episode_0061

“Have you calmed down now?”

Yuria, as if determined never to let go of my hand, gently released it due to the many watching eyes, speaking in a way that seemed considerate towards me. Her gaze still carried a hint of deep regret.

“Yeah, thank you, Yuria.”

Saying so, Yuria’s smile was truly more beautiful than anything else.

Just showing that smiling face every day would be enough.

…Well, it seems like I already know why that might not be possible. But that’s not important right now.

“Ian, you don’t have to push yourself too hard.”

The knight from the (former) Corps Commander who had been quietly watching by my side spoke, but I paid no attention to his words at all.

‘…I’m really fine now.’

No, rather, a strange thrill was gradually rising up my spine to the point where it felt almost chilling.

From the moment Ian entered the Snow Mountain, he could feel his true nature, which had been shouting within him since the beginning.

His vision cleared, and he could see the current situation with precise detail that would not have been noticeable before.

His mouth dried up, the surroundings became sharper, and his senses felt sharper than usual.

His whole body felt like a drawn sword on the verge of being unsheathed, ready to spring out at any moment, sharp as a honed blade.

Yes.

His latent abilities were urging him, guiding his body.

Shortly after, along with Cecilia’s charge order, he received a special signal. The moment it caught his eye, his field of view widened, and Ian realized that he had instinctively surged forward.

As soon as he faced the enemies in front of him, the vitality in the magic seal, which had been restrained like a hidden and sealed power, began to surge, and he started emitting a blue aura in an instant.

Ian began to move forward at a rapid pace, without even realizing that his hair was fluttering due to the pressure bursting out from within him.

Unbeknownst to him, red magic began to emanate from his hands.

…

At the frozen entrance, knights were engaged in combat with demons.

Although they were not knights specialized in hunting demons for years, the elite soldiers composed of seasoned veterans who had survived Cecilia’s harsh training and the rigors of war were efficiently slaughtering the enemies.

At the forefront, shields firmly held in place to maintain a stable formation, the second row pierced through the gaps in the shields to stab those trying to breach them.

However, the resistance of the demons was not easily broken.

Knowing they could come back to life and influenced by their mother’s orders, they relentlessly threw themselves at the shields, piling up bodies to try to break through the formation.

A half-dead Hydra, climbing over the corpses, tried to spew acid when suddenly, with a thunderous strike, Cecilia leaped forward, decimating the demon’s head.

“Do not let them break through! Fight as if today is the last day! Do not forget that the moment even one escapes, our families are in danger!!”

With a thud, the Hydra’s body collapsed alongside the demons. Supported by the heavy creature’s body, Cecilia charged into the horde of demons.

Still writhing and regenerating, she lightly kicked the Hydra’s body, impaled it on the ceiling, then swiftly stabbed its body with a blade, setting it ablaze with divine lightning.

The demons rushing towards her seemed to be repelled, perhaps due to the blessing bestowed upon the saint, their bodies bouncing off her.

The momentum of the demons waned, and their numbers significantly dwindled. Just by seeing the frozen corpses twitching as if they wanted to burst out immediately, one could sense the multitude of wriggling insects below.

“Charge!!!”

At the resounding voice of Cecilia, the knights who had anchored their shields to the ground began pushing forward, shoving aside the demon corpses.

Her aim here was to direct the spells prepared by the saint towards the crumbling holes in the cave, annihilating the creatures inside.

Empowered by the saint’s extensive buffs, the knights started slaughtering the demons.

However, soon new enemies started emerging through the frozen corpses, revealing a much larger force than anticipated.

Among them were several beings resembling demon suicide bombers that had nearly pushed Ian to the brink of death before. The strategy was to exploit the overwhelming advantage of numbers as soon as the entrance was breached.

Ian remained cool-headed, assessing the situation rationally.

It would be great if Rachel could freeze them, but it wasn’t a good idea at the moment. Freezing them momentarily would eventually lead to an explosion upon contact, and the creatures would pour out like a flood before the saint’s preparations were complete.

As the structure collapsed and the demons escaped, it was a catastrophe.

