---

The butterfly guided us to the southern district.

The butterfly, gracefully flapping its wings like leaves swaying in a gentle breeze, remained distinct even in the thick darkness.

As it rode on a gentle wind and reached a certain point, the butterfly suddenly slowed its speed.

It flew in circles and then gently settled on Francesca’s shoulder, as if it had fulfilled its duty.

“Looks like it’s over there.”

Francesca pointed to a building before us.

There stood a department store.

With shattered windows, peeling paint, exposed rebar, and cracked concrete, it bore the marks of time, overgrown with weeds and vines. Only faint letters remained where the sign had fallen away.

Surely, this department store had seen countless people pass through, lively in its heyday, but now it showed the clear scars of time.

It was a stark contrast to its once-grand scale. The nameless ruins that had been a department store symbolized the plight of those swept up in five years of conflict.

“So they say there’s a demon there?”

“Yeah.”

“What about you, Camila?”

“It feels very ominous. I want to get out of here quickly.”

“Given how you’re saying that, I’m sure of it. Alright, everyone, prepare yourselves.”

A short while later,

“Let’s go in.”

Four people entered the ruins, chasing after the demon.

—

Episode 12 – The Strongest Magician in History

When we set foot in the ruined department store, the first thing that came to mind was the ring from my second visit to Beijing.

The location was different, the scale was different, and even the world was different, but the ruins of Orventzku were eerily similar to that underground place I had used back then.

The interior of the department store was filled with a terrible stench. Mold formed from the discrepancy in temperature between the outside and inside was the source of the smell.

As we stepped over the debris of the shattered entrance, our group frowned. However, no one covered their nose or rambled about how filthy it was, suggesting we leave immediately.

“There’s only the front entrance.”

As a result of scouting the building from outside, it appeared that the front entrance was the only way in.

While there had been blueprints showing a back door, side entrance, staff-only entrance, and a path down to an underground parking lot, all were blocked by junk and boards.

It seemed that after the department store closed down, those who took refuge here had taken these measures to keep out the wind.

Picking up a charcoal-like object from the ground, I marked our current location on a simple guide map outlining the structure of the department store.

“Remember our location and move out. Let’s arm ourselves first.”

“Right.”

I decided to lead the way at the front. Behind me stood Camila, holding a rifle. She pointed at a location that felt particularly ominous.

“That central area looks the most suspicious.”

“Lucia, take the rear to cover any blind spots from behind Camila. Francesca, let us know if anything pops up from the back.”

“Okay.”

“Stay focused and move.”

We formed our ranks and began stepping into the interior of the department store.

The ruins kept their silence, bearing the scars of war.

Shards of glass littered the floor, and the darkened stores stretched on behind the shutters. Tattered tents and spilled camping gear, presumed to be from refugees, filled the area.

Judging by the size of the tents, it appeared that dozens of civilians had made this line their temporary home. The tents were now empty.

In the silence of the ruins, the sound of droplets dripping from a burst water pipe was eerily clear.

Despite the distant noise of battle spilling through the shattered windows, the department store, transformed into ruins, felt disturbingly quiet, as if the chaos outside wasn’t its concern.

In the ceaseless, ominous silence, we continued our search in silence.

Finally, when we arrived at the very center of the department store, where the floors and stores opened wide above and below, we finally faced the demon.

In the central plaza, which resembled a panopticon, the demon awaited.

The dirty ruins were littered with countless corpses, diverse in age and gender.

As we entered the plaza and silently gazed upon the mountain of bodies, the demon that had been curled up at the top turned its gaze toward us.

“…Guests have arrived.”

A smile bloomed across its long-slit lips. Its gruesome fangs glinted in the dark, marked with the traces of its feasting.

The demon, with a chilling grin, rose from its curled position.

The body of the exorcist it had taken over was larger than that of an average adult, but its gaunt and withered limbs made it appear even taller.

As the demon stood atop the mountain of corpses, it slowly began to walk. Using the piled bodies as a stepping stone, it descended toward the ground, its snake-like tongue flicking out as it spoke.

“To come this far is impressive.”

The words rolled off its tongue in a lofty, noble tone.

Though it spoke formally, the aura emanating from it was lowly enough to be dangerous.

It paused halfway down the mound of bodies, tilting its head slightly and beginning to smirk.

“Still thinking about fighting? How foolish. Overconfidence is a miserable trait. You stir up trouble beyond your means, only to ruin it all without being able to handle it. To ignore a warning like that… Truly, you’re monkeys oblivious to reality.”

“……”

The demon, still smirking, tilted its head back and gazed at the sky.

The sky, where the flare had exhausted its light, was as deep and dark as an abyss.

Puffing up its ribcage, which was starkly visible, the demon took a deep breath, exhaling loudly. Even from a considerable distance, the nauseating smell tickled our noses.

After expelling its breath, the demon began to scan us.

“A young saint and a magician… It’s quite the unusual combination. How interesting that a priest and a magician are together. You must be the descendant of those who are called archmages among humans.”

“……”

Francesca didn’t respond and gripped her runic sword. In one hand, she held the runic sword, while the other gripped a vial of potion in her pocket.

Lucia, much like Francesca, lowered her stance, ready to fight. Her right leg was poised to kick off the ground at any moment.

