Chapter 167 - Nanarai Bodra (5)
Chapter 167 - Nanarai Bodra (5)
It was a miracle. The sight in front of them couldn't be described in any other way.
[Koohk······ Koo-ha!?]
"Nyaa-ahhhhhhhh."
The black light turned into purple light. Then it turned into a bright and colorless light. The quality of Mana being emitted by magic tome changed several times in a short amount of time. The ruin moved in sync with the magic tome. Since the magic tome was created for the same purpose as the ruin, it was easy to sync the two Artifacts.
[Ggoo-ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!]
It wasn't an exaggeration to say that the magic tome and the ruin were one right now. Artpe was able to tie them together with his chant! He was able to finish the spell without much difficulty. According to his will, the Demonic energy in the atmosphere and the Demonic energy within Roa and the Demon started to change. It happened simultaneously.
Roa relaxed when she felt the Demonic energy, which she hadn't been able to digest, turn into Mana. The Demon felt his existence being twisted. He yelled out in shock.
"Anyways, I was able to complete this spell thanks to sunbae-nim. I was wondering why I seemed to be traveling towards the same direction as him. In the end, we had our eyes set on the same destination. If I can point out a difference, sunbae-nim only wanted to purify the Demonic energy into pure Mana. I only sought to change those that possessed Demonic energy into…."
These two methodology was combined into one, and the magic was finally perfected.
Artpe's original methodology of using the magic tome had the downside of damaging a large portion of his subject's Record. Since he couldn't do anything about existing Demonic energy, he had decided to drain all the Demonic energy from his subject. He had tried to create a weak point that he could exploit through this method.
However, he realized now that he had been wrong. Artpe wasn't supposed to change a Demon into a human. He had to restore a Demon into being human again.
The secret hidden within the ruin was so foul that it made him sick. The previous hero, who was Maetel's ancestor, knew the truth. He had tried to find a way to revert everything back to their original state. He had turned himself into a Demon for this cause. Artpe had taken a different approach to reach this point. He had pursued turning Demons into humans for a different reason than Nanarai Bodra. However, his research was able to get him to this point.
The process differed from each other, but their intent was the same. The fact that he shared the same emotions with his sunbae was a bit nauseating, but…. His sunbae had been right. In terms of result, Artpe had also walked on the right path.
Maybe, Artpe had developed his Innate ability over the years to reach this point. Maybe, he became a hero for this purpose.
Mmm. He was probably overstating it. Artpe still wanted to live the quiet and peaceful life of a dairy farmer. He wanted to live in peace. If possible, he wanted to live that life with those that wanted the same thing as him.
He had to perfect this spell for that purpose. He'll combine his accumulated Record with sunbae's accumulated Record to create a new law of this world!
[The long-cherished ambition of the Demon race is close to fruition…. Do you think I'll submit to this magic!]
The Demon was trying to protect his Record and existence. The Demon's body rolled up into a ball. He no longer paid attention to the attack from the Golems. He created a thick barrier made out of Demonic energy. He put it around his body.
"So that's how you are going to protect yourself? No, it seems you are trying to run away like this."
Artpe was correct. The Demon knew that it was a lost cause to fight the hero's party within the ruin. He couldn't win against them. This was why he gave up on recovering the Evil Heart. He chose to retreat for now, so he could live to fight another day.
[You dirty human filth! You know the truth, yet you plan on pursuing only your selfish interests! I will kill all of you no matter what!]
The enormous Demonic energy surrounding his body split into several dozen fragments. They were all moving in different directions, and each orb was surrounded by a powerful energy. These fragments were hard to stop.
One of the orbs contained the real body of the Demon. It was trying to use this method to escape the hero's party. However, the Demon had chosen the most foolish escape method. Even if there were several dozen orbs, it was impossible to deceive Artpe's Read All Creation ability!
"Where are you going? You are free to enter here, but you won't be able to exit this place as you wish."
[Koohk!?]
Artpe imbued his Mana Strings with the power of Hero Flash. A strand of Mana String shot out towards one of the orb. When the Mana String impacted the orb, the Demon within was revealed. All the other orbs disappeared.
"I chose the right one. You are trying to play tricks on me?"
[Koo-ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!]
