By Zephyria 
Ruben, whose eyes met mine, quickly murmured.
“Mika. Large species, including Ogre Mutants, are—”
“I’ll handle them.”
Large monsters were the kind that needed to be dealt with by an offensive line, not a defensive one. With so many nuisance monsters around, it was difficult due to the risk of being attacked from behind. Moreover, Mutants had a more turbid and stronger energy than regular monsters.
If I had my way, I would have wiped out dozens, even hundreds, in a single blow, but I was drained after the decisive battle with the Ninth God. I hadn’t sustained major injuries, but my entire body still ached. While I could endure this level of pain, my movements inevitably slowed as my body grew stiff.
I leaped forward and dashed north first.
I bypassed the minor monsters. Those I stepped on underfoot, I crushed their heads using Jin-gak. Large monsters were significantly bigger than medium-sized ones, making them easy to spot. The first Ogre I encountered, I split in half lengthwise. As the halved body touched the ground and tried to rise again, I clicked my tongue and delivered three more slashes.
Monsters that had mastered Demonic Arts died in one hit, while those that stood up even after four or five strikes were zombies. However, there was no need to distinguish between the two. I leaped and weaved, ensuring nothing fearsome approached the child.
I circled around the defensive line formed by about a hundred Knights. Their fluid, organic movements as they fought as one were quite satisfying.
I also caught a glimpse of Elvin, standing tall beside Ruben, still fussing over and coaxing Oasis. What was that god doing, still lost in thought?
As I wished for Oasis to regain its senses quickly, I sliced off both arms of a Troll that had raised them high. Just as I leaped to dodge the creature picking up its severed arms and throwing them at me—
“…Gasp…!”
“Hngh!”
A familiar melody, one I had almost forgotten, suddenly rang out in a piercingly high pitch.
Simultaneously, the Mana concentration surged. The hands and feet of the Knights, who had been skillfully dealing with the monsters, became clumsy. The rampaging monsters grew wilder, snorting and puffing.
I decided I had to wipe them all out in one go, even if it meant pushing myself. No, I had to find Soho Cheon-nyeo quickly…
In my haste, I moved closer to the group of Knights. Ruben, once again, deeply slashed his left arm. Startled, I nearly slipped off the Ogre I was riding, but I severed its neck first and then looked back at Ruben.
Ruben clutched his chest with his right hand, soaked in his own blood.
I could see his lips moving, but I couldn’t understand what he was mumbling this time. For a moment, I could only sense the dense Mana that had been gathered in one direction, towards the east, being rapidly absorbed.
The monsters, which had been roaring, faltered. The Knights, who had been swallowing their groans, regained their energy and swung their swords.
As I cut down the monsters charging at me, I checked on Ruben repeatedly. A Wizard standing beside him used Healing Magic on Ruben’s arm.
Ruben looked back at me and smiled faintly. Then he whispered.
[Find them quickly and come back, Mika. I’ll be waiting.]
The voice from the Communication Artifact sounded dreamily sweet.
❖ ❖ ❖
I leaped and bounded, cutting down and crushing the large ones.
Having confirmed Ruben’s safety, I had nothing holding me back. Just as Wizards often hid in the safest places, I assumed the Thousand-Faced Devil and Soho Cheon-nyeo would be doing the same. It was absurd to consider those who were neither swordsmen nor martial artists as my adversaries, but I maximized my Eye Force to scan my surroundings.
Ah.
I found him, perched on the right shoulder of an Ogre.
“Namgung Jeong-yeon—!”
The man whose eyes met mine let out an indignant voice.
It was unbelievable. I hadn’t expected to see this face here again. Glotin Tenner’s gleaming hair color assaulted my vision. It was a great relief that Marianne wasn’t present. She would have been deeply upset to know that the shell of someone she once liked had fallen into the hands of a ghastly minion of the Demonic Cult.
“What happened to the owner of that body?”
“How dare you, you dare to interfere with the Cult Leader’s affairs again—!”
“Has the Heavenly Demon also arrived in this land? I haven’t heard any such rumors.”
“How dare you—!”
The Central Plains Language, spoken aloud for the first time in a long while, felt unfamiliar.
Glotin Tenner’s face, flushed a furious red as if about to burst, wasn’t even amusing.
He hadn’t recognized me in the Magic Territory until the very end, so I wondered how he had figured out I was one of Namgung’s people. Did he hear it from the Ninth God? No, that wasn’t it. Soho Cheon-nyeo had a keen eye, and since the Cheonnyeo had died by my hand, she might have figured it out.
It was strange.
Now, seeing the Thousand-Faced Devil didn’t fill me with as much anger or sorrow.
Perhaps it was because I had settled a good portion of my past life’s grievances. Now, I felt I could easily defeat this wretch. Regardless, I faced him calmly, without my Inner Demon.
The Thousand-Faced Devil created zombies, and Soho Cheon-nyeo manipulated giant Monster Variants into rampaging. Therefore, the person I needed to find urgently now was Soho Cheon-nyeo, not this one. I decided to finish him quickly and then go find the Cheonnyeo, and with that thought, I drew my sword.
Clang—!
The sound of clashing swords echoed. The Ogre the Thousand-Faced Devil was directly controlling was exceptional. I couldn’t fathom how it was forged, but it could block my sword with its forearm. Had it been reinforced with Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron? Even knowing such metal didn’t exist in this land, such a bizarre thought crossed my mind.
“Because of you, if it weren’t for you, by now…!”
