novelGlobal Chapter 187 : Enemy (4)
Chapter 187 : Enemy (4)
Chapter 187: Enemy (4)
No matter how many times he cut, the magic did not cease and kept crashing down on him.
Not only did it summon Monsters he had never seen before, but all kinds of weapons shot toward him like arrows.
He wanted to tear that Demon Tribe bastard apart right this instant, but he still could not reach him.
“Killing Intent has lessened compared to before. Surely this isn’t all you’ve got.”
“As if.”
He pulled the two swords diagonally, then brought them down 그대로.
Fighting Spirit traced along the diagonal line and surged toward Werther.
It tore through the magic and was just about to split his body in two.
Werther leaned back as if lying down on a bed and narrowly avoided the Fighting Spirit.
Swoosh.
Spinning around and swinging his blade, he once again caught sight of the one casting magic.
Among the spells that bastard wielded, the most troublesome one.
Werther could teleport.
There was no telling how many times he had escaped danger with that spell.
From the start, he must not have even recognized it as danger, confident that he could evade any attack.
“How long are you going to keep running? Or are you scared?”
“If we clash head-on, it seems dangerous.”
After Robin’s momentum had abruptly changed, Werther stopped attacking directly.
Instead, he changed his combat style, nimbly avoiding attacks while firing off long-range magic in rapid succession.
Whenever Robin tried to cut through the magic and carve a path forward, the bastard sensed it like a ghost and widened the distance.
For Robin, who specialized in close combat, the battle continued in a disadvantageous matchup.
“Wasn’t it you who wanted to fight me? And now you’re running away?”
“Watching you struggle is a pleasure in itself.”
Robin ground his teeth.
This was bad.
Unlike before, the bastard had changed his mind.
He had expected him to come out aggressively due to the Demon Tribe’s characteristic arrogance, but the bastard was more cool-headed than he appeared.
Rather than engaging in unnecessary close combat, he was satisfied with watching the struggle from afar.
Just once.
There had been a moment when Werther’s flow faltered.
When Aelin’s arrow from behind pierced through Raphir and targeted Werther as well.
For the first time, a crack had appeared in the bastard’s expression, and instead of offensive magic, he used another move.
There had been no time to discern exactly what spell it was, but he had a guess.
He knew his companions were dealing with Werther’s Subordinates from behind.
It was highly likely that he had revived the Subordinate who had been left on the brink of death by Aelin’s strike.
“You seem deep in thought.”
“Yeah. Thought a lot.”
“No matter how much you rack your brain, there won’t be any brilliant solution. Why not focus more on me instead?”
“No, I came up with a brilliant solution.”
As he crossed his swords vertically, Werther’s magic was sliced apart as if by scissors.
It was a powerful slash, but from Werther’s perspective, it was no different from the attacks he had seen thus far.
“What’s this brilliant solution supposed to be?”
“Shut up and get caught. If I catch you, you’re dead.”
“I fail to see what has changed.”
The fact that he no longer approached closely as before meant he judged it dangerous.
In other words, there was more than enough room for an attack to land.
Moreover, he seemed wary of arrows that might fly in unexpectedly.
As a shred of reason returned, he began to see what had previously gone unnoticed.
A subtle change that even the arrogant Demon Tribe bastard himself did not seem to recognize.
“You’re afraid.”
“What a dull joke, human.”
Werther calmly sneered and cast his spell.
A cluster of purple light burst forth like a spiderweb.
Stepping aside to dodge and observing closely.
He detected instability within part of the magic.
“A Demon Tribe without blood or tears is still equal before death.”
“What are you talking about?”
He still refused to admit it, but the recent exchange had confirmed it.
The bastard was afraid.
It was likely because of Aelin’s strike.
He now had a sense of what to do.
“One who has lived a life worse than a pebble on the street. Enduring scornful gazes, he has completed his fury.”
The flickering Fighting Spirit emitted a Red Light and resonated with a low hum.
The Mercenary King’s verse he had saved for a decisive moment.
