211

Chapter 211 — Life Is Cruel (6)

While running toward the Magic Tower, the guard escorting Wave-Cresting Blue Coral saw a white signal rising into the sky.

It was the evacuation signal issued across the entire city in an emergency.

And then there were the searchlights shining skyward from the western and southern gates.

“Looks like the report about the demon made it through…….”

Since a searchlight meant to evacuate in that direction, the fact that only the west and south were lit meant they were not to use the northern gate.

And the person he had been fighting until just moments ago was in the warehouse district near the northern gate. In the end, those searchlights were command’s consideration, warning people not to evacuate north and get caught up in the fighting.

The unusually large number of searchlights to the south meant that evacuating south was safer.

“…Just how bad is this?”

Still… yes. The more detailed the instructions became, the more uneasy the guard felt. The fact that command had already obtained information about that demon was worrying enough, as was the evacuation order itself.

In the entire history of Bemurchen, aside from the two times during the city’s earliest days, this was the first evacuation order ever issued. In other words, the first since those walls had been built.

“Get up right now!”

“Up! Get up!”

“We have to evacuate!”

“Pack your things! Only the bare minimum!”

Perhaps it was thanks to the civilian security corps that had been organized to lead the people whenever the army had to fight. At the very least, rather than falling into chaos, people followed instructions remarkably well…….

“What the hell is going on?”

“An evacuation order has been issued! Evacuate to the south or west!”

“What about north?”

“Do not go north! I repeat! Do not go north!!”

Watching people begin evacuating one after another, the guard adjusted his hold on Blue Coral.

He understood that the situation was dangerous enough to warrant an evacuation order, but he desperately hoped nothing serious would happen before everyone had made it out.

It was an exceedingly desperate, exceedingly modest wish.

* * *

[I am Pandemonium, the Seat of Greed—or Avarice. And you boldly declare that you’ll stall for time against me. How amusing. Go ahead and try.]

At Pandemonium’s words, she raised an eyebrow. Then she kicked off the stone floor to avoid the red liquid rushing toward her.

It surged over the spot where she had stood like a wave. It was so fast that, had she been even slightly slower, she would have been swept up in it.

Give it a single second and it looked capable of spreading more than ten meters.

But did that speed fluster her?

Not particularly.

She had seen something similar beyond Yeonggwan, in the land of ice where even warriors refused to venture. Though that substance had been so slow it had hardly looked as though it flowed at all.

Had the people of her homeland seen Pandemonium’s red liquid, they would never have called it “flowing fire.”

“Two kinds…….”

In any case, Pandemonium used two types: one thick and heavy that flowed slowly, and another light as water, rippling and flowing quickly.

The former could take specific shapes to attack her, while the latter could not maintain a form but surged forward at high speed.

Judging that the latter was the one she needed to be wary of, she swung the wooden pole.

A blast of wind fierce enough that the pole barely escaped snapping pushed the lava away. The faster liquid had seemed relatively light, so she had tried it on the off chance it might work.

And it actually did.

Armed with that discovery, she even tried knocking the red liquid aside.

Swoosh!

The pole scraped along the ground, shoved the flowing fire away, and sent it flying toward Pandemonium.

She had done it to see whether Pandemonium could be harmed by its own power, but unfortunately, the red liquid simply seeped into the hem of Pandemonium’s clothes on its own.

It did not seem particularly useful.

Fwoosh!

The wooden pole also caught fire.

The stuff could not melt stone, yet it burned wood.

That was similar to what she had seen in her homeland. The flowing fire there could not melt rock either, but it could burn wood.

The weapons they had dipped into it as a test had been the same. Those made of iron had merely heated up, while those made of wood had turned to ash.

“Perhaps I should have brought a weapon.”

If so, that probably could not melt iron either.

Watching the red liquid sweep toward her again, she felt a trace of regret as she remembered the dark-hued halberd that had been broken during her fight with the Demon Knight.

“It doesn’t matter.”

She merely regretted it.

She did not cling to it.

The halberd had once belonged to her master and had remained her partner for more than twenty years since the day she killed that master… but that was all.

Whenever she remembered the blood that had stained it that day, she knew it had been destined to break eventually.

She kicked away a stone, leapt atop a building, and seized one of the wooden pillars that formed the roof’s framework.

As the muscles swollen from exertion stood out even more sharply, the enormous pillar was ripped free in one piece.

Whoosh.

She hurled it straight at the demon.