The silver knuckles on her hands sparkled ominously in the moonlight, their small crosses glowing in the dark. The purple sash around her neck fluttered slowly with the wind.

Despite seeing her prepare for battle, the demon remained utterly calm. It maintained its smile and began to speak again.

“What a curious combination you are. And there are those peculiar fellows mixed in as well.”

Its dark eyes briefly crossed over Camila and me.

As the chilling gaze landed, Camila flinched and conjured flames. The flickering fire began to sway menacingly, but the demon showed no sign of reacting.

“On the eve of such a grand undertaking, I would love to show mercy and let you return, but alas, my patience has run out, and I can’t make such decisions now. What a shame. You brought this upon yourselves.”

The demon’s gaze, akin to that of someone looking at a pitiful child, seemed to ask, ‘What do you think you can do with that?’ It was a blatant disregard.

With the enemy before it, the demon casually looked around.

“By the way…”

And then, with a hint of curiosity, it tossed out a question.

“That angel’s servant didn’t come with you, huh? I heard she came to Orventzku.”

“…Angel’s servant?”

At the sudden mutter from Camila, the demon’s mouth stretched wide.

“I’m talking about Veronica. The angel’s servant, an indecent gunman, a marksman with silver bullets. I wanted to see her again, but it seems that’s not happening.”

“……”

“But it doesn’t matter. She’s here today, after all.”

The demon, standing tall over the corpses, placed a hand on the ground and hunched its body. As if something snapped on its hunched back, a sound like popping arose.

Simultaneously, the skin on its back started to boil like water in a pot.

The protruding, gaunt spine began to stretch quickly, gradually increasing in size.

The demon was starting to grow.

Lucia, witnessing the rapidly enlarging demon, narrowed her eyes and bit her lip.

“This is bad…!”

Crack! Crack! The sound of something terrifying echoed as its body expanded.

“If I kill you, that servant will go into a frenzy looking for me.”

With its body still hunched, the demon slowly raised its head to meet her gaze.

“I wonder what kind of expression she’ll have then.”

Lightning-fast, Lucia turned and shouted in urgency.

Suddenly, a sharp sound pierced the air as if paper was rustling. In an instant, Lucia held up a holy book. Her expression hardened as she turned toward the demon.

The demon’s mouth gaped open.

Its long, drooping jaw reached its chest. While its chest and back inflated massively, they contrasted sharply with its gaunt arms.

Its mouth, wide enough to swallow a child whole, began swirling with green smoke.

As something unusual unfolded, the saint turned her gaze back, tearing the holy book without a moment’s hesitation.

-Boooosh!

The torn pages scattered like leaves in the wind. Each page held sanctity.

The pristine white paper glimmered like an exquisite lily. The waves of lilies created by the saint fluttered like blossoms in full bloom.

Just then, when a torrent of red smoke began pouring from the demon’s open mouth like a river,

The pages, swirling in the air, were drawn toward us like they were magnetized, halting just before the red smoke collided with us.

At the moment the sanctified pages crowded before us, Lucia shouted to all of us.

“Don’t fall!”

And then,

-Kwaaaaaarrr!!

The clash of the red whirlpool and the pure white barrier erupted.

—

After ordering the civil evacuation to the knights and the inquisition officer, Veronica quickly headed toward the southern district with the Imperial Army Combat Magician.

-Shwoosh!

The sound of slicing through the air seized both ears. The means of transportation swirled wildly like a boat facing the storm brought by the gusts.

“Ughaaah!”

Veronica, hit in the face by a newspaper carried by the wind, cried out.

Just when the startled Imperial Army magician was about to check on the saint’s safety from behind his wind goggles, Veronica tossed the newspaper off her face.

“Aah! My eyes…!”

“Whoa…!”

That flying newspaper inadvertently poked the eye of the magic tower combat magician following behind. It wasn’t a threat severe enough to cause blindness, but it stung quite a bit since she wasn’t wearing her wind goggles.

Red-faced from embarrassment, Veronica looked at the struggling magician from the magic tower.

The magic tower magician, who came along to support Francesca, was dabbing her eyes while maintaining her broom.

Once she confirmed the magician’s condition and sighed in relief, the saint turned sharply to face the front. Then, she asked the Imperial Army combat magician carrying her.

“Can’t we go any faster!?”

“This is the maximum speed! If we fly any faster, the broom won’t hold up!”

Contrary to the common perception that most magicians could fly through the sky on their own, the truth was that most could not use body-only flight magic. Most magicians used magical tools that ensured stable output to perform their flying spells.

Clouds of the East, carpets of the Mauritania Continent, the quetzal from the Nauatl Continent, etc.

And the most frequently used tool on the continent was, indeed, the broom.

Just like how driving skills and the performance of a car define speed limits, the limits of flight magic are determined by proficiency and the specs of the broom.

In other words, no matter how skilled a magician is, if they rode on a poor-quality broom, there would be a limit that couldn’t be surpassed.

That was the reason why combat magicians couldn’t speed up.

Ultimately, Veronica couldn’t help but burst out in frustration.

“Geez, why don’t they supply us with better brooms?!”

“We’re almost there! Just a few more roads to get through before we reach our destination!”

At that moment,

One of the magic tower magicians flying ahead suddenly shouted in a panicked voice.

“Uh, uh-oh…?”

“What’s going on?!”

