Chapter 99 : Operation to Rescue Hillan Cargill
Chapter 99: Operation to Rescue Hillan Cargill
Hillan Cargill had always been confident in himself.
When he first awakened as a hero, he believed he was special.
There were thousands of heroes—but they were the chosen few, selected from the countless living beings across the continent.
Moreover, Hillan Cargill was one of the very few born with multiple talents.
Affinity for mana.
Understanding of magic.
And comprehension of aura along with physical talent and sharpened senses.
He mastered lightning magic and aura at the same time and became one of the rare magic swordsmen.
Compared to his blessed talent, he had not risen to fame instantly, but he quickly solidified his position as a hero.
After killing the Lust Demon King and becoming one of the few survivors, he, who had been confined to Hilderan, began to spread his name across the entire continent.
From then on, everything was smooth sailing.
He had suffered a failure he preferred not to recall when he met the Demon King of Dark Flame, but in the end, it became a blessing in disguise.
He built numerous achievements and killed the Beast Demon King. He became Argann of the Hero Guild and was the first to rescue a princess just before she was kidnapped.
It was no longer about simply walking—he was at the point of soaring with wings on his back.
The events in the snowy field should have helped him rise that way.
‘Me, I…’
Hillan Cargill let out harsh breaths.
His feet sank deep into the snow. The rough blizzard pouring down obstructed his vision.
He shook his head. But before long, it turned white again.
He lowered his body toward the blurry figure in the distance. Crawling forward slowly, he approached. He sensed the smell of a monster through the blizzard.
‘A yeti.’
One of the most common monsters in the snowy fields. They did not form packs, so there wouldn’t be more.
But the moment he killed the yeti, other monsters smelling the blood would swarm. And most of them would likely be the Frost Demon King’s subordinates searching for him.
‘I need to avoid it.’
He had to avoid fighting.
Fortunately, the yeti had not noticed him. Hillan suppressed every trace of his presence and, crawling in a wide arc, slipped past the yeti.
‘Am I going the right way?’
It had already been a week since the monsters began chasing him.
To escape, he had to go south. But the pursuit, strengthened by demons, demonic beasts, and monsters added together, had been relentless, leaving no room to think about direction.
He still had enough supplies stored in subspace, and he had stamina and mana left, but the tension and cold wore him down each day.
‘How did it end up like this?’
Everything had been perfect until the moment he arrived at the tower.
But then the tower door, which no one had opened, opened on its own—and hell began.
Two high-ranking demons charged at Hillan Cargill.
When he handled them with ease, three came. When he endured them as well, four more rushed him.
By the time he barely escaped their pressure, the battle was already over. The Red Hawk Mercenary Company had been scattered, their fates uncertain, and Gillian Aint had lost an arm. The White Eagle supported the injured man and broke through the encirclement.
Hillan Cargill cursed as he fled with Granada, who had managed to stay by his side.
Perhaps because of the White Eagle’s fierce resistance, the encirclement had loosened significantly.
The two barely escaped, but the massive horde of monsters following them inevitably forced the two to separate.
‘It would have been better if all of them had chased that elf instead.’
The Demon King would be angry, but even so, he valued him more than an elf.
However, the reality was the complete opposite.
So many monsters and demonic creatures chased Hillan instead of Granada that it was baffling enough to make him wonder why.
After that, he hardly remembered how he made it this far.
He simply ran, fought, and ran again.
Without a moment to breathe, they swarmed, painting a red path of monster blood and his own over the pure white snow.
Unfortunately or fortunately, if not for the blizzard fierce enough to block visibility, he would not have gained even this moment of respite.
‘What should I do?’
If he had known it would turn out like this, he shouldn’t have listened to Gillian Aint.
No—he should have listened when the Demon King warned him.
‘The Frost Demon King… he must have known that she commanded this many subordinates and that most of the snowy fields were her domain, right?’
They were both Demon Kings—so of course he knew. That’s why he warned him.
‘Damn it…!’
Perhaps the Demon King knew he would fail. Perhaps inside, he had been laughing at him.
‘I will return alive, no matter what.’
He had too much ambition left to give up everything here. He had not yet become the greatest hero.
At that moment—
Thud, thud—
Snowflakes trembled. Hillan froze mid-movement. He held his breath as he examined his surroundings.
The blizzard limited his vision. But when he waited patiently, he saw a shadow in the distance.
Krrrk—
Ice Drakes and Ice Trolls.
A broad formation of monsters—ones who were natural enemies—spread out and were walking forward.
The impossible sight meant only one thing: they were the Frost Demon King’s subordinates.
Hillan predicted their path. It overlapped with his. Could he slip past without being noticed?
Impossible. If he stood and ran, he’d be seen. If he crawled, he’d be too slow.
Then, should he fight?
He was confident. Even exhausted, a mere few dozen monsters were nothing—he could kill them all and escape.
The problem was the time lost in battle, and the howls and blood that would attract yet another horde.
‘Damn it…!’
