Episode 278: The Demon (4)
Just before his face hit the ground, Vahel tensed his core, halting his plummeting head in mid-air. Not only did he stop himself, but he even managed to lift his head, resisting the power of the Five Great Saints with sheer strength.
“Wow, this is fascinating. So this is the power of the Five Great Saints of the Holy Order?”
Vahel casually brushed off the debris clinging to his hair, seemingly unfazed.
“It seems your powers operate on a different principle than ours. How exactly does it work? It’s intriguing, truly fascinating!”
His eyes sparkled with curiosity. Gwangmyeong, watching him, chuckled.
“There’s still plenty more to surprise you. It would be a shame if you were satisfied already.”
“Oh, there’s more to show? Go ahead, show me what you Five Great Saints can do…”
A fierce wind suddenly gusted from behind Gwangmyeong, whipping his robes wildly.
“Huh? This wind…”
Before Vahel could fully process it, someone appeared above him—a small figure with a cute appearance. It was Nokpung, one of the Five Great Saints, who had transformed back from the wind.
“You filthy demon, die!”
With a harsh shout, Nokpung swung his sword downward, unleashing a storm. The tempest engulfed Vahel, and flames began to flicker across his body.
Nokpung’s wind was no ordinary breeze; each gust was a cutting blade. Vahel wasn’t just caught in a storm; he was being shredded by countless slashes.
“Hahaha! Impressive!”
Vahel laughed loudly from within the storm, showing no signs of distress despite the attack from the Great Saint.
“To think another Great Saint would appear! Truly remarkable! Astonishing!”
Suddenly, rectangular pillars shot out from the storm, tearing it apart. Vahel emerged unscathed, not a scratch on him.
“You’re annoyingly tough.”
Nokpung landed beside Gwangmyeong, cursing under his breath.
“Don’t blame yourself, little human girl. Your attack was excellent. It’s just that I’m too strong.”
“Sister, did you hear that? Isn’t he incredibly annoying?”
“I agree.”
Gwangmyeong nodded at Nokpung’s words and turned to Demian.
“Sir Demian, what exactly is that demon’s power?”
“He calls it Isolation. It seems to be a power that fixes a certain area. Those structures are likely byproducts of his power.”
“And he revealed that to his enemy? What an infuriating guy.”
“I feel the same way.”
Demian pointed to the massive dome-like barrier behind Vahel.
“And inside there is where Cheongyeom is trapped.”
“To free Elder Cheongyeom, we’ll have to send that demon back to hell.”
With that, Gwangmyeong gripped the halberd he had been carrying on his back.
“Hahaha, so you plan to fight me. Good, very good. I welcome it.”
Vahel spread his arms wide, exuding arrogance.
“Before we start, let me ask you something. What happened to the demons that attacked you two? I was too busy fighting Demian Haxen to notice.”
“We tore them to shreds.”
“I crushed them.”
Vahel’s mouth formed a perfect ‘O’ in surprise at their words.
“They weren’t easy opponents, yet you defeated them. Truly impressive.”
“Sister, how long are we going to listen to this?”
“I was just about to stop. Sir Demian, will you assist me?”
Gwangmyeong gestured to the ground where Vahel stood. Instantly, enhanced gravity pressed down on Vahel.
“Hmm?”
Yet Vahel withstood the power effortlessly, merely looking mildly intrigued.
“Truly versatile. In terms of utility, you might surpass a demon…”
Gwangmyeong enhanced every muscle in his body with divine power. The human body has over 600 muscles, and strengthening them all was a complex task, but Gwangmyeong completed it in the blink of an eye.
He pushed off the ground with both feet, shattering the earth beneath him. In the next moment, he was right in front of Vahel.
“By the grace of the divine… perish.”
Gwangmyeong swung his halberd, enhancing its motion, speed, weight, and sharpness. The simple act of swinging it became a devastating strike, crashing into Vahel.
But Gwangmyeong’s attack was stopped by the barrier Vahel had created. The halberd couldn’t penetrate it at all.
“If that had hit me, I might have been in danger.”
Vahel gave a thumbs-up, and Gwangmyeong smiled.
“You’re too complacent.”
Demian appeared behind Vahel, erasing the demon’s smug expression.
“You’re… too dangerous.”
Vahel reached for Demian, and countless rectangular pillars erupted from the ground beneath him. Demian dodged, but Vahel continued to unleash his power, seemingly wary of Demian’s approach.
“Ha!”
From the side, Nokpung’s voice rang out as he charged at Vahel.
“Trying that wind again? It won’t work.”
Nokpung swung his sword, and Vahel erected a barrier, but no wind came. Instead, the air beneath Vahel began to stir.
“What?”
By the time he realized, it was too late. A storm erupted from below, its blades wrapping around Vahel.
“Hahaha! To think the attack direction was so free! This is impressive!”
Yet once again, the wind’s blades failed to cut Vahel deeply.
“You seem to have forgotten about me.”
Gwangmyeong spoke from close range. Vahel shrugged.
“I didn’t forget on purpose.”
“How kind of you. Let me share something interesting.”
Gwangmyeong, standing beyond the barrier, summoned divine power.
“My power grows stronger the closer I am.”
Gwangmyeong amplified Nokpung’s attack, and the storm’s force multiplied. Vahel’s body was slashed open, and a sticky darkness oozed out like blood.
