episode_0020

Overwhelming numbers.

Just this one phrase, and most people would understand.

No matter how skilled a strong man is at tug-of-war, if 500 kindergarten kids come running at him, he’ll eventually lose in the tug-of-war.

This is an obvious fact.

So, what if it were like this?

3 special forces armed with state-of-the-art weapons vs 50 lions.

Naturally, it seems obvious that the latter would win here too.

However, the person holding their ground in this place…

Has experienced it.

What made the impossible possible.

In her childhood, in a back alley, facing a gang of thieves, a young girl took a metal rod and single-handedly took them all down.

This time is no different.

Without a metal rod, wielding only two fists, she stands facing 500 demons.

Moreover, in a state of serious injury, unable to fully unleash her original abilities due to magical recoil.

500 demons. A large group capable of turning almost any village into ruins.

Anyone who sees this would undoubtedly panic and flee.

Perhaps even her own retainers, or even the most desperate knights or sons like Dylan,

If they witnessed this battle, they would have screamed orders or even come to restrain her.

It’s a fight that anyone can see has no chance of winning. Investing in a fight with no chance of winning is something that a lord should know best.

Didn’t she pressure herself like that?

The result.

The current Viscountess Britna has lost much of her former dignity, experiencing defeat after defeat and being pushed back on the front lines.

However.

“Surely it was the same back then.”

Her gaze turns towards the man behind her, lying there with darkened eyes.

An individual she hated, loved, and would give everything for without hesitation.

“When it must be done, a decision must be made.”

Whether to die here.

Or to script a miracle.

Ironically, that miracle might not even have a 1% chance. But the Britna family…

“Do not forget that it has always continued like this.”

She retrieves an old glove from her pocket.

Though now dyed in a fresh white color, it is filled with traces of blood washed away many times.

A side of her that is different from the calculated and forward-thinking self.

Unquestionably, the power she retrieved was solely for the one thing she must protect.

Behind the woman, shadows began to emerge like a legion, wolves leaping out from the darkness.

“…Huh, so you don’t trust me till the end.”

-Grr?

The head of a demon in the form of a bat turned around.

As its intense gaze met the icy fortress, it roughly flapped its wings, shattering the window and entering the banquet hall amidst a situation that seemed ready to ignite at any moment.

Her mind was as cool as if doused with cold water.

This was a battle she had experienced dozens of times.

“Now… it’s time to get used to it.”

Rachel, pulling the end of her white gloves, pressed down on a hat that might have appeared from somewhere, staring straight ahead.

-“The family’s… loser… the family’s loser… hehe, the family’s… loser.”

-“Have you… forgotten your sin? It won’t be erased… won’t…”

A tone deliberately scratching at human weakness.

But it didn’t reach Rachel’s ears, who had already made up her mind.

She was preparing for a single strike.

With a thud, the woman’s foot hit the ground. In her appearance, clearly that of a long-range sorceress, there was a brief moment where no one could anticipate or react.

In that frozen moment, it felt like she was jumping through her own empty space. And then, her hand took the form of a blade.

The target was obviously the demon in front, but from both sides, what seemed like huge 1-meter wings were fluttering.

“Kakaralak?!!!”

The bat-shaped demon suddenly turned to face Rachel in close combat, its expression twisted in astonishment as it raised its sharp-clawed foreleg. The reaction and judgment were clearly different from when she had faced lower demons or even the lowest level of monsters in the past.

However, the creature’s mistake was that it couldn’t shake her off all at once.

With a thud, the demon’s head, which touched around her head, froze instantly like it was filled with liquid nitrogen. Then, as it clenched its fist, it burst with a bang!

From the torso upwards, hot blood spurted like a fountain. The woman, not rejecting the blood staining her white clothes, accepted it, still turning her gaze as an oblivious demon, trying to assess the situation, looked around.

But the demon wasn’t dead yet.

-Crackle.

The leg that still had sensation did not let go of the woman. Just as it was about to break through, “Grrrr….” One of the five wolves protecting Ian lunged at the demon, tearing into its body.

The wolf, though tough and fast, had no other advantages, but suddenly, its owner’s skill had improved, and even its teeth were now dripping with a faint aura. They weren’t a threatening opponent for the demons, but if their numbers and attacks continued to increase, they would become an undeniable threat.