Artpe almost laughed. It was such a satisfying sight. The Demon had revealed himself after being hit, and he glared towards Artpe. At some point, the Demon's mask had been ripped away. The Demon's face was dyed black. His hideous face was revealed.
Of course, Artpe had never seen him before. He was glad that there was no unexpected backstory sprung on him once again. He was getting tired of it.
[How did you know!?]
"Fuck him up, Maetel!"
"Yes!"
Maetel realized that the Hero Flash was effective against the Demon. As expected, a brilliant light surrounded her bastard sword. She charged towards the Demon. The Demon gritted his teeth as he moved to face her.
[You are the descendent of that dirty traitor! In all fairness, you deserve to pay for his sins too!]
"I don't care what my ancestor did!"
Even if the Demon was suffering under Artpe's magic, it wasn't as if his martial ability had deserted him! Demonic energy layered on top of his fist to form the Demonic Claw. He punched towards Maetel. When the Demonic Claw clashed with the Hero Flash, it was as if the resulting aftershock would swallow the ruin in its entirety.
Maetel bit her lips. She yelled out as her voice cut through the sound of the explosion.
"Everyone help! We just have to hold out until Artpe finishes his spell!"
"Hoo-oooooooohp!"
While Maetel occupied the Demon, Sienna and Elrick joined the fight. While the Demon was engaged with Maetel, he was hit with the full might of Sienna's hammer and Elrick's axe. Extreme rage appeared on his face.
[Cheap humans!]
"Good. Stay where you are!"
The synchronization between the magic tome and the ruin was intensifying. The Demonic energy and the Demon was being purified. At the same time, the Record of the magic tome and the ruin was combining into one.
Of course, it was taking on the form of the magic tome. The ruin no longer had the Evil Heart, which it had been tasked to protect. According to its new owner's will, the ruin compressed its power into the magic tome!
"Nyaa-ahhhhhh······ Ggooh-oooohk."
The hero's party was fighting against a Demon! The ruin and the magic tome was combining their power! It really was an epic sight that deserved to be in the hero's tale. With this spectacle as backdrop, Roa had been rolling around on the floor. She was gripping her stomach as if she had an indigestion. Suddenly, a cute burp came out of Roa's mouth.
"······."
"······."
Some members of Artpe's party glared at Roa. Roa jumped to her feet, and she yelled out in an energetic manner.
"I digested it, nyaa-ah! It is regrettable that I couldn't digest it all. However, I ate as much as I could, nyaa!"
[Digested······!? That makes no sense. The Evil Heart is an indestructible Artifact. It is the source of all Demonic energy. It isn't something a single being could consume!]
"Nyaa-ah-ah. I won't have to eat a meal for a while. Nyaa-ah-ah."
Roa had an extremely satisfied expression on her face as she rubbed her sleek stomach. However, in the next moment, Roa's luminescent eyes glared towards the Demon.
"However, dessert is another story. Nyaa."
"Roa, you are stronger now. Charge him!"
"Nyaa!"
He wasn't joking. Roa had become ridiculously strong.
He had thought the Evil Heart was a signle Artifact that had been broken into three pieces. However, he realized that wasn't the case when all three pieces were gathered in one place.
Roa's Gluttony had purified the three pieces in her stomach, and the Evil Hearts were combined into one. This new Artifact could no longer be called the Evil Heart. It had safely merged, and it had perfectly integrated into Roa's body. It let out a continuous stream of Mana. It was a massive flow of Mana, and it was strengthening her.
In terms of how much Mana she possessed, Roa possessed overwhelmingly more Mana than Artpe. The amount of Mana she possessed dwarfed the amount of Mana possessed by the Demon King from his past life. It put into perspective as to the enormity of what had happened to Roa!
"Nyaa-ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
[You bitch! Did you perhaps eat all the Evil Hearts! Are you responsible for killing all my comrades, who headed underground!]
"Uh. I hadn't expected it to work, but did they trip my trap?"
When Artpe cackled, the Demon became more angry. In a normal hero's story, the hero usually showed a bit of sympathy or even sadness towards his enemy in such a situation. The hero's resolve sometimes weakened. However, Artpe already mastered the manual for the Four Heavenly King. There was no way he would react in such a way.
"You guys have lived for couple hundred years in the Demon realm, yet you guys fell for that trap. Are you guys idiots?"
[Koo-hooooooooooo!]
