𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟖𝟒: 𝐊𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐞 2
In places where magic is dense, the operation of magic power is much slower and more sluggish, and the efficiency of simple physical strengthening is also reduced.
Arumu used her skill on Siwoo’s fist as it flew towards her.
The attack was deflected, veering off into the air.
“Ugh!”
She swallowed hard as she watched the fist that had narrowly missed her.
She felt like his attacks were becoming increasingly sophisticated.
To think that I would struggle this much against an opponent who can’t use healing or magic. . . .
It was something she had never expected.
The report had clearly stated that he was a hunter who used healing and magic in tandem.
‘𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘸, 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘓𝘢𝘣𝘢𝘯’𝘴 𝘢𝘹𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱. . . . 𝘔𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥-𝘵𝘰-𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘣𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭.’
She had deliberately positioned herself near the border of the Demon Realm to interfere with his magic circulation and had even cast a curse to block his skills.
It was as if she had bound his hands and feet and gagged his mouth.
Usually, after being subjected to this kind of pressure from Kaise, people would go mad, lose their minds, or try to take their own lives.
It was only natural, as Kaise’s specialty was in exploiting the fears of humans.
However, Siwoo was different.
He continued to fight as if he didn’t care about the pressure being exerted on him, in the same manner as before he had been cursed.
In fact, it seemed like he was fighting even more fiercely than before.
Arumu was more than a little annoyed and perplexed by Siwoo’s attitude.
‘𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘱𝘪𝘥 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘳 𝘓𝘢𝘣𝘢𝘯 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸?’
It was not in her best interests to provoke Kaise any further, yet her opponent continued to resist fiercely, oblivious to Arumu’s intentions.
Arumu was not doing this for Siwoo’s sake.
She simply did not want to see the spectacle of the torture that Kaise would inflict on him.
Kaise’s cruelty was beyond imagination.
While Laban was interested in competing with the strong and Arumu was more or less indifferent, Kaise’s purpose was to corner and torment his opponents.
Of course, his first priority was the organization’s mission, but he was the kind of man who would commit any act without hesitation, as long as it did not violate orders.
“Just die already!!”
The javelin that Arumu threw bent at an odd angle and shot towards Siwoo’s head.
Siwoo quickly caught the javelin.
And then he threw it back at Kaise with the speed of Lightning Flash.
“Ugh!!”
Arumu used her skill to change its direction.
“Oh my~ How impressive, how very impressive. It’s truly inspiring to see you struggling against my perfect plan instead of giving up.”
Kaise applauded insincerely.
His eyes were smiling, but it was clear that his heart was not in it.
Siwoo panted heavily, wiping away the beads of sweat and blood that were streaming down his face.
The feeling of magic circulation being sluggish and obstructed made it difficult to simply infuse his muscles with magic power.
Even if it was harder to use magic in the Demon Realm, it shouldn’t have been this difficult.
It seemed that the combined effects of the healing suppression and the anti-magic curse were making it even worse.
“Ahahaha~ How does it feel to have your wounds not heal? How does it feel to be powerless as a healer and a magician?”
“Didn’t I tell you? I’ll kill you without using magic.”
“Kukuku~ I envy your baseless bravado.”
Kaise took a slow step towards Siwoo.
“Kaise. . . ?!”
As Arumu tried to dissuade him, Kaise shook his head at her.
“Hmm~ Hunter Min Siwoo. Watching you makes me pity the likes of Ruslana and Jackal. They possessed an intellect inferior even to that of an ape, unable to devise such a simple strategy and meeting such a gruesome demise.”
Laban’s body trembled involuntarily at the murderous intent that could be felt in Kaise’s sharp tone and gaze.
He had heard that voice and seen that expression before.
A gaze that did not regard its opponent as a living human being, but rather observed them as if they were an ant.
Kaise simply chuckled at Siwoo, like a young boy who had overturned an anthill just to see the ants scramble about in response.
