Chapter 149 : Chapter 149
Chapter 149 : Rat Hunting
What did it mean that a rat bastard appeared at a time like this, in a place like this.
To be honest, I didn’t have high expectations that this rat bastard would know something about this incident, but since you never knew, still.
As I stepped on Gale Step and drew up my demonic energy, the surrounding scenery began to change rapidly.
“……Ho.”
As if he hadn’t expected me to keep up with his speed, Edric showed a deliberately surprised expression.
The rat bastard also wasn’t an easy opponent, because despite Edric and me chasing him, the distance didn’t close easily.
“This won’t be easy at this rate. Can you do it?”
“More than enough.”
Honestly, pulling out firearms in Bernhard, where the Empire’s entire military force was gathered, wasn’t very appealing, but right now, letting the rat bastard escape was a far bigger problem.
[Activating ‘Weapon Summon(??)’.]
[A ‘Lv.1’ weapon has been summoned.]
[Summoning weapon, ‘Colt garrison B-09’.]
A Colt garrison had relatively small gunfire, and more importantly, since there happened to be an appropriate method, I called Lion.
‘Lion.’
[I’m ready.]
The price of Spirit Magic was demonic energy.
As it rapidly drained from within my body, the magic was completed.
It was magic I had newly become able to activate through several recent experiments and studies.
Spirit Magic.
Silent Demonic Bullet.
With the pulled trigger, a demonic bullet that swallowed even sound was fired toward the rat bastard.
Screeeeeech──!!!
The demonic bullet that shot out pierced straight through the rat bastard’s leg, and his body rolled violently before crashing down.
‘Hm?’
Even for a demonic bullet imbued with Spirit Magic, the power exceeded what I had expected.
What did this mean?
‘Did the power of the Postponer of Ruin activate?’
In other words, there was a high possibility that the opponent was a being that contained demonic energy.
“Excellent, as expected!”
Edric shouted in delight as he roughly kicked off the ground.
I also increased my speed and rushed straight toward the fallen rat bastard.
“Ghk…….”
The rat bastard who had been lying down pushed himself up and faced us.
It seemed he judged that further escape no longer had much meaning.
“Won’t you surrender quietly? The Empire isn’t stingy when it comes to treating prisoners.”
“Bullshit.”
“With that leg, you won’t even be able to resist properly, will you?”
“My leg? You think something like this is the problem?”
From his right leg, which had been hit by the demonic bullet, a dark aura flickered, filling in the pierced hole and stopping the bleeding.
Demonic energy.
That was exactly it.
‘So he really was a demonic person.’
Considering how difficult Ascension Stone Fragments were to obtain, demonic people shouldn’t be that common, yet lately it felt like I was seeing them quite often.
‘But if he has enough reason to hold a conversation, then maybe the demonic transformation hasn’t fully progressed yet.’
No, perhaps he was someone with a certain degree of resistance to demonic energy.
Edric, having also noticed the change in the rat bastard, muttered in a low voice.
“Lately, those who handle sinister power have been increasing. Just who are you people, and what is your purpose?”
“Want me to tell you?”
“I’d appreciate that.”
“Then…… die!”
In an instant, the rat bastard’s hand flashed, and the dagger he had hidden in his clothes flew toward us.
It wasn’t an ordinary dagger throw.
Imbued with demonic energy, it carried power comparable to a demonic bullet.
“Don’t block it, dodge!”
At my shout, Edric, who had been about to knock the dagger away, moved his body quickly.
When the daggers that passed us embedded themselves into the ground, the earth caved in as if grenades had exploded.
“……That’s tremendous power.”
Edric let out a brief murmur as he looked at the scene, but only for a moment.
Soon after, the rat bastard lunged and swung his dagger at Edric.
Kaang──!
As the demonic-energy-infused dagger collided with Edric’s sword, an energy wave spread outward.
Kwaaaaang!!!
Just a single exchange, yet that level of power…….
Edric was impressive, but the one I had thought was just a mere rat bastard seemed like he would become a far tougher opponent than expected.
“Die, you damn bastard.”
As the rat bastard growled lowly, the demonic energy flickering from his dagger grew even denser.
“……Hup!”
Each time the rapidly moving dagger was swung toward him, Edric blocked it with his sword, and each time, Edric’s body was pushed backward again and again.
‘Edric is losing in a contest of strength?’
Even with physical enhancement from demonic energy, it was an extremely rare sight for Edric to be pushed back in a direct close-range clash.
‘I can’t just stand by and watch.’
I stretched out my hand.
[Activating ‘Weapon Summon(??)’.]
[Personal weapon summoned.]
[Summoning weapon, ‘AKR-74 Assault Rifle (GF-40 Grenade Launcher Combined)’.]
My beloved weapon, which I had spent quite a long time with by now, revealed itself in a blue light.
“Captain!”
At my shout, Edric, who had been exchanging blows, retreated, and as the trigger was pulled, demonic bullets imbued with Spirit Magic were fired.
Spirit Magic.
Silent Demonic Bullet.
Screech!
Screeeeech!!!
The 7.62×39mm rounds tore through the air and poured toward the rat bastard.
No matter how much he clad his entire body in demonic energy like armor, he couldn’t ignore demonic bullets wrapped in Spirit Magic.
Pababak!
