Ch.141Demon Realm (7)

# Demon Realm (7)

This won’t work.

Esmeralda knew that this was a fight she couldn’t win.

From the beginning, there was no way she could gain the upper hand against an opponent stronger than herself, especially one who stood higher in the same domain.

Eleven knew more about swords than she did.

With his exceptional understanding, Esmeralda couldn’t help but feel like her swordsmanship was being dismantled piece by piece.

“As expected of a hero! Are you getting used to it now?”

Esmeralda was holding on. There was nothing else she could do but endure.

She was using every means at her disposal to face Eleven.

A rapier thrust from behind, tearing through her cloak.

A scythe swung horizontally like harvesting an ankle.

A battle axe striking down on her shoulder and a dagger flying silently from a blind spot.

All the means at her disposal were wielded through the power of the Igier Sword.

The best strikes delivered with weapons, each specialized in different abilities.

“Who’s getting used to what?!”

Eleven was responding to all of it naturally.

And as if he was becoming accustomed to Esmeralda’s methods, his movements were becoming more economical.

In this situation, Esmeralda felt a chill down her spine just from blocking Eleven’s sword.

‘He’s pushing me back step by step. If this continues, I’ll die.’

Esmeralda was doing as much as Eleven had admired.

Just as she had stolen and learned Fellheim Senova’s swordsmanship during their duel, she was now stealing and learning Eleven’s swordsmanship while facing him.

If time continued to flow like this, she might be able to secure an advantage.

But there wasn’t enough time.

“Come now! If you keep retreating like that, all that awaits you is a cliff!”

Eleven intended to end this before Esmeralda could fully adapt.

Moreover, he was showing her the process. Esmeralda was busy stepping backward while blocking Eleven’s sword strikes, and behind her was a cliff.

Of course, she wouldn’t die just from falling off a cliff.

She had the physical ability to kick off the ground and jump back up even if she fell.

But what lay at the bottom of the cliff wasn’t solid ground, but a river of death saturated with demonic energy.

If her body was submerged in it for even a moment, Esmeralda, being human, would dissolve as if dipped in deadly poison.

No, not just Esmeralda.

Even demons couldn’t approach that river. It was literally a river of death.

It was because of this place with such a river that pacifists like Abaddon could gather and live here.

It meant they lived in a place where others wouldn’t.

“Now! Now! This too… hm?”

At that moment, Eleven’s movement stopped for an instant.

Eleven was aware of all of Esmeralda’s attacks. He was calculating the trajectory of each of the 12 weapons she wielded.

In such a situation, what could grab his ankle was none other than—

Black Magic

Six Realms Manifestation – Hungry Ghost Realm

[Grasp of Craving]

Lug had begun to cover for Esmeralda, not with divine authority, but with crude magic.

“Don’t interfere and just stay crushed! Mr. Lug!”

It was a meaningless act.

Just now, Eleven’s ankle was caught because he was careless, but the same method wouldn’t work again.

Moreover, the variable called Lug began to enter Eleven’s field of vision as he persistently pushed Esmeralda back.

“I can’t do that. If I can buy even a little time, wouldn’t that greatly increase our chances of winning?”

“If you don’t want to get stabbed for being a nuisance, stay crushed!”

Lug’s judgment wasn’t wrong.

What Esmeralda needed now was time to get used to Eleven’s sword strikes and achieve another level of growth.

Right now, she was being pushed to the edge of the cliff before completing that process. If someone could buy even a little time, it would be a great help.

But Esmeralda knew.

Lug was truly useless. The fact that he caught Eleven’s ankle for a moment was just a coincidence, and the only ankle-grabbing he could do now was one more.

“You’ll die if you don’t dodge this one, Legion Commander Eleven.”

He’s using divine authority.

Both of them knew that it could make the situation worse. In such a situation, making such a gamble meant he didn’t really intend to use it.

In other words, it was a life-or-death bluff.

Clap!

As Lug clapped his hands, blue flames sparked and began to flicker between his palms.

A flame resembling the sky that seemed to draw you in just by looking at it.

The moment that flame bloomed, Eleven, who had been pushing Esmeralda back, turned his body and swung his sword.

Keeeeeeeng!

With a ghostly wail, Eleven’s strike tore through space along with the ground.

Lug blocked that sword strike as if catching it, with flames cupped in both hands.

“Hah…!”

He diverted to defense an ability that should have been used for attack.

A foolish method, like not firing an explosion spell but holding it in hand and swinging it.

The blue flames burned through Eleven’s sword energy entirely, but Lug bore the impact himself.

He took the burden with his body to ensure his attack wouldn’t give Eleven any insight.

“Kuk.”

After burning through Eleven’s sword energy like that, Lug staggered with a painful groan. His palms, which had held the blue flames, were now streaming with red blood.

“I don’t understand.”

Seeing Lug like this, Eleven frowned.

It was an incomprehensible action. And that meant there was some unknown reason that he couldn’t understand.

It was extremely irritating.

“I’ll have to deal with you first.”

Eleven immediately turned and rushed at Lug.

“Where do you think you’re going!”

And Esmeralda followed right behind Eleven.

Just as Eleven was about to cut off Lug’s head, Esmeralda’s sword flew in as if to pierce Eleven’s heart.

“…”

In that split second.

Eleven had no choice but to change direction to avoid Esmeralda’s attack instead of beheading Lug.

