Chapter 25
Chapter 25
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Showdown with the Holy Knight
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Marus stood there all alone.
Just like that night when he and the demon had conversed alone.
- You're not running away.
- Beautiful....
On the day the Holy Knights of Lion Soul returned as cold corpses, Marus met the demon.
And he was utterly captivated by that enigmatic being.
That day, the demon did not kill Marus. Naturally, he asked why.
- Why are you sparing me?
The demon gave no answer.
To Marus, that was a curse.
Because it drove him to chase the demon's traces for his entire life.
"You're saying you won't meet me easily."
"My Lord is busy!"
"...Even if you resort to tricks like this, the outcome won't change. You know that as well."
"I don't know anything like that."
Clank-!
Phenex laughed as she pointed her sword forward.
"Complicated stuff? Phenex doesn't get it. Won't get it from now on either. Just..."
For a moment, the smile vanished from her face.
"Come at me."
"...This is a headache."
Marus was caught in a dilemma.
If he chose to flee and avoid battle with the demon, all his efforts up to now would go to waste.
Even the death of his nephew Maren.
But choosing battle wasn't a wise option either.
His opponent was a demon, after all.
Even in victory, it was obvious things wouldn't end without casualties.
The decision was made.
Shing-!
Accompanied by a bitter smile.
"The young man from thirty years ago surely died there. If not for the demon's whim, that is. Ironic—what have the passing years left me?"
A monster's life, crossing the lines of morality and humanity.
Now, Marus, who had chased the demon, found himself wondering.
"Let me confirm whether what I've pursued since that day was not an illusion."
[Kal Kursor's basic passive ability: Infidel has activated.]
[In Infidel state, using killing intent-based abilities has no effect on faith abilities.]
[Killing intent is a resource that fills when dealing or receiving damage during combat.]
Siii...
A very faint red glow swirled around Marus's body. A power known only to him, born from the victims slain during those long years away from Lion Soul.
A technique honed through relentless murder.
Tap.
Ta-at...
The two gradually closed the distance between them.
At one point, they exploded forward and collided.
"Uwaaaaa!"
"Hyaap!"
The downward slashing force and the upward thrusting force clashed violently.
Kwaaaaaang-!
Kikikikik-!
From that first all-out clash, both reached the same realization.
'As expected of a demon! A head-on fight is disadvantageous!'
'This man... he's strong. If I lose like this, My Lord will be in danger!'
Of course, their thoughts and exchanges happened simultaneously.
Kaaang-!
Kaaaaang-!
Perhaps because he was human, Marus faltered first, swinging his left arm with the buckler to shove Phenex away.
Thuuung-!
Marus's fundamental combat techniques were on another level entirely. His basics were rock-solid, far beyond those of greenhorn adventurers.
That was why he could face a demon single-handedly—one renowned for living solely for battle and slaughter.
Bounced back, Phenex swiftly regained her stance and thrust her sword forward. To brace for the next attack.
[Kal Kursor uses Exploding Throwing Knives.]
[Throws daggers; if they miss the target, they can detonate as intended.]
[On detonation, blade shards scatter in all directions, inflicting physical damage and a chance of bleeding.]
[Exploding Throwing Knives consumes killing intent.]
Pipit-!
As expected, three daggers wreathed in red energy flew toward her.
Phenex had braced for a heavy assault, so she felt a bit relieved—but she didn't drop her guard.
The daggers hurtled at tremendous speed, yet to her battle-focused senses, they seemed somewhat slow.
Taaang-!
Taaaang-!
'Two!'
One was missing.
[Throwing knife detonates.]
'...Behind!'
Paaaaang-!
Pipipipipit!
Sensing the explosion, Phenex rolled forward.
Despite her quick reaction, she couldn't fully avoid the blades that thudded into her back.
"Ugh..."
Paat-!
The instant she rose, a longsword aura targeted her neck.
'Hup!'
Kaaaang-!
She blocked the ambush, but couldn't guard against the follow-up move.
Whoosh-!
[Kal Kursor uses Shield Bash.]
[Deals damage to the target equal to the shield's defense rating, and with probability equal to the shield's perfect block success rate, inflicts Daze.]
[Daze causes dizziness for 3 seconds, reducing stats by 10%, and all attacks received become critical hits.]
