Chapter 174

Divine Power is a higher concept than Magic Power. You need some Magic Power left in order to use Divine Power, and its intensity changes depending on faith.

Also, Divine Power allows you to harness the power of the gods. A prime example of this is Gulrak’s Lightning.

So, that also means you can utilize Gaia’s power, although it’s quite challenging.

Finding a believer who can even handle Gulrak’s Lightning is a rare feat.

From this, you can see just how much Gulrak cherishes Kara.

Gaia is no different. Being a god directly governing life, she’s even more stringent.

At least Gulrak’s Lightning is classified under ‘nature.’ On the other hand, Gaia’s abilities are closer to pure Divine Power.

It’s not about borrowing the forces of nature using Divine Power, but rather manifesting abilities using only pure Divine Power.

Perhaps that’s why Gaia’s Divine Power is the ultimate antithesis for the previous two beings.

Even ordinary Divine Power is lethal to undead or demons, and Gaia’s is even higher than that.

Creeeeak—

“Ugh…”

I looked at my hand, from which smoke was billowing. My skin was all peeled off, exposing grotesque muscles.

As it looked, the pain was substantial. Is this what it feels like to dip your hand in a vat of hydrochloric acid?

Having lived in the forest, I had endured considerable pain, but this time was different. It was entirely on another level.

“Uh, huh? Why… why is the Blessing…?”

As my hand trembled, the priestess who had blessed me muttered. She seemed just as bewildered.

I was a human, unlike the demon before me. Still, I was reacting in a way that mirrored a demon, which must have been unsettling for her.

I felt the same way. Until now, I had taken hits from Gulrak’s Lightning and even absorbed ‘Thunder.’

‘What the heck? Is it because I’ve directly received Divine Power?’

Thanks to my excellent regeneration, the wounds healed quickly. But it took longer than expected.

Without regeneration, I probably wouldn’t have been able to use my left hand for a while. So, thank goodness for that.

I stared at my swiftly healing hand for a moment before turning my head to look at the priestess.

She seemed to be dumbfounded, watching my hand heal at an astonishing rate.

“Hey.”

“Y-Yes?”

“Get out. Quickly.”

Outside, everything had already been cleaned up. Even if she’s a weak priestess, she should be able to leave alone.

Moreover, considering the battle that was about to take place, she would only be a hindrance. Even Divine Power could be disrupted.

I didn’t know why Gaia’s ‘Miracle’ had harmed me, but that wasn’t something to ponder right now.

The priority was to eliminate the demon in front of me. Fortunately, the demon was just observing us and hadn’t made any moves.

“Is it okay for me to go out… by myself?”

“Leave.”

“Y-Yes, right away!”

As I growled like a beast, the priestess hurriedly fled.

I hoped she ran far enough to avoid seeing me. Getting entangled with her would just wear me out.

Of course, I should at least ask why she came to this village. She was someone I wouldn’t normally meet at all.

“Is it over?”

As soon as the priestess ran away, a heavy voice echoed in my ears. It was the demon’s voice.

I turned my head towards it. A figure stood there, entirely detached from the world.

Unlike Rize’s form, his aura was different in another sense. While the surroundings were full of dark colors, he was the only one in black and white.

However, it wasn’t the sword he was holding. It was a striking red with a handle so dark it was almost pitch black.

This was definitely the sword I had been looking for. No doubt, it was the perfect sword for me.

“What are you? How did you find this place?”

“Directly.”

“……”

At my response, the demon’s eyelids twitched. It was a sign that he didn’t want to engage in wordplay.

Given that he was muscular and as large as an ogre, it was clear he was a natural-born warrior.

He seemed the type to prefer acting over talking.

“……Fine. I shall give you a chance. Will you leave quietly, or will you die?”

Just like in the Soul World, he was giving me a chance. Fortunately, it seemed no victims had occurred yet.

If there had been even one victim, he would have disregarded chances and attacked instead. He was quite cautious.

If he were to retreat quietly, he would escape in no time. If reported, it would be too late anyway.

The so-called ‘village manager’ wouldn’t believe the players. I certainly wouldn’t either.

“That sword.”

“Hm?”

“Give me that sword. Then I’ll leave.”

I pointed at the sword with my index finger. As I often mentioned, the reason I was looking for the demon was precisely that sword.

If I could just get the sword, I would leave without further ado. Without that sword, the demon’s growth would inevitably come to a halt.

Conversely, that means the demon had absolutely no intention of parting with it.