‘𝘏𝘮𝘮, 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳~ 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘐 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘮𝘶𝘨 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘦𝘳? 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘐 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘣𝘦𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘺?’
He savored the thought of Siwoo writhing in agony.
That was how everyone he had ever dealt with had reacted.
At first, they would ignore or mock Kaise, seeing only his harmless appearance.
A look of contempt that said, ‘What can you possibly do, you little shrimp?’
Kaise relished the moment when their arrogant expressions turned to fear and terror.
The feeling of holding the power of life and death over someone was like that of a child receiving a Christmas present.
“It seems you have yet to grasp the true nature of your situation. Ms. Arumu, Mr. Laban. Permission granted for the use of drugs.”
“Kaise, are you sure about this?”
“Understood. If that is your command, Brother!”
Laban took a capsule out of his pocket and swallowed it, while Arumu hesitated for a moment before reluctantly doing the same.
“Ugh!”
Arumu and Laban’s faces contorted in pain.
The swallowed capsules reacted with their magic power and dissolved inside their bodies, releasing demonic energy into every corner of their beings.
An immense amount of power surged from them, and a demonic energy several times denser than before was released.
Their magic power and morale were incomparable to what they had been before taking the drug.
【𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬. . . 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐩𝐬𝐤𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭.】
Siwoo shook his head.
Awakener drug.
“Kukuku, I wonder how long it’s been since I’ve taken this drug. I don’t have much use for it.”
“Laban. We don’t have much time. Even for us, prolonged exposure to this drug is not good.”
Arumu gave the agitated Laban a sharp reminder and then lunged at Siwoo.
The Awakener drug was a kind of cheat key that temporarily increased all abilities.
However, as the word ‘drug’ in its name suggested, this drug was highly addictive and dependent, and if not used properly, it could lead to a body that could not control magic power or demonic energy.
‘𝘚𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.’
She took a long whip out of her pocket and swung it.
The whip, which had a long skewer at the end, wrapped around Siwoo’s arm and pierced into his flesh.
“Laban! Finish him off!”
“Got it, Arumu!”
Laban gripped the handle of his battle-axe and swung it at Siwoo with lightning speed.
Zzzzzzzzzzzing!!
Balmung’s blade shook and sparks flew in all directions.
Siwoo felt a pain as if the muscles in his bicep were being torn apart.
As if he had expected Siwoo to block it, Laban raised his axe again and swung it repeatedly.
With a deafening roar that seemed to tear at his eardrums, the steel clashed, creating brilliant sparks.
Siwoo gritted his teeth.
At that moment, Arumu’s skill was activated.
Woooooooooooosh!!
The axe blade flew in from an even more unpredictable direction.
Long gashes were carved into Siwoo’s entire body, and blood poured from the torn flesh.
“Ugh!”
“Kukukukuk! Keep struggling! What’s wrong?!”
Laban was so intoxicated by the effects of the drug that his eyes were half-crazed.
The immense amount of demonic energy along with the strength that had increased several times over, gave him a great sense of euphoria.
His eyes gleamed with a manic light as he swung his axe faster and faster.
“Laban!! Stop wasting time and finish him off!!”
Arumu, who was watching from the side, urged him on.
“Why! We’ve already won anyway!”
The moment Laban’s gaze turned to Arumu, Siwoo tore off the whip that was wrapped around his arm and quickly wrapped it around the handle of the battle-axe.
Laban, who had not yet realized this, raised his axe high into the air again, and Arumu, suddenly pulled by the whip, lost her balance and fell forward.
“Huh? What the?!”
Laban looked at Arumu in confusion.
Siwoo did not miss this opportunity.
Balmung was imbued with magic power, and the sword slashed through the air like a bolt of lightning.
Pchew!
“Ugh. . . ugh. . . !”
Laban clutched his throat and staggered backwards, slowly.
Blood trickled down his palms and arms.
