LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 109
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Andras was discovered not far from here.
During their regular patrol, the Knights spotted a woman with owl wings suddenly appearing beyond the plain.
The reconnaissance team, upon confirming this fact, promptly ran away without a second thought.
After all, fighting would only lead to sacrifices, and getting any closer could result in a meeting with Andras.
Moreover, it was clear from its movements that it was heading towards this territory.
Upon hearing the report, Odelia immediately convened an emergency meeting.
“Immediately, evacuate the people and prepare our defenses.”
Of course, we were summoned to that emergency meeting. Even though we weren’t officially part of the Knights, we shared the same goal of dealing with Andras.
Odelia began to lead her Knights with a serious demeanor.
It was a stark contrast to her usual flirty self, behaving like a street girl trying to charm men.
“Well, this works out. I’ve already seduced almost all the boys around here recently, so I was getting a bit bored.”
Just as a reminder, she had once again confirmed her notorious reputation.
Every night, she brought a ‘man’ to the inn where I stayed, and they had quite the adventures.
Such was the unchanging warmth of Weldenview.
Anyway, having heard the news, I began preparing for battle.
“What are we going to do… are we all going to die?”
“Calm down, it’s going to be alright…”
“Everyone, calm down and follow our commands!”
“We’ve set up barracks outside the territory! Let’s evacuate there for now!”
Chaos erupted outside the inn. Yesterday’s peace felt like a lie as confusion spread everywhere.
Still, I was relieved. Thanks to the reconnaissance team’s spotting of the demon, we at least had time to evacuate.
Though, that time seemed to be running short.
“I’ve… appeared!”
Suddenly, a Knight shouted, and screams echoed around.
Hearing this, I finished my preparations and headed outside the inn.
It was time to meet the infamous Andras.
“Hey there, human. Do you happen to know where Plauros is?”
“H-Huh?!”
At the southwestern edge of the territory stood a woman with a sword.
From her beautiful appearance, one might think she was a woman of high rank.
But the owl wings on her back and her chillingly expressionless face denied her humanity.
She was the demon I had only heard of in rumors.
Perhaps realizing that escape was futile, the man who hadn’t managed to evacuate trembled in fear upon meeting her.
Regardless, Andras continued speaking.
“Ah, I must have asked the wrong question. A human wouldn’t know of her… Do you happen to know of a tree that never extinguishes its fire, or a place like that? We had definitely promised to leave a mark for each other from the demon realm.”
“Please… help me…”
“Answer me!”
*Thud-*
Suddenly, she stabbed the man’s side with her sword.
The man, trembling in pain, screamed.
“Aaaaah!”
“I don’t have much patience. To even engage in conversation with distasteful humans like you requires tremendous restraint. So if you want to die comfortably without pain, answer me quickly.”
The man hesitated. It seemed he had no intentions of being spared.
Should he answer, or try to buy time while enduring the suffering?
Surprisingly, he knew what the ‘tree that never extinguishes its fire’ was.
It was a legend that anyone born and raised in this small territory would have heard at least once.
However, his dilemma wouldn’t last long.
*Fwoosh-*
Suddenly, flames erupted from the sword, beginning to scorch the man’s side.
One of the top contenders for human pain is definitely burning pain.
Moreover, this cruel demon was slowly raising that sword towards his upper body.
“W-West! It’s to the west…!”
In the end, the man had no choice but to reveal the location.
“To the west… Ah, does my partner await me there? Plauros, wait for me… I will soon come to rescue you.”
Andras muttered that as he lifted his sword high.
At least he seemed to plan on sending the man off comfortably, as he raised that blazing sword. The man tightly shut his eyes.
And then it happened.
*Bang-*
Suddenly, a figure charged in and blocked Andras’s sword.
With flowing crimson hair resembling blood, she wielded a sword larger and heavier than a typical longsword.
It was Odelia. As the commander assessing the situation, she had been the first to hear the news and rushed here.
With a serious expression, she commanded her Knights.
“Take the victim somewhere safe and heal them.”
The dramatic moment nearly made the man forget his pain for a moment.
“What a surprise… so many disgusting humans.”
As people began to gather, Andras scowled.
“I truly detest humans. Just the smell they give off is enough to make me want to vomit.”
*Whoosh-*
The flames on Andras’s sword intensified.
“If I’m going to smell that, I’d rather smell burnt flesh. I’ll burn you all.”
Immediately after, Andras’ sword clashed with Odelia’s. During the first clash, Odelia couldn’t help but frown for a moment.
‘He’s strong…!’
The heat radiating from the swords was quite intense. It felt like the skin might burn if they got too close.
But the force of the swing wasn’t light either.
Among the commanders, Odelia had considerable strength. She had initially trained primarily with heavier swords.
