Chapter 75
Chapter 75
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 075
Chapter Title: See You Soon
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The fierce blaze of holy flames scorched his ears, mingled with inhuman shrieks.
The moment Kyle gripped the holy sword in his right hand, he planted his foot on Kafra's back and yanked it free with all his might.
Kafra's left shoulder tore away in a spray of black bloody flames.
Kwachik!Puahhh!
The goat-headed monster screamed in agony from the brutal strike, swiftly kicking back at Kyle with its hind legs.
But Kyle had already read the motion through his [Super Sense] and retreated swiftly.
Kafra bellowed at him.
The creature's face twisted in disbelief.
'He should've been dead for sure!'
He recalled the sensation of being trapped in the prison of his own talons, his body pierced through and killed.
The goat head furrowed its brows.
'Could it be some kind of illusion?'
That would explain it.
No, otherwise, what he'd seen couldn't have happened.
Meanwhile, the stump of his shoulder began regenerating as if growing back anew.
Witnessing this, Kafra grimaced at the unnatural sensation.
'Regeneration's slowed down.'
It was subtle, but definitely noticeable.
His gaze shifted to the flames wreathing the holy sword.
'This instinctive repulsion···.'
He heightened his wariness, thinking.
'Is it because of those flames?'
Kyle rested the holy sword on his shoulder and spoke.
"Not coming?"
"If you're not coming, I'll come to you?"
In that instant, Kafra's form vanished.
A razor-sharp talon lunged at Kyle's side, and the holy sword in his grip moved on its own.
Kaaaang-!!
It was the holy sword's defensive mechanism reacting to evil.
Kyle thought as he watched.
'This thing's pretty good.'
At that moment, the goat head plunged its hand into subspace, and talons suddenly burst from another direction.
Kyle twisted his body reflexively and slashed them away with the holy sword.
Kang!!
Simultaneously, the holy flames surged wildly.
Entrusting his body to the sword, the moment the flames enveloped his upper body mid-air, the whipping centrifugal force transformed into black-and-white sword ki that cleaved the minion apart!
Kuwaaaaang-!
The goat head instinctively pulled back from the descending sword strike.
But it was a beat too late—blood sprayed as its horn was pitifully severed.
To Kyle's surprise, rather than Kafra.
'Is it thanks to mastering Montena's holy light?'
He couldn't be sure.
But the sensation was utterly different from the first time he'd wielded the holy sword.
Back then, it felt like he was just moving his limbs at the sword's command.
'Now it's like my body has fully internalized the swordsmanship.'
Paaaang-! Kafra pulled back to create distance, and Kyle smoothly reversed his grip on the holy sword like a seasoned swordsman.
Enraged by his casual poise, the goat head thrust both hands into subspace and roared.
Dozens of talons rained down chaotically from the air.
Kyle swiftly swung the greatsword, unleashing a torrent of holy flames.
Kuwaaaaang-!
Kafra's eyes widened as the subspace deployment visibly slowed.
He bellowed.
"What, you don't know?"
Kyle tilted his head after dodging every talon.
"The devil I met before recognized it right away. Huh? Don't tell me···."
He smirked.
"You're a fresh minion, not long turned?"
As if to compensate for the slower speed with sheer volume, talons poured from every direction.
Kang! Kakakakakang!
The instant he deflected and dodged them all with swings of the holy sword, the goat head closed in and slashed at his throat.
Kyle instinctively twisted the sword to block—but at that moment.
"···!"
His mind reeled from [Super Sense], and right in front of the sword blade, a subspace portal swallowed Kafra's incoming talon.
Feeling a chill from behind, he snapped his head aside.
In that instant, a subspace opened at the back of his skull.
The talon surging from it grazed Kyle's nape by a hair's breadth.
Blood trickled down.
A tiny amount, but the [Otherworldly Deadly Poison] had definitely seeped in. The goat head smirked—
"Don't smile. We're just getting started."
His fist flashed out like lightning, smashing straight into the creature's face.
Ku, Kuwaaaaang-!!
The creature's form spun half a turn in mid-air, spewing black blood.
Kyle lowered his stance to bisect it with a swing of the holy sword—but talons from a subspace right in front barely blocked the strike.
Kaaaaang-!!
Kafra, having gained distance, frantically regenerated his half-blown-off head, eyes trembling.