“No, there’s something in front—”

Crack! The sound of breaking branches hit everyone’s ears. The broom of the leading magician had been shattered at the front end.

Fortunately, only the handle was broken, and it didn’t significantly impede their flight magic. But the speed was a different story.

The rapidly flying magician, propelled by inertia, soon collided with something in midair.

-Thud!

The magician, flying low, lost consciousness from the impact on her head. Her neck bent awkwardly downward, and her weight shifted forward, sending her plummeting to the ground.

Witnessing the sudden fall of their comrade, the other magicians hurriedly braked and began scanning the surroundings.

However, their speed had already increased to an uncontrollable level, and simply braking wouldn’t stop the broom at once.

Thus, the magicians racing through the sky collided one after another with whatever had suddenly appeared before them.

As Veronica watched the collision resemble a chain reaction, she caught sight of a flickering green barrier in midair.

Though it was just a brief moment, that densely spread green barrier interrupted their flight path.

Was it an attack from the demon? Or was it magic?

Countless theories swirled in her mind, but there was no time for deep thought.

“Ugh!”

“Damn it!”

Veronica instinctively leaped off her broom and landed on a nearby rooftop as she sensed that the Imperial Army magician had failed to slow down.

In that instant, the weight shift allowed the flight magic’s formula to stabilize, and the other magician attempted to make a risky turn to slow down, but the broom’s tail collided with the green barrier.

The damaged broom began to lose its functionality, and the magician, now resembling a regular stick, twisted and plummeted to the rough asphalt below.

“Ugh…!”

Veronica, who landed with a heavy thud, tumbled across the surface.

Rolling along the uneven concrete, she felt pain throughout her body, but that wasn’t important.

Immediately springing back to her feet, Veronica looked around. The magicians had said there was a department store nearby.

She dashed across the rooftops, scanning each and every tall building. Eventually, she found one that matched Colonel Frederick’s description perfectly.

To be precise, it was not a ‘building’ but rather a ‘ruin’.

“What kind of department store is that….”

Well, at least she confirmed the location she needed to go to. The saint invoked her divine power to heal her minor wounds, checked her weapon, and was about to go down the stairs.

To be precise, she was about to ‘go down.’

As Veronica turned the doorknob on the stairway, she froze at a sound that suddenly emerged from behind her.

Timidly turning her head, she concentrated her ears…

I crouched down, sticking to the rooftop railing as I glanced at the ground below.

The moment the scenery came into view, Veronica’s expression turned stiff.

Kneeling with one leg down, Veronica mumbled in a visibly flustered voice while looking outside between the railings.

“What on earth is that…?”

*

A withered fist sliced through the air.

Lucia crossed her raised arms to take a defensive stance. The devil’s punch struck her forearm with a tremendous sound.

– Kuuuung!

While she successfully blocked the attack, it didn’t come without a cost. Her crossed arms were knocked apart, and she was pushed back by the recoil. With a screech!, the sole of her shoe was ground into the earth.

“Ugh…!”

Despite taking the hit with her whole body, Lucia remained unharmed.

Even though her arms had crumbled in defense, her overall stance remained firm. Whether to forget the pain or to gather her focus, Lucia shook her head vigorously and prepared to attack.

The demon, seeing the saint with clenched fists, charged forward without a second thought.

Determined to end her breathing this time, its five sharpened fingers held considerable strength.

As the demon entered range, it lunged for her neck, aiming to rip it out along with her spine.

– Chwaaaaaaak!

At that moment, somewhere, a sharp strike flew in.

The striking blow, radiating a chilling blue aura, was sharp, swift, and deadly.

The demon’s eyes widened in surprise, as it narrowly dodged a fatal blow by twisting its body, yet it couldn’t completely evade the attack.

The passing blow sliced through, leaving a wound on its thin thigh.

“Kuh….”

Its blackened eyes rolled around in search of the culprit.

As the demon looked around, it caught sight of a magician with purple hair, gently caressing a blue blade.

Francesca, confirming the edge of her sword, suddenly spoke up.

“Hmm…. I was a bit tense knowing it was a demon, but it’s weaker than I expected.”

Lucia, with her knuckles tightly gripped, chimed in.

“It’s because it’s a low-ranking demon.”

“Oh, so it’s just a minion?”

“That could be one way to look at it, but be cautious.”

Lucia’s blue eyes turned cold.

“Whether high-ranked or low, a demon is still a demon. It mustn’t be underestimated.”

“If the saint says so—”

Francesca lifted her rune sword with a grin.

“Then giving it our all is only right, isn’t it?”

A blue strike shot forward once more.

The slashing blow tore through the air, swiftly advancing toward the demon. It twisted its body to avoid the attack, then let out a howl before leaping away.

– Cling!

The sound of shattering glass echoed clearly.

The ground of the central square sparkled with broken shards.

The weeds soaked in potion and debris grew wildly, striking the demon as it soared into the sky.

Seeing this, Francesca threw the piece of the potion bottle she had just shattered.

“How dare you, you bug-like creature…!”

The enraged demon swung its legs in the sky.

A dark energy flew much faster than the recently fired blue strike, descending upon Francesca.

“Administrator…!”

“I’m fine!”

Francesca, leaning back to narrowly avoid the attack, raised her voice while regripping her sword.

“Attack now!”

The blue strike began to cut through the wind.

Despite being fired from an unstable stance, its accuracy and power were still quite impressive.

