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The stench of fish permeates the gray city.

Melted snow has turned into water, seeping between the pavement cracks. A wind carries the damp smell of earth mixed with the revolting scent of the sewage.

The north wind carries with it the dry bitterness of winter, descending from the sky along with pure white flower petals.

As I examined the corpse, I swallowed dryly.

“…From the lack of military uniform, this isn’t a soldier. It’s someone from the Magic Tower.”

The fallen magician’s body was a horrific sight. The flesh, stripped and torn like mashed potatoes, was embedded with shards of a broomstick.

Lucia stepped closer and asked in a cautious voice.

“Do you think… healing is possible…?”

“It’s too late.”

I straightened my knees and stood up, raising my rifle to the sky as I scanned the surroundings.

“Let’s begin the search without lowering our guard.”

The area was silent. The sound of the wind and the distant announcements from the military filled the night in Orventzku.

Contrary to the bustling life of a city housing hundreds of thousands, the scene was hauntingly empty.

With the exception of the terrified refugees crouching near the stairs leading down to the basement, the number of people encountered during the search was painfully few.

In the chilling echoes, we traversed the snow-covered gray city in silence.

Crossing alleys haunted by feral dogs, passing desolate roads and bus stops, we skirted past houses where flickers of light seeped through the curtains.

Then, bloodied footprints came into view.

Episode 12 – The Strongest Magician in History

When tension and stress seize the body, one can feel a distinctly different presence than usual.

Things that would have been passed over without thought suddenly caught my heightened senses.

The wind brushing against my ear, the soft thumps of tiny footsteps on the ground, the clatter of loosely joined components, glimpses of people dispersing into the crowd, the faint scent of something unidentifiable, the license plates of swiftly passing cars…

No matter how much I gulped down the dry saliva stuck in my throat, my sharpened senses couldn’t dull.

The crisp winter air that caressed my skin felt overwhelmingly vivid.

It felt as if someone were pulling my hair from behind, dragging my consciousness out through the nape of my neck and behind my ears.

“…”

The red marks imprinted on the pure white snow stood out sharply even in the thick darkness.

“It’s blood.”

“Could it be the trace of a demon?”

As Francesca rested her hand on the handle of her rune sword and posed the question, Camila frowned and added her thoughts.

“Whatever it is, it feels ominous. Just looking at it makes my head hurt and my stomach churn.”

The moment I saw the bloodied footprints, my brain felt bleached, gripped tightly by tension and stress as if drenched in a whitening agent.

The footprints led across the road to a commercial complex situated on the opposite side.

Following the crimson trail, I began to move quietly.

The narrow alley between the buildings was shrouded in darkness.

Without the faint moonlight, I would struggle to distinguish the objects ahead. Yet even in the deep gloom, some things were vividly apparent.

Cracked tiles stained with dried, dark red blood, a flowerpot overturned spilling dirt and plants, scattered personal belongings presumably belonging to a homeless person.

I wasn’t certain, but the feeling of being on the right path grew stronger.

That thought quickly became reality.

While I was leading the way, noise reached my ears, prompting me to raise my hand and stop my companions.

“What’s wrong? Is there something ahead?”

“Shh….”

As I placed a finger to my lips, Camila fell silent. The street, deprived of sound, became eerily quiet.

As the stillness lingered and everyone concentrated on their hearing, faint sounds began to emerge.

Recognizing that the source of the noise was something greedily chewing and swallowing, it didn’t take long to comprehend.

“…”

Pressing myself against the building’s outer wall, I peeked out.

My sight quickly adjusted to the darkness.

In the dense gloom, I spotted a figure lying flat on the ground in the distance. It was hunched over, using its front and back legs like a stray dog. Similar forms scattered around.

The figure on the ground was munching on something with its face down, making wet noises as it consumed whatever it was.

I didn’t need to see more.

“Camila.”

Aiming my rifle at the figure, I quietly called out her name.

In that moment, flames erupted in the air.

The fire streaked across the night sky of Orventzku, dispelling the darkness.

The area lit up in an instant, and the sudden commotion caught the figure’s attention.

Our eyes met briefly in the air as it frantically lifted its head. Its face, smeared with blood, was vividly highlighted, revealing even the red flesh caught between its teeth.

At that moment, I forcefully pulled the finger resting on the trigger.

– ̶ ̶ ̶ ̶ ̶!

The sharp gunfire raced through the snow-covered gray city.

*

In the dreary streets of Orventzku, I embraced the heavy snowfall with my body.

The optic nerves extending to my brain transmitted every detail from the outside world without missing a beat.

Snowflakes turned to water the moment they touched the gloves gripping the cover, the muzzle of my rifle shaking up and down with the explosions, and the demon rolling on the ground beyond the scope.

How the creature broke the seal, or what schemes it was brewing here, didn’t matter.

What mattered was that the demon was right in front of me.

And the weapon capable of delivering a blow to it was clenched tightly in my hand.

I was pulling the trigger repeatedly, shouting at the top of my lungs.

