Chapter 74 - Underwater (4)

After they had heard the screams and shouts that seemed to contain the world's anger, it didn't take them too long to arrive at the mermaid kingdom. They were able to arrive at Anaid without much complications. Of course, their army was quite large, so Artpe hadn't expected to stay hidden from their enemies in the first place.

When he decided to use the Road of Mermaids, his stealth had been broken. When he granted Sherryl's request of freeing the merfolk from their curses, the cat was out of the bag.

"Oh. I can see the entrance leading into the kingdom. It is connected directly to the road."

"The center of the Road of Mermaids is the mermaid kingdom. Of course, it is interconnected."

"Oppa, I see other humans there! Ah, I also see a being that isn't human…...!"

The mermaid kingdom was protected by the magic that ruled over the road. In addition, there was another layer of dimensional magic that protected the kingdom. From outside, the mermaid kingdom looked like a miniature model placed within a crystal ball.

It really was a beautiful sight. However, if one looked closely within the kingdom, one would find out that its beauty didn't reflect reality. A flock of humans was causing a huge disturbance within the kingdom.

"I...it isn't there. It's gone! The artifact he provided for us is gone!"

"I'm sure the merfolk committed treason against us!"

"You stupid and dull humans! You couldn't even protect a single item, and now you are making such a fuss!"

There was a blonde-haired Demon woman amongst the humans. When he checked her information with his Read All Creation ability, he realized she was the Demon that had a direct hand in creating the mess within the Diaz kingdom. He realized she was Teana.

'Are all the Demons acting so boldly as her? Maybe, they are all working under their real name.'

When he heard that name for the first time, he had thought it sounded similar to Etna's name. He wondered in secret if Etna had switched up her name to work under a pseudonym. However, that idea was blown into smithereens when he met Etna in Frate. He had worried unnecessarily, because their names were constructed in a confusing manner. That sin alone made her deserving of death.

"Your highness, the merfolk army is flowing back towards us! The curse was dispelled!"

"There are humans amongst them….. I remember getting a description of that bastard…. Ooh-doo-doohk."

"Those bastards are the ones that interfered with our Demonification experiments. I'm sure of it!"

"Those insolent brats dare to boldly show up in front of me!"

There was no way one would be able to hide a large army that numbered in the three thousand. Before Artpe's party was able to enter into the kingdom, they were already in the crosshair of their enemies.

[Master, the knights protecting the man named Medelrud are all over level 150. They are veteran knights. Moreover, there is a scary Demon that uses a terrifyingly evil energy. A single wave of this woman's hand neutralized all the soldiers protecting the royal palace!]

[That sounds about right. She is over level 200.]

Now that they had reached the kingdom, it seemed fear sprouted anew within Sherryl. She grabbed the sleeve of Artpe's robe, and she took a slight step backwards. However, merfolk arrayed behind them were unafraid.

[Princess, we are all gathered in one place. The result will be different this time around!]

[We have to kill those ruffians. We have to take back our kingdom and ocean!]

[All troops get ready for battle! We will escort the princess to the palace! We will cut down anyone that interferes with us!]

[Ooh-ohhhhhhhhhh!]

They had gone crazy after having a curse placed on them not too long ago, yet it was as if they had completely forgotten about it. Each of them raised their weapons to show their resolve. It seemed Sherryl was very touched by this act. Courage returned to her eyes.

[E...everyone…. All right. With all of you and my master by side, I will no longer be afraid!]

"Yes, yes. I'm glad you guys made some breakthroughs."

Roa was the one that did everything! Sherryl had let go of his sleeve as she turned to look at the merfolk. Artpe just nodded his head as he leisurely took a step forward.

[However, if I let you guys charge forward, countless tears and blood will be shed. You guys should stay back. We will take care of them.]

At the same time, he made a declaration to the merfolk. Of course, the merfolk had a dumbfounded expression on their faces. It was as if Artpe had slapped their faces. Sherryl was taken aback, and she once again moved closer to Artpe.

[M...master? If we are to stand up to them…..]

[You seem to have the wrong idea. I didn't free all the Merfolk, so that I can use them in battle. I just did it, because you requested it. ….it is time for us to complete the Quest. There is no need for your participation.]

