Episode 538. Lucifer of Ruin (2)

“Alice, be careful…! You should stay behind Unnie!”

“…What is that?”

Alice, who had entered the center with Irene from the very back of the formation, scrunched up her face the moment she saw Lucifer.

The terrifying aura emanating from its massive body.

And Liliana, poised for battle before it.

Feeling the oppressive pressure between the two, Alice unconsciously held her breath.

Irene hid Alice behind her, biting her lip.

“That’s Lucifer. It looks different from last time… but I’m sure of it.”

“That monster is Lucifer?”

“That’s right. But what’s that thing it’s holding? …No way?”

“…Yeah. It’s Lee Hoyeon.”

Although she didn’t recognize him as quickly as Liliana did, Irene’s eyes widened too.

Alice faced forward, drawing up her magic.

But before she could step forward, Liliana’s magic stirred.

Grrr-

“This kind of thing is easy now, isn’t it?”

The magic filling the space around Liliana contracted.

Naturally, the oppressive pressure from the hellish magic weighing down Alice also lessened.

Shink-

Nam Daeun’s surprise spatial slash attacked the empty space.

A deep gash was carved into Lucifer’s chest.

“Kuaaahk!”

Swoosh-

At the same time, Lee Hoyeon, who had been held by Lucifer, floated towards them.

The delicate magic control prevented any impact from reaching Lee Hoyeon.

It was Moon Surin’s telekinesis.

“I’ve got Hoyeon. Saintess-nim. Please take care of Hoyeon.”

“My disciple…”

“Ah, ahh… No…”

Baek Ahyoung shed tears, pouring her magic into Lee Hoyeon.

Lee Hoyeon’s condition was horrific.

The severe external wounds and bleeding required urgent treatment, and his internal state was even worse.

His magic circuits were broken, and his organs and bones were severely damaged.

“This is unbelievable… Honey. Honey…”

As soon as Baek Ahyoung assessed Lee Hoyeon’s condition, she channeled all the magic into his circuits.

In a way, it could be considered fortunate.

It was a miracle he was even alive this long, and if they had been just 10 seconds later, even a Saintess couldn’t have saved him.

Baek Ahyoung pushed away the death that had loomed right before Lee Hoyeon’s nose.

Alice also wished she could help treat Lee Hoyeon, but with the Saintess attending to him, she would only be in the way.

‘…What’s with calling him ‘Honey’? No, let’s think about that later. Why did that woman’s demeanor change so suddenly?’

Alice tilted her head, looking at Liliana’s back.

She seemed like an idiot before, but she became a completely different person once the fight started.

Maybe she was similar to her father.

Her womanizing, frivolous father also became serious during battles.

‘Anyway, I need to get ready too.’

Revising her opinion of Liliana, Alice drew up her magic.

It seemed they had to defeat that monster to escape this dungeon.

Lee Hoyeon must have known that, which is why he was fighting alone.

She couldn’t just stand by either.

Of course, before that.

She had to take care of the two trembling kittens in front of her.

“Lucy, Lumi. You two protect the Saintess-nim who’s treating Hoyeon.”

Alice approached Lucy and Lumi. She had said it indirectly, but it was clearly a dismissal.

Alice acknowledged that Lucy and Lumi were highly skilled.

Having experience in fights like this was an important factor. Even with great skill, one couldn’t perform well in a real battle.

Seeing them tremble, she couldn’t ask them to fight alongside her.

“N-No. We can fight too.”

“I… don’t want to run away. I’ll get revenge for Lee Hoyeon.”

Tears welling up, Lucy and Lumi clenched their fists simultaneously.

Even if the fight was scary, running away now meant they couldn’t get revenge on the one who did this to Lee Hoyeon.

That was worse than any scary fight.

“I understand how you feel, but… it’s really dangerous. Besides, protecting the Saintess-nim is the same as helping Lee Hoyeon.”

Alice glanced at the front, then stood beside Irene, who was preparing for battle.

She wanted to pull Lucy and Lumi back, but there was no more time for conversation.

She didn’t know when that monster would attack.

