Mutation – 2

    It was obvious what entity had corrupted, or perhaps mutated, the Knight Commander of the Golden Twilight Knights.

    A Demon.

    In fact, there were no other candidates besides them. How else would the Knight Commander of the Golden Twilight Knights, who rarely had business outside the Imperial Palace, come into contact with other entities?

    Since demons also desired strong hosts, the Knight Commander of the Golden Twilight Knights could be said to be the optimal vessel for their possession.

    The stronger the host, the greater the total amount of power they could use upon descending to the mortal realm. If the host was weak, the moment they exerted great power, the physical body couldn’t withstand it, would melt away, and they would be ejected back to hell.

    Descending in their true form would remove restrictions on their power, making it the best situation. However, if they descended in their true form for no good reason and were ‘purified,’ they would die permanently, so their preference for this varied depending on the demon’s personality.

    Those for whom immediate pleasure was important would appear immediately whenever an opportunity arose, regardless of the consequences, while those who looked further ahead would exercise extreme caution.

    ‘…That was the description in the in-game documents.’

    The demon that mutated the Knight Commander of the Golden Twilight Knights had quite a cautious personality.

    It knew very well that descending in its true form in such a place was madness, especially with Kaikilia, who could easily tear apart mere demons with her holy sword, right next to them.

    That’s why it borrowed his body. Because he was quite strong, it could exert great power, and even if he died, the demon’s true form would remain unharmed.

    This was all in the in-game documents.

    “Minerva-nim. Just a moment.”

    “What is it, child?”

    I raised my arm and stopped Minerva-nim. The blue light gathering at the tip of her staff scattered back into the air. Her eyes, filled with question, fixed on me.

    “Don’t be surprised, just listen. That one, a demon has possessed its body.”

    “…A demon, you say?”

    Minerva-nim’s expression stiffened. Even though I was saying something absurd about a demon descending in the middle of the Imperial Palace, she seemed to trust my words very firmly. If this was the case, things would proceed a bit faster.

    “Yes. And His Majesty the Emperor is probably confined in his bedchamber. A magical barrier will be surrounding it.”

    That one was quite intelligent. It was definitely not trying to possess someone and cause chaos in the middle of the Imperial Palace without any insurance, with Kaikilia standing firmly there.

    It had used magic employed by humans to set up many barriers around Kaikilia’s bedchamber. One could break it if they exerted full power, but to such a delicate level that the Imperial Palace and the capital would be destroyed along with it.

    No matter how Kaikilia possessed unparalleled might among humans, along with the Popes, releasing the barrier without breaking it was a matter of an entirely different dimension.

    ‘Well, it’s probably an excuse for why the player, not the Emperor, has to take care of the demon that appeared in the Imperial Palace.’

    For your information, the Emperor would only emerge after the player had defeated that thing.

    Most demons had incredibly strong pride and would rather die than use human magic, but it was said that such a demon was the first of its kind in the history of the continent.

    “Then, does that mean I should go and release that barrier?”

    “The air around the bedchamber will be contaminated by the demon. Without holy spells, even Minerva-nim wouldn’t be able to last long.”

    This wasn’t a matter of skill, but of compatibility. Even Minerva-nim couldn’t purify an environment contaminated by demons without holy spells.

    It wasn’t simply contaminated by demons; it was a trap deliberately created to kill those who approached the bedchamber, making it even more so.

    That demon also used its head quite a bit. It had trapped Kaikilia with ordinary magic to make it difficult for her to use her holy sword, and scattered demonic energy outside the barrier, blocking even Minerva-nim’s intervention.

    “…I see. I understand.”

    Minerva-nim didn’t try to save face and cleanly gave up. She seemed to have grasped that trying would only harm herself.

    “His Majesty will certainly be able to break through the barrier himself. So, Minerva-nim, please head to the Holy Nation and just inform them that a demon has appeared. And leave the rest to the Holy Nation.”

    In the game, since the player had to do everything alone, it was impossible to seek help from an Inquisitor or an Inquisition Judge, but not here. I could borrow the Holy Nation’s hand as much as I wanted.

    If I absolutely had to, it was possible to defeat it alone, but I didn’t want to choose the roundabout way when there was an easy path. It would be different if it was a situation where I had no choice but to fight alone.

    “I understand. Please be careful, child.”

    Minerva-nim left only those words and disappeared without even a magic circle. I wondered what she had found in the Crystal Scroll that changed her teleportation like that.

    ‘…I can ask about that later, so let’s focus.’