“Argh!”
The pain of his body being torn apart was excruciating, enough to make Vahel scream. He stopped trying to fend off Demian.
“Demian Haxen!”
Gwangmyeong shouted, and Demian charged at Vahel.
“I don’t know what you did before, but… use that attack that shattered this demon’s chest again!”
Gwangmyeong empowered Demian, enhancing his body and magic. Demian prepared a finishing blow, determined to destroy Vahel completely this time.
As he closed in, Demian’s instincts screamed a warning.
“Everyone, fall back!”
Demian shouted to Gwangmyeong and Nokpung. At that moment, something shot out from the storm—Vahel’s familiar rectangular pillars. But this time, they were different.
The ends of the pillars split, branching out like tree limbs. Over a dozen pillars surged toward Demian, who leaped back with all his might.
Despite his efforts, he was grazed in several places, but thanks to Hemeira, he avoided injury.
“Are you both alright?”
Demian called out, looking up.
Both had been attacked in the same manner as Demian. Fortunately, Gwangmyeong used his halberd as a shield, and Nokpung transformed into wind to evade.
“Huff, huff… Can’t let our guard down for a second.”
“Sister! Are you okay?”
Gwangmyeong panted, having expended considerable energy using multiple enhancements in a short time.
“Hahaha!”
Vahel’s laughter echoed. His body was drenched in black fluid.
“They say nothing is scarier than a swarm of bees sticking their stingers in you! I think I understand why now!”
Suddenly, Vahel’s laughter ceased.
“What a pity. Such a pity. I’d love to enjoy this longer, but too many of my clones have been destroyed. If I drag this out any longer, I’ll be sent back to hell first. And then I won’t be able to kill you.”
Vahel’s gaze fixed on Demian, and the cold stare sent a chill down Demian’s spine.
“Demian Haxen, I told you, didn’t I? I will kill you…”
Thud.
A heavy sound interrupted Vahel’s words. Gwangmyeong had driven his halberd into the ground.
“Hey, Duke. Stop with the delusions. Do you think we’ll just stand by and let that happen?”
“Sister, well said. No way we’re letting that happen.”
The two Great Saints burned with determination, and Vahel clapped his hands.
“Impressive… truly impressive… I’d love to keep fighting, but as I said, I’m running out of time.”
Vahel raised one hand above his head, and darkness began to gather in the sky.
“My power is isolation,” he declared. “And it’s not just about physical isolation.”
He clenched his fist, and the darkness scattered in all directions.
“I’ll show you what true darkness feels like.”
In that instant, everything went black before Damian’s eyes.
Confusion spread across the faces of Gwangmyeong and Nokpung. The three of them flailed their arms helplessly.
“I can’t see anything… What’s happening?”
“Sister! Where are you? Sister!”
The two were at a loss, understandably so. They were trapped in a state where both sight and sound were isolated.
“I try not to use this because it’s too easy,” Vahel said, almost regretfully.
This technique, which isolated senses, was so powerful that it was rarely used. Fortunately, since this was just a projection of himself, he could only isolate two senses. If it had been his true form, he could have isolated all five senses, even the heart, to snatch life away in an instant.
“Time to finish this,” Vahel said, reaching out toward Damian. He intended to crush him with a massive pillar from above.
“It’s a shame. I was really enjoying this.”
Vahel was about to unleash his power when he noticed something unexpected.
Unlike the other two, Damian stood there calmly, eyes closed, as if waiting for something—perhaps Vahel’s attack.
”…No way.”
Vahel tried to shake off the ominous feeling and activated his power. A gigantic pillar formed above Damian’s head.
“I’ll crush you with this…”
But just then, Damian moved, dodging the pillar and darting away.
”…What?”
Vahel, taken aback, activated his power again. Pillars erupted from the ground beneath Damian’s feet, one after another.
Yet Damian evaded every single attack.
“Could he be dodging with just his remaining senses?”
A chill ran down Vahel’s spine. Even demons would panic if their sight and hearing were sealed. But Damian, far from panicking, had calmly figured out how to respond.
“Not even in hell have I seen someone this insane!”
What was even more astonishing was that Damian was indeed avoiding Vahel’s attacks using only his remaining senses.
The resolve to kill Damian grew stronger within Vahel.
“I must kill you!”
Vahel conjured a massive sword using his power of isolation and charged directly at Damian, aiming to decapitate him. But Damian blocked the sword with a barrier, though he couldn’t completely absorb the impact. He was sent flying backward.
“There’s no way you can be fine without seeing anything! I’ll finish this…”
Vahel was about to charge again when he hesitated.
The direction Damian had been flung was the problem. He had landed near the place where Cheongyeom was sealed.
“Phew, the angle was just right,” Damian said, as if he had been waiting for this moment, placing his hand on the barrier. The mark on the back of his hand began to glow.
”…The power of gluttony?” Vahel muttered in disbelief.
The barrier started to dissolve from where Damian touched it.
As the barrier fell, an old man and dozens of holy knights were revealed.
“What? Why is this disappearing all of a sudden?” the old man exclaimed, bewildered.
“I don’t know what’s happening, but… this is perfect,” said Cheongyeom, one of the Five Great Saints and the strongest of the Holy Order, as he cracked his knuckles with a fierce grin.
“You damned demon. I warned you, didn’t I? Once I’m free, I’ll crush your skull.”