Owner of Twilight Intuition – Chapter 166

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟔𝟔

Unable to understand Losmo’s words, I frowned at the numerous footsteps approaching from all directions. No matter how I thought about it, the owners of these footsteps couldn’t be allies. As expected, when I looked around, I could see 10 to 20 more demons appearing.

“You’ve arrived.”

‘They came fully prepared.’

However, most of the demons in sight were intermediate-level demons. I could handle the high-ranking ones, and the intermediate ones could be left to Ust and the NPCs, so it seemed manageable.

However, among the demons that appeared later, there was one that particularly stood out.

“It seems there’s a competent one this time.”

A demon twice the size of the others, with reddish skin and abnormally thick arms, slowly approached. Losmo, who had been confronting me, politely bowed his head and greeted him.

“You have arrived, Garikas-nim.”

[Garikas, the Highest-ranking Demon (BOSS)]

‘Highest-ranking demon……’

Well, should I thank him for coming here himself?

Anyway, if I just caught this guy, I could finally finish this dreadful quest. However, it was difficult to move recklessly since dozens of demons had already surrounded us.

“Is Gatovel dead?”

“Yes.”

“Impressive for a human.”

‘Why is he so relaxed?’

For some reason, it felt like I was being treated as prey that had already been caught. Anyway, since we were already surrounded, I didn’t do anything foolish like waiting for them to move.

“Ust! Ice Storm!”

As far as I know, Ice Storm is a continuous skill. This means that it can continuously inflict damage while within its range. I was prepared to use that to catch as many demons as possible, so I rushed forward along with the command.

Wheezing!-

Just in time, Ust’s Ice Storm swept away all the demons gathered nearby, but this alone wasn’t enough.

“Nayra, Light!”

“Yes, Light! Dispel the darkness here!”

Based on her previous reaction, there was a high probability that the light Nayra spread was also a skill that dealt continuous damage. The demons hesitated and retreated due to the gradually spreading light, but I wasn’t going to just watch quietly.

“Soul Shackles!”

Clank!-

As I planted the translucent stakes into the ground, more than 10 chains sprang out, binding the demons and dragging them back towards the stakes.

“Kugh, Kuuagh!”

Ust’s Ice Storm, Nayra’s Light, and even Soul Shackles were all continuous skills. However, not a single demon died from these skills.

‘If this is the case, I should activate Roar of the Thunder Dragon and……’

“You’re doing something insignificant.”

Suddenly, Garikas’ low voice could be heard from afar. Turning my head at the sound, I could see Garikas with an annoyed expression, extending his thick arm, several times larger than the others.

‘How did he not get caught in the chains?’

The question arose, but I raised my shield for now. This was because I thought Garikas’ action was an attack, and as expected, as soon as I raised my shield, a tremendous shock was transmitted beyond the shield.

Kwaaaang!!-

[Guardian Armor takes the impact instead. -7,375.]

‘Ugh!’

Unable to withstand the shock, I tumbled backward, and the Ice Storm and Light disappeared, probably because their duration had ended. As soon as the skills disappeared, the intermediate-level demons, who had been bound by chains and were receiving continuous damage, rushed at me with enraged faces.

“You insolent b*stard!”

“I’ll tear you limb from limb!”

Wow, they’re really rushing in like a pack of dogs.

If the ones rushing at me were players instead of demons, I wouldn’t have worried like this. If I activated Roar of the Thunder Dragon, most of them would die, and even if some survived, I could finish them off with one or two hits.

“Ust, hide behind me!”

Thinking that they were demons, not players, I sent Nayra behind Ust. I thought it would be relatively safe for her to be near Ust, who exerted the strongest power against approaching enemies. After sending Nayra like that, I blocked the rushing intermediate-level demons.

Bang!-

“Die quietly!”

‘Is it because I fought a high-ranking demon?’

The intermediate-level demons felt like mere mobs.

Compared to the high-ranking demons, the intermediate-level demons’ movements were slow. Thanks to this, I could easily dodge or parry their attacks, but because of their sheer numbers, I couldn’t help but allow some attacks to hit me.

Kwakwang!- Kwaaang!-

[Guardian Armor takes the impact instead……]

[You have taken damage……]

‘Even Guardian Armor is breaking.’

