Episode 474. Practical Sparring (5)

Lucifer smiled, glaring at the human before his eyes.

Those eyes, glaring at him.

They were eyes similar to Liliana’s. Cold eyes that seemed intent on crushing the opponent rather than conversing with them.

“Not bad….”

That woman wielding a sword that crossed space was an interesting subject, even to Lucifer. Her attacks were threatening, even to him. If anything, it was a pleasant miscalculation. He had thought humans discernible by his demonic eyes were insects, but perhaps it was because his own power wasn’t yet stabilized. Facing insects, not Liliana, was also quite an enjoyable diversion.

But the question still remained unanswered. Lucifer asked, looking at Liliana standing behind the red-haired human.

“Liliana Calliope. I cannot comprehend why you are with humans. Perhaps you haven’t noticed the seal placed upon yourself?”

“Shut up. I don’t even know who you are! You crazy stalker bastard!”

Kwadadeuk!

Liliana’s magic power struck Lucifer’s body, and at the same time, the magic power Lucifer fired pierced through where Nam Daeun was standing. Nam Daeun evaded the attack by accelerating her body. Such an attack would be fatal even if it just grazed her, so her concentration had already reached its limit.

“Eitt!”

Channeling her magic to shake off the hellish magic, Liliana hid behind Rebecca again. The formation for dealing with Lucifer was simple. In the front were Nam Daeun and Scarlet. In the rear were Rebecca and Liliana. While the two dealt with Lucifer, Rebecca and Liliana handled the defense. This formation was suitable for facing Lucifer, who wielded a greatsword drenched in magic power.

“I don’t understand, but… it’s interesting. You still pique my interest, Calliope.”

Lucifer muttered to himself and raised his greatsword. Rushing sword strikes. The sword aimed at the girl before him was sharp, but inside Rebecca’s barrier, even Lucifer couldn’t exert his full strength.

Kaang-!

Nam Daeun and Scarlet simultaneously blocked Lucifer’s attack. Each time they blocked Lucifer’s attacks, clad in hellish magic, their entire bodies screamed. The saving grace was that Liliana was gradually easing their burden. If she hadn’t weakened the hellish magic, they would have collapsed long ago.

But this resistance couldn’t last. Hearing the tired breaths, Nam Daeun turned her head sideways.

“Haa. Haa….”

“Scarlet-ssi, are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I can still hold on….”

Nam Daeun’s unique ability, [Space Domination]. She could mitigate Lucifer’s attacks even slightly through acceleration and Space Domination. But Scarlet beside her had to endure Lucifer’s attacks directly. Nam Daeun saw blood pooling in Scarlet’s mouth and clenched her fist.

‘… It’s getting hard to hold on.’

With wide, determined eyes, Nam Daeun glared at Lucifer. Although the situation was somehow being maintained, fatigue and damage had already accumulated for everyone. It was a situation where anyone could collapse at any moment. Compared to them, the opponent still seemed relaxed. Whether he was being careless or cautious, she didn’t know, but now, while the situation held, she had to make a decisive move.

The thing that needed to be done… was up to her alone. Nam Daeun gripped the sword Lee Hoyeon had given her tightly. The wounds on Lucifer’s body were mostly inflicted by Nam Daeun. Scarlet and Rebecca’s attacks were mostly nullified by that hellish magic. She had to rely on her spatial severance, the only thing that worked somewhat.

Kkuuk.

Nam Daeun stirred her magic. Even if it meant using all her remaining magic power, she had to end it in one blow. Nam Daeun whispered softly without looking back.

“Rebecca-ssi. Support me with your magic power around me. We can’t stall any longer.”

“… Yeah.”

Rebecca frowned, seeing Nam Daeun step forward. At the same time, she bit her lip at her own powerlessness.

‘… I’m weak.’

The monster before her emanated the same hellish magic as Lee Hoyeon. During sparring with Lee Hoyeon, she had clearly felt the terror of hellish magic. That foreign magic power, unlike normal magic power, disrupted her own magic. Therefore, a new countermeasure was needed.

