I Became a Veteran Who Has to Stir Up Trouble to Survive - Chapter 55

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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[055] The Descent of the Archdevil #7
The Gate shattered and collapsed into ruin.
As their sole hope and escape route crumbled, the Adventurers fell into despair.
“Ahhh… it’s all over….”
“The Portal is destroyed…!”
As people succumbed to grief and sank to their knees, a chilling demonic laughter echoed from beyond the Dimensional Rift.
Among the anguished cries of humanity, the screams of Traitors cut through the chaos.
“Th-the Gate is destroyed! Now honor our contract and get us out of here…!”
Ding—!
「The Traitors demand fulfillment of their promise!」
「Andras acknowledges and manifests his power!」
「An anomaly occurs on the Surface!」
The Traitors gazed upward at the crimson-torn Rift, trembling with excitement.
But what Andras bestowed was no blessing.
Grotesque tentacles erupted from the bodies of the cheering apostates, while their muscles began to swell abnormally.
“Wh-what is this?! This wasn’t part of the deal!!”
“Krraaagh! My arms! My legs!!”
An Adventurer whose body had partially transformed to gold collapsed, screaming.
The twisted Andras’s repayment.
The horrific fate of the Traitors.
「Do not be mistaken! A demon’s favor is never merciful to humans.」
「They will ascend to the Surface. As vanguards to assault the Human Fortress!」
I sat atop the ruins of the collapsed Gate, watching the spectacle with indifference.
Why did I destroy the Portal?
‘Because if things continued as they were, we’d all die without ever escaping.’
The battle situation appeared tense on the surface.
Though it seemed we were barely holding on, in truth, we were merely dancing in the palm of Andras’s hand.
With only a single mid-tier demon and not even a glimpse of a high-tier one, how could this be all there was?
The forces of one of the infamous Solomon’s 72 Demons could not possibly be limited to this.
He was deliberately orchestrating a precarious situation, waiting for the moment humans clung to hope before plunging them into the abyss of despair—a mockery.
From countless confrontations with demons in my past, I knew their patterns well.
And….
「Andras is greatly flustered!」
「Though it suffered some damage, the Portal magic has not been severed.」
「Where has the true Gate been relocated?」
「Andras urgently summons additional Traitors! But none respond, for your ally Radi has assassinated them all!」
「Andras hastily dispatches mid-tier demons! Kalambas of Greed, Shakras of Suffering, and the Succubus Sisters descend upon the Surface.」
「Current Portal magic progression: 89%」
I grinned wickedly, gazing up at the demons.
A fierce battle of wits.
How to root out the traitors all at once.
And slaughter the demons.
Ding—!
“Your actions have brought great despair and chaos upon the Surface!”
“The overwhelming torrent of emotion has begun to distort the causality around you!”
“You are in an Undead state! All stats are explosively increased, allowing you to temporarily wield powerful necromantic magic!!”
Beneath the stolen Knight’s armor, I clenched my skeletal fingers and trembled.
Power surged through me.
An overwhelming, uncontrollable force coursed through my entire being.
Hundreds—or more—of chaotic emotions rushing through Antagon’s Rune.
Fear, frustration, anxiety, emptiness.
Rage, hunger, sorrow, despair….
—That bastard’s body is coming back to life!
One of the demons who sensed the anomaly rushed at me.
But now….
Now I could….
Recreate fragments of my peak Ranker days.
—Bone spear.
Thwack—!!!
As I hurled the skeletal lance, a gaping hole tore through the mid-tier demon’s chest.
“You have defeated the mid-tier demon, Kalambas, in a single strike!!”
“An astounding Achievement!!! The title ‘One Who Slew a Mid-Tier Demon in a Single Blow’ has been added to your titles!!”
“Strength permanently increases by 10!”
“Your level has increased!”
“Your level has increased!”
“The Adventurers who witnessed your prowess are astounded, and Strength and Intelligence temporarily increase by 20!!”
