Ch.132Chapter 132. A Heart Torn Out

Completely surrounded, Rainford.

Yet Lin watched him tensely.

This wouldn’t end here.

That young ambitious man still had blind faith in himself.

“Surrender, Rainford.”

Airan climbed onto the platform and pointed his sword.

The once handsome and tall shield knight’s face was now twisted in ugly denial of his defeat.

“Heh… hehehehehe HAHAHAHAHA!”

“You’re laughing?”

Suddenly Rainford burst into laughter.

Though it seemed like he might have lost his mind, Airan and Garin remained on guard.

In reality, the shield knight had no clever tricks left.

While laughing loudly, he was desperately trying to come up with something—anything—to get out of this situation.

He didn’t need an elaborate plan, just some quick thinking to escape this moment.

Whether it would work or not, Rainford decided to just go for it.

“Lin! How remarkable that you continue to pretend to be on humanity’s side even after suffering such humiliation!”

“Are you still spouting such nonsense?!”

His claim was so absurd that everyone in the square froze.

Even Lin was momentarily dumbfounded, wondering if he was still sticking to that concept.

“Since the situation is unfavorable, I’ll cut to the chase. The porter Lin has long since fallen to demonkind. He’s merely hiding it!”

“Stop lying! I’ve already testified to Sir Lin’s noble deeds!”

“You don’t understand, priest! Under the grand cause of demon victory, his other minor actions are just tricks to win humanity’s favor!”

Even as Ruben stepped forward to refute him, Rainford refused to back down.

“How do you intend to prove that? Lin is clearly human, as you can see.”

The magician’s intervention backfired as Rainford seized on her question.

“Then how do you explain those arms corrupted by demonic energy?”

Arsil felt her mind go blank.

In her confession, she had omitted how the hero’s party had forced Lin to touch the Demon King’s horn with his bare hands.

How could she make such a mistake? The saint cried out in anguish.

“That happened because we forced Lin to handle the Demon King’s horn right after we defeated him! We thought the demonic energy would dissipate since the Demon King was dead, so we made him touch it with bare hands and left it untreated until it worsened!”

But people who had noticed Lin’s blackened hands began to back away from him.

“It’s just as Arsil says. It was our fault for not explaining earlier. Lin is merely a victim!”

“Damn it! How foolish!”

The magician hastily explained while Arsil blamed herself.

Seeing the tide turning, the shield knight tried to speak again, but Airan quickly cut in.

“Whatever the case, arresting you takes priority. Remember that you’re also charged with the assassination of His Imperial Majesty and imperial contempt. If you claim innocence, you can explain yourself at a public trial after being arrested, just like the porter was!”

“We’re already in a public trial and I’m explaining myself!”

“You shallow bastard! All troops, arrest Rainford!”

Following Airan’s order, Rowellina’s elite soldiers rushed toward Rainford.

“Imperial guards, stand aside! I don’t want innocent casualties!”

At Garin’s shout, the imperial guards who had been standing with Rainford hesitated, then stepped aside.

Rainford gritted his teeth at how easily the guards abandoned him.

As he considered whether to show force, Rowellina’s soldiers approached with spears at the ready.

The lead soldier thrust his spear forward.

At that moment,

“You seem to be in trouble~”

“It was a flimsy plan from the start.”

“Hmph, just a greenhorn through and through.”

The Demon Warriors appeared.

Salamei struck down the soldier’s spear and stabbed him in return.

Adora, still wrapped in bandages from head to toe.

Denaruah, who slashed through approaching soldiers with a wide arc of her blade.

All the Demon Warriors had appeared in Kaul Island of all places.

“Damn it…!”

They should have been subdued at the demon army frontline.

Otherwise, they would join the final battle like this.

Though Lin knew there had been no other option at the time, he looked at the Demon Warriors with a troubled expression.

“Greenhorn, are you alright?”

Despite Lin’s hostile gaze, Denaruah asked Rainford with concern in her voice.

But Rainford, sensing his complete defeat with their arrival, pointed accusingly at Lin until the end.

“Look! The Demon Warriors have appeared to save the corrupted porter!”

“What?! What nonsense are you spouting, bastard!”

“Think about it! How could a non-combatant porter possibly stand against Demon Warriors at the demon army frontline? It was all staged to win humanity’s favor!”

No one believed him.

Denaruah was already hurling insults at the shield knight.

Salamei and Adora also gave Rainford looks of disgust.

Realizing he was shouting alone, Rainford stopped his forced claims.

“Hah…”

He swept back his fallen hair in an unnecessarily stylish gesture.

“It’s not working.”

But the vile smile that followed made him look like nothing more than a snake.

And seeing that smile, someone’s anger exploded to the very top of their head.

“Estel Style Secret Technique.”

Hero Luci, who had been alone below the platform, struck the ground and soared into the air.

She jumped so high that she appeared as a mere dot against the sun.

“Sky Smash!”

“Everyone get back! Retreat!”

Recognizing the indiscriminate destructive attack, Airan ordered his soldiers to fall back.

Everyone on the platform scattered in panic, creating as much distance as possible, and in that moment, Luci’s attack struck Rainford’s shield.

CRACK-!

The massive shield was torn apart like paper.

“Ugh!”

The arm that blocked the attack trembled violently.

“I’m sick of your lies.”

The emotionless voice chilled Rainford to the bone.

“Luciena… if it’s now, I might seriously consider your courtship.”

“Wrong.”

A vengeful aura enveloped the Abyss blade.

The greatsword seemed to grow even sharper.

“You should have begged me to kill you with as little pain as possible.”

She raised Abyss above her head, glancing sideways at Lin.

Are you watching, Lin?

I’m going to cut off my dirty past right here.

Please keep watching.

