Chapter 293
Chapter 293
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 293
Chapter Title: Sita (2)
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The hand that had pierced through Iota's body was abruptly pulled out.
Iota clutched his abdominal wound with his palm. Even so, dark red blood gushed out between his fingers in spurts.
—Sita... What in the world are you doing...?
Iota asked with an incredulous expression. At that, Sita's face twisted viciously.
“You're the one who barged into my fight! Do you know how long I've waited for this moment? You ruined everything!”
The beauty that had been so flawless it was repulsive vanished in an instant.
Sita's face now was a ghastly one straight out of a nightmare.
—Sita! I saved you! So why are you angry at me? The one you should be furious with is Demian Haksen, not me!
Iota's eyes flushed red with rage. But Sita didn't even pretend to hear his protests.
“Who asked you to save me? I don't want to hear it anymore—get out! Or I'll kill you first!”
—Sita! You and I are brothers who shared a soul! How can you say something like that to me!
As the emotions of the two undead intensified, the black mana and killing intent they emitted grew denser.
“Ugh, uwaaak! The demon kings are clashing!”
“W-We have to run! We'll get caught in it and die!”
The black mages and dark knights inside the fortress panicked and tried to flee.
It was then.
An immense energy erupted not from the two undead, but from somewhere else.
The suddenly appearing energy blew away all the killing intent and black mana from the two undead.
Sita and Iota whipped their heads around in shock. There stood Demian, radiating the overwhelming aura.
“You dare take your eyes off me? You vermin have completely lost your minds.”
It had been a long time since he'd felt this irritated. Demian didn't hide his displeasure.
The killing intent pouring from Demian grew ever stronger. Nearby black mages and dark knights foamed at the mouth and fainted.
Iota glared at Demian, furrowing his brow deeply.
—Demian Haksen, I was hoping to run into you again anyway. The spot where you hit me kept throbbing—I thought I was going to die.
Iota drew upon the dragon's mana. Muscles swelled over his emaciated body.
—To think my chance for revenge would come this soon! I'll smash you dead right now!
Iota lunged at Demian.
But in that instant, something struck him, sending him flying backward.
He crashed into the ground at a speed that shattered the surrounding air.
—Kuhk!
The impact must have been severe, as Iota vomited blood.
“I told you not to interfere, Iota.”
Sita said with a cold face.
Behind her back swayed a massive tail large enough to envelop the fortress.
That tail had been the thing that struck Iota just moments ago.
—Sita! Are you really insane? Or do you actually intend to fight me?
“It's not impossible. But not now. I have something more urgent, so shut your mouth.”
Sita turned to Demian. Then she dropped to one knee.
—Sita! What are you doing! Kneeling to a human who's not even Mother!
Iota was aghast, but Sita didn't respond.
“Demian Haksen, I'm sorry. But please understand this: I truly intended to die by your hand.”
“Good. Then offer your neck right now.”
“That was my plan originally. But the interference ruined everything. Ending it like this isn't what I want.”
“What, did you change your mind in the meantime? No loyalty.”
At Demian's mockery, Sita quietly bit her lip.
Sita raised her head and stared at Demian. They were not the eyes of one accepting death.
“We'll settle our fates later.”
“Who says? I have no intention of letting either of you go.”
“Demian Haksen, I understand that your skills are formidable.”
Sita lowered her gaze slightly and added,
“But if we two bring out our 'true bodies,' you'll be the one in trouble. So I hope you'll withdraw for now...”
“Hahahat.”
Suddenly, Demian burst into laughter.
Demian's laughter cut off Sita's words. She looked at him as if asking why.
Then the laughter stopped abruptly. Demian glared at her with blazing eyes.
“So you were looking down on me after all.”
“That wasn't my intention...”
“What wasn't? Aren't you saying that if you bring out your true body, you could easily kill someone like me?”
To think he'd receive pity from such crude imitations.
He never imagined he'd hear such a boring joke in his life.
“So you intended to obediently die to me, someone you could kill with your true body? I didn't know you had such noble intentions.”
“No. I never thought...”