Hillan dug into the snow and disappeared beneath it. Fortunately, the snow piled deep in the snowy fields and was still falling.
Quietly but quickly, Hillan descended underground. The traces of his presence vanished under fresh snow in an instant.
How far had he gone when he felt pounding vibrations? Monsters were passing directly above him.
He held his breath even further.
The vibrations faded. When they could no longer be felt at all, he let out a sigh of relief.
“…Did I survive?”
“You think so?”
“…!”
A chilling voice pierced his ear. Hillan’s eyes widened. He summoned mana and unleashed lightning.
But no one was there.
“Come up.”
A presence came from above.
It was unmistakably demonic energy. And strong—overwhelmingly so.
‘A high-ranking demon.’
How had he not sensed it approaching?
There were excuses—he had been focused on the monsters, or suppressing his presence had hindered his detection.
But none of that mattered.
Hillan climbed up to the surface. The demon waited for him.
“I am Armand of the Frost Demon Race.”
The Frost Demon Race looked nearly identical to humans on the outside. Their snow-white skin merely appeared somewhat pale. But the dense demonic energy made it impossible to mistake him for human.
“You must be Hillan Cargill?”
Armand stroked his beard.
‘Can I win?’
He was different from the high-ranking demons he had fought in front of the tower.
His physique was small, yet the pressure he exuded felt larger—far heavier.
He was strong.
Stronger than any demon Hillan had ever met… except the Demon King.
Hillan slowly drew his sword. He activated his mana, prepared to unleash lightning at any moment.
“Are you ready?”
“You seem very relaxed. Many who act like that end up regretting it.”
“Perhaps that may happen.”
Then, in the senses of Hillan Cargill—who no longer hid his presence—countless signatures appeared.
“But not today.”
Armand smiled. With a cracking sound, an ice spear formed in his hand.
“I’m not alone.”
“You have no intention of letting me go?”
“I heard you were polite, but I didn’t expect you to be polite even to me.”
“You haven’t answered.”
“If someone came to kill you, would you simply let them go?”
“I had no intention of killing you.”
“You must know that makes it even more insolent, right? For a mere human to say such a thing.”
“Did you come after me on purpose?”
“The Demon King is truly merciful. Even toward a human who ignorantly trespassed into Her territory, She shows courtesy and grants grace.”
“You mean She intends to spare me?”
“Quite a few humans will make it safely out of the snowy fields. Except you.”
“...Why me?”
‘No way…’
Had the Demon King Berje decided to abandon him?
‘Impossible.’
He shook his head. Hillan Cargill was an executive of the Hero Guild, an Argann, and a hero who had defeated two Demon Kings.
For the Demon King to discard someone like him was no different from giving up on conquering the continent.
‘That Demon King would never do that.’
He had certainty—about himself, and about the Demon King.
“What are you thinking about alone?”
“Why me?”
“Because you killed two Demon Kings.”
“You mean you’ll cut me down before I grow any further?”
“Think of it as an honor. The Demon King personally ordered that your sprout be crushed.”
“Bullshit.”
“They say one’s true nature comes out when cornered. You’re no different.”
“Should I bow then? Since you’ve shown me that pathetic mercy, should I get on my knees and thank you?”
Even while spitting curses, Hillan’s mind was spinning at full speed.
The monsters were closing in. This high-ranking demon was likely delaying him on purpose, completing the encirclement so they could capture him perfectly.
But he couldn’t move recklessly—there was no opening.
Even so, he had to move.
‘I won’t die.’
To enjoy what he had built, to soar even higher—
He gripped his sword tightly with both hands.
“Go on then. The hero humans praise, bowing his head before the Demon King and begging for mercy—doesn’t sound too bad. Well? Want to try?”
“Bullshit.”
A flash erupted. A blue streak tore through the air. A single line cut toward Armand’s neck.
An ice crystal appeared from nowhere and blocked the line.
Clang—
Shattering fragments turned into deadly shards scattering in every direction.
The trembling shockwave sent white snow fluttering upward.
Hillan Cargill let the recoil carry him. He kicked into the air, expelled mana all at once, and used it as propulsion.
A massive wave of mana. Blue lightning crackled violently, bursting toward the Frost Demon Race warrior.
What came after—he didn’t bother looking.
He steadied his ragged breathing and calmed the storming mana. Then he turned and ran in the opposite direction.
A horde of monsters entered his sight.
Yetis, trolls, drakes—and that one was a demonic beast.
Some he had never seen, others he recognized. Some looked weak, others looked troublesome.
But whether he could or couldn’t wasn’t important.
If he wanted to live—
He had to do it.
Crackle—
He layered magic atop his aura.
The Demon King’s blessing made his aura surge even stronger.
He swung his sword. The slashing wave cut through the blizzard, sending up bursts of blood.
Kruoooh—
An Ice Drake exhaled freezing breath.
A nameless demonic beast slammed down a massive fist.
He blocked, cut, and cleaved.
Their roars and screams rang so loudly that he heard ringing in his ears. The metallic scent of blood numbed his nose.
