Demonkind are the polar opposite of Divine Power.
It was possible to kill high-ranking members of Demonkind without Divine Power, but anyone beyond that level required it.
With the Saintesses all dead and the Order in collapse, a Sacred Relic was necessary to kill the Demon King’s kin, including the highest-ranking demons.
“How dare you show me your back.”
As Ba Hala Igra reached out, black energy billowed forth, seizing her comrades. Powerful Demonic Power surged into their bodies.
“Aaagh!”
“Argh!”
Corrupting them by pouring Demonic Power into their brains and hearts—countless comrades had already been turned into Demonkind this way.
Artina gripped her sword and lunged forward. Her opponent was strong; this was no time for hesitation. She poured everything she had into the strike. A clear blue Aura Blade wrapped around her sword.
*Squelch!*
The sword swung in a straight line, slicing through Ba Hala Igra’s arm.
*Splat!*
Black blood sprayed as the limb was severed. Simultaneously, the captured comrades were released.
“Huff!”
“Ugh… my head.”
“Save… save me!”
The Demonic Power that had infiltrated them plunged them into a state of terror. Fortunately, they hadn’t turned into demons yet, but they were effectively out of the fight.
‘…A kin of the Demon King.’
Artina bit her lip, watching Ba Hala Igra quickly recover. This was an entity not mentioned in any of the information she had gathered. She had expected the Third Prince to make a contract with a demon, but she never imagined it would be with a kin of the Demon King. After all, the Third Prince’s talent was truly abysmal.
‘I have to get out of here first.’
Having finished his recovery, Ba Hala Igra lunged with a cruel smile. Artina urgently raised her sword.
*Crash!*
Ba Hala Igra’s fist slammed into Artina’s blade. The impact sent her flying.
*Crash!*
*Boom!*
She only stopped after smashing through two or three walls. The ceiling collapsed, and stones rained down.
“Urgh.”
Her body felt numb from the Demonic Power permeating her skin. She felt a damp sensation near her waist and glanced down. It wasn’t an injury; the potion Cheon Yongje had given her had broken, and its contents were leaking. Fortunately, one was still intact.
She downed the remaining one, and her body surged with vitality as her injuries healed instantly. She kicked off the ground and surged forward.
“Aaagh!”
Ba Hala Igra was attempting to turn her comrades into demons once more. Artina fired an Aura Blade at him, but he laughed and conjured a black barrier. The Aura Blade was blocked—or rather, it was absorbed.
‘…I need Divine Power.’
There was no way to deal with the Demon King’s kin without it. To stop him, she had to abandon her comrades and find the Sacred Relic hidden somewhere in the Royal Palace.
“Guh… argh!”
“Ugh!”
Her comrades writhed in agony, their bodies trembling. Their skin was gradually turning black as the Demonic Power eroded them. She had lost many comrades before, but she could never get used to the feeling of losing someone precious right before her eyes.
Artina ground her teeth at her own helplessness.
‘Don’t give up.’
She had endured until now by treating Ropenheim’s words as her creed.
“I won’t give up.”
She had promised her comrades when they arrived that they would complete the mission, even if some of them died. Artina adjusted her stance as she glared at Ba Hala Igra.
“I’ll make sure you die by my hand.”
“Humans are truly pathetic. You can’t make the best choices because of those useless emotions.”
Her comrades, now half-demonized, stood before Ba Hala Igra. Yesterday’s allies had become today’s enemies.
“Kill her.”
At Ba Hala Igra’s command, her comrades moved, aiming their swords at Artina.
*Clang!*
*Clang!*
Artina parried the blows and retreated. She escaped the King’s bedchamber through the broken wall and ran. The Sacred Relic was in the underground warehouse. She ran straight ahead, the path etched into her mind.
*Whoosh!*
Sensing a presence behind her, she twisted her body to dodge an attack. Then, she swung her sword infused with an Aura Blade.
*Rip!*
She sliced through a comrade’s thigh to immobilize them and kept running. This time, knights and soldiers blocked her path.
“An intruder!”
“Block her!”
Using her footwork, she slipped past the knights and soldiers. She had to save her strength for what was ahead.
She passed through the hallway and headed down the stairs. One of the half-demonized comrades threw a sword at her.
*Clang!*
She twisted her body desperately to deflect the blade, but the Demonic Power and strength behind it were transferred directly to her.
“Ugh!”
Her wrist throbbed, and she lost her grip on her sword. She quickly rolled across the floor, grabbed the hilt with her other hand, and stood up. Without slowing down, she reached the underground warehouse in a single breath. There were no troops guarding the entrance. The warehouse was wide open.
She ducked inside and scanned the interior for the Sacred Relic.
‘Something that radiates Divine Power.’
She sharpened her senses and looked around, but nothing felt holy. Then, something caught her eye. It was a belt that looked exactly like the Goddess’s Cloud she had seen in drawings. She rushed over and grabbed it.
“…A fake?”
“It is the genuine article.”
It was Ba Hala Igra’s voice. He stood at the entrance surrounded by her half-demonized comrades. Their bodies were now completely stained black by the corruption.
“This is the real one?”
“Yes. That’s right. The original.”
“…”
“Are you wondering why you can’t feel any Divine Power? Hehehehe.”
Ba Hala Igra burst into laughter at the despair blooming within Artina.
“God has abandoned this place. That means He has abandoned you. Yet, you lot didn’t give up and kept seeking an answer from Him. It was quite amusing to watch.”
