episode_0089

Episode 89: The Series of Incidents (4)

A voice spreading in the air. I could easily guess who the owner of this voice was.

“I didn’t expect a devil to appear.”

The meaning of this episode is to confirm the emergence of a black magician, the enemy of the continent, and the existence of a devil.

So, there’s no way a devil would show up. It’s only natural since I dealt with the black magician before the summoning ritual was even completed.

At that time, I heard the devil’s voice after my words.

-Hooh, so you knew and still interfered. As expected of the Arden bloodline.

“…….”

Behaving arrogantly from the start, befitting a race that stands alongside dragons in ‘Akacheonma.’ But I ignored such reactions and sent a signal to the communication device, saying.

“Is everyone okay?”

The answers came right away.

-The professors arrived, so we’re about to leave now.

-I just finished and am about to escape, bro.

-I’m already out!

Fortunately, it seemed the three of them resolved things without issues, just like in the novel.

‘Then this anomaly only happened to me….’

Something that shouldn’t have happened in the first place, and didn’t happen to the protagonist and supporting characters. If so, there was only one cause.

‘It means it’s related to me.’

There’s a high possibility the devil rushed out of its own volition. For hundreds of years, Arden has been the group that strives the most to punish devils, second only to the Holy Kingdom.

Of course, even if that’s not the case, there could be other reasons I don’t know about.

“How long are you going to ignore me?”

The devil’s voice, heard from nearby. It seemed the embodiment of the flesh was complete. I turned my head in the direction of the voice.

Horns stretching high on both sides of the forehead, wings on the back, skin as black as darkness. Just what you’d expect a devil to look like. Also, judging from the muscular body, the combat style is the type to step up directly rather than use magic.

I gauged its energy, figuring out its level.

“Not a Baron… Barely reached Count, huh.”

“…You know well, as expected of Arden. Then you must also know you can’t survive?”

“Can’t survive my ass.”

I let out a hollow laugh. To talk like that with just the level of a Count, not even a Duke.

The hierarchy of devils is basically divided into five.

Duke, Marquis, Count, Baron, and Baronet. Classified like nobility, and strength varies depending on the position.

Of course, above the five, there are Demon Kings and Grand Dukes, but that’s beside the point.

Anyway.

Count is in the middle. In human terms, about Master level.

However, you can’t put them on the same line even if they’re Master level. Because there’s a clear gap between humans and devils due to race.

So, even a Count position is not a level to ignore if it’s a human. But I didn’t care about its strength.

Because.

‘A stroke of luck has come to me, how can I dislike it.’

The devil’s flesh and soul are themselves a panacea. So the appearance of a devil is nothing short of a stroke of luck.

‘I needed to level up my stats anyway.’

So I was thinking of getting a decent panacea at the free city’s auction house. But a panacea just happened to appear at a good timing. I must kill it and make it mine.

I grinned and looked at the devil.

“Wh, what is it….”

Perhaps it sensed the ominousness, it uttered a flustered voice, unlike a devil. I ignored it and slowly walked towards it.

For the record, devils are quite edible despite their looks and wickedness. Well, I don’t know about this world.

***

Crunch!!

The devil’s leg, gripped in my hand, twisted strangely, and the bones and muscles were crushed.

“Kkeuaaak-!!”

The devil screamed in pain. I didn’t stop, pulled the arm and ripped off the leg, and at the same time swung my sword.

Kwaang!

A part of the altar shattered with a roar. Debris scattered around. The devil, who was just there, disappeared.

I raised my head from the spot. The devil was hanging from the ceiling.

“Now you’re running away?”

“Heo-heok! Heo-heok!”

The devil was panting, blood dripping from its leg. Where did the fiercely attacking figure go? The red eyes also lost their light, and the overall energy had weakened a lot.

Then the devil stuttered and shouted.

“Th, this doesn’t make sense! How can a human…!”

I let out a hollow laugh again.

“Since when couldn’t humans beat devils? My father alone wipes you guys out.”

Dekal Arden can sufficiently kill even Dukes. It might be a little difficult starting from Grand Dukes.

“Stop wasting time and come down. Well, it doesn’t matter if you don’t.”

I unleashed strength from my feet and leaped. Reaching in front of the devil in an instant. I imbued Karsha with energy and swung it greatly. A huge, black trajectory headed towards it.

“That’s what doesn’t make sense! How can a human use demonic energy!”

“Ah, that’s what you meant?”

I thought you were talking nonsense because you were losing. But I didn’t answer and moved my sword and body.

The devil didn’t stay still either. The guy, covered in demonic energy, threw a fist to resist. A puffed-up mass of demonic energy stretched out.

Kwaga gagag-!!

Demonic energy and demonic energy collide. Black light swirls and emits a roar. The two energies, with different densities and not mixing, swirled around.

The confrontation continued for a moment. The devil moved first.

The guy is recovering the surrounding demonic energy into its body. The demonic energy headed to the wings on its back, infused with energy, and inflated its body.

“Die!”

Spikes created with demonic energy rushed in with the shout. The attack, showing the will to pierce for sure, was fired from all directions without gaps.

There’s no space to avoid. Direct breakthrough is also difficult. The demonic energy absorbed from it is also running out.

A crisis if it is a crisis. If I get hit by that, my whole body will be pierced, and I will surely die instantly.

But I didn’t panic. It’s not that there’s no way. If that were the case, I would have died to it a long time ago, and I wouldn’t have fought equally with the Count-level devil who is a master.

And above all.

‘I can’t lose to a devil.’

To die to a race born only with desire and malice. Wouldn’t that be too unsightly?

