Chapter 72
Chapter 72
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 72
Chapter Title: Chapter 26: Hatching (4)
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A red wave swept through the forest.
Jamie soared into the air, deploying several defensive spells in rapid succession.
The moment they touched the demonic energy, any kind of defensive magic rotted and crumbled away. There was a difference in power, of course, but it was the corrosive force infused in Rueta's demonic energy.
'Vicious stuff.'
The ability to release it in such massive quantities was truly befitting of a master class.
The problem was that he had to survive it.
Jamie activated Leviathan. The darkness of gluttony shot out like a serpent, devouring the demonic energy.
"Oh! Using some interesting power, are we?"
Rueta laughed delightedly at the sight of the darkness emerging like a snake and swallowing his demonic energy.
He knew there were fallen human sorcerers who wielded the power of darkness.
Black Sorcerers, they were called?
He'd never seen one in person and was curious, but the first human he met in the mortal world turned out to be a Black Sorcerer. How delightful.
"And that soul of yours seems pretty unique too."
He licked his lips with his tongue as he muttered.
Unlike the small body, the soul was grotesquely vast.
The size of a soul symbolized the accumulated prowess over years, yet this human's body and soul were in inverse proportion.
He had no idea how that was possible, but Rueta wasn't the type to bother pondering reasons.
"You'll make a delicious first meal!"
The vast expanse of crimson demonic energy began swirling around him.
It had been ages since his last battle.
His opponent was far beneath him in comparison, but perfect for loosening up.
Just toy with him a bit and eat him up.
Black flames blazed fiercely in Rueta's eyes.
"You'll have to pour everything you've got, little human."
The vortex of demonic energy engulfed Jamie.
'He plans to toy with me.'
Jamie thought as he absorbed the incoming demonic energy with Leviathan.
'Is it fortunate? He has the power to crush me in an instant but isn't doing so. That means I might have a chance for a reversal...'
Realistically, he didn't entertain thoughts of 'winning.'
A demon baron was on the lower end among master classes.
In the demon world, sensitive to the law of the jungle, they wouldn't rank higher.
Still, false hopes of overturning the odds were out of the question.
Even at the bottom, it was master class.
A gap he couldn't possibly bridge right now.
From here on, he needed to focus solely on escaping successfully.
'By now, both the marquis's forces and the Pyro Church should be marching here.'
A demon had descended.
No one could have missed it.
Whether they could stop it or not, they could at least tie its feet down.
And if the nearest Sword Master or grand sorcerer arrived after that, even a baron like Rueta would turn this place into his grave.
'If only Bayeron Onix had stayed.'
Rumored to be among the stronger Sword Masters, he could have dispatched a demon baron with ease.
But what use was wishing for the absent? For now, survival was key.
'Worried about Azad and Vena.'
They'd fled pretty far, but Rueta's demonic energy kept spreading, intent on corroding the entire forest.
"Hahaha! More! Dodge harder!"
The irritating demon's mockery echoed from below.
"What a truly annoying bastard."
Jamie grimaced, slicing through the demonic energy with wind sharpened like blades.
No matter how much he cleared the vortex, it encircled him and closed in slowly.
Could he really survive this place?
'A series of trials.'
Jamie could only scrape together mana and cast spells.
Azad fled from the waves of oncoming demonic energy, carrying the unconscious Vena in his arms.
"Damn, damn, damn, damn!"
Swept up in that blood-like wave rotting the forest at tremendous speed, even an undead like him would perish.
As if 'death' made sense for the already dead undead, but Azad sensed the crisis.
"What about Master...!"
He'd felt the lich elder get reverse-summoned.
He was the only undead left.
Probably spared for this pink-haired girl's sake.
'Can he handle it?'
Azad had always thought his master extraordinary. Young yet with profound depths and immense power, unmatched among humans.
But that monster at the epicenter of that horrific power was on another level.
Even his master, who always overcame crises, might not survive this one.
'The fact that I'm still here proves Master lives...'
Having never faced a master class, ominous thoughts filled Azad's mind.
"Nngh..."