“Ugh. . . ugh. . . Ka, Kaise. . . !”
Laban reached out to Kaise, who was looking at him from a distance with cold eyes.
However, Kaise simply stared at his hand, not moving a muscle.
“L-Labaaaan!!”
Arumu rushed towards Laban with a desperate expression on her face.
A deep sadness and despair crossed her features.
Fwooooosh!
As Arumu hugged Laban’s body, Balmung pierced her heart.
A clean cut without a moment’s hesitation.
“Whew. . . .”
Siwoo shook off the blood that had gotten on Balmung.
He felt dizzy from losing so much blood.
The wounds all over his body were throbbing, and the pain seemed to burn his brain.
The attack just now had also completely drained his magic power.
“Hunter Min Siwoo~ How about you give up on your pointless resistance? Aren’t you already riddled with injuries?”
Kaise said, taking his eyes off the bodies of the dead Arumu and Laban.
“You don’t seem very sad about your comrades dying.”
“Oh no〜 I’m very sad. Laban and Arumu were precious comrades to me.”
“Your eyes don’t say that.”
When Siwoo pointed this out, Kaise drew thin lines around his eyes.
“Hahahaha~ It’s not my fault that they died because they were weak. And if their sacrifice allows me to capture Hunter Min Siwoo, then I’m sure my superiors will praise me. After all, the organization’s order was not ‘safe return’ but ‘the death of Hunter Min Siwoo’.”
“You didn’t sacrifice them on purpose?”
“. . . Hmm. You’re very perceptive.”
Kaise scratched his head.
Siwoo could see that the smile had disappeared from his face for the first time.
“How~ did you know?”
“Because you didn’t just stand back and attack me yourself.”
“. . . Is that all?”
“It seemed like you were waiting for me to run out of strength. I also noticed that you were only using magic for defense, even though you were pretending to attack.”
“Ah~ You’re right. They don’t know your true strength. Even if I restricted your magic and prevented you from using healing, it didn’t seem like they could defeat you with their ordinary strength. After all, you’re the one who defeated two devils.”
Kaise had assumed that Siwoo’s strength was at least S+ rank or higher.
Even if three people attacked him, what were their chances of winning against someone who could defeat a devil one-on-one?
He was very skeptical.
Although he had followed the organization’s orders, it had sounded like nothing more than a suicide mission.
That was why Kaise had decided to prepare as many complex and varied traps as possible.
However, even as he devised his plan using every method at his disposal, he felt an inexplicable sense of unease.
What if he still couldn’t kill him?
Kaise had ended up resorting to his last resort.
The item he had purchased while visiting Black Heaven this time was not just a curse.
[Oath of Mana to grow stronger through sacrifice]
Kaise had drunk the Oath of Mana item along with Laban and Arumu.
It was a kind of ‘Oath of Mana’ that transferred the magic power of someone who was killed in the operation to the remaining people.
Kaise didn’t care if they killed Siwoo, and he didn’t even care if they died themselves.
After all, their power would eventually belong to Kaise.
“Are not sacrifices necessary for a greater~ cause? 〈Pandemonium〉 is akin to a cogwheel for his majesty, the Demon King, so I am sure that even Ms. Arumu and Mr. Laban would be pleased. Now then, shall we proceed with my part?”
Kaise let out a sinister laugh and closed his eyes.
Zzzzzz.
Dense magic power surged from the bodies of the dead Arumu and Laban and began to flow towards Kaise.
“Haah~ It was a good idea to suggest the drug. The amount of magic power and demonic energy is far greater than usual.”
“You’re the tastiest one I’ve seen lately.”
Siwoo was increasingly annoyed by Kaise’s appearance.
“Tsk tsk~ Soon, you’ll be begging for mercy on your knees. Be prepared, because the flames of a pyromancer are a little hotter.”
Kaise concentrated the fiercely surging magic power.
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