“Catch that bastard!”

Responding to my words, Camila clenched her teeth and swung her arms.

Her immaculate hands cut through the air, igniting flames.

The fiercely burning fire struck the demon’s body dead on.

– Whoosh!

A bizarre screech erupted.

The soul screamed like it had fallen into the fiery depths of hell.

At the bizarre sound that I had never heard before, Camila covered her ears with both hands.

“Ugh…!”

“Step back, Hero.”

Amidst the horrific screams, a sweet voice emerged. In that moment, a vial containing the soothing elixir for the tormented demon flew in.

Francesca, having hurled the potion into the sky, swung her runesword.

The blue slash that cut through the air neatly sliced the vial right in the center.

– Swish!

The liquid, freed from the bonds of glass, dispersed freely. However, it seemed even the mystical potion couldn’t defy the laws of physics.

The potions, propelled forward by inertia, succumbed to gravity and plummeted to the ground.

The liquids that escaped the vial soared, forming a single membrane, and soon became a gigantic net that fell upon the demon.

Francesca didn’t stop there; she pressed the assault on the demon even harder.

– Slash! Slash!

Every time the runesword was swung, the characters etched on the blue blade glowed. The sharp slashes cut through the wind and inflicted wounds upon the demon’s flesh.

As Francesca’s relentless onslaught continued, I finally caught a proper glimpse of the demon for the first time, while reloading my magazine.

Its appearance was beyond words to describe as shabby.

The sturdy physique trained from a grueling exorcism had become shockingly gaunt. The once handsome face, even without grooming, was now emaciated, with pronounced cheekbones, and the blackened eyes peeking through sunken eyelids sent chills down my spine.

The glossy hair had faded into a limp, brittle seaweed strand. To add to that, the scalp bore signs of patchwork like a patient afflicted with cancer.

The skin hung so loosely it looked like it was glued to the bones. The frail limbs and hunched back, with barely any hair left, resembled a monster driven mad by the power of the ring in a movie.

I wasn’t the only one thinking this; Camila, frowning in dismay, was startled, pointing at the demon.

“W-What is that Gollum-like monster?!”

“It’s a demon!”

“That’s a demon? I’d believe it was a creature from Kevin in the Woods! When you said demon, I thought of Constantine!”

Click! As I pressed the trigger and moved the safety, I scolded Camila.

“Stop babbling and fight!”

Bang! The muzzle began to spit fire once more.

Amid the anguished shrieks, a now-aware Camila conjured up flames and hurled a fireball at the demon.

Francesca, Camila, and I poured every ounce of our power into our attacks. The flames scorched the demon’s skin, while the potion made from deadly toxins aggravated its wounds, poisoning it. The bullets blessed with holy water made from the bones of Saint Balthazar didn’t kill it, but they certainly inflicted significant damage.

We took advantage of the element of surprise to deliver as many effective shots as possible before it could counter us.

The key to this demon hunt was to eliminate the demon in the most certain and swift manner. For that, countless nations banded together, centered around the Empire, the Cult, and the Magic Tower.

For the plan to succeed, a powerful force capable of exorcising the demon had to be assembled. Thus, our first goal was to hold our ground until reinforcements, including Veronica, arrived. We had already sent out clear signals, so they would swarm in like a pack of wolves soon.

Though there were only four of us, it was a sufficiently achievable goal.

– Thud! Thud! Thud!

Just as we were firing away, the loud gunfire ceased, replaced by the cute sound of parts clattering. The bullets had dropped.

I hastily moved my hand and dropped the magazine to the ground. With one hand gripping the gun, I searched for a new magazine with the other. Just as I was about to reload and aim at the demon once more—

“Watch out!”

Francesca’s scream snapped me back to reality. In the brief moment I let my guard down, the demon had vanished.

It had seized the small opening. Like Spider-Man scaling a building, it pressed its limbs tightly to the ground and launched itself toward me.

Caught off guard by its snake-like movement, my body froze instinctively. As I finally regained my senses and aimed my gun at its gaping maw, it had already passed the barrel.

A disgusting stench of rotting flesh wafted from its gaping mouth. Just as its blackened teeth were about to tear my face apart—

A fist collided with the demon’s face.

– Pow!

A dull sound like bones breaking struck my eardrums. The demon, hit in the face, was sent sprawling back, thumping to the ground.

The one who punched the demon was none other than Lucia.

Suddenly appearing to shield me, she brushed aside her snow-dusted blonde hair and let out a sigh of relief.

“I’m not late after all.”

Turning back, Lucia smiled at me. Her fist, sweeping back her hair, bore silver knuckles that gleamed.

“Thank you all for your hard work.”

With my tension released, I let out a chuckle and asked her, “…Are you ready?”

“Yes.”

Lucia, radiating a gentle smile, nodded her head.

Then, she pulled out a thick holy scripture hanging at her waist and added,

“Now, I will ensure it cannot rampage anymore.”

From the opened scripture, a radiant white light began to flow.

 

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