Chapter 271
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 271
Chapter Title: Disciplining the Demonic Statue
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I silently stared at the guys and the statue they had brought.
"Just a bit of concern, but don't try testing us."
"You caught on, huh."
Their gaze, treating me like some lunatic, was utterly unpleasant.
"Should I just rip that thing off for sure?"
"Damn it, even as a joke, cut that shit out!"
It didn't seem like a lie... but to double-check and make them judge the situation properly, I figured I should.
As I reached out toward the cloth covering the statue's face, they panicked and clung to me.
"Y-You mad bastard, what the hell are you doing?!"
"Nah. Gotta confirm if you're bluffing or if you've really got the real deal."
"What kind of lunatic..."
He shook his head slowly, as if completely exasperated.
"We'll contact you the moment we pinpoint its location. I recommend gathering as much force as you can."
* * *
About three days.
That was how long it took for the heretics to reach out again.
Upon arriving in the Demon Realm after their call, I spotted the statue writhing at the center of a massive black magic circle.
"It's creepy every time I see it."
"Be careful. It's in an extremely sensitive state right now."
From the looks of it, they planned to provoke it just enough to imprint Niala's presence. Whether that would work smoothly was questionable.
Was this thing even a living being? I felt a sudden urge to test the Machine God's heart on it, but I held back. No need to draw its aggro and waste time.
Soon, Dobel—one of the heretics' archmage-level executives conducting the ritual with unidentified artifacts—shouted.
"It's moving!!"
At the same moment, the statue twisted grotesquely and began emitting horrific noises.
-Kkadddddrdddk. Kkaduk!!
Suddenly, it bolted into the forest beyond like it had come alive.
Its speed wasn't anything astonishing, but the sight of the statue charging wildly was certainly bizarre.
So, it had found its target?
The heretics mounted their undead first and set off, and I followed suit.
Luna and Isna began moving alongside me as well.
"Deputy High Priest Deville. And Lady Triana. The target has started moving. We'll share its position as soon as we arrive."
-The Holy Kingdom's Divine Knights are ready at any moment.
-Mother Forest's elite rangers have finished preparations, Young Master.
It was only natural for the Elf Forest and Holy Kingdom—both with history of getting thrashed by otherworldly beings—to mobilize.
Like a beast that had scented prey, the statue lurched grotesquely and picked up speed.
"Track it! The moment it finds the target, we'll activate the wide-area curse circle!"
At his command, the heretics mounted undead wolves and pursued it swiftly.
"Take this. It'll shield you from the curse circle we'll deploy."
As I slipped on the strange bracelet artifact he offered, I felt a thin membrane of death spirit mana in a specific pattern envelop my body.
"You're even handing over something like this?"
"It means we're dead serious about slaying that monster too."
I had no idea what their true motives were, but at least they didn't want the world destroyed. From what I recalled, the heretics' core purpose had always been to contain, eliminate, or control powers threatening the world.
"Still, that thing seems kinda lame."
It moved at incredible speeds for a mere statue, but just running like that? I doubted it'd reach the destination anytime soon.
"No. If it deems running insufficient, it'll sprout wings."
Wings...
No sooner had he spoken than the statue's back warped, extending wing-like appendages.
The thing was about 190 cm tall—slightly larger than human size. Yet each wing it unfurled spanned over five meters, massive.
It rocketed into the sky, its speed now far surpassing before.
"Pick up the pace! Don't lose it!!"
The statue flew tirelessly.
"Once it finds the target, what then?"
Dobel, riding an undead wyvern behind me, turned his gaze my way.
"Just before it arrives, we'll dispel the suggestion on it and put it back to sleep."
"Why bother? Just let it go—they'll fight each other."
"Too many uncontrollable variables."
Variable control... I wasn't buying it.
Luna chimed in to address my doubt.
"No good. If it's from another dimension, who knows what synergies might occur."
"Yeah."
"Damn, it's infuriating how the same words carry different trust levels."
"Shouldn't have picked a fight then."
Dobel grimaced but said no more.
The statue flew without rest.
But perhaps because this plan wasn't a straightforward frontal assault...
Contrary to expectations, it would halt abruptly every day or so, then resume.
Word was, whenever it stopped, the heretics had to prep the ritual again.
No pointless sacrifices had occurred yet, so I held my tongue... but still.
These guys were really dragging their feet.
"All that talk about handling an ultra-dangerous entity, and it's this underwhelming."
"We could do it your way, of course."
"For real?"
"But then unrelated people would die in the process..."
Sssring...
"You damn maniac!! Are you telling us to or not?!"
As Isna and I half-drew our swords simultaneously, Dobel shrieked like he was having a fit.
Isna dismissed his outburst with one line.
