Blood Moon (2)

Having met the tribal chiefs and passed the ‘test,’ Shuriel was on his way back to Barhaya Ward, a massive hammer strapped to his back. The Hammer of Sukellos, a holy relic brimming with divine power. It was so large that even the tall Shuriel found it difficult to handle.

Whoosh! He swung the hammer through the air, and a shockwave erupted. Shuriel was extremely pleased with the weapon he’d received from the tribal chiefs. His beloved sword ‘Karavan’ was also an exceptional weapon, but the weighty sensation he felt with the hammer, something he couldn’t experience with a longsword, captivated him.

In truth, when he first went to meet the tribal chiefs, he felt nothing but disappointment. They were cowards. The mere mention of catching demons sent them cowering in fear. He should have realized it from the start when they refused to leave Garkina Ward and remained holed up… Of course, they probably weren’t cowards from the beginning. Their wild instincts must have been suppressed in the civilized city.

The hammer on his back was proof that he had passed the Trial of Strength overseen by the Iron Bear Tribe and the Yellow Tiger Tribe. Shuriel had also received several authorities in addition to the hammer. Now he could cause a ruckus without worrying about the surrounding eyes. He was a noble, after all, so he was sensitive to diplomatic issues.

However.

“…What’s that?”

In the dark night, at the moment when only the hammer, glowing with divine power, was faintly trembling, a massive pillar of light came into view beyond his gaze. It was so huge and blindingly bright that it would be easily visible from anywhere.

But. That wasn’t all. The moon was turning red. Crimson, intensely so. Mesmerized by the moon, he stared blankly at the sky as red fragments like rose petals floated down and struck Shuriel’s cheek.

‘…Fragments of magic energy.’

Magic energy.

His mind snapped to attention. He could strongly sense the presence of demons. He didn’t know how they had manifested magic energy while ignoring the World Tree’s blessing, but it was proof that they had begun their activities in earnest. Was he too late? Annoyance surged within him, and Shuriel narrowed his eyes, gauging the distance. The pillar of light originated from Barhaya Ward.

He quickened his pace. As he moved, he confirmed that the surrounding mana was grotesquely distorted. A considerably wide area was twisted in such a way. However, he didn’t yet know what effect this distorted mana would have. Shuriel focused all his senses and remained vigilant.

-Keureureureu…

The howls of beasts echoed from all directions. As the red moon rose, the condition of the surrounding demi-humans became abnormal. They were all baring their teeth and growling. Enlarged muscles, raised claws. It was frenzy. A means of temporarily awakening their bestial instincts to increase combat power.

There was no reason within them. To them, Shuriel was nothing more than prey. The demi-humans’ gazes converged. Shuriel gripped his hammer and kicked off the ground.

“Get lost!”

Kung! He pushed away a charging demi-human and moved to a different spot. Shuriel retreated into a back alley before more demi-humans could gather. The demi-humans, who had retained a shred of reason even in frenzy, had become wild beasts. Ferocious predators consumed by rage.

-Ttalang.

As he ran, a faint bell sound rang out. The ringing bell tickled his ears regardless of distance. Shuriel swallowed hard. He looked at the sky again. The red moon. The blood-red sky. And. A giant, three-headed cat flying toward the pillar of light.

‘This is insane. Kud even showed up. What’s going on?’

When looking at history books or stories related to demons, the Demon King and his right-hand man, Barpeuagos, were the most frequently discussed, but there was one demon who appeared almost as often. Or rather, it was hard to call him a demon. He was just a cat. A three-headed cat.

‘I never thought I’d actually see a guy who only appeared in books.’

He wasn’t classified as a particularly threatening demon to humans, but the moment he appeared, the alert level was always raised to the highest. The three-headed cat, Kud, only came to places where death gathered. Massacre, war, accidents, whatever it might be.

