Report
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Max]
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Chapter 19: Trapped in Wax (3)
Bang!
Hamel and his companions rushed into the dressing room.
The inside was still pitch black.
Antonio, clutching the lamp tightly, asked in a tense voice,
"Hamel-nim, what should we do now?"
They had all followed him without question when he said he had a plan.
But no one actually knew what that plan was.
As their eyes focused on him, Hamel said without turning around,
"Put out the lights."
"...What?"
Even Antonio, who always followed his instructions, questioned his ears this time.
But unfortunately for Antonio, his ears were working just fine.
"Please extinguish all the lamps."
"...Alright."
Antonio extinguished the lamp with an uneasy expression.
Ono, on the other hand, frowned and asked,
"Why are we turning off the lights? We need them to find the Light Eater..."
"Just put it out, Ono-nim."
The head priest interrupted Ono and extinguished his lamp.
Ono coughed awkwardly at the priest's rare rebuke.
Ignoring their voices, Hamel slowly moved forward.
He couldn't see anything.
Only darkness.
His companions also remained silent.
Only the clinking sound of glass shards under Hamel's feet could be heard.
'This should be enough.'
Hamel grabbed the blade of his sword with his bare hand.
Slice!
Red blood flowed out.
Hamel let the blood drip down his sword, then abruptly plunged it into the floor.
He then quietly clasped his hands together and prayed.
Whoosh!
Azure flames engulfed the sword and flared up.
Although it wasn't enough to illuminate the room, the light that bloomed in the pitch-black darkness was brilliant.
And at that moment,
Rustle, Rustle!
As expected, it came.
As if yearning for and craving the shining light.
The demon, born and living in darkness, reached out for the light.
Whoosh!
With the sound of wind blowing, the flames of the Azure Flame were extinguished.
"It swallowed it."
Hamel muttered softly.
That was all.
Whoosh!
"...?"
Suddenly, azure flames flared up in the darkness.
Clinging to the ceiling, the glowing figure resembled a will-o'-the-wisp.
But its true form was...
Keeek!
With a shriek, something fell to the floor with a thud.
The azure flames grew larger, revealing its form.
A giant spider, flailing its long legs.
But its face was that of an elderly human.
The flames, spreading from its belly where it had swallowed the Azure Flame, engulfed its head and grew larger.
The group watched in a daze.
They hadn't imagined that a demon would be dealt with so easily.
On the other hand, Hamel wasn't excited, as he had expected to get this far without much difficulty.
The important part was what came next.
The high-ranking demon, the Speculoculus, still remained.
'Focus.'
Hamel pulled his sword from the ground.
As the Azure Flame disappeared, the surroundings were once again plunged into darkness.
But he was no longer afraid of the darkness.
Until now, he had been nothing more than prey hunted in the darkness, but not anymore.
Now, Hamel was...
A hunter stalking its prey.
***
As the room darkened again, Antonio's anxious voice came from behind.
"Hamel-nim, should I light the lamp?"
"No. Wait."
Now that the Light Eater was gone, lighting the lamps would reveal the Speculoculus's location.
But that would prevent him from carrying out his plan.
Instead, Hamel took out the hand mirror from his pocket.
Amazingly, the mirror allowed him to see far into the darkness.
'This is Night Vision.'
Hamel marveled at the magic he was experiencing for the first time.
But even the time to marvel was a luxury, so he hurriedly scanned his surroundings with the mirror and slowly moved forward.
"Found it."
Hamel muttered softly.
On the other side of the mirror,
At the end of the dressing room, behind Hamel, a strange being suddenly appeared.
Slide!
It looked like a round rock floating in mid-air, with a giant eyeball taking up more than half of its surface.
Several worm-like tentacles sprouted from behind the eyeball, each with an eyeball at its tip, constantly twitching.
The grotesque monster then emitted a dazzling light from its large, purple pupil.
A high-ranking demon.
Speculoculus.
It meant 'spherical eye'.
Hamel gripped his sword tightly as he looked at it.
Daniel's life was in danger because of this creature.
'Come.'
Thanks to this, their already tight schedule became even tighter.
Hamel glared at the Speculoculus through the mirror.
Just as the brief standoff continued,
Swoosh!
The Speculoculus suddenly dispersed like smoke and disappeared.
It hadn't escaped.
The Speculoculus's technique wasn't for movement, but for concealment.
It was still somewhere in this room.
It was often underestimated because it only used its wax powers from afar, but it was still a high-ranking demon.
Contrary to its appearance, it wasn't afraid of close combat and had a belligerent nature.
In other words...
"It means it's close."
Hamel muttered calmly, then swung his hand in the air.
His fist, which had been tightly clenched, opened, and blood splattered into the air.
The blood pooled in his robe also sprayed out, spreading widely in the air. Hamel didn't miss this opportunity.
Bloom!
Whoosh!
Each drop of blood hanging in the air ignited into an azure flame.
It was like hundreds of fire raindrops falling from the sky.
And at the same time,
Clink!
Countless mirror shards scattered on the floor.
They began to reflect the falling azure flames in all directions.
An explosive light erupted, pushing away the artificial darkness of the dressing room.
"...!"
