Chapter 230

Chapter 230

The attack was perfect. I can guarantee it was one of the cleanest strikes I’ve ever made with a sword, including my past life. That’s why I was certain. I had severed Vulcan’s head.

“Yes, yes. I was so busy playing with the bitch in front of me that I forgot about you. It’s a bad habit, I know, but I just can’t seem to break it.”

However, he was unharmed. Well, to be precise, he couldn’t be called completely unharmed, but at least his life was intact.

My target was clearly his neck, but all that fell to the ground was one of his arms.

The moment the holy sword was drawn from its scabbard. Vulcan, sensing something unusual in that brief moment, raised his hand to block and twisted his body, causing the holy sword to pierce his shoulder instead.

Of course, losing an arm is a significant blow, but it’s still disappointing considering my original goal was Vulcan’s head. It was especially disappointing because my attack was more perfect than ever.

While I was feeling disappointed, Vulcan, despite losing an arm, was grinning even wider, his lips curling up in enjoyment rather than shock.

“Crazy bastard.”

It seems that all individuals who have reached a certain level of mastery have a screw loose somewhere, so why would demons be any different? They are even crazier.

Vulcan also has something wrong with him… No, his entire brain structure is abnormal.

Ah, of course, Celian is an exception. She is a person whose very existence is perfect. It’s not for nothing that she was chosen as the Hero before me. Although I was chosen as the Hero in this cycle, it doesn’t diminish her character.

I have no intention of matching his antics, so I immediately charged towards Vulcan, who now only had one arm. Celian, on the other side, also noticed my intention and was charging at the same time.

However, instead of blocking our two swords, Vulcan leaped back, putting considerable distance between us. Naturally, I should have followed, but he threw his severed arm like a projectile, making it best to block with my sword.

“Hmph!”

Vulcan, having bought a moment’s time, clutched the shoulder of his severed arm and let out a short cry, and then a hand suddenly popped out from the severed end of his arm.

“Whoa… It’s like some kind of magic, his arm just suddenly sprouted out. Is your mom a troll or something? Ah, I should have asked if you even have parents in the first place? Well, if you had received any proper upbringing, you wouldn’t be running around calling yourself a Heavenly King or whatever.”

“…If you’re trying to provoke me, you’re doing a decent job. But you, a human, wouldn’t understand, but our family upbringing starts with punching our parents and children, you see. So, I’d say we had a good upbringing.”

Vulcan’s arm regenerated in an instant while we exchanged a few words. Even the troll, famous for its regeneration among monsters, isn’t this fast. At least they recover and regenerate in a structure that matches the meaning of regeneration.

But Vulcan went beyond the concept of regeneration and created a new arm from scratch.

It’s a shame that the arm I cut off grew back, but fortunately, his aura has visibly weakened. This means the plan wasn’t entirely in vain.

“Shall we start round two?”

Vulcan cracked his neck from side to side, making popping sounds, and rotated his newly grown arm to loosen it.

I considered hiding myself in the darkness again and waiting for an opportunity, but since he had already noticed my presence, it would be of little use. If he were an ordinary opponent, I would have done so.

However, Vulcan is particularly driven by instinct among those who have reached a high level of mastery. Even when he didn’t know I was there, he blocked my sword, so there’s no question he’d be aware of my presence now.

Rather than burdening Celian unnecessarily, it would be more advantageous to press him with a coordinated attack from now on.

However, Vulcan didn’t seem to care about the 2-on-1 situation and instead charged directly at me. A punch aimed precisely at my face.

Whoosh, a strong gust of wind brushed past my cheek. The subsequent aftershock ruffled my hair, but I was not in a situation where I could afford to care about my hair getting messy.

Quickly retreating, I drew a throwing knife from my thigh and hurled it at Vulcan. While not as powerful as swinging my sword directly, it was by no means a weak projectile that could be ignored simply as a distraction.

At the same time, I saw Celian swinging her sword beyond Vulcan. A pincer attack from both sides.

If he was distracted by the throwing knife, Celian’s sword would cleave him in half.

Clang!

However, my expectations were in vain, as Vulcan, true to his nature as the craziest of the crazy, performed an eccentric act.

I expected him to swing his arm to deflect the dagger, but Vulcan bit down on my dagger with his teeth, which were harder than his fists.

