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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 64
Chapter Title: Demonization (2)
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Demonization (2)
"Hah..."
Huraken was dumbfounded, watching the dullahan turn to dust from the dagger Yuren had thrown.
He had heard the story from Irea, but he never imagined the dullahan would literally melt away.
'A dagger...'
If someone handed Huraken that dagger and told him to take down a dullahan, he could do it without much difficulty. But if he were told to melt it without a trace in under five seconds, he honestly wasn't confident he could.
"His ability is astonishing, but that movement technique..."
As amazing as melting the undead was, what truly captured Huraken's attention was Yuren's footwork. His swift yet fluid movements dominated the battlefield.
"It's good now, but if he just adjusted his center of gravity, it would be much better..."
"Ah..."
Lost in thought about Yuren's footwork, Huraken glanced at his granddaughter, who let out a heartfelt sigh of admiration beside him.
"Lord Yuren."
Irea had even forgotten about pummeling the undead she so enjoyed, her hands clasped as she stared only at Yuren.
"Hah, am I really about to gain a grandson-in-law..."
**
This is a gold mine.
Perhaps because a significant amount of time had passed since the demonization began, this place was teeming with ghouls.
[The Poison Absorption Force is absorbing poison (corpse poison) from the target.]
[The Poison Absorption Force assists in the operation of the Myriad Poisons Magnetic Divine Qi.]
[The proficiency of the Poison Absorption Force has increased.]
[The achievement level of the Myriad Poisons Magnetic Divine Qi has increased.]
[The achievement level of the Reverse Blood Cry has increased.]
Including the ghoul I just absorbed, I've now taken the poison from nine of them.
To others, this might be a land of terror, but to me, it was a holy land of sweet rewards.
"Is it over already?"
After dealing with the last ghoul, I looked around. There were no more ghouls or zombies, only the bewildered gazes of the holy knights and priests.
"Who is that guy! What in the world is that ability?"
"The Saintess brought him, so he must be someone extraordinary."
"I heard he's a noble from the Krasis Kingdom. Maybe the secret is in his dagger?"
They were staring with curious eyes at the dagger on my hip. It seemed they thought the secret to my ability lay in the dagger.
"The monsters have been dealt with. Begin the purification process."
"Understood! Team Two, knights and priests, forward!"
At Huraken's command, the members of Purification Team Two came forward with holy stones.
"Hey, you."
"Yes?"
Huraken called to me from behind. Seeing his slightly flushed expression, it seemed he, too, was a bit surprised.
"Where did you learn that peculiar movement technique of yours?"
I expected him to ask about the dagger or my ability, but it seemed Huraken was more interested in my footwork.
"I studied it from a book."
"Hah, on your own?"
"Yes."
There was no easy way to explain it, so I just said I learned it myself.
"Hmm, I have something to tell you. Let's talk later."
"Understood."
With those words, Huraken walked over to where the purification was taking place.
"Lord Yuren!"
Irea, who had been staring at me like a puppy throughout the battle, instantly appeared before me.
"I knew you could do it."
"Pardon?"
"Even when everyone else said it was a lie, I believed in your ability, Lord Yuren. You're truly amazing!"
She must have been very excited, as she was speaking louder than I had ever heard her before.
"You were so cool, I even forgot to smash those wretched things myself."
"I-I see."
"Next time, I'll show you what I can do. I want to fight alongside you, Lord Yuren."
"Ah, yes..."
Irea pumped her small fists back and forth, smiling with childlike innocence.
Those small, childlike fists will later...
"Purification complete!"
"We advance immediately."
"Advance immediately!"
"Lord Yuren, let's go."
As I stepped onto the purified ground with Irea and moved forward, it wasn't long before the dark, cracked earth appeared again. From the corrupted land, zombies, ghouls, and even skeletons were revealing themselves.
"Prepare for battle!"
"Prepare for battle!"
"Uraaaaaaah!"
Just as Huraken and the knights shouted their preparations for battle, a war cry so thunderous it seemed it could shatter vocal cords rang out.
The holy knight in front?
No.
The priest behind?
Of course not.
Huraken, who was nodding his head?
Definitely not.
"Uwaaaaaaah!"
It was the war cry of Irea, who was standing to my right.
As if she were gathering energy in a comic book, the earth trembled at her cry.
"Finally, we get to see the Saintess's Holy Fist."
"I volunteered for this mission just to see this."
"Same here."
The holy knights and priests, as if accustomed to it, listened to Irea's war cry with rapt expressions, like they were appreciating classical music.
"Hah!"
*Vwooom!*
After Irea let out her full battle cry and took a stance, holy power began to burn like an aura all over her body.