[W...what!? You insolent human······.]

[Quiet! The one that saved us all was my master. Show him respect!]

They were at the cusp of battle where two large forces were about to clash, yet a single person stepped forward in an unperturbed manner. Of course, everyone's gaze would be focused on him. Maetel was also taken aback, so she grabbed Artpe.

"They've become very vigilant against us."

"Of course, they are vigilant. However, you should be aware of this, Maetel. You have to be confident that you are going to win even if your opponent is vigilant. If you aren't, you shouldn't attack them in the first place. You should only be vigilant if you don't know the identity of your opponent, or if you can't discern their number…. You only become vigilant if you aren't confident in your own forces. I'm not like that."

Artpe's eyes were shining brightly. If a hidden Kraken made its appearance, it might be a different story. However, he had made a thorough assessment of the players present here.

"It doesn't matter if there are a lot of them. They can even use whatever Artifacts they have. They can't win against us. You know why? We caught a Kraken that we shouldn't have been able to kill in this lifetime, and we've become incredible strong. This happens quite often with the Demon King's army, so you should keep this in mind. Their plan misfires quite often."

"Y..yes!"

Matel quietened down as she accepted Artpe's convincing words. He smirked as he turned his gaze. He caught sight of the Demon and Sienna. Sienna was gripping the handle of the hammer that was strapped to her back.

"Sienna, you should prepare yourself."

"Yes."

There was no need for the entire hero's party to step forward. Artpe and Sienna would take care of this. The two of them would be enough. The Chef's recipe had been pretty tight. However, as a result, the food transformed into something more delicious compared to the previous life's hero!

Artpe looked defenseless as he conversed with his party members in front of his enemies. It seemed the Demon was extremely irritated by this dispaly. In the end, the Demon named Teana attacked first. An evil energy shot forth!

"Death's Baptism!"

"You dare?"

Artpe snorted as he faced the black fog created by her. It was a powerful magic that could only be used by a Demon over level 200, but·····.

"H...how can this be….. Priest!? They told me you were a magician!"

Her magic was extinguished in vain. It couldn't get past the semi-translucent barrier created in the air by Artpe. The barrier was one of the spells he had purchased in this venture. It was the temple priest's spell called Holy Barrier.

Unfortunately, Sienna was walking down the road of the Warrior Priestess, so she couldn't learn the high rank spell that was exclusive to the regular priest and priestess class. However, Artpe was a hero. He could willfully ignore such restrictions. He learned the spell.

"Sienna, it's time!"

"Understood, oppa!"

Normally, when the flow of the battle was going poorly like this, the Demon was in charge of saying something ominous. The Demon would utter nonsensical words in such a way that would indicate that this wasn't over. It was supposed to make the hero's party feel leery. Artpe became annoyed when his opponents alluded to the fact that there was more to come in the future. He hated it! He just wanted to end the Quest here! Please!

"Hoohp!"

Sienna had been prepared to receive his firm instructions. She ran forward. It was as if she was shot out of a cannon. At first, everyone snorted at the sight, but in the next moment, their eyes widened in shock.

"Wait a moment, the energy emanating from that hammer….. Can it be…."

"This doesn't make any sense. She is too young. This is impossible. My eyes are playing tricks on me!"

"Ha-ahhhhhhhhp!"

There was a milky white energy coalesced around her hammer. It was the most iconic skill that could be learned by a person possessing the high rank Class of Warrior Priestess. It was the Divine Hammer! Sienna's unique Mana was infused with the skill. A strange aura that was neither light or dark was formed. It was a gray translucent aura.

However, one thing was for sure. This energy was absolutely lethal against Demons.

"Y..you even have a high rank Class Warrior Priestess with you!? Yes, I see now! The only human that is capable of using a magician's ability and a priest''s ability at the same time…... Eeeeeek! Human, I have an urgent business I have to attend to, so I'll be leaving now!"

When operating in the human world, Demons had to be aware of the possibility of running into a hero! This was why they had to learn several important lessons before they were able to leave for the human world.

One of the lessons was the Bluffing Skill. The Demon had to make it seem that there was a backup plan that the hero would have to worry about. It was a tactic used to disturb the heart of the hero. Secondly, one had to promise the hero that they would meet once again in the future. It would put burden on the hero's heart. It was called the 'I'll leave for now' skill.