Ian’s hand wielded the spear sharply.

There was no more hesitation.

-!!!!!

The crimson spear pierced through the demon corpses, accurately hitting its targets.

But that wasn’t the end.

Soon, like tiny beetles emerging from small crevices, the creatures that sprang out were suicide bombers too. Their tough skin could deflect arrows shot by skilled archers.

As he prepared for the next strike, Cecilia’s lightning-fast brainwave caused the creatures to burn black and fall heavily to the ground.

There was no time to admire that.

Immediately, chimeras of unknown mixed races appeared, with lion-like faces thrusting forward, venomous snakes attacking from where their mouths should have been.

In an instant, Ian drew his dagger from his waist, lowered his stance, and swung towards the creature’s neck in a crescent motion.

With a swift, satisfying cut through rotten flesh, he plunged the remaining blade into the creature’s chest and set it ablaze. Using the burning creature as a shield, he pierced through the approaching chimeras like a blade, incinerating them one after another.

The chimeras, fortunately as expected, writhed a few times before collapsing lifelessly.

“!”

Then, as if turning towards something wrapped in icy water, every nerve in his body focused on one spot.

There stood a mercenary ‘half-devoured,’ driving a sword down as if to slice me and put me in its mouth.

Despite the messy posture, without a second thought, muscles expanded to their limits, unleashing a fierce strike that made the tip of the blade so hot that white bones were visible.

‘Never close your eyes and always look straight at the target until the strike is complete.’

In battle, succumbing to fear leads directly to death, a fact he understood better than anyone else.

The scorching edge narrowly missed the mercenary’s neck, leaving a searing trail. It probably hit my blood. Losing balance and unable to bear the weight of his body, the mercenary fell flat on the ground.

‘Ora is always sharp.’

Ian’s gaze sharpened. Despite the enemy being defenseless, when he aimed for the neck, the creature twisted its neck at a grotesque angle, grabbing his blade with its teeth.

Grabbing the sharp edge of the dagger directly, Ian began to shake as if he intended to crush it completely.

However, it was too much to expect that level of shock to disorient Ian, and as he raised his output, a mercenary’s finger was severed by the Ora Blade. Then, stepping on the fallen enemy with a foot and thrusting the dagger into the vicinity of the heart, igniting flames, the arms and legs immediately went limp, losing their strength.

Without hesitation, Ian withdrew the dagger, wiping away the sweat dripping from his chin with the back of his hand, while looking down at his still energetic Ora.

With a tingling sensation coursing through his body to the point of discomfort, his fist trembled as he gripped the handle of the dagger. The metallic scent sensed through his nostrils made his head spin.

Having turned into a vampire and returned to being human, Ian was an exceptional case. However, that didn’t mean the memories in his brain and the instincts he had once experienced would be erased all at once. Sometimes, his still unaccustomed body caused side effects. As such, even after returning, the basic abilities of his body had changed and improved.

“…This is it.”

“Commander! A large demon is emerging!”

The urgent voice of a knight from the front could be heard.

Clang! Thud, thud, thud. The face of a fellow who had partially pierced the blocked entrance was about to emerge.

Ian’s eyes heatedly stared in the direction the knight pointed with a sharp gaze.

If things continued like this, the painstakingly prepared magic would be nullified by that creature’s body alone. Yet, if the brute, with its large physique, managed to break free and engage the knights in combat, there would definitely be one or two casualties and certainly some injuries.

Quickly strategizing, a light bulb lit up in Ian’s mind.

Leaping onto the bodies of enemies, Ian hurled the dagger fiercely.

– Swish! The sound of rotten flesh being cleanly sliced echoed. Despite trying to resist with the already severed arm, the creature, having lost its center of gravity, tumbled down along with the demon it was trying to support, crashing to the ground, causing a tremor felt even from above.

Subsequently, a multitude of ballistae loaded with holy arrows aimed at the holes,

A tremendous explosion ensued.

However, being a place even Glassia had guarded against,

As the knights’ momentum surged, a shocking sight that could be broken spread, and a hint of distrust emerged in their eyes.