Kwaaaang!!-

As Guardian Armor broke from the continuous attacks, the Trees of Death created by Ust around me rushed in and attempted to self-destruct. As the self-destruction attacks swept away all the surrounding intermediate-level demons, I saw this as an opportunity and decided to finish off these damn things.

“Thunder Strike!”

If possible, I wanted to activate Roar of the Thunder Dragon. The problem was that I lacked magic power due to the skills I had used so far. So, I eliminated one demon with Thunder Strike, which allows for continuous attacks, and rushed in with the determination to wipe them all out.

Kwaaaang!!-

[Skill Damage! 16,950.]

[Combat Experience……]

‘Have I killed two now?’

No, putting aside killing two, it was bothersome that I was taking damage from some intermediate-level demons. Considering they could damage me even with Jayer’s Guardian Shield activated, it was likely related to elemental damage.

‘It’s meaningless to raise defense no matter how much I do.’

Well, apart from such thoughts, the battle itself was no problem. This was because my health and stamina were being replenished every time I hit them with Thunder Strike. Considering that, this kind of chaotic battle was actually advantageous for me.

‘Huh?’

And once again, as I was eliminating demons using Thunder Strike, I noticed that the number of demons nearby had decreased.

Where did the demons go?

Puzzled, I looked around and saw them running towards Nayra, who was hiding behind Ust.

“Block the approaching demons!”

Of course, Ust and Nabek were with Nayra. Nabek summoned his soldiers to block the approaching demons, and Ust also summoned Trees of Death, seemingly blocking them well enough. However, unexpectedly, Garikas, the highest-ranking demon, was also among those demons.

“It’s futile!”

Kwakwakwang!-

The soldiers collapsed helplessly at Garikas’ gesture. I didn’t expect much from the soldiers anyway, so it didn’t matter if they fell, but seeing even Ust’s trees being swept away, I judged that this was no ordinary situation and immediately ran towards them.

“Where are you going?!”

At that moment, a few intermediate-level demons seemed to shout towards me, but I had no time to care. On the contrary, Garikas, as if he was aware of me, turned his head and spoke to Losmo.

“Losmo. Stop him.”

“Yes.”

With that, Losmo stepped forward as if to block me. He was an opponent that would take time even if I fought him with all my might. However, with the highest-ranking demon determined to attack Nayra, I had no time to waste on him.

‘Damn it.’

“Elsyke’s Phantom Shift!”

Pat!-

It was Phantom Shift used with the覚悟of losing my phantom. What good was a phantom when the highest-ranking demon was going after Nayra? Like that, I used Elsyke’s Phantom Shift to move in front of Nayra and turned around to attack the approaching Garikas.

“If you stand in my way, you will not die peacefully.”

“……!?”

Can this guy see me?

Kwaang!-

With that thought, seeing him block my Roar of the Thunder Dragon with one hand, it seemed he could definitely see me. It didn’t matter anyway, as I had no intention of using Phantom Shift again.

“You’re throwing away your chance to live.”

“As if I would to you……”

At that moment, Garikas’ giant arm stretched towards me. An incredibly fast attack that didn’t match his size and the size of his arm. And his fist, several times larger than an ordinary person’s, wasn’t something I could avoid just by moving a little.

Kwaaaang!-

[You have taken damage. -1,816.]

“Ugh!”

I hurriedly raised my shield to block Garikas’ attack, but due to his tremendous strength, my body was flung backward.

‘This is……’

Nothing could compare, from strength to agility. In fact, this might be natural. My current stats were similar to those of the high-ranking demon Gatovel. So, it was inevitable that there would be such a difference compared to a highest-ranking demon.

Anyway, seeing Garikas turn towards Nayra again after throwing me away, I hurriedly got up and ran with all my might.

“Giant’s Sprint!”

It was good that I approached at tremendous speed using Giant’s Sprint, but Garikas, who had already noticed my actions, extended his fist as if annoyed.

Kwaaaang!!-

‘Huh?’

He blocked my Giant’s Sprint with his fist? Is that even possible?

“Thunder Strike!”

However, I chose to attack instead of pondering. I immediately swung my shield. No matter how difficult the highest-ranking demon was, I thought it would be manageable if I went into a brawl like this. However, all the swings of my shield were blocked by Garikas’ arm.

Bang!- Kwaang!-

‘He’s like that Gatovel guy.’

In other words, he was simply a guy whose fists were his weapons.

