Chapter 356: His Revenge (4)
Chapter 356: His Revenge (4)
Catherina and Persona had defeated Jonsa.
In terms of raw power, this was a perfectly plausible outcome.
Patrick had entrusted that position to Persona because he believed in the strength he had personally trained. Furthermore, he had left Catherina behind, who had awakened the mythic-grade technique known as Spirit Transformation.
The deceased Jonsa would have been deeply aggrieved to know this, but Patrick hadn't even considered the possibility of those two losing to a paltry dark mage.
However, the situation on the second floor was far from good.
"Huff... huff..."
Her shoulders heaved with ragged, uncontrollable breaths.
Her entire body was covered in cuts, and the blood flowing from them had already begun to soak the floor.
April Schneider.
As the woman who had effectively led the Schneider Duchy in Patrick’s absence and carved her name into the continent's history, this might have been the first time she had been so thoroughly beaten.
Yet, the fighting spirit dwelling in her eyes had not faded in the slightest.
"Impressive."
"Even in our era, there were no female masters of this caliber."
"I am almost tempted to take her as a disciple."
The Elders of the Demonic Cult were genuinely impressed.
Since the battle began, the tide of war had flowed unilaterally.
First, Riman Sierra had been struck by a single blow and sent flying into a wall. That one hit had rendered him combat-ineffective.
Next to fall was Tutan, the brave Orc warrior.
Tutan had fought valiantly, swinging the pitch-black Stone Blade unique to the Orcs, but...
"Hahaha! You have good endurance. Very good!"
"Woooooargh!"
The 3rd Elder of the Demonic Cult, the Blood Sea Killing Demon.
He toyed with Tutan, dodging his swings and landing consecutive strikes. Tutan tried his best to endure using the natural resilience of the Orc race, but he eventually reached his limit and collapsed.
Elione summoned high-level spirits and did her best to keep the enemy at bay with her specialty, the bow, but even she was neutralized the moment a strike from the Mind-Reading Ghost Demon landed.
Kenoyer Grass, the Guardian of the Tower of Truth, managed to hold out for quite a while.
By using the secret art of his Soul Weapon, he was able to move with the speed of lightning. In terms of pure speed, he was a formidable opponent even for the Elders of the Demonic Cult. However...
"Ho-ho. To think you would try to compete in movement techniques before this old man..."
Eumpung Sinma.
As the 6th Elder of the Demonic Cult, he was the man who had proven himself the greatest master of movement techniques in the cult's current generation.
His movements were so swift and stealthy that even Kenoyer, moving at lightning speed, struggled just to react. Eventually...
"Gah!"
Struck by a powerful penetrating force that felt as if it were severing his internal organs, he collapsed on the spot.
As a result...
"Now, only you are left."
"Ho-ho. This young child is quite something."
"She seems to possess the Heavenly Martial Body."
April was the only one currently standing on the second floor.
It was, quite literally, the worst possible situation.
Even so, she remained calm and composed.
Don't get agitated. No one is dead yet.
It likely wasn't a coincidence.
For reasons unknown, the enemies were keeping her allies alive even though they were more than capable of killing them. In other words, their objective was capture.
If she exploited that fact, there was still a chance for victory.
"It seems you haven't abandoned your futile hopes."
A voice drifted into her ear.
It came from directly behind her.
Before the thought of danger could even register, her body reacted.
She lunged forward, twisting her waist as if it might snap, and swung her sword toward the faint presence behind her.
A flash of light, sharper and thinner than a thread, sliced the space into dozens of pieces. However...
"Ho-ho. Excellent. Truly excellent."
The opponent effortlessly evaded April's attack.
April gritted her teeth and tried to charge again, but she wasn't given the chance.
"Hahaha! Play with me as well!"
A burly old man with a flowing red beard rushed in, fists clenched, and launched a savage assault on April.
Asura Demonic Fist.
Asura’s Chaotic Dance.
The fists, wrapped in dark red Aura, seemed to strike out in a chaotic, disorderly fashion, but the power behind them was immense. After all, even Tutan, the sturdiest of her companions, hadn't been able to withstand them.
