episode_0039

“Hmm, it just so happens that I needed a demon for my research. This worked out well.”

A showdown with the demon was imminent.

Already subdued, the demon was close to being overpowered. Meeting Yuria, who was akin to a natural enemy, would certainly pose a challenge.

The saint looked back and forth between Jae, who had disappeared with the demon, and Yuria, with a slightly bewildered expression.

“Don’t relax. I simply killed a rat as a temporary measure.”

Yuria spoke thus, beginning to summon her subordinates from the shadows.

As the body of the saint, who had clearly caught the attention of Baphomet and had spent considerable time, had once been lost, it was certain that now, having realized what was lost, she would take drastic action.

Meanwhile, Rachel, who was examining the room, asked with a somewhat urgent tone, “Is this all the enemies? Where is Ian?”

At the mention of ‘Ian’, everyone present flinched, but Yuria continued to explain to Rachel, who was currently in disarray, first and foremost.

“Your master must have gone after the demon we just captured. No, he’s probably gone directly to their nest since he said he’d go there himself.”

Nest.

It was the demon’s hiding place, and not only that demon, but other comrades could freely move between nests, making it an even more challenging place to hunt. Moreover, the energy felt earlier was at least superior or higher.

Upon hearing that word, Rachel’s expression darkened.

Because in her eyes, it could only be interpreted as someone going directly into a hornet’s nest without protective gear in a situation where one should simply avoid the danger.

It was enough to call it reckless.

“…Shouldn’t we hurry then? He seemed to be at least a top-tier demon. It’s too much for Ian to face alone…”

“It’s your master’s plan.”

“No…! Right now, isn’t his life at stake?”

“I have something to do here. I don’t want to become an emotional variable or obstacle in your master’s plan.”

With a firm voice, Yuria’s response silenced Rachel.

“…Even if it’s a plan, isn’t it too risky? There must be another reason you asked for my help… I have to go right away.”

Yuria’s voice grew even colder as she blocked her path.

“Do you know the location of the nest? Considering your original nature, it didn’t seem like something you would do originally.”

Original nature, temperament.

Temperament.

After repeating that word in her mind once, Rachel stood before Yuria with a determined expression.

“Ian is my precious family. There’s no changing the fact that we need to go save him immediately.”

“Especially you, Master. I emphasized that you should not come. Our mission is to wait and protect the saint. Another army will be coming soon. A force made up entirely of Baphomet’s direct knights. We must prepare immediately to stop them.”

“…”

“There’s no time for silence and contemplation. If you still can’t do it, then please leave. Anyone who tries to sabotage the Master’s plan will be dealt with without mercy.”

Unable to do otherwise, Rachel turned her head and began with the most important thing.

“If what you say is true, those demon armies are dangerous. Even more so if they are composed of elite knights. Although I don’t know the details of your exact plan… It seems like now is not the time to confront them, but rather to flee.”

It was a very sensible remark.

A conclusion from a cold strategist.

Judging by the level of the knights visible outside the window and around, they were simply not capable of stopping the army.

It seemed impossible how they had managed to repel the first invasion.

Moreover, with a second invasion, and subordinates consisting solely of direct knights, even Yuria would be at a disadvantage.

Even in the Holy Kingdom, they hesitated to confront the direct knights of the commander. Even if it was the lowest-ranked commander, they were undoubtedly formidable opponents.

Even joining forces with others, the chances of facing them head-on were uncertain. Direct defense was simply absurd.

On the contrary, if they thought coldly, they could just abandon this village and move only the saint.

However,

“What did you say?”

“…This is how it will be done.”

Ian’s plan, as stated by Yuria, was even more insane.

“…Is that really the plan you’re putting forward as feasible right now?”

When I first heard the plan, I thought about severing the master’s limbs and confining them in a solitary cell to spend eternity together. But I held back.

“Seems more like luck than a plan…”

“I acknowledge the difficulty. However, the master said there is no other way. Even if the commander comes.”

But Rachel, in response to such absurdity, brushed her hair back behind her ear, touching her forehead.

“But… can the commander really be stopped by just that? Even if it’s my opinion…”

“If he’s here, you act.”

If that’s the case, he’ll find a way.

Even if he can’t, Yuria has already roughly calculated a way to save him.

“…Perhaps we should pray for the commander to visit here in person.”

“Yes, that might be necessary.”

Meanwhile, Ian, who had been watching this whole situation as a spectator, continued his steps.

The devil’s offspring.

Separated from the saint now, barely surviving with his second life, he will undoubtedly emerge from this place as originally intended.