*Bwoooosh!*
In particular, a massive amount of holy power was gathered around her hands and feet, forming spheres like boxing gloves.
"Lord Yuren!"
Before charging forward, Irea turned to me and beamed. It seemed to be her way of asking me to watch her.
"You rotten things!"
The moment she turned her head away from me, she spat out harsh words and charged at the undead.
It was true. She literally charged.
"Hraaaah!"
*Boom!*
*Crash!*
She shoulder-charged, sending eight skeleton warriors flying like bowling pins and shattering them to pieces.
"You rotten bastard!"
*Pow!*
A ghoul struck by her spinning roundhouse kick had its entire upper body blown away.
"That's our Saintess!"
"Only the Saintess can unleash such fighting spirit!"
"The strongest Saintess!"
This was the terrifying result of overflowing holy power combined with the ancient hand-to-hand combat style known as Hoian Martial Arts.
"As expected..."
The title of "Undead Slayer" should have gone to her, not me.
"Wariyah!"
*CRASH!*
A skeleton warrior struck by Irea's elbow exploded like a balloon, along with its shield.
"Wooooah!"
"Saintess!"
If the first round was my solo stage, the second was Irea's. The holy knights and priests were just cleaning up while watching Irea's performance.
"Incredible..."
I may have created her character, but seeing her in action up close, I couldn't help but be amazed and applaud.
"Huhu..."
Huraken listened to Irea's battle cries, nodding repeatedly as if to say she was doing an excellent job.
"What do you think of my granddaughter?"
"Sh-She's amazing."
"Right?"
Huraken's laugh was filled with an irrepressible pride in Irea.
"I didn't even need to come. You and Irea could have finished this in no time."
"Not at all, Your Grace. It is because you are here to anchor us that the Saintess and I can perform so well."
"Haha, you certainly have a way with words. I'll have to pay a visit to the Lox Marquisate one of these days."
"You are welcome anytime."
"You have my word."
Huraken seemed to have taken quite a liking to me. His laugh held the warmth of someone looking at a favored junior.
"Hoo!"
While I was briefly talking with Huraken, Irea annihilated all the undead and approached us.
"Lord Yuren. How was I?"
"...You were incredible."
I meant it.
There was nothing else to say.
"R-Really?"
Hearing my reply, Irea tilted her head, her cheeks blushing pink.
I had no idea where the woman who had just ripped off a ghoul's arm and bashed its head in had gone.
Thanks to Irea, the battle ended quickly. After a swift purification, we headed forward again.
"Prepare for battle!"
"Prepare for battle!"
Skeletons appeared again, but this time, behind the skeletons and skeleton warriors, skeleton mages and skeleton archers also emerged.
"Watch out for ranged attacks! Holy knights and priests..."
*Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!*
"Ah..."
Before Huraken could finish giving his orders to the priests, my daggers were already embedded in the archers and mages.
*Ssshhh.*
The skeletons struck by the daggers vanished like dust.
"Attack!"
Huraken nodded at me in approval and gave the order to attack.
"Attack!"
Without their ranged support, the skeletons were easily dealt with.
"I've decided."
Huraken, who had been watching the land being purified, grinned and looked at me.
"Yes?"
"Pinnal."
"Yes, Commander!"
Huraken called his second-in-command while still looking at me.
"From now on, the fighting will be handled by me, Irea, and Yuren here."
Huraken placed a hand on my shoulder as he spoke to his subordinate.
"Sir?"
"The three of us will push forward, taking care of the undead and monsters. The rest of you will focus all your efforts on support and purification. This young man is so capable, we might even finish this today if we're lucky."
"Ah, understood."
Huraken's subordinate, called Pinnal, glanced at me, then back at Huraken, and bowed his head.
Pinnal had absolute faith in Huraken.
"Well then, let's go. From now on, the three of us will handle it."
With that, Huraken started walking ahead. Irea and I glanced at each other for a moment before following him.
It was decided that I, Irea, ten holy knights, and five priests would forge ahead, while the rest remained behind to purify the land.
"I'm sorry. It seems I've caused you more trouble."
"Not at all. I haven't really done much."
In truth, all I did was throw daggers; Irea was the one doing the physical fighting, so it didn't really matter to me.
"What do you mean, you haven't done much? I saw you saving the priests and holy knights who were in danger."
"That was..."
"Enemies ahead! Th-three dullahans!"
"Three of them, so let's each take one! Whoever finishes first helps the others! Huhu."
Huraken glanced at me and Irea, then charged toward a dullahan. It seemed he intended to finish first to get his granddaughter's attention.
"Kuaaaah!"
"Kua!"
Spotting us, the dullahans threw their own heads into the air. The thrown heads floated in the air, casting a red light down upon the dullahans.