I gathered the demonic energy wasted in the fighting process. I made it into armor form and blocked the vital areas.

A further strengthened body. Of course, it could have been used for attack, but this was the most appropriate right now.

Shuuk!!

The spikes that had arrived covered me.

Puhwak!

The spikes easily penetrated the flesh. The sensation of piercing muscles and internal organs is felt without filtering, and blood flows out from the pierced spot.

“Keuek, damn it hurts….”

My face contorted in pain, and I spat out curses. That doesn’t mean I’m staying still. The moment they intruded, the spikes were already wrapped in my mana.

“You won’t be able to absorb this! Just die!”

A shout that seemed like a desperate struggle. Certainly, these spikes are focused on mass and shape implementation rather than the characteristics of demonic energy. And that meant one thing.

“But what about it. It’s not demonic energy?”

“Even if you don’t know how a human handles demonic energy, you won’t be able to this time!”

I snorted at that.

“Really, look at how you think.”

Well, it’s quicker to show than to tell.

I moved the mana. Then the devil’s power is drawn to the pure mana. Demonic energy has a strong property of staining other energies, so no matter what the devil did, it could not escape that characteristic.

Demonic energy invades the body. Pain as if the whole body would explode rushes in like a flood. Demonic energy was not an energy that ordinary humans could handle.

I didn’t lose my mind and guided it to the dantian. Kyle Arden’s body, which had already adapted and optimized, accepted the demonic energy without difficulty.

Immediately, I started processing demonic energy using the mind technique.

First. Exclude as much malice contained within as possible.

Second. Take the violent energy full of darkness.

Third. Synchronize my mana and demonic energy.

In less than a minute. The energy filled the dantian. Nevertheless, a huge amount of energy remained and surged between the blood vessels, soon reaching the point of bursting out of the body.

Once again, the senses expand, and power overflows. I feel an omnipotence that seems like I can do anything.

But it’s not a state to maintain for long. This method is like forcibly holding on.

At that time, the devil, seeing the figure of accepting and handling the demonic energy so easily, was horrified in shock.

“What, what is your identity! This is something only a Grand Duke, no, a Demon King can do!”

I replied simply.

“What else. A human.”

At the same time, I concentrated all the energy on Karsha and swung it. The black sword that drew towards the waist cut the devil in half as it was.

Thud!

Two objects falling to the ground. The upper and lower body of the devil.

Tak, I also came down to the ground and approached the separated devil. It seemed I had no strength to fight because I had consumed all the demonic energy.

“I, I can’t die like this…. How did I get out into the world! I can’t die in vain…!”

Originally, when summoning a devil, humans prepare the body, and summon it in the form of possessing a part of the soul inside. This is for safety.

But now, the main body has descended. All the flesh and soul of the demon world were brought. In other words, if I die in this state, it is a perfect death.

The devil, not intending to die easily, said urgently.

“Te, tell me what you want. Even unreasonable requests, I will tell the Grand Duke and he will surely…!”

“Ah, there is something I want.”

At that moment, the devil’s expression brightened. But unfortunately, I had no intention of rewarding that hope.

“What I want is your flesh and soul. So there are no wishes.”

Immediately, I stretched out my arms and placed my hands on the lower and upper body. And used compression magic to slowly reduce the volume.

“Save me! If you just save me, even as a slave…!”

“I don’t accept devils as subordinates because of my personality.”

“Save me, save me!”

“Geez, you talk too much.”

Still, it’s almost done. The lower body, which was lighter and finished first, was stored in the subspace after using freezing and preservation magic.

What’s left is the upper body, which is large in volume. I looked at the shrinking devil and said.

“Don’t worry. I will use your body and soul well.”

A lightless void. I don’t know how my appearance looked inside, but the devil screamed in a voice filled with fear.

“A, a devil! A real devil is here…!”

“Don’t say such a thing that’ll cause big trouble. Who’s the devil.”

“Aaa, aaaak! …….”

The voice cut off at some point. When all the heads were compressed, the devil could no longer scream. Likewise, I used magic and put it in the subspace.

“Huu, finally it’s over.”

I wiped away the sweat and sat on the ground. After doing that for a while. The communicator rang.

-Kyle? Why aren’t you coming out? Are you okay?

At Lana’s voice, I answered right away.

“I’m going soon. There’s something to clean up.”

-Really? Okay. Everyone is waiting, so come out quickly.

“I’ll be out soon.”

I cut off the communication and took out the statue. It seemed things would get twisted if I stayed any longer.

And just as I was about to activate the magic.

“Huh? That’s….”

A dark red jewel was visible in the altar debris. I recalled the information from the novel, and soon realized what it was.

“A Black Magic Stone…”

An item also known as the essence of black magic. It amplifies the effects of black magic several times and also acts as mana.

“This is unexpected.”

An unexpected appearance, just like the devil encounter. It seems that the black magician I killed last had it.

“Should I take this too.”

Carrying the Black Magic Stone, I activated the statue. My luck is pretty good today.

Afterwards, I moved to Tianis and reunited with the group.

***

Inside the void where the battle just took place. The altar could no longer even be used.

Step step

Then after a while. Someone appeared at the altar from the darkness.

“It was successful.”

-Are you sure he took it?

“Yes, I am sure.”

Although he was not in this place from the beginning, he clearly saw Kyle Arden taking the Black Magic Stone.

-Then that’s enough. Return now.

“I understand.”

The man activated the magic of the magical tool at that order. He felt his body floating and said.

“Kyle Arden.”

An angry voice echoed in the air, and the clothes were slightly visible through the light created by mana.

“You’re done for too now.”

It was a school uniform, indicating that he was a student of Tianis.