"Heretics talking back?"
"Damn..."
Dobel clicked his tongue sharply.
"So, how much longer?"
"We can't be sure either. But judging by its state, we're almost there."
It was then.
"Wha... what?! It's not listening!"
"D-Damn, it's gone berserk out of nowhere!"
The statue's face was still covered, but its sudden rampage left the heretics visibly flustered.
Howling monstrously, it lunged to attack everything in sight.
"Damn it all! A variable here of all places!!"
I sighed at Dobel's shout.
"Sigh. That's what you get..."
"Shut up! This happens once in a hundred times! We'll handle it, so just stay qui—"
"How long?"
"Th-Three days."
"Out of the way."
With a cold command, I approached the statue that was snapping a heretic's neck.
"Like with those goblins before, everything in the world can be reasoned with."
Doesn't listen? Then check if the message got through properly.
I stepped unhesitatingly into its range, and the moment it spotted me, it let out a demonic screech and charged.
"Tsk..."
I took a short breath.
Angle at 45 degrees, force moderate. Like scolding a disobedient child.
Paaaak!!!!
Before its arms could grab my neck, my palm slammed into the cloth-wrapped face.
The staggering statue charged again.
Jjaaaak!!!!
Another slap landed.
"Even goblins start listening after a few hits. But this one's smarter than a goblin, in my book."
I ripped the cloth off the staggering statue's face.
Revealing the horrific demonic statue beneath.
"Y-You mad bastard, what have you done!"
"Kkiiiiaaaak!!!"
I reached out toward the screeching monster again.
Jjaaaak!!!
The clash of stone cheek and human hand echoed impossibly loud.
"Who are you supposed to find?"
-Kyaaaak!!
Jjaak!!!
"Who are you supposed to find?"
Jjaaaak!!!
Despite the barrage of slaps, it regenerated instantly and lunged.
But it flinched on impact—separate from being a statue, this thing...
It felt pain? That settled it.
"You wait three days. Try waiting five minutes."
Explosive aura infused my palm.
"No bad statues in the world. Just ones that haven't been smacked enough."
This ugly demon statue might have been secured by heretics, but long ago, no one had isolated or managed it properly.
Killing anyone who saw its face? Even back-alley thugs or psychopaths wouldn't pull that.
If the statue did, rumors would have spread far and wide. Yet I'd heard nothing beyond vague tales.
"You're holding up pretty well, huh?"
I grinned chillingly, and the statue's face twisted even more grotesquely.
Demons aren't born that ugly. Wait, could this be...
"Don't tell me... a derivative of the Spirit Sword?"
Like my fully realized Nakwha or Utopia, but an accidental condensation of spirit energy—a freak phenomenon without true ego.
Utopia or Nakwha could end up like this if improperly formed or mutated.
Now it made sense. This wasn't from another dimension.
I withdrew my aura and cloaked my hand in spirit energy.
Much easier to handle now.
Jjaaaak!!!
Another resounding slap sent it reeling back hard.
Decent grit.
For about three minutes, I targeted the exact same spot on its cheek relentlessly. It regenerated and charged each time, but its movements began to change.
Unlike with aura, hits from spirit-clad hands made it hesitate bit by bit.
"Luna. Wanna give it a go? Great stress relief."
At my suggestion, Luna approached slowly.
The moment she entered its view, it screeched and lunged.
Luna infused her hand with invisible holy power.
Holy power works too?
She slapped its cheek precisely.
Jjaaaak!!!
Again, an impossible sound for stone and flesh.
"Oh... auto-regen sandbag. Leon, block the limbs from regenerating, tie it up, and it'd make a perfect punching bag."
"Was already thinking that."
I communed with my Spirit Sword while shoving spirit energy into it.
If you're a Spirit Sword derivative, you get what I'm saying, right?
For the first time, the ugly demon statue's face twisted not in rage, but bewilderment.
After about five minutes, heretic executive Dobel looked baffled.
"This defies understanding."
The statue huddled against a tree, curled up, clutching its head and trembling. He approached slowly and reached out.
Irritably, it swatted his hand away—head buried in its legs.
"Well now?"
Its strength hadn't waned.
"Why can't it endure? It never tired or failed to recover from any attack before..."
He didn't know spirit energy was lethal to it.
Spirit energy itself was an unknown force, unrecognized in the world.
Not from another dimension—just a misunderstood worldly anomaly.
"What're you waiting for? Let's restart. Oh, and hand it over when you're done?"
Dobel scowled at my request.
"What for?"
"Nothing beats a sandbag like this."
My future wife had been itching for a scratch like a restless cat lately.
He gave up trying to understand me, his expression saying as much.
"Damn it. Starting to worry I've picked a fight with someone I shouldn't have."