Preventing the Summoning Ritual (2)

Niel and the blood hounds were cleanly taken care of.

Especially Kenny, who had witnessed Niel’s tremendous regenerative ability last time, poked the headless corpse with his hammer and said,

“She’s really dead.”

He said so with an expression of relief.

“That huge monster lump and the horned demon worshipper…”

“They really took care of them, didn’t they?”

Knights, soldiers, and agents alike cheered and rejoiced.

The few who were seriously injured were treated with potions from Ethan’s subspace backpack and Elyssia’s recovery skills.

Thanks to that, there were no casualties.

Most still couldn’t believe they had won a fight against demon worshippers they had only heard about in legends.

So they looked at the main contributors to the victory with even more awe.

‘Even though they’re children, each one is better than most expert-level knights.’

‘Is that girl a mage? To cast such a well-structured barrier in such a short time. Her talent is immeasurable.’

And the young man these children rely on.

Ethan.

‘He doesn’t seem to be an aura user. He pierced through the evil energy and directly hit the demon worshipper.’

‘Seeing how it couldn’t even regenerate when cut, is he a holy knight secretly dispatched from the Holy Spirit Realm?’

‘Given how close he is with the Inspection Bureau Director, he might be a talent secretly raised by the royal family.’

Without a sound.

The evaluation and misunderstandings about Ethan grew larger.

While everyone was like that.

Rudy pointed at the red haze at their feet and said,

“Director. This is still the same.”

“Hm? That’s right. Wasn’t it supposed to end when we defeated the demon worshipper?”

The two looked at Ethan with expressions full of doubt.

Because he seemed to know something.

Ethan held up Niel’s severed head and said,

“This one must have been a guard who came out because of the commotion outside. The one conducting the ritual should be below.”

“Then…”

“Yes, it’s not over yet.”

Tom made a meaningful expression, then.

Immediately turned around and shouted.

“Is everyone alright?!”

“Yes, we’re fine!”

“There are no injuries, so we can go fight right away!”

“Good!”

‘What’s good about it…’

Ethan and the children took care of the demon worshipper.

Even though they all couldn’t properly deal with the blood hounds’ attacks.

They’re grinning even though there might be more demon worshippers left.

“Whatever ritual they’re performing, how dare they do such a thing in the underground of Etre. Men! Shouldn’t we kill those vicious demon worshippers as soon as possible!”

“That’s right!”

“Exactly!”

The atmosphere was becoming increasingly ominous.

The excited knights, soldiers, and agents were all looking at only one person with their necks stretched out.

Ethan.

‘?’

“What should we do?”

“Please give us orders!”

“Is there any reason to delay? Let’s go and immediately execute the remaining demon worshippers!”

Everyone eagerly crowded around Ethan, and.

Ethan was pushed to go down underground.

It happened in an instant.

And.

Beyond the iron door that Tom and Rudy opened wide, there was a new demon worshipper.

“As expected, there were more remnants just as Ethan-ssi said.”

Even at a glance, they looked stronger than the demon worshipper who came up as a guard, so it would be more correct to call them the main force rather than remnants, but.

“What are you guys.”

Ethan had no chance to protest.

Pushed by the influx of people, Tom hit Ethan’s shoulder, and.

Accidentally.

“Ah!”

He dropped Niel’s head that he was holding in his left hand.

The head rolled down the stairs and.

Stopped at the demon worshipper’s feet.

“…Niel?”

An unintentional teabagging.

It took less than 0.2 seconds for Ethan’s emotions, which were momentarily flustered, to subside.

As cold reason returned.

His mind, which turned on <Thought Acceleration> to find the most appropriate solution for the current situation, worked busily.

‘I can’t say [I’m sorry, that wasn’t my intention.] at this point.’

For some reason, he was receiving excessive expectations.

If he did that, morale would hit rock bottom.

And anyway, to stop the demon summoning ritual, that demon worshipper needs to be dealt with too.

‘In that case, it would be better to provoke a preemptive attack and draw them in.’

Ethan, after composing himself, slowly stepped forward and.

Said in a dry tone.

“Let’s settle this, you demon worshipper.”

‘As expected, he’s not afraid of mere demon worshippers at all!’

‘To insult the enemy by throwing their comrade’s head, what incredible guts.’

The knights and soldiers cheered, and.

The Inspection Bureau agents each interpreted Ethan’s intentions and nodded their heads.

And the emotion felt by Keli, the person in question, was.

‘What’s with these guys?’

Far from anger or shame.

It was closer to a kind of fear.

‘They killed Niel and all the blood hounds and came down? Mere humans?’

In fact, Niel’s death didn’t matter to her.

Camaraderie doesn’t exist among demon worshippers.

Although they were close, wasn’t she a weak one who was killed by mere humans?

The weak are despised.

Far from feeling pity, she rather felt irritated at Niel.

But the problem was what came next.

The ones lined up like a folding screen behind were all weak, but.

The ones at the front were different.

The man who received the energy of an ominous tree and several children, each with an extraordinary aura.

‘Hmm, no wonder Niel was defeated.’

