Chapter 95: The Land of Death

Something slowly began to reveal itself in the mist.

At first, it looked like a shadow in the dark, but its outline gradually became clearer.

“Ugh…”

Leivi let out a small groan.

Her hand unconsciously gripped her bow, squeezing so hard her knuckles turned white.

The being that appeared before our eyes was bizarre beyond imagination.

A tattered black robe covered its body, but multiple arms were writhing within it.

It was impossible to tell exactly how many there were.

They seemed to constantly move inside the robe, as if the number was changing.

Its face was hidden by a deep hood, and within it, only two red dots glowed menacingly.

Black mist seeped out whenever it opened its mouth.

The mist carried a rotten smell mixed with a strangely sweet scent.

“A demon…”

I muttered to myself.

The memory of the one I met with Licorice came flooding back.

The messenger of Abraxas…

It felt as if I could feel that overwhelming aura once again.

The demon tilted its head slightly.

“Oh? A human who has seen a demon before. How curious.”

Its voice was deep and viscous, like a deep swamp.

“…I have seen a demon called the messenger of Abraxas. Are you also a messenger of Abraxas?”

The demon revealed more of its multiple arms from within its robe.

The number and shape of the fingers on each hand were different.

Some hands were human-like, while others had sharp blades.

Another hand was webbed like a flipper, and one resembled a bird’s talon.

“Abraxas? You mean that vain, evil god?”

A hint of mockery was mixed in its voice.

“Some humans believe in gods, some deny them, and others follow evil gods, don’t they? It’s the same for demons. We are not all the same.”

There was some truth to its words.

It had a distinctly different aura from the demon I met with Licorice.

It seemed that even demons had different factions or beliefs.

“Then you are…”

“I follow Lord Ivolg. The one who rules the Great Labyrinth of Death. I serve only him.”

The demon’s voice suddenly became fanatical.

A wave of cult-like devotion washed over me.

I took a step back from its intensity.

Ivolg.

It was a name I’d never heard before.

It seemed to be the ruler of the Great Labyrinth in the Land of Death.

“What is your purpose? Is there a reason to harm us…”

“Lord Ivolg mentioned he wished to dine on humans for the first time in a while. That is why I lured you here.”

It was a shocking revelation.

So this demon was the one who manipulated the coachman to bring us here.

To do such a terrible thing to an innocent coachman…

Anger welled up inside me, but I suppressed it.

Right now, reason had to take precedence over emotion.

“In that case…”

Just then, the demon suddenly took a combat stance.

Numerous hands emerged from within its robe, each holding a different kind of magical tool.

One hand held a wooden staff, another a crystal orb, and yet another held something made of human bone.

Dark magic flowed from every tool.

The air grew bleak, and the surrounding plants began to wither.

“The conversation ends here. Now, you will all die quietly.”

I reacted instantly.

I raised my magic staff and chanted a spell.

“Lightning Chain!”

Lightning cut through the air, streaking towards the demon.

But the demon leisurely raised one hand.

A black barrier formed in an instant, effortlessly blocking my magic.

‘Damn… The difference in power is too great.’

“Did you think you could defeat me with that?”

The demon said with a sneer.

Just then, Leivi drew her bowstring.

“I’ll support you!”

Her arrow was imbued with a divine light, a mix of red and gold.

It was an arrow blessed by Licorice with the blessing of Michael.

“Divine power…?”

The demon’s demeanor became wary upon seeing the light.

But in that instant.

The divine light on the arrow suddenly flickered and died.

The red and gold hues vanished, and it reverted to an ordinary arrow.

“Huh…?”

Leivi looked down at the arrow with a bewildered expression.

Her face turned deathly pale.

“Hahaha! Your god has forsaken you! You dare face me with a common arrow like that?”

The demon laughed loudly, mocking her.

Its wariness completely vanished, replaced by an arrogant attitude.

Despite this, Leivi fired the arrow.

But the black barrier easily deflected it.

The sudden disappearance of the arrow’s divine power…

It didn’t seem to be the demon’s doing.

If so, did something happen to Licorice?

“Foolish humans.”

The demon sneered even more.

Then, with its many hands, it began to draw a complex magic circle.

Purple patterns formed in the air, and from their center, a black spear made of magic materialized.

The moment the demon threw the spear.

Swoosh!

Lotte suddenly flew rapidly in front of us.

It moved with a speed uncharacteristic of Lotte, using its levitation ability to the fullest.

The black spear collided precisely with the rapidly approaching Lotte.

Bang!

Lotte blocked the spear with its small body.

A loud explosion erupted, but when the smoke cleared, Lotte was floating in the air, completely unharmed.

“Wh-what? It took my spear… and it’s fine…?”

At that moment, the flustered demon’s red eyes focused on me.

My head suddenly started to throb.

It was a pain like a needle piercing my brain.

My vision blurred, and my consciousness grew hazy.

‘A mental attack…!’

The demon had begun to use its mind control ability.

This was the same ability used on the coachman.

I could feel my consciousness slipping away.

‘No… I have to hold on…’

Just then, flames filled my vision.

