Chapter 461: Gear of Fate

The magical devilish being named Rabel tilted her head, exposing the silvery innards from her stomach. Her amber eyes stared fixedly at me as she held Filaret in her arms. What a strange feeling. Something unpleasant rose in my throat every time she looked at me.

In the distance, I could hear birds chirping.

「Humans are so twisted. Can you people be this twisted? I shall change your twisted mind immediately.」

「Please do. I’d be happy if you changed your mind as well. 」

Her eyes narrowed when I spoke. A bad feeling ran through my heart.

The magical devilish being Rabel. As a special demonic being, she probably had some unique characteristics. But even so, how couldn’t she bleed after being injured? She still had blood flowing through her veins even if she was a demon. She wasn’t a clay doll after all.

I’d be able to kill her if she bled. How could I kill someone who didn’t bleed? My eyes distorted slightly. Anyways, since Filaret was the target of this enemy, then there was no time to hesitate, not even blink.

I took a deep breath. Then, I placed the blade of my sword on my shoulder and stepped forward. The treasure sword made a clicking sound in accordance with my will. The blade pulsated as if it were alive and pushed my body more powerfully.

…Don’t worry, just kill her, my master. If you kill her, she will die whether she likes it or not.

I felt like I heard a very threatening voice in my head. I thought there was a better way to describe it, but what was it truly?

「Lord Lugis! 」

As I took a step forward, Mastigius shouted aloud. His expression showed his determination to suppress his pain and move forward.

I knew what he wanted to say without hearing what he said. He was definitely worried about Filaret’s wellbeing. So I just glanced at him for a second and didn’t reply.

Of course, I had no intention of hurting Filaret. But I couldn’t just stand by and watch as one of my few allies got snatched away by a demon.

Situations always got worse when I stood by and watched. Even if it was embarrassing or even if I got hurt, nothing was better unless I reached out.

This was especially true if the enemy was a magical devilish being, a disaster itself. But fighting a demon would be more hazardous if it held a hostage.

One more step and I was already in Rabel’s domain. Her bronze-colored demonic legs, which felt almost sinister, reached out as if to pierce my heart. No, not just my heart, but my neck and brain too. The demonic legs were released to pierce all of me, and the sound of the wind slicing through my earlobes hit me hard.

It was as if her murderous intent had been planted directly in her legs. It was too much to bear.

I reflexively turned my body and took another step forward. Moving my ankles, knees, and hips at the same time, I turned my wrist and swung my sword. The purple lightning drew a circle in the air, and a dull sound of metal biting metal rang out. The sword hit Rabel’s demonic leg, deflecting its trajectory.

But it seemed I still couldn’t completely deal with it. The flesh on my cheek and shoulder was scraped off, and I had to jump away for a second.

I understood in an instant. She was a very skilled opponent in a long-term battle. However, she was a much easier opponent than Drigman, who could grab me from a distance.

With my sword and demonic leg still interlocking, I used my wrist again to slam the tip of the demonic leg to the ground. Without taking a breath, I aimed for Rabel’s neck and drew a line of purple lightning.

She didn’t even try to dodge. The air shuddered in response. There was no obstacle between me and Rabel. Strangely, she didn’t use Filaret, which she was still holding with both hands, as a shield.

The sword pierced Rabel’s throat without hesitation. My eyes were definitely capturing this scene.

But before that, I heard something. Rabel opened her perfectly dignified lips.

「You’re an irrational creature. I shall correct you immediately. I will teach you how to break out of your human shell. 」

My sword’s blade pierced Rabel’s neck without leaving a scratch on Filaret. A fatal blow that would make any being, human or demonic, spurt blood and succumb. That was all.

However, my hand didn’t feel like it had dug into flesh and spurted blood. My hand only felt a strange sensation of hitting something hard.

…What was this? My thoughts stopped for a moment.

It didn’t seem like a living thing at all. It was as if an inanimate object had grown limbs and was wandering around. Rather than fear, I felt confused. What on earth was this?

Doubt and confusion ran rampant through my skull, tangling my thoughts. And then, of all things, I stopped my legs right in front of that demon.

Even with her throat pierced, Rabel opened her mouth as if it was natural. Her sculptured fingers touched my bewildered chest.

Or maybe she had already touched me the moment I plunged the sword into her neck.

There was no pain, only a strange heat.

「The gear of fate is always in my hands. One wrong turn and your fate will drift far away…Lugis. You have made a mistake in your fate. You should have been on my side by now. 」

How did she know my name? The creepiness of Rabel’s fingers forcing their way into my flesh outweighed my doubts.

I felt nauseous. My vision flickered, and I didn’t know how I was still standing. It even felt as if my soul was being forcibly stirred.

Then, with a click, I heard a deep sound in my head.

What did it mean? What had Rabel done to me? I had no idea. But I only felt a twist in the bottom of my stomach.

In an instant, the sword wriggled as if it was whinnying. My eyes opened wide, and my consciousness was forced back.

I forced my hips forward, pushed her hand away, and with the blade sideways, I broke her neck. Normally, she would’ve died from that injury.

But she didn’t die even though she didn’t regenerate like Drigman. She spoke with her exposed silvery innards.

「Oh yes…It’s fine to resist. But either way, you can’t escape it once the gear of fate starts turning. You can’t run away now. You shall understand this soon. 」

I saw a twisted smile on a neat, doll-like face. My spine shivered.

As usual, I didn’t understand what Rabel was saying. But even with her stomach pierced and more than half of her neck destroyed, she continued to talk with such dignity. It was really creepy.

「That’s too bad. I don’t believe in fates that are bad for me…so let’s finish this here. 」

As I said this, I turned my blade back. I didn’t know why and how she was still alive. But no matter who it was, no being could live with its head completely severed.

I raised the blade immediately.

…A violent sound rang out. A sound that split the sky, as if saying there was nothing to fear.

A bird. It was the sound of a demonic bird, much larger than a human being. It was flying above Rabel and me. Its sharp voice seemed like it was threatening us humans.

The piercing sounds made my body go numb for a moment. My cheeks twisted, and I even wanted to cover my ears. I felt as if sharp needles had pierced the depths of my eardrums.

And so, it happened. As if she knew what to do, Rabel used her demonic legs and flew into the air. The demonic bird caught Rabel in the air and put her on his back. Yes, together with Filaret.

Even with a sliced throat, Rabel spoke smoothly.

「I must praise you, Sorcerer General. Surprisingly, my purpose has been achieved. After I leave, you will continue to move west as ordered. You must carry an immediate execution. 」

Mastigius had no time to reply. Surely to Rabel, humans weren’t beings she would want to have a conversation with. She told people what to say one-sidedly, and they listened. To demons, humans were probably like that. Agathos was an exception for being eccentric.

A magic bullet flashed at the edge of my vision. It barely grazed the demonic bird’s large wings, meaning it wasn’t enough to shoot it down.

And so, the sky was now out of my reach. The only thing that could rival it, Filaret, was now in Rabel’s possession. Her figure had disappeared into the sky, and I could no longer see her.

I bit my molars tightly. I felt something like bitterness seep into my mouth. And at the same time, my heart felt heavy.

「That demon bastard…」

Something. Yes, I felt something deadly ringing inside me. A scene from the past, when I was still in the slums, was revived in my eyes.

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