As the wooden pillar hurtled toward it, the faceless demon lazily perked its ears, almost as if smirking.

[So all a human can do is annoy me around the edges.]

Pandemonium drew out the dark-red liquid and caught the wooden pillar.

The viscous liquid might have moved slowly, but it stopped the timber with ease.

Whoosh!

But was there any reason for her to stop at one?

Absolutely not.

She tore free more wooden pillars, pulled out stones, and hurled them one after another.

Approaching would only get her burned by that scorching liquid, so she had little choice. Until some weakness revealed itself, she needed to learn about her opponent however she could.

Thud, thud, thud.

Many of the things she threw were stopped by the dark-red liquid, while the thinner fluid tried to fill the alley.

It probably would have, had it not been for the waterways.

She watched the liquid summoned by the demon pool in the channels, then looked again at the demon, which had yet to take even a single step.

Was that composure?

Or was there a reason it could not move?

Its treatment of her was strange as well. If it summoned the mighty giant from before, it might not be able to kill her for certain, but it could at least place far more pressure on her than this.

And yet it still seemed unwilling to use its power.

Why?

“You have no intention of fighting me properly.”

[You aren’t even Wrath’s vessel. Why would you possibly be worth taking seriously?]

The patience of the strong was evidence of something.

Either of benevolence…….

[Why don’t you just turn around while I’m giving you the chance? I rather like you. It’s been quite some time since I’ve seen a desire so pure and vivid.]

…or of ulterior motives.

Standing on the roof, her golden eyes swept over the ground like a hawk searching for prey.

She did not believe a word Pandemonium said.

She would sooner believe the Demon Knight’s filthy personality was all an act than trust a demon speaking of mercy.

“Ah. Right.”

And indeed, look.

“The ritual is still in progress, isn’t it?”

Wasn’t the talk of “giving her a chance” practically overflowing with the presence of a trap?

[Who knows.]

Until now, every trace of red liquid that had attacked her had leaked from Pandemonium.

The same was true of what had spread throughout the surroundings.

For that reason, she had wondered whether she was already too late to stop the ritual… but no.

The ritual was still being performed inside the building from which the demon had emerged.

For one thing, the red liquid she had thought was flowing from Pandemonium was actually mingling with liquid flowing from the building itself.

[Do you think knowing will let you stop it?]

The ritual was taking place there.

“I can at least try.”

She looked at the burning building, half-smothered beneath the red liquid.

She was not a Mage, nor could she cut through an enormous area at once like the Demon Knight. This was unquestionably a difficult opponent for her.

And her opponent was stronger than she was.

Under normal circumstances, there truly would have been no way.

But…….

“Are you still thinking about it?”

[……?]

“I’m ready.”

Provided that her opponent had no intention of taking her seriously, perhaps there was a way if she became her complete “self.”

Knowing that, she urged the other on.

“…Fine.”

No answer returned.

Stubbornness cultivated over decades was far too solid to be shaken so easily.

“Then it can’t be helped.”

Even so, she could not abandon the fight.

She tore out more pillars and hurled them with tremendous force.

Since they were not aimed at the demon itself, none of the red liquid moved to block them.

[……?]

Several pillars plunged vertically between the flowing stone and began to burn.

Pandemonium apparently had yet to understand her intention and merely stood there without reacting.

Strong enough to be presumed a Great Demon, perhaps, but evidently unaccustomed to this sort of battle.

And the longer it failed to understand, the better for her.

She leapt down toward one of the stakes she had driven into the ground.

Already collapsing under the intense heat, the stake nevertheless served as her foothold for a brief instant.

[You!]

Still, judging by how quickly it grasped her intent, the demon was not entirely stupid.

She kicked off the stake and stepped onto the building’s collapsed wall.

The interior was packed with burning crates, but that was no reason she could not step on them.

Her body entered the building.

Acrid air stabbed at her nose.

“……!”

Then, as she stepped onto the piles of crates stacked beyond the wall, the cloth wrapped around her body shrank under the searing heat and clung to her skin.

Given that heaps of crates were actively burning all around her, it was only natural.

But she could hardly spare attention for that.

The sight before her was far removed from what she had imagined.

“This is…….”

Hundreds of crates stacked inside the building were burning in real time, spilling streams of molten metal.

And that molten metal flowed endlessly toward Pandemonium.

Where the crates burned away, something else was being etched into existence as though painted over the original scene.

