Chapter 167: Great Demon (3)

“You’ve come to kill me, you say…”

The demon stood with a regal bearing, eyeing me appraisingly.

As its dozens of eyes, each looking in different directions, suddenly focused on me, I involuntarily took a step back. Those inhuman eyes, devoid of any emotion, were unsettling.

The demon’s gaze didn’t seem to possess any special magical properties, but just being looked at made cold sweat run down my spine.

‘This is insane…’

Before we’d even crossed swords, my body had already recognized the demon’s overwhelming power.

There was no way to face it with ordinary means, but I still had the Baldo, the crystallization of human wisdom.

Putting my faith in my technique, I gripped my sword hilt tightly and stared back at the demon.

Seemingly pleased, the demon’s eyes crinkled in what looked like a smile as it spoke.

“I thought some madman had shown up right after my manifestation, but it seems you’re not all talk.”

“It’s funny hearing that from someone without a mouth. How are you even speaking?”

Pointless small talk would only waste my time, but I couldn’t just rush in recklessly either.

‘There’s no opening…’

I’d felt something similar when facing Elaine or Ganryu, but this demon was on a whole different level.

I was ready to strike at the slightest hint of weakness, but behind that relaxed demeanor was a wariness that far exceeded my imagination.

The demon seemed to sense my thoughts. It slowly stepped forward, its eyes still crinkled in that smile-like expression, and spread its arms wide.

“I’ll let you strike first.”

“…What?”

“You seem skilled, but judging by your face, you’re probably just a youngster who’s lived no more than twenty-some years. I’ve heard humans give some handicap to those younger and weaker than themselves. I may not be human, but I’ve come to the human world, so I should follow their customs. So…”

As it bared its chest, inviting me to strike, I felt a surge of anger. But I didn’t lose my composure enough to waste this golden opportunity.

Since the enemy was willingly offering its life, I rushed forward to grant its wish.

As I reached its chest, I drew Jinta, determined to twist those smiling eyes into an expression of agony.

Jinta, drawn from its scabbard with a sound that tore through the air, slashed through the demon’s chest without any resistance.

Black blood, more viscous than blood and reminiscent of nicotine or petroleum, sprayed into the air as the demon was sent flying.

In less than 0.1 seconds, before I could even hear the sound of Jinta tearing through the demon’s body, its form was back right in front of me.

‘…Huh?’

At first, I thought I must have hallucinated or missed my attack.

But the blood splattered on the ground and the distinct wound on its chest proved otherwise.

A ripping sound followed, and when I looked up, the demon was grinning even more widely than before as it spoke casually.

“An excellent technique. Your sword is unique too. I’ve seen bladeless swords before, but never one with the blade and back reversed.”

As it spoke calmly, as if reviewing a restaurant, and slowly approached me, I found myself unconsciously stepping back.

The wound on its chest had already regenerated, leaving no trace except for the blood stains around it.

“I didn’t expect to meet a warrior like you right after my manifestation. I suppose I shouldn’t underestimate humans and should give it my all.”

With those words, it snapped its fingers. Dense darkness poured from the sky, forming a dome-like cover over the entire area.

After a moment of complete darkness, light returned, and the plain had transformed into a completely different place.

‘…A sun?’

The first thing that caught my eye was not the clear moon, but a blood-red sunset that seemed to reek of bloodshed.

Whether due to the sunset’s light or not, the ground was covered in red sand that looked as if it had absorbed blood. Scattered throughout were bone fragments and broken teeth, making it easy to imagine why the sand was so red.

All around, swords and spears were stuck in the ground like gravestones, reminiscent of the Sword’s Grave I’d once visited. The one difference was that here, all the weapons were old and rusted, left to decay.

“Where is this?”

“This is my domain… my mental world, visible only to warriors I acknowledge. A warrior of your caliber deserves to rest here.”

As it spoke, the demon raised its hand. Weapons – swords, spears, and axes – materialized in its grasp.

“I am Honhuld, the demon of strife. Mortal, what is your name?”

“Ian Barthow…”

“I see, a good name. I’ll carry that name in my heart forever, so leave no regrets when you go.”