“Kuk!” Rachel, freed from the demon’s grasp, once again faced the creature. The one at the top, with the largest wings and red horns. It was then that the demon and Rachel locked eyes. The monster’s foolish gaze shifted, aiming for Rachel’s fist. Unaware that she was already approaching. As if allowing an attack that couldn’t be avoided, like a beast within an inevitable range.

Desperately trying to send thorns to stop the woman’s movement, she neither dodged nor avoided all of it. But did going this far prove her as the leader? Demons rising from below covered the woman’s figure. This time, two demons shaped like bears, covered in muscle, charged from both sides. If at least one had come from a single direction, there might have been a way to fend them off, but the demons moved as if their strategy was predetermined. Unfortunately.

However, experience lent unpredictability to their plans. Surprise was a card advantageous in the initial stages. Once played, it was an irreversible trump card. Just before their strike reached her, Rachel grabbed the thorn embedded in her shoulder. “…!” The demons’ eyes narrowed at the unexpected response. Were they intimidated by being targeted? No, the woman’s objective lay elsewhere. Using the resilience gained from narrowly avoiding their attacks and her reinforced mana, Rachel enveloped the thorn.

Only then did the demons realize the woman’s true intent. “…Grrr.” The remaining resilient wolves relentlessly gnawed at their legs.

“Kroooooo!!!!!!”

Even though it felt chillingly devilish, she only smiled at the perplexity that was enough to send shivers down one’s spine.

Despite his efforts to break free from the pack of wolves, he leaped forward.

-Thud.

It was a brief sound.

The area his hand touched began to freeze instantly, and before a groan could escape, his head shattered, ending his life.

-Crash!

“Krrraaaahhh!!!!!!”

The one who had been about to run also suffered the same fate.

He was being collectively devoured by the wolves that the demon had left behind earlier. Their black organs and blood streamed onto the ground.

It took merely an instant for the two lesser demons to die.

Before the thorns even reached their bodies, they realized that the woman’s thorns hadn’t pierced them.

The shield she had unfolded to block the projectile.

A magi-enhanced pink shield advanced in front of Rachel.

Perhaps due to being lesser demons, the shield, overflowing with magic, didn’t break easily. It made no sense for it to be pierced as easily as their own skin.

Right, when thrown.

Then, they should just tear apart and kidnap the defenseless woman.

Seeing the figure approaching, they realized their prediction was completely wrong.

Only mockery and a sardonic smile adorned the demon’s lips. How would they play with this woman at night? How would a noblewoman scream and express despair?

Demons’ first favorite thing is consuming human organs, second is liver, and third is playing with ignorant humans who don’t realize the unfair contract while laughing.

But the woman in front of them was smiling like a murderer who deserved even more fear.

“Huh, not dead.”

“!!!!!!”

The demon, reacting to the woman’s murderous smile, panicked.

Fluttering, instinctively urging its wings upward, to flee into the sky.

At the moment they were convinced they had escaped!

-Swoooosh!

The woman’s figure vanished from sight, and the ground trembled. She had anticipated this movement and was already in a leaping position. The entire situation had been in the palm of that woman’s hand.

The demon, realizing this, furrowed his brow and looked down at the arrogant woman. “You… you… you wench…!!! Argh, arghhh!!!!” Obscenities reflexively spewed out.

Thud. Behind the descending circular shield, the demon’s eyes saw nothing but an alien pink color. Thump… thud! Thud! Kwaaang! Rachel’s fist, spinning the blade in a simple, unrefined manner, struck the shield dozens of times.

Each time, the surging magic froze the approaching demons, and the wolves, who wouldn’t die even when killed, suddenly increased in number, blocking the path.

“You…! You dare to ask for help!!!! Slaves, unable to stop this one single woman… Hah-”

As soon as the clinking sound began, cracks appeared in the shield. Without any opportunity to reinforce it with magic, her fists continued to strike.

Growing more confident in its effectiveness, the speed and thudding sounds continued. Using the crack as a focal point, the space rapidly expanded—1cm… 2cm… 10cm… in a matter of seconds.

With a clang, the human woman appeared before their eyes for the last time. “…”

She exuded a cold aura, more demonic than the demon himself, expressed only through her eyes. The shattered shield could no longer protect the demon’s body.

