Chapter 61: The Extermination Squad (2)

Demian stepped outside the camp for the duel.

"Things have suddenly gotten complicated."

Margareta crossed her arms, looking troubled.

"Ah, just so you know, you don't need to apologize. I didn't like what those guys were doing either."

Margareta pointed behind her with her thumb. Behind her, Dyonisio was preparing for battle.

"They're just a bunch of unlucky bastards who pick fights over everything."

"It's clear they harbor resentment because Heixue lost to our master."

"I think so too. Demian, since things have come to this, show them what you're made of. Make sure no one doubts you."

Demian nodded.

Then, a thought occurred to him, and he asked:

"But why don't you, Sir Margareta, doubt me?"

Sanus of 'Blinding Pain,' who had no grudge against 'The Incinerator,' still suspected Demian.

In contrast, Margareta had always shown trust from the beginning.

"Huh? Of course, it's because Agnes trusts you, so I trust you too."

Margareta said nonchalantly.

"Agnes may be timid, but she's good at reading people."

* * *

Demian stepped out to the open space for the duel.

Many people had gathered to watch the duel between the two.

"Are you ready? Prepare yourself. The price for insulting our order is heavy."

Dyonisio said, gripping his spear.

Demian only sneered in response. Dyonisio's eyes flared with anger.

"Alright, are both of you ready?"

Sanus stood between them and said.

Since the duel was due to the conflict between the two orders, Sanus, a neutral third party, was appointed as the referee to ensure fairness.

"We have 'Blinding Pain' here, so both of you can fight without holding back. Even if you lose a limb, we can reattach it quickly."

Sanus said with a smile, delivering a chilling statement as if it were nothing.

"Then, let's begin."

Sanus raised his hand and brought it down.

As soon as the start was announced, Dyonisio summoned holy power, enveloping his spear.

Holy power was usually as bright and dazzling as light.

However, the holy power Dyonisio summoned was the opposite, a mix of gray and black, like ashes.

'Mixed Blizzard'

An order formed by believers who had awakened to the power of cold.

From the moment Dyonisio summoned his holy power, the temperature around them dropped sharply.

It wasn't an illusion; gray frost began to cover the ground.

At the same time, a bone-chilling cold pressed against Demian's entire body, as if he had been thrown outside on a winter day.

'He seems to have learned how to properly handle the power.'

The main tactic of the 'Mixed Ice' order was to create ice shards to pressure the enemy.

However, that was just a feint; the true weapon of 'Mixed Blizzard' was different.

The cold emitted by 'Mixed Blizzard' stole the body heat of enemies within a certain range and slowed their movements.

In the case of the Five Great Saints like Heixue, it was powerful enough to freeze and kill enemies who approached closely.

Dyonisio, being only a 3rd-class Holy Knight, didn't possess that level of ability.

Still, it was sufficiently threatening. For a knight of the same rank, enduring the cold would have been a struggle.

But to Demian, this level of cold was not much of a threat. He could simply dispel it with mana.

'There's an easier way, too.'

Demian opened a subspace and drew out the holy sword.

As he drew the holy sword, its dazzling blade was revealed.

"Holy sword? A holy sword in the hands of someone who isn't a Holy Knight?"

"Who gave him a holy sword?"

The Holy Knights watching were shocked and exclaimed.

Margareta and Agnes subtly looked away.

But Gamal didn't let it slide.

"Margareta! What is that? How can an outsider possess a holy sword!"

"It's not impossible, you know? A holy sword isn't some great treasure."

"Is the symbol of the church not a great treasure?"

The freed holy sword emitted holy power.

The holy power cleanly dispelled the cold that had invaded Demian's body.

One of the abilities of holy power was to protect the owner from all harmful things.

Even other holy powers were no exception.

"You possess an overpowered item!"

As the cold was sealed, Dyonisio gritted his teeth.

"I'll take the holy sword back after defeating you!"

Dyonisio focused holy power on the spear's blade. An aura of holy power enveloped the blade.

Holding the gray aura, Dyonisio charged.

Demian infused mana into the holy sword to counter.

The aura quickly enveloped the holy sword, and Demian couldn't help but be amazed at the speed.

'Indeed, it's a remarkable sword.'

All weapons had a mana conductivity rate.

The cheaper the metal used, the lower the conductivity rate.

A low conductivity rate meant more mana was lost when infused, and the aura manifestation speed was slower.

In the case of this holy sword, there was almost no mana loss, and the aura manifestation speed was extremely fast.

This indicated that high-quality materials were used.

"Let's see what you can do!"

Dyonisio, now close, thrust his spear repeatedly.

Demian blocked all the attacks without blinking.

As the continuous attacks were futilely blocked, Dyonisio's expression stiffened slightly.

"You have the skills to show off!"

But he didn't back down and unleashed even more continuous attacks.

Numerous thrusts aimed at vital points, but Demian continuously deflected them.

On the surface, it seemed Dyonisio, who was launching a fierce assault, had the upper hand. But in reality, it was the opposite.

The Holy Knights watching the duel had already realized this.

"To block so many attacks without being pushed back at all..."

"It means he's not just blocking but countering. And to counter, he must..."

"Be able to perfectly predict all attacks..."