The three-headed cat Kud invariably appeared when a harbinger of disaster occurred. He was just a cat who showed up and talked incessantly, but his appearance meant that things had usually spiraled into catastrophe. That’s why Kud was sometimes regarded as a death god by some demon worshippers. An entity who appeared at places where death occurred, only to watch.

He sprinted through the back alleys, taking the shortest route. He even infused his feet with Aura, running at full speed. He hadn’t expected them to appear so quickly… It was a mistake not to have prepared a separate communication network. After running like that for dozens of minutes, when he arrived at Barhaya Ward, it was already in complete chaos.

“Kuaaaaaaaah!!!”

“Sa, save me-“

Predation and prey. Wild instincts raged. The Red Fang Tribe, who dominated the Barhaya area, were hunting down the weaker tribes in droves. And it was happening in real time. Demi-humans with their necks and vital points torn out lay dead, catching his eye one after another. Shuriel left the gruesome scene behind and ran toward the pillar of light.

Among the scattered corpses was that of the Ra-Kuni Tribe boy who ran the inn. He was clutching the gold coins Shuriel had given him tightly in his hand, his eyes empty and growing cold. Even if it was just a fleeting connection, it still felt awful to see someone he knew dead.

‘Are they planning to start a war?’

This was not something a mere demon would do. Such large-scale chaos that Kud had even appeared. It was no different from a declaration of war against all life. Even among demons, this kind of thing was considered trolling. Demons liked to fight, but they weren’t particularly fond of war.

Just then, Shuriel heard a familiar shout.

“You scoundrel!!! Get lost!!!”

The voice of a dignified old man. It was the voice of his escort knight, Kalberd. He turned his head. Shuriel ran towards him under the red moonlight.

“Kalberd!”

Kalberd was surrounded by numerous demi-humans, fighting with difficulty. He hadn’t drawn his sword, but was using only the scabbard to subdue them.

“Master!”

Hearing Shuriel’s shout, Kalberd pushed away a demi-human with all his might. He blocked the claws flying from all directions and forced his way through. His cheek was torn, and his hair was cut. In that chaos, he hadn’t killed a single demi-human. Shuriel was dumbfounded. Was he trying to avoid diplomatic issues? He looked like he was about to die any second, what was he doing?

“You idiot! Get out of the way!”

He raised the Hammer of Sukellos and swung it horizontally. Kagagak! The force was enough to scrape the ground with pumice stone. The divine power contained in the hammer met Shuriel’s Aura, emitting a blue, bright light as it descended upon the world.

-Keugeuk?!

Whoosh! The demi-humans struck by the hammer flew away in a clump. They were only freed from the sensation of floating after colliding with the wall. Soon, their bodies slumped. They weren’t dead. He wanted to kill them if he could, but Shuriel figured there must be a reason why Kalberd hadn’t killed them.

Finally free from the demi-humans’ assault, Kalberd caught his breath and greeted his master.

“Heuek. Thank you for your help, Master.”

“Why didn’t you kill them?”

“How could this humble servant wield his sword without your permission, Master? By any chance, did you kill even one demi-human on your way here?”

“Ha! You don’t need permission for this kind of thing. Not even retaliating against a sword strike isn’t tolerance, it’s foolishness. First, to answer your question, I didn’t kill them. I didn’t even want to waste time swinging my sword.”

“Hueu. You did well. The Agent’s sword should only be directed at demons.”

“You.”

The words ‘bullshit’ almost reached his lips. Shuriel wanted to get angry at his stubbornness, but there wasn’t enough time.

“Stop talking nonsense and follow me. You saw that light too, right?”

“Of course. But.”

“But?”

“Keum. I’m not sure if I’ll be of any help in this state.”

“….”

He had too many cuts. He seemed physically exhausted as well. Come to think of it, he had said he was tired and went in first at the inn. Shuriel fell into thought, looking at Kalberd’s white beard. However, before Shuriel could open his mouth, Kalberd spoke first.

“Even so. Even with this old and ailing body. If I can be a meat shield, I will gladly follow.”

Shuriel made a quick decision.

