The Demon of Mockery, Berbaria (2)
A tepid wind swept through.
All around was dead silence, and yet, ironically, the only sound echoing through the air was the faithful muttering the demon's name, each in their own trembling voice.
“...What the hell is that thing.”
As if answering Yona's murmur, the serpent that had been hovering in the air looking down began its descent to the ground, all nine of its heads flicking their tongues.
-Thud…
With a light impact, the serpent called Berbaria came down to the ground.
Coiling and uncoiling its massive bulk again and again, its nine heads each swept their gaze across the surroundings, tongues flicking with a hiss.
“Came here to crack some kidnapper skulls, and now I'm up against a snake. Heh.”
At James's mutter, they all gave small nods.
Meanwhile, Yona stroked her right arm where the Holy Shroud had slipped down.
Thanks to the copious amount of potion she'd smeared on it, the wound had healed considerably, but it still flared with a searing pain at the slightest touch.
But the pain wasn't what mattered.
The pitch-black tattoos carved into this arm were radiating heat as if they each possessed a will of their own.
As if they were resonating with that demon.
“Yona, take Rubina and get out of here.”
Alec planted his shield and glanced back at her.
“What are you talking about? What am I supposed to do if you're short-handed? If anyone should step back, it's you, James. You take Rubina and get clear.”
“Heh heh, you're telling *me* to run when you'll be needing even a kobold's hand in this mess? That's a bad joke, lass. It'd be better for all of us if you were the one to fall back.”
While this hollow exchange went back and forth, Yona pulled Rubina into a tight embrace.
“Sister…”
“It's okay, Rubina. Me and these men will protect you. We came to save you this time too, didn't we? So we'll save you again. Don't worry.”
Would it really be okay?
Even as she said it, she had no confidence.
No confidence that anyone could survive with that Great Demon standing right there.
“I will protect you. So stay glued to me. Got it?”
“Y-yes.”
A wide hall.
Once a basement, now turned into a ground-floor level.
At the entrance of the hall, the guard detachment stood frozen, staring blankly at the demon.
And at its center, Berbaria.
At the far end, Yona's party.
No matter how you looked at it, there was no opening to escape.
“If I could take down a bear, I can take down a snake! Don't be scared, you cowards!”
Kayak let out a roar.
The battle cry that burst from that shark-like maw, gaping wide open, had the effect of rallying the fighting spirit of his allies.
“Alec, I'm coming in rough. That alright?”
“Says the one who's never fought any other way.”
“James, cover fire, if you please. And I think we should hand Rubina over to the guards.”
Kayak's judgment was sound.
Leaving Rubina with the guards was the surest way to get her out of the battlefield, and James was the only one who could carry her to them.
“...Here I go!”
Gripping his axe hafts, Kayak smashed his two fists together with a resounding clang.
The serpent's nine heads had been watching Kayak.
As if observing to see what he would do, the heads had simply stared — and one of them took Kayak's axe squarely.
And Alec, intending to brace for Berbaria's counterattack, charged in a few paces behind Kayak, while Yona held her distance from them both, watching for whatever might develop.
-CRACK!
The powerfully descending axe could drive no further than the serpent's eye. Blocked by something, the blade sank in for a moment before rebounding with a force far greater than the blow itself, and Kayak, unable to withstand it, was flung backward.
“Gwah!”
Alec, who'd been closing in behind him, caught Kayak even as he rolled across the ground. Seeing no visible wound, Yona held off from rushing in — and the moment she confirmed the serpent head bearing down on Kayak and Alec, she screamed.
“ROLL!”
At her cry, the two threw themselves into rolls in opposite directions without a moment's hesitation. The instant they moved, the spot where they'd stood filled with a vomited spray of violet liquid, and the moment it hit the stone floor, it sizzled and burned, releasing a noxious stench.
“...Wow, what the hell *is* that.”
“What does it look like? Snake venom.”
“Don't block it with your shield, Alec!”
“I know, I know!”
It was an attack that must never be blocked. Alec carved that fact firmly into his skull and studied the enemy's movements again.
The serpent's attack patterns.
One of them was surely that vomiting attack, and with a body that size, it would probably try physical assault too. If it swung that long, long tail, could he block it? No. Then he'd have to deflect it — but how do you deflect something that heavy?
“Don't even think about deflecting it. Just dodge. There's no deflecting that.”
Alec nodded at Yona's words, which seemed to read his mind. Too heavy to parry, too long to slip past. Either way, one of the worst possible opponents for a Guard.
“It's kind of similar to a Lamia, isn't it? Just think of it as a Lamia that's grown way too big. Kayak, what do you think!?”
