Chapter 336

Chapter 336

* * *

Ashvka’s body collapsed, the bloodsuckers scattering to minimize the impact. Beyond the bloodsuckers, the summoning circle loomed, but Cadel couldn’t take his eyes off the spot where Garuel had stood a moment ago.

The swirling blackness of the bloodsuckers swallowed up Garuel’s form. Though he could see nothing beyond his darkened vision, Cadel remembered the scene just before Ashvka fell.

‘That demon from a while back, whoever it was.......’

It was a High Demon that bore Garuel’s physical features. Sure, the demon was older, had a pair of ugly wings, and couldn’t match Garuel’s beauty, but there was enough similarity to realize they shared the same blood.

“Commander, shall I go?”

Van, who had cleared the [Crimson Zone], nodded toward where Garuel had been, and Cadel, who had barely turned to look at him, shook his head.

“Yozen’s with him, so he won’t be easily defeated. Van, Lumen. You find reinforcements and lead them this way. Me and Lydon, we’ll make a barrier.”

It was unknown if the demon was Garuel’s father or one of his relatives. He didn’t know why he hadn’t thought of such an important person before. But whoever he was, he was the enemy. There was no need to worry that Garuel would hesitate to attack. He would deal with the enemy in front of him as best he could, and that was enough for now.

Cadel turned to Lydon, who was surrounded by ice crystals.

“Are you ready?”

“I’ve been working on this for a while. It’s getting cold, darling.”

“Yeah. Let’s hurry up.”

While Garuel and Yozen restrained the demon, they were to create a tunnel-like barrier to lead the magicians to the summoning circle. The High Demon’s purpose could not be solely focused on Garuel. He would never stand by and watch the process of disarming the summoning circle begin. It was time for him to step in.

‘I don’t know if Garuel’s presence creates a variable, or if it’s just part of the story’s flow, but there’s no way he can’t overcome it. Whatever comes along, just get rid of it, and done.’

He trusted his subordinates, trusted their choices. On cue, Lydon and Cadel released their mana simultaneously, and a tunnel-like barrier between them and the summoning circle began to stretch out.

* * *

A giant forepaw formed from demonic energy slammed into Garuel without warning. Parrying the attack was the same form of demonic energy, sparked of purple flame each time the two collided.

“We brothers were so similar in appearance that we were called twins, and it looks like you’ve inherited the gene, too.”

“I guess it was my father who gave me this filthy blood?”

“He was my younger brother. I could tell by your demonic energy that you were a very talented kid.”

“You should have been better at keeping an eye on your brother. What were you doing while he was out there sowing his troublesome seeds everywhere?”

“What’s your name?”

“I don’t feel like telling you.”

In between parrying attacks, Garuel was busy bouncing off claws that didn’t quite make the cut with his light mana-encrusted blade. Lawrence, on the other hand, watched from a distance, arms crossed, as if to admire Garuel’s skill.

“My younger brother wasn’t that cocky. Was that temperament inherited from your humble mother?”

“Why are you asking so much? Do you think you’re going to die because your nephew is so cute?”

“Yeah, you’re cute, and you’re so cute that it’s almost laughable that you’re fighting a battle like this with this level of power.”

Lawrence smirked, but Garuel simply smirked back at the taunt. He slammed his longsword down hard on the charging forepaw, channeling all of his demonic energy into the blade in one fell swoop, sending even more light mana into the blade as he spoke.

“If I’m that cute, just close your eyes and die. I’m sure I’ll be able to tell you my precious name in your corpse.”

Demonic energy could not be wasted. This power was meant for humans and should be saved for emergencies, especially on a battlefield where healers couldn’t reach it. So Garuel decided to use light mana against Lawrence.

“It’s a foolish thing to do, using the power of a mere mortal when you have the power of a demon.”

Lawrence strode slowly toward Garuel, blowing past the clamoring bloodsuckers at a leisurely pace.

“I’ve seen your weaknesses, your pettiness, and your stupidity firsthand, and I feel a shallow sense of regret.”

“.......”

“If I had granted my brother’s request in the past and brought you to the Demon Realm, I could have reformed you and nurtured you into a loyal servant of My Lord, and you could have earned My Lord’s favor without the hassle of this process.”

Garuel’s brow furrowed as he gripped his longsword tightly.

“Did you mean to take me to the Demon Realm? Did my father kill my mother and steal her child?”

“You can’t kill me.”

“I’ll admit it, it’s hard.”

Garuel spun his sword in a circle, slowly closing the distance between him and Lawrence. All the while, the dark energy surged in all directions, creating a small space that trapped Lawrence. As he stared at Lawrence’s face, which had just barely escaped the rising wall of dark energy, his eyes widened as if remembering something.

“Oh, and one more thing: thank you for giving me an annoyingly handsome face. My mother’s genes must have given me a boost, so you don’t need to pass it on to my father. See you later.”