Twin Dragons Eight Sword Styles.
Fifth Form.
Dragon Scale Whirlwind.
April did not take the attack lightly and chose the most perfect defensive form she could muster. A vortex of Aura enveloped her body, deflecting the enemy's strikes. However...
"Ho-ho, how naive."
"Shall we end this now?"
As the vortex of the Dragon Scale Whirlwind dissipated, the Elders of the Demonic Cult skillfully targeted April while she was still suspended in the air.
They knew from experience that defensive forms of this nature always left an opening after they were executed. However...
Got you.
April was, after all, April.
As if she had been waiting for the Elders to target her, she unleashed her hidden trump card.
Unlimited Overflow.
A monstrous Aura Blade erupted from her sword, its power momentarily causing even the Elders of the Demonic Cult to flinch.
April did not miss that opening and delivered a decisive strike.
Twin Dragons Eight Sword Styles.
Second Style.
Great Dragon Cross Sword.
A massive cross-shaped slash swept toward the Elders who had leaped to attack her.
I've got them.
It was a truly masterful stroke.
April judged that this attack could finish off at least three of them. Although the aftermath of deploying Overflow would take a toll on her body, it was an unavoidable sacrifice against opponents of this caliber. But then...
"Move aside."
The 1st Elder of the Demonic Cult, the Heaven-Slaying Sword Demon, who had been watching silently from behind, drew his sword. And then...
Heaven-Breaking Divine Art.
Sky-Splitting Flash.
The moment he swung his sword, a single line of Aura flew out and collided head-on with April's attack.
BOOM!
A terrifying explosion erupted, accompanied by an impact that shook the entire space.
April landed on the ground and glared at her opponent, her brow furrowed.
He blocked that?
It had been an attack with everything she had. And yet, it had been stopped.
"You saved us, Heaven-Slaying."
"Hmm, what a formidable child."
"Ho-ho, it's been a long time since I've felt such a chill."
"Gwahahaha! Isn't she a wonderful child? Let's play a bit more!"
Just as the Blood Sea Killing Demon clenched his fists to rush at April again...
"That's enough."
The Heaven-Slaying Sword Demon stepped forward and restrained him.
"What do you mean?"
The Heaven-Slaying Sword Demon replied.
"It seems the battle on the floor below has been decided. The traitor appears to have died a miserable death."
"Sigh... lucky bastard. I wanted to tear him into a thousand pieces myself."
"And it seems He has begun to move on the floor above as well."
"..."
"There is no longer anything for us to do. Tangling with that child here would be a waste of time."
"Ugh, my blood was finally starting to boil..."
The Blood Sea Killing Demon looked deeply disappointed.
The other Elders shared similar expressions, yet they all suppressed their fighting spirit. They would not defy the authority of the 1st Elder. However...
"Who said you could just end this?"
April's fighting spirit had not yet flickered out.
Her only thought was to somehow defeat the enemies before her and help her beloved Patrick. No matter how disadvantageous the situation, the word 'surrender' did not exist in her vocabulary when Patrick was involved.
The 1st Elder spoke to her.
"Child. Stop now."
"Are you afraid?"
"Of course I am afraid."
"...?"
It was an unexpected answer.
As April looked on in confusion, the 1st Elder continued.
"If we continue any further..."
A cold chill settled on the 1st Elder's face as he spoke.
"I am not confident that I can keep from killing you."
"..."
April bit her lower lip hard.
She knew better than anyone that his words were no empty boast.
The 1st Elder stroked his beard and continued.
"Failing to carry out His command is a fate more terrifying than death to us."
"..."
What should she do?
How should she handle this?
It might be cowardly, but if the enemy intended to keep her alive, she could use that to her advantage and—
"Let's stop here."
It was then.
Riman Sierra, who had managed to force himself upright at some unknown point, spoke. He was bleeding from the mouth as he addressed her.
"Riman... are you alright?"
"I can manage. More importantly..."
Riman let out a regretful sigh.
Though he had been the first to fall, he had remained conscious. In truth, he could have stood up sooner.