“Dylan almost died because of this guy.”

The location they arrived at was an environment akin to a swamp where the dense magic began to engulf the forest.

Six lowest, ten lower, two upper, one highest grade. Other commanders’ subordinates were visible, and a few of his own knights.

Certainly not a small number, but rather surprising that there were only this many.

“…”

However, among those devils, something more noticeable than anyone else was staring at me from the center of the swamp, with only one eye.

I wiped the cold sweat dripping down my chin with the back of my hand and looked at the black tendrils and tentacles intertwined between the contaminated trees.

At the core of those tendrils, a black entity with several veins maintained its form.

‘Ritual of Resurrection.’

From the center of the nest, ‘someone’ wrapped in magic seemed to be gazing at me from beyond.

As if they had seen an intriguing being.

Baphomet.

Was watching over me.

Sitting comfortably on the throne in the demon realm, he must be watching me. He’s not one to readily show himself. Known for rarely revealing his appearance even in the original work, his presence here must have stirred quite a bit of emotion. Perhaps he’s interested in me or in Yuria. Most likely, his interest in me stems from how I handle Yuria as a vessel, the master’s abilities, or… well, it’s probably due to matters of interest understood only by them.

Next, his grotesquely dilated pupils and exposed blood vessels made him look eerie as he gazed toward where the demon was approaching.

“…You,”

The demon silently scrutinized the intruder’s face.

So, you already know everything and came directly to the nest?

However, the man’s skill was pitiful from what was seen then.

Of course, he seemed to possess some unexpected talent in handling swordsmanship and wielding the aura blade, but compared to ordinary bugs, he was just slightly better.

I kept an eye on him with caution since he is the maid’s master.

Even the direct connection of magical power was pathetic.

It’s still unbelievable that such a man adeptly wielded the aura blade in front of the saint.

Moreover, despite being surrounded by demons who would make other knights tremble and flee if they met them as enemies, his expression still showed a sense of composure.

His voice, dripping with disdain, seemed to slowly scratch at the demon’s emotions.

Normally, a weakling like him would be begging for mercy on his knees.

Does he really think he doesn’t realize his own weakness?

I didn’t think he’d come this far to boast.

“….What on earth are you?”

Regardless, intruders are to be killed.

Having truly felt the strength of the monstrous maid earlier, I had to slightly advance my plans. Every second spent facing that man was becoming increasingly wasteful.

“I commend your audacity in coming this far. However, your arrogance is too much.”

“What did you say? You’re a dead man walking.”

The devil surprisingly responds well to provocation. Especially, for someone like Baphomet, who has been subtly disregarded under the shadow and has been sulking for years, it works even better.

“…You, I should specially make you into a devil and show it to the maids.”

Feeling a thrill at the excitement of the devil rising, he sneered subtly. In fact, humans who boast like that even when making a contract have been seen countless times. And without exception, they either die miserably or turn into a devil and lose their sanity and die miserably. Imagining that arrogant man turning into such a figure and hearing his regret and screams, he couldn’t help but sneer.

Then the devil’s arms began to grotesquely enlarge, and his muscles expanded. It was a powerful attack that could cause fatal injuries just by touching it, thud, thud, like a deadly beat.

There are various advantages for higher demons. Different from lower demons. Super-fast regeneration, skin that can’t be easily pierced even by a sword, enhanced magic, dark magic. They possess ‘traits’ that even a typical high-ranking demon would find difficult to obtain. Seeing the ritual circle of the higher demon, which activates dark magic just by raising a hand, a sight that would make even dark wizards faint in disbelief, is surely a perfect technique to instill despair in those who face it.

“…But he doesn’t even bother to get into position until the end.”

He doesn’t even draw his sword at his waist. If the opponent is inferior, they probably wouldn’t even realize how much skill he’s using. Also, they probably wouldn’t be scared and wouldn’t react at all. By the way, breaking the head of a higher demon doesn’t easily kill them. Literally, the arm that fell off a few seconds ago regenerates, and cutting off that arm in the first place is difficult.

That’s why the Holy Kingdom’s saintesses and high priests use ‘divine power.’ Probably there is no saintess around here who possesses divine power strong enough to kill himself, a higher demon. Furthermore, this environment. ‘Devil’s Nest.’ The longer humans step on this ground, the more it absorbs their magic power and endlessly grows in size. On top of that, unless one has various mental defenses, magic that surges forth is as deadly as venom.