Of course, it would be putting the cart before the horse if he died instead of killing Lug, but there wasn’t a trace of fear in Lug’s expression as he faced death.

Eleven had to frown again at the sight of the two throwing themselves to protect each other with their lives.

They were formidable opponents. Not in physical strength, but in mental fortitude.

He couldn’t leave such opponents behind.

Tat!

Therefore, Eleven dodged Esmeralda’s attack with an exaggerated movement and flew behind Lug.

After rotating once in the air like that, Eleven’s field of vision finally captured both of them simultaneously.

Kagagagak!

Landing from the air and regaining his posture, Eleven sheathed his sword from a distance.

“What…?”

Esmeralda hesitated, unable to understand.

The stance Eleven took was that of iaijutsu. Pulling out a flashy technique with no practical use here?

Just that alone made Esmeralda feel a chill down her spine.

“Tch!”

Seeing Eleven preparing for iaijutsu with his body lowered, Esmeralda chose defense over counterattack.

She lined up all her weapons in a row and infused her holy sword with spiritual energy to block Eleven’s sword.

It would likely be impossible to respond by sight.

If so, she would block with all her might.

Keeeeeeeeeng!

Eleven’s sword was drawn again with a ghostly wail.

At that moment, a blue color mixed with the eerie red spiritual energy.

“Huh…?”

The moment she saw that color, Esmeralda felt her mind go blank.

Because that blue color resembled the authority she had witnessed many times.

And as she thought that, scenes from the past flashed through Esmeralda’s mind like a kaleidoscope.

-Watch carefully, it’ll be over in an instant.

Garnet and Varuna beginning to fight.

An insignificant being intervening between the two who were causing natural disasters.

The moment a small spark rose on Lug’s palm, the two figures collapsed.

-How did it look?

-Even if you ask how it looked… I just saw the two of them get hit by a spark and then collapse with an “ugh!” That’s all.

A situation she couldn’t understand.

-Well, it’s natural that it looked that way. The power we use has a completely different perception.

The reason why it had to be that way.

A one-sided attack from those standing a level above, which couldn’t be perceived.

The moment she recalled all this, Esmeralda could see it.

“Ah…”

The red attack tinged with blue color flying at tremendous speed.

That attack didn’t break the weapons Esmeralda had lined up for defense, but passed through them.

A strike from an old master with one foot in transcendence, standing a level above, depicting a world beyond life that couldn’t be perceived.

Tak!

Someone pushed Esmeralda’s body as she lost words at the sight.

“Mr. Lug…?”

Lug, who embraced Esmeralda, once again ignited blue flames and took Eleven’s strike on his back.

“Kuk!”

There was no way he could block it.

It’s impossible to fully withstand an attack accompanied by such powerful physical force just by igniting flames.

“Like this…”

Lug didn’t resist and rode the impact.

Embracing Esmeralda, he was blown to the edge of the cliff and fell.

“For now, let’s live to fight another day.”

And so, the two fell over the edge of the cliff, out of Eleven’s sight.

***

“Kuk… Cough…”

Esmeralda staggered as she crawled out of the river contaminated with demonic energy.

And in her hand, she was dragging Lug, who had thrown himself to protect her.

It was dangerous. The river contaminated with demonic energy was still giving her a tingling sensation, but Esmeralda could breathe a sigh of relief.

‘Because Eleven turned his body.’

They were away from the edge of the cliff.

‘Because Mr. Lug took that attack and jumped off the cliff.’

Eleven’s pursuit was delayed.

‘Thanks to that, we survived.’

Eleven rushed to the edge of the cliff belatedly, but it was impossible to find Lug and Esmeralda who had already submerged into the river.

They found a way out in the midst of danger.

If they had been gradually pushed back by Eleven’s sword as before, they would have lost their lives to a follow-up attack the moment they fell.

“…”

Esmeralda examined the unconscious Lug.

His back was already in tatters, and he was on the brink of death from throwing himself into the river contaminated with demonic energy.

“Didn’t you know this would happen?”

Lug could die.

And knowing that situation, he still tried to save Esmeralda.

Esmeralda feared Lug’s incomprehensible nature.

Sometimes acting like he would kill her, and other times risking his life to save her.

In the process, he even threw away his own life, so Esmeralda simply couldn’t understand Lug.

And every time she saw such behavior, Esmeralda was afraid.

“Just what kind of person are you?”

Why? Why on earth?

She was afraid of this moment when she felt gratitude, felt affection for someone she disliked, someone she should dislike for countless reasons.

Because she had seen her companions.

Because she had seen what blind people could do when they went crazy.

The assumption that she could become like that was too frightening.

“Mr. Lug…”

Even now.

Esmeralda poked Lug’s cheek as he lay collapsed, and smiled broadly.

And realizing what she had done, she flinched.

This affection is a sin.

It’s fear and shackles.

But she couldn’t assert that such feelings were bad.

“Haah…”

Complicated emotions.

She must be weakened mentally due to her severe injuries.

It’s hard to make excuses like that anymore.

“What should I do.”

Esmeralda stared at the collapsed Lug and thought.

There was nothing wrong with the way her companions looked at her.

There was no room for excuses anymore.

“You are…”

Yes, Lug, the baggage carrier of the hero’s party and a spy for the Demon Lord’s army.

Too unsightly to declare love for.

Yet too close to dismiss as just a comrade.

Neither one nor the other, making Esmeralda worry just by existing.

‘The burden on my heart.’

He had become something lodged in a corner of her heart.