Chapter 251: Walpurgis Night (9)

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Darius stared at Carl’s back as he gradually grew farther away.

Even though he was pushing off the ground with all his might, the distance continued to widen.

‘When did he grow so much?’

Even while carrying the mage Delfir on his back, he was still much faster than Darius.

Just like the distance that had formed between them, it was certain that an irreparable gap had emerged.

‘Where did it all start to change?’

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t understand.

From childhood until Carl left the mansion as an adult.

Carl had clearly been a frail noble child.

After nearly dying from an epidemic as a child, he never overcame his weak constitution.

That’s why he thought Carl’s swordsmanship training had significantly fallen behind theirs…

It wasn’t jealousy.

It was just a bittersweet feeling upon seeing the boy he had once cradled grow up.

“Hm?”

By the time Carl had grown distant enough to disappear from sight, a strange energy was felt from the ceiling.

“Kar…!”

If it was Carl, maybe he could still hear him even from this distance.

Just as he opened his mouth for that reason—

Shiaaaak!

With a tremendous suction force, he felt himself being pulled somewhere.

Even though he raised his mana to protect his whole body, he couldn’t prevent the transfer that occurred against his will.

“……”

As soon as he landed somewhere, he swung his greatsword to deflect the incoming attack.

Kang!

A heavy impact made his grip tremble.

The moment he raised his head and looked ahead, Darius stiffened, speechless.

“…This is nothing short of hell.”

It seemed he had been yanked out of the magic labyrinth without realizing it.

The problem was that the outside was no different from a hellscape.

A blood-red sky, crumbled buildings, and monsters prowling around.

–Ugh… uhh…

Inside a mass of flesh he’d never seen before, human faces and limbs were embedded.

It was a monster made from human bodies.

Shiak!

A heavy mass of flesh fell.

He swung his greatsword at an angle to slice through it, then stepped in close and carved a sharp arc.

“I’m not just sitting idle…!”

He hadn’t been slacking off all this time.

If he’d intended to be a burden, he wouldn’t have come here as a representative of the team.

Paaaah!

A blinding aura followed the sword’s path and cleaved the monster in two.

Leaving the collapsing creature behind, Darius tried to sense the presence around him.

He was trying to gauge the movement of cadets who might be near the dormitory, beyond the gathering monsters.

“Oh? There’s still someone alive on this side?”

“…!”

But a strange voice from right behind forced him to flinch and turn around.

A tall man wearing a brown robe had approached before he realized it.

Thud.

Darius raised his greatsword and pointed it at the robed figure.

Even though he looked human, the demonic energy wafting from beneath the robe showed no intent of being hidden.

The man tilted his head as he looked at Darius.

“Doesn’t seem like someone who should still be around. Oh, did you maybe escape from the farm I set up below?”

“Farm? Are you talking about that magic labyrinth?”

“That’s right. I was just about to try something—this works out nicely.”

Swish.

The man reached out without hesitation.

Of course, Darius wasn’t about to let himself be grabbed so easily.

Chaaak!

A crimson aura tore through the man’s body.

It was a ruthless strike that left no mercy, yet the man casually dodged and looked at his fluttering robe.

“Damn. I borrowed this.”

“…You…”

Darius narrowed his eyes.

Half the man’s face was human, but the other half was covered in a pitch-black carapace-like shell.

“You’re a Demon Human.”

He had once heard about them from Carl.

Humans who offered their souls to demons or devils and received power in return—corrupted beings.

Even though he’d never encountered one before, the grotesque appearance made the identity obvious.

“Your clothes look nice. Guess I’ll have to take them instead…”

Jejejejek.

Countless slashes flew wildly.

Unbelievable speed for someone wielding such a massive greatsword.

It was a barrage that even a formidable monster wouldn’t survive.

“If you keep being such a pain…”

Pakakak.

The man crossed his arms and blocked all the attacks.

Even though the strikes were powerful enough to slice through iron, all they produced was an irritating noise—no wounds were left on him.

Jjeooong!

With a light swing of the man’s fist, Darius frowned and stepped back.

‘Not a single scratch?’

What kind of body was this?

There was a reason he was called a Demon Human.

Despite being hit directly by aura, he remained so nonchalant.

Swish. Swish.

As Darius pushed off the ground to increase distance, the man also gave chase at a fierce pace.

Thankfully, his movements weren’t that fast.

Kang! Kang!

Darius dodged the man’s reaching hands and struck back whenever an opening appeared.

Even as sparks flew and heavy impacts rang out, not a single mark was left on the man’s body.

‘But it doesn’t feel like I’m blindly hitting something solid. The lack of feedback suggests he’s being protected by some kind of blessing or magic.’

There had to be a specific strategy to deal with this type, but it was unfortunate that they had no information.

‘If that’s the case…’

It wasn’t always necessary to face the enemy head-on to defeat them.

Darius kicked off the ground with all his strength and sprinted toward the dormitory.

Carl would manage just fine on his own, so Darius intended to check on the cadets.

Boom! Bang!