“What if I refuse?”

“By force.”

“Let’s see you try.”

Well then, just as he wished. As the demon responded indifferently, I took action immediately.

I threw my Ragnarok at him without holding back. It was merely a means of keeping him on guard.

Boom!

The demon easily swatted the flying axe aside with one hand, as if it were nothing. He seemed to have hardened his body with magic.

I wasn’t bothered; I sprinted forward, extending my hand. The axe lodged in the ground was swiftly reclaimed and firmly gripped.

Crackle!

Since he was a pretty strong foe, I infused it with Lightning from the start. Not the blue lightning, but red lightning like my own magic.

Seeing the hue of the lightning, the demon squinted, sensing something unusual. Yet, that didn’t mean he was going to ignore it.

Clang!

As I swung the axe, the demon raised his greatsword to lightly block it. At the same time, a strange sensation coursed through my body.

It felt like the lightning I infused into the axe was being absorbed by his greatsword. I could feel my magic slowly draining away.

I hastily ceased the exchange of blows as soon as I sensed that. Thankfully, no follow-up strike came my way.

The demon grimaced as he stepped back. We both felt the unease between us.

‘A sword that absorbs energy.’

The sword’s name was the Greatsword of Bloodshed.

Given its name, you could guess it absorbed magic power, indeed.

To absorb, it needed to inflict a wound with the sword, but it could also do so during power struggles as just now.

It looked pretty overpowered, but it wasn’t without weaknesses. You could send the energy infused with lightning straight back at it, as shown just now.

‘Reckoning for the demon must be significant.’

For a demon, it’s basically functionally at 1 HP. But it made up for it with incredible regeneration and magical power.

Even if limbs were severed, they’d regenerate immediately. Thus, there are three ways to deal with a demon effectively.

Either keep killing until all magic is depleted, suppress it with Divine Power, or target its color-based weaknesses.

Most demons, including this one, usually embed color in their heart. Look at how it’s glowing blue in its chest right now.

That’s a fatal spot for a human too, and hence, it wouldn’t be exposed willingly. So, I should keep pressing the attack.

‘I must not allow them to counterattack.’

Thinking that, I charged again. Red Lightning flickered fiercely on my Ragnarok.

The moment I allowed a counter from that sword, it would likely turn into a long battle. At least a prolonged fight with this one would be a hassle.

Though I too possess a regeneration and magical power that rivals demons, I lack a sword. That’s why I covet that.

Boom!

As I lunged, the demon thrust the sword it was gripping into the ground. Instantly, a gap opened up.

However, I didn’t attack immediately; I observed the sword. An eye-shaped figure was embedded in its center.

The reptilian-like eye was staring directly at me. At the sight, I withdrew immediately.

Ka-boom!!

Thorns rose around the demon like a burst. These thorns composed of blue magic power.

If I’d been caught in those, it would have hurt quite a bit. An ordinary person would have likely died.

“You have a good sense.”

The demon, retrieving the sword from the ground, muttered as if to himself. Good sense? More like he knew my patterns thoroughly.

Of course, there was no need to share that information with him. Just knowing his patterns drastically lowers the difficulty of fighting him.

Every single attack was straightforward, to say the least. Even his off-beat strikes seemed remarkably predictable.

Chraak!

Moments later, my axe embedded itself squarely into his side. He was so willing to allow an attack.

But I already knew. This was a trap. A typical “give flesh, take bone” tactic.

Without questioning it, I cast my axe aside and retreated. His hand barely grazed past me.

A so-called grappling pattern. As expected, it was overly straightforward.

“……”

Noticing the oddities, the demon seemed to have stiffened his expression. Regardless, I didn’t halt my attacks.

As I mentioned earlier, there are only three ways to eliminate a demon. I chose to drain his magic.

I didn’t know how to utilize pure Divine Power, and the only thing I excelled at was this.

Clang! Clang!

The ensuing exchanges continued. Rather than engaging in a battle of strength, I focused on deflecting his strikes.

I aimed to prevent transferring any of my magical energy. Moreover, with lightning infused, he’d have a hard time absorbing it too.

Time was on my side. As long as I don’t allow a counterattack, victory is guaranteed to be mine.

Chraak!

The demon plunged the sword into the ground once more. It seemed like another similar pattern.

However, though similar, it was entirely different. First off, the eye attached to the sword’s handle was different from before.

Previously, the eye had been wide open, but now it was completely closed. It looked like it was asleep.

