Chapter 230
“Aaaaaargh!”
“S-save me!”
Screams of terrified people echoed. I quickly chanted the activation phrase.
“Bulwark of Mercury.”
Shhhaaa.
The Silver Citadel stretched out long and grand behind me.
Shining city walls, as if carved from adamantite, protected the city and its citizens.
Countless fireballs futilely exploded without penetrating the barrier.
“W-we’re alive!”
“Y-your Excellency…!” [
[
…While a corner of my vision was plastered with exciting messages, I succeeded in closing the distance with Nazril.
Serpens drew a smooth arc.
Swish!
The tip of the cigar Nazril held in his mouth was cut off.
It was because he retreated by a hair’s breadth.
My attack didn’t end there. With a fluid combo, I extended Serpens’ blade and struck Nazril.
Clang!
Instead of the sensation of cutting something, the sound of metal clashing returned. A staff blocked the front of Nazril’s chest.
“Ptui.”
Nazril spat out the half-smoked cigar from his mouth.
That became the signal.
My Serpens, returned to sword form, swept across Nazril’s eyes.
Nazril twisted his body at a strange angle to dodge, then thrust his staff.
I deflected the point of impact and unleashed another flurry of slashes.
An exchange of blows, too fast for an ordinary person’s naked eye to discern, continued for a long time.
As sword and staff clashed, light and darkness scattered dazzling afterimages. The clang of metal constantly pounded my eardrums.
Amidst the fierce close combat, Nazril acted with composure.
“Not bad. I’ll praise you.”
“…”
“No reply. Too busy fighting to speak…”
Chwak!
A long red line, as if extending the corner of his mouth, was drawn on Nazril’s left cheek.
His left eyelid twitched, as if he felt a sting.
I scoffed.
“Is a reply really necessary?”
“…Presumptuous.”
Nazril’s eyes shone sharply, as if provoked.
<What’s he gonna do if he gets angry, given his place?>
Agreed.
It was necessary to make Nazril’s gaze respectful. It was time to show the difference in power.
I snapped open my eyes, which I had gently closed.
‘Come.’
Shhhiiiik!
I mentally summoned the Aura Blades that had finished off the fireballs. The Aura Blades occupied Nazril’s flanks and rear.
Around him, light ceaselessly traced sharp straight lines and smooth curves.
“Guh!”
Against the swords that attacked him relentlessly, circling around, Nazril could only focus on defense.
A fight on a rooftop, like a single log bridge. The one being pushed back was clear.
Nazril’s body was gradually pushed back.
“…This won’t do.”
It was then that Nazril took off his fedora and turned it inside out.
“Come forth, my lovely pigeons!”
The fedora transformed into a magician’s hat and pulled out black birds.
People screamed the birds’ identity.
“Th-they’re Shadow Monstrous Birds!”
Over a dozen monstrous birds covered Nazril, keeping my Aura Blades in check.
A standoff, where their respective strengths balanced each other, dragged on.
At this, Nazril bared his fangs and grinned.
He wasn’t even overwhelming me, yet he was pleased with a mere standoff; I only thought he was pathetic.
Then, the necklace chimed.
<This guy, his fangs are super long? Is he a vampire?>
Agnes questioned Nazril’s species, intending to exploit a weakness.
“No.”
I replied briefly and then raised my divine power.
To break the stagnant equilibrium of the battle, I decided to overwhelm him with firepower.
“Divine Retribution!”
Pazzzzzzik!
Holy white light and powerful electrical energy simultaneously imbued my seven Aura Blades.
<Kieeeek!>
The Aura Blades, born from the collaboration of lightning, holy light, and aura, tore the Shadow Monstrous Birds apart in an instant.
And then, they surged from all directions, targeting the now isolated Nazril.
“Damn it…!”
Nazril focused so much on parrying the Aura Blades that he exposed his side to me.
I had no intention of missing the opening. My flexible sword swung widely into his blind spot. The target was his back.
It was the moment the sensation of a smooth cut was transmitted through my fingertips.
“Ugh…!”
A strange groan, unbefitting a fierce life-or-death struggle, brushed my eardrums.
That peculiar groan had clearly come from Nazril’s mouth.
<What was that?>
While even Agnes doubted her hearing, Nazril, who had retreated defensively, made an excuse as if he had been pierced by his own doing.
“Ah, my back is a bit weak, so I’d appreciate it if you were careful.”
<What is he saying? What a pervert.>
Since Agnes had already given him a scathing rebuke, I merely replied coldly.
“I know.”
“…You know?”
“Yeah.”
I calmly nodded to the puzzled Nazril. And added,
“That’s why I’m going to scratch it more.”
I reconnected the flow of battle that had momentarily paused.
Chwarururuk!
