I Picked up the Demon King - Chapter 143

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 143

 

The previous Hero, the Emperor. The savior who saved the world from the Demon Lord.

 

These are the words used to describe Ruin Epeldor.

 

Having a record of victory against the Demon Lord once before, his attack was astonishing. It was impossible to fully express it with words like fast and sharp.

 

Johnny’s attacks were also excellent, but Ruin was on a different level.

 

When absorbing souls, I gain some of the memories that soul possessed along with their talents. Unless it’s a special case like Master Sevian, only brief memories remain. But if tens of thousands of them accumulate, the story becomes different.

 

I had absorbed the souls of many, and among them were numerous souls of excellent Knights. I was confident that I could at least crudely act as a Knight right away.

 

However.

 

Ruin’s attack couldn’t be understood no matter which memory I tried to base my interpretation on. I had never even thought such movements were possible.

 

There was no amazing strike that split the sky.

 

It was certain that an even stronger power was condensed in that red-hot sword. With my skills, I couldn’t handle it. It felt like seeing something I could never reach no matter how hard I tried. And it was aimed at me.

 

If I stayed dazed, I would die. Even if I didn’t stay dazed, I would die. Clearly my body seemed to face only the same ending of being split as before. However.

 

“There’s no need to remember this.”

 

So smoothly.

 

My body moved naturally as if it had been choreographed.

 

When I came to my senses, what I could tell was that I had avoided all of those incomprehensible attacks. I couldn’t understand by what principle this was possible. I couldn’t follow it.

 

The Emperor’s sword didn’t stop, and neither did my body.

 

I gave up on interpretation and just entrusted my body to it. I even felt a bit of pleasure. The fact that I could move like this was amazing, and I felt free.

 

Though I couldn’t move even a finger as I wished.

 

To think I could evade the combined attack of the Hero and the previous Hero so effortlessly. Even casting magic intermittently to cause confusion was natural. Now I could tell. All magic the Demon Lord uses is based on Deception.

 

I was overwhelming them.

 

If I set my mind to it, if I counterattacked, it seemed I could easily defeat them.

 

But I didn’t. Unlike when burning the Knights who charged at me, I was focused only on avoiding. It even felt like I was waiting for something.

 

Surely I wasn’t waiting for them to get tired.

 

At the thought that suddenly occurred to me, I shook my head inwardly. The Demon Lord isn’t stupid. Even ordinary Knights can fight tirelessly for hours, so there’s no way a Hero wielding a Holy Sword would get tired.

 

Then suddenly my thoughts reached one possibility.

 

‘…Could it be.’

 

Unlike this body whose movements I couldn’t even gauge, I could vividly feel the flow of this energy based on the Dragon’s Divinity.

 

When I first used the Demon Lord’s soul through Spirit Summoning, I was unconscious. The second time was hazy. This time it’s vivid.

 

I had endlessly strived to unravel the Demon Lord’s illusions. Though I couldn’t completely shatter them, I still gradually found weak points and increased my proficiency. Thanks to that, I thought I had reached a level incomparably different from before.

 

But I was wrong.

 

The Demon Lord’s Mana Manipulation was so delicate and precise that it was embarrassing to compare it to mine. It was bold and fast, yet without the slightest error.

 

Beautiful.

 

I found myself admiring it without realizing. I never thought I had artistic sensibility, but if this isn’t art, then what could be called art?

 

Originally, I wouldn’t have even noticed how beautiful this was. But with the proficiency I had accumulated, I could recognize it.

 

Just experiencing it seemed to make my skills rise steeply. So naturally, I couldn’t help but think.

 

Wasn’t the Demon Lord teaching me magic?

 

Of course, that probably wasn’t it. This was a being whose inner thoughts were unknowable. I must not trust this demon as is. No, I must not trust anyone. That was the only lesson I had learned.

 

* * *

 

Shockwaves burst consecutively in the distant sky. The dark sky flashed again and again.

 

However, not many paid attention to it.

 

The single beam of light that crossed the battle lines instilled fear in the Soldiers. The moment even the Emperor charged at the demon. The battlefield fell into chaos.

 

Some threw off their Armor and fled, others charged forward foaming at the mouth. Some sat down trembling, not knowing what to do. Others waited calmly for orders.

 

They were divided into various types of Soldiers, but because the scale was enormous. The number of Soldiers charging toward the Black Tower and the Dark Mage was by no means small.

 

“Die!”

 

“G-get away…!”

 

The Soldiers charging at the Dark Mage burst into flames. A Fire Pillar shot up. The swirling Fire Pillar crossed the battlefield.

 

The densely packed Soldiers fled to avoid the heat. In the process of pushing and shoving each other, casualties occurred one after another.

 

“Shall we deploy?”

 

“Yes.”

 

At someone’s command, a group of Knights charged forward.

 

White clothing so pristine it brought the Holy Knights to mind. However, the unusual white hair color and youthful face were particularly striking.

 

One of the knights charging through the soldiers picked up speed. His destination was the massive pillar of fire that had devoured hundreds. He looked like a moth rushing toward flames, unaware of his own death.

 

The boy’s hand moved toward his waist.

 

A blade drawn with a leap. Sharp aura dwelled within it. The boy swung his sword with an expressionless face.