I had expected it from the Giant’s Sprint earlier. I didn’t expect Thunder Strike to be blocked as well. Still, with the skills I had acquired so far, I wouldn’t lose in a 1:1 situation at least.

“Dynamics.”

[Skill Damage! 2,048.]

In a way, it was one of the most powerful methods. Who could defeat me if I continuously bound them with Dynamics and then attacked? It was a method I couldn’t use before due to stamina limitations, but that wasn’t the case now.

‘Huh?’

At that moment, I could see Garikas’ fist extending towards my face.

Kwaang!-

[You have taken damage. -1,822.]

“Ugh.”

Earth’s Dynamics didn’t work.

At the same time, I recalled Garikas not being pulled in when I used Soul Shackles. I even thought that he might have some kind of resistance to skills that restrict movement.

‘But are there really such skills?’

“Where are you looking?!”

Suddenly, Losmo, whom I had shaken off with Phantom Shift earlier, thrust his spear from the side. In this already difficult situation, having a high-ranking demon join in made it even harder to keep my composure.

‘Maybe I’ll fail the quest.’

Although Ust, Nayra, and Nabek were using various skills to block the approaching demons, it seemed like they wouldn’t be able to handle the highest-ranking demon. Or, to be precise, Ust might be able to fight and win against the highest-ranking demon, but if Nayra died before that, everything would be in vain.

‘Come to think of it, the quest failure condition is Nayra’s death, right?’

The quest I was currently on was given by Nayra. So, if Nayra died, the quest would naturally have a high chance of failing. Thinking about what would happen if the quest failed, I moved towards Garikas again.

“Elsyke’s Phantom Shift!”

Pat-

‘If I fail…… the Demon King will appear, right? And a subjugation quest as a bonus.’

Kwakwang!- Kwaaang!-

At that moment, Garikas rushed in, disregarding even Ust’s Dark Ray. Although the attack power of Dark Ray itself was excellent, it wasn’t a skill that pushed the opponent back, so he could ignore it and charge like that.

“Giant’s Sprint!”

Kwaaaang!!-

[Skill Damage! 10,879.]

‘Damn it, shouldn’t he be pushed back a little, common sense-wise?’

Even with this tremendous impact, he didn’t budge.

Instead, he stopped his steps towards Nayra, so at least my objective was accomplished. Additionally, Garikas, who was once again clinging to me, looked at me with a tiresome gaze and soon opened his mouth.

“You certainly are skilled. It would be dangerous to delay any longer.”

“Dangerous?”

I wondered what he meant, and looking around, I saw that only half of the intermediate-level demons remained. I guessed most of them had died from Ust’s attacks. As I mentioned before, Ust exerted quite a powerful force against approaching targets.

Moreover, he could use the newly acquired Spiral Thrust and Ice Storm, so he could handle enemies at a distance to some extent.

It was no wonder Garikas was getting impatient.

“I don’t like it, but I have no choice.”

And with those words, a strange orb-like thing appeared in Garikas’ hand.

‘What is that?’

Judging from his tone, he was definitely planning to finish things soon. Moreover, since he created an orb, there must be something in that orb, right? Feeling uneasy, I tried to block the orb, but Garikas swung his left arm, the one without the orb.

Kwaang!-

[You have taken damage……]

I instinctively lowered my posture and managed to endure, thankfully not being flung backward, but my posture inevitably crumbled due to the impact. As I stumbled, Garikas threw the orb towards Nayra, who was blocking the intermediate-level demons.

“Ust……”

“Aaack!”

‘Am I too late?’

The orb quickly entered Nayra’s body, and she screamed, clutching her chest with both hands. And black smoke-like things rose from Nayra’s body, a color unbelievable considering she was a bishop of the Church of Light.

“What did you do?”

“Is there a reason I should tell you? What’s certain is that the Demon King will be resurrected soon.”

“Demon King?”

If it’s the Demon King, then surely……

[You have failed the NPC quest.]

[Warning! The body of the current NPC ‘Nayra’ has been forcibly injected with the souls of humans that the demons have gathered so far. Originally, this method should have been attempted after Nayra died and her soul left her body. However, since it was forcibly injected into a living body, an unstable resurrection is being attempted.]

“Ru, Rudin-nim……”

Nayra collapsed, calling my name with a pained expression. Anyway, since the quest had ended in failure, the Demon King would now appear, and a subjugation quest would surely be generated.

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