Was this even a level of power that made sense?

Even amidst the excruciating pain as his entire body felt as though it were being torn apart, a bewildering question forced its way to the surface. Countless strands of demonic energy, which had once covered the ground, coalesced together, swelling in size. Like a bludgeoning weapon swung by a violent god, the mass of demonic energy had transformed into a colossal, blunt form.

This crude attack was relentless. Cadel’s mind wandered back to the swirling vortex that had dissipated and the image of the demon that had been visible beyond it. The gaze that had fixed on him so precisely, and the indifferent expression. The strands of demonic energy that had sprouted from her very body made her appear smaller and smaller like a marionette with its strings cut.

That was right. The demonic energy that had been threatening his allies. The dense strands of demonic energy were none other than the very essence of her body. And now……

Crash! Boom!

Her body not only sent Cadel and Lydon plummeting, but it was also relentlessly hammering down, as though it intended to bury them deep into the earth.

‘This crazy……! How long is she planning on striking us like this?!’

No matter how much the protective barriers were strengthened, it was useless. Not only his own barrier, but Lydon’s as well, and even the scale armor he wore. Yet, the shock had not been alleviated in the slightest. Even when trying to deflect the attack with magic, there was no time to gather enough mana.

‘Lydon won’t last much longer.’

The unpleasant sensation of his internal organs vibrating violently. The pain of his skin stretching taut, as though it were about to tear. Even amid his disoriented state, he couldn’t help but worry about Lydon, who had wrapped himself around Cadel as they plummeted. Lydon was still holding onto him, but aside from maintaining the ice barrier, there was no sign of any other response from him.

‘Damn it, I can’t escape!’

Just as the mass of demonic energy slammed into the ground and began to rise again, Cadel had tried to take advantage of the rebound. However, this demonic energy felt different. It was as if there was some kind of gravitational force pulling him toward it, making it difficult to find an opening.

‘If I keep taking hits like this, my organs are going to burst.’

Not only was Cadel enduring the attack from the front, but Lydon was also carrying the added weight of his body from behind, absorbing the shock as well. It was a perilous situation where neither of them could escape on their own.

Cadel strained to reinforce the barrier, waiting for help from his allies. After such a dramatic fall, he expected someone to come to their rescue.

And then, in the next moment:

“Commander!”

A shadow loomed over the panting Cadel, and the steady, dull pain that had been tormenting him subsided. With a sigh of relief, Cadel lifted his eyelids, feeling a weight lift off his chest.

“Van……”

“Are you okay? Who the hell did this……?”

Van, pushing the greatsword through the narrow gap between the demonic energy and Cadel, exerted force and raised his arm. The tense muscles in his arm bulged, and thick veins stood out along his neck. A bright red aura emanated from Van’s body, struggling against the demonic energy as he pushed it back.

“Get out of here! The fairy behind too……!”

Van’s face, previously tense with urgency, suddenly froze. His gaze was locked directly beneath Cadel.

“……What’s wrong?”

At the uneasy response, Cadel quickly turned and freed himself from Lydon’s grasp. His trembling gaze immediately went to Lydon’s condition.

“Lydon!”

“Someone take Lydon!”

He absorbed the brunt of the impact on the hard ground, holding Cadel in his arms. The barrier was also wrapped around Cadel’s front, not his own, so it was impossible for him to remain unscathed.

Cadel, with a grimace, grabbed Lydon’s cheek as he vomited blood, panicking.

“Ly, Lydon. Stay with me. Don’t close your eyes, look at me properly. I’ll call Garuel.”

Had Lydon sustained serious internal injuries? Without saying a word, Lydon weakly nodded. Had he maintained the barrier in this condition? Cadel had assumed that Lydon was still conscious, so the situation couldn’t be too dire, but now he felt foolish for letting himself become complacent. To have such a subordinate and still be powerless to stop the beating—it stung.

Behind Cadel, Lumen’s voice echoed.

“Give Lydon to me, Leader! I’ll take him to Sir Garuel.”

“Alright, please.”

As Lumen hoisted Lydon over his shoulder, the chunk of demonic energy that had been pressing against the greatsword quickly vanished. Instead of continuing the attack, she chose to focus on healing her own body.

“Commander, who was behind that attack earlier? It was different from any demonic energy we’ve encountered so far. It felt like it had its own will like it was alive……”

“I think you’re right. It was probably a demon who can transform their body into demonic energy and control it freely……”

Because this was an opponent he had never faced before, even the speculation was cautious. Cadel stood beside Van, who remained watchful, his gaze fixed on Lumen and Lydon’s retreating figures. His mind was a whirlwind of strategies for dealing with the red-haired demon and worries about Lydon’s condition.

‘She was capable of protecting herself without Arpa’s help. She’s a threat even with area-based attacks, but if confronted one-on-one, it’s only a matter of time before our lives are taken. I need to avoid a one-on-one fight at all costs. How should I approach this……?’

Should he gather the troops and strike from multiple angles? What about the magicians’ area spells? As Cadel pondered, his brow twitched with a sudden realization.

“……What’s that?”