“I’m torn between splitting you vertically from the crown of your head, or cutting off all your limbs and leaving just the torso.”

“Luciena, I—!”

“DON’T CALL MY NAME WITH THAT FILTHY MOUTH!!!!!!!”

[Estel Style Secret Technique: Sky Smash]

The rage-filled strike fell like judgment from the heavens.

Without even a shield, Rainford made the futile gesture of crossing his arms to block.

Luci was certain she could kill the shield knight this time.

CLANG!

“Huh…?”

But the hero’s attack was blocked by a suddenly appearing crimson shield.

“What is this…?”

“Everyone get back! What is this impossible demonic energy?!”

While Luci was confused, Arsil, recognizing the Demon God’s exclusive item, urgently warned of the danger.

Airan and Garin also retreated uneasily, keeping their distance.

“Rainford, you! You’re the one who joined hands with demonkind!”

“I didn’t join hands. I merely borrowed power.”

The shield knight was in a very unpleasant state.

His plan had been shattered.

His supposedly perfect scheme had fallen apart.

He was genuinely impressed.

It was definitely Lin who had created the opening that destroyed his plan.

He had felt something was off when he heard Lin had been captured so easily.

“You’ve forced me to use my last resort. A most inelegant method.”

The shield knight closed the distance with the hero who was about to swing Abyss.

Before she could react to his speed, faster than even Salamei’s, Luci was knocked down by his shield tackle.

“Gah!”

“Luci!”

The time had come.

Lin urgently called out to Tigria.

“Tigria! Now!”

“…!”

The signal.

The magician pulled out a skill scroll from her bosom.

[Judgment: End of Selfishness], which she had been carefully saving for this moment, was in Tigria’s hand.

But after taking down Luci, Rainford rushed toward Lin and grabbed him by the throat.

“Kuh!”

“Don’t move, magician. That scroll gives me a very bad feeling. Move a finger and the porter’s neck will snap. Like the Emperor’s.”

“RAINFORD!!!!! WHAT ARE YOU PLANNING!!!!”

As Lin’s life was threatened, the Demon Warriors, led by Denaruah, surrounded him.

Each of them emanated a murderous aura.

“If Lin gets hurt even slightly, I’ll pulverize you.”

The spear wielder gritted her teeth.

“I’ll make you experience the worst nightmare.”

The illusionist opened her fan.

“I’ll invite you to hell’s torture chamber.”

Denaruah drew her twin swords.

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Mere dogs of the Demon God daring to bite their master!”

Rainford didn’t even blink in the face of the Demon Warriors.

Instead, he laughed loudly and tightened his grip on Lin’s throat.

[Be careful, if Lin dies, your awakening ends too.]

This voice was not meant for the shield knight.

The sun was obscured by darkness, showing less light than the moon, and under the dark sky, the Demon God’s voice echoed.

[Now I will do what I intended to do.]

A chilling tone that seemed to rattle the skull.

[I will take what should have been mine-!!!!]

WHOOSH-!!!!

With the Demon God’s declaration, demonic energy exploded outward from Rainford.

In the strong wind and wave of demonic energy, Tigria lost her grip on the scroll.

“Ah?!”

She reached for the flying scroll, but seeing it disappear into the darkness, Tigria swallowed her scream.

And at that moment,

“AAAAAAAAAHHHHH-!!!!!!!!”

“LIN!!!!!!”

Rainford’s shield ‘Chaos’ was pressed against Lin’s chest, emitting an ominous red light.

As soon as the shield touched him, Lin screamed in agony.

It was excruciating pain, as if his bones were being torn and his organs squeezed.

Seeing this, Ravin also covered her mouth in horror.

“RAINFORD-!!!! I’LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU!”

“Denaruah!”

“Tear him apart! Now!”

Salamei, Adora, and Denaruah recognized the shield knight as their enemy and charged.

But before their weapons could reach him, Lin’s sealed dark emotions were materialized and pulled out through the shield.

His heart, bound tightly with colorless chains, resembled a shackled prisoner.

“Reveal it! Your darkness! Your corruption sealed by the goddess!”

“AAAAAAHHHHH-!!!”

“We must save Lin!!”

The hero’s party also charged belatedly, but,

“Behold! The greatest demon that you humans have created yourselves!”

Lin’s dark emotions, which began to swell into a massive sphere, engulfed everyone in the square.

All that remained were the shield knight, the three Demon Warriors, and the enormous black sphere.

“What have you done to Lin?!”

“Don’t whine. I’m showing you the completion of corruption, as you wanted.”

“If you break all the sealing chains at once, Lin won’t be able to handle it! He’ll lose his sense of self and go berserk!”

“It doesn’t matter. He’ll become my nourishment anyway.”

“With the Demon God at your back, you’ve lost all reason, Rainford!”

Finally, Adora exploded in anger, even dropping formalities with him.

At that moment, a spear of blue magical energy illuminated the darkness.

“Denaruah, I’ll handle him.”

“Salamei?”

“You and Adora need to tell those inside about a solution quickly.”

“It’s too dangerous alone!”

“Lin is in danger!”

The dual swordswoman bit her lip and sent a telepathic message to ‘her’ who she sensed inside the sphere.

To her, with whom she had the deepest bad blood.

“You’re struggling. Fine. Before the main dish that is Lin, let me absorb the appetizer that is the Demon Warriors.”

“You damn bastard, you were after us too?”

She needed to engage in close combat to prevent him from doing anything reckless.

She couldn’t fight on horseback.

Salamei infused even more magical energy into her spear.

“Such tempting power. I shall savor it.”

[I was planning to deal with you soon anyway. I’ll let you enjoy this final entertainment, Demon Warriors.]

“I will never forgive you!!”

Ironically, the first to begin the final battle were the shield knight and the Demon Warriors.