Interior walls built from black stone.

A burgundy carpet covering the floor.

Golden candlesticks decorating the walls here and there.

Refined sculptures and paintings arranged throughout.

A new scene was surfacing, one reminiscent of an old, stately mansion.

Yet the overwhelming Demonic Energy pouring from within warped that stately impression into something gloomy and wicked.

Even someone as ignorant of such things as she was could recognize it as “a world that should not exist.”

Read only on MUGEX

[Do you really think I’ll let you ruin it?]

Had the unimaginable sight unsettled her?

Perhaps for an instant.

She erased that confusion with a single blink and moved.

A person ruled by emotion had no right to call themselves a warrior.

Naturally.

Still, when she spotted the ritual altar within that otherworldly scenery, she leapt onto an overhead beam.

As if confirming that the inside truly was its weak point, Pandemonium finally moved personally to pursue her.

Creeeak!

The main beam, still holding for now despite the fire eating through it, gave an ominous groan.

Even so, she sprinted along it.

The demon stuck close behind.

No—it was slightly faster.

Leaving scorch marks in its wake, it lunged ahead of her and spread its three pairs of hands.

Swoosh!

The red liquid on the floor surged upward and blocked her vision.

Its attitude made the message clear: she would not be allowed to cross that boundary.

[Playtime is over.]

Did it not know that only made her want to cross even more?

She smiled faintly, trying to maintain her composure.

SPLASH!

But the demon’s attacks did become considerably fiercer once it stopped looking down on her.

Seeing several tentacles shoot upward—long strands drawn out of the red liquid—she immediately took evasive action.

Pandemonium’s assault did not end there.

The tentacles targeted her while simultaneously slicing through the beams, while several others had aimed for the pillars from the very beginning.

[Die.]

Pandemonium itself joined the fight.

Sharp claws tore through her shoulder and chest and pierced her side.

Even then, she twisted her body and counterattacked.

That decision saved her bones from breaking and her heart from being crushed, but her muscles were cooked and her skin left in tatters.

She would no longer be able to use that arm.

Ssssss.

The hand she had attacked with was not in much better condition.

She had successfully knocked Pandemonium away by striking its abdomen, but the price was a burn seared across her palm.

Creeeak.

Even now, the beam was tilting as supporting pillars were severed and collapsed.

Once again realizing the gulf between herself and her opponent, she abandoned the secondary objective of stopping the ritual.

Now that the opponent had ceased being careless, continuing to pursue that objective would have been arrogance.

Ssshhk!

One tentacle grazed her retreating leg, and that single touch burned through both cloth and flesh.

Thud! Thud!

Pandemonium’s actual body was just as awful.

The fact that its outer shell was made of yellow molten metal was absolute bullshit.

Whether she attacked or defended, only she suffered.

She kicked a falling pillar toward Pandemonium, then leapt onto the next beam.

Rrrrrumble.

And in the middle of all this, a red giant began rising from the building’s floor.

The dense giant of fire and rock lifted the beams as its head reached the roof.

Even the highest beam, where she had just landed, was being consumed by the giant, its center turning to ash and collapsing.

Tap!

So she smashed through the ceiling and escaped outside.

Crackle, crackle.

The burning ceiling tormented her as she passed through it.

As an added bonus, Pandemonium’s final attack pierced one of her calves.

If only I had a weapon!

The lament escaped her before she knew it.

Neeeigh!

Then the cry of a horse sounded from afar, followed by the approaching presence of someone.

Immense Mana and controlled breathing.

Someone she knew.

“Demon Knight!”

Her face twisted violently.

Being beaten one-sidedly the moment her opponent became serious was humiliating, even if she was relieved that she had accomplished her objective.

Still, it was frustrating.

Being rendered this helpless was unbearably frustrating.

So… please, I want to stop being stubborn.

Don’t you?

“There’s a ritual altar inside! It looks like it’s summoning something, so you have to stop it!”

Grinding down her anger at her own helplessness, she leapt from the roof to do the best she still could.

Pandemonium no longer seemed interested in attacking her, as nothing obstructed her.

Her airborne body reached a hand toward the approaching presence.

“Understood.”

Their hands locked tightly.

Both exerted their strength, pulling the other closer while simultaneously pushing off.

Their positions reversed.

“Go to the wall with the horse.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help.”

Her body was thrown toward ground not yet covered in lava, while the Demon Knight’s was hurled into the building.

Pitch-black Mana began raging like a storm.

