Chapter 207
Although I only mentioned Hanbyeol Shin, Chae-rin Yu, and Haneul Im. It wasn't as if only they had coincidentally arrived at this Residence first.
I just didn't mention them, but in fact, other Otherworlders had also arrived here without delay.
True to Otherworlders, who have multiple lives, they rushed here without hesitation.
“Look, it’s that Demon bastard Paimon!”
“Looks like they’re already fighting?”
“Let’s join in!”
The Otherworlders who arrived naturally joined the battle. Thanks to them, the battle, which had been like walking a tightrope, became a little easier.
Now, the Otherworlders' levels were by no means low, and the “Hero Title” they had acquired was clearly demonstrating its effectiveness.
*Chiiik—*
The White Effect emanating from their weapons melted Paimon's Barrier.
The energy imbued in their weapons nullified the Barrier, as if purifying the demonic energy itself.
It was, quite literally, a relationship of extreme opposition.
Perhaps burdened by the White Effect, Paimon even frowned.
“...Damn it, Gaia.”
But it wasn't entirely advantageous either. Though it was an opposing element, its quantity was extremely meager. The Hero's Authority, distributed among tens of thousands, was but a mere handful.
From Paimon's perspective, it was probably just a few drops of rain on its clothes. And if even those few drops were annoying, it could simply avoid them altogether. The Demon had the power to do so.
From that moment on, it began to transform its surroundings as if they were a Barrier. It issued commands to make the Ground muddy, or to conjure a Cold Wind around it, and so on.
This made approaching it much more troublesome, to the point where the gathered People felt useless. I wondered if the Demon would simply fly into the Sky and escape...
“There it is!”
Fortunately, others arrived faster than that. The Knight Order, no less. The Main Force of the Extermination Squad had arrived.
Although there were fewer people than when they first set out, and everyone looked rather disheveled, this was the biggest support yet. Most importantly, behind the Knights were Mages.
Mages who had joined the battle solely to prevent the Demon's escape had a greater role than the Knights, in a way.
Seeing Paimon, the 2nd Knight Commander shouted. She looked even more disheveled than before they parted, but her eyes shone even more brightly, reflecting her hardships.
“It’s the Demon! Prepare your Magic at once!”
At her command, Mages began their Incantations in unison. Dozens of voices merged into one, echoing through the air. Paimon's frown deepened slightly.
*Finally.*
This was the true beginning of the Extermination.
***
The process until now had been nothing short of keeping Paimon grounded. This involved gathering the scattered Extermination Squad and preventing the Demon from escaping.
At this point, I had one question. I understood the goal was to prevent Paimon's Flight. But by what means?
Unfortunately, there was no Magic in this World that could disperse another's Magic. Even if it existed, whether it could stop Paimon's commands was unknown. After all, the Demon's energy source was demonic energy, and frankly, I couldn't imagine Mages stopping a Demon of that caliber.
So, how would they prevent its Flight?
The Mages' answer was simple: to utterly ruin all the surrounding atmosphere where the Demon could fly.
*Whoooosh!* As the Mages' Incantations progressed to a certain extent, a fierce wind began to blow in the air. It was a very erratic and sharp wind. It had little effect on the ground, but anyone who went airborne would almost certainly be swept away. Like a paper airplane caught in a typhoon.
Moreover, as the Mages' Incantations continued, the wind's intensity gradually increased. As if to prevent it from ever flying away. As Paimon's gaze turned towards the Mages, the 2nd Knight Commander Odelia smiled contentedly and spoke.
“It’s no use trying to interfere. Once the Magic is complete, it will continue to operate on its own for at least a few hours.”
At those words, Paimon's brow twitched.
“The Humans of This Place are truly capable. Pointlessly so.”
This was the first conversation during this battle. Until now, we had been putting all our effort into preventing the Demon from uttering its command words, so neither side had any leisure time. But now that there was no need to move so frantically, ironically, a little leisure had emerged.
A brief standoff ensued. The eyes of the 5th Knight Commander, Serena, turned this way amidst it.
“Wait, those people over there...? Aren’t that the Branch Leader and that Manifestor who ran away with the Branch Leader? Why are they here?”
“...Just leave them be.”
Serena's eyes widened considerably, as if greatly surprised. Meanwhile, Odelia, who seemed to have roughly grasped the situation, merely let out a long sigh. Then she looked at me and asked.
“I had a hunch. That flare that went up into the sky earlier... was it perhaps the one shot by the 3rd Branch Leader behind you, Yor?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m asking just in case... neither of them is enemies, right?”
“Of course not.”
“...*Sigh*.”
I casually nodded. The worry on Odelia’s face deepened further.
“Alright, I understand...”