Lucia swung her fists, landing blows on the demon. Each punch from her knuckled hands caused foul flesh, like rotten tree bark, to peel away from somewhere on the demon’s body.

Veins bulged on the demon’s forehead, overwhelmed by the abrupt assault.

“I’ll tear you apart, you b****!”

Just as the obscene curse was about to burst forth, two gunshots echoed through the ruins, silencing its mouth.

– Bang! Bang! Bang!

– Tata-tata-tata!

Camila and I unleashed a barrage of gunfire at it. The blessed bullets tore apart its withered body mercilessly.

As the bullets fell, flames erupted, engulfing the demon with the intent to roast it alive.

While Camila, gritting her teeth, manipulated the fire, the blue strike and the saint’s white fists targeted the demon.

Slamming a potion bottle from my pocket onto the ground caused the scattered tiles to bulge, sending roots sprouting. The rapidly growing plants reached out toward the demon.

Someone was running across the vines like stepping stones.

– Hooosh!

The long legs traced a crescent arc.

The pure white symbol of sainthood danced in the rough wind, while Lucia’s spinning kick flowed in an elegant curve, aiming straight for the demon’s abdomen.

A white light followed the trajectory of her kick.

Apparently unwilling to allow such an attack, the demon chanted some bizarre incantation, pulling nearby debris to form a shield.

– KWAANG—!!

When Lucia’s spinning kick met the jumbled shield, a shockwave burst out in all directions.

Just like waves crashing against a breakwater, the divine energy barely reached the demon, touching none except the most fragile part of the shield.

Only a tiny amount of divine energy slipped through, merely tickling the demon’s face.

That minuscule amount of divinity seemed to provoke a reaction.

“Ugh….”

Feeling a stinging pain, the demon suddenly noticed something approaching it.

Through the gap in the ruined shield emerged a massive fist made of rough, uneven concrete.

To be precise, it was a giant fist crafted from concrete.

The entering fist crushed through the pile of junk, pushing the demon away.

– KUNG—!!

Watching the demon roll into a heap of corpses, Francesca casually slipped her hand into her pocket.

Next to her, stood a huge golem fashioned from concrete and rebar.

“The best way to hunt a demon is to set fire to a pile of firewood.”

Francesca’s gaze turned to us.

“Hero, Saint.”

The alchemist spoke.

“Shall we go on a witch hunt?”

In the meantime, the demon, regaining its senses, was piecing its twisted bones back together.

“Ugh….”

As the demon groaned in agony and lifted its head, what greeted its blackened eyes was a festival of wildly growing plants.

And the holy scriptures along with writhing flames descending from above.

– Hwiiyiiiiiing~!

Green chains wrapped around its legs.

Lethal lilies, scattered like single leaves, clung tightly to its skin.

And a red serpent, flicking its tongue, approached.

The broken demon’s eyes flared up with rage. Attempting to tear away the holy scripture that clung painfully to it with its bare hands.

However, the sacred scripture didn’t permit the foul touch to invade.

As its bony hand brushed the edge of the paper, ominous smoke erupted, engulfing the demon in searing heat.

– Chi-iiiin!

Ultimately, the demon had no choice but to retract its hands from the scripture. A rapid surrender.

Instead, it tried to clear away the binding plants before the flames consumed it.

At that moment, as its sharpened fingers aimed to tear apart the densely grown vines, a blessed bullet embedded itself into its hand.

No time to see who fired it. By the time it raised its head, the red serpent was already within inches of its face.

The red serpent that climbed up the pile of rubble bit down hard on the demon’s leg.

As the serpent began to set the green firewood piled at its feet ablaze.

– Flarrr!!!

The flames surged fiercely, bursting upwards.

Francesca swung her rune sword, causing the ceiling’s structure to crumble. The metal frame, precariously hanging from the wires, was sliced by the blue strike that crashed down onto the demon’s head.

Kuuuung! The tremendous impact shook the ruins. Dust rose, engulfing the square and inciting a fit of coughing, yet the fire within the cage of flame did not wane even a bit.

The flames ignited with the speed of light, burning the demon, so intense that we found ourselves stepping back in shock.

“Did we take it down?!”

“Shut up, Camila!”

Surrounding the blazing demon in a semicircle, we exchanged tense glances.

The demon blazed as firewood and behind it lay a mountain of corpses and the sprawling ruins. Everything before us felt like an unreal illusion.

Yet, all of this was undoubtedly the vivid truth.

And as always, the truth approached us with a cold, merciless face.

“W-What is that?!”

Camila’s horrified voice reached me as she stared at the flaming demon.

Following her finger, I turned my gaze toward the terrifying figure trapped in the roaring flames.

The demon, slumping down as it awaited its demise, reached up over its head.

And at that moment, when its hand touched the metallic structure—

– Cwaaaaarrrk!

The iron cage bearing down on the demon grotesquely crumpled.

The sturdy metal structure twisted, shattered, and crushed within the scrawny grasp.

“I acknowledge this.”

Having effortlessly torn through the metal like soft paper, the demon slowly rose from the engulfing flames.

“It is only that detestable god who caused me to plummet from the stars and that horde of locusts who thronged into the desert empire.”

Chk. Chk. The sound of skin sticking, then pulling away from the cold ground echoed.

The black figure pushed through the flames and began to walk.

