Chapter 158


The people in the room based their judgment roughly on this:

It was clear that the connection with the Demon Sword had been strengthened, granting immense demonic energy. However, even considering that, the gap between the giant and Conra didn’t seem like it could be easily overturned.

But the giant didn’t care about such things. Now that he had reached a higher level of power, his confidence had soared to unprecedented heights.

The moment he raised his sword, the demonic sword techniques flashed through his mind. The giant-demon instinctively realized that this was alien knowledge originating from the Demon Sword.

“Kukuku, so this is how you wield a sword!”

Stimulated as if his brain had been completely refreshed, the demon’s eyes widened, and his pupils flickered. How could he even describe this feeling?

It was like the time when, after sending one person away, he still flaunted the unyielding Titan Anaconda, only to later develop a serious illness in his lower body and undergo mercury vapor treatment—a feeling he hadn’t experienced since then. After a moment of hesitation, the demon finally defined the emotion.

“This is the ultimate excitement! I feel like I could kill right now!”

Though he had lost the ability to ejaculate along with the mercury vapor during his human days, that was then, and this is now.

And perhaps, that lost function might gradually return as he became more demonic. Such hope quietly brushed past a corner of the demon’s mind. The fact that the final stage of demonization was ultimately to discard flesh and ascend by replacing the body with otherworldly laws—and that demons usually lacked reproductive functions—was buried under his hopeful delusions.

Objectively analyzing, it was just a sense of omnipotence from a dramatic power-up, combined with the demonic energy stimulating his twisted ferocity, mingling with his living flesh to create a sense of euphoria. But in the end, that didn’t matter much.

What was important to the demon at this moment was that he had powered up to a level that even surprised himself, and that there was a strong enemy before him that he wanted to cut down.

Thus, the highly elevated demon finally raised his sword and pointed it at Conra. Conra had been quietly watching the demon until now, not making the first move, simply waiting.

The demon spoke.

“I don’t know what kind of confidence you have, but thanks for waiting! As a reward, I’ll kill you in one strike with my ultimate attack!”

The demon’s words, mixed with sarcasm and sincerity toward the opponent who had watched his power-up indifferently, finally prompted Conra to curl his lips into a smile and respond calmly.

“Good. I’m looking forward to it. Don’t disappoint me.”

“What?”

Caught off guard by the unexpected response, the demon flinched. What he had expected was ‘the opponent’s tension and regret upon seeing his dramatic power-up.’ He had assumed his power-up would at least warrant that.

But Conra’s reaction was too calm and relaxed. For the demon, whose mind had been further twisted by demonic energy, this was a boring situation.

So, the demon decided to ruin Conra’s composed expression himself.

Swoosh—

Soon, the Demon Sword in the demon’s right hand began to draw a counterclockwise arc. Along with it, the demon’s body axis slowly twisted… and the carefully coiled structure sublimated into a tense, explosive force, ready to burst at any moment.

And in the next moment, the energy reaching its critical point began to release in one swift motion, like a seesaw.

Crack—!

The tension turned into centrifugal force, and with it, demonic energy poured out, transforming the wind caught in its trajectory into a ferocious demonic storm resembling sword energy. A truly vicious move, utilizing the demonic energy’s nature to erode and twist the laws of the world.

Those watching swallowed their breaths at the absurd power of the sword technique the demon had unleashed.

But Conra’s attitude remained unchanged.

He simply extended his spear from where he stood, piercing through the swirling storm of demonic energy. The spearhead, which had shattered the demonic storm, briefly touched the Demon Sword before climbing along the blade, simultaneously targeting the demon’s wrist, elbow, shoulder, and neck.

If this continued, the demon would end up offering his wrist, elbow, shoulder, or neck to the spearhead. Realizing this, the demon panicked and struggled to regain control of his body to avoid the spear.

Fortunately, Conra didn’t follow up with additional attacks, allowing the demon to twist his body and barely escape. However, the sight of the demon during this process was far from graceful.