    I turned my head towards the place where the golden and silver armors were confronting each other.

    Partly because I stopped right after turning the corner, and partly because they were all focused on that golden Knight Commander and had no time to look elsewhere, no one had noticed me yet.

    Putting as much power as possible into my abdomen, I shouted in a resounding voice.

    “RIJE!!!!!!”

    As Rije’s name echoed through the corridor, the armored figures wearing helmets all turned their heads simultaneously.

    “Delta?! How did you get here?”

    As if she hadn’t expected me to appear here at all, her voice was noticeably flustered.

    “I’ll explain that later, so leave this to me and all of you retreat! It’s possessed by a demon, so you guys can’t handle it!”

    “A demon?!”

    The startled knights instinctively took a step back, creating distance. If they had the skill level to work in the Imperial Palace, they would certainly have enough knowledge about what demons were.

    They would also know that they couldn’t harm demons. In the game, the Silver Dawn Knight Commanders would end up scattered throughout the Imperial Palace, injured after trying to stop that thing.

    It was only because I arrived much earlier thanks to Minerva-nim, but the original place to fight that guy was the Imperial Palace garden. It was proof that the initial attempt to stop him had failed.

    “…”

    Watching the golden armor’s helmet turn towards me, I drew the Wing-Lost Nightmare. The blade’s color began to change.

    Half golden, symbolizing the sun, and the other half silver, symbolizing the moon. Sunlight streamed in through the window, further enhancing the blade’s sanctity.

    I took a step forward. Whether it was because of the divine power flowing from the weapon, or because he ended up like that due to his inferiority complex towards me, his gaze was solely fixed on me.

    The silver and golden armors made way to the left and right of the corridor. As I walked through the gap, gazes pricked me from both sides.

    “Delta, are you… going to be okay?”

    At the end of the path were Erica and Claudia.

    “Of course I’ll be fine. You guys also take care of the kids and retreat far away. Control the area around the Imperial Palace, evacuate the people, and prevent anyone from going near His Majesty the Emperor’s bedchamber. Once you go there, you’ll understand why I told you to block it. But don’t go too close. Lest you get caught up in it too.”

    “But, Delta-ssi…”

    “Why would I do this? You guys know. Just do as I say, Erica.”

    Erica closed her mouth. It was the same for Claudia. The hand holding the weapon trembled.

    Without divine power, all they could do against a demon was be simple meat shields. No one in this place was unaware of that fact. That’s why they reacted that way.

    Claudia, who had been silent for a while, patted my shoulder and then turned towards her subordinates. Erica also whispered a brief “Be careful,” and followed Claudia.

    As Erica and Claudia gave up their stubbornness, Rije and Iris, seeing that, also gathered their subordinates and disappeared to the other side of the corridor. The surroundings instantly became empty.

    “Delta! Be careful!”

    Rije’s voice echoed for a moment, but as even that echo faded, complete silence finally settled.

    I briefly gauged the width of the corridor.

    ‘…It’s a bit narrow left and right.’

    No matter how wide the Imperial Palace corridor was, it was still nowhere near the width of a garden. If that guy used an area-of-effect skill here, the place to dodge would be a bit awkward.

    If things went wrong, there was a possibility that this entire section would collapse. Even if I flew and crawled alone, I couldn’t avoid a collapsing building.

    “…”

    From the moment it realized I had come here, it had been staring at me without a moment’s rest. It was natural, as I was probably the reason it succumbed to the demon’s temptation.

    “Didn’t I tell you not to have any foolish thoughts?”

    I sighed and opened my mouth.

    “I did express it vaguely, lest my words make you interested in the opposite way, but anyway, I even warned you, so what kind of state is that?”

    “…”

    It was still silent. I tried to buy as much time as possible by talking, but at this rate, forget talking, I might have to fight right away.

    There was no need to attack with the specific purpose of killing it. Since Minerva-nim went to the Holy Nation to ask for help, soon enough, either an Inquisitor or an Inquisition Judge would come here. I just needed to hold out until then.

    “Well, if you don’t want to talk, do as you please.”

    I gripped the Wing-Lost Nightmare with both hands.

    I still had things to test-whether the pillar of light that struck down against Behemoth was a one-time thing, or if it only activated against enemies-and this was perfect timing.

    I spread my legs shoulder-width apart and raised the Wing-Lost Nightmare above my head. Above my head, the blade began to glow. The golden armor was still not moving.

    “Once you’ve been thoroughly hit, your thoughts will probably change.”

    I brought my arm down vertically.

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