Kays Translations

Chapter 186: Burning Blood

White Lily has the effect of setting ablaze those it injures, but its effectiveness against the Flame Demon seems limited. However, its cutting ability as an axe is outstanding, and there were no issues.

With the momentum of slashing through the enemy, White Lily was swung down, and the Flame Demon instinctively raised its right arm to shield its head.

...In that case, let's take that arm!

It seemed to be an abnormal right arm, likely the key to the attack. If it could be severed here, the battle would become easier.

The blade sank into the arm. The blood that scattered evaporated instantly due to the flames enveloping the demon itself.

Sufficient feedback, but that was it. The blade was stuck in the bone, immobilized between the muscles.

"What the…!?"

He couldn't help but exclaim. Sharp blade, ample weight, a powerful attack. There was no reason why it couldn't cut through, no matter how tough the enemy was.

The Flame Demon swung its arm widely, and Lutz was knocked away. He held onto the axe not out of determination, but out of fear that if he let go of the weapon, he would be killed.

Lutz and the Flame Demon faced each other, maintaining a distance. The impact of the previous strike was still formidable, and the demon seemed wary of Lutz.

Why couldn't it cut? Lutz checked the edge of the axe and was astonished.

"...Ricardo, don't attack it."

"What are you talking about?"

"The tip of the axe is melting."

"What...!"

Ricardo was dumbfounded. The surface of the demon's body was wrapped in flames, but its interior was even hotter. Possibly in the units of several thousand degrees. Lutz's White Lily melted and became rounded halfway, making it impossible to cut any further.

Even Tsubaki and Sakura would not get away unscathed if they attacked recklessly.

What should they do then? There was no solution to be found by just standing there.

There was no time to leisurely contemplate. The demon charged forward, and its grotesque right arm was swept towards them. Lutz and Ricardo jumped to the left and right, scattering.

The large tree behind them was broken and set ablaze in a single blow.

Lutz swung the axe at the exposed back of the demon, attacking boldly. However, his proud axe was now just a blunt instrument, and it fiercely struck the demon's shoulder but was deflected by its resilient muscles.

In the midst of turning, the demon's swept its arm. Lutz somehow managed to block it with the axe and retreated. It was draining his stamina without any results.

A little distance away, Ricardo gripped Sakura's hilt, biting down on his teeth as he desperately thought.

A sword is a tool for fighting. It would be absurd to say, "I don't want to fight because the sword will get damaged." Abandoning a friend who came to help at my request is out of the question.

However, attacking recklessly would only result in the destruction of the sword. If he was going to do it, he had to do it effectively. But how?

Ricardo endured the urge to jump into action. Acting before the thoughts were organized would be fatal.

...Right, Lutz's axe was caught in the demon's arm for a few seconds. Maybe it melted because of that. Quickly strike and immediately draw the sword. This way, maybe the sword could be spared from melting.

Alright, Ricardo nodded slightly. But he still couldn't move. The plan was set; the next step was where to aim.

The gigantic right arm was impossible, as Lutz had proven earlier. It was a perfect strike even from Ricardo's perspective. It wasn't a matter of hitting the right spot. It would be useless to aim for it.

The log-like left leg also seemed better to avoid. The muscles in the abdomen and chest were terrifyingly thick. The left arm and right leg looked relatively thin, but that was only compared to the abnormal parts. It wasn't certain that they could be cut off in one blow, and if the bones were unusually hard, it might end up like Lutz's attempt.

The neck, a vital point for any creature, didn't seem like it would deliver a fatal blow because it was too thick.

...Alright, decided. I'll stab the eyeball and stir up its brain.

Stabbing the moving opponent's eye was a tremendously difficult task. However, Ricardo could do it. With the power of the magic sword "Sakura," it was possible.

"Uoooh!"

Ricardo shouted, unsheathing Sakura and charging at the demon. Approaching the demon with the force of an arrow released, it changed its target and swung down its right arm towards Ricardo. The timing seemed unavoidable. With this, the opponent would turn into a mess, like the men he killed a few days ago.

Gripping Sakura tightly, concentrating his mind, Ricardo activated his ability. Colors disappeared from the world, and sounds vanished. In the gray world, everything moved slowly.

Ricardo narrowly avoided the approaching right arm and kicked the arm, leaping up to the same eye level as the demon.

...This is the end!

The tip of Sakura pierced into the demon's white, clouded right eye. A nasty sensation of the eyeball being crushed transmitted through the blade to Ricardo's right hand. However, that was it.

The demon's reaction was swift; it arched its body backward. The blade never reached the brain.

As Ricardo landed, his ability was canceled, and the world began to move frantically again. He tried to jump back instinctively, but the demon's counterattack came in the form of a kick.

Ricardo's mind was in an extremely fatigued state. This was bad; he couldn't avoid it. At that moment, a loud sound rang out, and the demon lost its balance.

"Ricardo, hurry!"

After a few seconds, he saw the familiar figure of his friend. Lutz had thrown his axe to support him.

Ricardo fled. It wasn't so much retreating as it was escaping; it was an embarrassing sight.

Lutz and Ricardo regrouped, putting distance between them and the demon. Lutz had let go of the axe, and although he had a short knife drawn, he looked uneasy. Ricardo was unharmed, with only the soles of his shoes slightly scorched. But he had already used his trump card. He couldn't enter the super-focused state anymore.

"Sorry, I couldn't finish it off."

"How much advantage that wound will give us is the question now."

The demon didn't move. It stared at Lutz and Ricardo with its remaining left eye. Eventually, the demon turned around, and without a word, it ran away.

"Huh?"

Lutz and Ricardo stood frozen, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

"He ran away, or rather, did he let us go...?"

In terms of content, it was a complete defeat. If the demon had continued its assault, they would have been completely helpless and trampled. So why did it leave?

"Probably, but..."

Lutz murmured while looking at the spot where the demon had been just moments ago. There was no longer an enemy, and it was still hard to believe.

"What's going on? Tell me."

"Maybe it was wary of your ability, Ricardo. It couldn't afford to be attacked again like before, ending up with its left eye crushed."

"...Ah, I see. The demon didn't know I was running on empty."

Come to think of it, the demon had been cautious from the beginning, despite its appearance. It carefully observed the opponent before rushing in. Perhaps, for the demon, it was a natural choice to retreat when the opponent's ability seemed inexplicable.

"Does this mean we've driven the demon away from the village...?"

It couldn't be called a victory, and there was no room for celebration. Lutz expressed it in a voice like that.

"I don't know. We won't feel at ease until we find out where it went."

"That's true."

Once again, the two fell into silence. They wanted to leave this place as soon as possible, but fatigue and powerlessness held onto their legs, refusing to let go.

"We lost, huh..."

"Yeah..."

The two murmured while looking down at their feet. There was no hope there, and even though they knew that, they couldn't lift their faces.

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