Chapter 82: To the Demonic Realm (10)

Devouring Flames.

The devouring flames swallowed Yohan and the Demonic energy, continuously causing fierce explosions.

It was not a simple blazing fire.

Although it was a summary contract, I was the one who had used that magic, and naturally, the power of the Postponer of Ruin that I possessed was also imbued in it.

[Due to the effect of the ‘Postponer of Ruin (EX)’ trait, additional damage is dealt to targets with the Demonic attribute.]

[It is a powerful Demonic that you cannot currently oppose! Additional damage is dealt!]

[3,000% additional damage is dealt!]

A power that held an absolute compatibility advantage against Demonic.

When that was added to the Magic of Blazing Fire, the compatibility-negation due to the overwhelming gap in power that had existed until now was no longer meaningful.

Kwa-kwa-kwa!!!

Everything in sight was engulfed in the conflagration.

Gigik, gigigik!

The black shadows, faintly visible within the conflagration, thrashed about and resisted the blazing fire, but it was futile in the face of the flames that devoured everything.

“Trial is an inevitable part of my life But with the Lord I can overcome all difficulties……”

Even with his entire body engulfed in flames, Yohan’s madness did not stop.

It didn’t matter.

If he was still spouting bullshit even while his entire body was burning, I just had to burn him more.

Gigik, gigigik──!

Amidst the unrelenting blazing fire, the movements of the Demonic energy, which had been resisting fiercely until just a moment ago, gradually slowed.

It meant that the magic activated from the Fang of Blazing Fire, in accordance with the Contract of the Golden Rule, was greedily devouring Yohan’s Demonic energy.

In fact, as if the Price I had offered in this summary contract was quite satisfactory, the Demon of Blazing Fire did not demand an additional Price.

‘Time to finish this.’

Due to the blazing fire that burned as if to swallow Yohan, the tentacles of Demonic energy enveloping him were torn to shreds.

It meant that he could no longer easily block my attacks as he had until now.

[Activating ‘Weapon Summon(??)’.]

[‘Lv.3’ ammunition is being summoned.]

[Summoning ammunition, ‘7.62x39mm round’.]

I picked up the AKR-74 Assault Rifle lying on the ground and replaced the magazine.

Clack─

The muzzle turned toward Yohan, who was engulfed in flames.

I had clearly thought I wouldn’t hesitate, but for some reason, my finger caressing the trigger paused for a moment.

‘Tsk.’

Killing Yohan would leave me with considerable mental trauma.

No matter how much the mind of the Postponer of Ruin protected it, a scar would be left deep in my heart.

Nevertheless, I pulled the trigger.

Because sometimes, there were things one simply had to bear.

I did not look away.

Taaaang!─

With the resounding gunshot, bullets fired from the muzzle shot toward the shadow engulfed in flames.

The first few shots seemed to be blocked by the wall of Demonic energy that still remained, but under the ensuing gunfire, the barrier of Demonic energy crumbled helplessly.

No matter how powerful the Demonic energy Yohan harbored, it could not withstand the Magic of Blazing Fire enhanced by the power of the Postponer of Ruin.

Puk!

Pupuk!

Bullets embedded themselves in Yohan’s entire body, one after another.

Soon after, the Magic of Blazing Fire, which had burned away all the Demonic energy, slowly faded, and Yohan’s form, which had been obscured by the flames, was gradually revealed.

Yohan collapsed.

Seeing his shoulders rise and fall slightly, it seemed he was still breathing, but in a state of severe burns and gunshot wounds all over his body, he didn’t look like he could last long.

‘He’s alive, for now.’

It had been worth shooting while avoiding vital spots as much as possible.

I had thought that I couldn’t help it if Yohan died, but it seemed my gamble had paid off, in its own way.

I picked up the Fang of Blazing Fire that had fallen to the ground and approached Yohan.

‘I burned away all the Demonic energy revealed on the surface, but the Demonic energy that has seized Yohan’s mind likely still remains inside. To drive that out as well, I have to make direct contact.’

As I said before, killing Yohan was something that would leave me with great mental trauma.

If it was unavoidable, that would be one thing, but I had no intention of giving up easily without even trying.

‘Then…….’

The moment I extended my hand toward the fallen Yohan.

Kkudeuk, kkudeudeuk─

Yohan’s collapsed body began to twist bizarrely and move.

It was a movement like a puppet with strings attached to its entire body.

Sensing the anomaly, I reflexively pulled back and saw a black aura rising from Yohan’s entire body.

Although it was so faint it couldn’t be compared to before, it was clearly Demonic energy.

‘That’s…….’

I had already experienced some of the effects of Demonic energy.

Demonic energy could replace damaged bodily functions.

The abnormal movements Yohan was showing now were surely in the same context.

‘As I thought, not all the Demonic energy had disappeared.’

But it wasn’t all bad news.

A faint light had returned to Yohan’s eyes, which had been dyed black.

“Luk, Lukk…….”

The words that came from Yohan, who opened his mouth with extremely slurred pronunciation, were not the madness-filled fanaticism from before.

Yohan was talking.

“K-kill, kill m, me─”

“Seeing as you’re spouting nonsense, it seems there’s still Demonic energy left in your head.”

This was quite good news.

Because it meant that if I could just drive out the Demonic energy completely, I could return Yohan to his senses.

“Keuk…… can’t, can’t hold on any longer……”

“Shut up, and wait a bit.”

I tightened my grip on the Fang of Blazing Fire.

“I’ll fix that mind of yours.”

“Geureuk…….”

Yohan’s lips closed once more.

For now, I supposed I should be grateful that the nonsense—be it a hymn or whatever—that I hated hearing wasn’t coming from those lips.

