Episode 14
Dark street.
The laughter and cheers that had filled the air just a few hours ago were gone.
Loud noises, dead bodies strewn across the streets.
“S-save me!”
“What is this…! I’ve never heard of anything like that….”
“The devil, the devil. It must be the devil, enraged by the death of his servant….”
The citizens were locked in their homes, praying for the time to pass, and the soldiers had lost their will to fight.
There was only one reason. It was because of a monster with a pale appearance and chains wrapped around its body.
-Let's see. Is the instantaneous strength about the level of an orc?
“Orc?”
I asked quietly.
It was a name I felt like I had heard somewhere, but it was hard to recall.
-An ancient, extinct race. They worship battle and possess a deep sense of loyalty. And they possess the power to match.
“Why did that species become extinct?”
-The warriors exterminated them. Most orcs lived in our demon world.
As the Demon King said, the monster's power was immense. But if that were all, it would have been subdued by the soldiers long ago.
-Okra, invisible and impervious to attack. A disaster unto itself for humans.
That's right. The monster's true identity was Gunryeong. It was, after all, a spirit.
Those who do not possess the spirit eye cannot see with their eyes, and attacks that do not contain mana do not work.
Even the most well-trained soldiers were powerless against it. This was the reason the soldiers were helpless.
“It’s not efficient.”
Every time the commander used his power, the spirits scattered little by little.
Although he was recovering by drawing in the souls of the dead soldiers, it was not a very pleasant situation for someone who was building up his rank by absorbing souls.
-It's the opposite. Since we can't absorb souls right now anyway, shouldn't we use them thoroughly without wasting anything?
‘I think I can do more…’
Although it was quite shocking to absorb the soul fragments, it didn't feel burdensome.
But instead of saying the thought out loud, he picked up the spear that had fallen to the ground.
Not all the soldiers were just being foolishly taken advantage of.
It is a well-known fact that the current situation was caused by a black magician.
Even if the true identity of the commander was unknown, it wasn't difficult to conclude that it was a servant horse commanded by a warlock. If that were the case, then someone targeting the warlock, the mastermind, was bound to exist.
“Die!”
A soldier who approached to avoid military orders thrust out his spear.
He took a big step forward and swung his arms. The spears clashed against each other, causing them to ripple.
A soldier's spear bounces off.
-It's quite useful. It's already been developed to this extent. It wouldn't be a bad idea to focus on spears.
I've been practicing spearmanship for the past few days. What I lacked in talent, I made up for with the spirit of the guard captain.
It wasn't quite up to the level of excellence, but it wasn't something to be dismissed lightly. However, what the soldier encountered wasn't a spearhead.
“Ugh…!”
The scythe held in his other hand pierces the soldier's neck. Blood spurts out, and the life drains from his eyes.
“After all, this is more comfortable.”
After throwing the spear, he wiped the blood that had splattered on his face.
I didn't know it before, but now that I've absorbed the spirit of the security guard, I know for sure.
The spear was too large for his body, which hadn't fully grown yet, to handle. He taught him the spear anyway, probably because he didn't think he'd have any immediate use for it.
In just a few years, I could have developed a body fit for a spear. But now, the old scythe was much easier to handle.
“Over there. Shoot!”
Immediately after a shout is heard from somewhere, a barrage of arrows begins to fly.
They never reached me.
[Keeeeee-!]
There is no being that is as independent of location as a spirit.
The commander who was slaughtering the soldiers appeared before my eyes, and I took the arrow. He prioritized protecting me above all else, as per the contract.
Arrows fell to the ground with a thud. The souls that had been shattered from the places where they had been embedded scattered like smoke.
He handed over the soul of the soldier he had just killed to the commander, who had an empty face, as if asking for praise.
The soul became one with the military command, screaming in agony.
-You shouldn't blindly trust the current method. If the composition of the colony changes, the colony itself will be affected. In the worst case, the command could even escape your control.
“I have to be careful about that.”
After this incident, it seemed necessary to review the contract with the military command. But that's a story for later.
What I need to do right now is to fulfill the terms of the contract, just like the military command.
The moment I tried to assist the soldier who was suddenly running towards me with a bow with a magic bullet.
“Goddess, bless them!”
Immediately after an ominous aura blew in from somewhere, the expressions of the soldiers who had been groaning in pain relaxed.
At the same time, the energy flying towards me.
“Goddess, purify the darkness!”
There was no time to dodge. Like a bolt of lightning, it struck me the moment I realized it.
“…!”
My body feels heavy. My fingertips are numb. I feel like I'm drowning in the ocean and can't breathe.
“What, what…!”
But that's it.
“How can the seed of darkness withstand the power of the goddess!”
“Are you that powerful a black magician…?”
The energy and power that are like the natural enemy of the black magician.
It was a power that would melt anyone's body with just a touch, but I was already prepared for it.
-That's unpleasant.
The moment the Demon King attempted to revive me through my body, he regenerated his body through his divine power, gaining considerable resistance to divine power.
Even so, it's true that it's painful. Unlike the simple remnants of power, this is clearly a form of attack directed against me. If I continue to suffer, I won't be safe.