"You are surely a hero! I'll leave for now, but now that I know your identity, you are finished! Soon, there will come a day where you will bow down to the Demon King!"

[Who's gonna bow down to whom? I've done that so much that I'm fed up with it, you damned bitch!]

[D...Demon language!? Who the hell are you!]

After he was reincarnated as a hero, Artpe had put in tremendous effort to build up the foundation of two skills. Fortunately, luck had been with him, and he was able to perfect the two Skills. It was time for these abilities to shine!

"Mana String!"

"In the end, you used that spell again!?"

"Koohk!?"

Several strands of Mana Strings flashed forward. They streaked past Sienna to reach the Demon.

"Teleporta….. What the hell! I'll use the Artifact…. This one too!?"

The Demon had prepared for the worst case scenario. She was able to cast her own Teleportation spell, and she possessed the Emergency Blink Artifact. This item was supposed to used to escape a crisis. Unfortunately for her, Artpe's Mana String disturbed magical energy on top of interfering with the physical world.

The magical energy she emitted was tied up, so she couldn't activate her spell. Moreover, he used his Read All Creation ability to identify all her Artifacts. He either snatched or destroyed all her Artifacts! This was only possible using Mana Strings where magical energy and laws of nature was combined.

"Of course, it would be much easier to use a Mana Restriction spell. It can bind a target's Mana for a limited amount of time. Shit!"

"You always complain, but you are able to accomplish everything using your Mana Strings. Artpe is too cool!"

"Koo-ahhhhhhhhhhhhhk! Hero! What the hell did you do to me!"

She had tried to teleport, but it was completely blocked off by Artpe's Mana Strings. Moreover, the Mana Strings was wrapped around her. She glared at him as she tried to manifest a different attack spell. However, before she could do anything, Sienna reached the Demon. She brought down her hammer.

"Ha!"

After a short shout, a bold strike impacted on the Demon. The shock wave created sent Madelrud and all the humans nearby tumbling backwards.

"Koohk, ggoo-ehhhhhhk!"

So how would the Demon feel after taking a direct hit? At Sienna's single strike, her shoulder and arm was completely crushed. Her Mana had been disrupted before she could manifest it, and it ran rampant in her body. She squealed like a stuck pig, and she completely let go of her consciousness.

"H...how can this be·····."

"We couldn't even lay a finger on that Demon, yet he easily…...."

Until now, the merfolk had been repressed by the Demon and the ex-Archduke Medelrud, so they were surprised by what had happened. However, the one to feel the most surprised was Medelrud, who had been in league with the Demon.

"H...how…. How can he easily subdue the Demon…..!?"

When Medelrud was the Archduke, the Demon had come to him as an emissary of the Demon King. She had always remained above everyone as an overwhelmingly powerful being. At times, she revealed to him pieces of knowledge about black magic and curse rituals. When he saw the strange ancestral magic, he had completely given up on resisting or manipulating her.

So who the hell were these people! This boy taunted the Demon with a very playful tone! He also neutralized her as if she was toying with her!

"Eh-eet. One more time······!"

"······wait a moment, Sienna. Don't end her. Just bring her here."

"Yes. Understood!"

Sienna was about to end the Demon by bringing her hammer down once again. However, Artpe immediately stopped her from doing so. She took a wide swing with her sledge hammer to push back the group that was approaching her. Then she carried the unconscious Demon back to Artpe.

Medelrud and the other humans shrank back. They had seen what Sienna could do with a single strike. Since the Demon was the strongest amongst them, they didn't even budge an inch as they watched Sienna retrieve the Demon.

"Artpe, why did you spare the Demon? ······is it because she's a woman?"

"What did I ever do to deserve suspicion every time like this…. I'll tell you all about it later."

Artpe flicked Maetel's forehead as he gave his reply. Afterwards, his gaze headed towards the humans, who were shaking in fear.

"Let's talk about it after we end them."

This was obvious, but there were no other hidden bosses aside from the Demon amongst Medelrud's party.

It was the moment when the curtain closed on a Quest that had dragged on for a year.

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