Then, Vena groaned and slowly opened her eyes.
She blinked her heavy eyelids laboriously a few times, then surveyed her surroundings.
"Are you alright?"
"...What happened?"
Vena tilted her head, feeling her body jostled as someone carried her.
She recalled her last memory before blacking out.
'After landing a hit on that woman...'
A special power dormant in the hammer awakened, causing a massive explosion.
But Kanna survived it and slammed Vena's head into the ground.
That was the end of her memory.
She'd tried to do more, but a blow to the head snapped her consciousness.
"Master said to take you and flee."
Vena finally recognized who carried her.
She didn't know the name, but one of Jamie's special undead.
"P-Put me down."
"Can you stand?"
Azad glanced back as he asked.
The demonic waves still pursued, but slower than before.
With a bit of leeway, he gently set Vena down under a tree, tension ready to scoop her up again if danger neared.
"Hoo..."
Vena exhaled shortly, forcing strength into her trembling legs.
The accumulated shocks wracking her body were no joke. Standing was a struggle.
And she spotted the demonic waves devouring trees and grass as they approached.
"W-What's that?"
"A demon. Master's holding it off."
"A demon?! It awakened after all..."
She couldn't faint.
Weakness was her sin. If stronger, she wouldn't have blacked out, and the demon wouldn't have awakened.
But spilled water couldn't be gathered.
"Then Master's in there...?"
"Yes."
"I-I'm going too."
"No. You'd only get in the way."
As Azad blocked her coldly, Vena clutched her torn skirt hem.
"Even if I die. I'll buy even a little time before dying. So move."
"Master ordered me to take you and flee as far as possible."
"I'll force my way... Ack!"
As Vena tried shoving Azad with superhuman strength, agony tore through her body like it was ripping apart.
With her mind fully awake, the dormant pain surged too.
She collapsed, clutching herself.
"In that state, you can't do anything. I'll carry you and run, so stay put."
"Hah, hah! M-Master...!"
"Such pointless stubborn... ness."
As Azad approached to pick her up again, his form flickered and vanished like a lie.
Vena's eyes widened at the sudden event.
A flash of thought struck her.
'Undead vanish independent of their master's will only when something's wrong with that master.'
Kwaaaaaang!!
At that moment, a crimson pillar erupted into the sky.
Corpse-like malice spread across the entire forest, nauseating just to behold.
Vena clutched her chest.
Her pupils dilated, a broader world sharpening in her eyes.
And she spotted a boy in her vision.
Covered half in blood, the boy plummeted from the blood pillar toward the ground.
"Mas... ter."
Her pounding heart beat in short bursts.
Her mind heated to white-hot blankness.
Memories from their first meeting flashed by.
He'd extended a hand without deceit, the first time.
In that hand, Vena saw hope and tasted happiness unknown in ten years of hell.
She didn't want to lose it.
Whether Valkyrie or whatever, she'd vowed her growing strength would aid her savior.
But she failed repeatedly.
A green novice driven by zeal. Looking back, she'd never done well at anything.
She wanted to do well.
'I want to do well too!'
She didn't want to disappoint.
That was her only wish.
As if agreeing with her resolve?
[Interesting.]
A voice echoed in her mind.
And the ring began to glow.
[Young Valkyrie. A Valkyrie inheriting rich blood.]
Vena rose, enveloped in white light.
[The time isn't ripe yet, but just for today, I permit it.]
Her pink hair deepened richer. Light particles gathered behind her, forming wings.
She wasn't surprised by the change.
No time for that.
[Go wild, then.]
At the voice's words, Vena spread her wings wide.
They were brilliant yellow butterfly wings.
"Master!"
And Vena moved.
To repay the grace.
Jamie gave a wry smile.
In the end, struggling was just struggling.
He'd weathered several crises somehow.
But this time seemed impossible.
'Why are there so many obstacles blocking my path?'
Could he survive this time?
Jamie wasn't sure.
He'd lost too much blood.
Kkiiik...
Black clung tightly to his body, persistently casting recovery magic, but Black was ultimately part of Jamie.
