I Picked up the Demon King - Chapter 26

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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 26

 

Clang!

 

The Holy Knight Commander’s sword was effortlessly blocked.

 

‘Blocked?’

 

What he saw was a thick, translucent wall. It looked like he was staring at a massive chunk of ice.

 

“Magic, then.”

 

There was no other way ice could suddenly emerge from an empty space.

 

Moreover, even though it was a sudden situation, the force behind his sword was by no means weak. It should have been impossible for mere ice to block his attack.

 

‘Considering the speed of the magic’s activation and its solidity, this is on a completely different level from ordinary mages.’

 

The Knight Commander’s eyes narrowed as he quickly stepped back from the ice chunk.

 

Beyond the ice wall, he could see the Dark Mage and an unidentified monster.

 

‘It appeared suddenly from nowhere.’

 

The transparent, massive body reminded him of the ice golems from the Northern Region, but he had never heard of those rigid creatures having such capabilities.

 

“Fire your arrows!”

 

The soldiers waiting above the collapsed ceiling released their bowstrings at the command, arrows they had been aiming.

 

A rain of arrows descended.

 

They seemed ready to pierce through the Dark Mage’s body at any moment, but…

 

Kieeeek…!

Thud…!

 

The monster let out a bone-chilling cry and struck the ground, causing ice pillars to rise from the floor. The arrows bounced off like raindrops.

 

“Complete monster bastard.”

“Your language is crude, Sir Dunkail. But yes, that thing can only be described as a monster.”

“Archbishop.”

 

The Archbishop, who had approached the Knight Commander’s side, looked up at the monster beyond the ice wall and muttered.

 

“What do you think that thing is?”

“An ice golem…”

“Are you serious?”

“…probably not. Before that wall appeared, I caught a glimpse of something. A soul.”

“A soul?”

 

The Knight Commander’s head, which had been fixed on the monster, whipped around. For Dark Mages, souls were inseparable. However.

 

“So you’re saying that thing is a soul? Ridiculous.”

 

As the Knight Commander who had faced countless Dark Mages with the Goddess’s Sword, he knew better than anyone how they used souls.

 

“To them, souls are sacrificial offerings at best. They hold no greater value. You should know this.”

“Yes, I know that, but…”

 

The Knight Commander turned his attention back to the scene before him, ignoring the Archbishop who trailed off with a frown, as if something didn’t sit right with him.

 

It had become clear that the Dark Mage had summoned that thing using a soul, so the conversation wasn’t entirely useless.

 

After blocking two attacks, the monster had stopped moving for some reason.

 

Most likely, the Dark Mage was preparing his next scheme from within.

 

“Listen up.”

 

Not missing the quiet command, dozens of Holy Knights lined up behind the Knight Commander.

 

“I’d like to wait for support from the Magic Tower, but we don’t have time. We break through before he prepares his next move.”

“Yes!”

“Archbishop, I request your support.”

“Leave it to me.”

 

The Archbishop, wearing a confident smile on his wrinkled face, clasped his hands together.

 

“O Goddess, lend your strength to your servant.”

 

Soon, pure white light poured from somewhere. The light seeped into the bodies of the soldiers and knights respectively.

 

Fatigue vanished from the soldiers’ faces. Their bent backs straightened, and strength filled their muscles. Even those who had been groaning from the collapse found their pain disappearing.

 

“This is the Archbishop’s power…”

“No. This is the Goddess’s Grace.”

 

A knight answered someone’s murmur.

 

The change in the Holy Knights was even greater. But they seemed accustomed to it, not surprised by their instantly amplified power, merely adjusting their stances.

 

“Are you ready?”

“Yes!”

 

A fierce smile appeared on the Knight Commander’s face as he brought his forehead to his sword blade like a prayer.

 

* * *

 

It felt as if time had stopped.

 

Before my eyes was the Military Spirit. No, now it should be called an Ice Spirit.

 

-It completely absorbed the Eternal Ice… No, became one with it.

 

The Demon Lord’s somewhat deflated muttering could be heard.

 

Its transparent glass-like body sparkled beautifully in the sunset, and the power I felt was on a completely different level than before.

 

That it wasn’t just a feeling could be seen from how it had blocked the Holy Knight Commander’s attack.