He couldn't hide his confusion at Kyle, who looked utterly fine despite the deadly poison seeping in.
But that was impossible.
A mere human shrugging off [Otherworldly Deadly Poison] like it was nothing.
'No such absurd creature could exist···!'
Was even this an illusion?
No, it couldn't be.
This time, he'd confirmed it with beastly senses right up close.
Scent, presence, bodily reaction to the strike.
No illusion in this world could perfectly fool all that at such proximity.
He bellowed.
Kyle shrugged, casually slinging the greatsword over his shoulder.
"Beats me. Guess I'm immune to all poisons or something."
Even if immune to poisons, a toxin that melted the soul was a whole different beast.
Demons were humanity's natural predators for a reason.
Kyle narrowed his eyes.
'Still a pain in the ass.'
His gaze flicked to Kafra's regenerated jawline.
He wouldn't lose in a prolonged fight, but time was the issue.
"Everyone, focus···!!"
"Intercept! Intercept them!!"
Below, Rebecca and the mages battled the swarming minions.
But that wasn't all.
Considering the time until the descent, every minute, every second mattered.
'Definitely versatile.'
Superior physique aside, deadly poison, subspace, regeneration.
Proof of the devil's favor.
Especially that regeneration—fixing a blown-off half-head. A perfect upgrade over urban legend super-regeneration.
Kyle eyed his skill tree.
'Weakens unique abilities.'
He clicked his tongue briefly.
'No choice.'
Kyle boldly invested a skill point.
'Not bad.'
As an immortal, charge-up effects were always welcome.
'Problem is the holy flames on the sword.'
After back-to-back fights, scant flames remained on the blade.
Kyle's eyes narrowed.
'In that case···.'
At that moment, the goat head began roughly drawing up its mana.
Its muscles began to bulge.
Kyle let out an exasperated breath.
'Physical enhancement too?'
Truly basking in demonic favoritism.
And the moment the goat head kicked off the ground.
Kuwaaaaang-!!
Its form shot forward at a speed on another level.
[Nebula's Super Sense] rang alarms in his head.
The target: Kyle's heart.
A strike too fast to track visually hurtled toward his solar plexus.
But even knowing this, Kyle didn't dodge.
Puuk···!!
Kafra faltered at how easily the strike pierced through.
Snap! Kyle clamped down hard on the arm impaling him.
Sensing danger, the goat head tried to yank its arm free—but Kyle, coughing blood, grinned.
"Can't have that."
Puuk!
The holy sword's blade plunged straight through its chest. The goat head's eyes widened in panic.
"No time or leeway to charge the holy sword···!"
Dragon aura rained down as Kyle gritted his teeth and kicked off the ground in that state.
Kwachik, Paaaang-!!
Their forms literally shredded the roof as they shot upward.
The moment they smashed into a sturdy smokestack.
From the dust cloud, Kyle thrust the holy sword deep and shouted.
"Just impale it and charge it up!"
Black-and-white flames swirled fiercely along the blade.
Kafra instinctively knew.
Leave it like this, and he was done for.
He thrashed with all his might, but to no avail.
The blade pinning him to the smokestack, his vaunted regeneration trying to heal the wound only to grab the blade instead.
And the arm through Kyle's solar plexus prevented escape.
Shrieking, he shoved his other hand into subspace.
Talons pierced Kyle from all sides, forming a cage.
Yet Kyle stood unmoved, and Kafra's eyes quivered helplessly.
The irony: the fresh blood splattering mercilessly with each scream was from the human before him.
Kyle gripped the goat head's nape viciously and said.
"Hey, still haven't figured it out?"
The blade flashed.
"Nothing works on me."
That chilling line sent a chill up Kafra's spine.
A sensation he hadn't felt since gaining demonic favor—one long forgotten.
An emotion he'd never felt from a human, nor should.
Its name:
'Fear'.
And with that, it ended.
The moment holy flames surged along the blade.
Montena's sacred flash erased the evil before his eyes from the world.
"The barrier can't fall!"
Rebecca rapidly deployed her ritual as a fierce firestorm swept through the incoming minions.
This time, their flesh clearly burned.
'It works···!'
Rebecca's eyes lit up.
'This is the blessing's effect···!'