I rushed toward the demon without hesitation. This was the best time for a big hit.

Ka-boom!!

Blue thorns shot up around the demon. This time, however, the range was different compared to earlier.

While the first thorn attack was near him, this time, they erupted slightly farther from his outer edges.

As I closed in, I swung the axe at the lower part of his body rather than his side.

Swish!

Thanks to its sharpness, his leg was cleanly severed. Given his size, matching an ogre, this tactic was plausible.

Losing a leg means losing balance. He stumbled, bracing himself against the ground with his hands.

“What…?”

The demon couldn’t hide his astonishment. It was understandable, as he was completely undone right from our first meeting.

He must have felt something was off. Moreover, unlike his size, he’d rarely fought against people.

Thank goodness he had just turned blue. As soon as he fell, I swung the axe once more.

Swish! Swish!

I cleanly severed his downturned arm and head. His head flew off and rolled on the ground.

Meanwhile, there were signs of his leg starting to heal, but it was already too late. Perhaps thanks to the Lightning, his regeneration had significantly slowed down.

I put the axe down and forcibly seized the greatsword that the demon had been holding. Desperation gleamed in the demon’s reaching hand.

“Graaaah!”

Then, I gave a mighty slash with the greatsword diagonally. I knew nothing about swordsmanship, but I could manage this much.

Swish!!

Thanks to my full power swing, the demon’s torso was neatly sliced in half. But that wasn’t the end of it.

As long as magic and color were present, a demon is bound to regenerate. Whether shredded apart or burned alive, it doesn’t make a difference.

To finish it off, I would have to target the color-based weakness. Just when I had his entire body in pieces and even his head was gone.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Since his torso was sliced diagonally, I caught sight of a blue heart pulsing within his black-and-white body.

It looked more spherical than a heart. Yet, it was undeniably throbbing like one.

“Uoooorrrr!!!”

The demon’s head, which had been sent flying, let out a scream that was neither a typical scream nor a howl. It was closer to a ‘cry.’

I flinched momentarily at that cry, but it didn’t matter. I plunged my sword straight into the blue heart without hesitation.

Having the sword in my hand meant that it would recognize me as its master. And just as I expected, it was spot on.

“Whoa…”

As soon as the sword pierced the heart, a rich flow of magical power surged into my body. I couldn’t help but exclaim in astonishment.

Of course, since it was almost a demonic sword, I’d have to ask Rod to refine it for me. I won’t be using it right away.

If I recall correctly, I wouldn’t be wielding the sword; it would wield me, or something like that.

In fact, in order to absorb more magic power, it had gone wild before, so it wasn’t entirely wrong.

The fate of a demon that lost the color signifying life was already set. As one could expect under current circumstances, it was turned to ash.

Since I entirely annihilated its color, it was only natural for the demon to vanish.

‘Come to think of it, I never asked for his name.’

I suppose it doesn’t matter since I’d remember anyway. It’s not like it has any substantial meaning.

Finally, the demon turned to ash and disappeared completely. The battle ended unexpectedly smoothly.

Of course, it was also because the demon had just turned blue, and I had thoroughly understood its attack patterns, rendering it helpless.

Thud thud thud thud!

“Eh?”

Just as I was thinking about tidying up, for some unknown reason, the ground shook fiercely.

By the time I lifted my head to figure out what was happening, another sound entered my ears.

“KYAAAAAH!!!”

“……?”

It was the priestess who had run away earlier. I had told her to escape, so why was she back in here?

As I tilted my head in confusion, she stammered with a pale face.

“M-Monsters…! There are way too many monsters!”

“……And?”

“There’s just too many…! Please do something…!”

The priestess pointed her finger at the exit. I walked towards the exit, feeling bewildered.

As I reached the exit, I understood why the priestess had screamed.

“Caw! Caw!”

“Yip! Caw!”

“Rrrrrah!!”

A massive horde of monsters, including goblins, orcs, and ogres. There were at least dozens of them swarming about.

I was puzzled as to why such a large group had gathered, but it didn’t take long to figure it out.

‘Oh, was it because of that last scream?’

Demons could summon monsters at will. It seemed that the cry had been a last-ditch effort.

But that didn’t bother me. I looked at the writhing mass of monsters and extended my finger.

Whuuumm-

A red aura began to gather slowly at the tip of my finger. I smiled broadly and said,

“Death Beam~”

Ka-boom!!

After all, Death Beam is just too much fun.

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