Boom!

A huge explosion was followed by a wave of intense heat.

“Kuaaaargh!”

I heard the demon’s scream.

Cecilia had flown in, spewing powerful flames.

The fire instantly burned away the demon’s black barrier.

As the mental attack ceased, my consciousness returned.

I rubbed my eyes and assessed the situation.

“Ryandel-nim! Are you alright?”

Leivi asked with a worried voice.

“Yes… I’m fine.”

I barely managed to answer.

Thankfully, I had escaped the mental attack quickly.

At the same time, Glacia also made her move.

Her usual lazy demeanor was gone, replaced by a very aggressive posture as she flew in.

Her poison stingers fired in rapid succession.

“Keuk!”

The ice-poison stingers pierced the demon’s robe.

Black mist seeped out, and the demon’s body began to freeze over.

“Now!”

Leivi shouted and drew her bowstring again.

She fired a volley of arrows.

This time, without the barrier, several arrows hit their mark.

I didn’t miss the chance either.

I raised my staff and cast a spell.

“Electro Spear!”

With Cecilia’s flames and Glacia’s ice tormenting the demon, a powerful combination attack followed, bolstered by Leivi’s arrows and my magic.

The demon desperately tried to counterattack.

Dark magic flew from its various hands, but Lotte immediately moved to block the front.

Cecilia unleashed an even more ferocious torrent of fire.

The demon’s robe caught fire, and several of its arms were burned.

“Kuaaah! You insignificant bugs!”

The demon roared in fury and spread a poisonous mist, but Cecilia’s firestorm instantly incinerated it.

Simultaneously, Glacia’s ice-poison stingers embedded themselves all over the demon’s body.

The Bugs’ coordinated attack was magnificent.

It was like watching a knight order that had fought together for decades.

The demon’s body was now a complete wreck.

Its arms were a mess of burns and frostbite, and its robe was charred and frozen solid.

“W-wait! Spare… spare me! I’ll let you go!”

The demon’s voice had completely changed.

Its confident tone was gone, replaced by a pleading scream.

But Cecilia and Glacia didn’t stop.

Flames and ice continued to torment the demon.

“Kuuuuuh… Please! Lord Ivolg! Help me!”

The demon crawled pathetically on the ground, trying to escape, but its body was too damaged to move properly.

Finally, Lotte charged.

Puk!

Lotte’s body pierced through the demon.

To be precise, it seemed to have destroyed its life core.

“This… can’t be…”

The demon’s body disintegrated into dust.

Only the black robe was left, fluttering away in the wind.

“Haaah…”

I let out a small sigh.

It was over more easily than I expected.

Leivi seemed to feel the same, as she looked around awkwardly and let out a small breath.

“Cecilia… Glacia… Lotte…”

Though the battle ended quickly, the Bugs had actually saved us.
If not for them, we would have surely died.

‘I never imagined Licorice’s Bugs would be this strong…’

Although this demon seemed considerably weaker than the messenger of Abraxas I had faced before, I realized anew that the Bugs were far stronger than I thought.

Flap, flap!

Bob, bob.

Buzz!

The Bugs suddenly started getting excited.

Glacia, in particular, looked extremely thrilled.

Her usual lazy demeanor was nowhere to be seen, and she was flying about with great energy.

They seemed to have found something, all looking in one direction.

It was deep into the Land of Death, probably… in the direction of the Great Labyrinth.

“Where are they trying to go…?”

As I muttered, Cecilia flew in front of me.

She flapped her wings, trying to express something.

She looked at me, then at Leivi, and then pointed far into the distance again.

“Are you… telling us to follow?”

Cecilia flapped her wings even more vigorously.

“I’m sorry… but we can’t leave the coachman.”

But I was worried about the coachman.

The demon’s death would have lifted the mind control, but the after-effects might still linger.

Cecilia tilted her small head.

After seeming to think for a moment, she suddenly flew towards the carriage.

A moment later, a huge wall of fire surrounded the carriage.

But the flames felt warm and didn’t seem to be harming the coachman.

In fact, they emanated a warm, healing energy.

A short while later, I heard the coachman groan.

He seemed to be regaining consciousness.

Flap, flap!

Cecilia flew back to me and flapped her wings more forcefully.

This time, it was a very clear expression to follow.

Leivi looked at me.

“Ryandel-nim… what should we do?”

“Hmm…”

The Bugs had clearly sensed something important.

And having seen their skills firsthand, it seemed they were more than capable of protecting us.

But the Great Labyrinth…

“Don’t tell me… they’re not trying to conquer the Great Labyrinth, are they…?”

As I muttered, Leivi’s complexion turned pale.

“The Great Labyrinth…? We’re going to the Great Labyrinth when even Licorice-nim hasn’t returned…?”

Buzz!

“Ugh!”

Glacia gently headbutted me.

Though the impact I felt was anything but gentle.

She then glared at me fiercely, as if to say, ‘Hurry up.’

“It seems we don’t have a choice.”

“Yes…”

In the end, we began to follow the Bugs deep into the Land of Death.