Her face looked rather complicated, but it seemed she was willing to tolerate it for now. This wasn't the time to quibble over such minor details.
In this urgent situation, having powerful individuals like Livia and Nikki help would certainly be reassuring.
After that brief conversation, we looked forward again.
I could feel the Demon gathering demonic energy within its body.
“Indeed... we are fated to clash. If you wish to hunt me, then by all means, clash.”
This was a standoff similar to when I first met the Demon. But compared to then, everything was much better now. Unlike last time when we were exhausted, the Extermination Squad's condition was optimal, and the Demon's Retreat Path was blocked. Now, all that remained was to eliminate that cunning Demon, Paimon.
And so, the People charged forward.
“Rising Spike.”
It was a One vs Many battle, but that didn't mean the fight was easy. It was partly because the Demon possessed an Overpowered Ability... but thinking about it, the Demon was more specialized in taking down large numbers rather than a few powerful individuals.
Even though there were more People, the number of attackable body parts hadn't increased proportionally. Its main body was just one slender form. The gathered Extermination Squad couldn't exert as much power as expected.
“Barrier.”
However, it was still much better than nothing. Relentless assault was crucial. I couldn't stick to the Demon indefinitely myself.
If one Powerful Individual battering the Barrier retreated, someone else could fill their spot while they rested. The Heroes' attacks were like a drizzle, but even a drizzle can eventually soak you through if you keep getting hit.
Clang! Clang! Each time the Barrier was struck, I could distinctly feel the Demon's demonic energy draining away.
“Kiiiieek!”
At one point, uninvited guests appeared. These damn Imps had followed Livia's fireworks all the way here. Well, we had made a lot of noise, after all.
Thanks to them, the already chaotic battle became even more muddled.
Originally, this Open Space where we had gathered had paths leading out in all directions. This meant that Imps could also invade from any of those paths.
This made the battle slightly more difficult... but the People had been gathered precisely to deal with this. Even if they weren't very efficient at catching Paimon, they were perfect for dealing with Imps.
“...”
Was it just my imagination? I felt Paimon's gaze linger on the Imps for a moment. Anyway, the battle continued in that manner. attacking, retreating, and someone filling the vacated spot.
“Suicide Command.”
“*Cough!*”
Occasionally, someone would be eliminated by Paimon's command.
As the battle progressed, its intensity grew fiercer.
*Clang!* It was then.
“...*Haa*, just die quietly already... stop tormenting us, okay?”
Odelia muttered something as she clashed with Paimon. From her usually cheerful eyes, a deep weariness was visible. It wasn't just fatigue accumulated from this battle alone. It was the accumulated exhaustion from numerous incidents as a Knight of the Empire over time. She must have been under considerable stress during that period. A part of that was now leaking out.
“What did we do wrong, for you damn Demons to be this crazy? Why are you so desperate to invade our World? You guys, wouldn’t it be easier, with perfectly healthy bodies, to just live in your own Neighborhood without fighting like this?!”
“...”
Paimon's eyes wavering at those words was probably not my imagination. After a brief silence, Paimon opened its mouth.
“You have done nothing wrong.”
“...?”
“I always feel sorry for you... but it cannot be helped. The Demon Realm is no longer a good place to live.”
At those words, it was no coincidence that Barbatos's muttered words came to mind.
—*Flowers do not bloom in barren land.*
Thus, a deduction formed naturally. Perhaps, for some reason, the Demon Realm was facing difficulties? To resolve those difficulties, they had launched an invasion here, intending to conquer This Place.
It was just a conjecture, but it felt quite plausible. It was a hypothesis that perhaps they, too, were searching for a way to survive.
“...”
Of course, even if that conjecture was true, nothing changed. The Demon was an intruder, a menace that killed People. I hated Demons, and Paimon did not cease to be hostile towards Humans.
Therefore, the only answer was to eliminate the Demon. Any further discussion was merely cumbersome.
I once again raised my spear and charged towards the Demon.
It was at that moment.
“...Boulder.”
A command word, a very small, yet clear voice, was heard from somewhere. It wasn't Paimon's voice. It came from a slightly farther distance. And besides, it was a voice very familiar to me.
“Rotate.”
I turned my head in that direction. There stood another Manifestor, one who inherited Paimon's blood and thereby received both a curse and a blessing, the Avenger, solely for Paimon. Neria's eyes, burning fiercely as if fueled by rage, were visible.
“Crush.”
Immediately after, Neria's command flew out. The heavy rock, which she had previously shot at me, was now hurtling towards Paimon. As if Paimon sensed something, his eyes turned towards the direction from which it came.
“...?”
Suddenly, Paimon's eyes widened significantly.