Ch.208208. Rapid Battle

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In the inner world of the mental landscape, Valkarsus was looking outside with a worried expression.

“…Will this really be alright?”

“What do you mean?”

“…”

Valkarsus’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Calivan sitting beside him, completely prepared to watch the spectacle.

It was ironic that he had orchestrated this situation, yet maintained such a carefree attitude.

“…Isn’t this what that man was so worried about? These women gathering in one place like this.”

Even in his battered state, Darwood Campbell clearly intended to keep all the Demonic Vessels from getting involved in this incident.

Even as the situation escalated, he tried to keep them away from the center of it all—where the Red Demon’s Vessel existed.

“…Demonic energy reacts violently when it meets other demonic energy.”

Valkarsus said in a slightly subdued voice.

Two abilities simply colliding isn’t a big problem. But when two sources of demonic energy collide, that’s an extremely serious matter.

A clash between rulers can create ripples throughout an entire region.

“If they were to fight the Red Demon here and their demonic energies collided, it could break the Lightbearer’s barrier spread nearby.”

He continued with a sigh.

Previously, when the Luminary used a relic to create just a tiny ‘crack’ in the Lightbearer’s barrier…

Remember how the things in the void zone reacted?

“That means the Demonic Vessels could directly contact their original forms.”

And that…

That could directly lead to a world-ending scenario.

That man must have known this too, which is why he desperately tried to prevent it.

“What are you all doing here…!”

Darwood’s terrified voice proved this point.

His tone clearly conveyed that they shouldn’t be here.

It was an unusually frightened voice from this man.

As if he was desperately worried that something might happen to them.

But.

“As I said before, you don’t live in this world alone.”

Calivan replied with a smirk, completely unfazed.

“What good is that brilliant mind of yours if you don’t even know what’s around you?”

“…What did you say?”

“I’m saying the rest of us weren’t just twiddling our thumbs while she was getting stronger.”

As they continued talking, Elnore, who stood at the front of the group, walked steadily toward Darwood.

And then.

-!

She violently smacked him on the head.

Though the motion resembled lightly hitting a child as punishment, the force behind it was tremendous enough to make Darwood’s head hit the ground.

“…?”

Of course, true to his nature of having his abilities amplified in crisis situations, he managed to lift his head normally despite the blow.

But his eyes were filled with confusion. He probably hadn’t imagined being hit by her in any way.

“That was to bring you to your senses. You’ve been so frustrating lately.”

Elnore continued with an expressionless face.

“How many times have I told you to stop suffering alone like this? You should have realized it by now.”

Her deeply furrowed expression, unusual for her, showed genuine anger.

“…And, above all.”

As Darwood stared at her blankly,

Elnore’s gaze turned toward Hell Guard.

“If you’re going to struggle against such an ‘easy’ opponent, you shouldn’t have started this in the first place.”

“…”

No.

The opponent is Hell Guard.

No matter how you look at it, that’s not an opponent anyone would describe that way.

What happened next proved this.

-…

-…!!

After momentarily freezing as if shocked by their appearance, Hell Guard began emitting red demonic energy from its entire body.

Seeing this, Elnore exhaled softly and put away her sword.

For an ordinary person, this might signal surrender, but for her, it meant something different.

It meant she was drawing on combat methods other than her ‘sword.’

Gray energy rose from her body.

“Wait, you can’t…!”

Darwood opened his mouth in alarm at the sight.

If these demonic energies collided, it would cause a catastrophic event. His voice was filled with that awareness, but…

His eyes widened again.

-!

-!!

Despite the collision of demonic energies,

The expected ‘resonance phenomenon’ was nowhere to be seen.

“…What.”

A very confused voice escaped from Darwood’s lips.

Other colored energies began layering on top of the gray one. Yuria’s white, Riru’s blue, and even Serath’s awkwardly emitted energy, as she barely knew how to use it.

Gray. White. Violet. Blue. Four demonic energies ‘harmonized’ together, suppressing the red energy emitted by Hell Guard.

After all, no matter how powerful Hell Guard might be, it’s fundamentally just a Pandemonium being led by and granted power from the Red Demon. When competing against the mixed energies of four demons, it would inevitably be overwhelmed.

The red demonic energy it emitted solidified before it could properly extend, becoming completely immobilized.

“How…?”

This was clearly something that had never happened before, at least within the limits of his knowledge.

The atmosphere suggested this was definitely something he had never experienced.

“We trained.”

Elnore, who had been quietly watching, calmly responded.

“…What?”

“…Pardon?”

Both Valkarsus in the mental world and Darwood uttered the same word simultaneously.

“Darwood.”

Elnore continued while ‘controlling’ the mixture of various colored energies.

“Even things that seem impossible usually become possible if you actually try them.”

“…”

“These… colored energies cause resonance when they collide. And if such a thing happens incorrectly in a crisis situation, it’s extremely dangerous. I thought you would certainly be wary of that.”