But he hadn't.
He knew that with his current strength, he would only be a burden to his allies, so he had been waiting for an opportunity while lying down. However...
Even that was impossible.
The moment he even thought about gathering his primordial mana, a blade-like, chilling killing intent had shredded his resolve—as if warning him not to try anything foolish.
The difference in power was insurmountable from the start.
The only saving grace was that the battle here was not one that would be decided by mere victory or defeat.
"We must preserve our strength for now."
"But..."
"Being stubborn won't help Patrick."
"..."
"We have to stay alive to be of any help."
Those words caused April to lower her sword.
As she did, the 2nd Elder of the Demonic Cult, the Yin Yang Demon Lord, spoke with a laugh.
"I'm glad you understand. Now, quietly—"
"We have no intention of being restrained by you."
Riman cut off the Yin Yang Demon Lord.
The Elder's brow furrowed. His features, which made it impossible to tell if he was a man or a woman, looked grotesque when he scowled.
But Riman did not buckle under the pressure. He calmly pushed up his glasses and spoke.
"I will explain this to you in a way that is logical and easy to understand."
"...Logic?"
"Premise one: You were ordered to suppress us without killing us."
"..."
"Is that not correct?"
"It is. But what does that have to do with—"
"Listen until the end. Premise two: If we resist to the death, you will be unable to fulfill that command. This is a fact that the 1st Elder over there has already admitted. Is it not?"
"..."
What is this? I feel like I'm being led into something.
As the Elders remained silent, Riman Sierra adjusted his glasses once more for effect.
"Conclusion: In order for you to carry out your orders smoothly, you need our cooperation. In exchange for that cooperation, we refuse to have our freedom of movement restricted."
"What kind of bullshit is that?! You little brat!"
The Yin Yang Demon Lord roared, his anger exploding.
But Riman Sierra...
"It is merely a conclusion logically derived from correct premises."
He did not back down.
His attitude was so confident that the Elders listening to the explanation began to wonder, Is he right?
Seeing their expressions, Riman continued.
"I should tell you in advance, we still have a few trump cards left. Isn't that right?"
At his words, others began to stagger to their feet behind him.
"That's right. If I'm going to throw my life away anyway, I have a hidden move of my own."
It was Kenoyer, the Guardian of the Tower of Truth.
In truth, he had no such trump card. However...
I don't know whose junior he is, but he's damn smart.
He had enough wit to play along with his clever junior's bluff.
And then, a green giant stood up a short distance away.
"I can still fight too. I feel better after lying down and resting for a bit."
Tutan, who had been collapsed, also rose. He actually looked quite fine.
The Blood Sea Killing Demon, who had personally neutralized Tutan, clicked his tongue and muttered, "Is he even human?"
And the final blow...
"What's going on? Why is the atmosphere like this?"
"We're joining in now."
It was Catherina and Persona, who had finished off the dark mages on the first floor and come upstairs.
Though they had consumed a fair amount of strength, they were ready to fight if necessary.
The Yin Yang Demon Lord's face darkened at the sight.
At this rate, we really won't be able to carry out the Lord's command...
While he was agonizing over the decision, the Heaven-Slaying Sword Demon spoke first.
"Fine. We shall accept your terms."
"1st Elder?"
"That brat's words are incredibly grating, but..."
Meeting the Heaven-Slaying Sword Demon's gaze, Riman pushed up his glasses and smiled triumphantly.
The Elder let out a deep sigh and continued.
"Regrettably, he is right."
"Ugh... are you really okay with this?"
"How could I be okay with it? My dignity is in tatters after being toyed with by these brats."
"Then—"
"However!"
The Heaven-Slaying Sword Demon cut him off firmly.
"Is our pride worth more than our Lord's command? Is it even worth weighing the two?"
At those words, the other Elders fell silent.
The Heaven-Slaying Sword Demon was right. The two could not even be compared. Even thinking about it was an act of irreverence.
Having persuaded the Elders, the Heaven-Slaying Sword Demon spoke to April.
"We shall call it a temporary truce."
"...Understood."
April had no choice but to accept.