But Rebecca hadn’t thought of one yet. Lee Hoyeon was on her side, and she had thought the black pillar wasn’t an immediate concern. At least recently, she had started researching to figure out what Lee Hoyeon was doing, but it was far from enough. If she had started thinking about countermeasures right from that day, she wouldn’t be this powerless.

“This is fun. It’s a sensation you can only feel when you’ve weakened. If I were to become the Demon King, wandering the Underworld while sealing my power would be a good experience.”

“Kkeup…!”

The sword, swallowing pitch-black darkness, fell from above. Nam Daeun blocked Lucifer’s sword without backing down. The black tuxedo fluttered slightly. Just from clashing swords a few times, Nam Daeun could feel the difference. Between him and her, there was a vast difference. Alone, she could never have overcome it.

But Nam Daeun was not alone. Scarlet, her lips pressed tightly together, swung her sword beside Nam Daeun. Liliana somehow tore away at Lucifer’s hellish magic, and Rebecca applied pressure on Lucifer with her rune barrier.

‘I can break through.’

Lucifer’s attacks were gradually slowing down. Lucifer’s attacks, which had previously predicted and blocked all of Nam Daeun’s sword paths, were starting to become visible.

‘Just a little… more.’

A little faster.

A little sharper.

A little more… fatal.

Nam Daeun felt her body lighten. Just moments ago, a strike that seemed absolutely impossible now felt achievable.

Spatial Severance.

A purple light flashed from Nam Daeun’s sword. The faint light grew stronger, and the sword, crossing space, instantly pierced Lucifer’s chest.

“… Kkeup?”

A powerful impact felt in an instant. Lucifer looked down at his chest, withdrawing his sword. A deep stab wound. The magic-infused blade that had penetrated deep into his chest had pierced through his entire chest.

“… When was this?”

This magic power was clearly the human woman before him’s. But he hadn’t felt it at all.

Paak-!

Belatedly, Nam Daeun’s magic dissipated, and at the same time, Lucifer’s knee hit the floor. He couldn’t even remember the last time he suffered such a fatal wound. Blood poured from his chest, and extreme pain struck Lucifer.

“Daeun Yang!”

“I, Nam Daeun. Are you okay?”

“… I’m okay. I can get up soon.”

“I’m sorry, Daeun-ah. If only I were a little stronger….”

“Don’t say that. If it weren’t for Rebecca-ssi, I wouldn’t have been able to do anything either.”

Nam Daeun expressed her gratitude to Rebecca and glared straight ahead. The large wound gaping in her chest. No, it was more like a hole than a wound, which would be the correct way to describe it. Lucifer knelt, covering the hole in his chest with his hand and bleeding profusely.

‘… What was that?’

Nam Daeun swallowed hard, thinking about the attack she had just executed. A kind of awakening. Nam Daeun felt how many levels her own realm had grown. Liliana swallowed hard and glared at Lucifer in front of her.

“Is, is he… dead?”

“It’s a fatal wound. But we can’t let our guard down.”

“Then we have to finish him off quickly!”

“… Yeah. We will.”

Rebecca channeled her magic. The magic that formed the barrier became sharp spears and surged towards Lucifer. An attack meant to definitively end his life. It was an attack born from depleted magic.

She wanted to end it here, but Rebecca’s wish was not easily granted. The black magic spread around Lucifer gathered towards his body. The formless magic enveloped Lucifer and began to fill the hole in his chest.

• Jjeureup. Jjeureup.

• Kkumulkumul.

Darkness consumed Lucifer’s body. Rebecca’s attack bounced off uselessly.

“Liliana!”

“I’m trying too! But it won’t come off!”

Even with Liliana’s power, it was insufficient. The tightly bound hellish magic couldn’t be broken by Liliana alone.

Kkudeudeuk.

A moment later. From within the remnants of darkness, Lucifer rose. Torn flesh and muscle were covered in black darkness. The ability to replace his body with magic power. What Lucifer possessed wasn’t just his demonic eyes. What made him the strongest in the Underworld was this monstrous physical ability. Simply sealing wounds with magic power alone allowed him to move freely for days.

