Chapter 82

"Rumina, that direction. Release the light magic with all your might."

"I understand, Father."

Nodding at my words, Rumina aimed her palm forward. A blinding light converged there, the particles of light spiraling into Rumina's palm—transforming into a dazzling beam in the next instant. The beam of light, more powerful than the dark cannon fired by the Demon Knight moments ago, pierced the direction I pointed, engulfing the demons there. I didn't know if it would kill them in one strike, but it must have been a severe blow to the demons.

"Let's go, catch up."

"No, I'll follow you!"

Step—Raging Quake.

With the enemy formation opened by Rumina's magic, we charged in at maximum speed. It seemed we wouldn't reach our destination, but we had gained enough distance. The low-level Lesser Demons were already defeated by the magic, and the surviving demons wouldn't be able to move immediately.

I felt Rumina following me as I ran in a forward-leaning posture. Rumina had just learned Raging Quake, and her proficiency was far from high. Due to the weight difference, she shouldn't have been able to keep up with me using Raging Quake, which converts body weight into propulsion. However, Rumina stayed right behind me, running without falling behind.

(Hmm... An interesting use.)

Wings of light had unfolded on Rumina's back—her *Light Wings*—a skill for flight. By using this, Rumina maintained her balance while gaining propulsion. While it might be difficult to maintain balance with an external propulsion device, she must have been able to sense it due to her race. In any case, if she could keep up with my speed, that was all the better. I smiled slightly and swung my blade at a demon blocking the path.

"Seize the Sword!"

The blade, cloaked in black mist, slashed through the Lesser Demon. It seemed to have died from that one strike, even without targeting a vital point, likely due to the weakening from Rumina's magic. Rumina passed by my side and thrust her fang into a nearby Slave Beast. Her sword, enveloped in light, pierced through the creature beautifully, and the light emitted from the blade devastated it. In terms of pure power, hers might have been the superior attack.

"Don't overuse thrusts. If the battle ends with that, fine, but there are other enemies here."

"Understood...!"

A thrust attack requires the steps of thrusting and pulling out. This inevitably causes a pause. While it is effective against armored opponents, the pause is unacceptable. When performing a thrust, one must ensure they won't be attacked.

"Cheryaaaaaah!"

With a monkey-like cry, I released a killing intent, stiffening my opponent and slashing off their head. Green blood splattered, and the head flew off. Before the blood hit the ground, I stepped forward. Suddenly, a rock block appeared in the air and flew toward me, but I immediately activated a skill.

"Blade of Demon Slaying!"

Swinging my blade, which was enveloped in blue light, at the flying rock, it split cleanly in two and disappeared. Even physical attacks from magic can be nullified by the *Blade of Demon Slaying*. Without this, I would have had no counter against magic. It was a great find.

Step—Earth Shrink.

I approached the Lesser Demon who had cast the magic and struck its jaw with the palm of my left hand. Then, I kicked its sternum, causing the demon to stagger backward, and I slashed its neck with my sword. I jumped onto the shoulder of the demon, which was spewing blood, and landed on the head of another demon ahead.

Step—Wind Crossing.

The head is generally a difficult position to counter. By using the shoulders or heads of opponents as temporary footholds and repeatedly jumping, I could slash their necks as I retreated. The blood that spurted like a fountain marked my path, creating a strange object that colored the way, but Rumina seemed to have decided to follow from the air with her wings spread. She stayed at about the same height as me, likely to avoid attacks from projectiles if she flew too high.

(Well, the direction should be correct...)

Wind Crossing is a technique that can only be used in densely packed enemy formations. I could handle it even if they were somewhat spread out, but the limit was about three meters. This meant the enemy density had increased. It seemed I had been heading in the right direction. Now, how much further until I reached my destination?

At that moment, a voice reached my ears.

"---What's going on! What is that monster, I haven't heard of it!"

Hearing that voice, I twisted my lips into a wide grin. I knew that the demons who could speak human language were the higher-ranking Demon Knights. Therefore, the possibility of a Demon General being present was very high.

"I've found it!"

Crushing the head of the demon I used as a foothold, I leaped through the air. Reacting to my voice, the demons immediately responded, and a large Lesser Demon blocking the path stood in my way. It seemed to be a type that could move even in the midst of my killing intent. Seeing this, I smiled and placed my hand on the head of the demon in front of me, twisting its neck with my full weight. I kicked the severed head and threw it at the face of the large Lesser Demon, then slid under it. Immediately, I slashed the Achilles tendon of its right leg, which it was using as a support, and while the demon was on one knee, I stabbed its back with my sword, held in a reverse grip. I accurately pierced its heart and tore it out. Pulling out the blade, the large demon collapsed, spewing blood, and I switched my sword to a forward grip while shaking off the blood.

"Well then—"

I then looked at the area ahead, where there was a slightly open space. There were three demons there: two Demon Knights and one that looked almost human. There were also Slave Beasts that looked like horses, likely used as mounts by these demons. Whether they were mounted or not made little difference to me, as the Eternal Divine Flow style also included techniques for fighting on horseback.

"Finally found you, the general of the monkey mountain..."

"You... You mean to say you infiltrated our formation, our army!?"

"Look around. But calling it a formation is a funny joke. A random mob with no proper formation, trying to invade militarily is laughable."

