Chapter 151: Escape (1)

The dwarves and Hunters froze at the mention of a Level 140 Greater Demon.

Kim Ki-Rok continued calmly, "It would be nice if monsters and Demons experienced an increase in their stats each time they levelled up, like Hunters. But that's not the case. Using the Intermediate Demon that we clashed in the Gate Revival of the World Tree as a benchmark, the Greater Demons are estimated to be at least Level 160."

An average stat of 160...

They all shuddered at the thought of such an abomination.

"You might think it would be weakened due to the blessing of the World Tree, but that's not the case. According to information confirmed through the Permanent Gate, an Aura Master who received the blessing of the World Tree couldn't withstand a Greater Demon's attacks for even ten minutes. Five Aura Masters equivalent to Hunters ranging from Level 120 to 130 could only put up an equal fight when they attacked together. In other words..."

He paused to let the figure sink in, then repeated, "In other words!"

"Just spit it out, you bastard!" Jang Baek-San shouted angrily.

"Well, given the situation, I guess it can't be helped. We can assume that the Greater Demon is unaffected by the World Tree's blessing. We speculate that this is because the World Tree of the Yuashiel Dimension and Earth's World Tree have not yet matured enough to weaken a Greater Demon's power. Still, this isn't the worst-case scenario."

Not the worst-case scenario? Five Aura Masters could barely handle one Greater Demon, and that wasn't the worst-case scenario?

As all eyes turned to him again, Kim Ki-Rok smiled and said, "It's only the blessing of the World Tree that doesn't affect them. But sacred power does."

Sacred power, like the World Tree, weakened the mana of the Demon Realm.

"To confront the four Greater Demons that appeared at the border, the Temple Alliance has mobilized the Saintess, High Priest, Bishops, and their Paladins. The Continental Alliance, sensing the crisis, has sent their Aura Masters," he explained.

"Ah, so that's why five Aura Masters are fighting against the Greater Demon," the dwarven warrior muttered in a small voice.

"Yes. That's why the Aura Masters headed to the border city where the Greater Demon appeared."

"But that doesn't mean it'll be harder for us to escape, does it?" asked one of the Hunters. "The Aura Masters and the Temple Alliance are holding back the Greater Demon."

Kim Ki-Rok scratched his chin while the others nodded in agreement. "Here's the thin—ah, rescue team! Please come this way."

He turned sharply toward the group that had just arrived at the center of the village, led by a dwarven warrior.

While the rescue team stood there looking baffled, their representative, High Elf Serena, spoke in a calm tone, "Oh, you've reclaimed the territory?"

"That's right. And you guys arrived earlier than expected," Kim Ki-Rok replied.

"The mine was closer than we thought, and it was thanks to the help from the Continental Alliance, who played the role of bait."

But after glancing at the tense dwarf and Hunters, she turned back to Kim Ki-Rok. "What's going on?"

"We're sharing information," he explained. "The Continental Alliance played their role of bait a little too well, and now the Greater Demons have made their move."

The rescue team had also blocked their communication magic to avoid detection by the Black Wizards and monsters. As a result, they were only now beginning to grasp the scale of the threat.

"Greater Demon?" Serena echoed, a hint of surprise now creeping into her voice.

"Yes. Sightings of four Greater Demons were reported at the border. Sensing the seriousness of the situation, it seems the Continental Alliance dispatched Aura Masters, and the Temple Alliance sent their High Priest, Saintess, and Bishops."

"Will they be able to stand their ground against the demons?"

"They might be able to hold them off, but they won't be able to win."

"But they can hold them off?"

"They'll be able to stand their ground for now. You see, the strongest of the demons hasn't moved yet."

"Mammon..."

"That's right. But the moment Mammon senses something interesting, he will move."

Among the summoned Demons of Middle Earth, what could possibly interest the Greater Demon Mammon?

Serena pondered, but not for long.

"By something interesting, are you talking about Guardian?" she guessed.

"Correct."

"C-Can't we just not use it?"

"That's the hard part. Let's see, let's see, what do we have here..." Kim Ki-Rok glanced upward as he organized his thoughts. "Alright, let me break it down."

The rescue team, the clear team of Hunters, and the surviving dwarves all nodded in unison.

"Serena."

"Yes."

"How long did it take to get from the southwestern border to the dwarf village?"

"Two hours."

"I see. So, it would take roughly four hours to get from the dwarf village to the southwestern border."

"Pardon?"

"We have people to protect, don't we?"

"Ah!" She had almost forgotten that they had to escape the Black Kingdom with the severely weakened dwarves.

Kim Ki-Rok reiterated, "Four hours is the minimum amount of time it will take us. Realistically, the trip will probably take five to six hours."

The non-combatants were currently eating and resting in the clean house once used by the Black Wizards, which allowed Kim Ki-Rok to ramble on without restraint.

"At this rate, the Black Kingdom will likely detect the anomaly in the dwarf village within an hour or two. The Demons may ignore dwarven tech, but the Black Wizards won't. They'll send troops to reclaim it, so expect A-Class and S-Class monsters," he warned. "The Greater Demon might stay behind, but Intermediate Demons will definitely move. Although the World Tree's blessing may help, their numbers are a serious threat."

Hundreds, maybe thousands, of Undead and monsters would stand in their way, along with dozens of A-Class and S-Class threats. Worse still, multiple Intermediate Demons—perhaps not just one or two, but dozens—could obstruct their escape.

