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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
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Chapter 128: Damn Samael
Am I dreaming?
It's too vivid for a dream.
Am I delirious?
I slapped my cheek hard with my left hand, and sparks flew.
Rainwater seeped into the torn skin.
It hurts. It hurts. It stings. It's too real.
I rubbed my cheek with my index finger and brought it in front of my eyes.
A drop of blood from my index finger fell with a plop—.
This wasn't delirium.
I wasn't having an old dream either.
My whole body was drenched.
I lifted my head while sitting, and rainwater poured into my eyes and nose like a waterfall.
The downpour continued endlessly, as if the sky had opened up.
The moment I thought I might suffocate, I came to my senses.
"Puah—"
I spat out the rainwater that filled my mouth.
I brushed back the wet hair clinging to my forehead and got up.
"...White Horse Unit."
It was dangerous.
I couldn't leave the guys who came to help me to die.
I tore off the hidden weapon lying on Parin's chest, accelerated my body, and started running.
Fwoosh—
Even when I focused on the surrounding noises, all I could hear was the sound of rain.
It was hard to see because it was so dark.
My sight and hearing were limited.
I opened all the circles in my heart and expanded my senses.
If my hunch was correct...
They couldn't handle the masked figures yet.
Those guys were the kind that could kill even experts in an instant if you didn't know how to deal with them.
Ominous premonitions are rarely wrong.
It was the same now. Because everything was falling into place.
The masked figures who appeared out of nowhere.
How they could hide without being detected.
How Parin controlled the masked figures.
Why was there no fear in their eyes?
Vivid memories of struggling through a hellish pandemonium set off alarm bells in my mind.
...It wasn't that they weren't afraid.
They were beings incapable of feeling emotions in the first place.
Demonic Soul Humans.
Clang—
A noise came from afar, piercing through the rain.
I turned left and threw myself towards the bushes.
Thick leaves slapped my face, and a strong smell of urine filled the air.
Shwaaaaa—
As the noise grew louder and I finally felt a presence close by...
I leaped high into the sky and scattered flames widely towards the ground.
The scene of the entangled fight amidst the flickering flames came into view.
"Dodge, Blair!"
I shifted my position in mid-air and raised my right hand towards the enemy.
All the mana flowing through my heart was concentrated in my right hand.
My eyes widened, fixated on the two figures entangled below.
As the stinging rainwater streamed down my face, Blair suddenly sank to the muddy ground with a thud—.
It was a signal for me.
I didn't miss the moment when the masked figure tried to grab Blair.
I swung my right arm, which was pulled back like a bowstring, from mid-air.
A deafening sound tore through the air.
Fweeeng—
When the sound hit the ground, the masked figure's head was already bent backward, his body collapsing to the ground.
"Don't get closer!"
Blair, who was about to check on the masked figure, quickly backed away at my voice.
At the same time, a massive amount of demonic energy flowed from where the masked figure had fallen.
'Penetrate, Piercing Wind.'
The wind blade cut through the air and struck the masked figure's forehead.
Crack—!
The Red Dagger, which had been half-embedded in the masked figure's forehead, was driven in all the way.
It was then that the demonic energy, about to explode, harmlessly dispersed into the atmosphere.
Blair murmured with a surprised expression,
"...What was that?"
Only then did I check on Blair.
Fortunately, he hadn't been directly exposed to the demonic energy.
The barrier around his body was broken, and he had wounds here and there, but he hadn't suffered any fatal injuries.
I approached Blair and said,
"That was close. They don't hesitate to self-destruct."
"Self-destruct?"
"Strictly speaking, they're not human. Their forehead is their weak point."
I looked around, but no other sounds could be heard.
"Where are Taylor and Arin?"
"I don't know. It's been a while since we broke formation. What was that sound just now, by the way? Self-destruct..."
Suddenly, Blair gasped and said,
"Taylor and Arin are in danger!"
At that moment, an explosion was heard nearby.
Kwaaang—
Damn it.
As soon as I pushed through the bushes and headed towards the source of the explosion, the aftereffects of the explosion tingled through my senses.
Traces of self-destruction.
Was I too late?