Slash!

A black sword strike cut through the enormous giant.

BOOM!

A technique that released black Mana in a spiraling torrent.

When I developed it, I thought it would be useless, but surprisingly, it came in handy pretty often.

After grinding through the lava and flinging it in every direction to create somewhere to stand, I gave it that evaluation.

[You finally came.]

But what good was making somewhere to stand when I hadn’t managed to cut the thing I actually wanted to cut?

Instinctively, I realized that the lava giant had completely stopped my sword strike.

It wasn’t that I’d cut it and it had immediately restored itself by exploiting the fact that it was liquid.

I simply hadn’t cut through it.

That was all.

My right arm, which had been itching like crazy for a while now, had even started throbbing.

The ash-thickened air stabbed into my lungs.

[Wrath.]

BOOM!

The giant’s hand slammed down on the spot where I had been standing.

I hurriedly pulled back.

Having lava everywhere made things a little troublesome, but the fact that the building was collapsing actually worked in my favor.

I stepped over the accumulating debris as I retreated.

The fragments leaking flames were pretty hot, but I didn’t feel as though my feet were burning.

Berserk… no, was it Weapon Master?

It had been a seriously long time since I had seen her, and her presence only kept getting farther away, probably because she was evacuating with Frederick.

I’d been worried she might try to stay and fight with me, but apparently even she realized she couldn’t fight properly in that condition.

Good.

[I prepared this stage just for you. Do you like it?]

Then there was only one thing left to think about.

How could I smash the ritual altar she said was beyond there?

Put more Mana into a slash?

But there was no way the faceless bastard would just stand around and let me.

The giant seemed kind of sluggish, so maybe it’d be better to circle around and cut it?

Or should I just force my way through with Mana Spiral?

[Ha. Well, I suppose it doesn’t matter. You aren’t the real Wrath anyway.]

I turned my attention away from the lava giant and studied the demon veiled in lava.

The triangular ears I had mistaken for horns spread outward like wings.

[Look forward to it! I made a jewel capable of preserving your soul forever!]

The moment the lava giant moved, a meteor shower began raining from empty air.

Well, “meteor shower” was simply the first thing that came to mind.

If I wanted to be precise, they looked closer to volcanic bombs.

They were flying around with lava inside them, after all.

‘Bastard can’t do shit without money…….’

I tried cutting two of them.

After confirming that even the chunks left behind after the cut still smashed into the ground with dangerous force, I committed fully to dodging them instead.

The moving lava giant was another problem.

Maybe because it needed to maintain its form, it was made of extremely viscous lava and moved sluggishly… but getting hit by something like that even once would finish me.

The fact that its outer surface was lava and therefore couldn’t even be stepped on made it even more obnoxious.

BOOM! KABOOM! BOOM!!

In the end, I jumped backward to avoid the meteors, sidestepped the lava giant’s fist, then retreated yet again from the lava flooding toward me.

If I backed off too far, judging the distance would become difficult, so I tried circling around even if I had to step on the buildings.

Every time I did, though, a volcanic bomb slammed down exactly where I was trying to go.

And as if simply landing there wasn’t enough, the damned things exploded one second later and started bubbling lava everywhere.

Spamming persistent AoEs that never disappeared.

Now that was cruelty worthy of a demon.

Slash!

[Sorry, but I can see your attacks far too clearly.]

Even the occasional slashes I threw out accomplished nothing.

Watching the demon stand amid the lava where it was difficult for me to attack at all, I forced down the rage boiling in my gut.

Controlling my Mana was unusually difficult today too, so it required twice the concentration.

[Had I known it would be like this, perhaps I should have prepared a little less?]

Ah, come on.

At this point, at least give me some fucking footholds.

Even that goddamn Mobiho gave me random platforms!

And during the aerial fight, Inquisitor made platforms for me!

But what the hell is this?!

You skip the platforms just because there are buildings?!

The giant is smashing every building apart and drowning them in lava anyway!

I sucked in the scorching air and ground my teeth.

If I’d known it would be like this, I should have accepted support from the Magic Tower.

Seriously, this life is f—… really rubbing salt in the wound way too hard.

[What’s wrong?]

Thinking that I really had been swearing more lately, I censored myself and let out a long breath.

[You look almost as though you aren’t confident enough to touch me.]

God, I want a fucking cigarette!

‘…Kill that goddamned bastard!’

Mana began surging across the surface of my body.