“What a remarkable feat for pitiful little monkeys. With the disgraceful years behind you, as I unfurl the wings I’ve tucked away for thousands of years, you have proven your worth.”

Its darkened pair of eyes swept across our faces. The demon stepped forth from the flames, displaying its grim smile with all its teeth.

“Even if my plans were to fail after so many years of preparation or on a whim, I see your bodies and souls as good alternatives. So….”

The demon spread its arms wide and gazed up into the pitch-black sky.

Silver knuckles gleamed with pure white light and the letters engraved on its blade glimmered in blue. The flickering flames became menacingly bright, and as the cocked trigger pushed the blessed bullet into the chamber—

“This will become your tomb.”

With a chilling smile, exposing its gums, the demon turned behind it.

Countless corpses buried beneath, which had lain quietly stacked away,

Opened their misty eyes.

*

When faced with the murky, glowing eyes like a mist-filled haze, the first thing that sprang to my mind was the black monster that tore at people.

The corpses rising with cloudy eyes were clearly abnormal, yet they exhibited a stark contrast to the black monster. The reanimated corpses showed no aggression. They merely shuffled forward to stand beside the demon.

Then, shortly after,

The corpses approached the demon, crawling beneath its arms and legs. Slowly, they began to meld into its emaciated limbs and torso.

There were no words to express it differently.

How could one put into words the sight of skin and flesh merging together like clay?

Corpses joined into one, fusing into the demon’s gaunt limbs in an eerie spectacle, leaving each of us at a loss for words.

One by one, the demon wore a subtle smile, arms spread wide, as if expecting this all along.

As if it had awaited this very moment.

“…….”

The corpses crawled to the demon’s feet, continually merging together.

Flesh began to swell on its previously scrawny lower half.

The sight was so grotesque, it resembled a ghastly assembly of grotesque flesh being crudely stitched onto a person on the brink of starvation.

“… Are you a Power Ranger or what, damn it.”

Now the demon was combining like a robot too.

“…….”

The demon, once closing its eyes immersed in some trance, slowly opened them and raised the previously lowered arms high.

A thick shadow loomed above.

“… Everyone, get down!”

At Lucia’s sharp warning that pierced through, we all kicked off the ground to evade. Just then, in the span of barely two seconds, a gigantic mass resembling a massive arm crashed down onto our previous spot.

– Kuuuung—!!!

An impact beyond comparison shook the ruins drastically.

The ground quaked and the walls trembled.

From the vibrating steel frame came ominous metal sounds, as if about to snap, and the concrete of the ceiling crumbled, dumping dust and debris.

Then came another attack.

– KWA-KA-KA-WHANG!!!

Without lifting the arm it brought down, the demon simply swept the area clean.

“AAH!”

Screaming, Camila tossed away her rifle and began to roll on the uneven ground. If anyone from those clans or sects in the central plains saw her, they’d surely tongue-click and roll their eyes at the disrespectful display.

I snatched up the rifle Camila dropped, gathered the scattered magazines from the ground, and started running in the opposite direction.

– Kurrang!!

The sound coming from behind resembled the tremors of collapsing buildings during an earthquake.

I couldn’t remember if it was Haiti or Turkey, but when I was dispatched alongside my senior for information security work in an area hit by a massive quake, I’d heard that same noise before.

“Haah! Haah…!”

Gasping for breath while glancing behind to assess the situation, I quickly turned back and resumed running.

– KWAANG! KWAANG!

The mass of flesh overwhelmed the central square as if devouring a mid-sized sedan.

Flower beds, uprooted, left flower pots and bowls scattered on the ground, probably used by refugees for nourishment.

Every swing of the demon’s arm uprooted flowers from their roots, pulverizing them beyond recognition, and even the glimmering tiles now cracked, sending shards flying into the air.

Nothing remained in the wake of the massive mass except traces of devastating ruin.

What was truly frightening was that the demon wasn’t using any special techniques; it was just mindlessly swinging its arms to the ground.

And that massive arm was relentlessly chasing after me.

“Why, of all people, is it targeting me…!”

With the rifle and gear strapped on, I dodged and maneuvered to evade the mass.

“I ran away like a generic mobile game character dodging obstacles.”

Even as I darted into the shops around the square, the demon did not lose track of me. Its horrid arm, now evolved to the size of a small bus, approached while demolishing store displays, additional materials, walls, and even the very columns themselves.

– **Krashhhhh!!**

Only a grotesque wreckage remained where the arm had passed. The ground, pressed down like clay, was scattered with shattered tiles, ripped walls, columns, and concrete shards, all mingling with a cloud of dust, with broken wires and mana lines hanging limply amidst the debris.

In the wake of the destruction, pieces of flesh and blood from the creature were left behind, a gruesome reminder of the chaos it wrought.

The last place ravaged was where animals used to dwell; it didn’t seem to be a clinic but rather a breeding facility where the refugees of the department store had been raising rabbits and other small animals for stable meat supply.

The crimson remnants writhed as they approached the animals trapped in their cages.

The blood and flesh that had fallen from the demon quickly contaminated the interior of the breeding pens, making it an uninhabitable place for any life.

The demon wouldn’t stop there; it relentlessly pursued me.

I couldn’t know if I appeared to it like a mole in a video game or if I looked as insignificant as a helpless bug, and frankly, I didn’t want to find out.