He swung his sword in a trance. No monster or demonic beast could block his advance.
No monster or demonic beast.
“Haa…”
Breaking through the encirclement, Hillan let out a hollow laugh.
“I told you, didn’t I?”
Armand’s voice came from behind him.
“That I wasn’t alone.”
“You brought all the demons from the tower?”
“Not all. But enough that you won’t find them lacking.”
“You overestimated me.”
“Better that than underestimating you and letting you slip away, no?”
Damn it.
Hillan bit his lip.
In front of him were dozens of demons, and behind him stood a high-ranking demon he could not easily finish quickly.
Whichever way he ran, the other side would strike his back.
‘I can’t die.’
He absolutely could not die.
Like this.
Never.
He had survived even after being captured by a Demon King.
The orb inside his mind was not something he had buried in just to meet such a pitiful end.
He chanted.
He activated the sigils and the mana heart.
He activated the aura and the aura holes.
He activated everything.
Aura and mana—two different forces—rushed through his veins. His blood burned hot.
With a trembling breath, he stepped forward.
Kwarrrr—
The lightning-filled sword summoned thunder.
His eyes flipped back. Azure lightning evaporated the blizzard.
The demons released their demonic energy. Black and red miasma roared.
KWWAAAAANG—
The world shook.
Demons were blasted away. Hillan stepped back once—then advanced two steps.
A white spear of frozen ice targeted his back.
Crackle—
The lightning wrapped around his body weakened the chill. Just before the sharp tip pierced his back, a slash intercepted it.
Clang—
The deflected spear curved like a snake.
Once it caught its prey, it did not let go, digging in persistently.
His charge stopped, and the demons joined in.
“Had this been anywhere else, I might have lost.”
But this was the snowy field, in the raging cold of a blizzard.
The cold gnawed at Hillan, but it empowered the Frost Demon Race.
Srrrk—
Ice grazed Hillan’s shoulder. Red droplets scattered.
Hillan’s blood and the demon’s blood mixed.
He threw aside the severed head of an unnamed demon.
Around him lay an entangled heap of demon and monster corpses.
“And this is all you’ve done? A single scratch? Think you can kill me with just that?”
“So killing two Demon Kings wasn’t mere luck, it seems.”
But even so—
“Even if you force your power out and pretend to stay calm, it won’t fool me.”
Armand manipulated his demonic energy. Frozen fragments split into hundreds and mingled within the blizzard.
Blades shredded Hillan’s entire body. He resisted, but the wounds kept increasing.
Demons and monsters rushed him again.
A storm of blood erupted.
“Keugh…!”
He vomited blood. At first, he had tried to run. But Armand had hounded him tenaciously, and the demons’ ambushes made it impossible to conserve stamina properly.
Now—
He no longer had the strength to break through those damned things and flee.
He could still fight—
But only barely.
It was hopeless. He didn’t have the strength to lift even a finger.
‘Is this… the end…?’
That was when something writhed inside his head.
“…!”
It wasn’t a pleasant feeling. On the contrary—filthy. But it reignited a flame that had been about to go out.
‘No way.’
They charged again.
Hillan squeezed out every last drop of strength he had left. He scorched monsters with lightning and cut off a demonic beast’s head. He exposed his flank to a demon aiming for his blind spot and tore out its throat with his teeth.
KWAANG—
The massive impact sent his body rolling across the snow. He spat out the demon flesh stuck in his mouth and shook off the snow.
“Persistent bastard.”
“I will never die here.”
“That’s not for you to decide.”
“It’s not for you either.”
“Nonsense—?!”
Armand’s head snapped toward the sky. All demons, demonic beasts, and monsters shuddered. Hillan Cargill’s lips curled upward.
The world brightened.
Heat washed over them.
It was fire.
Crimson flames.
So hot and pure that even the raging blizzard could not dare approach.
“…Since when?”
Armand was horrified.
Not because such flames existed, but because someone with a force completely opposite of his own had hidden themselves and reached this place without being detected.
This land was Reina Sordein’s domain, and Armand was her subordinate.
There was no way he would fail to sense an intruder—especially one with an opposing attribute.
His back went cold.
With a heavy ominous feeling, Armand shouted:
“Everyone—!”
At that moment—
FWOOOM—
A trail of fire streaked across the sky.
It melted the blizzard that no one could defy.
It vaporized it.
It tinted the rising steam a brilliant vermillion.
And it descended.
KWAAAAAAAAANG—
It was like a meteor.
A calamity falling from the heavens.
Armand felt as though he saw a pair of wings above the catastrophe.
Before he could shout for them to flee, the massive explosion swallowed everything.
It annihilated the white earth and overturned the solid ground beneath.
The demons’ hastily-gathered demonic energy ignited.
Demonic beasts screamed.
Monsters rolled in the snow, trying to extinguish the flames clinging to their bodies.
And then—
Through the crackling embers—
“You’re right.”
Vermillion eyes gleamed.
“I am the one who decides whether this bastard lives or dies.”
Huu—
Berje exhaled a heated breath.