“In despair, he floundered and faced the malice that burrowed deep, making it his nourishment.”
Fighting Spirit, as if ready to grind down anything it touched, stretched long along the blades.
With its mere manifestation, it swept away the Demonic Energy that had encroached upon the surroundings.
“Struggle. Seize. Judge.”
At the sight of the blood-red Fighting Spirit, Werther’s smile stiffened.
“To the Shadow of the Past, grant ruthlessness.”
The once-composed Werther retreated.
Not just a step or two, but a full ten meters back.
“To indomitable fighting spirit, grant exaltation.”
Crackle!
Werther’s eyes widened as he hastily vacated his position.
He moved to the flank, out of Robin’s line of sight, but unfortunately, it was exactly where Robin had anticipated.
He overlapped his arms, then added rotational force and flung them wide.
Kwaaaaaaang!
The ground was sliced as if cut cleanly and instantly engulfed Werther.
Faced with Robin’s move, Werther had no choice but to reveal a hidden card of his own.
Slash.
Black wings tightly wrapped around his entire body.
Even so, the earth trembled, and he had to steady his mind.
When the tempest-like assault passed and the wings were withdrawn, Robin had already rushed right up before him.
“How dare a worm-like human!”
The wings, tightly bound with Demonic Energy, lashed out toward Robin.
Slice.
The sword still imbued with the Mercenary King’s Fighting Spirit severed the tip of the wing.
The wings—both the pride and powerful weapon of a high-ranking Demon Tribe—had been damaged far too easily.
To Werther, it was nothing less than an unbearable humiliation.
“I was going to play with you moderately, but it seems I can’t.”
“You idiot.”
Robin, who had acted as if he would end it all, withdrew without hesitation and widened the distance.
Though it was an unexpected response, Werther was enraged at the damage to his pride.
Blinded by the sudden surge of hostility, he forgot what the flash of light gleaming in the distance had been.
Zuwoooooong!
Fearing that Werther might approach, Robin unleashed Fighting Spirit in all directions.
Fortunately, before the bastard could come close, the streak of light was faster.
Paang!
The arrow Aelin shot passed right before his eyes.
Werther’s wing and arm were torn off 그대로.
“Ah, aa…….”
It should have been a fatal blow even if it had merely grazed him.
Yet Werther did not die and stared blankly at the wing that had fallen.
“…The games are over.”
A Lump of Demonic Energy poured out in streams from Werther’s wing joint.
The Demonic Energy swirling above his head looked dangerous at a glance.
“I’ll kill you painfu—.”
Paaak!
In the middle of speaking, Werther’s head snapped to the side and he bit his tongue.
He had been struck by Robin’s high kick.
Having drawn upon the power of the Mercenary King, Robin’s physical abilities surpassed his usual state.
“Yes! You should’ve come at me like this from the start for it to be worth breaking you!”
“Do not misunderstand. This is not entertainment.”
Slice. Slice. Slice.
The two swords swept over Werther as if performing a dance.
The barrier of Demonic Energy he created was rendered meaningless as the ends of his limbs were shaved away.
The swordsmanship, like a dance, was beautiful at a glance.
“Keu… Kraaagh!”
Werther screamed in agony as his toes and fingers were severed.
“It is merely an execution.”
As if peeling skin with a paring knife and cutting into the flesh beneath, Werther’s hands and feet were sliced away.
He tried to escape with magic, but the dagger embedded near his heart threatened him.
If he showed even the slightest sign of fleeing, he would die instantly.
“S-Stop…….”
Thud.
Robin drove his sword into the cross-section of the severed wrist.
Pain like being burned alive traveled through his nerves and assaulted Werther.
“Kkeuuuuugh!”
“So even a proud Demon Tribe feels pain.”
“I-I was wrong! Let’s at least talk…….”
Sluuuck.
When Robin slowly pulled out the sword he had thrust in, the bastard flopped like a freshly caught fish.
It was almost laughable how he begged for his life while apologizing.
Had he ever imagined, even for a moment, that the one who treated humans like insects would meet such an end?