The Holy Kingdom has its reasons for sending only the elite to the ‘Nest’ in small numbers. Sending a large group would only serve to feed the demons and bolster their nest. Sending mediocre individuals would make it easier for them to be devoured by the demons, making it harder to capture them. If the Nest had been created not long ago, it might have been easier to eliminate, but “it’s already too late.” Even if they knew, it would have been difficult for a man of that caliber to eliminate it. It is likely that eliminating this would require the sacrifice of a maid, a high priest at the very least, or even a saint, pouring out all their divine power. And that means even if a man like Ian, who doesn’t emit any magical power, were to come with a hidden skill like Blade, unless he is an existence beyond the norm like a vampire, it would be impossible for a regular user to eliminate it.

Even excluding that,

-Kugugung!

A demon flew forward and slammed into the ground. Magic stuck to the area where his hand touched, spreading outwards, creating a crater as if something had exploded underneath.

The original strength of the demon was tremendous. To have prey unwittingly come to a more advantageous position on their side.

“…But I won’t let my guard down.”

He was still the kind of man who made even a powerful demon like Baphomet feel uneasy. If he managed to dodge this blow, it meant he was quite confident in his speed.

Even a single drop of magic, being direct magic from the ‘Nest,’ would elicit a significant reaction upon touching a human body.

Considering the range at which magic was bouncing, he had distanced himself from it in an instant.

To an ordinary human or an ordinary user, it would have been a rather eerie scene, but the demon remained unfazed.

His movements had always been swift. Even when he used the Ora Blade before, he showed considerable potential in agility and tactics. Having witnessed his combat firsthand before, it’s hard to believe he would have caught Baphomet’s attention just by showing off.

‘An interesting man, having received the authority of a duke.’

“…Did you say ‘duke’? However, what do you mean by ‘authority’…?”

Just before this incident occurred, he recalled Baalphegor’s reaction when he reported on the confirmation of that vampire and its master.

“‘The ability to temporarily borrow someone else’s power… No, it’s different. It’s more like sharing. Hehe, an interesting ability indeed. Especially useful for someone skilled in trickery.’ With a sneering grin, Baalphegor had said so.

Sharing? Borrowing?

It’s an unbelievable ability unless it’s a direct pact with a demon or a blessing. And there was no trace of that kind of thing with him.

Simply drawing magical power from somewhere without any cost or increasing his abilities…

“Magic circles? It’s too sloppy for that…”

He had seen things like this before. But they were insufficient to use here.

However, just by seeing the guy evade the attacks of the lower demons without taking a single hit and swiftly sever the neck of a lesser demon, it was clear.

…A lesser demon in its nest would, depending on the individual, be no different from a mid-level being in terms of abilities. To kill them with nothing more than ordinary swordsmanship is beyond eerie.

But.

‘Magic has its limits.’

Its durability.

He might have chosen such a method knowing in advance that it shouldn’t be drawn out into a prolonged battle, but due to the nature of magic, once the embedded spells or magical power are exhausted, life comes to an end.

In that case, it was a matter of sending subordinates to kill until all his tricks are exhausted.

He couldn’t attack him directly right now, but using those lower demons to deplete a few of his tricks should suffice. Once outside the nest, they would be nothing more than fodder.

Even just earlier, he was calmly avoiding their attacks, but as higher-ranking demons intervened, he began to show variable movements, revealing slight openings.

The demon seized that moment.

-Kwaaaah!!!

Self-destruction.

The body of the lesser demon expanded in an instant and then exploded in front of the man. As the administrator who could control the nest itself, he could even use the demons moving on this land as living bombs.

In an already abnormal battle environment, the increased stats due to the self-destruction of the demon surpassed imagination.

The lips of the guy who had a smug face until just now started to dry up.

It wasn’t a large amount of magic, but it had successfully adhered to his body to some extent.

The amount of magic adhering to him would increase more and more from now on. Moreover, as time passed, magic power would also drain from the magical tool and from himself.

There was no hope for him. The defeat was almost certain.

A victorious smile reappeared on the demon’s face.

Continuing to self-destruct the lesser demons and jumping into places where the higher demons could escape, he somehow inflicted wounds on them.

In reality, even with shallow wounds, it became easier for magic to penetrate.

By the time all the lowest and lesser demons were self-destructed, he was on the verge of being completely battered.

Magic was draining away, the nest that enhanced the demon’s power was expanding, and the wounds deepened further due to the magic, which continued to adhere and increase in real-time.

“…”

However.

If there was something slightly dubious, it was that not a single trace of human emotion such as fear or despair about death could be felt on his face.

Seriously, as if thoroughly calculating something.

In his composure, he might surpass himself.