Her explanation flowed calmly.

“I clearly remember your panicked reaction when that annoying woman and I were about to fight before.”

When she was about to fight with Chancellor Sullivan. When golden and gray energies were about to collide.

She clearly remembered how Darwood had panicked unusually and tried to take some measures. As if such a collision of energies should never happen.

So.

Together with other humans who could emit such energy, they somehow sought a method to prevent ‘disaster’ when they collided. That’s all.

“…”

Darwood’s mouth opened slightly.

The fact that they remembered all these details and ‘prepared’ this technique for such a situation…

It implied only one thing.

“…”

Even without him trying to do anything,

These women had been continuously working for him behind the scenes.

Just as he tried to protect them, they were trying to protect him.

“Why? It’s fine for you to work so hard to save us, but it’s not okay for us to work separately behind your back to help you?”

Elnore’s teasing voice fell on Darwood, who couldn’t compose his expression.

“Let me make one thing clear, Darwood.”

Elnore slowly moved toward Hell Guard, who couldn’t properly control its body due to the suppressed demonic energy.

Then, she struck its head.

It was a similar motion to how she had hit Darwood’s head earlier, but the physical force behind it was much more brutal.

-!

-!!

-!!!!!

With an explosive strike, Hell Guard’s upper armor dented, and its body was driven into the ground, its movement ceasing all at once.

It seemed to have lost consciousness after just one hit.

Just as she had called it ‘easy’ earlier.

An opponent Darwood couldn’t even face alone, truly…

With methods they had prepared in advance, without much difficulty.

“We are not.”

Perfectly, without Darwood Campbell’s intervention.

“Your chess pieces. Nor are we dolls placed in a display case.”

Elnore walked steadily toward Darwood, who was staring blankly at the scene.

“You’ll protect us? Alone? Taking on all the responsibility and burden yourself?”

Elnore grabbed Darwood’s chin and lifted his head sharply.

Their gazes met. Eyes as clear as glass, almost painfully so, peered into Darwood’s eyes.

As if telling him to listen carefully to what she was saying.

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“…”

“We’re not fools who would put that much burden on you. You have an obligation to be loved by us, to receive from us, and to enjoy a happy future.”

Darwood’s eyes widened.

Seeing this, Elnore smiled slightly and released his chin.

“…Don’t try to leave alone. You still have much to receive.”

“…”

While Darwood remained speechless,

Wild cheers erupted in the mental world.

“Wow, the Grand Duchess is doing great. That’s the vibe that comes from someone who was conquered first—”

“…This.”

Valkarsus’s confused voice cut off Calivan’s stream of nonsense.

“How is this possible…?”

Controlling demonic energy, and even ‘mixing’ different demonic energies to operate them.

How could this be achieved through training?

It sounds as absurd as overcoming gravity through effort.

“You know what you and that guy have in common?”

Calivan smiled at the sight and opened his mouth.

“The more you know, the more afraid you become. When you actually try it, things somehow work out.”

“…”

“That’s why I told you from the beginning when I was planning.”

Calivan chuckled and continued.

“Somehow, it works out?”

“…”

It was a scene impossible to refute.

●

I run my hand through my hair with a sigh.

Somehow…

For the first time, my head feels cool after constantly boiling with intensity recently.

“…Thank you, Elnore.”

I say with a bitter smile.

“It feels like you’re always helping me when I can’t think straight.”

Before, with the Boy King, and now with this.

I feel like I’m always receiving help from this person at critical moments.

“…”

At those words,

Elnore’s face suddenly turned bright red.

Then a series of fake coughs followed.

She rubbed her nose and pulled down her uniform hat that she always wears.

“…That’s 50 points.”

My eyes narrowed as soon as I heard what followed.

“What kind of points are those?”

“There’s this system. The person who receives your first thanks gets the highest score—”

“…Let’s set that aside. I’ll hear the explanation later.”

I don’t want to hear such things while the Red Night incident is still ongoing.

I change the subject while clutching my throbbing head.

“Serath.”

“…Huh? Me?”

“Yes, you.”

I sigh as Serath awkwardly raises her hand.

“I need you to contact someone. You seem like you could do it fastest.”

“…Where to?”

“The recipient is Archbishop Luminol.”

Before coming here, I had made an arrangement with them.

It’s time to use it.

“…”

This too, certainly…

I fiddle with the lion breastplate hidden in my bosom.

Originally, I would have had to send Elia ahead and painfully twist my body in various ways.

There would definitely have been things I would have had to ‘inevitably’ sacrifice.

Now, with the help of the other Vessels, I feel like I’ve found a way to end this ‘without complications.’

So.

The goal is just one.

To pour everything I have.

“We’ll end this in one go.”

Having gained unexpected strong reinforcements,

There’s no reason not to finish this quickly.

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