Wiping my blade with my sleeve, I laughed. Without letting my killing intent waver, I glared, and the demon gasped, as if holding his breath. He looked like a well-dressed young man, with a saber at his waist, indicating he wasn't a power type.

"Even if it's the head of a beast, it's a trophy here. I, Kwon of the Eternal Divine Flow, will take that head."

"---You insolent human! Demon Knights, attack!"

Following the demon's command, the two Demon Knights stepped forward. One with a sword and one with a spear. Normally, I might have enjoyed a bit, but I was already tired of the preliminaries. I had no time to waste on uninteresting opponents.

"Rumina, I'll give you the sword. Use it for practice."

"Understood. Father will—"

"Take care of the spear and deal with that demon. Don't take too long."

Rumina nodded with a small smile and spread her wings, charging at the sword-wielding Demon Knight. The clash of her sword and the black sword of the opponent created sparks. The opponent was a bit stronger than the previous ones, but it shouldn't be a problem for Rumina now. Nodding at Rumina's fighting stance, I also kicked off the ground.

Step—Earth Shrink.

Holding my sword in a forward grip, I faced the opponent and moved in front of him without shaking. It must have looked like I appeared in front of him in an instant, and the Demon Knight, surprised, immediately thrust his spear—

"---Blade of Life"

Cutting technique—soft form, flowing water, crossing the boat.

I deflected the spear's trajectory with my sword and slid along the spear's handle to deliver a strike. This was a derivative of the flowing water technique used when the opponent had a long weapon. By combining defense and offense in response to the opponent's attack, I could sever the neck without allowing a counterattack. My strike changed its trajectory, rising from the middle of the spear and cutting into the opponent's throat, severing the head. Green blood spurted like a fountain, and a moment later, the Demon Knight's body collapsed.

I ignored the head of the Demon Knight I had just beheaded and focused on the demon in front of me. The demon glared at me with a bitter expression, then suddenly widened his eyes as if realizing something.

"You... So, you're the human that person spoke of."

"That person... Is it the red-haired female demon?"

Romperia, the demon who called herself a count. I wasn't sure of her true strength, but this demon in front of me was far inferior to her. I didn't feel the same oppressive pressure from this demon that I did from Romperia. By my rough estimate, he was about the same level as Geryon. If that was the case—

"The human who disgraced Romperia... Fine, I'll stop your breathing myself."

"Hah, a lowly demon who can't even gauge your master's mood. If you don't know the rules of battle, you should wash your face and come back. Or maybe cry to your master?"

Despite having no proper command skills, he had attacked the place where I and Altrius were. There was no way he could win from the start. Once I dealt with this demon, the rest would be a mere formality. I didn't know how the cold-faced Romperia would react, but for this demon, there was no longer any favorable outcome.

"A disappointing head, but it's perfect for raising a war cry. State your name, demon. I'll engrave it as the name of a defeated warrior on this battlefield."

"...Cheap words. But fine! My name is Veyron! I am a baron-level demon, ranked 102! I'll take your head as a gift for Romperia!"

The demon—Veyron—drew his saber and declared it boldly. He seemed to be a bit of a musclehead despite his refined appearance. Well, given that he only used a brute-force strategy, it was to be expected.

I held my sword in a forward grip and steadied my breath, sharpening my slightly dulled killing intent and further focusing my concentration. I maintained the ghostly wail, and Veyron flinched slightly under the sharp killing intent. However, he didn't show any decisive openings. Even as a baron-level demon, he had some courage. I smiled slightly and kicked off the ground.

Step—Earth Shrink.

"Shh!"

"Ugh!?"

Reacting to my downward strike, Veyron immediately retreated. A quick reaction. None of the previous demons had shown such a quick response. Indeed, it seemed—

"Heh... This might be a bit more entertaining."

Smiling slightly, I swung my blade again.

■Avatar Name: Kwon

■Gender: Male

■Race: Human

■Level: 27

■Status (Remaining Status Points: 0)

STR: 24

VIT: 18

INT: 24

MND: 18

AGI: 14

DEX: 14

■Skills

Weapon Skill: *Sword: Lv.27*

Magic Skill: *Enhancement Magic: Lv.19*

Set Skill: *Dead Point Strike: Lv.17*

*MP Auto Recovery: Lv.15*

*Seize the Sword: Lv.14*

*Identification: Lv.15*

*Blade of Life: Lv.16*

*Blade of Demon Slaying: Lv.7*

*Tame: Lv.12*

*HP Auto Recovery: Lv.12*

*Life Force Manipulation: Lv.9*

Sub-Skill: *Mining: Lv.8*

Title Skill: *Blessing of the Fairy*

■Current SP: 30

■Monster Name: Rumina

■Gender: Female

■Race: Valkyrie

■Level: 1

■Status (Remaining Status Points: 0)

STR: 25

VIT: 18

INT: 32

MND: 19

AGI: 21

DEX: 19

■Skills

Weapon Skill: *Sword*

Magic Skill: *Light Magic*

Skill: *Light Attribute Enhancement*

*Light Wings*

*Magic Resistance: High*

*Physical Resistance: Medium*

*MP Auto Mega Recovery*

*Wind Magic*

*Magic Circle*

*Boost*

Title Skill: *Servant of the Spirit King*