Chapter 219: Reinvasion (16)
Chapter 219: Reinvasion (16)
A faint sense of dread wasn't enough to break the crowd.
As long as they stood together, they could draw courage from one another and resist the fear. However, once individuals appeared who could no longer withstand that terror, it began to spread as rapidly as a plague.
When Catric died moments ago, their momentum had already faltered, causing some to hesitate and shrink back.
The Knight had accurately pierced and killed the invisible Mallos with a spear, and now two of the three demons they had relied upon were dead. Moreover, they had fallen without putting up much of a fight or inflicting any real damage.
The Dark Blast, which possessed seemingly immense destructive power, had been aimed at Sitri, yet the Knight had intercepted it effortlessly.
"Why doesn't that bastard ever get tired...?"
"Does this even make sense?"
The Demonic Humans had watched the Knight from the very first rock wall. They had seen his silver aura burning like a constant flame.
He was a knight who slaughtered them without getting injured or showing a hint of exhaustion. To the Demonic Humans, he was a monster who could easily punch holes in massive rock walls with a single swing of his warhammer and butcher their comrades like it was nothing.
Their hope withered as it became clear that Mallos, Catric, and Ereon—the ones they expected to stop that monstrous knight—were failing.
Ereon, the last remaining demon, fell into a panic now that even Mallos had been taken down. More than anything, the fact that the Dark Blast he had just unleashed had been completely ineffective was a massive psychological blow.
Compared to their original demonic forms, the bodies of the Demonic Humans that Catric and Mallos inhabited were weak. No matter how much help they received from Mammon’s demons, that fundamental difference remained.
However, while Ereon’s physical vessel might be fragile, he was a master of magic. With the backup of the Black Spire, he should have been in an advantageous position.
What he felt now was humiliation and frustration.
As a demon with immense pride, Ereon couldn't help but feel this way after his full-power spell failed to leave a single scratch. This humiliation soon evolved into a towering rage, and Ereon cast Dark Blast once more.
He drew upon his demonic energy again, and a localized gale gathered before his hands.
Kiiiing!
A magic circle formed once more, and an energy of black light coalesced before hurtling toward the Knight.
Boom!
"Aaaargh!!"
"Gwaaaah!"
Han Shin had already defended against one Dark Blast aimed at Sitri. The probability of him being hit by a second one was low.
And that reality played out.
Han Shin shifted his body and dodged it with ease. Instead, the Demonic Humans surrounding him took the full brunt of the Dark Blast.
From those engulfed in black flames and rolling on the ground to those whose arms were half-melted, and those trying to drag them away—the Demonic Humans were thrown into total chaos by the damage they had sustained.
Zzzzzzt!!
Bang! Boom! Bam!!
From Ereon's perspective, Han Shin was moving to the right, so he tracked the movement with his hands. Consequently, the Dark Blast tore through the air like a line being drawn, exploding repeatedly as it chased Han Shin.
Naturally, the Demonic Humans in that path were caught in the crossfire. They were swept up in the explosions and melted by the high temperatures, unable to even scream before their bodies were vaporized.
Ereon was pushing his demonic energy to the absolute limit, heedless of whether his vessel shattered. Because he was forcing an excessive amount of demonic energy through the Demonic Human's body, his mana circuits began to break down.
Ereon felt a burning agony, and the black demonic energy that had previously only swirled around his right arm and eyes now traced black lines across his entire body like a network of tattoos following his mana circuits.
"Die!!"
Driven mad with rage, Ereon didn't care if the Demonic Humans died or not; he only targeted the silver knight.
To a demon, human-based Demonic Humans were nothing more than expendables. Since things had come to this and he viewed them as useless vermin, Ereon didn't care if they were swept away and killed by his own hands.
Ironically, the one who saved these Demonic Humans was the very man who had been killing them.
Slash!
With a sharp cutting sound, Ereon’s neck was severed. His head fell to the ground, eyes still wide with fury.
It was Grace who had killed him.
Just as Han Shin had moved, Grace had also moved to assist Sitri. She was further away than Han Shin and, because he was so fast, she was naturally slower to arrive.
After seeing Han Shin protect Sitri and immediately kill Mallos, she had targeted Ereon, who was using a highly dangerous form of dark magic.
Shield and sword in hand, Grace had charged through the Demonic Humans. Their morale was already shattered, making it easy to break through, and some even scrambled out of her way.
Thanks to that, Ereon—who was entirely focused on killing Han Shin in his rage—failed to notice her. He was blindsided by Grace as she circled around to his flank.
It was only because Han Shin was currently in his Juggernaut state—making him incredibly fast and powerful—that Grace seemed slow by comparison; she was by no means a slow combatant.
Having taken Ereon’s head with a clean, concise strike, Grace watched the headless corpse intently.
The body remained standing even as blood geysered from the neck. This was the lingering effect of the residual demonic energy. Grace, feeling a fundamental sense of revulsion toward the body, searched for the Ego Artifact.
From watching the battle and hearing the Soul's Death Cries, she knew these Demonic Humans possessed Ego Artifacts. To ensure he was truly finished, she looked for the artifact Ereon inhabited...
But there was no need.
In his spiteful state, Ereon could still manipulate demonic energy even as an Ego Artifact.
[Let's die together!!]
He knew he was doomed. To find even a shred of comfort for his wounded pride, he decided to take Grace down with him.
Kiiiiiiiing!!
Just like when he had cast Dark Blast, the wind began to howl toward Ereon as demonic energy gathered, emitting a piercing screech.
The difference this time was that the energy wasn't centering on his right arm, but his abdomen. The black lines stretching across his body began to glow with an even more intense light.
Realizing that Ereon was attempting a self-destruct to take her with him, Grace immediately threw herself backward.
BOOOOOM!!
The largest explosion yet erupted.
Black flames and clouds expanded with the blast, scorching and charring everything in sight. Grace had tried to escape, but she was too close...
In the end, she was caught in the blast.
"Grace!!"
It was the first time the Demonic Humans had heard the Knight's voice.
Until now, the knight in silver armor had slaughtered them without a single word. This was the first time they had heard him shout so loudly.
Han Shin didn't have the luxury to care about their reactions. He had been tracking every detail of the battlefield and had watched Grace take down Ereon. He had begun to relax, thinking the worst was over and all that remained was to destroy the Black Spire.
But then he had seen Ereon, the Ego Artifact, scream in spiteful rage and self-destruct. Before he could do anything, the explosion went off, and he saw Grace engulfed in it.
His body was already moving toward her, but...
He was a step too late.
Grace hadn't been able to fully escape the thirty-meter radius of the explosion. Fortunately, she had been near the outer edge when it detonated, and the force of the blast sent her tumbling away.
Han Shin sprinted toward her. Worried that the Demonic Humans might try to harm her further, he cut down every single one in his path.
By the time Han Shin reached Grace, having carved a path paved with blood, her silver full body armor was charred black, and dark smoke was rising from it.
It appeared she had taken the brunt of the blast on her shield as she was blown back.
A terrifying heat radiated from her, but Han Shin didn't care.
"Aaagh! My arm!"
"Gwaaaah!!"
Sitri arrived immediately after, swinging her whip sword to clear out the surrounding Demonic Humans and secure the area.
Her expression behind her visor was grim. Everyone who fights on a battlefield knows they might get hurt, but while it was one thing for oneself to be in danger, it never felt good to see a comrade go down.
Seeing that Sitri was providing cover and clearing the perimeter, Han Shin immediately began checking Grace’s condition.