Fierce battles were raging on that side as well.

At the front line, Laysis and a few cadets were blocking the tide of charging monsters, while the mages in the rear cast spells to hold the line.

…Seeing no one else around, it seemed the situation overall was quite serious.

“Senior Darius!!”

Just then, the cadets spotted Darius running toward them and shouted loudly.

Ever since Carl had vanished, the area had fallen into chaos, and they hadn’t been able to grasp the full situation.

Now that the leader of the representative team had arrived, everyone’s expressions brightened noticeably.

“Switch to offense! Sweep this place clean and escape!”

There was no point in holding the line and continuing a war of attrition.

It was better to find an alternative before their stamina ran out.

As if responding to Darius’ words, several cadets jumped out and blocked the man who had been chasing him.

“What’s this, quite a few still alive here? Looks like I won’t run out of materials.”

Jejejejek.

Before he even finished speaking, a wave of freezing cold swept over them.

Sensing a disturbing demonic energy, Nerian had used his power to try and freeze the man.

“Oh?”

Rather than dealing damage, it seemed effective—he was immobilized, unable to move a step.

The cadets’ attacks then poured in on one point, but the man’s body still showed not a single wound.

“What is that thing?”

Lewis asked as he wiped the sweat from his brow, and Darius furrowed his brow as if he didn’t know either.

“A Demon Human. Beyond that, I’m not sure…”

“You’re all so bothersome. With this many, I guess I can eat half.”

Crrk.

The man’s face split apart.

Or rather, it would be more accurate to say he multiplied.

What little human skin remained peeled away, and a pitch-black shell began to cover his entire body.

At the same time, his body swelled dozens of times larger and morphed past human form into that of a massive drake.

-Kyaaaaaaaaah!!

A scream, sharp enough to tear eardrums, echoed in all directions.

The shockwave was so intense that those nearby stumbled and collapsed to the ground.

“Black Drake?”

“…Ugh, my ears…”

Their hearing was temporarily paralyzed, throwing off their sense of balance.

Darius, too, looked up at the Black Drake with a distorted expression.

Just as he raised his greatsword to counter the unfamiliar type of lesser dragon—

Shiaaaak.

The creature’s jaws split wide open and black flames began to surge forth.

‘This is dangerous.’

Darius glanced sideways.

A good number of cadets were still dazed and unable to move.

Laysis and the others were holding off the monsters on the flanks, but it didn’t look like they could stop the Black Drake’s assault.

“Ugh.”

Nerian faltered and raised his hand high.

Pillars of ice erupted to form a protective wall around the cadets, but the drake showed no mercy, lifting its massive foot and smashing them apart.

Paaah…!

Just as the black flames were about to be unleashed upon the world, Darius raised his greatsword and rushed forward.

At the very least, he could draw its attention and buy time for the others to regroup.

But before he could act, a figure dropped from above onto the drake’s head.

Slaaam─!

A tremendous shockwave erupted in every direction as the drake’s head slammed into the ground.

The earth split apart, forming a crater, and black flames burst from the center.

-Kyaaaah!!

Even so, perhaps due to its resistance to its own flames, the Black Drake writhed but endured.

Soon, it jerked its head up and glared at the one who had slammed it into the earth.

“A Black Drake, huh? First time seeing this type. Do you know anything about it?”

“It’s a nonexistent species. It seems to be a mutated specimen, either warped by demonic energy or born from some other cause.”

Still hanging off Carl’s side, the mage Delfir swayed as he spoke.

“But since we’re out in the open now, could you please put me down? I feel like I’m about to vomit up what I had for breakfast…”

“Then I’ll make you eat it again, so bear with it.”

“…No, wait.”

Delfir looked genuinely wronged.

He could fight just as well as the cadets behind them.

No, when it came to combat magic, he was nearly a veteran.

He could be a major asset in terms of firepower—so why wouldn’t Carl let him go?

“……”

Carl glanced briefly at Delfir, then turned his eyes toward the Black Drake.

“Hey.”

-……

The drake, now cracked in the skull from Carl’s blow, panted as it glared at him.

Soon, having recovered somewhat, it opened its mouth, dark smoke curling out.

-You… what are you? I’ve never heard of a human like you among the materials…

Slaash─!

Without warning, a slash flew out and split the drake’s chest open.

Black fluid gushed out like a waterfall, and its body shuddered before collapsing in place.

Carl looked down at the drake with a faint smirk.

“If you haven’t heard, then you should die.”

-…You bastard.

“Well, don’t worry. There’s still a lot I want to hear from you.”

Only then did Carl set Delfir down and help him stand.

“Ah, thank you…”

“Bite down. This’ll hurt a bit.”

“…Huh?”

Delfir blinked wide-eyed at the sudden comment.

“…Kuhh!!!”

Just as Carl warned, an intense surge of pain followed.

Delfir dropped to his knees, retching, and soon coughed up a pitch-black bead.

Clatter.

Carl carefully picked it up, furrowing his brow, then looked toward the mangled drake.

“What the hell were you things planning to do here?”

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