Ch.150Chapter 6. Hellfire Peninsula (7)

“Wow!

Scullian!

It’s like absolute hell.”

That’s what this demon makes you say.

Having “consumed” dozens of Academy trainees in Jindo, even including middle and high school students, there’s no reason to let it live.

After killing ability users and causing a bridge collapse that resulted in hundreds of casualties, even the government won’t want to keep it alive.

Someone has to kill this demon.

Even if Ymir scolds me later, I’m going to eliminate this demon right here and now.

“Kihaha! Goblin! Gobliiiin!”

Scullian looked at me, its bones clicking.

I launched a physical attack using my meteor fall technique with Qiongqi’s magical barrier, but apart from some white powder crumbling from its joints, it showed no visible damage.

It was definitely demonstrating durability worthy of its S-class rating.

And despite being corrupted, its strategy and tactics still showed S-class ability.

[Kim Ye-ji. A-class ability user.]

“…!!”

Scullian’s body stiffened.

[What? Did you think I wouldn’t know what the government discovered?]

“N-no, I’m not Kim Ye-ji…!”

[Denial is pointless. Your identity is already exposed. The Taegeuk Watch signals from the people you devoured are emanating from inside you.]

The Taegeuk Watch is both a GPS and a personal surveillance tracking device.

Among the 20 ability users dispatched to Jindo, the only one who moved quickly alone, jumping from place to place with life signals disappearing wherever they appeared, had Kim Ye-ji’s Taegeuk Watch.

[Well, I don’t particularly care who you are. I just find it unsettling to kill someone without knowing their name.]

“Sh-shut up…! You villain!”

[Villain executioner, actually. Demon executioner too.]

I grabbed my club and stretched it sideways.

The elongated club became like a staff, and I infused magic into its tip, spreading flames.

[Since ancient times, our ancestors used fire to exterminate pests.]

Whoosh.

I firmly gripped the middle of the staff with one hand and loosely held the end with the other, spinning it around.

[You are evil to humanity, a pest to Earth. Trash threatening world peace.]

With that, Qiongqi’s magic flowing through the staff’s tip began to spin like a weight at the end.

[Letting you live would taint the world, so I’ll dispose of you with fire right here.]

“Y-you lunatic…! What nonsense is a villain spouting!”

[I’m saying this because I’m a villain. We’re an organization aiming to conquer the world. Those people over there aren’t civilians, but future members of the organization we’ll rule.]

They are members and constituents of the organization called the world.

[I’m not protecting civilians. I’m just saving potential members for our Syndicate.]

“Ha, nonsense…! Seems like you’ve been watching some classic dark hero stuff, but you’re still just a villain!”

[And you’re a demon.]

Pabababa!

Bone spikes erupted high from Scullian’s back.

Like a fountain, the bone spikes shot almost vertically into the air before slowly beginning to fall.

“Kyahaha! Try to block this! Indiscriminate bombardment!”

[…….]

“Huh…?”

Scullian was bewildered.

I continued spinning the flaming staff tip without stopping my attack preparation.

Whether or not the bone spikes fell on civilians.

“Y-you madman…! Right now, I’m targeting people-“

[For the greater good, I can accept the sacrifice of a few.]

That’s not exactly true, but I can lie all I want to shake Scullian’s mental state.

[Killing you is the way to save the many people behind me.]

“Kuh, khuhuhu! Are you saying the people living on this island aren’t even human?!”

[I’m saying they’re not who I’m protecting right now.]

Whoosh!

A massive fireball ignited at the end of my staff.

Seeing flames larger than my body blazing, Scullian slowly backed away, but soon the demon realized.

[And thanks to you aiming at people, it’s actually easier to block.]

Ice feathers flew from behind, scattering to both sides.

Each feather flew directly into the path of the falling bone spikes, and the spikes that pierced the white feathers froze in mid-air before slowly falling.

Thud, thud-thud, thud.

[Too bad. Your temporary outburst failed.]

As expected of Baek Seol-hee.

Just as I had countered her ice feather barrage in Gangwon-do by sending flames along the feathers’ trajectories to detonate them, Baek Seol-hee applied that technique to protect people from Scullian.

[No one died. Rather underwhelming effect for an S-class demon’s technique.]

“Sh-shut up!”

[You killed the people here and ate them bones and all, right? Made mana powder on the spot and drank it.]

“…Heh, hehehe.”

Scullian’s skull began to rotate counterclockwise.

“That’s right. It was delicious. Mana powder, too precious to just inhale as powder. So I ate them whole, bones and all. Kihihit!”