Taaaaang-!
Phenex took a direct hit to the head and crashed to the ground. Fortunately, her shoulder struck first, sparing secondary damage—but that hardly mattered.
Beeeeeen-!
Tinnitus rang in her ears.
If she didn't snap out of it, she'd die right there.
'No way!'
Phenex gritted her teeth and improvised.
Kwaaaang-!
She detonated an explosion from within her own body. Phenex could wield fire freely since inheriting her name, but this stunt harmed her own flesh.
Chiii...
Marus retreated, putting maximum distance between them.
Clank...
Thuuung.
He unclasped the cumbersome gauntlet and let it drop to the ground before addressing Phenex.
"Not using your abilities? Out of confidence...?"
Hwaruruk...
Emerging from the flames was Phenex's charred face.
Whoosh...
But in an instant, her features restored themselves.
"Confidence? No... more like unnecessary."
"Hmm..."
Phenex wasn't underestimating her foe. In truth, Kal Kursor had the slightest edge over her right now.
...It was inevitable.
If this were Hell, she would have cleaved Marus in a single strike with her full power.
But demons inherently suffered massive penalties when crossing into other worlds beyond Hell.
It was like an adult's body regressing to that of an infant.
On top of that, Faust had allocated only limited dungeon resources to Phenex for now.
His decision to prioritize the dungeon's other deficiencies.
Right or wrong, Phenex didn't know.
She simply focused on what she could do.
'Really useless...'
Phenex's core skillset scaled with the number of opponents, but against a single foe, she couldn't bring much to bear.
Moreover, her enemy was a holy knight with high status ailment resistance. His combat fundamentals were solid enough to hold against her.
Regrettably, the only abilities with real impact on the fight's outcome were her immense regeneration and fire manipulation.
"As expected of a demon. I nearly forgot."
"You don't have many of those daggers, do you?"
"......"
"Let's go again."
If they kept trading blows in close quarters, the demon—innately superior to humans—would surely gain the upper hand.
That was Phenex's thinking.
Swipe...
Until Marus drew a scroll from within his cloak.
Riiip-!
He tore the scroll inscribed with arcane script by force.
Hoooong...
In that instant, light flashed, transforming his cloak.
[Kal Kursor uses Alchemy Scroll: Acrobat's Cloak.]
[Acrobat's Cloak has formed.]
Chalalak...
The cloak's lining bristled with countless daggers.
"That's cheating!"
"An immature demon. You must not have been in Solaria long."
"......"
"Lucky for me—but unlucky for you."
Marus spoke the truth.
If the one before him weren't a freshly summoned Phenex, but one of the Seven Deadly Sins or a demon long-contracted with a fiend, he'd already be minced meat.
In the end, fortune favored Marus. As if the whole world conspired to deliver the demon he'd so longed for.
'There has to be some way...'
Whoosh...
[Kal Kursor uses Killing Intent.]
[For 30 seconds, killing intent regeneration greatly increases, while consumption for the same skills decreases.]
Papapap-!
Daggers launched at Phenex once more.
One, two, three...
Not all were visible to the eye, heightening the tension.
Kaaang-!
Kaaang-!
'...Missed!'
She'd missed one dagger.
'Detonate...'
But it didn't explode.
Instead, the moment her gaze shifted to the stray dagger, more launched.
Papapapap-!
She couldn't deflect them all at once.
'What now...'
A sudden inspiration struck Phenex.
In that brief instant, eyeing the incoming daggers, she grasped the battle's impending flow.
Pook-!
Phenex didn't parry the dagger.
She evaded as best she could, taking one in the shoulder.
"Gutsy move?"
Paaaaang-!
The rest detonated, showering blades in all directions.
But Phenex's response this time was different.
Kwaaaaang-!
She triggered a bodily explosion, vanishing into the instant burst of smoke.
Now, until her position was pinpointed, Marus couldn't chain his attacks easily.
'Aimed for this, huh...'
A desperate measure, clearly.
Records attested to Phenex's absurd regeneration, but her life wasn't infinite.
This wasn't Hell—it was Solaria.
Her regen drew from the dungeon core's mana. Once her allocation ran dry, it would cease.
Hwarururuk-!
"What are you up to...!"
