Chapter 32

Chapter 32: Demon Order (3)

Flaaare…….

After bursting forth in a wave of golden light, the Sacred Mark on the back of my hand glowed faintly.

The crimson dagger, stripped of its original power by Holy Power, crumbled into ash and fell to the ground.

Rustle…….

I casually brushed off the remaining ash from my hand.

“…What do you think you are doing? You dare destroy a contract I personally offered with Holy Power?”

“That is what I should be asking.”

I glared back and forth between Valak and Lucia.

“A Demon Cult Leader can control the madness of believers……. Judging by how obediently they follow you, it is not nonsense.”

But there was a major flaw in what she had said.

I narrowed my eyes.

“However, that also means the Demon Cult Leader has to bear that madness in their place, right? I doubt you alone can handle controlling all of them indefinitely, Lucia.”

Lucia and Valak’s eyes widened.

“…What are you? How do you know so much about a Demon Order?”

“You thought I would blindly trust the words of someone I just met? Who knows if you would have made me contract and then left me to rot in madness?”

“Heh, did you already take a class about demons at Saengterminum? I treated you nicely because you looked frozen stiff earlier……. but this makes things troublesome.”

Valak jerked his chin toward Lucia.

Lucia gave a small nod in response before stepping toward me.

As if enjoying the show, Valak stuffed both hands into his suspenders’ pockets and muttered at me.

“You decide. Will you quietly make a contract here, or die at her hands?”

He was openly mocking me.

“Ha…….”

Even so, I lowered my head and let out a quiet chuckle.

“What is so funny?”

“Ah, nothing much.”

I shook my head lightly.

Watching him act like he had already won was quite amusing.

Especially when he had not even realized who I was yet.

Hummm—

The Sacred Mark responded to my will, raising its temperature.

That brilliant, sacred heat—into my heart.

Then, I traced the form of a Mid-Rank Holy Magic formula that I remembered directly onto my body.

Auto-Casting.

Grace of Strength.

My muscles contracted, hardening with a surge of power.

Throb!

I clenched my teeth and forcibly suppressed the intense pain stabbing through my heart.

Even if I had enough Holy Power to activate Auto-Casting, my heart struggled to endure the strain of rapidly draining it.

Considering the burden on my heart, I could only use one Mid-Rank Holy Magic in actual combat through Auto-Casting right now.

Lucia slowly, steadily closed the distance between us.

…I could understand her position.

But just like in my previous life, I had no intention of accepting a “slave contract.”

“I wonder if your thoughts will change once you are pushed to the brink of death…….”

Even though she was from a Branch Family, Lucia was still a descendant of one of the Four Great Houses—House Baskerville.

And the Black Magic specialized by House Baskerville was the Demonic Armament Type.

Crack……!

Veins bulged from Lucia’s neck, spreading across her body.

Before long, her once-smooth skin was covered in streaks of fresh blood.

Her head, arms, legs… though hidden by clothing, her torso must have been armored as well.

Full-Body Demonic Armament.

Even direct descendants of House Baskerville struggled to achieve Full-Body Demonic Armament before reaching adulthood.

Yet she had accomplished it on her own before even turning twenty.

Even as a Branch Family member, her talent surpassed that of the main line.

And that was not all.

Creak……. Crack…….

The reptilian corpses piled on the altar twitched, merging together like clay before taking shape.

Flesh forcibly stitched together into monstrous forms.

In other words—Chimeras.

Lucia was fully exercising the authority of a demon.

They resembled ordinary snakes in form, but even at a glance, there were well over a hundred of them.

The chimeras surged forward, sweeping across the ground like a bursting flood.

Kyaaaak!

The chimeras closest to me opened their mouths and leapt at me all at once.

Holy Light Forging.

Holy Light Dagger—two consecutive constructions.

I grasped the daggers formed from Holy Power in both hands.

Kyaaaak!

Front, back, left, right.

They came from every direction.

An overwhelming wave of sheer numbers.

This place—the stronghold of the Valak Order—was effectively Lucia’s home ground.

With the state my body was in, I could not suppress all these chimeras while subduing Lucia using only Black Magic.

…Well, that would be true if Black Magic were my only option.

Right now, I could only use one Mid-Rank Holy Magic.

But that limitation came from the strain Auto-Casting placed on my heart.

As for the total amount of Holy Power I could use—it was abundant.

Even if Mid-Rank Holy Magic was difficult, Elementary Holy Magic could be used repeatedly without much strain.

Fwoooosh…….

The Holy Power gathered in my heart flowed through my bloodstream, spreading throughout my body.

Golden haze rose from my entire body as the Holy Power infused every part of me.

Elementary Holy Magic—Divine Blessing.

Divine Blessing.

A simple spell that merely wrapped the body in Holy Power, much like manipulating mana.

But even Elementary Holy Magic depended on how it was used.

By pouring an excessive amount of Holy Power into my bloodstream, the pale golden haze gradually deepened in color.

Normally, such reckless consumption would exhaust one’s Holy Power and dispel the spell.

But I bore a Sacred Mark that continuously supplied pure Holy Power.

Running out was not an issue.