In Cadel’s line of sight, Lumen and Lydon were still visible. However, beneath Lumen’s feet, as he quickly ran toward Garuel, black energy began to pool on the ground. It mimicked shadows and started to follow him.

Sensing something was wrong, Cadel tried to shout a warning.

“Lumen!”

From the puddle, the energy surged upwards, forming a dozen or so spear-like projectiles that pierced through them. Lumen instinctively dodged, but he wasn’t able to evade completely.

His left side, which was carrying Lydon, narrowly avoided the spears. But his right side wasn’t so fortunate. The energy pierced through his foot, gripping his body, and tore through his thigh, forearm, and waist.

The unexpected ambush left Cadel’s mind blank. Frozen in shock, Van muttered beside him.

“That’s dark energy.”

“…What?”

“It’s that demon, the one who absorbed your power, Commander. That bastard absorbed Yozen’s dark energy. He said he couldn’t use it properly…….”

Arpa. He had somehow managed to drain Yozen of his energy. His clenched fangs gritted, and his eyes, shaped with rage, scanned his surroundings fiercely.

“Van, you go help Lumen. I’m going to kill that demon.”

“……That’s going to be hard.”

“What?”

“Step aside, Commander.”

Van pushed Cadel back, who was about to go after Arpa. There was no need to ask why.

“I’m busy, so busy. They keep making a fuss about how to survive here and there, so it’s hard to kill them all.”

The demon, Rodin, wielding a shield made of demonic energy, appeared. On her way here, she had undoubtedly killed many humans; not only was her shield stained with blood, but her entire body was soaked in it.

Van tightened his grip on his greatsword and asked Rodin.

“What happened to the human who was with me?”

“Uh? Oh, the human who was using dark energy? He was fighting and then suddenly disappeared.”

“……Disappeared?”

“Yeah, he disappeared. It was easier to find you than him, so I came directly for you.”

Van had expected that Yozen would have prevented Rodin from making contact with Cadel. But what could be more important than protecting Cadel? Why had Yozen vanished? Van pushed aside his growing unease and unleashed his aura.

“Good job finding me. You’ve saved me some trouble.”

* * *

He watched as Lumen was pierced right in front of him, and Lydon fell to the ground, exhausted. He had to run over and heal him. His role was to keep his comrades fighting, not to dwell on their injuries.

But Garuel couldn’t approach them, nor could he unleash his demonic energy to use his healing magic.

“Couigh…… cough……”

The tendrils of demonic energy burrowed into his body. What had initially targeted all humans, then focused on Cadel and Lydon, was now honing in on Garuel.

It wasn’t as massive as the energy that attacked Cadel and Lydon, only about a dozen tendrils reaching out. But every single one of them was aimed directly at Garuel. And he had no means of stopping the demonic energy, nor could he call for help.

The dark energy surrounding him formed a solid wall, blocking the eyes and ears of his comrades, who were in the midst of a fierce battle with the enemy.

‘This is definitely Sir Yozen’s energy…… I always think about it, but I really never want to meet that person as an enemy.’

Even though it was clearly Yozen’s dark energy, Garuel knew this wasn’t something Yozen had done. It seemed that, like Cadel, his energy had been drained. No matter how much he might bother Yozen, Garuel knew that Yozen wouldn’t seriously try to kill him.

Spitting out the blood that had gathered in his mouth, Garuel staggered to his feet. Demonic energy for regeneration started to bloom across his body, but unfortunately, it didn’t have the desired effect.

‘It seems like they realized I’m a skilled healer and are trying to take me out first.’

He wasn’t about to just accept it. But at the moment, healing his fallen comrades outside was far more urgent than trying to figure out how to defeat a High Demon. He needed to break through the wall of dark energy that surrounded him, somehow.

‘The first time I touched it, it absorbed my energy. If I try to force my way through without thinking, I’ll end up being pierced through like Sir Lumen.’

If the wound was inflicted by Yozen’s dark energy, regeneration should be possible. The problem, however, was that if more demonic energy tendrils appeared during the regeneration process, he would be rendered incapable of fighting.

‘There must be a way……’

As Garuel thought about how to safely get through the dark energy wall, new tendrils of demonic energy appeared, filling the ground he stood on. The tendrils of demonic energy crossed the space created by the dark energy wall, leaving no safe zone.

‘The only choice is to avoid vital spots.’

If he allowed himself to take more damage, even he would have a hard time continuing the fight. Still, no clear solution came to mind. Garuel pressed his body close to the dark energy wall, briefly inspecting the areas on his chest and elbow where the demonic energy had made contact. Fortunately, the wounds didn’t seem to be deep.

Kiiing—

Just before the demonic energy pierced through, it expanded with a sharp resonating sound. Garuel instinctively furrowed his brow, anticipating the pain that was about to follow. But in the next moment.

“……!”

Something roughly grabbed his nape and yanked him forcefully out of the dark energy wall. At the same time, the demonic energy that had been fired left only a lingering afterimage in front of him. Struggling to regain his balance, Garuel heard a voice full of irritation in his ear.

“I’m going to kill that pesky demon magician now, so you fix Lumen and Lydon.”