Chapter 647 – 647. Growth of the Hero (3)
Kaaang!
In the dark ant nest, the attacks of the two beings collide fiercely.
Due to the collision of magical energy and demonic energy, the air inside the cave that had been sinking fluctuated and the entire interior vibrated.
It is the aftermath of the impact created by the collision of Leo’s sword and the devil’s long claws.
The demon wielded the claw of his other hand as he clashed head-on with Rio de’s sword with the claw of one hand.
The devil’s claws slashed quickly, showing off their sharpness as they tried to pierce Riod’s stomach.
Riod noticed the demon’s attack, but did not pull back to avoid the attack.
Rather, while straining his arms that were fighting the devil, he let his nails attack to the side and burrowed further into the devil’s arms.
Before the power of the nails to pierce the abdomen could be properly exerted, Riod’s sword was first swung by the demon that burrowed into his bosom.
“Oops.”
Rather, the devil jumped back at Riod’s charge and avoided his sword strike.
The sharp blade’s upward slash passed close to the demon’s chest.
After exchanging attacks from each other, the two soon distanced themselves from each other and stared at each other.
“Kuk-kuk. You are strong too! You bastard!”
The devil smiled happily and admired Leo’s skills.
“For a human, that’s great! Your confidence to dispose of me is arrogant, but it wasn’t an unfounded bravado!”
At first, it was arrogant to say without hesitation that he would kill himself without knowing the subject.
However, as they continued to fight while exchanging fierce battles, the devil was admiring the fact that Riod’s sword was different from the humans he had hunted so far.
“…”
Riod, on the other hand, frowned and glared at the devil without saying anything.
‘As expected, it’s strong.’
The devil in front of me was special.
Usually demons are mental bodies summoned from the demon realm and have special abilities that cannot be used with the human body and mind.
As a typical example, the succubus named Lira, who infiltrated Pernine before and had the ability to seduce men and draw out their spirits.
Or, like Astaroth’s ‘scar of annihilation’, when he was on Earth, he melted and burned everything just by being nearby.
While possessing specialized abilities, demons that formed their bodies in the underworld with only their mental bodies and contaminated magical powers did not have such strong bodies.
Of course, they should be strong compared to normal humans, but they are weak compared to knights and adventurers who have bodies that have been strengthened through long training.
The reason demons are strong is because humans have powerful abilities that cannot be reproduced or resisted.
However, the demon in front of him showed a relaxed appearance even after receiving his attack.
‘Was it true what Siete-sama and that guy said?’
It is a story that there are over tens of thousands of types of demons in the demon realm, and that there are as many different characteristics as there are.
Riod remembered hearing about that story from Eunhyeon and Siete.
Among them, instead of possessing special abilities, there are demons who are born with poisonous magical powers that are particularly strong and can construct powerful bodies with only mental and magical powers.
And even the fact that Siete was killed by a demon with such characteristics.
Before the fight, Riod recalled what the devil had said.
-Originally, I wanted to subdue that body of yours intact as a body to be dedicated to my lord, Gusion, but I’ll make you pay the price for teasing that arrogant mouth.
A story about sacrificing one’s body to the devil one is loyal to.
In those words, Lyod found a clue.
“… That body. It’s not yours.”
“Kuk-kuk. You have a good eye for it.”
The devil did not deny Lyod’s guess.
Rather, he raised his arms high and proudly replied as if he had the correct answer.
“Yes. This body is the powerful human body of an adventurer I recently ate.”
That body was that of a gold-tier adventurer who had recently disappeared.
The body, which was completed through constant training and effort, was eroded by the devil’s spirit, and the current result is that the body’s transformation was progressed by the devil’s mental body and the contaminated mana it possessed.
The lower body is the leg of a beast with the characteristic of reverse joint.
The upper body resembled that of a human, and a pair of buffalo horns sprouted from the top of the head.
‘… It’s annoying.’
Now that the devil’s mental body dwells in the body of a strong, gold-tier adventurer, the devil’s defense is stronger than expected.
Seeing that the devil’s claws, which had been strengthened and grown long and sharp, remained intact even after colliding head-on with his sword, Riod decided that it was wrong to easily clean up the devil.
‘The physical defense is also defensive, but what really bothers me is the devil’s physical ability.’
The demon confronting Riod was different from other normal demons.
He didn’t even display any special abilities, and seemed to have poured everything into strengthening his body, which ate away the power he possesses.
The demon’s movements and attacks were fast and fierce enough to rival itself and other high-ranking adventurers, and it was not an attack wielded by instinct alone like demon beasts.
There was a reason that came in after accurately understanding the opponent’s vital points, and it contained the essence of the skill completed through countless repeated movements.
It moves like a human who has honed his skills through long training.
Riod felt like he was not facing a demon, but a brawler who enjoyed a fight to the death.
