Chapter 165

Episode 165

I felt as if time had stopped.

Even with ‘Automatic Combat’ activated, it was the first time my heart pounded this hard.

That’s how unbelievable the scene before me was.

‘Three horns, and a Soul Stone?’

It was a 3-star demon. Considering we were worried about encountering a 4-star or higher demon, this was a decent matchup.

But there was something that shouldn’t be there, dangling beneath its chin like an ornament.

A small gem, glowing red like blood.

‘No, to be precise, it’s not a Soul Stone. Those are possessed by true demons.’

The gem, small compared to its massive body, flickered with a blood-red light.

‘If that’s embedded in it, it means it’s not a demon. But how can it have both horns and a gem?’

According to Jericho, the red gem was called a ‘Chip Stone.’ It could be considered a downgraded version of a ‘Soul Stone.’

Remember the butler Nielsen we fought in Cliff?

It was the same gem that was exposed when he was corrupted by demonic energy and revealed his true form.

“Impossible!”

It was Jericho’s voice. He had completed the binding spell but didn’t use it.

“I think we’ve discovered something incredible. Horns and gems can’t coexist! Their existential ranks are completely different. What’s going on?”

“Does it mean it was corrupted and then became a demon?”

“Or maybe the other way around. It could have become a demon and then grown stronger by being swept up in powerful demonic energy.”

“So it’s not a natural phenomenon?”

“That’s right.”

A certain person came to mind. Court Magician Muon.

Many of the recent incidents in the Empire were related to him.

Perhaps the surge in monsters on the continent was also a result of his secret experiments.

And this mutant before us might be his creation as well.

“Well, you said we discovered something incredible, not dangerous, so I guess you’re confident we can win.”

“Of course! A descendant of the Tulu family wouldn’t be fazed by a mutant monster like that!”

But this situation felt familiar.

‘That Baphomet-like demon also used hybrid power.’

To be precise, it was a fusion of demonic energy and magic power. So it wasn’t strange for a corrupted being and a demon to fuse.

“Capturing it alive is impossible, right?”

“It would be difficult to even cut off its horns in this situation. And we have to break the gem too, so we need to wear it down before delivering the final blow.”

“Then let’s get started.”

Selendis dashed forward.

At the same time, Jericho unleashed the celestial light he had gathered in his hands. The powerful beam of light shot forward, wrapping around the hybrid demon.

But something unexpected happened.

*Thwack!*

The hybrid demon simply swung its left arm and deflected the celestial light.

“Ugh!”

Jericho groaned. It seemed the attack backfired.

“I-I’m fine! I was just caught off guard! Let’s attack!”

Selendis launched a powerful preemptive strike.

It wasn’t an ordinary attack, but a modified Savion sword technique.

『Second Form, White Feather Divine Sword!』

Starting the first attack with a sword technique meant the opponent was formidable.

Sword techniques were usually used in one-on-one duels. In group battles, they had to be used cautiously because the situation could change unpredictably.

*Buzz!*

*Whoosh!*

White wings unfolded behind Selendis. It was as if an angel had descended.

With her shield raised, she charged forward, her sword held horizontally.

*Whoosh—*

As Selendis approached the mutant demon, the white wings transformed into a radiant glow, converging on her frost sword.

Her aura was infused with divine power.

The Savion swordsmanship, focused on defense, seemed to have its origins in divine power.

Finally, the tip of her sword pierced the mutant demon’s heart.

*Clang!*

It was blocked by an invisible barrier.

The mutant suddenly raised its harp and plucked the strings as if caressing them.

*Strum!*

It wasn’t music, but an attack. Demonic sound waves engulfed Selendis.

*Rumble!*

She blocked all the attacks with her shield, but it was severely damaged.

It would be rude to just stand by and watch.

『Double Casting.』

Two fireballs materialized in my hands. The left one was a 3rd-level ‘Fireball’ projectile, and the right one was a 10th-level ‘Firebolt’ projectile.

I assumed the opponent was a water attribute.

It was freezing here, and the lake, which seemed to be the source of the demonic energy, was frozen solid, so it was a reasonable guess.

‘But there’s something that bothers me.’

All monsters had weaknesses. The reason some were difficult to defeat wasn’t just because they were strong, but because their weaknesses were unknown.

The monster before us was a 3-star demon and a corrupted being with a Chip Stone embedded in its forehead.

It was the worst-case scenario: strong and with an unknown weakness.

Still, I launched the magic projectiles towards the target to find an answer.

*Whoosh—*

The Fireball and Firebolt flew towards the mutant demon, trailing flames.

The Fireball landed first, and ten fire orbs engulfed the demon with a deafening roar.

*Rumble!*

The shockwave from the explosion shook the ground and my body.

I realized that the higher the level of the Fireball spell, the stronger the physical energy from the impact. The intense flames were a bonus.

Then I noticed something strange.

‘It definitely moved to the left. Why?’

The mutant demon was facing us from the right side of the lake.

But one of the Firebolt projectiles, pushed by the explosion, slightly deviated from its trajectory. The mutant demon deliberately moved to the left to intercept it.

