ALL NOVEL Chapter 438
The speed of the Gluttony Demon was terrifyingly fast.
The warhorses that had spent their lives racing through the Northern Wastes could only barely keep up with its rear.
Whenever it found itself lacking in strength, the Fanatics would always swarm in hordes to satisfy its hunger. The demon’s sprint seemed endless.
“Demons typically take on a more human form as they grow stronger.”
While low-tier demons mostly resemble beasts,
once they reach the mid-tier, they instinctively mimic human forms, shedding their old skins.
Born with a nature that delights in deception and slaughter against humans, they strive to mimic human appearances to fool people and cause greater chaos. This was a simple yet dreadful reason.
Thus, the Gluttony Demon that was charging ahead, teeth stained with the thick blood of the Cultists, could be considered an anomaly.
“And the Gluttony is a monster that deviates from the norm.”
What I knew about it was that it was an omnivore. It had a desire to gulp down even more powerful beings, yet its baseline was simple: as long as it could get its fill of blood-scented meat, it was satisfied.
Moreover, the Cultists once referred to it as an artificial demon. Something that absorbs what it eats and grows cannot be easily defined as a demon; it’s more of a chaotic mix of various attributes.
Thus, it seemed to determine that maintaining its beastly form and devouring everything in sight was far more advantageous than taking on a human shape, focusing rather on honing its innate wildness and cunning.
And that was the result.
“The Gluttony is here! Karpel Baron Family Reserve Mage Corps! Attack!”
“As soon as the magical barrage ends, our Knights’ Order will strike it!”
Our soldiers from the Baron family had already been told to wait up ahead.
Despite the certain heavy damage they would take from their concentrated fire, the demon chose raw power over cunning strategies to disrupt and deceive its opponent, stubbornly insisting on a head-on charge instead of being calculative.
“My… my arm…!”
“An arm is not the problem…! The mage next to you has completely vanished!”
In fact, such reckless behavior was only making things worse for us.
Thanks to the countless high-tier Shamans who had fallen prey to it, the Gluttony Demon was now imbued with even denser magical energy, seeming to evolve closer to the traits of a matured demon.
Rather than imitating human skin, the demon, which evolved its tough hide more resiliently, had brushed off any pitiful attacks. Unless the powers were of a level greater than what Adelhaite had provided, it wouldn’t even singe its hide or burn its flesh.
The aftermath of the Gluttony Demon, now stronger than when it threatened the dragon, was always going to create a path through the chaos.
“If only I could freely command spirits as I did in the Great Forest…!”
I wouldn’t have been pushed this far.
The number of knights killed by the demon’s sharp fangs had surpassed a hundred.
Those who tried to stop it, whether mages or knights, all sustained grave injuries and writhed on the ground, begging in pain from the magic that had infiltrated their wounds.
“How much does it intend to eat?”
Screams of agony and the death throes of the knights trying to stop it filled the world.
Once tangled, the complicated problem still remained unresolved.
They say the dead cannot speak. Even if their voices didn’t reach the world, the pitiful cries of the knights flapping in this situation were something we had to overcome somehow.
Before we knew it, we had reached the Arael Fortress.
“Ray, the Aarel Fortress is just ahead. If this keeps up… it feels like a dragon and a demon are about to meet. We should aim for its torso at least; can you speed up?”
“…The horse is exhausted. Maintaining this distance with the demon’s increased speed is practically a miracle.”
“That can’t be… all our defensive lines have been breached. At this rate—”
“The lady Ainel, who is dealing with the dragon, will be in danger soon.”
“…Ray, is there no way?”
I turned back momentarily at Shione’s trembling voice.
This was different from the battles we had fought with demons before. Even with greater force and a more robust army supporting us now, the feeling of helplessness that we were just standing still without significant progress was overwhelming.
She was fiercely biting her lower lip as if she were trying to hold back the blood.
“Why are you chewing on those precious lips?”
Though the situation was messy and we were being chased, our earlier assault was flawless.
Had the demon not twisted its fate and survived, we would have already taken it down.
Even if the demon’s realization of having extra lives led it to swagger about carelessly, that one perfectly executed death reaffirmed that we were not powerless.
“We’ve already reduced it to tatters once; what’s to stop us from doing it again?”
As I said this calmly, finally, her canines that had been tightly clamped on her lower lip fell away, and a long thin stream of blood began to trickle down.
“You wanted a way?”
“Ray?”
“From now on, I’ll make Shione concentrate and squeeze out every bit of mana. I might faint, but I hope to wake up to find I’m not in the next world.”
“…Who said you could die?”
“You’re reassuring. Well, given whom we face, if I die, it can’t be helped. As long as Shione follows me, I can forgive you… so from now on, please take the reins, Shione.”
In this situation, Shione’s expression adopted a somewhat awkward look, as if joking. Enjoying her reaction, I quickly swapped places with her.