The demon’s expression twisted miserably. With anger rising to the top of his head, he carefully adjusted his stance, perhaps conscious of the move Conra had just made. But before Conra could speak again—

“Tsk, after abandoning all the martial power you’ve built up over a lifetime, this is all you’ve gained? You were better off before.”

The ruthless evaluation flowed out as calmly as if grading a student’s paper. What made it even more infuriating was that there was no hint of sarcasm in his words. The tone and expression genuinely conveyed disappointment and disdain, causing the demon’s rationality to snap.

“Kuaaaah, stop talking with that smug face!”

Whoosh—

The demonic energy, which had been swirling like a storm, now gathered around the Demon Sword like flames. As the surrounding spell waves were drawn into the twisted dark light and heat, the demon began his assault once more, wielding the sword cloaked in dark light and heat.

Like a snake flicking its tongue, the flaming sword strikes were truly cunning. If the previous demonic storm was tyrannical, this one was sharp and precise.

Ferocious yet subtly concealed, sinister and cunning. Such expressions fit perfectly. Any ordinary opponent would be caught in this trap-like assault, dancing like a puppet before being torn apart by the intricate gears of the attack.

Guided by the Demon Sword, the demon’s body, now enhanced by demonic traits impossible for a human, executed this bizarre sword technique. The demon was confident that this attack would surely defeat his opponent.

And then—

“——!!!”

The Demon Sword, flying in a jagged, three-dimensional trajectory, was effortlessly caught by Conra’s spear thrust. The spearhead pierced through the demon’s throat.

The attempt to spiral over the spear shaft like a snail was naturally thwarted. Instead, the spearhead reversed its flow, sweeping through the thigh, below the ribs, the carotid artery, and finally piercing the heart.

The demon, trying to confuse Conra by mixing Impivision’s footwork with demonic swordsmanship, had his head pierced by a casually thrust spear.

Even as he tried to maintain distance and utilize the Demon Sword’s mass to its fullest, the sword pressure was blocked head-on, causing his heart to burst from the excessive strain.

Failure, failure, failure, failure, and more failure. In an instant, all the paths, strikes, and techniques that flashed through his mind were utterly thwarted, and the illusion of his demise halted his movements.

“Ugh, wha, what…!”

A monster. Only now did the demon realize that he was no match for his opponent in this state. No matter what path he took, no matter what trajectory he drew, he couldn’t envision reaching his opponent. Similarly, he couldn’t imagine dodging the opponent’s casual spear thrust.

At every level, in every way, at every moment of combat, he would inevitably fail and be struck down by the opponent’s spear. The demon’s face hardened as he realized this.

‘Why? How? I’ve clearly grown stronger. This power gives me a sense of omnipotence. Yet, it’s useless? It means nothing? My sword can’t reach him? No, beyond that…’

His thoughts stretched thin. Though his mind was twisted by demonic energy, its performance had noticeably improved, accelerating his perception to its limits. Just one step, one step into the opponent’s sword domain, but that one step felt infinitely far.

‘Beyond that, I can’t find a future where I dodge his spear thrust!’

Though it felt distant, this realization offered no comfort to the demon. The sensation of death, as if the scythe of the Grim Reaper hung over his neck. Despite borrowing the Demon Sword’s power and moving further away from humanity, this sensation showed no signs of fading.

He wanted to live. The demon wanted to live. Though he had thought of death as a companion throughout his life as a warrior, what drove him now was a fierce desire to survive.

‘What do I do? What should I do…?’

What should he do to escape that damned spear thrust? In the split second divided into moments, the demon’s consciousness continued to seek a way to survive.

‘The spear… huh? The spear?’

Suddenly, as the demon’s eyes focused straight ahead, a revelation struck his mind.

‘If I don’t want to face the spear thrust, I just need to close the distance and get inside its range!’

That was it. The most correct way to avoid the threat of a long weapon was to close the distance and get deep inside the opponent’s range.