‘Lee Hoyeon might be a bad guy worth punching, but I can’t just stand by and watch someone else beat him up.’

Alice gritted her teeth, recalling the blood-covered Lee Hoyeon.

Just then, Im Sol, who was beside Baek Ahyoung, approached Lucy and Lumi.

“Girls. Come over here.”

“Professor Im Sol?”

Thump. Thump.

Im Sol, enveloped in blue magic, stepped in front of Lucy and Lumi.

“Assist me from my side. Lucy student, focus on offense. Lumi student, focus on defense, matching my rhythm.”

“Professor Im Sol! Thank you!”

“Thank you…!”

“It’s nothing. Your skills are more than enough to help.”

Im Sol suppressed her boiling anger as much as possible, glaring forward.

The most crucial thing to avoid in battle is losing one’s reason.

As a professor, she had to look after her students and set an example.

‘…This is a bit tough today.’

She probably wasn’t the only one this angry.

Everyone who saw Lee Hoyeon’s state was holding back their anger.

The student council president even suppressed his rage while personally moving Lee Hoyeon.

Getting worked up alone here would be unacceptable for a professor.

Moreover, to avenge Lee Hoyeon, it was crucial to fight calmly.

Calming her emotions, Im Sol glared forward.

“Was Liliana always this strong? Scarlet. You should have told me that beforehand.”

“…This is the first time I’m seeing it too.”

“Then what is it? Did she awaken because of Lee Hoyeon?”

“I’m not joking, it might really be the case.”

Irene blinked, watching the magic swirling around Liliana.

Of course, she was angry too.

It was the first time she had seen Lee Hoyeon suffer like that.

‘…But seeing everyone else so furious next to me, I can’t seem to get properly angry myself.’

Irene drew her sleek sword, preparing for battle.

She could fight at a distance, but with Alice present, she planned to assist in close combat today.

Fwoosh-

Just then, a massive energy began to gather above Irene’s head.

“Armageddon.”

It was Im Sol’s magic.

As soon as the magic preheating finished, she cast her most powerful spell.

She had no intention of giving the enemy, wounded by Nam Daeun’s surprise attack, time to regenerate.

Lucy, standing nearby, spoke to Im Sol in a fluster.

“P-Professor. What should I do?”

“Move with confidence based on your judgment. A student like Lucy should be perfectly capable. Lumi student, you can help when I’m trying to defend. If I can’t react in time, it would be even better if you could intercept first.”

“Yes, yes!”

“Understood…!”

Mana began to gather around Im Sol.

It had felt incredibly stifling when they first entered the dungeon, but this space was definitely a bit easier thanks to Liliana clearing out the magic.

“Lucy… You got this.”

“Yeah. Lumi. Protect us well this time too.”

Lucy and Lumi also prepared their magic according to Im Sol’s instructions.

The twins had no experience in such extreme situations, yet their minds were strangely calm.

Perhaps it was thanks to Im Sol’s encouragement, or maybe it was because they were thinking of Lee Hoyeon.

Chiiiik-

Thud.

Lucifer, covering the wound on his chest with magic, closed the distance to the humans before him.

He didn’t believe he would lose to mere humans, but he couldn’t tolerate just standing there and taking hits.

“Liliana. It’s still a bit uncomfortable, can’t you block more?”

“This is my limit! I’ve taken control of the space, but it’s hard to block the magic that bastard originally possesses…!”

The hellish magic flowing from Lucifer prevented Irene from unleashing her full power.

Irene felt frustrated and flicked her sword.

“Unnie! Be careful!”

At that moment, something dark shot up before Irene’s eyes.

She instinctively raised her sword to block, but the immense physical force sent Irene flying backward.

“Kuhuk…!”

Kwaaang-!

An impact that felt like her fingertips would shatter.

The overwhelming difference in power was enough to evoke despair.

Irene, who had been sent flying as if hit by a bomb, was caught by Moon Surin’s gentle magic.

“This is really unbelievable… Kuhuk.”

A light cough brought up a trickle of red blood.

She had barely allowed one attack, and even that had its impact minimized thanks to Moon Surin’s magic.