Before we drained all our mana, I needed to clean up the bloodstains that were bothering me.
Embracing her from behind, I wiped away the blood that had trickled down her chin.
“See? You shouldn’t chew your lips and make them bleed.”
“…Don’t distract me; focus on driving.”
“No, what kind of distraction is called for in this situation?”
It was a bit absurd, but it seemed Shione had regained enough mental strength to indulge in a little banter.
Trusting her completely, I began to draw up my mana.
“I’ll hold on tight, so if you feel your strength giving out and think you might fall, you need to hold on to me.”
Falling off the horse while being out of mana could easily result in a concussion.
With caution set,
I began to communicate with the spirits while holding a Mana Potion in my mouth.
“Tania, Elvis.”
Tania was diving into the demon’s as it charged recklessly. Elvis was preoccupied keeping our Frostwind Cavalry and Shock Trooper troops supported, but since I was their contractor, they could hear my voice clearly in any situation.
The spirits reacted to my will.
“Don’t worry about my mana, just unleash everything on the Gluttony.”
—…You really mean that? Think carefully. This isn’t the spirit realm that appeared in the Great Forest.
—Even if the situation is dire… I can’t recommend that like your sister did. You know just how much mana it costs to wield the magic of two highest-tier spirits.
—Myaow…
My choice was destabilizing, but soon Tania clicked her tongue and questioned.
—Summoning a natural disaster with merely the tiniest bit of mana.
“I know.”
—It’s an unmanageable force, and just showing the tiniest bit of power between Elvis and me… could potentially break you. Do you still want to go through with it?
“What I say is perfectly clear, Tania. At least right now, there’s nothing else to bind it firmly.”
—…You’re insane. Stubborn and foolish. The vessel that holds your mana could break apart, you know? It’s clear you wouldn’t wake up for at least a month…!
—Myaow!
—What are you going to do about that? If you’re not foolishly trying to take everything upon yourself, what are you?
Despite her words, there was a thick tone of worry in Tania’s voice.
—…I’ll help you. But, Elvis and I won’t go as crazy as you want. We don’t want to lose our contractor again.
“Thanks.”
—…Be quiet. If you’re grateful, take us to the theater later again.
And finally,
“Ray, it’s a dragon…! We’ve gotten too close to Mother!”
“What about the dragon? Does it look like it’s about to die?”
“…It’s bleeding from its neck. It’s trapped in binding magic, so Mother should be able to finish it soon.”
“Then that’s fine. I’ll buy us some time while the Count deals with the dragon and gets ready to face the demon.”
The dragon’s bonds released, and with the demon rampaging.
If we kill the dragon first, we will eliminate one major risk; if we fail to guard its corpse against the demon, we will be drawn into the battle between the two behemoths and will be bloodied by the demon which devours flesh.
Thus, without any further delay, I began to drain every bit of mana from myself to the spirits.
“Ray, Tania and Elvis are up ahead!”
“Myaow.”
“…Wait. Orna, why are you here?”
“Sommungchi can’t help much yet.”
Avoiding the entanglement of the two highest-tier spirits, I quickly snatched Orna and tucked her in Shione’s arms.
At my daring act, Shione flinched for a moment but there was no other choice. Once my mana was fully drained, I wouldn’t be able to do anything; having Shione care for her was more reliable.
As I forcefully expelled mana to the degree of nearly strangling my heart, finally, I could see the forms of the two spirits floating above the heavens.
“Familiar faces indeed.”
In that moment, the cute girl and the seemingly frail boy walked through the air.
“Ugh—!”
“Ray!”
An agonizing pain surged through me, gripping my heart.
I narrowed my eyes and clenched my jaw, enduring the agony while looking skyward. Two techniques that I’d used in my peak condition on occasion emerged—from the depths of my memory.
“Myaow!”
Orna, who popped her head out from Shione’s embrace, gasped in amazement.
The blizzard that had been raging suddenly stopped, and the dark clouds that had engulfed the sky gathered around the Arael Fortress.
It seemed that the highest-tier spirit can seize winds summoned by the dragon. It gathered the winds and hurled them sharply at the Gluttony.
“Ah—”
Shione let out a gasp as a magnificent flame blossomed beautifully into the night sky, riding the path of the wind to the ground.
Kwah—!
As the tremendous explosion erupted, the brilliant flames ceased, and the spirits were recalled once the ground was filled with mana.
In the torment, I laid eyes on the demon’s form and could not help but smirk at it.
Thanks to the considerable amount of mana used in continuous battle, even though I managed to show a glimpse of the calamity brought by the spirit for just a moment,
‘What a sight to behold.’
The tough hide and thick fat were seared black. Only the minor sacred energies remained to faintly heal the wounds that bared its bones.
With this, I could feel confident.
Whether it was devouring the minions or our allies, while the Gluttony regained its strength, Ainel, who was out to hunt the dragon, would by then have successfully defeated it and prepared for the final battle against the demon.