Lucifer smiled, looking at his chest filled with darkness.

“… Amazing. It’s been decades since I used this ability. Although I’ve weakened, I pay my respects to you who accomplished something no one in the Underworld has achieved.”

“Unbelievable….”

Stumbling back, Scarlet stepped back. She thought it was an unhealable wound, but the opponent got up as if nothing happened. Her fighting spirit was broken. It was a desperate situation. She wanted to run when she could escape.

Nevertheless, she couldn’t retreat. Scarlet blocked Nam Daeun’s path, gripping her sword tightly and infusing it with determination.

“Rebecca-nim. How much magic power do you have left?”

“Very little? If I try hard, one attack is possible.”

“S, Scout. We need to escape.”

“… Showing our backs is even more dangerous. Besides, Daeun Yang still needs time to move.”

“Ugh, ugh….”

Trembling with fear, Liliana shivered uncontrollably. The opponent kept calling her name. It all felt like her fault. The mistakes of her past self. Had they driven everyone into danger? Holding back tears, Liliana glared straight ahead.

“My preparations are complete.”

Lucifer, gathering his magic, raised the corner of his mouth and lifted his sword. The darkness, now larger than before, not only swallowed the sword but also flickered as if ablaze. Being passively attacked was not in his vocabulary. He had to tear apart all the humans before him to make it a proper exchange.

Just as Lucifer was about to charge, Lucifer’s demonic eyes glowed. At the same time, his smile vanished. The magic power of numerous humans was approaching. Most were like insects, but a few among them possessed quite potent magic. If they joined the humans before him, it might lead to troublesome matters.

“… Is the entertainment over already?”

Of all times, his own condition wasn’t perfect either. Lucifer enjoyed a life-or-death battle, but he didn’t want to risk his life before regaining his strength.

• This must be the place…! That useless guy can be helpful sometimes!

• Team Leader 1-nim! If you go ahead alone, it’s dangerous!

“… Irene-ssi?”

Nam Daeun, catching her breath, opened her eyes wide at the approaching voice. A familiar voice. It was Irene, with whom she had shared friendship (?) not long ago. The group accompanying her was approaching.

“Next time… I shall return.”

Lucifer turned away without hesitation, seeing the approaching humans. He felt no shame in retreating. If he had fought on, he would have killed them all, so it was practically his victory anyway.

‘There was still more that interested him.’ He had confirmed Liliana Calliope’s existence and discovered interesting humans besides Lee Hoyeon. But the hellish magic Lucifer was interested in, he hadn’t investigated yet. There was room for further investigation.

“Look. Here you are. Is everyone okay?!”

Irene, who had brought the entire Korean branch, saw Rebecca, Scarlet, Liliana, and Nam Daeun and quickly approached them. Everyone’s condition was poor. Fortunately, there seemed to be no fatal injuries, but they looked like they could collapse at any moment.

“Why are you here, Irene-nim…?”

“Ah… I was just looking for you all. What luck. Who is that guy?”

Under Lucifer’s demonic gaze, the people in the shopping district all left the area. Those affected by the demonic eyes didn’t question their actions. They remembered forgotten schedules, or fabricated reasons and left the shopping district. The Academy couldn’t pay attention to the shopping district, but fortunately, an intelligence guild that had infiltrated the Academy immediately noticed the movement of many people. At that moment. Irene, having received a message from Chiron, was searching for Scarlet.

She knew Scarlet was inside the Academy, but since she couldn’t find her anywhere, she had ended up here, where things seemed suspicious. Scarlet, having heard the explanation, bowed her head and expressed her thanks.

“Thank you. Irene-nim.”

“… I’ll permit you as the baby’s father’s official girlfriend. If it’s Irene, you’re welcome.”

“I apologize for kidnapping you. I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry….”

“Is, is it that thankful? You can look up.”

Until recently, Liliana, who had been cursing her for being rude, kept apologizing profusely with a tearful face. Irene felt pleased inwardly, but desperately holding back her laughter, she stopped Liliana.