After all, a spear was a weapon meant to keep the enemy at a distance. Its smooth, long shaft allowed precise targeting of the enemy, but the actual means of killing—the short tip—was no different from a dagger in length.

Thus, even for a master spearman, dealing with an enemy who had closed the distance required a higher level of skill and effort compared to maintaining the optimal distance.

This was true even for the monster before him, who wielded a spear with godlike skill.

Once the idea struck, action was immediate. In an instant, the demon threw himself forward with the determination to die together. He aimed to close the distance beyond the spear’s effective range. He held the Demon Sword before him, not to attack or defend, but as bait.

‘It’s meaningless.’

The opponent was clearly a master far beyond him. In a momentary, sensory battle, there was no chance of gaining the upper hand. Once sword and spear clashed, victory was already out of reach.

So, while he held the Demon Sword forward, he had no intention of using it to block the spear. The sword was merely bait to draw out the spear thrust. The real goal was to somehow evade the thrust and close the distance.

Clang—!

“Ugh, guh!”

The demon’s body, now far more potent than in his human days, relied on the reaction speed derived from this potential to close the distance. Though it sounded simple, the reality was different.

To lower the difficulty, he used the Demon Sword as bait to draw out the spear thrust, but even then, evading the thrust of a master and closing the distance without injury was impossible.

So, he decided to give what he had to give.

In the end, the demon’s conclusion was simple.

Though he had moved away from humanity, he wasn’t yet fully a demon. Relying on the toughness and recovery unique to this state, he charged forward with half the determination to die together.

“Kuh, I’ve got you… now!”

Thanks to his efforts, the demon finally succeeded in closing the distance beyond the effective range of Conra’s divine spear… and then—

Slash—!

“What… the!?”

The demon’s left hand, holding the divine sword, severed his torso, sending his arms and the Demon Sword flying through the air. He stared blankly at the sword in his hand.

Conra, looking at the now armless and stunned demon-giant, spoke as calmly as before.

“You did well. That move was much more impressive than the clumsy clown act earlier.”

But the giant, now armless, didn’t hear Conra’s praise.

‘What is this monster?’

Come to think of it, the monster had a sword in his left hand as well, one as impressive as the spear in his right. But since he hadn’t used it at all, neither the giant nor anyone watching had considered the possibility that he could wield a sword.

Who would think that such a monstrous spearman could also wield a sword at a similar level?

Especially since left-handed swordsmen were rare even among one-handed swordsmen. Left-handed swordsmen were usually noted more for the unexpectedness of their rare techniques than the depth of their skill. That was the reality.

‘Wielding both spear and sword at the highest level? That’s cheating!’

When at a distance, he would use the spear, and when the distance closed, he would use the sword. Though it sounded simple, the difficulty of mastering both was undoubtedly higher than dual swords or dual spears.

But facing an opponent who could actually do it, the giant was left breathless. Though he had already lost his arms and had no way to resist, it was irrelevant because the opponent before him was simply absurd.

Simply put, this master of spear and sword had two domains of control: the outer domain controlled by the divine spear in his right hand, and the inner domain controlled by the divine sword in his left.

If he were also skilled in sword wrestling and half-swording, the opponent would have no constraints on distance.

If the giant had known that Conra was also proficient in druidism, alchemy, and rune magic, and that he had reached a level where he could project sword energy at distant enemies and deliver precise strikes from any posture at close range, he would have given up in shock.

As the armless giant helplessly accepted his fate, a whisper reached his ears.

{…….}

‘What?’

What was that sound? The giant frowned. Why was he hearing strange voices now, when it was all over?

‘It’s over. It’s really over.’

His life was utterly ruined. In fact, the attack on Strabenher was a kind of adventure undertaken by the commercial cities along the Bain River and the northern coastal cities of the empire, along with the merchant groups based there.

Common sense dictated that attacking the church was the worst mistake anyone in their right mind could make. Though the Church Order didn’t exercise direct political power over the continent, it held the authority to mediate between the Celestial Gods and humans, and high-ranking clergy were also contractors of holy spirits.