My heart pounded.
With a flash, sparks flew from the right.
I created a gust of wind and arrived in a single breath. There, I saw the body of a masked figure exploding, and a woman pushing back another masked figure.
The woman, covered in blood, was emitting flashes of light.
It was Arin.
"Arin!"
There was no answer.
Her eyes and ears were filled with blood.
It seemed she had been directly hit by the self-destruction.
Even so, she didn't collapse.
She was frantically striking the masked figure's head with lightning, emanating from both hands.
Blinding flashes continued to erupt.
She achieved this with pure electric shocks, without any incantations.
"Aim for the forehead, Arin!"
I shouted as I rushed towards the masked figure.
As expected, Arin couldn't hear me.
The moment I reached Arin and the moment Arin blew the masked figure's head off with electricity happened simultaneously.
As the demonic energy exploded, I embraced Arin and deployed both wind and ice barriers at the same time.
Multi-casting.
4-circle, Frost Barrier.
4-circle, Wind Armor.
Crackle!
The ice barrier shattered from the explosion, followed by the wind barrier.
It all happened in less than a second.
In that short time, I chanted short incantations and layered barriers one after another.
Only after four layers of barriers shattered did the aftermath of the self-destruction subside.
I finally looked down at Arin, who had fainted in my arms, exhausted.
A thought crossed my mind.
'...Azeta would have liked this.'
Blair, who had followed me, shouted and approached us.
I handed Arin over to Blair.
"She's safe. Just unconscious. Take care of Arin. I'll find Taylor. If you encounter any masked figures, remember their forehead is their weak point. Only defend unless you're absolutely sure if your attack will land."
My body was getting heavy, but there was no time to rest.
There were more than five Demonic Soul Humans. There could be more.
These beings couldn't be considered human in the first place.
Demonic Soul Humans were beings whose human souls had been consumed by demonic energy, causing them to lose their minds.
They could hold their breath for days and still be alive.
They could dig into the ground and hide, or even burrow into trees.
Now that Parin, who controlled them, was dead...
The Demonic Soul Humans, having lost control, would start running rampant.
The night was still dark.
It felt like half a day had passed, but in reality, it couldn't have been that long.
I opened my senses wide and went searching for Taylor's presence again.
Taylor was in the most danger at this moment.
He was surely facing multiple masked figures alone.
Fortunately, it wasn't difficult to find traces.
Signs of battle were appearing one after another nearby.
Remnants of mana, and traces of bushes being torn apart.
At some point, the smell of urine lessened.
As I lit a bright flame again, a familiar path appeared.
It was the path I had taken from the annex with Alvin.
At the same time, flames flickered not far away.
The fluctuation of fire attribute magic.
Whoosh—
Following the flames, I saw Taylor wielding fire amidst the rain, fighting against the masked figures.
I was about to shout something, but I paused.
"Wow, how many are you fighting?"
Taylor, in the midst of the fight, turned his head and glared at me.
"Where's Parin?"
"Dead."
"...What about Arin and Blair?"
"They're safe."
At that moment, Taylor's waist was cut by the masked figures' attacks.
I looked at Taylor and said,
"Wow, 17 against 1? That's brutal."
"If you're just going to watch, get lost."
"17 against 2 doesn't look so good."
"..."
"Just kidding."
As expected, there were more Demonic Soul Humans.
It looked like there were about 10 of them.
Of course, I said 17 for the sake of future rumors.
Appropriate exaggeration is essential in times like this.
Anyway, it seemed that all the Demonic Soul Humans had poured out at once when Parin died.
I stood still and watched Taylor fight.
I spoke to Taylor first because I had the leisure to do so.
Taylor wasn't attacking at all.
He looked precarious, but he didn't have any fatal wounds yet.
He was focusing solely on dodging and defending.
Had this guy noticed something about the Demonic Soul Humans?
"Yes, just keep defending. Their weak point is their forehead. Don't attack unless you're absolutely sure."
Taylor's eyes lit up, and he nodded.
I was right.
He had instinctively sensed something ominous about the Demonic Soul Humans.
Taylor said,
"Let's split up. You take the other side."