“Bullshit… I can’t die until I prove that Baldo is the strongest swordsmanship!!”

As I reached to draw my sword before the drug’s effect wore off, Jinta sprang out of its scabbard faster than I could pull it, like a coiled spring.

“What…?”

Confused, I looked at Wolffang, which had also leapt from its scabbard, exposing its red blade.

“This is my authority. You called that technique Baldo, didn’t you? I am Honhuld, the demon who governs strife. Sealing a sword technique born for combat is as simple as breathing for me.”

It added that it couldn’t seal all sword techniques, but such explanations fell on deaf ears as I sank into despair.

‘I can’t use Baldo techniques?’

How was I supposed to defeat this monstrous being without my Baldo techniques?

As these thoughts raced through my mind, Honhuld, now wielding a weapon in each of its six arms, closed in on me.

There was no time for despair. With the determination to take at least one of its arms, I gripped Jinta and Wolffang, which had sprung from their scabbards, and charged at the demon.

——

I woke up with a strange, oppressive sensation all over my body. The first thing I saw was Nana’s face.

Nana, who had removed her helmet – something she never did even indoors – looked at me with disbelief, her eyes glistening with tears.

“Na-Nana…? Is that you, Nana?”

“Your Highness!! Are you conscious?!”

It was dark around us, and I couldn’t make out anything beyond a hand’s breadth, but for some reason, I could clearly see Nana’s face.

As Nana took my hand, the strange sensation weighing down my body seemed to ease somewhat.

Grasping Nana’s hand tightly, I asked her:

“…Nana, what happened? Where are we?”

“Don’t you remember? We were just attacked by a mysterious group, and we’re in the middle of dealing with the aftermath.”

“Attacked?”

As she said this, memories came flooding back like a tidal wave, making my head throb.

“Ugh…!! That’s right. I was attacked, then Ian saved me… and then in my chest…”

Recalling the dagger that had been lodged in my chest, I quickly put my hand there, only to feel a softness that shouldn’t be there.

Worried someone might see, I tried to quickly return to my male form, but the ability wouldn’t activate, as if that thing inside me had disappeared.

“Na-Nana!! My body won’t change!! What’s going on?!”

“…Your Highness, please calm down and listen.”

The story Nana told me was as shocking as if someone had struck my already aching head with a hammer.

Having investigated demons multiple times because of the one inside me, I knew well that demons were not opponents one could face alone. This was even more true for a greater demon.

“We need to go to Ian quickly…!!”

I staggered out of bed, trying to move forward to reach Ian, but I didn’t get far before colliding with a wall and slumping down.

“Your Highness!!”

Nana rushed to me, asking if I was alright, but my bruised forehead was the least of my concerns right now.

“Nana… help me up. If we don’t hurry, Ian will…!!”

“Your Highness, please calm down for a moment…”

As Nana tried to calm me, a faint light and cool breeze tickled my skin from the opposite direction.

“I heard a loud noise and came to check… It seems you’ve regained consciousness, Your Highness.”

“H-Headmaster…”

I knew about my situation, but it was still a bit shocking to be called “Your Highness” by someone other than Nana while in this form.

Half-raising my body, I crawled forward towards the Headmaster.

“What about Ian… What happened to Ian?! Surely he hasn’t already…!!”

“…It might be better for you to see for yourself.”

Supported by the Headmaster and Nana, I managed to stand up. What I saw outside was a black dome darker and denser than the night sky.

Intense demonic energy and mana were constantly pouring out of this enormous dome that covered a vast area.

“W-what is that?”

“…That is a demon’s domain. It’s a kind of barrier that manifests a demon’s mental world, a special ability that only demon realm commanders or demon kings can use.”

“That’s… a domain?”

I knew about it in theory, but seeing it with my own eyes left me speechless.

“We need to go help quickly… Otherwise, Ian will…”

“…I’ve tried several times, but I couldn’t penetrate it. For now, all we can do is wait…”

As if to cut off Marina’s words, a crisp sound like an eggshell cracking suddenly came from the direction of the dome.

Wondering what was happening, we all turned our heads to see cracks starting to form on the black dome that had seemed impenetrable.

“Huh? What?”