beam smashed into the seemingly endless ceiling, creating massive cracks with its explosion.
The labyrinth world itself was collapsing.
"That lunatic forgot he's a demon too."
💥 THUD! 💥 Witnessing it, Cyan sharply changed direction.
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡ Heavenly Demon Footwork - Shrinking Ground Attribute: Physical / Range: None / Max Targets: 1
▶ A special footwork that folds space to move, equivalent to physical teleportation.
The demon's attack itself wouldn't hurt much if hit, but that mana concentration's aftermath would shatter the labyrinth easily.
It surpassed Earth's strategic weapons.
💥 CRUNCH! 💥 Considering mana's nature, a perfect upgrade— the small world of the labyrinth couldn't withstand it and began crumbling.
💥 BOOM! 💥 Massive debris rained from the sky like a storm.
'Tch, gotta grab Louis and the others.'
Cyan reluctantly decided to retreat for now.
Something caught her eye then.
'That.'
She didn't forget what needed retrieving.
'Better take it just in case.'
Time invested in this low-tier labyrinth couldn't end with just one soulstone—the accounting wouldn't balance. She'd grab everything worth taking.
And insure against uncertainties.
✨ FLASH! ✨ "Louis."
"Lady Cyan?!"
Preparations complete, Cyan teleported to Louis.
"This labyrinth's collapsing! What was that explosion?! What's happening, Lady Cyan?!"
"No time to explain. We're leaving."
Ignoring the baffled Louis, Cyan placed her hand on the ground with a simple barrier.
💥 CRACKLE! 💥 A massive magic circle manifested beneath their feet.
A large-scale teleportation ritual.