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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: Demonization (3)
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Demonization (3)
Death Knight.
An undead monster familiar to anyone who enjoys games or fantasy novels.
While they may resemble skeletons in appearance, skeletons and Death Knights are fundamentally different beings.
A Death Knight, with golden light pouring from its empty eyes and burning with the flames of the Demon Realm, possesses an intimidating aura sufficient to make even high priests and paladins recoil.
"So, a Death Knight is here."
If Huraken was right and there was a Death Knight here, the difficulty would be significantly higher than in the original story.
A Dullahan is a formidable monster in its own right, but it's nothing compared to a Death Knight.
Not that it matters to me what's here.
Death Knight, Lich, or Dullahan Lord—it makes no difference. As long as it's undead, it's just a meal for me.
Besides, a small but steady stream of poison was being absorbed into my body.
The monsters were easy undead prey, and my internal energy was accumulating on its own. This place was a goldmine for me.
"The undead aren't appearing anymore."
"They're likely gathered in one place, waiting for us."
Irea looked around, speaking with a hint of disappointment. It seemed she still hadn't had her fill of smashing undead.
"Ah, I see."
After the Dullahan, no more monsters appeared. Even though we heard the sound of skeletons being summoned, their failure to show up suggested they planned to make their final stand before the Demon Tree.
"Hmm."
"Halt."
Just as I sensed the presence of monsters ahead, Huraken gave the order to stop.
It seemed he, too, had noticed the monsters up ahead.
"There's a horde of undead ahead. Looks to be over a hundred of them."
"Over a hundred..."
"Out of those hundred-plus undead, only one poses a real threat to us. No need to be too tense."
"A Death Knight..."
At Huraken's words, a priest at the front muttered the name as if entranced.
"That's right. There's a Death Knight. But don't worry about it. Your job is to deal with the skeletons it summons and the remaining undead."
"Understood!"
"Then the Death Knight..."
Huraken glanced between Irea and me, his gaze finally settling on me with a meaningful smile.
"How about you take it on?"
"What?"
I had assumed Huraken would be the one to handle the Death Knight, so the offer was unexpected.
"Why so surprised? You're more than capable of handling it."
"Well..."
"You possess an ability that melts undead, don't you? We should test if it works on a Death Knight."
There's no need to test it.
As long as it's undead, there's no way it won't work.
"Understood. Since you've given me the opportunity, I'll give it a try."
"That's what I like to see. Good. The Death Knight is yours, then."
In any case, Huraken was doing me a favor, so I decided to accept his goodwill. Plus, I could claim the loot from defeating it.
"Sir Yuren. I'll make sure none of those other rotting things get in your way."
"Thank you."
Irea, clenching her fist and promising to keep the others at bay, looked even more reliable than Huraken.
Without lowering our guard, we walked slowly toward the place where the monsters were gathered.
*Creeak.*
*Grrrrr.*
Before long, we arrived at a lakeside in the center of the forest. The undead were crowded together in a clearing to the left of the lake.
"There's a Dullahan over there."
"I'll take care of that headless freak!"
Spotting the Dullahan, Irea's eyes lit up as she rolled her shoulders.
"So that's the one."
While the others were focused on the Dullahan, I was looking at the center of the skeletal horde.
There, unlike the ordinary skeletons, stood a gray skeleton from which a vast, dark magic power shimmered.
It wore faded silver armor and held a thin sword, but a golden light flashed in its eyes, and flames blazed between its bones.
"A D-Death Knight..."
"It's a real Death Knight."
"Ugh, the pressure..."
The others finally seemed to recognize the Death Knight, swallowing hard.
[Creator's Eye is activated.]
[Death Knight] - Sobeldi
A lowest-grade Death Knight. Though its lack of proper armament makes it resemble a skeleton, it can use Dark Blade to summon demonic flames and can summon skeletons from its own bones.
Skills: Dark Blade (Physical, Magic), Skeleton Summon (Summon), Swiftness (Support), Restoration (Support)
Sobeldi.
The Death Knight's grade was Sobeldi, the lowest possible rank.
"Tsk, this Death Knight. It's much weaker than the one I saw before."
Huraken must have assessed the Death Knight's abilities as well, clicking his tongue at its weakness.
"It won't even be a snack for you. But don't let your guard down just because it's weak."
"Of course."