“…Since when?”
“Well, why don’t you ask Him yourself?”
Ba Hala Igra manifested a black spear in his hand. He gripped it and approached Artina. Smiling at her trembling eyes, he thrust the spear forward.
*Clang!*
The black spear, made of condensed Demonic Power, was blocked by a translucent barrier. The faint Divine Power emanating from it neutralized the spear’s energy.
A man appeared behind the barrier. Ba Hala Igra stared at him.
“Divine Power?”
“Why? Are you surprised?”
“An Apostle of the Goddess remains?”
“You can ask Him that yourself.”
*Boom!*
***
I had received a request from Ropenheim due to the unusual energy felt from the Royal Palace.
‘I’ll leave Artina to you. I’ll take care of things here.’
I entered the Royal Palace using Teleport and used perception magic. A powerful energy was radiating from the basement. I used Teleport again and deployed a barrier infused with Divine Power.
**[Using Golden Dragon Eye]**
**[Ba Hala Igra (SS+)]**
– The third kin of the Demon King.
– Currently enjoying himself.
– Overall Stats: SS+
– Potential: SSS
– Held Items: None.
– Skills: Cursed Genius (SSS), Authority of Corruption (SS), Heavenly Slaughter Star (SS), Slaughter Compulsion (SS), Blood Amplification (SS)
His specs were similar to Turkan’s.
‘I should be able to handle this.’
I had gained a significant amount of freedom by killing the high-ranking demons that were rampaging outside the walls. While I couldn’t completely overwhelm him, I was at a level where I could fight with the advantage.
“Divine Power?”
Ba Hala Igra frowned.
“Why? Are you surprised?”
“An Apostle of the Goddess remains?”
“You can ask Him that yourself.”
I converted the Mana in my hands into Divine Power. A white light flashed.
*Boom!*
An explosion of Divine Power slammed into Ba Hala Igra. After blocking the attack with his Demonic Power, he moved the demons beside him.
‘A white cloak.’
They were clearly Artina’s comrades. Were they being corrupted by a demon? I used fluid footwork, dodging all of their attacks while reaching out to pour Divine Power into them.
“Aaagh!”
“Uuurgh!”
The Demonic Power inside them began to clash with the Divine Power I had injected. The perfect restoration would have to wait until after I captured Ba Hala Igra. For now, I just made them unable to fight and moved toward him.
I used Turkan’s Black Killing Fist, imbuing its techniques with Divine Power to face Ba Hala Igra. I parried his spear and threw a heavy punch.
*Boom!*
Ba Hala Igra was sent flying into a wall. I closed the distance using Teleport and rained down punches.
*Thwack!*
*Crash!*
His head snapped back.
*Thwack!*
*Crash!*
I didn’t stop.
*Thwack!*
*Crash!*
Heavy impacts pummeled him. I purified his Demonic Power with my Divine Power. A strange sensation brushed against the back of my head. I quickly ducked to dodge an attack. I spun and extended my leg, sweeping the opponent’s legs before throwing a punch.
*Boom!*
One of the half-demons was smashed into the wall.
“I won’t let you get away with this.”
As Ba Hala Igra’s voice echoed from behind, Demonic Power surged like a storm. It was as if he had released a seal.
“You should have done this from the start.”
I turned to look at Ba Hala Igra, whose eyes were burning red.
**[Activating Transcendence]**
**[Activating Dragon Transformation]**
I resisted Ba Hala’s Demonic Power by releasing the energy overflowing from my body in all directions. Ba Hala was the first to move amidst the tense standoff. He extended both hands and created black spheres. Lasers erupted from the spheres of condensed Demonic Power. Every time I moved to dodge, the lasers followed me.
Using Teleport repeatedly, I avoided the lasers and punched Ba Hala.
*Crash!*
He strengthened his body to block my strike.
“It won’t work a second time.”
“Is that so?”
I released my stored-up energy and sent him flying.
*Boom!*
I quickly followed up and pressured him. Unlike before, he was now parrying or blocking my attacks.
**[Due to Blessing of Magic (EX), understanding of the target increases]**
**[Due to Talent of the Martial God (EX), understanding of the target increases]**
The more we fought, the more my understanding of his magic and martial arts grew. I began to see gaps and weaknesses. When I started using his own techniques against him, he looked quite flustered.
I converted all my overflowing Mana into Divine Power. I created pure white spears and launched them at him. The spears flying from all directions pierced his arms, legs, and heart. White light surged out, purifying the Demonic Power. Ba Hala Igra, the Demon King’s kin, began to burn away bit by bit.
“…Cough… The Goddess should be dead… how can you use such Divine Power? Who… what are you?”
“The Goddess is dead?”
“…Are you not of this world? Hehehe.”
“You seem to know quite a lot.”
I dispelled the spears made of Divine Power and hesitated for a moment before killing him. Ba Hala Igra gave a cruel smile and laughed loudly.
“It’s too late. I am vanishing.”
As he said, his very existence was fading. But there was a way. After all, I could also manipulate Demonic Power.
*Whoosh!*
I converted my Divine Power into Demonic Power and poured it into his heart. Ba Hala Igra’s body, which had been dissolving, began to return to its original state.
“Gasp!”
I breathed life back into Ba Hala Igra and then injected Divine Power into him once more.
“Aaagh!”
“I wonder how long you’ll keep your mouth shut.”