Just a stopgap; not a solution.
"Given up?"
An irritating voice came from below.
Jamie turned his head.
Rueta stood with arms crossed, grinning happily.
Seeing that face made dizziness surge, his head spinning.
'Dizzy from blood loss?'
Everything blurred into confusion.
Just before hitting the ground, Jamie summoned mana for a soft landing. No stamina left to maintain flight magic.
Magic burdened the body just by using it.
'If only a bit more energy from the Orb of Life remained.'
If he'd resolved things with Theberon through talk from the start, this wouldn't have happened.
'Should I just send Theberon at him?'
That brutish monster bear might manage somehow.
'No. The whole ruins might get wrecked.'
Bad matchup.
Theberon was strong, but against Rueta's corrosion, he'd be one-sidedly overwhelmed.
And dropping him from the ruins was impossible; Rueta wouldn't fall just because a door opened below.
'Seal Theberon's demonic energy from the ruins?'
Also impossible.
Rueta surpassed the ruins' power.
The ruins' absolute effect on Jamie and Vena was simply because Theberon was stronger.
"I can hear your brain churning from here?"
Rueta was arrogant.
No, demons were always arrogant toward the weak.
They let their guard down, but unfortunately only against the weak, so reversals were rare.
'Try stalling with talk?'
He didn't know when the marquis's forces or Pyro Church would arrive, but given that arrogance, he might buy time.
Decision made, Jamie opened his mouth.
"What brings you he... Ack!"
"Not in the mood for chit-chat?"
Spikes erupted from Rueta's body, piercing Jamie's shoulder.
Kkigigik!
Shocked, Black flapped frantically around Jamie.
That damned spike bastard!
Jamie painfully yanked out the spike from his shoulder. Recovery was already failing, and now another wound.
"Trying to buy time, eh? I'm not dumb enough to wait politely."
"Urk, filthy bastard."
"Heard Black Sorcerers are plenty filthy too?"
"Think you sewer-dwellers compare?"
"Such taunts aren't wise."
"Gah!"
This time, his right thigh was pierced.
Thrashing in pain seemed fun; Rueta laughed gleefully.
He wanted to land a solid hit on the bastard, but how...
'Huh?'
As Jamie racked his brain, cycling ideas, something approached rapidly.
Rueta noticed too, frowning as he turned.
"My demonic energy?"
It tore through Rueta's spread demonic energy at tremendous speed, heading here.
Startled, Rueta whirled toward it. Jamie grimaced at the blatantly exposed back.
Open disregard.
Or the leisure of the strong, unconcerned about showing his back to riffraff.
Jamie gritted his teeth, extending his right hand.
"Then eat this..."
Thud-!
Then it happened.
Rueta's wall-like demonic energy burst like hit by a shell.
And like a waterfall, demonic rain poured toward their spot.
Kkiik!
Black plastered to Jamie's back, wings inflating hugely, swiftly shielding his master from the deluge.
Even amid it, Jamie's eyes fixed on the hole in the demonic wall.
He muttered in disbelief.
"This power... no way..."
Radiant light burst from the hole.
And butterfly wings scattering beautiful light particles appeared.
Jamie's eyes widened round.
Beautiful red hair unlike the crimson demonic energy fluttered, pink hammer in hand—a woman with butterfly wings.
Jamie recalled a beautiful Valkyrie from long ago.
But not her.
This woman was the girl he knew.
"Vena?!"
As Jamie cried out in bewilderment, Vena circled the sky once and dove toward the ground.
"Master! Trust only me!"
Her red hair streaming, she raised the hammer high.
"Kuhahaha! What's this now?"
Rueta laughed as if delighted.
Black flames intensified in his eyes as he leaped at Vena.
Hammer clashed with blade-covered fist.
But Vena was pushed back first? No—Rueta.
"Begone!"
"Such!"
Rueta's body slammed properly into the ground.
Vena slung the hammer over her shoulder, snorting derisively.
Spotting Jamie, she grinned and shouted.
"I'm here!"
Proudly flashing a V-sign.