Demon-Hunting Genius Mage

[Translator - Prøks]

[Proofreader - Prøks]

Chapter 52

Crack! Crunch!

Shing! Swoosh!

Crash!

The battle raged on relentlessly.

Dust billowed from the impact, and white bone fragments, mana, and rock shards scattered in every direction.

Amidst the chaos, he forced out a strained voice,

"Kukuku... Are you... really a mage?"

"Shut up. Your breath stinks."

Instead of responding, I hurled insults and swung my sword.

Slice-

Another rib was cleanly severed.

This was already the twentieth.

And then,

Bang! Crack!

"Whew..."

Thompson, having smashed a long, protruding spine with his elbow, caught his breath and moved to my side.

This made it twenty-one.

Even though this guy kept regenerating his bones as if nothing had happened, no matter how many times we shattered them...

"Ugh...!"

Had he even reached his limit?

For the first time, he let out a groan.

'He was pretending to be fine on the outside... Of course.'

Even if he was human with demon blood, it couldn't be painless to have his bones cut and broken.

Judging by the way he winced, it must have been excruciatingly painful.

This also meant that he was exhausted, unable to maintain his composure.

If this continued, we would likely gain the upper hand.

'...Well, maybe not?'

Actually, it was a bit premature to say we had the upper hand.

We still hadn't figured out where his weakness was.

Since he could even use shapeshifting, he was at least an intermediate-level demon subordinate, or even higher. Without finding his weakness, we couldn't completely defeat him, let alone gain the upper hand.

In other words, we had to find his weakness somehow...

"Mister, any ideas where it might be?"

"Well, his ribs and spine seem vulnerable... but other than that, not really?"

"Damn..."

The situation wasn't good.

If we continued this war of attrition, we were more likely to be the ones who collapsed from exhaustion first.

Moreover, demon subordinates had a tricky passive ability: a certain chance to connect with their master when they were exhausted.

Simply put, there was a possibility that Valefor would lend his power when this guy's stamina was completely depleted.

'This won't do.'

In the end, I decided to use my last resort, which I had been saving.

In terms of risk, this was probably the less dangerous option.

I closed my eyes and concentrated on the sword in my hand.

'Softly, flexibly...'

Hum! Hum! Hum! Hum!

The Sword of Light, which I had been wielding proficiently until now, began to vibrate as if resonating with my will.

And then...

Flash!

An even more brilliant light burst forth from the already radiant sword.

[Essence of Light].

It was what Aldeon had yearned to see, a power I had never shown to anyone before.

"...Mr. First Place? That sword..."

I didn't stop there and added one more step.

Clang!

Another power that evoked a sense of reverence just by looking at it.

Divine power enveloped the blade.

Although it was only a meager amount of holy power due to not yet absorbing the pendant, it was far better than nothing.

Indeed, the passerby, who was busy repairing his body, seemed to sense the divine power and flinched noticeably.

"Mister, just provide support from now on. I'm going all out."

I said in the most solemn voice I could muster.

Thompson nodded, tense, but this was also what I wanted.

This truly was a last resort, with no turning back.

'I can't control it perfectly yet.'

Whether it was due to a lack of understanding of the attribute or the lack of proficiency from not having used it much...

I didn't know the exact reason, but one thing was certain: this power was still difficult for me to handle freely at my current level.

Just maintaining the form of the sword made my arms tremble and my mana deplete rapidly.

On top of that, I was maintaining the awakening effect, using lightning magic, and adding divine power...

I knew instinctively.

If this battle dragged on, I would lose consciousness again.

Just like that day when I closed the rift in Aldeon.

Therefore,

'I'll finish it before that happens!'

With renewed determination, I kicked off the ground powerfully.

Crackle! Thud!

"W-Where...?"

Reacting to my overwhelming speed, the passerby opened his chest wide.

The bones that had been growing from his chest, red and menacing, surged forth mercilessly, trying to engulf me.

It was at that moment that Thompson made his move.

"Where do you think you're going, you bastard-!"

Simultaneously with my leap, Thompson, who had been waiting for an opportunity while jumping into the air, encased his entire body in rock.

Crack, crack!

And then, he descended.

Crash!

His massive body crushed the bones the passerby had launched.

"Gaaaah!"

Perhaps because several bones were shattered at once, the passerby let out a terrible scream.

I didn't miss that opportunity, closing in on him and extending my arm.

- 300% proficiency boost for all bladed weapons.

A thrust, carrying all my speed, plunged deep.

Thud!

The Sword of Light pierced deep into his lower abdomen.

Was the sword infused with the [Essence of Light] truly different?

It cut with a smooth, effortless sensation, as if piercing through tofu.

"Huh-ugh!"

His body pierced through, the passerby coughed up purple blood.

But I didn't let my guard down for a second.

Having fought countless Valefor subordinates in the game, I knew this wasn't a fatal wound to him.

I twisted my waist and raised the sword.

Crack!

The sword, swung upwards diagonally, tore through his bones, muscles, and skin in turn.

Gush!

The blood that was flowing from his mouth now started gushing from his chest as well.

My face contorted in disgust as I was splattered with blood.

Thud.