I poured every ounce of strength into running, finally managing to scream out,

“Sorry, can anyone help me?! I’m not on a bus, so do something, please!”

Could it be that my heartfelt plea reached someone?

A monstrous roar erupted from the demon behind me.

– **Chwaak! Chwaak!**

A blue strike crushed the grotesque mass resembling an arm, while a fist of white light coiled like a tail and smashed into the writhing flesh.

– **Kwahng—!!**

Lucia, now soaked in dark crimson blood, took a deep breath and steadied herself.

With the breath she took, the white light surged forth, and from the breath she exhaled, a mist escaped. The silver knuckles, now smeared with gore and blood, were instantly cleansed. As the light surged, the filth splattered on her face and hair also vanished.

In the blink of an eye, Lucia returned to her original pristine form. She took another deep breath and tightly gripped her knuckles.

As the softly glowing knuckles struck the demon’s lower half, against the squirming pile of grotesque flesh—

An impressive divine light burst forth like fireworks, tearing through the mass and spreading outward.

The demon’s head snapped back as a howl of anguish began to escape.

– **■■■■■■-!!**

An inhuman wail filled the square, hauntingly incomprehensible in any human language.

It sounded like a male voice, then a female one, and at times it resonated with an old man’s piercing tone, only to suddenly mix with the sobbing of a child.

“Urk…!”

As I held my ears and staggered, barely keeping myself up against the display stand, from a distance, Camila dashed forward, waving her arms.

“Come quickly! Over here!”

“I’m coming…!”

The demon continued to howl in agony, still writhing.

The grotesque mass, made of the dead’s flesh, quivered, and the demon’s true form, which had bulged out like fruit atop a cake, flailed its arms.

As if reacting to that movement, the masses of flesh began to twitch and squirm, violently crashing through everything in their vicinity.

I moved cautiously along the outskirts of the central square to avoid being caught up in the chaos.

“Lucia! Francesca! How can we catch that thing?!”

“I’m not sure! But….”

Lucia’s azure eyes directed toward the demon’s back, where civilians were staggering and being absorbed into the flesh.

As Lucia, watching the civilians merge with the demon, suddenly smiled—a bittersweet smile.

“We can’t just sit back and do nothing; we have to try something.”

She pulled out the holy scriptures and a bottle of holy water strapped at her waist.

“Can we catch the demon with that?”

“I’m not certain. But other than this, we have no options.”

“Saint Veronica will be here soon. It’s been nearly thirty minutes—”

As we were sharing a serious plan against the demon, the radio crackled to life.

Miraculously, it was Veronica. Lucky me.

I pressed the radio tightly to my ear and shouted to Veronica.

“Saint Veronica! How far are you?! The demon has morphed into some sort of giant robot! Hurry and do something!”

– ‘Get away, Colonel!’

“What? What does that mean all of a sudden?!”

– ‘Gah, damn it…!’

Veronica’s urgent voice burst forth from the radio.

– ‘If you don’t want to die, take the kids and run!’

In an instant, an unexplainable chill ran down my spine.

I grabbed the radio and tried to escape with the three of them in tow.

But I was too late.

– **Crash!**

The sound of shattering glass filled the department store as what remained of the main entrance crumbled.

And then—

– **Grurrrrr…**

Under the dim moonlight, black carapaces gleamed ominously.

The black monsters were crawling toward us, howling like beasts.

The sensation of vitality, looking down upon all things from a high place. The essence of life pulsing within this space is strikingly vivid.

The blackened eyes slowly flutter open.

The wrinkles around the eyes were a clear testament to the passage of time, yet the violent nature contained within simmered like a volcano.

“I have longed for this power, this flesh, this sensation. It feels as if I am compensating for the disgrace of bowing my head before my enemy after losing the Empire. I feel as though I can make everything kneel before me. My foe, the repulsive servants of the divine, the disgusting necromancers who have betrayed their loyalty, the cursed lowly gunmen, and all of you.”

My emaciated fingertips trembled.

Unable to restrain the emotions surging within me, tears streamed down my face.

Beneath the prominent cheekbones, my lips, torn wide open, bore witness to my struggle.

The demon began to cry tears of uncontainable joy and smiled widely.

“The contract with that necromancer was the best choice of my life. Though an unexpected scoundrel has appeared, and my painstakingly built golden tower has crumbled. Behold!”

My gaunt arms were raised high into the sky.

“My plan has succeeded! The conditions of the contract have been fulfilled, so it is time to carry out my promise.”

Emotions swirled in my blackened eyes. Joy, anger, anticipation, desire, pleasure.

Countless waves of feelings swept through me in an instant.

The demon, overwhelmed with happiness, wiped its face with its skeletal fingers.

And then, with a cold, intense gaze, it turned to me.

“But before that, I must settle my debts.”

An arm covered in black crystals descended from the sky.

At that moment, Lucia rushed in from behind, holding a holy scripture to thwart the incoming attack.

“Ugh!”

A colossal hand crashed down upon the shimmering barrier.

Boom! The world trembled, and the building shook. Though it didn’t strike directly, the demon’s attack was terrifyingly powerful.

“I am!”

The black crystals fell like rain, and a fist was raised high.

“I will not be stopped!”

The earth turned upside down.

Not only was it impossible to stand still, but my feet also left the ground. I was flung into the air and rolled upon the ground.