I didn’t fully understand the power structure of the Demonic Cult. I simply assumed there was a reason why various Demons who emerged into the world following the Heavenly Demon boasted their names through cruel and horrific bloodbaths. I wasn’t curious at all.
As he continued to blather, I responded appropriately.
“How does this bountiful land taste?”
“You bastard—!”
“It tasted so good you can’t speak. Then it would have been better if you had lived obediently with gratitude.”
Still, it was fortunate. My companions were far away, so I didn’t have to worry about the puppet show I had with Benjamin before.
I blocked the Ogre’s arms and legs that swung at me relentlessly, channeling the force away and looking for an opening.
He repeatedly switched the monsters he used as shields.
Most were Ogres, but sometimes they were Trolls. He hid behind an Owlbear, then brought out a Minotaur, repeating the pattern. I chased his movements like an ant lured by sugar, cutting down everything in my path. It felt as if all the energy of this land was mine.
Yet, he remained elusive, just within reach. It was because there were too many monsters around. True to his Demonic Cult nature, he didn’t hesitate to roll around on the ground, slick with blood and mud, to escape.
I pursued him, cleaving through monster bones and shattering the ground.
Then, at one moment—
Chijik.
The sound of the Communication Artifact connecting was heard.
An ally had entered within 1km. I couldn’t forgive myself, the fool who had charged forward like a bull chasing an enemy, only to be pushed back this far. The thought of the Thousand-Faced Devil taking my child, my companions, Ruben’s Knights hostage, just like before, ignited a fire in my eyes.
“You bastard—!”
“Kuhahahaha! Scream my name in hell, Namgung’s dog!”
Though he couldn’t defeat me in a one-on-one fight and had been running away, the Thousand-Faced Devil was a Demon who had also reached the Hwagyeong realm. Without a moment’s hesitation, he fired a Divine Body towards Ruben, and I gritted my teeth and ran with him. Just a little, just a little more. Just a little faster…!
Ruben tried to block it by raising his sword in front of his body, but it was futile. It would have been better to roll on the ground. The child’s sword shattered delicately, and the Thousand-Faced Devil’s Eagle Claw
(A martial art resembling an eagle’s talons)
dug into the child’s chest.
It felt as if all the blood in my body drained away.
Time seemed to slow down considerably. The startled Knights charged to attack the Thousand-Faced Devil but were thrown back. Crushed. Exploded. Even that was too slow. A look of surprise gradually spread across Ruben’s pale face.
It was my fault. I had led Ruben into a death trap. My foolish self had let the evil fiend, who had fled far away, come this far.
I… I did this to Ruben.
It would have been better if I had died instead.
It felt as if the fiend would pluck out Ruben’s heart at any moment. Ruben’s composed expression contorted. While all the Healing Artifacts in this world could heal external wounds, they couldn’t bring back the dead. If the child’s heart were torn out, then truly…
My vision turned red. Unable to suppress the rising fury, I was about to let out a roar when—
Golden Mana bloomed in the air like fireworks.
Mana, like gold dust, flowed down from the opened portal in all directions.
“What… what is this…!”
The Thousand-Faced Devil’s attack naturally failed to achieve its purpose. Ruben stumbled back five steps, supported by the Knights behind him. Ruben looked at my face with a surprised expression. I, too, couldn’t tear my gaze away from Ruben. Frozen in place, I just stared at Ruben endlessly.
Ruben is still alive.
And he will continue to be alive.
It was a relief that he hadn’t collapsed. My heart, which had momentarily stopped, pounded so fiercely that my ears went numb. I opened and closed my mouth, wanting to say something. The voice calling out Ruben’s name, as if sobbing, didn’t sound like my own.
A hand suddenly emerged from the void and gripped the Thousand-Faced Devil’s neck.
“Long time no see. You’re wearing a pretty outfit?”
The Dragon appeared.
Could I really be this happy?
Unconsciously, I broke into a smile. Finally, I had the leeway to exhale a ragged breath.
Oasis seemed to have finally gathered its Origin. It was truly a relief. Truly a relief. It was indeed… a great fortune, and also…
Gano Paquin followed, emerging from the portal. The portal closed quickly, but no one paid it any mind. The Mana fragments scattering from the Thousand-Faced Devil’s seven orifices
(holes of the eyes, nose, mouth, and ears)
returned to Spiritus.
“First, I’ll take back what I gave you… As for the owner of this body, what is it? Is it even alive?”
“It is someone who can be killed.”
“No, but I can’t touch it myself… You do it. I’ll at least trap it so it can’t transfer anywhere else from this body…”
Spiritus muttered an incantation and threw the Thousand-Faced Devil at my feet.
Ruben coughed and straightened himself. I heard the sound of the Wizard, whose face was still full of surprise, using Healing Magic on Ruben again, but it barely registered. Yes, that was right. I had completely forgotten that Ruben was wearing a Divine object.
“What the hell, why is this guy crazy?”
“Th-that… No, it’s not. He’s probably sane.”
“Then why is a perfectly fine person shedding tears of blood? This bastard is truly potent.”
Spiritus defended Ruben while tending to him. Meanwhile, seeing the Thousand-Faced Devil reduced to a cornered rat, I couldn’t help but chuckle. Having been instantly pulled from the middle of purgatory to the human realm, his mind was both present and absent. I would dismember this fiend and repay the grievances that had spanned from my past life.
His lips turned blue as he crawled backward on his backside. In front of two Gods, he had no chance of defeating me. Come to think of it, where had he put his glasses? Well, what did that matter?
I firmly gripped my sword with both hands, holding it high. As I resolved to stab him through the heart and plunged it down—
A black portal opened on the ground.