With Berbaria between them, Kayak and Alec stood on opposite sides. There was no telling which of the two the attack would come for, but someone of Kayak's caliber could evade a single strike and look for a counter. Then Alec could close in during that opening — that was the calculation.
The problem was that this thing was a monster whose very identity was utterly unknowable.
“*We're* chattering? Your tongue-flicking is louder than anything we've got!”
Yona hurled the retort. Better that the serpent look at her than at Alec. If, in that moment, Kayak could land a blow on the back of that head, it would be a fine thing indeed. This was Kayak, after all — a Silver Rank warrior with a name known throughout Evian. Even against a Great Demon, surely a Silver Rank warrior could—
A serpent head turned toward Yona. The moment those vertically slit pupils fixed on her, Yona felt her whole body freeze.
“Yona, well done!”
With Kayak's shout, his head flashed into view on the far side. He had leapt, no doubt of it. His head rose into sight, and above it his axe swung up with a whoosh for another descending strike.
“Good—!”
Before Alec could even begin to move, the serpent's tail moved first. With nine heads covering every angle, perhaps the tail felt free to act — it flicked almost lazily, and then—
“GAAAAAH!”
Kayak's scream tore out as dust blossomed from the altar.
The structure, which had barely retained an altar-like shape at all, collapsed completely under Kayak's impact, reduced to a formless ruin.
“Ngh… ugh.”
Fortunately he seemed unharmed — Yona could see Kayak shaking his head and pushing himself up. And the fresh red blood splattered all over his body revealed its origin the moment he braced a hand against the ground.
Andrei's left arm had burst completely, hanging in shreds. He was already unconscious, but at least Kayak had landed directly on top of him, cushioning the fall.
“Kayak! Are you okay!?”
“...I'm fine!”
Kayak rose, propping himself up on his axe. He answered with plenty of bravado, but things were far from fine.
*
Kayak stood barely upright, gripping an axe haft slick with dripping blood.
Alec's shield was cracked and shattered in several places, split clean through — two more uses at most, and until it was repaired it would hardly serve its purpose.
Yona's holy power was nearly scraped to the bottom as well. Holy power forced out without even the aid of a Holy Shroud was terribly inefficient, and even Yona, who had been praised as exceptional in the channeling of divinity, lacked the stamina and the holy energy both to keep mending the mounting injuries of Kayak, Alec, and James in succession.
Kayak needed healing urgently; Alec was the only one in decent shape.
James wasn't in good condition either.
By contrast, the demon called Berbaria had not taken so much as a speck of damage. Not a single wound. Their weapons hadn't even pierced it.
Berbaria's gaze swept slowly across the hall.
Of the guard detachment, once more than twenty strong, most were already dead. The faithful kept their heads bowed and did not move, and some were crushed to death where they cowered — the aftermath was a grisly sight.
Counting the living, Yona's party included, there might be ten or so left.
“Why… why won't *anyone* come to help!?”
Yona screamed.
A disaster this size, raging in the middle of the city — someone should have come. Anyone.
The army, the guards, even the Adventurer's Guild, if nothing else — why was no one coming?
“...I don't know!”
The man who appeared to be the guard captain answered, his face drained white. Not that he knew the reason any better than she did — but still, with chaos raging this badly, why would no one come?
Berbaria opened its massive jaws.
From that maw, dripping with streams of saliva, something bright red was bubbling and boiling up — and Yona knew, with sudden certainty, that this was the end.
“...Sister!”
“Rubina, stay back!”
Despite Yona's shout, Rubina darted toward her.
“Even if I die, I'll die beside you—!”
What on earth is this child—
And even so, Yona reached out and yanked Rubina into her arms.
She still hadn't accomplished any of the things she wanted to do.
And yet.
To end here — it filled her with grief and rage.
Feeling the warmth of Rubina pressed against her chest, Yona squeezed her eyes shut.
Hoping the end would come quickly. Hoping, if nothing else, for that much.
-FWOOOSH.
But the end never came.
The sound of something tearing through the wind, the whistle of something flying, and then a heavy, percussive crack.
<...The Holy Spear?! You—!>
“You who would defile the majesty of the Heavenly God — truly, you are a demon!”
Yona's eyes flew open. Several human silhouettes stood at the hall's entrance, and the face of the figure sprinting toward them was one Yona knew well.
“...Ludwig!?”
“Introductions can wait!”
Ludwig shouted across to Alec without breaking stride.
“A platform!”
At the words, Alec stripped off his shield and gripped it tight in both hands. Exactly as the word implied — a platform. Dropping to one knee, he laid the shield across his thigh and braced it toward Ludwig, who stomped the shield down hard and hurled himself skyward. And in that same instant, the shield split clean in two.
