Chapter 217: Reinvasion (14)
Chapter 217: Reinvasion (14)
Mallos and Ereon stood frozen, unable to process the sight of Catric falling before they could even move to support him.
What had just unfolded was something they hadn't imagined in their wildest dreams.
In truth, they had intended to watch and follow up if Catric’s brute-force assault managed to kill the enemy or at least force her into a defensive position. It was only because Catric had been so thoroughly overwhelmed by Sitri that things had turned out this way.
With a single, fluid motion of her whip sword, she had decapitated Catric and shattered his artifact, ending him instantly.
The soul's death cry Catric unleashed was more than enough to fill them with unease.
However, there were others feeling far more anxious than the two of them.
The demonic humans were faltering, stepping back in hesitation.
To the demonic humans, the three demons—including Catric—had exuded an overwhelming presence that naturally commanded respect as true powerhouses.
And indeed, they were powerful demons.
Count-level demons were strong enough to stand on equal footing with the highest-ranking Awakeners on Earth. Furthermore, they were currently receiving backup from the Black Spire.
Yet, Catric had been decapitated by Sitri’s bizarre attack without even managing a proper swing of his blade.
They were already being one-sidedly suppressed by Han Shin and Grace. Seeing someone they expected to avenge them die so pathetically caused their fighting spirit to evaporate.
Mallos and Ereon read the atmosphere among the demonic humans and realized they couldn't even use them as meat shields to buy more time. Even if they issued an order to attack now, it was unlikely anyone would obey.
Damn it… what the hell is that woman?
They were still bewildered.
The deceased Catric and the still-living Mallos and Ereon were roughly equal in skill. For one of them to kill Catric in a single blow was, of course, impossible for the other two.
Naturally, the thought that they could end up just like Catric crossed their minds…
Doubt began to bloom within them once more.
The way she handled the whip sword when she killed Catric just now…
"No matter how I look at it, it’s Sitri."
Mallos, standing right next to Ereon, heard his low mutter and nodded.
"It seems impossible because she’s using holy power… but I’m starting to think so, too."
Their thoughts weren't much different from Catric’s.
The only difference was that because Catric had died instantly, they had discarded the idea that it was "impossible" and opened themselves up to every potential reality.
Catric himself had only fully realized the truth in the moments before his death while facing Sitri directly.
"That bitch… how did this happen?"
It was beyond absurd that the woman they thought had died trapped in a rift of the dimensional barrier was perfectly alive—and using holy power, no less.
"No one will believe us if we just tell them."
"You're right."
They judged that telling other demons without any evidence would only get them treated as if they had lost their minds, and they weren't wrong.
But more pressing than that concern was the fact that they had to kill Sitri.
"We have to end this quickly."
"The biggest problem is that she knows us too well."
As Mallos spoke to Ereon, his body began to fade.
Starting from his head, he began to vanish as if melting into his surroundings, yet strangely, his voice continued to carry without interruption.
Mallos was currently inhabiting a body that stood in stark contrast to Catric’s headless corpse lying at Sitri’s feet. While Catric’s body had been unusually muscular, Mallos occupied a slender, agile frame with long limbs.
This physical trait was similar to Mallos’s original form as a demon under Asmodeus. In this state, he utilized dual swords.
In gaming terms, Mallos’s combat style was that of an assassin.
The dark magic primarily used by Asmodeus’s demons often involved beguiling and charming opponents. Among those, Mallos specialized in illusion-type magic, using dark mana to conceal his physical form.
His specialty was moving while hiding his presence to deliver a fatal surprise attack.
This time was no different.
On a battlefield crowded with so many people, it was incredibly difficult for an enemy to notice someone who had turned invisible and erased their presence.
Because of this, Mallos preferred to roam the battlefield during invasions of other worlds, assassinating mid-level commanders to collapse the chain of command.
He lowered his posture slightly and moved across the ground silently and swiftly.
His target was the female knight in silver armor who had just killed Catric. It was Sitri.
I won't let what happened to Catric happen to me.
To Mallos, Catric served as a cautionary tale.
Catric had been simple and ignorant, using his preferred, familiar attacks against Sitri, only to have them perfectly read and countered, leading to a helpless death.
Thus, Mallos approached with extreme caution. He knew that a careless approach would surely lead to the same fate.
She must have realized I'm here.
Since Catric had already fallen, he approached assuming the worst-case scenario. For an assassin like Mallos, the enemy knowing of his existence was a massive penalty.
I’ve had my eyes on you for a very long time, too.
Since his specialty was fighting like an assassin, Mallos had always harbored thoughts of assassinating Sitri. He had observed her meticulously.
While fighting alongside her, he noted how she attacked, where her weaknesses were, what her habits were…
He had simulated it in his mind thousands of times until he was confident he could kill her. Even then, he had refrained, believing his faction was too weak to properly seize control of Asmodeus’s demons even if she were gone.
While concealed, Mallos used dark magic to create a clone of himself.
The clone, infused with dark mana, felt remarkably real. Normally, this was a spell one wouldn't bother using while invisible. Since he couldn't be seen anyway, it didn't fit the definition of an "illusion."
However, he knew everyone would be trying to sense his presence while he was hidden. This was a trap.
Receiving backup from the Black Spire, he poured his full strength into creating the clone and commanded it to attack Sitri from behind.
Lust for blood…!
Sitri sensed someone hidden very discreetly aiming for her.
Mallos is here too.
She recognized him instantly. Since Catric was present, she had remained open to the possibility that any of Asmodeus’s demons could be here.
Sitri swung her whip sword behind her.
The whip sword, extended into its long, lash-like form, instantly sliced through Mallos’s hidden clone.
Since the clone was essentially a mass of energy made of dark mana, it vanished immediately upon contact with Sitri’s attack, which was infused with Tiamat’s holy power.
Believing a tiny opening had been created, Mallos lunged from Sitri’s flank, striking at her with dual swords coated in deadly poison.
I only need one hit to land.
It was a potent poison he had prepared in secret for a long time. Mallos hadn't expected today to be the day he would finally use it.
Clang-clang-clang-clatter!!
"....!!"
But Mallos soon felt his hair stand on end.
Before he knew it, Sitri had stopped using the whip sword in its extended form and retracted it back into a standard blade.
A series of metallic sounds, like machinery winding up, echoed—a short, low sound that struck Mallos as incredibly ominous.
Sitri’s whip sword was now in the form of a broad-bladed sword.
The way Sitri looked directly at him and swung her sword to respond rendered Mallos’s carefully prepared surprise attack utterly useless.
Clang! Clang!
Sitri parried the dual swords in rapid succession.
"Urgh!"
Mallos couldn't help but let out a groan.
Both of his wrists felt stung. For some reason, even though they had only clashed blades once, the demonic human body Mallos was inhabiting was already screaming in pain.
The difference in basic physical specs is too great.
As soon as his surprise attack was deflected, Mallos threw himself backward to retreat.
He knew from that first collision that he had no chance of winning.
Sitri’s physical capabilities were actually superior now compared to when she was one of Asmodeus’s demons.
Mallos, on the other hand, was not in his original demonic body; he had crossed over to Earth as an ego artifact and was currently possessing a demonic human.
He was receiving backup from the Black Spire and had strengthened the body by drastically shortening its lifespan, but there were obvious limits.
Since the vessel itself was weak and small, it didn't matter how much water he tried to pour into it—it could only hold so much.