As she drew up mana again—
"Kuhuk!?"
Sudden chest pain struck; another mage fired in her stead.
"Don't push yourself! You're not at full strength!"
"Guh, huuk, got it!"
With the curse's lingering effects, losing focus even briefly destabilized her mana.
'At this rate, limits on usable spells···!'
She bit her lip.
'He went out of his way to grant the blessing!'
But no time for despair.
Holding out until he arrived was priority one.
"Thomson and Satein families cast next, then Westcoat and Bowen support! Then the rest···! Curse makes chaining spells risky! Rotate turns!"
Kuwaaang! Mages unleashed spells, repelling minions.
They couldn't hide their awe.
"It-it actually works!"
"No way!"
"Just like he said···!"
"This might···!"
Hope spread rapidly, vitality surging.
Even those who'd despaired joined the fray; Rebecca swallowed hard.
A change unbelievable from one man alone.
But this was his miraculous power.
Then, a massive shockwave echoed nearby.
Spotting Kyle facing the strongest minion, Rebecca took a steadying breath.
'He can hold.'
Supporting weakened mages, she thought.
'We can hold till he comes!'
The moment they annihilated the swarm.
The space-shaking roar made the mages look up.
Kuwaaaaang! A grotesque colossal form appeared nearby.
Like a massive crocodile; Rebecca's eyes widened.
"That's···!"
Black mana roiled ominously.
She whipped around.
"Everyone!! To the relic barrier!!"
"?!"
"Pour all your mana into the barrier···!!"
The crocodile's maw gaped eagerly.
From its throat rose a grotesque human shape.
Gray-skinned, arms spread, it laughed.
Black mana vortex surged before it.
Weeeeng-! Breath weapon charged; someone holding the relic barrier yelled.
"I-it's coming!!"
"Brace and bite down···!!"
The black beam of destruction aimed at Fleetwood Manor—
A massive white beam from somewhere cleaved the evil entity in half.
"?!"
Kuwaaaaa-!!
The colossal crocodile bisected in an instant.
The swept minion shrieked in shock.
The monster crumbled to ash, scattering skyward.
Rebecca gaped at the sight.
"That was···."
Someone murmured shakily.
"Light attribute magic···?"
Cash's voice made Gordon stomp anxiously.
"Why ask me!"
With enemies possibly in the council unknown to them, relying on councilors was futile.
'No other way···!'
Now, stake everything on Kyle Clark.
Every wild thought plagued him.
Trust Kyle? Devil foe—even the Butcher? Already over?
He bit his lip.
'If only we knew the inside situation···!'
Then.
"T-Team leader! Look!"
Support agent's call; Gordon looked up from Sapientia, eyes widening.
"Wh-what was that."
A flash!
A white beam from below shook Malphas's barrier and vanished.
They instinctively knew.
"···The Butcher."
Someone gulped.
"The Butcher's still fighting inside···!"
Alone in the enemy's heart, against an overwhelming demon.
The investigators blockading Sapientia saw it too.
His subordinate's dazed voice; Special Forces Team 4 leader, codename 'Interceptor', chuckled dryly, cigar to lips.
"That guy's it."
The unknown foe who'd toyed with them and boldly entered the mage tower.
Exhaling smoke, he muttered.
"Definitely him."
Interceptor smirked amusedly.
Meanwhile.
The Hall of Glory, just below the mage tower's pinnacle.
Kuuuung-!! Barrier vibration rocked as the old man immersed in descent ritual.
Walter Reberk's eyes flew wide.
"What···!?"
His face twisted in shock.
"Kafra···!"
The total annihilation of his favored minion.
Unable to hide bewilderment at the impossible event, he realized.
"···I see."
Walter gnashed his teeth.
"You've come this far after all."
His lips trembled with rage as black mana lashed out.
"Butcherrrrr!!!"
Bam! Kyle yanked the holy sword from the smokestack, gazing at the ashen goat head vanishing.
His eyes drifted to the tower's peak.
[Super Sense] pierced his mind; like hearing a voice.
Kyle narrowed his eyes.
"This··· Reberk?"
The tower felt like it glared openly.
His lips twisted.
"I told you before, right?"
That night, on the call.
"See you soon."
Holy sword on shoulder, Kyle grinned.
So wait right there.
"I'll be coming for you."