A destructive spell was supposed to activate when the underground altar was destroyed. However, Artpe had intervened with his magic. He had delayed it, so the altar would be destroyed when an intruder came in. He had inwardly looked forward to it.
This was why he had made it so that the temple of Nirotacid wasn't destroyed. He had left a clue within the temple that pointed towards the underground world. It seemed a group of Demons had visited the temple as soon as the barrier around Nirotacid was dispelled. Moreover, it seemed they had taken his bait.
[How······.]
The Demon race had been searching for the Evil Hearts in the human realm and the Demon realm for a very long time. When the Demon realized that all the Evil Hearts had been found by the hero's party, he was at a loss. In truth, the current hero's party had been able to find the items thanks to the help of the Winter Queen and the previous generation's hero. However, the Demon only saw the result. This was why he felt very aggrieved.
[We made preparations for the past couple hundred years, yet you were able to gain control of everything!]
"Ah. You are annoying. Why do I have to keep explaining this to you? You guys were lacking."
[I'll kill you!]
"Nyaa-ahhhhhhhhhhh!"
The Demon's Demonic Claw was powerful enough to push back the hero's party. Roa charged towards the Demonic Claw. Roa would have been helpless before she had eaten the Evil Heart. Currently, she was able to destroy the Demonic Claw in an instant, and she was able to wound the Demon's face!
Roa licked the Demonic energy, which had coated her arm. Roa smacked her lips.
"It is delicious, but I can't eat a lot right now. Nyaa-ah"
"It's fine. He is merely a test subject."
Roa had absorbed the Demon's demonic energy just from being in contact with him. Her attack weakened the Demon, and at the same time, it restored Roa's magical energy. It resulted in her becoming stronger. At this moment, Roa's existence was poisonous to the Demon race. She was more poisonous than Sienna.
[Koo······ Kooh-hoo!]
It didn't end there. The ruin kept shrinking, and at the same time, the light emitted by the magic tome became stronger. Of course, this process was slowly weakening the Demon's power. The Demon's body worked against his will. His body started to change incrementally to the body of a human. It was a painful process.
It was a great magic that returned the Demon and the Demonic energy into its original form. It was being helped along by the heroes, holy priestess, Evil Reflector and the Greed Beast.
The Demon had to admit it. This hero's party deserved to be called the hero's party. They possessed all the power that'll allow them to exterminate the Demon race. He had made a very big mistake entering this ruin by himself. He had trusted his power and level too much.
[All right. I'll admit it.]
Instead of extreme anger, a calmness came over his face. It was his patented move. It was called the 'I suddenly become relaxed when losing' skill.
[You guys are powerful foes. You are more powerful than any other heroes in the past. Moreover, you are a threat to the Demon race. You even acquired a way to turn Demons into humans…. That is why...kahk!?]
"Die!"
Usually, something really annoying happened when someone said such lines. Maetel had come to realize this fact in the several years of her adventuring. The Demon's neck was exposed as he spoke his lines. Maetel stuck her bastard sword through his throat.
Most of the Demon's demonic energy had been purified. Most of the leftover Demonic energy was being concentrated near his heart. This was why the Demon was vulnerable near his neck region. This was why Maetel decided to attack his neck.
[Gguhk, gguh-huhk!]
"Hoohp!"
The Demon was about to say something, but Maetel had swung her sword. His his head was separated from his body, and it was sent flying.
The Demon couldn't finish his speech. There was a mixture of shock and rage on his decapitated head. Afterwards, Sienna swung her hammer, and his head was turned into scraps of meat as it dispersed into the air. However, it didn't end there.
"Nyaa! His heart is about to explode, nyaa-ah?"
"It's ok!"
The Demon had put everything he had to his heart to cause a massive explosion. It was a stale move that even the past Four Heavenly Kings hadn't used. Of course, Artpe was still prepared for it!
Since the Demon's will was gone, his body could no longer control his regenerating power. The Demon's body continued to swell, but in the next moment, Artpe swept his magic over the Demon's heart. In a flash, the Demonic energy change into pure Mana.
It was unknown as to what chemical process had occurred, but a level 393 magic stone was left behind. It contained all the previous Record and Class of the Demon.
"Alrighty then...."
Artpe gripped the magic stone as he spoke.
"Let's run away!"