Chapter 30

“This territory, impressive for a mere human, isn’t it?”

The demon thought it was nothing to worry about.

It was merely startled by the sudden appearance of a strong foe.

The presence it felt still didn’t match its status as a high-ranking demon.

“Sorry.”

Cecilia aimed her sword with a sulky expression.

“I wanted to take my time, but this mission requires precision.”

“…Are you deceiving me right now?”

The demon stood before Cecilia with bloodshot eyes. She remained unfazed as she replied.

“Yep.”

“Wh… what…?!”

Just as the demon’s face twisted in outrage, it hurriedly stepped back.

*Thud-.*

‘W-what’s happening?’

It covered its mouth.

Blood gushed from a gash on its jaw.

In a panic, it looked at Cecilia, who had blood smeared on her sword.

It had healed quickly, but it hadn’t even realized when it had been cut.

‘I see. The effect of this territory is ‘guaranteed hit.’’

But it had just realized that.

Perhaps the territory’s effect was to ‘guarantee’ an attack.

Moreover—

‘There were humans swept up in the area, but they couldn’t enter the territory. She must have pushed them away on purpose. Why would she do that? Isn’t it obvious that having more numbers is an advantage?’

The territory’s ‘guaranteed hit effect’ weakens if there are many. So, it was clear that she deliberately isolated herself.

Typically, territory types are weak against large armies, which made this guess plausible.

The demon grinned.

“Such a pity. Even among all demons, I possess the talents of a thousand, yet I encounter you.”

Well, it couldn’t be helped; its ‘authority’ could wholly neutralize this territory.

“I claim victory.”

The demon laughed chillingly. However, that laughter didn’t last long.

“Why?”

‘Again.’

The demon gritted its teeth.

‘Again, in my blind spot…!’

“You’re weak.”

Cecilia’s sword rushed in. This time, the demon raised its arm to block, but her sword sliced straight through its arm and struck its neck.

“Cough.”

The demon quickly stepped back, clutching its neck.

*Boom!*

With a sound like air being ruptured, Cecilia surged forward with terrifying momentum.

Instinctively, the demon recoiled, but for a brief moment, it touched the Wind Shear’s veil. In that instant, it was swept away by the wind, its body torn apart.

“…”

Cecilia looked at the demon, now part of the veil, with cold eyes.

She let out a sigh.

“There’s a limit to being foolish.”

Can’t you see?

Wind Shear was a storm made of razor-sharp winds.

Touching it was essentially like stepping into a giant shredder.

“Ahahaha.”

But right behind her came the voice of the demon.

Cecilia’s silver eyes swept coldly across the ceiling.

Pieces of a corpse, milled by the wind.

Not that of the demon, but of a human.

“Even so, impressive. But can you still kill me now?”

A little girl, about seven years old, giggled.

Of course, that wasn’t the real thing.

It was the Deception—Priscilla.

‘Feeding on existence, and the soul is taken by the followers— the body is consumed by the main entity.’

The earlier form had undoubtedly been a human guise.

Then, naturally, the number of lives this demon possessed equaled the number of humans it had consumed.

Unless it was utterly annihilated.

‘Such an ability seems to be equivalent to the sin of Gluttony… what a balance-breaking move.’

“Um…? Wh-where am I?”

Priscilla looked at Cecilia with a face stricken with fear.

“Sister…? Why are you looking at me so frighteningly…?”

Tears streamed from Priscilla’s eyes.

It felt like the demon was speaking to her.

This was no illusion; it was the real girl it had consumed spent momentarily.

This girl existing now was not a demon but a ‘human.’

“O-Oh! Where are you…? I’m so scared… Help me. I don’t want to die yet.”

Priscilla, with a tear-streaked face, stumbled backward.

She was heading toward the wall of Wind Shear.

Cecilia wasted no time in lunging forward and grabbing the child’s hand.

“Eek.”

She squatted down to meet Priscilla’s eye level.

The girl had orange hair with freckles. Commonly known traits of ‘gingers.’

These traits were hard to find in the Rianen Kingdom, as they were usually seen in neighboring countries.

However, there was one ginger in the Windsor Knight Order.

– But one day, when I went to the dungeon, I found my dead little brother.

Sword Emperor Jerryway.

“Um, could you not tell anyone?”

Cecilia reached out with sad eyes, gripping the flower-shaped brooch stuck in Priscilla’s hair.

– Hey, kid. Do you think my little brother would like this as a gift? It’s just the right age for him.

It was exactly like what Jerryway had shown ten years ago.

At the time, he wasn’t even a member of Windsor.

“Why is it that humans become so generous when they see only little kids?”

*Thud.*

Priscilla grotesquely smiled and stabbed her arm, transformed into a blade, into Cecilia’s abdomen.