“W-What do you want! I’ll grant you anything! So please…….”
“How many Demon Tribe remain in the Demon Realm.”
“Th-That…….”
Thud.
When Robin stabbed into the cross-section of his ankle, the bastard screamed and writhed.
Only when the tip of the sword pierced up near his knee did he open his mouth.
“N-Not even a hundred!”
“That few?”
“M-Most of the Demon Tribe died in the war.”
As they spoke, Werther was overwhelmed by the urge to escape the pain, if only for the duration of the conversation.
Setting aside the disgrace of having been defeated by a human, he simply wished for this moment to end.
“Who is the strongest among the Demon Tribe.”
“T-The Demon King! The Demon King is alive!”
“How strong is the Demon King.”
“I-I don’t really…….”
Sluuuck.
When Robin pulled out the sword lodged in his leg, the bastard shed tears of blood and thrashed.
“T-The Demon King hasn’t shown himself since the war…….”
“Useless bastard.”
Slice.
He severed below Werther’s left knee.
Even then, the bastard truly seemed to know nothing more and could not answer.
After extracting a few more pieces of information, Robin moved on to the next step.
“Calimacos, Torgen, Mirian, Felix. Do you know who they are?”
“W-Who…….”
“They were my benefactors and my family.”
Thud.
He thrust his hand into the bastard’s eye and crushed it.
Werther’s left field of vision went dark.
“Kkeuuuuaaaagh!”
“You and your Subordinates killed them.”
“Keh… keugh… I-I said I was sorry…….”
“You fail to understand.”
With a hand wrapped in Fighting Spirit, Robin pierced Werther’s chest.
Breaking through the ribs, his fingers grasped the pulsating Heart.
“They risked death to protect me, and you treated it as entertainment.”
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The Heart in his grasp began to beat rapidly.
“Look at me. The one they protected has returned to execute you.”
“Kkeuuugh… s-spare…….”
“Let the mighty Demon Tribe know they die because of a human’s will.”
As he poured strength into his grip, the Heart swelled as if about to burst.
Werther’s one remaining eye filled with terror.
The squelching sensation, like crushing a lump of blood, became a searing exhilaration.
“P-Please, just once…….”
Pop.
When the Heart burst, Werther’s pupils dilated.
Hot blood scattered without order, and Robin flicked away the remains left in his hand.
Grabbing the bastard’s horn and applying brute force, it tore free from the Skull with a cracking sound.
“I’ll be taking this.”
“No… don’t…….”
It was an end that did not grant peace even in death.
Three years ago, during the Runeberg War, the Demon Tribe had been as overwhelming as a natural disaster.
After long endurance, he had finally achieved his revenge.
Mirian had left a dying wish telling Robin never to think of revenge, but in this moment, Robin felt a fulfillment greater than anything.
Who was it that had said.
Revenge only begets more revenge and is meaningless.
Robin, who savored the revenge he had achieved himself, thought differently.
“That feels refreshing.”
Mirian, who had departed first, flickered before his eyes.
If she were alive, what would she have said in this situation?
Robin let out the words he wanted to say.
“Revenge is sweet.”
If Mirian had been beside him, she would probably have flicked his forehead and scolded him.
Asking if he had really risked his life over something like that.
“To me, it was worth more than anything.”
That was the greatest mourning the one left behind could offer.
It felt as though he could finally set down a little of the heavy burden he had carried.
“Robin! Are you alright!”
Sigbard, Aelin, and Serena ran toward Robin.
His companions also bore clear traces of battle.
It seemed Werther’s Subordinate had been cleanly dealt with as well.
When Robin waved his hand to indicate he was fine, Sigbard’s expression relaxed.
“Come slowly. You’ll trip.”
He had worried someone might have been seriously injured, but no major wounds were visible.
Considering they had faced the Demon Tribe, they had done remarkably well.
As the battle ended, the tension drained away at once, and strength left his body.
Robin exhaled deeply and flopped down on the spot.
Though the sky was gloomy and ash-gray, it seemed to comfort him for his efforts, and he felt at ease.