[Foolish, stupid, and oblivious.]

“What…?”

[Do you think I’m bothering to talk to you, busy as I am, because I want to hear your review of eating people and inhaling mana powder? Foolish creature.]

If I could buy even a little time, and civilians could evacuate from the battlefield during that time, the fight would become easier.

[There’s no one to interfere. No targets for you to waste your power on. Right in front of you is me, the Goblin.]

I’ve become somewhat indifferent to civilian casualties as long as they’re not caused by me, but it would still be troublesome if the demon grabbed civilians as shields during the fight.

In S-class combat, a moment’s hesitation can determine victory or defeat.

[Heroes have rescued all civilians, so all that’s left is for me to deal with you.]

“Kuh, khuhuhu…! Y-you tricked me…?! Drawing my attention with conversation while the vermin…!”

[Seems you didn’t learn properly at the Academy. Don’t you know that when a villain unnecessarily speaks at length, it’s always to buy time?]

Whoosh!

Before finishing my sentence, I gripped the staff and charged forward.

“Kyaak!”

[And I don’t bother with attack declarations.]

I struck while still talking.

I swung the flaming staff hard, hitting the demon squarely between the eyes, and flames began to spread across Scullian’s skull.

“Kuh, kyaak!!”

[Stop exaggerating.]

I jumped right onto Scullian’s skull.

Scullian planted its spine on the ground and twisted its limb bones toward me, but-

Swish!

“Wh-what?!”

Ice chains extended from all directions, pulling on Scullian’s wrists and ankles.

“S-Snow White…! You’re siding with the Goblin?!”

“I’m not siding with anyone, just eliminating a demon.”

Having rescued all salvageable people in just minutes, Baek Seol-hee stood exactly where I had been standing and stretched both arms to the sides.

“Bone-splitting demon, Scullian. Kim Ye-ji. Age 22. According to national law, I will eliminate you.”

“Ki, hihihit…! Look at this! Snow White, you and the Goblin have that kind of relationship! A hero and villain joining hands to kill me! Ebebeh! Ollerikolleri! She’s having that kind of relationship with a villain! The two of you are having se-“

[You really have no filter.]

Thud!

I channeled magic into the staff’s tip and struck downward hard.

The sharpened nail-like end of my goblin club penetrated Scullian’s skull, and Scullian began to tremble its spine in apparent shock.

“Uh, uh…?! Why…?! How…!”

[Body enhancement ability. You hardened your bones to diamond-like toughness. S-class durability.]

I gripped the club with both hands.

[But you know what? A goblin is best at cracking the heads of villains and demons.]

“Kuh, aaagh!”

Scullian flared up.

Its spine bones shot upward toward me, and I dodged to the side with my club.

Whoosh!

Scullian’s hand swatted at me.

Before being caught, I quickly twisted my body, rolling between the fingers to land on the ground.

“Kuh, aah, no…! Bones, I need more bones…! Mana…!”

[Exposed now.]

Thump, thump.

Through the slightly cracked skull, flesh began to appear.

Whether to call it a brain, or a mass of human muscle, flesh, and organs combined into one, I’m not sure, but it was certainly disgusting enough.

Swish!

Ice chains began to seep into every bone joint, restraining Scullian.

[May I finish this?]

“Are you going to kill it?”

[It needs to be disposed of. Unless that person appears to purify it while I’m attacking.]

“…I’ll leave it to you. At least for now.”

[Very well.]

I stood facing Scullian and lightly placed my hands on my waist.

[Transform.]

[Mask Change—!]

In an instant, I transformed from the Goblin with flowing robes to Goblin [Qiongqi Form].

“Are you going to walk over and split it with your toes again…?”

[No. For times like this, we go with the classic.]

The boss said it.

To capture people’s attention, make it as flashy as possible.

[Time to finish this.]

[Final Attack-RIDE.]

Flutter.

[Black Flame Demon Dragon. Convert. Fire Wing Soaring Sky.]

[Burn—Blast!!]

I spread crimson fire wings behind my back and soared high.

One.

Two.

Three.

And as per the promised pose, I lightly kicked off the air and stepped forward with one foot.

[Vermilion Bird Meteor Kick.]

[BLAZING VORTEX!!]

The fire wings gathered at my foot, wrapping around it like a lance and beginning to swirl like a vortex.

With those flames enveloping me.

[RIDER—]

I channeled all of Qiongqi’s magic into my foot and descended toward Scullian.