‘How does it feel? That feeling of being attacked in your blind spot, the way you usually dish it out.’

But Cecilia merely continued to stare at the brooch, without flinching.

Feeling déjà vu, Priscilla looked down and saw.

The dagger was no longer lodged in Cecilia’s abdomen but had somehow pierced her own gut.

“…How?”

“The wind is unpredictable. It’s a common occurrence, you know? The direction of fire changing alters the target of the disaster.”

“Don’t think this is over!”

Priscilla shrieked madly, pouring all her magic into it.

The presence of an upper-level demon, combined with the human souls she had hoarded, surged forth.

‘Normally, I’d give you a chance, but—’

The one thing Cecilia hated most was the ‘click’ sound.

There’s nothing more horrifying than crushing the boss’s carefully crafted patterns with raw power.

But unfortunately, today there was no time.

Cecilia tightly gripped Priscilla’s wrist. With just that, Priscilla’s presence flickered like a candle’s flame.

“…”

Cecilia’s silver eyes completely encompassed Priscilla. The demon felt overwhelming dread.

“L-let me go! Let go!”

She thrashed madly, but Cecilia’s firm grasp didn’t budge at all.

Priscilla’s face grew increasingly pale. She felt an overwhelming surge of magic.

Cecilia spoke softly.

“Wind Shear.”

‘N-no way! You’re expanding the territory within a territory?!’

*Thunk-.*

It was a minor cut. The back of Priscilla’s hand had been lightly sliced.

From that wound, thin lines spread out, pulling in the surrounding air.

‘No, this isn’t a territory. Could it be…?’

Priscilla paused in her thrashing. Slowly, she lifted her head.

“A monster.”

In that moment, the wind around swirled into a vortex, howling like a sharp scream.

*Swish—!*

The sound of metal grinding together reverberated as the pressure tore into the atmosphere.

The result was—

Molecular annihilation.

Silence, the thing Cecilia cherished, enveloped the area.

“A monster? How rude.”

Wind Shear—it was the most basic technique granted upon receiving blessings.

Just that, mixed with a ‘countless overlapping’ basic attack magic application.

**

Before the vast storm that spread in a gigantic circle.

At a somewhat distant position, Aldred’s forces stood.

“Remarkable. So… this is what you call the peak of the Sword Demon.”

“I’ve only heard about it, but seeing it in person is a different kind of pressure.”

The three Sword Demons from the Gartaan Knight Order couldn’t tear their eyes away from the unfolding spectacle.

“Is there really no way inside?”

When Aldred asked, they shook their heads instantly.

“No one could possibly invade that territory. It possesses an absolute power of that level.”

“That’s absurd.”

Aldred smirked slightly.

“Ascended to a high-ranking knight through judgment and insight. Obviously, it seems like pure brute force got them to that position.”

He spoke coldly.

“All forces, charge all available magic.”

No question or doubt followed.

The troops complied with their lord’s command, pouring their magic without a moment’s hesitation.

“When Wind Shear ends, release it. Cut down the source of this nightmare.”

“L-Lord!”

Beatrice spoke urgently.

“Please trust Cecilia. She will surely—”

“Of course, I trust her. But we can’t waste the two minutes she has granted us.”

Aldred spoke without even glancing at her.

Only his focus was entirely on Wind Shear.

“I too, hope to see her when this territory is lifted.”

But most in this place understood that was a slim hope.

Especially the Sword Demons who had felt her presence.

While the territory might be amazing, it couldn’t disregard the laws of this world.

An egg could not break a hard rock, no matter the technique employed.

That’s merely common sense.

‘Cecilia can do it.’

But among all, only Beatrice believed in Cecilia.

With tears in her eyes, she clasped her hands in earnest prayer, hoping and longing.

That scene could almost be seen as that of a saint.

Aldred dared to imagine.

If Cecilia were to return.

Human salvation might just come within a foreseeable time.

Did that wish get granted?

“Wind Shear is dissipating!”

“Continue charging until the command is given—! Premature release is forbidden!”

“Yes!”

The moment Beatrice’s tears touched the ground—

The relentless, eternal tempest gradually began to calm.

‘Who is it?’

‘Who won?’

The resigned and the miracle-seeking were once clearly on different thoughts.

But at this moment, their wishes synchronized completely.

May the calm peace that follows this storm come soon.

“…”

In the place where the storm receded.

The clear sky, with not a single cloud, lay in serene stillness.

Below that, Cecilia stood, barely remaining upright, resting one hand on her sword.

In the dying winds, she proved one undeniable truth.

Human victory.

In that moment, a thunderous cheer erupted, shaking the earth and sky.

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