“That… that formidable mid-tier demon fell in a single blow…!!”
“That Knight is the one who destroyed the Gate! What is he plotting?!”
The demons were equally bewildered.
—What is this bastard?
—Ah, was he not a subordinate planted by Lord Andras?
—No, they say he’s an unknown human…?
Ding—!
“All stats rise dramatically due to the chaos permeating the Battlefield!!”
“The humans who hated and resented you for destroying the Gate now witness you felling a mid-tier demon, and a glimmer of hope stirs within them.”
“Humans are truly cunning creatures, are they not?”
“You are partially fulfilling the conditions of ■■!!”
“Due to the emotions absorbed to overcapacity and ■■, one of the true hidden powers of [Antagon’s Rune] is released!”
“The abilities of countless monsters dwelling within your soul briefly surface! You can now use their unique techniques without changing your form!”
—Chaos, utter chaos.
Rising from the rubble, I hefted the spinal sword I’d extracted from the corpse and advanced slowly toward the battlefield.
With each step forward, the aura of death seeped through the gaps in my armor, wavering like smoke.
─Stop that creature! Don’t let it approach!!
A bolt of lightning unleashed by a demon surged toward me in an instant.
Yet I did not halt my stride, pressing forward with deliberate steps.
「Your intellect is currently too high, automatically deciphering magical structures! The spell’s power is halved!」
「The soul of the Selurian Golem inherent in your spirit absorbs the magic, infusing your blade with mana!」
「Time remaining for spell maintenance: 3… 2…」
─One.
A single flash.
As I swung the bone sword crackling with lightning, a golden arc of blade energy swept across the field, obliterating every creature and demon in its path.
「28 beasts and 17 demons severed! A new record!!」
「Due to [Chaos], your agility increases by 11!」
─What, what is this!!
A surviving demon stared in horror at the companions who had vanished in an instant.
With my agility at its peak, I closed the distance in a heartbeat, seized its heart, and crushed it.
Each swing of the bone-saw blade sent demons tumbling like autumn leaves.
Blood the color of rust sprayed in all directions, severed flesh scattering like rain.
I did not pause, ravaging the entire battlefield.
I severed the wings of a charging Gargoyle, sending it plummeting, and in one motion beheaded a thrashing Ogre.
Merciless slaughter.
A one-sided trampling, as though the positions of human and demon had been reversed!
「The enemy deployed Wind Cutter! The Selurian Golem’s soul devours the magic! Your intellect stat is enhanced!」
「Mid-tier demon Shakras casts Curse of Agony! You are in an undead state! You feel no pain!」
「The ability of the Lesser Rat you defeated manifests! You navigate the chaotic battlefield with ease!」
「The abilities of Green Moss Caterpillar and Sleepy Humming Bird activate! You cast hypnosis on nearby enemies and emit toxic spores!」
「Bat wings of an Imp sprout from your back! You can temporarily take flight!」
I soared through the air on bat wings that burst through my armor, surveying the battlefield below.
The bone sword had worn down during the ascent, but it posed no problem.
I could simply extract another from a corpse.
─Kyiiiiiek!
A terrified Imp attempted to flee in panic, but….
─Shadow Leap.
「You have used the Night Stalker’s unique technique, [Shadow Leap]!」
I closed the distance instantly and severed its life with the bone blade.
─Kyahahaha! You’ve fallen right into the trap!
As I landed amid demons and beasts, the Succubus Sisters who had been lying in ambush unleashed their charm spells in unison.
Yet I stood motionless, making no attempt to evade.
For I had sensed another presence approaching from the darkness.
“Shadow Leap.”
“Darkness Leap.”
“Darkness Leap.”
「Your ally Radi has defeated the first Succubus Sister!」
「Your ally Radi has defeated the second Succubus Sister!」
「Your ally Radi has defeated the third Succubus Sister!」
「Your ally Radi has poisoned three Traitors!」
「Your ally Radi is suffering!」
「Radi’s body and mind are collapsing from the dark venom, falling into a comatose state! A high-tier holy water restores his body and awakens him!」
A small shadow emerges from behind with an eerie gleam in its eyes, slashing the demon’s throat with a poison dagger before vanishing.