“Beneath the majesty of the Heavenly God, I shall smite this demon!”
At Ludwig's cry, the spear of light that had been buried somewhere in Berbaria's body flew back into his hand.
It had been a short lance, no longer than a child's height — but the moment it filled Ludwig's grip it lengthened with a low hum, stretching to the size of a grown man, and blazed forth with brilliant light once more.
Berbaria's tail whipped through the air toward Ludwig. Alec's body moved on instinct the moment he saw it — but Yona threw herself at him and seized his ankle.
“You idiot! Where do you think you're going without a shield?!”
“Ah—”
“*Ah*, my ass!”
Alec finally fell back and positioned himself in front of Yona.
From here on, this was not their domain. At the very least, it was no fight for ordinary people like them to intrude upon. Yona knew all too well that barging in to 'help' would only mean getting in the way.
And then a shadow fell over her.
“...Serves you right, you crazy healer.”
“Ugh.”
Yona looked up with a scowl and met Vigrind's eyes. Vigrind gazed down at her for a long moment, contempt written across her face, then turned away.
“We humbly pray for the Heavenly God's protection in this place. Look down with mercy upon these pitiful, powerless creatures.”
In time with Vigrind's resonant prayer, a golden radiance poured forth from her body as she clutched her rosary. The great hemispherical dome of light fixed itself firmly in place, illuminating the surroundings in what could only be called resplendent gold.
That golden light pierced the night sky, pushing back the red clouds, and here on the ground its radiance began to burn away the darkness, forcing back the thick demonic miasma.
...It's even stronger than usual, isn't it?
Even for the Heavenly God Realm Chant, she had never seen light this intense.
She wondered if it was because Vigrind was a Saintess now — but no, she hadn't been formally ordained yet, so the holy power she commanded should be no different.
Barely had that question crossed Yona's mind before Ceres entered the protective barrier, her face rigid.
“Were you the ones who held that demon at bay?”
“Ah — yes, yes… we were.”
The woman looked unmistakably noble at a glance, and Yona rose unsteadily to her feet and bowed her head.
“You've endured much. It seems… there are no casualties among you.”
Wearing a fresh-blood smile that was rather captivating, Yona thought — a somewhat inappropriate observation, given the circumstances — and spoke to the woman.
“...My name is Yona. I have no family name.”
“I am Ceres Olkamain. The details… we shall discuss later.”
The woman who had named herself Ceres turned back and gazed up at the demon in silence.
Berbaria, inwardly, was growing anxious.
Even granting that this was merely an avatar, to be driven back so thoroughly by creatures lower than insects was simply unacceptable.
But this sacred radiance that overwhelmed him — Berbaria — was so utterly pure, so clear, that it crushed the miasma he emitted without pause.
And that wasn't all—
“Die, and be damned!”
The Hero, too, was raining ferocious blows upon Berbaria.
He thrust with his spear, then in a blink wound it around, seeking out the demon's every opening.
With artful feints he bent the weapon's trajectory, slipped inside the guard, and swung the spear brimming with holy power.
True to the reputation of a Gold Rank warrior, he pressed the demon with a ferocity that left Silver Rank far behind.
Fragments of light scattered with every sweep of the spear. Each time they touched the serpent, they sizzled and left wounds behind.
Then Ludwig drove the spear in deep, and the serpent rolled across the ground to evade it.
“W-whoaaa!”
“Eek!”
Yona shrieked and clutched Rubina, and Rubina, startled in turn, cried out as well. The serpent, tumbling across the floor, slammed hard into Vigrind's barrier and then rolled back the other way.
And then — as its gaze lingered on the cluster where Ceres, Vigrind, Yona, and Rubina had gathered — the serpent's eyes fixed for an instant on a single point.
Its eyes nailed to the group, the serpent began inching backward, dragging its long bulk with it.
And then a black shroud began to fall over its nine heads.
Each time the shroud descended, the serpent's form faded a little more.
“You think we'll just let you walk away!”
Ludwig let out a roar of fury and charged, spear couched. But the speed at which the shroud unfurled was agonizingly faster than his advance — the black-tinged veil spread with a soft rustling, and the serpent's form began to vanish within it.
“Bullshit!”
But even grinding his teeth, Ludwig could not charge again. Avatar or not, just as the serpent said, the fight had been far from easy for him. Better, he judged, to let it retreat now.
The serpent's voice grew distant, and with it, its form.
Only after the last trace of it vanished did a proper night sky finally spread overhead.
The moon, and the stars hanging beside it.
“...For now, let us see to the aftermath.”
And then came Ceres's voice.