Lawrence opened his mouth to protest at the absurdity of the remark, but no voice was granted him as he was swallowed by the dark energy. Garuel looked away from the cubical space that held Lawrence and looked behind him, where Lawrence’s demonic energy, which had just targeted his heart, was dispersing.

“A moment too late and I would have been stabbed to death, Sir Yozen.”

At the sound of his playful voice, Yozen, wherever he’d been hiding all this time, appeared out of nowhere. He neatly ignored Garuel, who was feigning weakness, and spoke firmly.

“Even if you get stabbed, you won’t die.”

“No, this demonic energy is really dangerous. It’s high purity, if you will. Didn’t we choose to lock him up because we don’t think we can handle it on our own?”

“It won’t last long.”

“......I know. For now, let’s join Knight Commander and inform him of the information.”

His eyes flickered slightly as he followed Yozen through the bloodsuckers. His forced upturned lips quickly stiffened, but no one noticed the subtle change.

* * *

It was what they had feared. The tunneled barrier of wind and ice led the magicians smoothly to the summoning circle, but Ashvka wasn’t about to let that stop him. The insects that had once nearly killed Cadel. The energy-sucking insects.

“Don’t push yourself too hard, Lydon. I’ll take care of the barrier repairs, you keep the magicians from getting hurt.”

“I’m still fine?”

“The aftermath of the rampage will linger. Stop being stubborn and listen to me.”

Lydon winced, wondering if Cadel didn’t trust his abilities, but Cadel had no intention of forcing the mana out of him. The Scarlet Scales Knight Order wasn’t alone in this fight. If they held out, reinforcements would continue to arrive, and it was a tactic to save their strength for then.

The energy-sucking insects were all over the barrier, sapping mana at a frightening rate. Considering they were dealing with Ashvka’s entire body rather than just one of his arms, the size of the flying insects was considerable.

‘We’re just getting started on dismissing the summoning circle, so we’ll have to hang in there as long as we can, but it’s going to be about 15 minutes at the most unless we’re going to drain all our mana here, and we should have enough support to take on Ashvka in that time.’

Cadel, who had been pouring endless mana into the barrier, shifted his gaze. There was a struggling Dreyfe and his subordinates. The first reinforcements to arrive, they were taking on Ashvka on the front lines with minimal protection from the barrier through their magic tools.

Several of them had been sucked dry by the bloodsuckers, their bodies shriveled to blackened shreds, but they refused to back down. This was due to the shouted encouragement of the battalion captain ahead of them.

“Every step we take back costs the Empire hundreds of lives! If I see you begging for food when you can’t pay for it, I’ll put a knife through your throat myself! Charge, without rest!”

It was a harsh command, in true Dreyfe fashion, and it was backed up by the power of his own body as he charged forward, his twin blades aimed at Ashvka’s body without pause. It was clear that he was determined to stop Ashvka’s regeneration at all costs, even if it meant being devoured by a swarm of insects.

Even from a distance, he could see the shriveled marks all over Dreyfe’s body. Dreyfe and his battalion had already done enough.

‘However.......’

They weren’t enough. Ashvka, having lost a leg to Lumen and Yozen, lost his center and collapsed, but the amount of insects he spewed only multiplied. The swarms of insects, now resembling black clouds, swarmed relentlessly, attacking allies, gnawing at knights and even the gateway Cadel was guarding.

Meanwhile, Ashvka, still standing tall even in his fall, sought to regenerate his leg with human blood.

‘I handed over [Ullo], and I don’t know what kind of reinforcements are coming. The most likely one is Jeriel. If he comes, it will definitely be less mana intensive.’

The arrival of Sorin’s battalion would be a great boost, but the forces that were the mainstay of each gate’s defense would not be able to move easily.

‘I’m sure there are demons on the other side of the gate by now that will keep you on your toes, so with that in mind, I’m not expecting much.’

At the very least, he needed to have enough power to reduce his mana burden and shut down Ashvka’s movement for a while. Given a little time, he could destroy the summoning circle and then take down Ashvka with a pincer attack.

‘If only the other magicians could take over the maintenance of the barrier, I could go help my subordinates right away.’

Currently, all but Lydon had followed Cadel’s orders and gone to deal with Lawrence. They were nowhere to be seen, due to the abundance of bloodsuckers in the area. Cadel swiped at his dry mouth and squinted.

‘......Lawrence. It’s shocking that the guy even came out with Ashvka, let alone that he’s Garuel’s uncle.’

As soon as Garuel told him the name, his vague identity became clear. And then he became certain. He didn’t know if it was a major plot twist, but the flow of the Demon War was slowly but surely diverging from the game. What did it mean?

‘......Let’s think about it later.’

With Ashvka and Lawrence in front of him, it was absurd to think of anything else. Quickly gathering himself, Cadel began to channel mana, ready to blast the energy-sucking insects.