As if what he was currently enduring was part of a plan drawn in his mind.

Even though he could kill him right away, the reason he couldn’t help but keep a slight distance and maintain vigilance until the end was because of that.

“Human.”

“…”

After the final explosion resounded, the demon, whose one leg was almost crushed, approached slowly while clapping.

“I’ve been lenient with your resistance. Have you ever thought about raising that talent and becoming a demon right away? If so, at least make it possible for me to spare one of your lives.”

It’s a lie.

The devil’s whispers are 99% lies, and even if they were true, the one who becomes a devil will either die or lose their sanity attacking other humans.

However, in a life-threatening situation like this, anything would be urgent.

To the devil’s eyes, it’s just a plaything. Humans know that too. Yet, every time they see the instinct clinging to the faintest hope, it brings the devil pleasure.

Reaching out to a human on the brink of death is the devil’s favorite pastime, the easiest lure to deceive humans.

But unlike the experiences of such devils,

this man Ian is strange.

“…Haha, what a funny sound.”

He looks expressionlessly at his own legs and bursts into laughter.

A very mocking tone.

As if looking down on himself. Envy for Baphomet fills the devil, clenching his fist.

“Right. Even if I turn humans into devils, they’ll have similar intelligence. Would there be any difference if a bug turns into a different maggot? Rather, let me personally gather devils inside them like maggots and let them be born anew. Do you want to experience creating three faces and tearing each other apart? I pride myself on knowing better than anyone about the values humans suffer for. I’ll even multiply that suffering, drive them so insane they won’t die easily.”

Even when he spits out provocative words that could greatly shake a human’s mind,

that man remains unfazed.

He doesn’t even react, just lets out a nonchalant snort.

As if, even that, was like watching a comical clown.

“You, the one most afraid here was my maid, right? Who fled miserably and died.”

With narrowed eyes.

“Now, I’ll become even more frightening.”

Like a vampire.

Cruel gaze.

Unwavering movements.

Turning into fangs and crimson pupils.

He simply deals with the blood on the floor.

[ Activating Emperor of Blood (EX). ]

[ Temporarily unlocking all blood magic. Currently available level is 5. ]

In an instant, as the atmosphere shifted, the guy’s face began to stiffen as his blood gradually rose towards the sky.

“In truth, I wanted you to use something like self-destruction.”

“What did you say?”

“The power of a vampire usually comes from ordinary blood. It even works with demon blood. And if it works for them, it should work for others too, right?”

The demon’s face turned momentarily cold.

From what he said. From that “guy”.

The only vampire I had ever encountered was that monster, nothing else came to mind.

It seemed as though he immediately recognized me as a dangerous existence, and the entire nest resonated with a roar as the demon raged like an explosion.

“Could it be that you deliberately raised your guard against me to make the demons self-destruct?”

“What else is there to justify it with?”

Once again, in his sneering voice, the demon’s eyes burst with blood vessels.

“You’re still arrogant. You are human. To talk about vampires as if you understand them just because you know how to use blood magic. Do I appear to be someone who doesn’t even realize that your kind is human?”

“Oh really? Then why don’t you see for yourself with your own eyes?”

In truth, it’s a rather dangerous situation.

I’m just trying to fend off the magic invading my body.

And if I were to take one step further here and fully embrace the power of the vampire, what would happen?

Probably recover my body and add maybe 30 seconds until death.

Already, I’ve spent half the time just stalling.

However…

“That’s enough now.”

“You arrogant human, you keep mocking me to the end—”

“I said it’s enough. Come in.”

With a smirk, I gesture towards him.

The reason you were cautious of me.

The ‘source’ of that vampire’s power and how such a strong being became subservient.

Furthermore, you harbored curiosity about that power.

Immediately, even Baphomet targeted Uriah for that reason.

Perhaps, to surpass a perfect barrier, the best sacrifice is needed.

The chosen one.

Talent to surpass the barrier.

Perfect lineage.

[ Absolute Affiliation – You have been granted 90% of the Final Boss (Yuria)’s physical characteristics. ]

And as soon as I finished speaking, I bit into the back of my hand on my own accord.

Crimson blood.

I crossed the line of no return.

[ ?????? The first bloodsucking. ]

– All abilities are temporarily increased by three levels!!!

– Strength: Medium High –> Maximum High

– Magic: Medium –> High

– Stamina: Medium Low –> High Low

– Agility: Medium High –> Maximum High

– Available blood magic temporarily increases to level 7.

[ ????????? The mark of belonging temporarily takes effect. ]

[ Race changes. Human –> Vampire. ]