"Everyone, prepare for battle!"
"Prepare for battle."
"Haaah!"
Hearing Irea's now-familiar battle cry, I lightly loosened up my body.
*Clack, clack.*
"Mus... prot... ect..."
As we drew our weapons, the Death Knight clacked its teeth together and spat out human words.
"I-It's talking..."
"An undead that can speak..."
"What's so surprising? The stronger Death Knights can even crack jokes."
Huraken chuckled, patting the backs of the tense party members.
"Ki... ll... them..."
*Kigigigik. Tatatak.*
The Death Knight raised a finger and pointed at us, and the undead surrounding it began to charge.
"I'll open a path!"
*Vwoooom!*
A blue aura, easily two meters long, erupted from Huraken's sword like a fountain. It was an Aura Blade, the tangible aura projected from a sword that symbolized a Master.
*Kwaaang!*
*Pssshk!*
As Huraken swung the Aura Blade down in a straight line, the charging undead exploded, clearing a path forward.
"I'm going!"
"No need to tell you what to do. I like that!"
Hearing Huraken's mutter, I dashed forward.
"I... will... kill... you..."
*Fwoosh.*
The Death Knight began to wreathe its sword in flames. The demonic ground sizzled and burned where the flames of the Dark Blade touched it.
*Shwoong!*
To end it quickly, I used Curve Shot and threw a dagger.
*Clang.*
The dagger, aimed for its skull, instantly changed direction and flew toward its clavicle. But the Death Knight twisted its sword in a bizarre motion and blocked my attack.
"Curve Shot won't work, huh? Did I underestimate it?"
This time, I created two orbs with Agnes. Two White Light Orbs.
*Pang!*
*Paang!*
I simultaneously fired the two White Light Orbs at its left shoulder and right ribs.
*Jjeong!*
*Jjeojeong!*
The Death Knight swung its Dark Blade in an X-pattern, deflecting both orbs, and then charged at me.
*Paaat!*
It was a swift movement, unbelievable for a bag of bones.
"How about this, then?"
I once again fitted a White Light Orb to my finger.
"It... won't... work..."
"I doubt that."
*Pyang!*
I gave it a smirk and, just before its sword could reach me, flicked a Flash Thunder.
*Thwack!*
It was twice as fast as the previous orbs, and because I flicked it at close range, the Death Knight couldn't even react before its skull was offered up to the orb.
"Kuaack...!"
"This one's a little different from the last."
"Ka... ack!"
I showed the Death Knight the God-Slaying White Light Orb, which was glowing with a red light. But before it could even see it, it crumbled to dust and vanished.
"It screamed. Is this the power of God-Slaying?"
Before dissolving into dust, the Death Knight had screamed. It seemed to be due to the God-Slaying ability, which inflicts a fatal shock to the souls of those with divine, demonic, spiritual, or ghostly attributes.
"Hm?"
An orb emerged from between the pieces of the crumbled Death Knight's armor. Something like a pitch-black mist was swirling inside it.
[Black Magic Orb]
An orb containing pure dark magic.
"This will be useful."
The moment I saw the description "pure magic," I knew exactly where to use it.
After pocketing the Black Magic Orb, I turned around to find Huraken and the priests staring at me with their jaws agape. They had already dealt with most of the undead and were watching my fight.
"The Death Knight screamed?"
Huraken seemed more surprised by the fact that the Death Knight had screamed than by how easily I had defeated it.
"A Death Knight would only groan even when hit by holy power, but it screamed... Just what are you?"
"I'm not sure myself. It must have hurt?"
I retrieved the White Light Orb from the Death Knight's head and shrugged.
"An undead feeling pain... You truly are..."
Huraken shook his head at me in disbelief before heading down the wooded path the Death Knight had been guarding.
"Hmm."
After entering the forest path, Huraken stopped after only a few steps and began examining the ground.
"The fog gets thicker and more toxic from here. And there's corpse poison rising from the ground."
"Ah!"
A gasp escaped my lips. This meant that the deeper we went, the more delectable poisons there would be.
"From now on, we must proceed with an even smaller group. You'll be coming, of course?"
"Of course."
I was planning to go even if he told me not to. Why would I refuse?
"Then let's finish this quickly. Once we're done here, we can head back immediately."
Huraken went back, instructed the paladins and priests to wait, and returned with Irea.
