Chapter 111: The Invasion of Evil (4)

Crunch.

The headless body tumbled across the ground. Butler, who had instantly regenerated, stared in shock.

“What... what just happened?” he shouted. His expression looked nothing like before. He was visibly alarmed. “What did you do?”

Butler had imbued his greatsword with the power of severance, a force capable of slicing through any material. If everything had gone as expected, that barbarian should have been chopped into pieces. Instead, only Butler’s greatsword had shattered.

“What do you mean what did I do?” Ketal asked, tilting his head. “I just threw a punch.”

“You...!” Butler reached out. Darkness swirled around his hand, reconstructing his broken blade.

Ketal watched with interest. “So even the sword can regenerate. Then that greatsword itself must be your authority.”

Ketal sounded pleased as he analyzed the situation, which only made Butler’s face twist with rage. Butler then charged, imbuing his blade once again with severance.

Ketal calmly extended his hand and caught the greatsword in his grip. Butler channeled more power, trying to slice off Ketal’s hand. Yet, the power of severance was suddenly crushed, as if it had struck a solid wall.

Ketal tightened his grip on the blade. Unlike before, instead of shattering the weapon, he seemed intent on taking it.

“You scum!” Butler hissed, his face contorting. “How dare you try to steal my weapon!”

“If you don’t like it,” Ketal replied, “try and stop me.”

He snapped Butler’s wrist, forcibly wrested the greatsword from him, and swung.

Crash.

Butler’s upper body split from his lower half. Ketal shook the greatsword lightly. “Hmm, I wonder if I can use this.”

No sooner had he spoken than the blade exploded. Darkness rippled into Ketal’s entire body. At some point, Butler had regenerated and was now aiming a clenched fist at him.

“I see,” Ketal murmured after the darkness subsided. Despite being struck head-on, he had no injuries at all. “It looks like I can’t use the greatsword.”

“W-what... are you?” Butler roared, rushing in.

Ketal took a step forward and threw a punch, crushing Butler’s body once more. Arkemis could only watch in disbelief.

“Huh? H-how...?” she muttered, unable to grasp what was happening.

How is he overwhelming a demon? Ketal can’t even use Myst...

While she failed to accept what she was witnessing, the battle remained entirely one-sided. None of Butler’s attacks worked on Ketal.

“Hm,” Ketal said, as though he had figured something out. “You don’t seem to have much else. I think you’re weaker than Ashetiaar.”

Butler stood there in stunned silence. His power of severance could supposedly slice anything, and he considered it superior to Ashetiaar’s power of oppression. Yet, Ketal was brushing him off as weaker. It was outrageous, but also undeniable—Butler’s authority did nothing to Ketal.

Am I trapped in some illusion?

Butler wondered. He gave a bitter laugh. He had to admit that this barbarian was stronger, and there was something special about him. His eyes narrowed. “Fine, I accept that you’re strong, barbarian. Now, I won’t hold anything back.”

Darkness gathered around his greatsword, growing thicker and filthier. Reality itself started to crack, as though it were splintering under the pressure. Butler left only the bare minimum of dark energy to remain in the mortal realm and channeled everything else into his weapon.

“Sever all creation,” he said quietly and charged forward.

The darkness that had gathered around his greatsword exploded into a whirlwind of severance. Grass, air, wind, and earth were all sliced apart. That was the power of a demon in his prime. Anything cut by that darkness would remain forever separated unless one possessed powerful holy energy on par with a high priest. Indeed, it was an authority great enough to scar the world itself.

And yet, Ketal blocked it using nothing more than his body.

Crunch.

The violent darkness fragmented into shards of black, shattering like broken glass. In that space—where everything else was being torn asunder—Ketal alone stood unchanged.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Butler muttered in disbelief.

Not missing a beat, Ketal charged forward. Severance sliced through his clothing, revealing a deep scar on his chest. Arkemis watched with wide eyes as the greatsword shattered, and Ketal grabbed the demon’s head.

Boom!

He slammed Butler into the ground with so much force that the earth trembled like an earthquake.

Pinning the demon in place, Ketal spoke without an ounce of hesitation. “Arkemis?”

“Huh? Y-yes!” Arkemis snapped back to reality, startled.

“I know you’re exhausted, but can you help me? I have no way of banishing him.”

“You have no way...?” Arkemis echoed, dazed. Ketal’s display of raw strength was unbelievable, yet he admitted he couldn’t banish the demon. Then she remembered—Ketal couldn’t wield Myst at all.

“Okay, hold on,” she said, summoning what little energy she had left. Myst swirled into a visible mass around her.

Still pinned to the ground, Butler turned his gaze on Ketal. “Barbarian... your name is Ketal, right?”

“So you know my name,” Ketal replied.

“Ashetiaar told me about you,” Butler murmured. “It’s ridiculous... resisting the authority of a demon with nothing but your body.”

Butler finally realized that Ketal’s physical form was itself like an authority, or Myst. His own power of severance stood no chance. Worse yet, Ketal had outright thwarted Butler’s plan. That plan had failed specifically because of him, and yet there was no prophecy or revelation that mentioned a man named Ketal.