 

And the pillar of fire split apart.

 

The magic lost its power and scattered. Immediately after, several new pillars of fire tried to rise, but it was useless. The boy was not alone.

 

“Tsk tsk. Living long enough, I get to see all sorts of strange fellows.”

 

On the battlefield where screams and shouts never ceased, someone’s voice echoed.

 

“That face. That hair color. Reminds me of someone.”

 

From who knows when, an old woman was there watching them and speaking.

 

“Witch, Gal Anua. Am I right?”

 

“Young brat, how dare you call an adult’s name so carelessly. Even your rude attitude is exactly the same.”

 

The old woman, who had been observing the knight order with apparent interest, rolled only her eyes to survey the distant battlefield.

 

The boy who had first split the pillar of fire asked.

 

“You have violated a total of seventeen Empire laws. Do you acknowledge this?”

 

“My, my. Won’t you even tell me the charges? This is why young people these days are no good.”

 

Even at the old woman’s shrugging gesture, the boy’s expression didn’t change one bit.

 

“It doesn’t matter if you don’t acknowledge it. Vice Tower Master of the Black Tower. That alone is sufficient grounds for execution.”

 

The boy left only those words and disappeared.

 

Speed that human eyes couldn’t follow. The old woman, who seemed to lack even the strength to stand without relying on her staff, looked as if she would meet death just like that.

 

However.

 

“…A sword?”

 

The sword the boy had swung was deflected.

 

Considering the aura it contained, this was impossible. The tremendous power that could slice through even a decent city gate in one strike had been blocked so helplessly.

 

Behind the old woman stood a knight clad in black armor.

 

“Little one. You seem to be unaware.”

 

A bizarre sight with a face completely hollow beneath the helmet. An appearance that was certainly not alive. Yet it moved as if it were living.

 

It was definitely undead. Undead that appeared to be artificially created.

 

Undead were treated as close to natural phenomena. While there weren’t no attempts to artificially control them, at most it was bringing along one or two weak skeleton soldiers. Even then, it was common for the caster to be killed by undead who couldn’t be controlled due to their innate hostility toward humans.

 

Blocking an aura-wrapped sword meant wielding the same aura. No one had ever heard of undead that could handle aura.

 

“Remember this. How terrifying an elderly Dark Mage can be.”

 

Such Undead Knights rose around the old woman. It wasn’t just one. Six in total. The Undead Knights that had risen charged toward the pure white knights.

 

Such scenes unfolded everywhere.

 

People had always looked down on Dark Mages.

 

They possessed strong power, but that was all. They committed evil acts and were subjugated, and proper transmission of knowledge didn’t occur. Even strong Dark Mages would disappear after decades passed.

 

But like this. When Dark Mages formed a tower, shared their knowledge, and actively filled their deficiencies. No one knew how strong they could become.

 

The strong life force spread across the continent enabled Dark Mages to conduct even bolder experiments. The abundant mana was converted into rougher magic power. The enhanced spirituality opened new possibilities.

 

Above all, this was a battlefield.

 

Abundant blood and corpses that couldn’t be obtained anywhere else. It was a sufficient place for the seeds Kaela Rowan had planted to bloom.

 

The Black Tower, which was expected to fall helplessly before the massive numbers, fought so well.

 

“Still, it won’t last long.”

 

Cain muttered as such.

 

The limit was certain. At some point, their power would inevitably be exhausted.

 

‘If there are no variables, the Allied Forces will win.’

 

Cain’s gaze swept over two places.

 

One was the two Heroes facing the Demon Lord. The other was…

 

The gradually approaching flash of light. It was definitely the two mages who had departed far away as soon as the battle began.

 

High Mages’ magic inevitably had great impact on the surroundings even unintentionally. The moment they reached here, the war situation would inevitably be greatly overturned once.

 

Dozens, hundreds would die from a single misdirected spell. When that happened, the disadvantaged would be the Allied Forces who held numerical superiority.

 

They had to prevent Kaella and Shtidy from reaching here. Even if it was a bit regrettable, it would be better to help Shtidy and cut off Kaella’s lifeline.

 

But Cain couldn’t move easily.

 

Ominous thoughts continued to linger in his mind, refusing to leave.

 

‘This is everything?’

 

There was something more. This absolutely couldn’t be the end.

 

When dealing with demons, you must never think that what you see is everything. Even constantly pondering what tricks the opponent might be hiding isn’t enough.

 

The doubt remaining in a corner of his heart. He kept trying to recall what it was, but the unidentifiable mental attack that had scrambled his mind earlier made his judgment hazy.

 

“What could it be.”

 

Cain muttered while looking to the side. There was an ornate carriage that was completely out of place on the battlefield.

 

Through the window of the carriage engraved with the Religious Order’s emblem, a beautiful woman could be seen.

 

“What am I missing.”

 

The Saint, the Pope, remained silent. Her body had already become a breathing doll after two Divine Descents. Making proper judgments or even speaking was nearly impossible.

 

Her participation in this battlefield was probably due to the greed of the high-ranking clergy.

 

Cain clicked his tongue and turned his head. Just as he was about to move to block the approaching mages.

 

“It comes.”

 

The Saint’s closed mouth opened.

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