“I originally intended to kill you and take his body as intact as possible, but I changed my mind. Let me make you an offer.”
“… What?”
The devil smiled and held out his hand to Leo.
“Be the devil.”
“… ?”
Riod paused and put on an expression that was at a loss for words for a moment.
He heard with both ears what he was being offered, but it took time for the reason in his head to understand it.
“Did you not understand?”
“… Human… Is it possible to become a demon?”
“There’s nothing I can’t do. Of course, it is impossible for all human souls to become demons, but it is possible with you.”
The devil was confident.
If it’s Rio de, he can become a more powerful being by becoming a demon, and he’s sure to be of great help to the lord he serves, Gushion.
“The body, experience, and skills you have now will become dust and disappear when your life as a human ends. Isn’t it too much of a waste? If you become a demon, you can leave it behind forever, and on the contrary, you get room to grow even more!”
As a being who seeks strength, putting aside the human and the devil, being given the opportunity to walk toward a higher level is really no different from a sweet temptation.
So the devil was sure that Leo would accept his offer.
However, the devil’s expectations were wrong too quickly.
“Refuse.”
“… What?”
In response to Riod’s refusal to answer with a single knife, this time the devil opened his eyes wide and asked Riod back.
Just like the previous time when Leod was suggested to become the devil, this time the devil looked at him as if he had heard it wrong.
“I said no.”
“… Why?”
“Because even if I don’t receive such an offer, I, as a human being, can become strong enough.”
At least Riod knows two strong men who have surpassed their limits with a human body.
His goal is to catch up with one of them, his friend and colleague.
He had no intention of giving up being human for that.
So, Riod didn’t even feel worth thinking about and rejected the devil’s offer.
The demon, who was very annoyed by the refusal, distorted his expression.
“Dare… Will you refuse my offer of mercy?”
The demon’s arms, armed with sharp claws, trembled.
It wasn’t enough that he refused the offer, it was because the human attitude that he could defeat himself even in his current state hurt his pride.
“I have changed my mind. I don’t need your body. Let’s hunt stronger humans and offer them to Gushion-nim!”
Longing to see the grave knight’s face contorted in pain, begging for his life, the demon charged at Riod.
The explosive leg power created by the beast’s legs accelerated, and the sharp claws of the devil reached right in front of Liod’s eyes.
“… !”
Riod, who confirmed it belatedly, turned his head to the side to avoid his nails.
Following that, the unparalleled series of demonic attacks continued.
While coping with all of Rage’s series of attacks, Riod looked for opportunities to counterattack, but the devil did not easily show any gaps even as he fired seemingly indiscriminate series of attacks.
Lyod had to admit.
‘Strong. Maybe even more than me.’
Its nature itself is different from the demons I have met so far.
Going beyond that strong body and physical ability was a difficult task even for Leo, who had been perfected through long training.
However, if the size of his armed forces is determined only by his physical strength, there is no way that Eun-hyeon, who is inferior to himself, could have survived the death-dealing battle with so many demons with his pure physical ability.
‘What’s important is the skills you’ve accumulated through training and experience.’
Eun-hyeon’s advice came to Riod’s mind.
‘I guess so.’
That’s the sea that Riod agrees with.
If he does not believe in the time and experience he has trained so far, he is denying everything he has achieved.
Riod was known as the strongest knight in the kingdom of Pernias, but his powers were not all the same to the demons.
In order to fight the demons with Eunhyeon, he had to aim for a higher level.
So, Lyod was eager.
Physically, I am not satisfied at the point where I have already reached the highest level, and I have to become stronger than I am now.
‘Now is the moment.’
Riod instinctively realized that now was the moment to push his limits.
The demon in front of him, stronger than himself, is currently blocking his growth and is a wall he must overcome.
He glanced over and gazed at the yellow-glow jewel that illuminated the interior of the large oyster.
The jewel was maintaining the jewel magic that Eun-hyeon had activated earlier.
It was a condition that allowed Riod to fight the devil on an equal footing in this dark place.
However, there is a limit to how long that jewel magic can be maintained.
‘Not enough.’
Determined to deal with the demon before the effect of the jewel magic that brightens the vision wears off, Riod looked at the demon with eyes full of confidence.
“Cheeky… !”
The devil gnashed his teeth.
I didn’t like the arrogant look of that human who said he could defeat him.
“I’ll cut off your limbs and make you beg for my life!”
“No. You cannot.”
Riod swung his sword, denying the devil in a confident voice.
Only the physicality of the body has the upper hand, but the difference in technique is still higher for Riod.
For Riod, who is chasing the backs of the two swordsmen who are looking at the pinnacle of swordsmanship, the devil was just a stepping stone to growth.
“I can’t stand shoulder to shoulder with him if I’m barely caught by you or the like.”