Her expression seemed almost refreshing. However, on the other hand, the demon, now filled with terror, trembled uncontrollably, and the fear of imminent death crept onto his distorted face.

Mistakenly appearing reddened by life, the woman’s golden eyes gazed down at him. “…You’re human, aren’t you? Right?”

A question tinged with madness. Despite perceiving the question, the demon, as if pierced to the core, was unable to respond.

Huffing heavily, Rachel, her shoulders heaving with each breath, grasped the demon’s head, wearing a victorious smile. It seemed he was exhausted by such a small effort.

The devil yet to be dealt with is piled up like a mountain.

Just because the leader is killed doesn’t mean all the devils will run away. On the contrary, the devils filled with greed will strive to take over the new leadership position. And the target that needs to be hunted down is none other than Rachel, who killed the leader here. It’s enough to make one tremble in fear.

However, the woman rose from the blood-soaked ground, her body covered in wounds. The eyes of the devils, who had been rushing towards her, suddenly focused on her, and the mouths that had been spewing out terror were instantly shut.

A stillness that arose on the battlefield. A moment that seemed to dye the world red.

Putting aside that mysterious sight, a woman of unknown origin emerged from the ruins of the building.

“…….Who is the devil who made you like this?”

In the chaotic scene, the imposing presence that resonated was truly remarkable. Just taking one step forward, she intruded upon the surrounding area with magic. Arrows, a mix of black and red, flew around the woman’s body.

The woman in maid attire was beauty personified. Her skin was as white as jade, and it was almost strange how not a single drop of blood stained her, so captivating was her figure. However, her coldly settled pupils and narrowed eyes now exuded vitality.

Everyone tensed up in response to the overwhelming energy that seemed to crush them without a chance to be captivated by her beauty. The delicate and slender voice fitting for the doll-like woman was replaced by a gruesome scream that seemed to pierce the sky with rage.

Rachel, who had already activated her aura blade once, was exhausted beyond measure. Come to think of it, just who is that woman? Did she finally succumb to herself and confront that woman?

Rachel’s eyes widened as she belatedly confirmed the magic. Yuria, who threw a question at the devils, still maintained a composed attitude, clasping her hands together and looking up at them with emotionless eyes.

“I asked who you are.”

Exuding an aura akin to magic that would not be strange even if it made the devils shiver, she held the crimson blood in her hand. Despite their gaze, the face of the small and young maid was not filled with fear but simply darkening.

Yuria’s eyes were dyed black with an intense gaze.

“…What?”

The answer didn’t come back at all.

In the face of their small irritation, around 480 or so demons collectively trembled as if seized by convulsions. The monster that had been intent on tearing humans apart just moments ago now looked pitifully shaky.

The demons grew impatient. They had intended to approach Rachel, but changed direction. Whether to kill this woman right here and now, or to ponder eternal imprisonment and torture, it seemed they were contemplating with those cruel eyes.

Offer an escape route? No, such a thought never crossed their minds. From the moment they locked eyes with the maid, their bodies froze like ice, rendering them unable to move a muscle.

“…We can’t just let them all die peacefully. Except for the demons who made you suffer, my lord, I’ll let the rest die in peace. That’s why.”

As their clasped hands slowly loosened, the pooled blood took on a spearman’s stance.

“Answer me.”

They were now either terrified, unable to flee, or simply staring. They charged with all their might to kill their enemy. Even if they were demons, there was no demon who wanted to die. If they did die, there was a way to come back to life, which is why the 500 of them rushed forward without hesitation.

If they died, it was certain that one of these demons would sacrifice a human to bring them back to life. But that maid was dangerous.

Even the demon horde, fearlessly charging toward the legion, was frightened. A strong conviction that not a single one would be left alive.

Annihilation. The word echoed deeply in the demons’ minds.

Just by disturbing her state of mind, they would all die. Every last one of them.

When the woman raised her hand,

the demons screamed as if terrified citizens.

-“S-save us!!! Save us…! Save us…. Save us!!!!!”

-“Stop… I hate it… I hate it… danger, danger… we’re going to die!!!!!”

The screams of the demons

filled the entire estate of Viscountess Brittna.