Finally, the Speculoculus, which had been hiding in the darkness right behind Hamel, was revealed.
Hamel calmly turned around.
Perhaps startled by the sudden light,
It had closed all of its grotesque eyes.
This was thanks to them not turning on the lights until now.
It was a small lapse in attention, but it led to fatal consequences.
Hamel looked directly at the Speculoculus and raised his sword.
There was no hesitation or fear in his movements.
Slice!
A sharp cutting sound filled the dressing room.
The giant eye, split in half, fell to the floor.
"...Is it over?"
The battle ended almost anticlimactically.
Hamel nodded silently at Antonio's dumbfounded question.
Antonio, who had been hugging the cat instead of a lamp, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Ono, on the other hand, who had once gone on exorcism missions with Hamel, couldn't close his mouth.
"...You really defeated it alone?"
Hamel, who couldn't use aura or divine power and had a vague unique ability.
When did he become so strong?
Come to think of it, it was strange.
Since when did Hamel start going on exorcism missions alone?
He always returned, battered and bruised, but alive.
'...I see.'
Hamel, despite being half-baked, had constantly put his life on the line, training himself and ultimately becoming stronger.
His survival wasn't due to mere luck.
He was simply lacking compared to the geniuses who possessed brilliant power.
But Hamel's skills were real.
Ono felt like he was finally getting to know Hamel.
Meanwhile, Hamel was looking around the dressing room as if searching for something.
And before long, he found a lever at the end of the room.
Clank!
He pulled the lever, and just like on the first floor, the mansion echoed with the heavy rumbling of something being dragged.
The stairs to the third floor had appeared.
"Alright, everyone, run to the stairs."
Hamel was about to run towards the door when he paused.
In the dressing room, shimmering with blue light,
He saw the knight with a red helmet ornament standing at the end.
"Daniel."
Fortunately, he was still safe.
Standing firm in the same posture as before.
'Please wait a little longer.'
They were almost there.
They were one step away from saving him.
***
Crash!
Boom!
"What's that...?"
As soon as they stepped into the hallway, a tremendous roar echoed.
A doll, flying from afar, landed in front of Hamel with a thud.
At the same time, dozens of dolls armed with spears charged towards the monster.
But,
Clang, crack!
The spears couldn't pierce the monster's skin and stopped in mid-air.
However, as if he hadn't expected them to penetrate in the first place, David quickly gave another order.
"Push it back!"
At David's order, dozens of dolls rushed forward and thrust their spears.
Lance-like spears and short spears overlapped, creating a wall.
The dolls, filling the hallway, pushed the monster back with their spears.
Screech!
The monster's legs slid back.
"It's... it's being pushed back!"
Antonio exclaimed with delight.
“Ugh…”
The monster started to lean forward.
The situation began to reverse.
With a cracking sound, the floor of the second-floor hallway crumbled, and the monster slowly came to a stop.
On the other hand, the dolls holding the spears were gradually pushed back.
Then, as it gained momentum, they started to be pushed back.
The formation crumbled in an instant.
The monster grabbed a handful of spears thrust towards it.
And pulled them towards itself with force.
The dolls, who had been pushing with all their might, were dragged forward, still holding onto their spears.
The monster swung its arm at them.
Crack!
That was the end.
With the sound of wood splintering, the dolls' heads flew in all directions.
Like dandelion seeds scattering in the spring breeze.
"...What in the world is that?"
Antonio muttered with a pale face.
A supernatural phenomenon.
An overwhelming force.
Countless dolls were already scattered in pieces in the monster's wake.
David's doll army would soon reach its limit.
They were running out of time.
"Let's hurry."
Hamel quickly ran towards the stairs leading to the third floor.
Even though he had lived here as a child, he wasn't foolish enough to forget the layout of his own house.
Hamel and his companions ran without hesitation.
Now that they were on the third floor, there was no need to hesitate.
They headed straight for the lord's office, which was also his study.
They had already prepared themselves.
Clank!
Hamel flung open the wooden door.
And there,
"...?"
There was no one.
The study looked like it hadn't been used in a long time.
A chill permeated the room, and dust covered the desk.
It was empty.
"If it's not here, then where...?"
Hamel muttered, faltering.
It was difficult to maintain his usual composure. He had come here believing that everything would be resolved.
'There's no time.'
He didn't have time to investigate further.
Less than ten minutes remained of the golden time to save Daniel, and the monster was coming up from downstairs.
What should he do?
Just as Hamel unconsciously bit his lower lip in frustration,
A jeweled dagger on the desk caught his eye.
A strangely familiar dagger.
Hamel soon recognized it.
'This is... Father's weapon.'
The Black Blade, the dagger that could unleash shadows like sword beams.
Why was it here?
As he lifted the dagger, he noticed a piece of paper pressed under the inkwell.
Hamel immediately picked it up.
It was a blank sheet of paper, but Hamel felt a sense of familiarity.
How had his father delivered the signet ring to him?
Recalling the letter delivered by the butler, Hamel muttered softly,
"...Divine power."
Hamel closed his eyes and prayed.
A faint divine power gathered at his fingertips.
And at that moment,
Swoosh!
The hidden words appeared.
[With this, it is possible]
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Max]
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