Keli, who judged so, immediately called Berda.

• Berda, Berda!
• What. Is it? The ritual. Is not over yet.
• Niel was defeated! Those human bastards somehow found out and came in fully prepared!
• Is it. Beyond your ability. To stop them?
• Yes! Come out quickly! We’re all going to die, ritual or whatever!
• Sigh. Buy some. Time.

  “Tch.”

  Keli bit her right thumbnail.

  Seeing that, people shouted.

  “The fiend is flustered!”

  “As expected, she’s frightened after seeing Ethan-nim!”

  It was rather Ethan who was flustered.

  ‘She’s really scared?’

  Demon worshippers never get scared when facing humans.

  To them, humans are just weak beings.

  But the opponent wasn’t rushing in and was just watching.

  ‘Why is she like that? Don’t tell me…’

  It seemed like she was trying to buy time.

  Ethan took a stance to charge.

  At this, Levi and Ponya prepared to follow suit.

  But then.

  “Sorry~ handsome oppa. If I fall too, all our years of preparation will go to waste.”

  After finishing her words, Keli released dense evil energy like a fog.

  “What!”

  “I’ll go out after prettying up a bit, so cool your head outside~”

  Some knights who had aura surrounding their bodies tried to approach, but.

  [The World Tree’s root warns that it must not touch the fog!]

  [The ‘Fog of Decay’ created from evil energy instantly rots everything it touches.]

  “Stop.”

  “Pardon?”

  “It’s dangerous.”

  Thanks to the root warning about the danger of the fog.

  Unnecessary damage could be prevented.

  It seems her goal is to buy time after all.

  ‘Oh really? Then I’ll just demolish it.’

  Ethan picked up a piece of brick lying around.

  It was a bit larger than a fist.

  “Elyssia.”

  “Yes?”

  “Holy power.”

  Understanding what that meant, Elyssia quickly ran over and infused the brick with holy power.

  After putting it down on the floor.

  He called the next batter.

  “Kenny, hammer.”

  “Yes!”

• Clang! Clang! Clang!

  After smashing the brick to pieces and picking them up well.

  “Gray, forward.”

  “Forward!”

  He shook them into Gray’s subspace pocket.

  “You can spray as well as suck, right?”

  “Of course! Just give the order!”

  Kenny said cheerfully while waving his arms.

  ‘Cute.’

  Ethan decided to play along.

  “Good! Fire immediately!”

  “Yes sir!”

  After a brief adjustment.

  Gray’s subspace pocket operated in reverse.

  In other words.

• Tututututu!!!

  The stone fragments filled with holy power.

  Were evenly and widely projected towards the fog.

• Poof!

  The fog instantly cleared.

  And.

  “…They broke through?”

  “Damn straight.”

  The demon worshipper’s appearance, more flustered than before, was revealed.

  But then.

  Something suddenly popped out of the crack.

  “Be-Berda~ You came!”

  A new demon worshipper joined.

  “Keli. The ritual is not. Over yet.”

  “Ah, I know that~ So let’s quickly take care of those things…”

  “No. That’s not. What I mean. You know that too. Don’t you?”

  “Huh? Oh come on, no matter what-“

  Crack!

  Berda’s right hand pierced through Keli’s neck.

  “Cough… cough…”

  “He is. Greatly angered.”

  She lifted Keli up like that and.

  Stuffed her into the crack.

  “You will. Entertain him. Personally.”

  Soon Berda fully emerged from the crack.

  Just by coming out of the crack.

  The evil energy she emitted was much denser than Keli’s.

  ‘She’s stronger than those two just now.’

  Ethan’s hand holding the sword unconsciously tightened.

  ‘Can we win?’

  Soon he shook his head and.

  Changed his mind.

  ‘We must win.’

  If they don’t win here.

  There was no future.

  Although he didn’t explain to the Inspection Bureau Director and the knights.

  What they were conducting was a demon summoning ritual.

  If they don’t stop it here, not only Ethan but also all the wards he had gathered would be annihilated.

  “Levi, Hwaryon, Ponya. Support me.”

  “Yes, Ethan-nim.”

  “Borka, protect everyone with defensive magic.”

  “Leave it to me!”

  Ethan charged with <Thought Acceleration> activated.

Berda.

The apostle of Rielymos, the demon of pleasure.

The demon worshipper with an impressive face of a decadent and always languid older sister thought.

‘If only. The ritual. Is completed. I can ascend.’

From a time far in the distant past.

That is, she was right before achieving the goal she had when she was mortal.

‘But. Why. Did I want. To ascend?’

Her memory was hazy.

All she remembered was.

Wanting power and making a contract with a demon.

Becoming an apostle and killing people.

For 200 years now.

The reason she originally had was now meaningless to her.

Just like it has been until now.

She was just moving towards the goal out of inertia.

So.

“Ugh?!”

To buy time.

She deliberately let herself be hit by Ethan’s sword.

“?”

It was absolutely not for personal satisfaction.

“Urgh!”

“Ahng!”

“?????”

Ethan was bewildered.