79 – The Shape of Evil (2)
Aris made a disgusted expression as she looked at the approaching demons. Lately, it seemed like she had been encountering demons more often than ever. It felt like she had seen all the demons she would see in a lifetime in just a few months.
It was strange. It was as if someone was intentionally releasing demons.
When that thought crossed her mind, she shook her head. No, that couldn’t be. The cause of the Ma’gyeng had not yet been revealed. It was just an excessive imagination.
In the first place, there wasn’t even time to think about such things. If she paused her magic for even a moment, the pack of demon mongrels would ambush the envoy.
That could never happen. Her companions were none other than the saint and high-ranking nobles of the empire.
Whether they were envoys or figures from the Kingdom, no one could die.
Feeling a sense of helplessness from not having the power to protect someone was enough from the previous incident. After the demon outbreak, seeing Ruslan in action made her realize the need to further polish herself.
She practiced magic harder than ever before. She learned what she didn’t know and expanded her knowledge based on that. But she didn’t settle for that. Magic was an academic discipline that used the mind. To use mental power, humans needed basic physical strength.
The reason she underwent swordsmanship training under Ruslan’s guidance was all because of that.
Thanks to that, her final exam score was ranked 3rd for 2nd year. She was behind Ruslan, who ranked first, and Prach, who ranked second.
Her magical abilities now surpassed Diana’s, whom she had asked about various things last semester, and showed a completely different sight.
When Diana asked how her magical abilities had improved so much, Aris replied like this.
“I hated feeling powerless.”
And Aris, who overcame that powerlessness, had an astonishing magical ability.
Aris has the potential to seize the position of the main heroine in the original. She grew up earlier than expected and experienced the practical situation of the demon outbreak, so she was now using magic with maximum efficiency to get rid of the demons.
The problem was that the number of demons coming in was no joke, even though she had done all that. It wasn’t simply because there was a large quantity. From a certain point, the demons gradually grew in size, their skins became tougher, and they showed resistance to magic.
Naturally, as the amount of magic she needed to use increased, her stamina was gradually wearing out.
But she had no intention of complaining just because she was a little tired.
There were people fighting more fiercely than her right now.
There were three people who caught Aris’s attention.
The saint, Adrian Deus, and his friend Ruslan, and… the person she cared about, Prach.
They were dominating the battlefield with a level of prowess that would engulf it. The abilities of Ruslan and Prach were not those of ordinary eighteen-year-olds. And Adrian, who had already been praised as having the highest potential among the previous saints.
They were clearing out the approaching demons as they displayed a level of prowess that could sweep through the battlefield.
Every time Ruslan swung his gleaming sword, the group of demons would disappear at once. The sacred candle of St. Valencia.
Since the last battle, Ruslan had become the official owner of the sacred candle as a recognized representative of the Empire. This time, he was going to the Empire at the urging of the saint to obtain the qualifications of a holy knight.
I was granted permission to use that weapon, which means that my righteousness as Ruuslan has been acknowledged. He was sweeping away the demons with a powerful force as strong as his righteousness.
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Meanwhile, the gaze that was directed at Ruuslan soon turned to the boy with hair as radiant as the sun.
Prach. He was the person that she had kept in her heart, a distant friend.
When did he become so strong? Arist, who knew about his previous achievements, could only be amazed by the fact that he had become even stronger than before.
There was not much difference between him and Ruuslan. Although they seemed incredibly far away, almost impossible to reach, both him and Ruuslan were displaying similar prowess.
Just like Ruuslan, he didn’t fight with flashy brilliance, but with restrained movements, slowly and neatly taking off the demons’ heads.
Arist continued to cast magic and occasionally witnessed Prach’s fighting style. Like flowing water, he evaded the attacks of the massive demons and, while doing so, his sword strikes charged like enraged waves, swiftly overtaking the demons and cutting them in half.
In the case of the wolf-like demon, he grabbed its neck with his free hand, without lifting his sword, and decapitated it as if chopping a log.
Kwajik. Shyaak!
It was a cruel fighting style, but there was no room to question such things in a battle against demons. After all, it was she who had been burning them the most brutally in this battlefield.
“When did he become this strong?”
She realized, watching Prach, that people grow in the blink of an eye. Ruuslan’s growth rate was already astonishing, but Prach’s growth rate exceeded that.
Just a while ago, when the semester started, Prach’s swordsmanship skills were exceptional, but he could never compare to Ruuslan. However, now he was not lacking at all compared to Ruuslan.
From the start, when Ruuslan shot down Behemoth, Prach also played a significant role in helping him.
It was said that it was thanks to that incident that the Commander of the Royal Knights took notice of him and granted him a sword.
Perhaps, the Commander of the Royal Knights recognized his hidden potential and taught him. Look at that overwhelming prowess.
Who would think that boy was just a second-year student at the academy? Such mastery was not easily seen even in students who had graduated from the academy.
Arist remembered his disheartened appearance when he said last year that he regretted his lack of talent. It was clear that he didn’t fully know his own potential back then. And now, realizing how much potential he had, he had become one of the three shining figures in this place.
Even the nobles of the diplomatic mission, who were protected by the paladins, were looking at him with admiration. It was an attitude that showed they never expected Ransel’s successor to be this strong.
“Amazing.”
Unintentionally, Arist let out a sigh of admiration and looked up. Now was not the time to be absorbed in watching Prach’s performance. At least one demon had to be taken down. Until the main forces arrived from the kingdom.
* * *
Gradually, the number of demons that emerged increased. No, it wasn’t just an increase in quantity. They were gradually becoming stronger. It was now impossible to cut off multiple heads in one swing.
One by one, slowly.
Demons were naturally large in size. Just like their size, they should not be treated like ordinary people. There was no need for fancy tricks. They had to be dealt with using strong basic skills and endurance.
I turned my head and dodged the demon’s mouth that was coming at me, while at the same time thrusting my sword into its mouth.
With a foul smell of blood, blood poured out from its throat.
However, no one paid attention to that sight. Soon, another one was waiting for me. A demon, resembling a bear, about five times larger than me, swung its massive arm.
I stomped on its arm with my foot and ran on its arm. By infusing magic into my feet, I was able to stabilize myself instead of slipping off the arm. The startled demon waved its arm in various directions, but at that moment, I used its arm as a springboard and kicked my foot towards its neck.
Thunk.
With a piercing sound, the head of an unknown monster fell.
How much time is left? The time for the Saint to display her power will soon come.
That was the thought in my mind.
-Prach. Get ready. The strongest one will come out soon.
Asti’s voice echoed in my ear. She smiled at me while using magic. After smiling back at the creature, I prepared for the approaching monsters.
Now, it’s the main event.
That was the thought in my mind.
-Kiiiiiaaah!
With a ominous scream, a colossal group of monsters, which could be called an abomination, fell to the ground.
It emitted a horrifying scream, and its appearance was just as monstrous as the scream itself.
The grotesque arrangement of numerous monsters was repulsive in itself, causing everyone who laid eyes on it to frown or even feel nauseous.
…That’s an abomination.
Asti, this guy must have summoned an incredibly gruesome creature.
The Saint’s face paled. It was a natural reaction. Not only was its appearance monstrous, but the magic emanating from it was significant.
Magic almost rivaling that of a demon. This should be enough to bring out the sincerity of the Saint. It was fortunate that it wasn’t a Behemoth-class monster.
Well, if it had fallen here, it would have been a total annihilation.