For humanity, the existence of holy spirits guaranteed their afterlife.

With the heavens separated from the mortal world, the underworld gods couldn’t oversee their afterlife due to too many constraints. Naturally, the residents of the underworld lost the order and laws that governed them, and there was no proper manpower to handle underworld affairs. When people died, they had to journey to the underworld without guidance.

In this situation, it was the holy spirits, active since the time of the Grand Master, who began to reorganize the underworld’s order and safely guide the dead.

Since everyone dies eventually, it was only natural that the Church’s influence grew in matters concerning the afterlife. If someone were excommunicated, they would be treated as a soul without an afterlife.

If the excommunicated died, they couldn’t be buried in cemeteries within cities or villages, and cremation was the only allowed funeral procedure. It was believed that their souls wouldn’t be guided by holy spirits, becoming wandering spirits, and their bodies would rise as undead.

Thus, common sense dictated that no one should dare to mess with the Church Order. But humans are not always capable of thinking rationally.

The influential figures of the river cities along the Bain River and the northern coastal cities thought: if they could plunge the lowlands into chaos, they could seize the vast market connecting the river and sea trade routes left vacant by fallen competitors. If they succeeded, even the Kalmar Union of the Baltic and the western powers of Franquia and Caledonia couldn’t challenge their throne.

But their plan had a fatal flaw: the existence of the Church, particularly the bishopric in Strabenher.

To these influential figures, the Church was an eccentric organization unusually concerned with stabilizing human society and the lives of common folk. If they left the Church alone while causing chaos in the lowlands, the Church would inevitably take center stage, quickly restoring order.

So, they thought: let’s take out the Church organization in Strabenher as well.

Attacking the Church would inevitably lead to excommunication, but if they weren’t caught, it wouldn’t matter. With the actual military forces all away on imperial business, they could handle it quietly and pin the blame on someone else.

But their expectations were shattered. The giant they had deployed as a trump card was no match for the monster before them. Now, everything would be exposed, and the influential figures who hired them would be excommunicated. The outcome was clear.

What would happen to them? With undead-related chaos already rampant across the empire, could these excommunicated individuals protect their wealth and power? To the giant, it seemed impossible.

‘No, this isn’t the time to think about others.’

The giant had never cared about excommunication. After all, he had sought power beyond humanity, even making a contract with a demon. He had no reason to care about the afterlife now.

But his own survival was a different matter. Not caring about the afterlife meant valuing his current life and the aspirations he hoped to achieve by surviving.

The power to surpass humanity, the authority to make others listen, the wealth to exchange for valuable things, and the health and lifespan to enjoy all these forever.

To be thwarted just one step away from achieving all this, and now facing imminent death, was the worst possible situation for the giant.

But there was nothing he could do. More than anything, he had relied on his strong arms, now lost.

Perhaps due to his demonic transformation, the severed shoulders had already stopped bleeding and scabbed over. If not, he would have worried about dying from excessive blood loss, but fortunately, that seemed unlikely.

However, the situation was so dire that the giant couldn’t be sure of his survival. He couldn’t imagine the Church sparing a demon-contracted being like him, and rightly so.

As the giant’s thoughts reached this point—

{Contract…}

Whether fortunate or not, for some reason, a message clearly entered the giant’s mind.

‘What?’

{I won’t repeat this twice. Speak the contract’s incantation clearly with your lips.}

The source of the whisper—no, the message—was none other than the Demon Sword, still twitching on the ground alongside his severed arms.

Suddenly, the giant-demon realized that his lips were obediently following the message from the Demon Sword. His tongue and lips, now out of his control, began to recite the incantation that appeared in his mind in an otherworldly language.

As the chanting, resembling the sound of crickets, leaked out, Conra’s divine sword struck the demon’s neck. But even as his head was severed, the demon continued to chant. Finally, the incantation was complete.

{Well done, my loyal servant. Now, you shall receive your reward from me.}

On the fourth floor of Strabenher Church’s corridor, a massive surge of demonic energy exploded.