And yet, the impact was this severe.

How on earth did Lee Hoyeon confront that monster one-on-one?

Pang-

Fortunately, Irene wasn’t alone.

While Irene was being thrown back, Scarlet’s sharp slash targeted Lucifer’s arm.

Lucifer reacted quickly enough, but Alice intercepted the fist heading towards Scarlet.

Kwang-!

Liliana’s magic struck Lucifer’s empty chest.

Shink-

Simultaneously, Nam Daeun’s spatial slash grazed Lucifer’s skin.

Their coordination, despite it being their first time fighting together today, was perfect.

They had coordinated during the fake dungeon break, but their overwhelming skill and talent allowed them to grow stronger as they teamed up.

After the brief exchange, as they retreated with Moon Surin’s magic, a barrage of spells rained down.

Hundreds of fire arrows and elemental orbs fell upon Lucifer’s head.

“Miss Alice! Over here!”

“Thanks, Scarlet.”

“Are you alright, Irene-nim?”

“Fortunately, I’m alive.”

“It seems better for us to act as bait rather than engage in a head-on fight.”

“…I think so too. Alice! Stay behind Unnie.”

“I’m fine, so you be careful, Unnie.”

Ice wrapped around Alice’s sword.

Her body felt light, as if it could fly.

It was thanks to Rebecca and Moon Surin.

They were maintaining a rune barrier and telekinesis, respectively.

Magic that slowed Lucifer’s speed and accelerated their allies filled the entire battlefield.

The flow of battle was perfect.

The problem was that the monster was outside the standard.

Ssssk-

‘Not bad.’

Lucifer looked at his regenerating arm, his demonic eyes glowing red.

Liliana’s magic was certainly threatening.

She had blown away most of the magic from the magic circle Lucifer had controlled.

His body felt heavy due to an unknown barrier, and strange magic pulled at him from all directions.

Furthermore, the humans attacking from various angles each had tricky patterns.

…But that was the extent of it.

Lucifer was the legitimate successor to the Demon King.

Even without the magic circle’s power, his robust body and overwhelming magic.

And his demonic eyes still existed.

“Each one of them is a bug worse than Lee Hoyeon. A bunch of annoying flies gathered together is still just that.”

Humans are humans, no matter how strong.

Unless they were a mutant like Lee Hoyeon, a mob of bugs couldn’t pose a threat to him.

He just had to crush them with overwhelming power.

Chiiiiik-

Lucifer’s magic replaced his severed body parts.

The body that had been wounded was instantly restored.

Scorching fire arrows and light bombardments poured down on Lucifer.

A shield made of hellish magic blocked the spells, scattering as Lucifer surveyed the women.

‘They’re tense. Trembling in fear, feeling despair.’

Lucifer’s demonic eyes couldn’t be deceived.

The humans before him showed normal reactions, unlike Lee Hoyeon.

They felt the vast difference in power looking at Lucifer.

That’s the normal human reaction, isn’t it?

‘…Strange.’

Despite clearly feeling fear, the humans were attacking with a similar fervor to Lee Hoyeon.

Lucifer couldn’t comprehend it.

It was a sight unseen in the Underworld.

Sacrificing oneself for others, leaping into the fiery abyss.

Prioritizing others over one’s own life, attacking him, who possessed overwhelming power.

Lucifer felt a sense of dissonance looking at the humans facing him.

He frowned and muttered.

“…It’s nauseating.”

Just because it was a sight unseen in the Underworld didn’t mean he felt pity or moved.

He disliked how these weak, pathetic humans held their heads high before him.

“But it might provide some entertainment… I suppose I could let a few live.”

It was annoying, but it would be a lie to say it wasn’t somewhat interesting.

He planned to capture Liliana and a few other humans along with Lee Hoyeon.

Perhaps some interesting research could be conducted on them.

Kuuuung-!

Leaking magic enveloped Lucifer’s entire body.

Lucifer’s imposing presence pressed down on the center, making the entire space resonate.

The women watching Lucifer grew even more tense under the immense pressure.

Lucifer unleashed a chilling glare and charged at the humans before him.