“A being beyond the revelation... Barbarian, you’re a threat to us—a massive threat,” Butler murmured, locking eyes with Ketal. Still, he gave a thin smile. “The plan might have failed, but at least we have gained something.”

Discovering that such a barbarian existed here in the mortal realm was, in itself, valuable intelligence.

“Just you wait, barbarian,” Butler continued.

“Banish him!” Arkemis cried.

A shrill hum filled the air as her Myst slammed down, forcibly excluding the demon’s body from the mortal realm. Butler’s form gradually dissolved, but he left behind a final warning. “We will kill you.”

Ketal’s expression shifted subtly. “Ah, so you’ve declared yourselves as my enemy.”

And with that, the demon vanished. Arkemis collapsed to her knees, having burned through all her remaining Myst. She couldn’t even stand.

Ketal moved closer. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, but...,” she said, panting. “Ketal... who are you?”

She had never thought he was weak—he obviously possessed a peculiar body unlike any normal human. Still, she never imagined he could so easily defeat a demon powerful enough to overwhelm her.

“Who are you, really?” she asked again. Fear and confusion clouded Arkemis’s eyes. She stared at him as if he were something unknown. She had caught a glimpse of the deep scar on his chest.

Ketal took a moment before speaking. “I’d like to answer you, but there’s something I need to do first.”

Closing his eyes, he concentrated. Arkemis sensed something like an invisible hand sweeping across her entire being.

Is he expanding his senses?

she wondered. People sometimes heightened their senses by shutting their eyes, sharpening their hearing or their smell—but Ketal’s ability extended across the entire forest and beyond, all the way to the capital of the Denian Kingdom.

He’s... perceiving the capital just by expanding his senses!

Arkemis stared, stunned.

“There it is,” Ketal muttered, opening his eyes. Gripping his axe, he turned toward the direction of the royal capital.

“Sorry, Arkemis,” he said quietly. “But there’s something I have to deal with right now. I’ll answer all your questions once I’m done.”

“O-okay...”

Ketal shifted his stance, raised his axe, and hurled it with tremendous force.

Whoosh!

With a thunderous sound, the axe cut through the air, heading straight toward the heart of the kingdom.

***

Boom!

A building collapsed, sending rubble and dust everywhere. Darkness lashed out like a whip, and Maximus did his utmost to block every single strike. His great strength was his astonishing speed, enough to dodge Ashetiaar’s attacks without much trouble—yet he refused to move even a step from his spot.

“Help!” A woman clung to her child and screamed behind Maximus. She had twisted her ankle while fleeing and was now exposed to the battle.

Ashetiaar let loose a burst of mad laughter. “Hahaha! Human, you’d better keep blocking! If you fail, that poor woman and her child behind you will die!”

Maximus ground his teeth as darkness poured in again. He swung his sword rapidly, deflecting, parrying, and diverting each wave of darkness.

He managed to hold on, but he was nearing his limit. A tendril of darkness grazed his forearm, splitting the skin and drawing blood.

Damn it,

Maximus thought.

Ashetiaar sneered, “Oh great Swordmaster... your life is far more valuable than those of ordinary humans. Why not just give up and let me kill them?”

“Shut up, you filthy demon,” Maximus snarled.

He had no particular patriotism for the Denian Kingdom; it was merely a convenient place to live. However, that did not make him a villain. As a knight, he had enough sense of duty to protect the citizens and defend the kingdom.

I have to hold on,

he thought. The priests stationed at the border were sure to hurry back to the capital, and if he could endure until then, victory would be his. He gripped his sword more tightly.

Noticing his resolve, Ashetiaar gave a small laugh. “Go ahead. Struggle all you want. We will win in the end.”

She gathered more darkness around her. As Maximus steeled his resolve and channeled his Aura, something happened.

From the sky, an axe hurtled straight toward Ashetiaar. Startled, she reflexively raised a hand, summoning darkness to shield herself.

Crack.

Her barrier shattered, and the axe tore through her body.

“W-what is this...?” Ashetiaar gasped, her form collapsing for a moment before regenerating to its true shape. Shock clouded her features. “What was that?”

An axe out of nowhere had sliced through her. She glanced at Maximus, who looked equally stunned.

“I don’t know what just happened,” she growled, “but do you really think something like this can stop me?”

A twisted smile spread across her face as she continued to speak. “I will tear down the city! That is our prophecy! No one can stop me!”

“Prophecy? What are you talking about?” A voice rang out. The words came from directly behind her, cutting through her maniacal laughter.

What?

she thought, her eyes wide. She had felt nothing—yet someone stood right at her back. Hastily, she summoned thick, heavy darkness to strike.

Then, without warning, she froze. Her eyes bulged like a startled rabbit’s. “Huh?”

“Oh, it was you, Ashetiaar,” Ketal said.

His cheerful expression belied the brutality that followed. In an instant, he clamped a hand around Ashetiaar’s head and smashed her into the ground.