I widely redeployed the recalled Aura Blades. The Aura Blades scattered lightning, specifically targeting Nazril’s back.
Nazril took off his fedora again.
“Come forth!”
“The same trick won’t work.”
I immediately expanded my sensory range and operated the Aura Blades.
‘Devour them.’
My flexible sword, extended long like the tail of a nine-tailed fox, wildly writhed.
The Shadow Monstrous Birds were instantly torn and scattered as if all their flesh had fallen off.
I had no intention of stopping there.
One of my Aura Blades flew fiercely, aiming for Nazril’s head.
Seogeok!
The fedora, which seemed to be a bird’s nest, was cleanly cut off.
“How dare you my hat… Guh!”
Nazril stopped grinding his molars and his stance crumbled.
It was because my Aura Blade, having finished clearing the surroundings, struck his back again.
After that, I continued to target Nazril’s weak point, his back.
Only slicing his back, only stabbing his back, only striking his back.
The target was solely his back, back, back!
‘Let’s see that back!’
It was then that, without realizing it, I became excited and my eyes gleamed with obsession.
<What exactly is this guy’s true identity?>
“Wait, Agnes. I’ll show you soon.”
Nazril’s movements slowed down, his back covered in red lines.
Now.
Without missing the opening, two of my Aura Blades deeply pierced both of his shoulders.
“Kuh-heup!”
Instead of crushing flesh and bone, I converted the penetrating power into propulsion.
The two Aura Blades impaled Nazril’s body and slammed him into a nearby clock tower.
Kwaaaang!
“Keoheoheok!”
The blue blood he violently vomited splattered four stories down.
It wasn’t over yet. I sent the remaining five Aura Blades flying at Nazril.
A total of seven Aura Blades, imbued with the energy of falling lightning, plunged into various parts of Nazril’s body like wedges.
“Kuhp! Evil’s Bane Executor…!”
“…”
Instead of answering his call, I snapped my fingers.
A small ‘tak’ sound triggered the detonators of the linked Aura Blades.
Kwagwagwagwang!
A massive explosion engulfed Nazril and the clock tower. Electrical sparks scattered in all directions like shrapnel.
Due to the overlapping destructive power, the clock tower completely collapsed, and thick dust clouds billowed up.
While the dust cloud slowly settled, the battlefield was eerily quiet.
Everyone who had been watching my battle with Nazril swallowed dryly, staring at the dust cloud.
After a long silence, a deep voice was heard from somewhere.
“…Did we get him?”
“Father!”
“Ah, Your Grace!”
<Hey, you tactless old man!>
Looks of resentment and reproach poured from all directions towards the grandfather who had uttered a forbidden phrase during battle.
I defended my grandfather, generating Aura Blades one by one behind my back.
“He’s ranked 175th in the Demon Realm, you know. This much firepower isn’t enough.”
As if on cue, a strange phenomenon occurred.
Puh-duh-duh-deuk!
Shadow Monstrous Birds flew up through the dust cloud. A spine-chilling roar dominated the night sky.
<Kiiiiiiii-!>
“Gasp.”
“Eek!”
“Th-there are so many!”
At their countless numbers, like a flock of crows, people’s faces turned pale.
The monstrous birds didn’t attack the city or the people.
Instead, they split into two groups and coalesced into a specific shape. What was finally completed was…
<Wings?>
A massive pair of black wings spread wide, covering the night sky.
“I told you, your back is weak.”
Puh-duh-deok!
With just one flap of the wings, all the dust in the area was blown away.
Nazril leisurely revealed himself.
His coat, which had somehow clung to his shoulders even during the fierce battle, was gone.
Even his upper clothing was removed, revealing thick, firm muscles twitching before my eyes.
The base of the wicked wings was directly connected to Nazril’s back. Thus, Nazril’s true identity became clear.
<Aillet, surely that guy is…>
I finished her sentence.
“That’s right. He’s a fallen angel who committed a grave sin.”
Exactly what sin he committed, Nazril revealed himself as an introduction.
“Let me reintroduce myself. I am Nazril. I was once a sacred being called Nazriel, but I fell to hell for teaching 108 humans the pleasures of life. It’s unfair and devastating, isn’t it?”
Nazril clutched his head, making a pained expression.
It was quite a pitiful gesture, but to my eyes, it was merely a third-rate actor’s farce.
The truth was this:
“He chose innocent people, addicted them to drugs and gambling, and then what? He even made their relatives co-sign for loans.” [The ‘Creative Economy Manager’ shudders at the word ‘guarantee’.] [The ‘Voice-Spirit that Constructs the World’ shouts that the Incantation Cult strictly forbids guarantees.] [The ‘Scales that Judge Souls’ nods, saying that even a sweet potato wouldn’t stand as a guarantee.] <He’s trash! Incinerate him, Aillet!>
Privilege for the Possessor