 

-Quite impressive, but how long do you plan to keep that up?

 

As soon as those words ended, a thunderous roar echoed.

 

The Holy Knights surrounding the ice wall were swinging swords wrapped in light. There was no impact at all, but each time the Ice Spirit’s form shook slightly.

 

-Though it seems to have gained some immortality by assimilating with the Eternal Ice, it’s not complete. Nothing has changed about it being incompatible with holy power.

 

The Demon Lord spoke as if evaluating.

 

-In the end, it will be chipped away until only the original small ice fragment remains.

“That’s…”

 

No good.

 

The situation was desperate. Holy Knights and soldiers surrounding us. Without the Ice Spirit, I could never win.

 

Even if the enemies’ attacks couldn’t reach me right now, that couldn’t last forever. No, even if it did last forever, that would be a problem. If I couldn’t move from here, I’d eventually starve to death.

 

-Accept me. Just for a moment. I’ll eliminate those things.

 

Ignoring the Demon Lord’s words, I organized my thoughts. To avoid that outcome, I had to move immediately.

 

“…This thing called Spirit Summoning, how do I do it?”

-It’s nothing special. You don’t need any special magic formula. It’s not magic, just a technique.

 

The Demon Lord smiled with satisfaction as he explained.

 

-Just think about containing it in your body and overlay the soul onto yourself. I’m already inside you, so you just need to say you’ll hand over control…

 

Right after hearing those words, I moved my body.

 

The Demon Lord surely had a way to break through this situation. However, no matter how fallen he was, he was still the king of demons. It was impossible to trust him completely.

 

Relying on him was a last resort.

 

I could roughly understand what the Ice Spirit could do, even if not perfectly. Though its form had changed, being able to give commands through thought remained the same as before.

 

“Huh, what?”

 

One wall that had been blocking attacks burst open, and one Holy Knight’s stance crumbled. Trusting in my enhanced physical abilities, I ran toward him.

 

What I pulled from my chest was the old scythe.

 

It wasn’t an outstanding treasure or special artifact, but it was a weapon more familiar to my hands than anything else.

 

I swung the scythe aiming for the Holy Knight’s neck, but the enemies weren’t just standing there watching either.

 

“The wall is open! Attack!”

 

Someone’s shout.

 

Arrows aimed at me were fired, and a Holy Knight who had been waiting on the side swung his sword.

 

It was a situation where my body would be pierced with holes if I didn’t dodge immediately, but I focused only on striking the knight’s neck.

 

“Guh, gack…!”

 

Thanks to that, I was able to embed the scythe in his neck before the Holy Knight could straighten his stance.

 

Blood spurted out, and his pupils lost their focus. His hands dropped the sword and desperately tried to clutch his neck, while his legs gave out and he collapsed.

 

‘Not yet.’

 

He wasn’t dead. The strength was sufficient, but the blade was too rusted to cut through the neck in one blow.

 

“Die!”

 

The enemies’ attacks rushed in without giving me time to dodge. However, there was something they had forgotten.

 

-Kiiieek!

 

When the Ice Spirit let out a shriek, ice grew again and blocked the enemies’ attacks.

 

The Holy Knights didn’t panic and attacked to break through the wall. Each time, the Ice Spirit made pained sounds and swayed.

 

The power I felt from the Ice Spirit gradually decreased, but thanks to it, I could buy time until the Holy Knight died.

 

-Wait, you bastard…!

 

Without answering, I immediately harvested his soul.

 

I contained that soul in my body.

 

-No…!

 

Memories came flooding in that instant.

 

Childhood. A child abandoned at an orphanage, raised by the hands of nuns. He wished to become a priest, but one day the orphanage and nuns burned away. After joining the Religious Order, the days of training for revenge….

 

Immediately after, an tremendous pain was felt. It wasn’t a simple headache.

 

A feeling as if my soul was being torn apart. This was like the absorbed soul was rejecting me….

 

-It’s the Paladin bastard’s soul rebelling. …Spirit Summoning is simple, but it’s a dangerous technique. If you don’t have sufficient preparation for the target soul, you shouldn’t use it.

 

I had expected this.

 

This was different from chewing and swallowing another’s soul. The act of overlapping another’s soul with mine couldn’t possibly be without danger.

