Chapter 120
Chapter 120
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 120
Chapter Title: The Star That Pierces Truth (5)
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Demons were cunning and sharp-sensed creatures. However, freshly promoted ones often fell into arrogance and made mistakes.
But this greater demon never committed such a blunder until the end.
Grabbing only his black robe, living staff, and minimal baggage, he immediately escaped the cave using teleportation sorcery. Once he reached the forest path, he cast acceleration sorcery and bolted without rest. Rattle, rattle—the mage's head dangling from the end of his spine swung like a puppet doll.
"Gehhek, gehk..."
- Hoo, hoo...
The thought of clashing with that barbarian once had crossed his mind, of course.
No, even now as he fled for his life, that impulse filled the demon's mind. That puny barbarian isn't even a match for you. After finally ascending, is running away all you're good for? His inner urges relentlessly scraped at his pride.
Yet the demon suppressed the impulse and trusted his instincts.
The aura emanating from that barbarian was utterly dangerous. The raw power to shatter a barrier with a single axe was not to be taken lightly. And ominously enough, didn't he look exactly like that berserker from 300 years ago? Even if their connection was unclear, there was no need to take unnecessary risks.
In the end, the demon's choice was correct.
The barbarian was indeed the berserker himself from 300 years ago, who had ravaged the demonic realm. No matter how hard the demon fought with all his might, he would have ended up with his head split by that axe blade.
Moreover, turning a high mage into a staff was an extremely risky act. With the Magic Tower right within reach, if the elders or the Tower Lord caught wind of it, even a demon would be helpless. By fleeing at this point, he had naturally avoided disaster.
Rattle, clatter, rattle—
"Gehhek, gehhek..."
- Hooo...
Once he had put a suitable distance from the cave, the demon caught his breath. At this range, even the swiftest pursuer couldn't catch up easily.
As the impulse subsided and calm returned, his conviction that his choice was right solidified once more. Now he just needed to find a secluded spot, establish a new base, and slowly gather pain and despair. The demon smirked slyly.
However... a correct choice doesn't always lead to the optimal outcome.
The irony of fate was guiding this wise demon toward an unavoidable, catastrophic end.
Rumble, rrrumble...
Suddenly, he sensed it. The resonant hoofbeats echoing across the sky like a sounding board, and a faint flash approaching.
- ...Hm?
In that instant, a jolt like electricity shot through his body, his nerves shuddering violently.
The feeling of a field mouse staring up at a predator, a candle facing crashing waves, an inner alarm blaring madly.
An unprecedented terror from his past life surged over him. Trembling with doubt, the demon hastily looked up for the source. Then, the countless eyes plastered across his face all gleamed with pale reflected light.
And then—nothing.
Kwaaaaang - !!!
A plunging beam of light. A brilliant explosion of radiance. The scene erased.
The ground surged like a wave. Nearby trees charred black and burst into flames, while the demon, struck dead center, vaporized without a speck of dust. The mage's head in his grasp crumbled to powder and scattered into the air.
As if the wrath of a god had manifested in tangible firepower.
Kooohhh...
As the light faded and thick dust settled, a crater-like depression in the earth revealed itself.
A single shining spear was embedded in the center of the pit. It wasn't hard to guess this weapon had triggered the prior blast. A sleek, winged horse of brilliant light landed gracefully beside the spear shaft.
- Hwoong...
And atop it, a knight ablaze with white flames like a cloak dismounted.
"......"
The holy knight retrieved his divine weapon, 'Lucaon's Meteor,' which had wrought such modest destruction, then calmly gazed toward the forest edge.
*
"Hahk, hahk, hahk... J-just a bit, just a little slower, hahk... can't we go slower, my lord?!"
"......"
Despite Duncan’s pleas, Kadim didn’t slow his pace one bit.
The thing had even used minor teleportation sorcery. And a freshly ascended greater demon at that, yet it abandoned combat and fled... This mysterious demon was no ordinary sly fox. He had to catch and kill it before it slipped away.
He burst from the cave in an instant and charged down the forest path. Fortunately, traces of demonic energy lingered on the ground. It had tried to erase them, but couldn’t fool a barbarian’s senses. Kadim pursued the trailing afterscent like an arrow.
"Hahk, hahk, m-my lord! Hahk, my loooord..."
Even as the trailing merchant’s voice faded faintly, he ignored it and kept running.
But just before catching the demonic trail—
Kadim slammed his heel into the ground, braking hard.
"......"
Something... was off.
The continuous demonic trail had been artificially severed. As if the demon had cleanly vaporized ahead. It couldn’t have reused teleportation sorcery. A newly minted greater demon couldn’t chain that many spells.
And an oppressive pressure he couldn’t ignore was closing in.
Not the kind a mere greater demon could exert. Something was there, ahead. A familiar sensation. The moment he vaguely recalled when he’d last felt it...
A profound unease crept over his skin.
A sensation remembered not by the mind, but by torn muscles and twisted bones. An eternity had passed since then, yet it resurfaced as vividly as last night’s nightmare. The more he tried to forget, the more sharply it clawed at his psyche—a trauma.
'Eek, hwik, heeeek...'
The girl mage with her tongue root ripped out, unable to chant.
'Ka, Kadim... Hurry, escape from here...'
The wasteland shaman whose skin burned off like snake sheds.
'Insufficient...! This is insufficient...! Cry out louder...! The Lord of Light savors your agony...!'
And eyes gleaming grotesquely with fanaticism.
Horrific visions burst forth like a dam breaking. But this wasn’t the time. He snapped his mind back to focus. The merchant’s voice, barely caught up, rang in his ears.
"Hahk, hahk, m-my lord... Hahk, what’s wrong? Hahk, is something...?"