The rat bastard, riddled almost like a beehive by the hail of bullets, couldn’t withstand the impact and collapsed, then once again rose while letting demonic energy flare from his entire body.
“Ghh……!”
Perhaps because he hadn’t fully become a demonic person yet, the power of the Postponer of Ruin seemed to activate more weakly than expected.
“……So that’s what that was, a gun! Then you’re that plague mask guy. Never thought I’d meet you like this here.”
Recognizing the gun, the rat bastard laughed lowly as he looked at me.
“This works out nicely. The king has been looking for you. I’ll take you along while I’m at it.”
“King?”
“You’ll find out when you go.”
“You think you have the ability?”
“More than enough!”
Despite being riddled with gunshot wounds, for whatever confidence he had, the rat bastard tightened his grip on the dagger again and raised his demonic energy.
“Suit yourself.”
I immediately pulled the trigger of the GF-40 grenade launcher attached to the AKR-74 Assault Rifle.
Thung!
With a blunt sound, the grenade was fired and landed in front of the rat bastard.
“……Huh?”
Kwaaaang!!!
With a surging explosion, flames erupted and spread across the Mülhen Granary Zone.
An explosion enhanced by the power of the Postponer of Ruin, no less.
No matter how incomplete a demonic person he was, there was no way he could come out unharmed from that level of explosion.
“Hmm. Vell, everything’s fine, but setting fire to the Mülhen Granary Zone is quite a big deal.”
“Since a magic circle was already discovered, we couldn’t leave it alone. With justification like this, I believe you’ll handle the rest, Captain.”
“Kkeung…… I raised a tiger cub.”
Edric shook his head.
“Still, it’s a shame you killed him when there was so much more we could’ve learned.”
“No need to worry.”
Soon, as the flames gradually subsided, dark demonic energy flickered within.
“He’s still alive.”
At that, Edric’s expression stiffened.
Amid the thick smoke rising together, a dark silhouette revealed itself.
“Cough! Cough! What kind of insane bullshit is this? King’s orders or whatever, I knew I wouldn’t die nicely.”
“You’re pretty talkative for someone in that state.”
“You’ll see soon enough.”
The rat bastard muttered lowly.
“Declaration of summary contract.”
As an incantation spilled from his mouth, enormous flames began to surge upward.
“Continuous Blazing Fire.”
Blazing Fire magic.
Given that flames were already rising around here, it was indeed an environment well-suited for using Blazing Fire magic at a low cost.
The problem was that the rat bastard we happened to meet here was a Mage of Blazing Fire.
“Everyone, die.”
The rat bastard’s left eye began to burn away along with the flames.
No matter how favorable the conditions were for using Blazing Fire magic, using magic of that scale absolutely required a price without constraints and oaths.
Continuous Blazing Fire was magic that endlessly spread, devouring everything around it until there was nothing left to burn.
Casting such a mindlessly destructive spell in the Mülhen Granary Zone, where burnable targets were plentiful, meant he no longer cared about what came after.
‘That’ll definitely have a fatal impact on the magic circle…… but there’s no need to play along with the opponent’s intentions.’
Perhaps he was trying to erase evidence, thinking their scheme had already been exposed.
Edric spoke.
“Hm, what will you do now? If we leave it like this, the magic circle will be erased just as you want…… but the flames might engulf Bernhard.”
“Please keep that rat bastard from escaping. I’ll take care of the rest.”
“Understood.”
For the first time in quite a while, I drew the Fang of Blazing Fire from my waist.
An eye for an eye.
A tooth for a tooth.
Magic for magic.
When a forest fire breaks out, intentionally setting fire on the opposite side to remove fuel before the fire spreads is called a backfire.
Yes, what I was about to do was set a backfire.
One that might devour this entire area.
“Declaration of summary contract.”
I could feel it.
The moment I began reciting the incantation, the Demon of Blazing Fire approached my side.
“Leading Spark.”
No matter how I had the Fang of Blazing Fire and Blazing Fire already existed in the area, executing magic of this scale without any price was impossible.
I didn’t have time to prepare constraints and oaths.
That was why, almost for the first time, I had to offer a proper price for this contract.
‘This is why I hate getting involved with demons…… but I have no choice right now.’
Offering body parts or memories as the price would have a huge impact on the immediate battle.
The price had to be something that could balance the contract.
Considering all that, there was only one price I could offer.
“Alright, let’s burn.”
The price I offered was myself becoming the center of this magic.
In other words, this spell would only last as long as I could endure the Blazing Fire.
It was a mad calculation that I could heal the burn injuries later with the Orb of Water and endure the pain with Mental Power.
Whoosh!
Blazing Fire erupted centered on me, engulfing me and spreading outward.
“Ghk……!”
Naturally, being at the center, I could only feel the pain of being burned alive.
Demonic energy and the Orb of Water rose up to protect me from the Blazing Fire consuming me, but they couldn’t stop the burns and pain surging across my entire body.
“Aaaargh!”
Pain intense enough to shake even the mind of the Postponer of Ruin assaulted my entire body as Blazing Fire spread outward from me.
I had to endure.
Clenching my teeth with only that thought, enduring somehow, the flames born from the two Blazing Fire spells collided and surged high into the air.
Kurururururur!!!!
In a scene as if hell had descended upon the living world…….
At last, all flames were extinguished.