There was a high chance the Demons, upon learning that their humiliation had been caused by the heroes and the Continental Alliance, would charge into battle in a fury.

Kim Ki-Rok continued, "We have no choice but to use Guardian. And the moment we do—"

"Mammon will make his move," Serena said.

"Yes. Mammon is said to have locked himself away out of boredom after defeating the Sword God, one of the strongest on the continent. Using Guardian will prompt him to move."

"Is there no way to escape without using it?"

Although they hadn't witnessed it firsthand, the Hunters had seen the video Kim Ki-Rok uploaded, where Serena stood confidently against an Intermediate Demon. Seeing her now, anxious and desperate, only deepened their unease.

But Kim Ki-Rok shook his head without hesitation. "There isn't."

A heavy sense of despair swept over the group, especially the Guildmasters. As the aces of the clear team, they looked gloomier than the others, having experienced the Demons' power during the Revival of the World Tree Operation. This time, they would be facing the self-proclaimed strongest of them all.

"However..."

Everyone lifted their heads at Kim Ki-Rok's voice.

"Even if we use Guardian, and even if Mammon comes to us afterward... there is a way for everyone to survive."

***

With a massive explosion, a middle-aged knight was hurled backward. He caught himself midair by plunging his sword into the ground. There was no time to reset his dislocated left arm, so he launched forward again and swung his sword at the Greater Demon. The resulting shockwave rattled the battlefield.

"Damn it..."

Laon bit his lower lip. He was already severely injured from recklessly taking on the S-Class monster, Chimera. Now, all he could do was watch as his fellow Aura Master and friend, Foxfolk Shaman Ponnel—one of the main forces of the Southwestern Border City—faced the Greater Demon alone.

Laon turned sharply toward the High Priest of the Temple Alliance. "Is there any way you can make it happen?"

"It cannot be done. In your current state, you'd only hinder our allies."

"Damn it!"

Laon had pushed himself too hard, desperate to end the fight before his comrades were hurt. Then, his ears twitched. A terrible sound made his heart sink. He turned, scanning the battlefield, only to see the human Aura Master lying dead.

Staring at the beheaded corpse, Laon asked the High Priest again, "Is there really no way?"

His desperate plea was met with silence. With the death of the Aura Master, the tide of battle shifted drastically in the Greater Demon's favor.

Eventually, the priest confided, "There is... one way."

"I take it from your hesitation the side effects are severe?"

"That's correct. There is a holy edict that could heal your wounds, but it would use your life force as payment."

"Can it heal wounds, restore mana, and vitality?"

"It's possible."

"How much of my life would I have to pay?"

There was a brief pause before the High Priest answered. "Ten years."

It wasn't about aging ten years, it was ten years taken directly from his lifespan.

"If the Greater Demon attacks the border city, it's as good as gone. Use your holy edict."

The High Priest hesitated again. Without a replacement for the fallen Aura Master, the line would collapse. Even so, he raised his staff and invoked the holy edict. Moments later, Laon—fully healed and brimming with mana and stamina—leaped from the wall, charging straight at the Greater Demon.

***

At the western border city of the Continental Alliance, Black Wizard Yoost observed the battle. He hadn't managed to gain Mammon's support. But he had secured help from the four Greater Demons loyal to him. The Greater Demon Tegeve stood his ground, effortlessly deflecting the combined assault of five Aura Masters and a High Priest with nothing but powerful, swift sword movements.

Yoost transmitted a message secretly via magic.

—I will send monsters to confuse the Aura Masters and attack the border city to cause chaos.

However, Tegeve curtly responded, "No need."

As he spoke, he severed one of the Aura Master's legs with a clean Aura Blade strike, then stepped back casually. "Don't interrupt my fun."

"Yes, sir."

To demons, war was like a game. In fact, the very act of being summoned to Middle Earth was a game in itself.

Yoost couldn't say a word. He knew the power of the Greater Demon better than anyone. Once help had been requested from the demon, he—or rather, the Black Kingdom—was left with only one option: wait for the demon to kill the five Aura Masters and the High Priest. After that, the demon would lose interest and return to the Black Kingdom's castle.

A sudden lapse in concentration cost one Aura Master his arm. Another had a shattered leg and could no longer move; one more had lost an arm, throwing off their balance and strength.

Tegeve stood stoic and disinterested, staring down the five Aura Masters who had now retreated a short distance. Then he turned his head. "Oh? I was wondering why they hadn't made a move."

𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"Hm?" Yoost mumbled in confusion.

"Ah, what? How annoying.

Tsk!

"

Tegeve turned fully around. He extinguished the Aura Blade forming at his fingertips and casually walked over to Yoost.

"Hey. Call me again later."

"Pardon?"

"No, the ones I thought would be fun are somewhere else. I happened to pick the worst batch. Damn it..."

"What do you... mean?"

"Ah, shit. I didn't even get to enjoy myself." Tegeve grumbled quietly, ignoring the Black Wizard and teleporting away.

Yoost, staring blankly at the spot where the Greater Demon had stood, slowly turned to one of his subordinates. "What's going on?"

"W-Well..."

"What happened that made the Greater Demon lose his interest?!"

"Ah," the Black Magician gasped, reacting to a message from the Black Kingdom.

Yoost whipped his gaze toward him.

"A large number of Aura Masters, including High Elf Serena, have appeared in the southwest of the continent!" the Black Magician reported.

"At the border city?"

"No, no! We've just confirmed that they've infiltrated our territory!"