A shout filled with rage echoed through the ruins.

“I shall tear that wretched enemy apart! I will reclaim my throne! You shall be the foundation and the sacrifice!”

A relentless barrage of punches began. The demon swung its arms, pummeling the ground. I, crawling on the ground, felt like I had jumped into the scene of a bombing, and then I spotted a fallen radio and crawled towards it.

Just then, a loud shout from Francesca cut through the noise.

“Body explosion…!”

The alchemist warned.

“Everyone, get down!”

As I looked up, corpses rained from the sky. The demon seized monsters yet to be absorbed and the still bodies, hurling them at us.

“I’ll crush you all!”

The piling corpses began to swell.

Like balloons being inflated, the corpses rapidly expanded. Flesh stretched to its limits, and black energy seeped from every hole in their bodies. Soon enough, the skin reached a breaking point, tearing apart with a ghastly sound, and bombs, drenched in innards and blood, exploded above our heads.

– ̶̶ ̶̶ ̶̶ ̶̶ ̶̶ ̶̶ ̶̶ ̶̶ ̶̶ ̶̶ ̶̶ ̶̶ ̶ ̶ ̶!!!!!

The intense boom battered my eardrums, and the nauseating byproducts slammed against the barrier.

Francesca fired a blue lance at the still-exploding corpses, attempting to intercept, but it was futile.

Just as I was scrambling to get back on my feet, I began to hear voices from the tightly held radio.

-“Colonel!”

It was Veronica’s transmission.

-“Right now, can you see the demon in the department store? If you adjust its position, I can aim and hit!”

“…How do I adjust?”

-“East! Look at the east side window!”

As instructed, I glanced at the eastern window, spotting something shiny stuck to the glass.

It was light.

A faint beam of light pierced through the glass, pointing towards the plaza below.

It was quite close. It seemed that with just a slight movement, the demon would enter the light’s range.

Picking up the fallen rifle, I took aim and shouted to the others.

“Everyone, distract it!”

Upon hearing my shout, my companions rallied their strength.

A blinding divinity shot forth. The explosion of light upon the demon’s face instantly robbed it of its sight. Lucia released the barrier, charging in to shoot the divine light at its visage.

Something rushed towards the demon as it staggered back.

A golem hastily constructed from concrete and rebar. The golem charged forward, stomping the ground, forcefully pushing the flesh and the incoming enemy away.

– Whoosh~!

A massive wall of fire rose behind the demon.

Camila, sweating profusely, controlled the flames to ensure the demon couldn’t escape. She then adjusted the fire, gradually herding it into a corner.

Lucia and Francesca also pressured the demon in their own ways. A tsunami-like divine force surged from a crescent-shaped kick, shattering the black crystals, and a sword, engulfed in blue flames, sliced through flesh.

“Argh!”

As the demon slowly regained its sight, it opened its eyes wide in shock as a fluttering butterfly passed right before its eyes.

The butterfly soared elegantly through the air with a graceful display of its wings. Captivated by its beauty, the demon’s attention was unwittingly drawn away from everything else.

The shimmering, gossamer-like wings and aesthetic patterns. As it turned its head to follow the delicate creature, a beam of light tickled the demon’s eyes.

And then,

-Bam!

The sound of a gunshot reverberated through the ruins,

-Shatter!

The eastern window shattered into countless pieces.

And in the distance, on the rooftop, the Saint, holding a sphere imbued with the power of the Holy Spirit and a revolver, gently closed one eye.

“I’ve got it.”

Creak, the trigger pulled slowly.

The ensuing shot.

The flames at the muzzle exploded, filling the air with the scent of gunpowder.

The silver bullet shot through the southern district of Orventzku, where faint moonlight fell, piercing through the broken window.

“No, no!”

Flailing arms resisted the approaching death. The grotesque flesh writhed.

The pure silver bullet containing divine power struck the demon’s heart.

*

The attack landed.

Veronica’s silver bullet, wrapped in a white light, soared through the night sky like a meteor shower, piercing through the demon’s chest.

It was its heart.

With both arms raised high, the demon threw its head back. Its gaping mouth showed no signs of closure, and its wide-open eyes were filled with horror and disbelief.

Crack.

The blackened crystals upon its skin lost their power and fell. Glimmering like obsidian, the crystals faded in color, plummeting to the ground.

Following that, the flesh began to crumble.

The hardened flesh, now like charcoal extinguished of embers, began to disintegrate into powder. The breeze blowing through the broken window scattered the crimson pieces of flesh into the air.

That sight resembled the embodiment of existence’s dissolution, as imagined by philosophers.

“…….”

As I gazed at the slowly dissipating demon, I suddenly felt a surge of strength.

The lowered muzzle was raised again, and the legs that had kept my body steady firmly planted me on the ground.

The scattered pieces of flesh began to converge once more.

The previously flailing bits reassembled. Like iron filings drawn to a magnet, the crimson flesh and black crystals pulled toward one another, forming a shape anew.

“What the hell…!”

I wasn’t the only one witnessing this.

“That wretched bastard…!”

Veronica, who had shot the demon’s heart, unleashed a barrage of revolver fire. Five silver bullets passed through the shattered window, piercing the demon’s body again.

Simultaneously, a vial shattered, and the plants that surged forth began to eat away at the conglomerate of flesh with their vile poisons. Barriers began to encircle in places to prevent the flesh from merging.