I fired a magic bullet to stop the priest's spell.
chin.
"The attack power is poor. You don't seem to be a high-ranking warlock. Perhaps you're just a rookie who got lucky with a good servant horse."
Suddenly, a man appeared blocking the priest's path.
“Father Royle, may I ask you for assistance?”
“Lord Narid! Why have you come only now?”
“I apologize. I was late because I was waiting for your orders, my lord.”
A calm voice. Plate mail glinted in the torchlight. People in the same uniform lined up behind.
-You're a knight.
article.
A monster that surpasses humans by using the aura accumulated in its body.
A weapon used to defeat monsters and fight in war.
They were already relaxed, as if they had subdued me. It was only natural, given that priests and knights were gathered together against a warlock.
-If you're a knight, you won't be pushed back by an orc in terms of strength.
Even a military commander with superhuman strength would struggle to deal with a large number of knights. Of course.
“Kwaaak…!”
That's also when it's visible.
One knight screamed as the commander's attack appeared behind the knights. The powerful force tore his body and armor apart like sheets of paper.
Up to this point, it was the same as before, but the response was on a different level from the soldiers.
Kkeeek-!
A blade embedded in the body of a military commander revealed during an attack. A spirit that fears not what his comrades have suffered, and exploits the enemy's weaknesses.
-What are you going to do?
The Demon King asked in a voice without a smile.
If you're going to run away, now is the time. If the contract is binding, I'll show you how to get around it. You should be able to finish it before sunrise.
“I told you. I have no intention of running away.”
If I was going to run away, I would have done so long ago. It was unexpected to encounter the Knights so early, but this was entirely within the expected range.
"deception."
While the knights were distracted by the military orders, he activated a deception spell. He quickly concealed himself and dispelled the spell.
“Where did the warlock go?”
“Did you run away?”
"Vice-Captain! Lead half of the party and kill the servant horse! I will search for the warlock."
In this situation, even the luxury of dividing the personnel is enough. Is this really a knight?
“The attack is not working!”
“It’s gone!”
“Over there, over there! That guy is a spirit!”
The priest's cry.
Even if he was a man who colluded with the lord and helped execute citizens, he was still a priest. This meant that he had at least some spiritual power.
"A spirit form? All, use of aura is permitted."
The blue aura that rose from the knights' swords. It was the source of the power that made a knight a knight, an aura.
-If it's an aura, it's fatal even to the spirit body. Since it's not a single entity, the impact will be less severe, but the situation is different from before.
A priest who can see souls will reveal their location and attack with an aura that can deal effective damage the moment they are revealed.
It's clearly an effective response. But.
"deception."
The magic circle bloomed again from the tip of my finger.
“What, what!”
“Why, Father? Direction….”
“It’s gone. Is this a reverse summoning?”
Even if you have the spiritual eye, you cannot see through deception.
It took about two seconds for the commander to leave the priest's sight. The magic power was sufficient.
-You did teach me how to deceive, but… I don’t remember you teaching me how to apply it to objects other than myself?
“It wasn’t difficult.”
The military order is a soul-bonded relationship with me through a contract. Although we're not physically connected, from a magical perspective, he belongs to me. You could consider him a part of me.
Even though the magic power consumption is nearly double the normal amount, there is no problem if you use it in this way.
-It's easier said than done...
“More than that, when dealing with a ministering soul, do you have to give verbal commands every time?”
-No, that's not necessary. If you focus on the connection, you can replace the command with willpower alone.
"then."
Fortunately, the current military command was certainly powerful, but it was utterly ineffective.
His movements were unruly and he took a long time to recover his physical strength after attacking, so he ended up being a target.
If you can control that….
"good."
As the order was given to the knights, the knights who sensed an attack prepared for it.
The moment the figure is revealed, the blade filled with aura will cut down the military command.
That didn't happen.
“Kwaaak…!”
“Hey, where are you!”
A magic circle flickered at his fingertips. The time was certainly brief, but it was enough to keep the military commander's form hidden from the world.
“Over there, no, over there! On the right…!”
The only priest who could see the military order, other than me, stamped his feet and shouted.
It was no use.
The knights, clad in auras, swung their swords in a fit of rage, but they missed. There was no way they could have.
The military commander, not subject to significant physical constraints, performed bizarre movements at my command. He overlapped with the knight's body, burrowed into the ground, and even floated into the air.
The magic circle that continued to flash at the tip of the finger hid the appearance of the spirit that appeared for a moment.
-Ha, hahaha!
While the Demon King's hollow laughter was ringing in my ears, most of the knights were cleared out.
All that's left is the Knight Commander.
As expected of a knight commander, he managed to dodge an attack that was invisible to the eye. It wasn't so much that he had exceptional intuition, but rather that he seemed to anticipate where the attack would come from.
Did the subordinates figure out the pattern while they were being treated?
As he gradually showed signs of leisurely movement, he deliberately placed the military command far away.
“….”
“I, Sir Narid…!”
The Knight Commander continued to move his body. At first glance, it looked like he was dancing.
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