What’s more, when he clenched his jaw, the dagger, which I had commissioned an expensive blacksmith who supplied the royal family to make, shattered into pieces as if it were glass breaking or cookies crumbling. Damn it, even though it wasn’t my money, it was expensive…

As a bonus, he was now free to block Celian’s sword with both arms.

As soon as he blocked Celian’s sword, I also charged forward, gripping the holy sword tightly, towards Vulcan who was about to counterattack. Vulcan, caught between Celian and me, was trying to block both of our swords with his hands.

However, since Celian and I are by no means inferior to Vulcan, there was a limit to how long he could block both of our swords, and wounds began to appear on his body one by one.

Although the wounds were shallow, and Vulcan’s regeneration would likely render them insignificant, it clearly showed that the momentum was on our side.

Vulcan must have known that prolonging the fight would be disadvantageous for him, but instead of being anxious, he only became more excited and wild. As if he wanted to prolong this battle.

“Careful…!”

CRASH!

In the midst of it all, his counterattack was so fierce that Celian, who blocked his swung fist with her hand placed on the flat of her blade, was pushed back with a heavy impact. The ground beneath her feet clearly showed the imprints of her retreating steps.

As Vulcan lunged towards Celian, whose stance was broken, I quickly inserted myself between them and swung my sword.

Perhaps he considered my sword to be too sharp, even for a good opportunity, he was forced to retreat backward to avoid it.

We were in a standoff again.

“Things are… flowing strangely, aren’t they? Is there something wrong with my memory? I distinctly remember Vulcan not being this strong…”

As I felt Celian approach me and regain her stance, I said to her, keeping my eyes fixed on Vulcan.

“…I think what El is thinking is correct. He’s definitely strong. Stronger than any enemy I’ve ever faced…”

It seems I wasn’t the only one who felt that way.

In the memories of the last cycle, Vulcan was indeed a battle-crazed madman like now, but not this strong.

Of course, as one of the Four Heavenly Kings, he was naturally much stronger than other demons, but he was by no means strong enough to easily deflect a coordinated attack from me and Celian.

Everything was unfolding differently than expected. The only fortunate aspect amidst these unexpected circumstances was that the main force, engaged in a full-blown war rather than a mere skirmish, was clearly on our side.

After all, even with a high-ranking demon leading the charge, our forces clearly surpassed the demon army.

“But El and I… we’ve also grown stronger. With El by my side, I’m not afraid of any enemy, not even the Demon King. Don’t you think so, El?”

Celian’s joke, delivered with such composure, made me chuckle. Although it was a joke, her sincere words provided a much-needed moment of respite.

“Yeah. It’s not just me; with Celian, I’m not afraid of anything.”

“Yes. Then, for the rest of our lives, with me…”

CRASH!

“Kya?”

However, while Celian and I were exchanging trivial jokes, something flew from afar, kicking up sand and dust between Vulcan and us before landing on the ground.

“Hehe… Sorry, sorry! It was just so hard, so I kept hitting it without thinking, and I accidentally put too much force into it, and it flew off unexpectedly…”

While Celian and I were bewildered, the one who appeared with an embarrassed smile was none other than Anne.

Anne, with her small stature, wielding a greatsword larger than any weapon, swinging it above her head as if it were a twig, always presented a jarring contrast. The fact that this immense strength was not due to aura but pure physical power derived from her innate bloodline made it even more terrifying.

“I’ll bring it back right away!”

Anne, who had approached, truly intended to drag the dog-headed demon away, and she hurried towards the fallen high-ranking demon on the ground.

“Huh…?”

However, before Anne, someone else approached the high-ranking demon. It wasn’t Anne, nor Celian, and certainly not me, but Vulcan.

“Well now… Normally, having an extra hand would be convenient, so I was just leaving it be, but in this situation, things change.”

Even though he’s a madman, I thought he might be trying to help his subordinate, but his demeanor was unsettling.

“Kyaang! Whimper! Kyyya!”

Vulcan grabbed the hair of the high-ranking demon lying on the ground and lifted it. Despite being a high-ranking demon, it seemed incapable of even basic language, making dog-like noises as it struggled to escape Vulcan’s grasp.

Thwack!

Unconcerned by such struggles, Vulcan’s other hand pierced the high-ranking demon’s chest. In Vulcan’s hand, pulled from the body of the high-ranking demon who couldn’t even let out a final scream, was the demon’s still-beating heart.