Suddenly, Demian swung Dawn. A flash streaked, and a slash sliced off Sita's ear.
Her ear split slightly, blood trickling out. Sita looked at her ear in surprise.
She hadn't seen it.
Neither Demian's sword swing nor the incoming slash—she hadn't seen any of it.
What if that slash had targeted her neck just now? Or her eyes?
“To think there's still someone in this world who looks down on me.”
Demian's lips twisted. A chilling killing intent poured from his body.
The moment they were exposed to it, Sita and Iota involuntarily assumed combat stances.
Their bodies moved by instinct rather than reason.
“I'll behead you two right now and correct that misconception.”
It was the moment Demian was about to charge at the two undead.
Suddenly, a roar erupted from the pit in the center of the fortress.
At the same time, black energy gushed from the pit. It was like a massive waterfall flowing backward.
Demian turned to the pit with a startled face. Sita and Iota did the same.
“...Impossible. The magic circle is backflowing? Mother's magic circle was supposed to be perfect?”
Sita muttered in disbelief. Hearing that, Demian frowned.
He was about to demand what she meant.
“Kuhk...!”
“Aaak...!”
Screams burst from behind.
The elves Demian had brought were clutching their throats in agony.
The black mages and dark knights were fine, but only the elves suffered.
“B-Breath... I can't breathe...!”
“The spirits... the spirits are leaving...!”
The elves collapsed to the ground, screaming.
Seeing them, Demian couldn't help but hesitate.
If he fought Sita and Iota now, the elves would die. But saving the elves meant letting Sita and Iota escape.
Sita quickly read Demian's hesitation.
“Iota, open the door.”
—Sita! Why run away! With our hands, we can...!
Sita aimed her longsword at Iota's neck and repeated.
“Open it.”
Iota immediately shut his mouth. And as Sita commanded, he opened the dimensional gate.
Even seeing the dimensional gate, Demian couldn't charge at them. Because of the elves.
“Demian Haksen, we'll take our leave.”
Before the dimensional gate closed, Sita said to Demian.
“I look forward to our next meeting.”
With those words, the dimensional gate shut. Demian sighed and rushed to the elves.
“Everyone, just hold on a little longer!”
To save the elves, he needed to block the energy spewing from the pit.
Demian jumped into the pit. It was dug so deep that even after falling for a while, he couldn't see the bottom.
The deeper he went, the stronger the energy became. Finally, Demian landed on the bottom.
Upon reaching the floor, Demian looked around. The light was dim, but it was no issue.
A Swordmaster's advanced senses could pierce the darkness.
“Magic circle?”
A large magic circle was drawn on the floor. It wasn't an ordinary one. It was etched with lines poured with molten metal for finishing.
Around the magic circle's perimeter stood several large glass tubes. Unfortunately, they were empty, so their contents were unknown.
“That is...”
Demian looked at the center of the magic circle. There was a massive root.
It had burst through the wall and burrowed into the floor. The magic circle was centered around that spot.
Demian immediately recognized the root.
It was the root of the World Tree growing in the center of Elfheim.
“What were you planning to do to the World Tree's root?”
Demian observed the magic circle more closely. Thanks to that, he figured out its purpose.
“...You were trying to inject something into the root.”
What exactly were they trying to inject? And why into the World Tree's root of all things?
Questions arose one after another, but there was no time to ponder.
Even now, malevolent energy was pouring from the magic circle.
To save the elves, he needed to stop this energy first.
“I'll destroy the magic circle.”
Demian raised Dawn high. At that moment, the back of his hand glowed.
“Hm?”
All the energy from the magic circle was sucked into the pattern on the back of his hand.
The more energy he absorbed, the stronger the ancient god's authority felt.
There was only one kind of energy that could empower the ancient god's authority.
“...Demonic power? Where did they get this much demonic power?”
Unless it was from hell, gathering this much on the surface was nearly impossible.
“Dorgo, what the hell are you scheming?”
It was when Demian muttered with a hardened face. A new pattern on the back of his hand began to glow.
Thanks to fully absorbing the demonic power, a new authority had awakened.
Pride.
The authority over space.