I didn’t miss that detail and realized there was only one reason for it.

‘There’s definitely something in the lake. That’s its weakness. If we change the state of the lake, something will happen to it.’

It was similar to the ‘lich’ often found in fantasy games and novels. Liches were immortal, but they would perish if their ‘phylactery’ was destroyed.

Could this demon be the same?

A plausible hypothesis was formed. But a hypothesis was just a hypothesis. It needed to be tested to become a law.

“Selendis, Jericho, focus your attacks on its right side. I’m going to destroy the lake.”

“Oh, it seems you’ve found something!”

“I don’t know if it’s a discovery or a dead end. We’ll have to try.”

I chanted ‘Double Casting’ again. This time, I prepared ‘Firebolt’ spells in both hands.

Meanwhile, Selendis unleashed the Second Form, ‘White Feather Divine Sword,’ and Jericho bombarded the demon with non-attribute ‘Energy Ball’ spells, engaging in a firefight.

The moment the demon’s balance shifted to the right, I unleashed a total of twenty fire orbs, concentrating them on the lake. One set on the left, the other on the right.

*Rumble!*

As expected, the mutant demon blocked the incoming fire orbs with its body. But it couldn’t block the ones that flew in from the left, deflected by Selendis’s sword technique.

*Sizzle…*

The lake began to melt. Black smoke rose as the ice turned to water.

『Ugh!』

The mutant demon flinched. Black blood spewed from its mouth.

『Gah!』

Now that we had found its weakness, it was time to press our attack.

Selendis and Jericho boldly pushed forward. Weakened, the mutant retreated step by step.

『Double Casting.』

This time, I prepared two ‘Fireball’ spells. Massive fireballs materialized in my hands, and I immediately launched them towards the lake.

*Boom! Rumble!*

The shockwave sent black water splashing into the air, which instantly evaporated from the intense heat.

『Gah!』

With more than half the lake gone, the mutant demon could barely stand.

*Slash!*

Selendis’s frost sword sliced through the mutant’s left leg.

*Thud!*

The leg severed, and the massive body collapsed to its knees. Jericho completed the binding spell, trapping the demon with celestial light.

*Crackle!*

“Now!”

I leaped forward, showcasing a flashy sword drawing technique. I drew the Sword of Chaos and severed all three horns in one swift motion.

Selendis followed up with a barrage of attacks.

The sharp blade of her frost sword shattered the faintly flickering Chip Stone.

*Boom!*

The mutant demon collapsed completely. Demonic energy seeped from its body like blood.

“It should have the Dark Soul inside. I’ll retrieve it immediately.”

Jericho opened his subspace inventory and took out a dagger and a storage box.

*Thud!*

The dagger, imbued with celestial light, pierced the mutant demon’s chest.

Where its heart should have been, there was a ‘Dark Soul.’

Jericho carefully transferred it to the storage box. At the same time, the mutant demon turned to dust and vanished.

The battle was finally over.

“Phew, that’s done. This is dangerous, so I’ll keep it in my subspace. We should retrieve the horns too, right?”

“Mr. Sommelier will be happy.”

Jericho collected the three horns scattered on the ground and put them in his subspace inventory. Everything was neatly cleaned up.

We sat down and took a breather.

I scanned for demonic energy again, but the energy that had filled the area was completely gone.

“This feels like a pattern.”

“A pattern? What do you mean?”

“You mentioned territories before, right? It’s happening again. It seems territories are starting to form in the south and even the north of the Empire.”

Jericho nodded silently.

“If you’re saying it’s difficult to reduce the number of monsters just by eliminating them, I agree.”

“We should recall the investigators we sent ahead. It’s dangerous.”

“I’ll send a messenger hawk immediately.”

Jericho blew his whistle and summoned a messenger hawk. He didn’t write a note but attached a black ribbon to its leg. It was a retreat signal.

“But what did that demon mean? ‘Three shall come. By the three, the path shall be opened, and with their blood, the world shall be plunged into darkness.’ Did I remember that correctly?”

“She said ‘eternal darkness,’ not just darkness.”

Selendis corrected me. I knew where that ominous line came from.

‘It seems like an homage to another game. But the situation is a bit too strange to dismiss it as just that.’

It was probably just an homage, and the fact that we were a party of three was a coincidence.

But if it was intentional, it was something we couldn’t ignore.

The woman seemed to be waiting for us.

Moreover, her last words, ‘With their blood, the world shall be plunged into eternal darkness,’ weren’t in the game she was referencing.

‘We’re definitely caught up in something big.’

According to , the Great Demon Diablo’s resurrection was only a matter of time. He might be making preparations to invade the human world.

“It couldn’t be one of Muon’s experiment subjects, could it? This is confusing. Even our family’s records don’t mention the possibility of a corrupted being fusing with a demon. If I told the elders, they would think I’m crazy.”

“We can’t rule out that possibility. All we can do now is find more clues. We don’t have anything concrete yet.”

“Ugh, this is frustrating.”

“The church must be aware of this as well. For now, we need to focus on the Inspection Unit’s mission. That’s not an easy task either.”

As I stood up, the other two followed. Our journey to the north continued.