The Holy Knights were amazed by Demian's skill.

"He's toying with Sir Dyonisio."

"I was curious about how he killed three black mages in Ulan... Now I understand."

"Sir Margareta had a reason for including him in the extermination squad."

"Pity. His skills are excellent, but he knows too little about 'Mixed Blizzard.'"

While acknowledging Demian's skills, which exceeded their expectations, the Holy Knights had already predicted Dyonisio's victory.

"The cold from 'Mixed Blizzard' accumulates in the body with each counter."

"At first, it's bearable, but it will increase explosively at some point."

The cold emitted by 'Mixed Blizzard' could be dispelled with holy power.

However, the cold compressed in the weapon couldn't be dispelled so easily.

"He must be reaching his limit now."

But contrary to the Holy Knights' expectations, Demian's movements didn't slow down at all.

On the contrary, Dyonisio's breathing became rough, indicating he was approaching his physical limit.

The Holy Knights were shocked by the two's performance.

"A Holy Knight of 'Mixed Blizzard' reaching his limit first?"

"That's impossible. Sir Demian should be suffering from the cold..."

The Holy Knights couldn't understand what was happening right in front of them.

"You're all blind as bats."

Margareta shouted triumphantly.

"He's releasing aura with each clash to dispel the cold."

Even after hearing Margareta's explanation, the Holy Knights couldn't understand.

According to her explanation, it was possible to block the cold. But releasing aura with each of the countless continuous attacks?

Such a skill would be impossible even for a mid-class, not a low-class.

"Sir Margareta, even if that's true..."

"Impossible? But it's happening right in front of you. If you don't believe me, ask Gamal."

Everyone's gaze turned to Gamal, who stared intently at Demian and said:

"...Margareta is right."

The Holy Knights' mouths dropped open.

* * *

"Damn it!"

Dyonisio cursed.

"Why isn't it working!"

Dyonisio didn't realize why the cold wasn't affecting Demian.

"Hey."

As they exchanged blows, Demian spoke to Dyonisio.

"Is this all you've got?"

At first, Dyonisio didn't understand why Demian was saying this.

"Show all your tricks. That way, others will believe you."

Only then did Dyonisio understand Demian's intention.

"You won't stand a chance against me, no matter how many of you come at me."

The grip on his spear tightened. Rage surged in his brain.

"...If you want to see, I'll show you!"

Dyonisio slammed his spear into the ground and released all his holy power.

The holy power spread across the ground in all directions. Dyonisio converted all the holy power into cold.

Ice spears shot up from the entire open space, aiming to pierce Demian.

Skill - Thornfield.

There was no place to hide. Even if he dodged, a second attack awaited.

The ice spears would explode into pieces, scattering cold and fragments.

Just as Dyonisio was confident of victory, Demian took a step forward.

* * *

Fuxingzhikuangyao (Pill of Fierce Punishment)

This mana cultivation technique included a few additional skills besides the method of accumulating mana.

One of them was a technique to temporarily enhance physical abilities.

The human body is incredibly lazy.

Most of its physical capabilities are dormant, and it takes continuous movement to gradually awaken them.

However, the Pill of Fierce Punishment contained a technique to instantly awaken all physical capabilities, bypassing the tedious process.

Moreover, with mastery, it was possible to amplify physical abilities.

Just like Demian was doing now.

Demian used the technique from the Pill of Fierce Punishment to manipulate his mana.

The mana instantly activated his muscles. His body temperature rose sharply. A pleasant sensation spread throughout his brain.

At that moment, the world slowed down.

The flapping of a bird's wings in the sky, the rustling of leaves in the wind.

Everything moved slowly.

Demian lifted his foot.

Ice spears were shooting up from the ground, but it was fine.

Demian's movement was faster than the spears.

He took a step forward.

His leg muscles exploded. His body accelerated. In the blink of an eye, he reached Dyonisio's face.

Demian swung his sword. Dyonisio couldn't even react to Demian's attack.

The sword struck Dyonisio's shoulder in a straight line.

The aura had been deactivated earlier. Dyonisio's shoulder was protected by chainmail, so his body wasn't cut in half.

Instead, the impact shattered his collarbone. His body crumpled. His knees bent and touched the ground.

"..."

Dyonisio only blinked, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

"My victory."

Demian said briefly, sheathing his holy sword. He looked at Gamal.

"Do you believe me now?"

There was no response from Gamal.

"I asked if you believe me."

Demian raised his voice again.

Finally, Gamal sighed deeply and answered.

"I believe you."

"Then you won't oppose my participation in the extermination squad."

"One more thing... one more thing."

Gamal asked Demian.

"Our Holy Knights joined the extermination squad to punish heretics and prove the greatness of God. Why are you joining the extermination squad?"

The dungeon they were heading to was a black mage's lair.

A place that might be a death trap.

"That's a pointless question."

Demian replied as if it were obvious.

"Agito, a Ulan officer, cursed our family's territory and tried to kill my family. After what he did, killing just one of them isn't enough."

Demian said with a sharp voice.

"So I'm going to take revenge on the others."

Gamal's eyes widened slightly at the answer.

"...Demian, I welcome your participation."

Thus, Demian's participation in the extermination squad was confirmed.