‘At this level, it’s definitely possible.’

I didn’t have the luxury of unleashing something like the Magic of Blazing Fire again.

No, in the first place, it wasn’t necessary.

Unlike just a moment ago, when it was difficult to even dare approach him, the current Yohan was very weakened.

If Yohan’s Demonic energy had been intact, it would be a different story, but the remnants of Demonic energy he was emitting now were, at best, at a similar level to my own.

Bwoong! Bwong!

Yohan began to swing his weapon, a spear, haphazardly, holding it clumsily.

Strong evidence that the Demonic energy was not in complete control of Yohan.

‘Still, I can’t let my guard down.’

There was no way that blind spear would hit me, but its power was definite, so I didn’t lose focus.

Looking at objective specs, Yohan was clearly stronger than me, even excluding the Demonic energy.

Although he was in a situation where he couldn’t move his body properly due to severe injuries, carelessness was a way to invite death.

As I dodged the haphazardly thrusting spear, Yohan’s opening was naturally revealed.

‘Now.’

Yohan’s spear grazed past my waist.

I grabbed the shaft of Yohan’s spear and spun my body around.

Chwaaak!!!

The Blade Black Raven Cloak swung around and struck the defenseless Yohan.

As the dozens of Blade Feathers, imbued with the power of the Postponer of Ruin, struck Yohan at once, his body was sent flying, and the threads of Demonic energy that had been controlling him until now snapped with a ttudeuk sound.

However, I did not let down my guard.

‘There’s no way it would end this easily.’

And rightly so, because Yohan had not yet pulled out the trump card that everyone who was a Player in the World of Justice Online possessed.

Sure enough.

Kwadeudeudeuk!!!

A giant ice barrier that appeared from somewhere blocked my path.

‘Just as I thought.’

In the World of Justice Online, excluding a few mages, most Players had an instinctive aversion to using magic.

Because magic always required a Price, and that Price sometimes took more than what was necessary.

However, despite that, if you were a Player, everyone had at least one trump card magic.

Yohan was the same.

‘To think it was this magic.’

There was no way I wouldn’t recognize this magic.

No, in fact, this magic was one of the magics I had enjoyed using during my time as Cain.

‘Magic of Severe Cold.’

It was that magic, which had actually played a significant role in the battle against the Destruction Dragon.

I didn’t even need to think about how on earth Yohan had succeeded in making a contract with that extremely difficult Demon of Severe Cold.

Because the one who had told him that contract method was none other than me.

「But is it really okay to tell me this? I heard almost no one knows how to make a contract with the Demon of Severe Cold…」

「It’s fine. Just don’t go blabbing about it anywhere.」

「Of course.」

But there was one strange thing.

Despite hiding this trump card, the Magic of Severe Cold that Yohan unleashed didn’t even graze my hair.

‘No…… this magic wasn’t aimed at me in the first place.’

It didn’t take long to figure out who the target of the Magic of Severe Cold that Yohan unleashed was.

Because from the moment the Magic of Severe Cold was cast, the ice barrier had only one target.

That was Yohan himself.

The only thing the ice barrier was enveloping was him.

“This bastard……”

It was obvious what Yohan was thinking.

He must have activated the Magic of Severe Cold by squeezing out his last remaining will, thinking that his existence was a great threat and nuisance.

To end his own life.

“Who gave you permission to die?”

Before, I had thought of Yohan as a good-natured person, not a pushover, but now I had to change that thought.

There’s a limit to how nice a person can be; there was no bigger pushover than this.

“I won’t let you.”

I immediately swung the Fang of Blazing Fire toward the ice barrier.

Kaaang─!

The blade formed flames and struck the ice barrier, but it was repelled along with a surge of flames.

The ice barrier melted a little from the blazing fire contained in the Fang of Blazing Fire, but it would take a long time to break through that ice barrier with just this much flame.

‘Yohan will die before that.’

This alone was not enough.

To break through the barrier created with the Magic of Severe Cold, I either had to unleash the Magic of Blazing Fire as well, or I needed overwhelming physical force to break through that barrier.

‘A summary contract is impossible. There is no price here that the Demon of Blazing Fire desires right now.’

Therefore, to successfully cast the Magic of Blazing Fire, I would have to offer myself or Yohan as the Price, which was simply absurd.

‘The weapons I can currently use are the Fang of Blazing Fire, the Blade Black Raven Cloak, the Colt garrison B-09, and Demonic energy.’

None of them were sufficient to break through the barrier created by the Magic of Severe Cold.

‘At this rate, Yohan will stop breathing.’

There were almost no humans who could survive being frozen solid.

This was even more true if it was the Magic of Severe Cold, which possessed enough power to be effective against the Destruction Dragon.

‘The saving grace is that because it’s not that powerful a magic, the chill it’s emitting is relatively bearable.’

That was probably because Yohan didn’t have much of a price to offer the Demon of Severe Cold.

Because the Demon of Severe Cold, unlike the Demon of Blazing Fire, didn’t accept the user’s life or the like as a Price.

If I had to make an analogy, should I say it was close to a vicious loan shark who preferred to steadily rip you off with a long-term plan?

‘In that case…….’

The Demonic energy that slowly flowed out through my right hand finally enveloped the Fang of Blazing Fire.

It was beyond simply supporting my body; I had wreathed my weapon in Demonic energy.

‘As I thought, it’s possible.’

Ever since my understanding of Demonic energy had risen, I had thought it might just be possible, but I hadn’t known it would actually work.

There wasn’t much time.

The most powerful attack I could currently muster struck the ice barrier.

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