I was about to say there was no need for that, but I suddenly felt a strange surge within me.
'This guy, don't tell me...'
He had apparently told Blair and Arin to split up as well.
Was he trying to face the Demonic Soul Humans alone?
To shoulder the danger by himself?
"You're such a stubborn fool. You can't do this alone. Move aside."
I joined the fight in earnest.
Actually, the situation wouldn't change drastically even if I joined.
It was impossible to destroy the foreheads of ten of them at once.
I didn't know what kind of orders were implanted in them, but Demonic Soul Humans had the common characteristic of self-destructing when exposed to danger.
If two or three of them self-destructed at the same time, Taylor could be in danger.
"Run away immediately if you sense anything strange, Taylor."
I weaved through the Demonic Soul Humans like I was dancing.
In this kind of situation, meticulous concentration was required.
The kind of detailed and precise concentration that allowed me to hold back for two days and then unleash a torrent in the bathroom without getting a single drop on my underwear.
I danced, scattering raindrops like I was spraying urine, and plunged the Red Dagger into the foreheads of the masked figures one by one.
Thud—! Thud—!
When two figures fell in this elaborate and beautiful dance...
Suddenly, some of them started to leave the dance floor.
"Where are you going?"
Five Demonic Soul Humans stopped fighting and started running somewhere.
These guys had no rationality to make judgments.
This was a pre-planted command by Parin.
I was thinking of taking care of the rest of them first and then chasing after the five when Taylor, his face pale, shouted,
"Ruin, it's the annex!"
"It's a trap."
It was unfortunate.
The place where we were fighting and the annex were quite close.
I couldn't tell at that moment whether this was a coincidence or not.
With a whoosh— sound, Taylor dashed off.
"Damn it, that stubborn bastard."
I plunged the Red Dagger into the foreheads of the remaining three and chased after Taylor.
When I arrived at the annex, the five Demonic Soul Humans were already lined up in a row, facing the front of the building.
It was obvious what was about to happen.
Most of the lights in the annex windows were off.
The monkeys, sensing something strange, started poking their heads out of the windows one by one.
Taylor shouted,
"No!"
I ran towards the Demonic Soul Humans with the Red Dagger. I had to pierce at least two of their foreheads before they self-destructed.
At the same time, I saw Taylor running beside me.
The direction he was heading...
"Damn it, that idiotic bastard."
I tried to throw the Red Dagger at Taylor's back to trip him.
Whoosh— Thud—!
But even with the Red Dagger lodged in his back, Taylor didn't stop running, blood gushing out.
"Are you trying to die with the monkeys?"
Taylor shouted as if possessed.
"Ugh. Don't stop me, Ruin, you son of a bitch!"
Taylor, standing at the main entrance of the annex, glared at me with his arms wide open.
"You said it yourself, Ruin. You're Samael too."
Taylor yelled with bloodshot eyes.
"If you're Samael, then I'm Samael too!"
Taylor unleashed all his mana and spread a barrier over the entire annex.
Ah...
Damn bastard.
Damn Samael.
I also didn't stop and charged towards the Demonic Soul Humans.
The damned one chose defense.
The crazy one chose offense.
With a beep— sound, my vision turned red.
I plunged the Red Dagger in my right hand into the forehead of the first one. At the same time, without stopping, I thrust my left index finger into the forehead of another.
Black paint started to fill my reddened vision.
Simultaneously, a powerful storm of demonic energy erupted from the front.
Fwooom—
In the end, I couldn't stop all of them from self-destructing.
An intense wave that seemed to blow away the entire annex.
I ran towards Taylor, who was facing the oncoming wave with his arms wide open.
My feet moved on their own.
This goddamn bastard.
Damn Samael.
It was at that moment.
Another wave erupted, engulfing my vision.
"..."
Flash—
A sword sound pierced through the ringing in my ears.
The sound of cutting through the air.
I briefly closed and opened my eyes.
The aftermath of the self-destruction had disappeared without a trace.
Instead, what appeared before my eyes was a large lotus flower, seemingly splitting the night sky.
"Hmm, what's going on here?"
"...You're late."
It was a long night.
Dawn was breaking.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
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