And so, without restraint, I pushed the output of Divine Blessing to its limits—

Fwoooosh!

The golden haze protecting my body transformed into blazing flames.

The chimeras lunged toward me, baring their venomous fangs.

Their numbers were terrifying, but in the end, they were nothing more than undead animated by demonic power.

And just as they possessed venom—

Holy Power was venom to them.

Kyaaaak!

Before they could even touch me, the chimeras that came into contact with the Holy Power shrieked as they turned to ash or burst apart like balloons.

With Holy Power this dense, even a swarm of chimeras could not inflict fatal damage on me.

Ignoring the chunks of flesh striking my body, I focused on Lucia’s movements.

Her fingernails had already transformed—grotesque and razor-sharp due to the Demonic Armament.

Creak…….

I saw her bend her legs, preparing to leap toward me.

She is coming.

Tensing the muscles in both arms, I thrust forward with the daggers in my hands.

We were still about twenty meters apart.

But the combination of a beastfolk’s inherently powerful physique and Demonic Armament was beyond troublesome—it was downright unfair—

Clang!

Before I could even finish the thought, sparks flew from my Holy Light Daggers.

My arm muscles swelled violently as my entire body was flung backward.

Grrrk…….

Even though I tried to brake with both feet, I could not maintain my stance.

Still, I was lucky.

If I had not anticipated the movement, I would have been sent flying outright.

Even with Grace of Strength, this was the result?

Whoosh…….

Only afterward did the rushing wind from the front prove that she had closed the distance in an instant.

Crossing twenty meters in just a few steps, Lucia slashed toward the spot where I had been standing moments before.

She intended to close in and overwhelm me without giving me a chance to recover.

But things would not go her way.

Fwoooosh…….

Holy Power surged across the ground.

As I was pushed back, I dragged my feet along the floor, embedding Holy Power into it.

Along with the activation formula.

Holy Light Forging.

Holy Light Spear—ten consecutive constructions.

Golden spearheads erupted from the ground beneath Lucia.

And then—

Simultaneous Giantification.

BOOOOOM!

Ten enlarged Holy Light Spears shot toward her, but she sensed the anomaly a split second earlier and stepped back, crossing her claws defensively.

THUD!

The shattered spearheads crashed onto the altar, reducing the chimeras beneath them to ash.

“…Hah.”

Thanks to that, I was able to create distance and escape the immediate danger.

But to slice through something that large in an instant with just her claws……

No wonder Grace of Strength could not match her.

It was clear.

Engaging Lucia in close combat with Holy Magic was practically suicide.

BOOM!

Confirming my position, Lucia charged straight at me without hesitation.

She had realized it as well.

In close combat, she could definitely overpower me.

Heh.

A faint smirk formed within my mind.

Good.

Keep thinking that.

That way, I can subdue you properly.

Holy Light Forging.

Holy Light Dagger—ten consecutive constructions.

Holding the daggers in both hands, I took a throwing stance.

***

The battle between Lucia and me was nearing its end.

“Ahahaha! Well done, Lucia. That brat must have learned his place by now.”

Valak burst into laughter from behind.

Lucia stood right in front of me.

“I heard about it from the others…….”

Though her face remained calm, her claws clashed against the blades in my hands, locked in a struggle for dominance.

She glanced briefly at the Sacred Mark on the back of my right hand, still emitting golden light.

“You… have an incredible amount of Holy Power. I have never seen chimeras fail to even touch someone…….”

“You too……. How is it that I cannot land a single hit on you?”

I replayed the battle in my mind.

While desperately maintaining distance, I had continuously thrown weapons forged from Holy Power at her.

Because I could not win in close combat.

But even with my body enhanced by Holy Power, it was nearly impossible to match the physical capabilities of a beastfolk reinforced with Demonic Armament through mere throwing attacks.

Still, at least I had eliminated all the chimeras on the altar.

They could not properly attack, either turning to ash upon contact with my Holy Power or being crushed by the enlarged Holy weapons.

Creak… creak!

Lucia’s arms slowly extended forward, while mine were being forced inward.

In raw strength, I was losing.

At this rate, those claws would tear me apart.

“Are you really going to die like this? Would it not be better to form a contract instead of dying here……?”

“…Ha, really?”

A Demon Cult Leader worrying about such things.

“Like hell I would accept a slave contract.”

“…That is unfortunate.”

“Unfortunate…….”

I raised the corners of my lips.

“The one who finds it unfortunate is me.”

“…?”

“I am not someone who specializes in Holy Magic.”

“What are you—”

Fwoooosh…….

Having exhausted all the Holy Power stored in my heart during the battle, I dispelled every Holy Magic at once.

Divine Blessing—released.

Grace of Strength—released.

Holy Light Forging—released.

The balance of power collapsed instantly.

“…What?”

Confusion flashed across Lucia’s face—but only for a moment.

Regaining her stance immediately, she thrust her claws toward my chest.

At that very instant, as I captured the moment in my vision, I gathered pure mana into my heart once more.

Curse activation.

Full-Body Demonic Armament.

Crack—CRACK!

Fresh blood erupted across my entire body.