“You’re taking a long way to ask to be retired. Understood. Step aside. I will personally draw up your retirement plan.”

He wasn’t the kind of guy who would force him to come along after hearing those words. And although he was scolding him like this, he was secretly relieved. He had been thinking of sending him back to the main family soon anyway. It was true that he had to serve Rushellini until he died due to the contract, but he didn’t intend to keep him tied down for that long.

“Retirement? How dare I-“

“You said you wanted to see your daughter, right? You better behave yourself, because I don’t know what I’ll say after this.”

“….”

He threw a potion and turned his back.

There were no more words.

‘The pillar of light is getting stronger.’

Shuriel grabbed his hammer and ran again.

There was no way Rania or Yujin wouldn’t have seen that pillar of light. If. If they had arrived before him. If the Sanctuary had been deployed before he could do anything. With the twin demons surviving, he couldn’t expect a good outcome. To a magician whose magic was blocked, a knight was a natural enemy.

He repeated his sprinting, and soon he was in the back alley. The road was winding, making it difficult to go straight. Instead of looking for a path, Shuriel swung his hammer, smashing through the walls as he moved forward.

‘The flow of mana has been cut off.’

As he continued to move straight ahead, Shuriel noticed that the flow of mana was strange. The mana was cut off. To be precise, the magic had disappeared. The fact that he couldn’t feel any magical currents meant-

‘They’ve set up a Sanctuary.’

And.

When he realized that.

-How long do you intend to hold out? Magician Yujin! If you want to save that Elf, accept the deal!

He heard an unforgettable voice from beyond. Kordil, the demon who had come to him at the top of the Labyrinth, holding the dying Yujin in his arms. That bastard had asked him for a deal. The content was simple. I’ll save Yujin, and he’ll save Pordil. Each of us retreats. At that time, he had accepted the deal without a moment’s hesitation to save Yujin.

‘There won’t be a second time.’

He walked towards the pillar of light, step by step. He held the hammer in both hands, his eyes gleaming fiercely. He armed himself with murderous intent, hoping he wasn’t too late. And so, when their figures finally came into view, Shuriel saw the red-haired magician standing in front of the collapsed Elf, enduring the numerous attacks flying at her.

‘Yujin.’

One of her arms had been torn off, and she had such a severe wound that her intestines were spilling out of her side. She was using her only remaining right arm to cover her side, wearing a bitter smile.

“I, refuse.”

“You’re willing to throw away your life to protect your comrade? If you die, that Elf will die too, you know?”

“Fuck, off.”

“What the hell-“

She had endured.

That was enough. Shuriel closed his eyes tightly and gathered divine power. He carefully stacked it inside so that it wouldn’t be repelled by the power of the Sanctuary. The divine power would become a booster, adding to the hammer’s power. The Hammer of Sukellos began to shine brighter as it received divine power.

Divine Radiance. The grace of God enveloped him. Shuriel felt the blessing bestowed by God and opened his eyes. White Eyes. His eyes shone pure white. Unlike before, his body was overflowing with power. He wasn’t consumed by desire, and his eyes weren’t blinded by darkness. This time, he would open his eyes and face them.

The pure white light, contrasting with the red pillar of light, illuminated the black market. There was no way the twin demons wouldn’t notice this brilliant light, and they stopped their attacks on Yujin and looked towards the source of the light.

“The Agent, Rushellini.”

Shuriel ignored the astonished demons’ gazes. He turned his eyes to Yujin, who was still standing on her two feet, and said.

“Yujin. Just one question. Am I late?”

Yujin spat out blood-mixed saliva and answered.

“Haeu. Yes. You’re late. You took 27 minutes. What were you doing that made you so late?”

“I’m sorry. I’ll explain later.”

“Haeuk. Okay. After it’s over, will you help me put my guts back in?”

Just a little more.

It would have been nice if she had cherished her body more. Shuriel swallowed his regretful thoughts and swung his hammer instead of answering.

Light illuminated the darkness.

Dawn bloomed.