Yet even she was being momentarily pushed back by the weight of Andras’s strikes.
‘But… I can handle it.’
Though it looked like his flames were layered over his sword, she was able to hold her ground somewhat.
However, if someone were to ask if she could win, she might hesitate for a moment… Luckily, she wasn’t alone.
“I will join!”
The Knights had been going through a very busy period recently. Ever since the Otherworlders appeared, there had been five demons in total.
As a result, they had become somewhat accustomed to demons, and the experience the Knights had gained was significant.
Immediately, Andras’s sword lunged toward Odelia’s temple.
Seeing the slow movement of the heavy sword, it was evident they had a chance. Yet, that sword wouldn’t hit her.
*Clang-*
Before that could happen, the other Knights swiftly blocked the demon’s advance.
Thanks to the holy water applied, the Knights’ swords were shimmering faintly.
Odelia easily gave her Knights commands.
“Naria, Mary. Block his sword from my left. Focus on defense.”
“Yes.”
“Florence, Edith. You too, take the right.”
“Understood.”
“In the meantime, I’ll aim for his neck.”
This was a kind of formation attack. Up until now, the demons they had faced had all been strong enough to be commander-level or stronger.
Thus, their strategies for dealing with such powerful foes had to evolve.
Sometimes using encirclement, sometimes using formations. Their experience accumulated from countless battlefields couldn’t be underestimated.
“These bothersome pests…”
Andras’s expression twisted in annoyance.
Meanwhile, the battle continued in a similar manner.
In the center, Odelia and Andras exchanged blows, while the Knights supported nearby.
Unfortunately, it seemed victory wouldn’t come easily.
‘…No.’
It almost felt like they were starting to lose ground. The more the battle continued, the hotter the flames on Andras’s sword became.
The flames didn’t grow larger. The fire remained faintly on his sword, but its intensity gradually increased.
The fire was clustering and compressing, radiating immense heat.
At this rate, one might worry that the sword would melt.
That was about the time Andras spoke up.
“I am a demon of scorching heat. Just as steel heats up when placed in fire, the temperature of my sword rises endlessly.”
This was news I’d rather not hear.
Andras grinned viciously.
“Looks like I’m getting warmed up. Your end is approaching.”
*Sizzle-*
With a terrifying sound, one Knight’s sword melts away.
So far they had managed, but to endure without a sword for long wasn’t viable.
Odelia frowned.
‘This isn’t good…’
It seemed this demon was of quite a high caliber. The holy water they had applied didn’t seem to do much good. Either that, or the extreme heat caused it to evaporate before it even reached him.
All in all, this was a rather unfavorable matchup.
But fortunately, this situation wouldn’t last long.
Allies arrived shortly.
“…So this is the one.”
A man holding a spear joined the Knights at the front. It was, of course, Yor.
Even facing a demon, he looked no different than usual.
That sight made Odelia’s expression brighten for a moment.
First, she cautioned Yor.
“Be careful! His sword melts even iron weapons! If it touches you, you might suffer a lot!”
“Hmm… It does look very hot. Hey.”
Yor frowned slightly.
No matter how much regeneration he had, he was still undeniably human and would feel pain.
Being burned in fire… even for him, that was a bit too much.
“No matter how many come, the outcome will be the same. I’m busy, so hurry up and burn him.”
That said, he had no intention of backing down. Just being more careful in the fight.
He stepped ahead of the Knights.
*Squelch-*
Then, he took his dagger and deeply cut into his own palm. Bright red blood oozed from the split skin.
As he always did, Yor coated his spearhead with his blood. In addition, he had now become somewhat skilled in increasing his blade’s prowess.
After experiencing a holy water counterattack once, this dual enhancement had become part of his arsenal.
With his preparations done, he thrust his spear forward. It was his signature thrust.
The simplest and most straightforward stroke, but due to its focus, it became a highly threatening attack.
“…”
Seeing that, Andras seemed to feel the threat and quietly prepared to counter.
*Clang-*
Instantly, their blows collided against each other. Despite the heat capable of melting metal, Yor’s spear didn’t deform.
In fact, he was continuously providing blood to the spear, gradually increasing its spearhead’s size.
“Grrk…!”
This time, Andras’s expression began to sour.
The demon that had relentlessly pressured the Knights was starting to falter against a single man.
In the end, the first to falter was Andras.
As that burning sword was deflected,
*Swish-*
The spear’s tip grazed his left elbow.
“Guh…!”
Bright red blood dripped down Andras’s left arm.
Seeing that, Yor smiled brightly.
“As expected, being free of that holy water makes things a bit easier.”
“…Hah.”
Odelia let out a brief chuckle at that sight.
Having strong allies was great, but… it made her feel a bit overshadowed.
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