"That's the dullahans' ability, Body Enhancement. A dullahan bathed in that red light has its defense and stamina massively increased..."
*Thwack!*
As Huraken stopped mid-charge to explain the dullahan's skill, my dagger was already embedded in the head of the rightmost one.
Leaving its head floating in the air like that was practically an invitation to hit it with a dagger.
I couldn't care less if its defense or stamina increased.
Before my poison, the undead would simply melt away.
"Kuer..."
Its head melted, the dullahan's body collapsed to the ground like mud with a wet slap.
"Your Grace. Didn't you say that whoever finishes first should help the others?"
"I-I did..."
*Thwack!*
*Thwack!*
I embedded daggers into the two remaining dullahan heads, still floating like clouds.
*Splat.*
*Schlick.*
The dullahans, which had been boasting their defensive power, melted away like water along with their heads.
"Ah, Lord Yuren."
"Hah..."
Irea was looking at me with a dreamy, dazed expression, and even Huraken, for once, looked completely flabbergasted.
"What was that?"
"Is this a dream...?"
The holy knights and priests were even more bewildered.
I chuckled at their reactions and made a quick calculation.
Three dullahans... the forest must be coming up soon.
In the original novel, two dullahans appear inside the forest with the Demonic Tree. Seeing three of them out here, it seemed we were about to reach the forest.
"Ahead of us is a beautiful forest called Kasiden. We believe the demonization began in that forest. We must be on high alert from now on."
"I see."
"Don't worry, Commander. Whatever lies ahead, Lord Yuren will take care of it."
"Ahem."
Huraken had wanted to show off for his granddaughter, but unfortunately, I had stolen all the good scenes, so he let out an awkward cough.
"This is the entrance to the forest."
I looked back. Seeing the flashing lights from behind, it looked like the knights and priests were following along well with the purification.
"Visibility is low, so we'll advance slowly from here. Everyone, be careful!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Understood!"
*Shaaaaa...*
A damp groaning sound, as if rising from the underworld, and a chill so cold that even my Heavenly Martial Body could feel it, enveloped the forest.
"This is no ordinary foe. Everyone, get behind me."
Huraken called the knights who had been scouting ahead to fall back behind him. He must have judged that they wouldn't be able to handle it.
*Gigigigik.*
*Pududuk.*
From the forest—no, from the entire forest—came the sound of bones assembling and rising.
*Gugugu.*
It was the sound of undead, specifically skeletons, rising.
Then, it's one of two things.
What lies ahead is either a necromancer or a death knight.
"It seems there's a death knight."
Huraken spoke without taking his eyes off what was in front of him.
"I've fought one a couple of times before. They summon soldiers from the demonic land. I just came to see my granddaughter's face, but I didn't expect a death knight to show up. I'll have to get ready, too."
*Vwooom!*
From Huraken, who had not revealed any of his true power until now, a domineering pressure began to erupt like a volcano.
*Goooooh.*
The heavy pressure radiating from Huraken was as immense as looking at a majestic mountain range.
Even the sinister demonic energy lingering around us was intimidated by his powerful presence and dared not approach.
"Hm."
Huraken turned back and gave me a surprised look, seeing my calm expression. He must have thought I'd be intimidated by his pressure.
Certainly, Huraken's presence was incredible, as expected of a Master.
But among the foes I'll have to face in the future, there are many monsters who could eat Huraken for breakfast.
If I was the type to be scared by the mere pressure of a Master, I would have given up and run away long ago.
"Haha, sorry to keep you waiting. Let's move out again."
Huraken looked at my still-calm face, muttered, 'Yes, he should be at least this capable,' and took the lead.
"Halt!"
Following Huraken deeper into the forest, we found our path blocked by a purple fog.
"Everyone, wait here. I'll go in first and come back."
Huraken entered the purple fog and came back out.
"It's a mix of corpse poison and demonic air. It's not that strong, so protect your bodies with holy power before entering. But you..."
Huraken seemed worried about me, as he couldn't sense any aura or holy power from me.
"I have my own abilities. I'll be fine."
"My apologies. That was rude of me."
"Not at all."
Huraken lightly patted my shoulder and walked into the fog without hesitation.
"Lord Yuren, shall I cast a blessing on you?"
"No, it's alright."
I declined Irea's kind offer and followed Huraken into the smoke.
[You have been poisoned by (Lake Smog).]
[The trait Hundred-Poison Immunity removes the pain and symptoms of (Lake Smog).]
[The Myriad Poisons Magnetic Divine Qi is absorbing the poison (Lake Smog).]
[The achievement level of the Myriad Poisons Magnetic Divine Qi has increased.]
[Violet Phantom Smoke has been unlocked.]
See? This place is a holy land of sweet rewards.