Phenex began something eerie. Not hiding in the smoke to recover, but circling Marus.
'Aiming to suffocate? Or ambush?'
Whatever it was, there was no rush.
Earlier, he'd confirmed the massive wound from her self-explosion.
She was burning through her life force.
He couldn't know the dungeon's total mana, but he could guess.
'Probably... threatening only up to this assault.'
Hwaaaaaa...
Smoke enveloped everything.
Toxic fumes, but if he avoided inhaling, he could recover later.
'Where... which direction?'
Papap.
Phenex let slip a sound.
'There!'
Pipipit-!
Three daggers flew.
Kaaaang-!
Her position was locked.
The deflection rang out from the smoke.
As he readied to detonate the rest in that direction.
Hwaruruk-!
From the exact opposite side, a fireball burst through the smoke.
'How...!'
He got it.
It wasn't the sound of swords clashing.
'My dagger...'
The one lodged in her body was gone.
After repositioning, she'd yanked it out and hurled it to intercept the incoming one.
'Possible through the smoke?'
Even for a demon, that was freakish combat skill.
"Haaaa!"
Phenex's burning form hurtled toward Marus like a meteor.
Papapap-!
Three daggers straight ahead.
Detonate?
Should he?
...He couldn't.
The range would engulf him too.
'Aimed for right now!'
But he'd have time to counter while blocking the daggers.
So...
Pufpufpuk-!
'Crazy bitch!'
Phenex tanked the daggers with her body and barreled through.
One in the chest, left thigh, and left arm.
The thigh dagger tore into muscle, tripping her mid-charge—but she accelerated anyway, swinging her sword with her good arm.
Insane.
A madwoman.
"Uwaaaaa!"
Roaring in involuntary fury, he clashed his sword against Phenex's.
Kaaaaaaaang-!
That single blow sent both weapons flying from their grips.
Yet Phenex pressed on.
Marus felt it again now—the emotion from that distant night. Awe. And greed!
"Haat!"
He had to shake her off with a left buckler swing.
Thuuuung-!
He shoved her head back, but her flaming body clung to his chest.
As they tumbled.
Both shared the same thought.
Paat-!
Puhiiaak-!
A dagger pierced Phenex's heart.
Bleeding, she grinned.
Having achieved her goal.
The dagger once in her arm was now in her hand.
Marus's left arm—the one gripping the buckler—severed below the elbow.
Phenex's hellish flames spread, charring half his face.
"Kraaaaa!"
Marus foot-kicked her away, sending her sprawling.
He leaped up and attempted recovery.
Hoooong-!
[Kal Kursor uses Light of Grace.]
[Light of Grace heals recent wounds and restores vitality.]
Chiii...
The flames extinguished, but his severed elbow and half-burned face remained unhealed.
No—this was miraculous healing as it was.
As he recovered, Phenex's embers conversely faded.
Her body dissolved from the extremities inward.
Her allocated dungeon core mana had run out.
"Huek... huek... puhuhu...."
Marus approached the laughing Phenex.
"...I'll tear your master to shreds for certain."
"My Lord?"
She flinched in fear.
This holy knight was strong.
Could My Lord's scrawny frame handle him?
Even she, a demon, had struggled.
Phenex suddenly recalled their last exchange.
- Aim for the arm.
- The arm?
Damage equivalent to severing one limb. That was the best she could do in dungeon defense. The curse bound to her name compelled it.
She'd fulfilled her duty, yet regret and fear mingled within her.
If only she were a finer demon—she could've ended the holy knight here... that regret.
And fear for My Lord's future, when even lopping off one arm proved this grueling.
Perhaps, truly...
'...Ah.'
As she faded, Phenex remembered.
My Lord's nature.
If she voiced her worries about what came next, he'd reply:
- ...Overstepping your bounds.
Yes.
He'd reassure her like that.
"Hehe...."
"I survived even a demon. Surely... surely..."
My Lord wouldn't lose.
Phenex crumbled to ash, uttering her final words.
"...Give it a try."
[Phenex has inflicted sufficient damage on the party, resulting in forced defeat.]
[Phenex reverts to flames. Revival imminent.]
[Dungeon mana insufficient.]
[Phenex does not revive.]
[Boss battle has ended.]