The passerby collapsed, his arms limp, and fell to his knees.

His eyes, which had held a semblance of humanity, had already rolled back.

"Is it... over?"

Thompson approached, his face dumbfounded.

I stretched out my arm, signaling danger, and stopped Thompson from coming closer.

"Not yet."

Even though he looked like a tattered rag, I knew better.

I couldn't be fooled by appearances.

Those associated with Valefor all possessed cockroach-like vitality.

More importantly, we hadn't found his weakness yet, had we?

Until it was destroyed, he was practically immortal.

As if to prove it,

"Va... le... for..."

He muttered faintly, his eyes still rolled back.

"See?"

"He's still alive? What the...?"

And at that moment,

Goooooooooo!

A chilling demonic power emanated once again from his dying body.

It was a sign that he was about to enter phase two.

But this was also an opportunity.

If I didn't miss this chance and cut him down mercilessly...

Until his weakness was destroyed.

Then, phase two or whatever wouldn't matter; he would simply die.

Of course, I didn't intend to kill him. I was planning to inflict moderate damage and ask him about Kayla's whereabouts.

"Stay back."

Just as I made that decision and was about to strike with my sword,

"Ah... ah...?"

He let out a surprised gasp and then started pouring purple mana from his eyes.

Yes, it was definitely mana, not demonic power.

"This is..."

It even seemed familiar.

Whoosh!

"Gaaaah!"

Suddenly, crimson flames erupted from his eyes, and we soon realized why the mana had surged forth.

Thud.

"Oh..."

"W-we're... we're alive...!"

Out of nowhere, two people suddenly dropped from the sky.

"...Kayla?"

"Miss!"

It was Kayla, our missing companion, and the survivor lady.

"Oh, Yuhan!"

Spotting me, Kayla waved with a delighted expression.

Seeing her cheerful demeanor, it seemed she was unharmed.

"What happened to you? Oh, wait a minute."

Kayla, who was approaching me, abruptly stopped in her tracks.

"...Is this bastard dead?"

She had finally noticed the passerby collapsed in front of us.

"Well, if he's dead, you probably killed him."

It wasn't an empty statement.

The sockets where his eyes used to be were charred black and hollow.

Seeing how Kayla and the survivor lady appeared when those spots caught fire, it seemed his eyes were his weakness.

"What are you talking about?"

Kayla tilted her head with a genuinely puzzled expression, but it wasn't a question directed at me.

As if it didn't matter to her either way, she approached the fallen passerby and tapped his cheek.

Slap, slap.

"Hey, wake up. Don't we have a lot to talk about?"

Her eyes were blazing.

Whatever had happened, she seemed utterly furious.

And surprisingly,

"Groan..."

"Oh, he's alive."

The passerby started reacting to her touch.

He didn't seem to be in any condition to speak properly, but his resilience was truly remarkable.

'...How is he still alive after all that?'

It made me wonder if the vitality of subordinates had evolved further over the past 100 years, but anyway...

It wasn't a bad thing.

We still had a mountain of questions for him: why he was loitering in that place where we first met, what happened to the residents of Sector 7, whether the shelter truly existed, why he kidnapped Kayla, how he knew the location of the dungeon, and so on...

"Sit this bastard down."

The real interrogation was about to begin.

***

Meanwhile, at the entrance of the temporary shelter,

There was still a man—no, a dwarf—fighting desperately.

Kieeek-

Thwack!

His name was Barundel.

A former veteran demon hunter and current member of a new party, displaying his old skills.

Kieeeeek-

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

As expected of a dwarf.

Even though it had been over a decade since he worked as a hunter, and he'd neglected his training for a similar period, Barundel's skills didn't seem to have dulled in the slightest.

Thwack-

One axe swing, one kill.

Every time he swung his weapon, he sent at least one demon to the other side.

However…

"Whew..."

Even he was starting to tire.

No matter how many he killed, there seemed to be no end to the demons.

Moreover, demons who had been wandering around other areas, drawn by the commotion here, were now swarming in.

At a much faster rate than Barundel could eliminate them.

Of course,

"Just a little longer, if I can just hold out a little longer..."

It wasn't entirely hopeless.

The clash of demonic power and mana he had felt from the second floor just moments ago had subsided.

Soon, Yuhan and Thompson, and maybe even Kayla...

They would rush down to help him, as if their feet were on fire.

Barundel had been holding on with that single thought in mind.

But then,

"Gasp, gasp... H-how long... how much longer…! "

After about thirty minutes had passed,

Barundel began to doubt that conviction.

Hadn't enough time passed for them to come down and help?

What in the world were they doing up there!

Such anger was slowly consuming Barundel.

Then, a sudden thought struck him.

"Could it be... that they've forgotten about me...?"

The thought that they might have forgotten him in the heat of battle.

"...N-no way!"

Of course, it was a slim possibility.

No matter how chaotic things were, how could they leave their precious comrade alone and forget about him?

That was something no decent person would do.

But what if, just what if, it were true...?

"...I won't let them off easy."

Barundel thought to himself.

Perhaps, before the demons...

They might witness the return of a true demon hunter-.

[Translator - Prøks]

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