 

If the soul being used was of a higher caliber than mine, damage to the soul or even having my body stolen could occur.

 

That was why. Even while accepting some risk, I had used another’s soul instead of the Demon Lord’s.

 

I steadied my breathing and withdrew the ice wall the Ice Spirit had created.

 

“Now!”

 

Not missing the timing, the enemies rushed forward. Even if I had been strengthened through trials, this was a speed I originally could never have handled. However.

 

“He dodged…?”

 

I avoided the sword that approached first by a hair’s breadth.

 

I substituted the experience and effort I lacked with that of the dead knight. I swung my scythe to block the following attack, and used the Ice Spirit to block attacks I couldn’t dodge in time.

 

“Kuk….”

 

I slashed the body of a knight showing an opening. The knight who suffered a large wound to his side frowned and retreated.

 

Even if I couldn’t take his life, that level of injury should be fatal.

 

Right after thinking that, light flew from somewhere and settled into the knight’s wound.

 

-This is what makes dealing with Religious Order bastards troublesome. If you don’t kill them in one blow, they’ll heal and charge at you over and over.

 

I dodged the following attack. Blocked it.

 

Gradually my breathing became labored, and my limbs grew unsteady.

 

The knight’s soul used for Spirit Summoning was excellent, but it wasn’t at a level to withstand the combined assault of several knights of similar caliber.

 

Moreover, I was merely borrowing that experience, and the soul’s rebellion was severe. Even with the Ice Spirit’s assistance, the situation was bound to be overwhelming.

 

“Use the Sacred Relics!”

 

The knights who stopped attacking each drew Sacred Relics from their robes.

 

-Do you understand now?

 

In the slowly flowing world, the Demon Lord sighed and spoke. There was no feeling of reproach at all, rather his tone seemed filled with worry.

 

The powerful Holy Power emanating from the Sacred Relics constricted my body. With the feeling that my body had become several times heavier, even breathing became difficult.

 

“O Goddess! Grant Divine Judgment upon that one!”

 

A priest’s cry echoed from somewhere. Immediately after, a shower of light poured down and burned my body.

 

-Just for a moment. Without me, you cannot overcome this situation.

 

The Demon Lord’s voice was so gentle, and also sweet.

 

“Ice Spirit!”

 

A cry of pain so agonizing I could hardly believe it came from my throat.

 

I quickly had the Ice Spirit extinguish the flames, but the pain felt from my burned skin didn’t disappear.

 

When the Ice Spirit brought down its fist, the floor shook greatly and the knights’ stances crumbled. In that gap, I drove my scythe into one’s neck, but he stubbornly grabbed the scythe and held on, restricting my movement.

 

The moment I had no choice but to let go of the scythe and retreat.

 

“Uooo!”

 

The Knight Commander’s sword, who had not joined the battle until now, flew toward my neck.

 

Ice that rose by a hair’s breadth blocked that attack, but the Ice Spirit’s power, weakened from handling the previous attacks, couldn’t withstand the Holy Knight Commander’s assault.

 

The ice shattered, and my deflected body crashed into the opposite wall.

 

“Kuh, kuk…. Cough!”

“More pathetic than I thought.”

 

Toward me who had collapsed, the Knight Commander approached through the smoke.

 

-It’s not too late yet. Abandon the soul you currently hold, and accept me.

 

As if I had hit something wrong, a loud ringing sound could be heard. However, the Demon Lord’s voice reached me even more clearly.

 

“Seeing how it ended at this level, he wasn’t the Demon Lord after all?”

“Demon Lord, you say….”

 

Had they realized that the Demon Lord’s soul was inside my body?

 

‘Was the pursuit that continued from Belive Territory ultimately because of that?’

 

I felt something was strange, but the pain felt from both soul and body prevented my thoughts from continuing for long.

 

In one corner of his reddened vision, attacks against the Ice Spirit continued. Though the Ice Spirit resisted, it was impossible to withstand the assault of dozens of Paladins.

 

At this rate, all souls would soon be extinguished.

 

“If you want to see the Demon Lord that badly….”

“What did you say?”

 

Perhaps sensing something amiss, the Knight Commander’s leisurely pace quickened.

 

But it was too late.

 

Massive flames engulfed the soldiers.

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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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