"Irea, cover your entire body with holy pow—"
"Yes?"
Huraken was about to give Irea advice but fell silent when he saw the holy power blazing from her entire body.
"Never mind. You're doing fine. Let's go."
Huraken grinned and plunged into the fog, where you couldn't see an inch ahead. I met Irea's eyes once before we entered the fog together.
"Hmm."
The fog was so thick I could barely see Irea right next to me, and something sticky and damp was seeping up through my boots. However...
[Myriad Poisons Magnetic Divine Qi is absorbing the poison (Lake Smog).]
[The proficiency of Myriad Poisons Magnetic Divine Qi has increased.]
[The proficiency of Purple Phantom Smoke has increased.]
[Myriad Poisons Magnetic Divine Qi is absorbing the poison (Corpse Poison).]
[The proficiency of Myriad Poisons Magnetic Divine Qi has increased.]
[The proficiency of Reverse Blood Wail has increased.]
The thickened Lake Smog and the Corpse Poison rising from the ground were nothing but elixirs to me.
"Are you alright?"
"Of course."
Seeing me grin, Irea looked up at me with worried eyes.
"So this was the culprit behind the Demonization."
Huraken stopped walking. Before him stood a single gray tree that looked as if it had been sprinkled with ash.
"A Demon Tree."
Its appearance was starkly different from the other trees.
Human faces and the faces of unknown monsters protruded from all over the tree, and a black liquid flowed like sap between the grooves of its trunk.
Among the many faces on the tree, a single, pulsating human face was visible—its heart.
Just as I thought, it's different from the Demon Tree I designed.
I had designed a smaller, thinner, lowest-grade Demon Tree, but the one before me was a higher-level version.
"This is no ordinary one. It looks to be at least a low-grade. And this size! It's already sucked up all the earth's essence it could!"
Huraken scowled in frustration, glaring at the Demon Tree.
"We have to eliminate it before it consumes any more. Irea!"
"Yes, Commander."
It seemed Huraken intended for Irea to gain experience this time.
"Hyaaa!"
A massive amount of holy power began to gather in Irea's right hand.
"Haaat!"
After gathering a ball of holy power the size of an exercise ball in her fist, Irea charged directly at the Demon Tree.
*Chomp!*
"Kiaaa!"
Just as Irea's fist was about to connect, the middle section of the Demon Tree split open like a mouth and swallowed her approaching arm whole.
*Chomp chomp chomp!*
"Kaaaaah!"
"Damn it!"
Even as its body burned from the holy power, the Demon Tree refused to let go of Irea, continuing to chew on her arm. It was a final, desperate act, refusing to die alone.
"Aack!"
"Irea!"
Huraken immediately drew his Aura Blade. For the first time, the look of composure vanished from his face.
"Wait a moment!"
"What is it!"
"If you use the Aura Blade now, the Saintess could get hurt too."
"Then what do you suggest we do!"
"I'll handle it."
I grabbed the slightly longer dagger at my waist.
*Chyang!*
Drawn from its deep green sheath, the Demon King's Bane radiated a chillingly cold killing intent.
The Demon Tree's attribute is demonic energy itself. A weapon of a God-Slaying Beast, which kills divine beasts, demons, and evil spirits, should be able to deal a great shock to its soul.
*Shwaaaang!*
I threw the Demon King's Bane at the only pulsating part, the human face—its heart.
*Thud!*
"Kieaaaaak!"
"Kyaaak!"
The moment the Demon King's Bane struck, the Demon Tree let out a painful shriek and spat Irea out.
"Well done!"
*Vwoooosh!*
*Crraack!*
As soon as I caught the thrown Irea, Huraken generated his Aura Blade and split the Demon Tree's trunk.
*Kukukung.*
The Demon Tree didn't scream even as its trunk was split in two. It seems it had already died the moment the Demon King's Bane pierced its heart.
*Vwoong!*
"You bastard!"
As if venting his anger over his granddaughter's injury, Huraken began to slice the Demon Tree to pieces.
"Saintess. Are you alri—"
*Roll roll.*
*Tak.*
As I was about to check the wound on Irea's arm, a transparent orb that had come from the Demon Tree's heart rolled to a stop in front of me.
"This orb..."
The orb from the Demon Tree had the same clear light as the one from the Sharkrai King.