A venom so potent that even brushing against it causes nearby monsters to collapse.
How much agony must that creature be enduring, absorbing all that toxin with its entire body?
Malton, wearing my robe and drawing aggro, was also performing brilliantly across the front lines.
“Everyone, charge!!”
Malton wielded a flag—retrieved from who knows where—like a spear, crushing the skulls of monsters and Traitors alike.
「Your ally Malton is leading a group of warriors and drawing attention!」
「The Adventurers, completely deceived by his performance, will never suspect that you’ve been slaughtering demons here even after they return to the Surface!」
‘Perfect.’
This way, I could continue wielding necromancy without fear of future complications.
─Bone Explosion.
As the corpses around me began to swell, I detonated them before Andras could even lift a hand.
Boom!
Bones erupted from the bodies like shrapnel grenades, laying waste to everything around them.
And from that gruesome devastation, the dead began to rise once more.
─Go. Slaughter every last one of those sulfur-reeking things.
The Undead Tree’s blossoms.
A necromancer’s power that shines brightest on sprawling battlefields.
─Kekekekeke!
─Click…! Clack, click…!
As the undead awakened in the trenches crawled upward and began swarming the demons, the atmosphere suddenly vibrated violently.
「The Duke of Discord is absolutely furious with you!!!」
「He is attempting to forcibly tear open a Dimensional Rift and descend into the mortal realm!」
「Current Dimensional Rift erosion: 97%… 98%… 99%!!」
「Andras desperately manifests his power! The anxiety, fear, and dread of the people amplify!」
─So he’s finally starting to panic.
But do you know what?
The more you struggle, the stronger I become.
「All stats have increased dramatically!!」
「All stats have increased dramatically!!」
「All stats have increased dramatically!!」
─Andras, I am your worst matchup!
I hurled the bone spears I’d condensed in midair all at once, and the intermediate demons descending upon Layer 2 were torn to shreds in an instant.
A sight so anticlimactic—intermediate demons that could have razed an entire town if even one escaped, now transformed into fountains of blood.
Ding—!
[Insolent… how dare you ruin my plan! So you’re that ■■ mortal!!!]
The Dimensional Rift opened completely with a deafening roar that seemed to tear the heavens asunder.
「Dimensional Rift erosion now at 100%!!!」
「Andras is beginning his descent into the mortal realm!!」
「Reality is warping violently!!!」
A colossal hand shrouded in absolute darkness stretched forth through the gaping chasm in the sky.
With overwhelming force, it seized and wrenched the Dimensional Rift open. Space itself screamed and contorted.
An existence on an entirely different level from any demon I’d faced before.
Even with my current strength, I couldn’t withstand that.
But in that moment.
A brilliant flash of light shot up from somewhere in the Stone Plaza, tearing through the air and intercepting Andras’s hand as it grasped the rift.
─An arrow…?
What kind of crude attack was that?
‘Whoever you are, thank you!’
The instant a cry of agony erupted from the heavens, I sensed it was time to leave.
「Gate magic completion at 100%!!!」
「The Portal to the Surface is ready!!」
─Now! Everyone converge on the center!
As I shouted, Belmont activated the true Gate he’d hidden underground.
A brilliant pillar of light surged up from beneath the collapsed rubble.
“Everyone escape!!”
The surviving Adventurers and Knights cheered and leaped into the pillar of light.
I gathered my undead legions into a final barrier, hoisted the unconscious Radi from beneath the pile of monster corpses, and made for the Gate.
Andras, finally comprehending the situation, unleashed a furious shriek, but it was already too late.
[You wretch!! Stop right there!!]
I glanced back and raised my middle finger.
─See you next time, horned bastard.
We vanished into the light, and only Andras’s enraged wails echoed through the Dungeon.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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