"Run, Duncan. As fast and far as you can."
"Pardon? Why all of a—hwehk!"
Kadim roughly grabbed Duncan by the scruff and hurled him away. After tumbling once, Duncan stared blankly but fled in panic at the eerie warrior’s glare, questions be damned.
Now they’d sensed him too. The presence rapidly approached. Bare-handed was suicide. Without hesitation, Kadim gripped his jet-black axe and recited the prayer.
"[God of Struggle and Wilderness, Atala. Look upon your great warrior, raise the torch to lead me to the battlefield, grant me strength against the unclean foes...]"
⟨ Judgment of Atala ⟩
Whoooosh...
A yellowish whirlwind wrapped his shoulders, a surge of power dominating muscle and bone. The great warrior’s eyes, infused with the war god’s aura, blazed calmly like torches. Rage and battle fervor buried his tension in an avalanche.
Soon, the foe arrived.
- Hwoong! Hwoong, hwoong...
A holy knight astride a radiant steed, cloaked in white flames.
A gleaming golden decagram shone over his pristine plate armor. His features were hidden by his helmet’s visor, but his prismatically refracting gaze was clear. In his layered gauntlets, a spear trailed light like a comet’s tail.
Arch Paladin.
No doubt this time. Not some second-rate with good gear but poor skill—this was a true Arch Paladin, like the one from his first playthrough.
The rippling gaze fixed on Kadim. A deep voice emanated from behind the visor.
"Hm, I was worried how to find you without a proper description, but that was needless. To think you’d have such a striking build and presence..."
"......"
"In any case, glad to meet you. I am from the Elga Church—"
Kadim ignored the fear and charged wordlessly.
His axe swing, brimming with killing intent, cleaved at both knight and mount.
- Hiiiing!
The radiant horse had no physical form, but a divinely infused axe could sever even that. The glowing equine body halved, scattering into light particles. The suddenly dismounted knight gasped, eyes widening, but swiftly thrust his spear shaft to parry the follow-up axe.
Sparks of radiance tangled with gusts of yellow dust.
Before the vicious battle axe, the nimble spear seemed like a mere stick. But its power was anything but. Zing—the heavy impact resonated to his bones on clash. Kadim shook off the shock and retreated a few steps.
The knight used the gap to plant his feet and steady his stance. Kadim concentrated divine energy into his arms and charged again. Closing distance in a blink, at three paces he unleashed a diagonal slash.
In that instant, the divinely charged spear shot forth like lightning.
A small explosion erupted from the spear tip piercing the axe blade.
Fierce recoil shoved the axe head back. Kadim’s body followed suit. But just before tumbling, he spotted an opening and lashed a brutal kick under the helmet.
The head snapped fully back, then forward. Seemingly stiff, the knight clutched his jaw and groaned.
"Khm, what in the..."
A solid hit without major damage taken. Yet Kadim’s expression darkened. He knew the knight had deliberately held back the spear’s power.
"......"
Right behind the knight, the ground lay scorched like a bombing site.
Kadim clicked his tongue and spat bitterly.
"That mess back there—was that your spear’s doing?"
"......Indeed. I spotted the demon en route and hurled it hastily. But I confirmed no bystanders nearby..."
"Then why hold back against me? Skimp on power like that, and you’ll die instead."
"That’s... No, wait, put down the axe first and hear me out—"
Kadim had no intention of listening.
He crushed the earth and lunged, unleashing a roaring barrage. He didn’t know the knight’s intentions, but he wouldn’t play along carelessly. He’d learned once in the first playthrough: drop your guard against an Arch Paladin, and pay dearly.
The knight couldn’t continue talking idly and had to defend. Pristine afterimages and yellowish hazes intertwined repeatedly, painting fervent abstractions in the air. Kadim’s pressure was so fierce the knight couldn’t hold out. At last, he infused more divine energy into the spear tip, amplifying the explosions.
That alone reversed the tide dramatically.
Blossoms of annihilation bloomed; the axe’s path wavered.
Kadim’s lips tightened. As expected, the Arch Paladin had been holding back. Even the enhanced blasts didn’t reshape the terrain, confirming he still hadn’t gone all out.
If the knight suddenly unleashed full power mid-clash, it’d be disastrous. He’d be caught in an explosion before reacting, suffering fatal damage.
‘Judgment of Atala’ alone wasn’t enough. To crush an Arch Paladin, he needed another buff. Hydra or bark-demon tattoos wouldn’t cut it; he had to draw on first-playthrough power levels...
But as Kadim moved to activate Pebylatus’s tattoo—
The knight abruptly acted unpredictably.
"I surrender. This pointless commotion seems enough."
The Arch Paladin set down his spear shaft and tossed off his helmet.
He even extinguished the divine flames cloaking his body. With the glow gone, his features emerged: sweat-matted gray hair and mustache, scars and wrinkles etched across a middle-aged face.
A heavy silence like storm clouds descended. Kadim couldn’t fathom the nonsense. He clamped his mouth shut, eyes glaring like a beast’s.
As the standoff dragged, the knight raised both hands and reiterated.
"No trap. No support troops to aid me anywhere nearby. Lower your weapon too. I didn’t come to fight you."
Naturally, Kadim wouldn’t comply so easily.
He yanked a throwing axe from his belt and hurled it like thunder.
The blade buried dead center in the wrinkled forehead. The dark axe handle quivered like a reed; a single rivulet of blood trickled down his nose.
Yet the knight calmly yanked out the blade with a wet pop and muttered.
"Mm, that stings..."
"......"
"Don’t do that next time. My face is scarred enough as is—my young pupils burst into tears every time they see it."
"......Ha."
Kadim let out an incredulous scoff.