Then, a searing flame engulfed the massive mound of flesh.

-Raging flames!

The conflagration enveloped both the demon’s body and the grotesque mass. The whirling fire rose with a fierceness unlike any other.

Carried by the hot winds, the flames swirled violently like a hurricane.

Camila, blood trickling from her clenched gums, controlled the flames.

Through the radio, Veronica’s fervent voice came through.

-“That bastard is already dead! This is merely its last-ditch effort! If we trap it so it can’t escape, it will definitely disintegrate. So, please-”

However,

-Boom!

An explosion erupted, scattering flesh everywhere.

The sharp crystals embedded in the flesh distinguished no friend from foe, no living thing from the inanimate. Massive chunks of crystal sliced through iron sheets, while smaller shards grazed limbs.

Francesca swung her rune sword to intercept the flying flesh, but a fragment hit her in the head, sending her tumbling. Lucia, who was praying to cast her barrier, was struck by a chunk of flesh larger than a car and crashed into the ruins.

“Damn…!”

I ducked behind cover to evade the falling crystals and debris. In the distance, I spotted Camila, unconscious.

Perhaps due to the sheer amount of flames she had dealt with, she was out cold. If I left her like this, her life might be in jeopardy. I abandoned my safe cover and, braving the storm of falling debris, dragged her to safety.

As the storm raged on for what felt like an eternity, it gradually began to subside.

“Ugh…!”

The demon, standing atop the melted remains like ice cream gone bad, started to let out painful moans. Its chest was open, and its body had long been a wreck.

“How dare, how dare! You filthy insects interfere with me!”

“…….”

“No matter what happens, I will ensure! You all die here-!”

I looked up at the sky with a dazed mind.

Fireworks of embers rained down like snowflakes.

Because the flesh that had not been extinguished exploded in all directions, fires had already spread throughout the department store. The flames danced hungrily, creeping upward, eager to consume everything in their path.

The flames controlled by Camila had been so reassuring.

Now, without its master, the fire was nothing but a disaster.

The spreading flames threatened everyone’s lives.

Burn holes appeared in the clothes as embers landed upon them. My skin prickled and burned from the heat, yet, trapped within the flames, I had no thoughts of escape.

“…….”

Embers swirling in the sky, crumbling ruins.

The barrier that protected us from the demon’s attacks and flames had long vanished. Now I realized the rooftop of the department store lay wide open.

Through the gaping hole, I could see the starry river flowing in the night sky. The twinkling starlight in the darkness felt as though it might soon come crashing down upon us.

A massive shadow slowly obscured the stars above.

From its high-held grotesque arms, chunks of flesh and crystals fell.

The demon, with its eyes glinting black with poison, spat out its final words in a harrowing voice.

“Crush them all!”

Watching the onrushing massive mound of flesh, I slowly closed my eyes.

*

– flutter.

At that moment, a subtle sensation pressed against my skin, distinctly felt.

When I opened my eyes, there was still the looming monstrous arm of the demon. And upon its back, a butterfly had settled.

…No, it wasn’t just one.

The butterfly was also perched on Camila, who lay in my arms, on Francesca, who was sucking the blood, and on Lucia, who sat exhausted against the wall.

Four butterflies, gracefully folding their wings.

“…….”

Confused, I instinctively checked Francesca’s face. Could it be that she sent the butterflies?

However, the emotions playing across her face were peculiar—confusion, surprise, horror. Countless feelings darted through in that brief moment. I instinctively recognized that these butterflies did not belong to Francesca.

Then who could they belong to?

As those thoughts swirled in my mind, a beautiful woman’s voice resonated.

“I distinctly told you, that is not how you handle fire.”

Flames roared down from the sky.

The burning embers poured through the gaping ceiling into the dark night sky, a mix of colors vibrant and vivid. It was blue flame.

Unlike Camila’s flames that soared high into the air, the blue flames did not rise. Upon reaching the ground, it spread like a waterfall.

Oddly enough, even as the scorching flames drew near, I felt no heat. The butterfly on my hand flapped its wings, as if to cool the air.

“…….”

As I unconsciously lowered my gaze along with the pouring flames, I caught sight of a woman’s back blocking my path forward.

The demon was ablaze.

A bewildered Lucia.

Veronica, bursting in with a shotgun, looked aghast. Francesca stood frozen, eyes wide and lips slightly parted in shock.

Finally, the woman standing with her back facing me turned her head slightly, gazing at me.

The flames gave me a strange sense of déjà vu, and when I finally faced her, everything unfolded before me in full clarity.

It was inevitable.

“You remind me so much of Kolya, always so stubborn.”

Silver hair like melted ore.

Eyes that sparkled like sapphires.

“Long time no see.”

The colloquially known “Independent War,” hero of the Magic Tower-Cult War.

One of the Great 17 Archmages.

A great scholar who established elemental magic, and the inaugural leader of the Elemental School within the Three Literary Schools of the Magic Tower.

Aunt of Emperor Nikolai VI of the Kien Empire.

Ruler of Novo Nikolayevsk and the vast snowy plains of the Naroda Mountain range.

“Alexandra Smirnov.”

Duke of the North.

“That’s my name.”

A living legend.

Episode 12 – The Mightiest Mage – END –

 

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