Chapter 502: The Sorcerer’s True Desire

Mastigius’ thick fingertips grabbed Junelva’s neck. The size of the poisonous bird neck was so large that even he, despite his large build, couldn’t completely grasp it.

The most obvious difference between demons and humans was their size. It was a fundamental difference in their biological nature. No matter how much human adventurers and soldiers trained their bodies, they couldn’t match the physical abilities of demons.

What could they do in order to close that gap? One answer was weapons, but they weren’t 100% effective. They were created by humans so that they could kill demons, but it didn’t mean those weapons could be successful all the time.

There was only one thing that humanity had been able to win.

…Dignity for the weak. Bliss for the starving people.

The magic sung by the human hero Altia was the source of human supremacy. And that magic was for the sake of killing demons.

Mastigius believed that he was born as a sorcerer in order to kill demons here and now.

Mastigius dug his fingers into Junelva’s neck and opened his mouth. The poison would erode Mastigius if he hesitated for just a second.

His magic was still endless. Why? Because the magic of hundreds of sorcerers were here now.

They were no longer able to fight alive. But their magic powers had now become one with Mastigius himself.

Entrusting one’s magic to another was like coughing up blood to the limit. And Mastigius received it all.

「…I’ll show you the essence of what we have accumulated. Magical Devilish Being Junelva. 」

The end of it all was in this man’s hands.

The pause was surprisingly slow compared to the thunderstorm. A strange silence and emptiness flowed between them.

There was an incredibly long moment before Junelva spread his wings again to intercept, and Mastigius exhaled.

All sound disappeared, and strangely, both humans and demons forgot to breathe. Only one voice leaked out.

「…『Forgery. 』」

A torrent of magical power and the sound of something bursting.

In an instant, a large amount of blood stained the whole space.

All the blood in Mastigius’ body spilled out and splattered as if it was flowing backwards.

The white turned red, and Junelva got exposed to the sunlight for the first time in a long time. The beautiful blood immediately turned black as it spilled onto the ground and disappeared.

It was a very odd phenomenon. Only the color of blood made it clear that this was reality.

As Junelva thought after watching Mastigius spit red blood from his mouth. Mastigius had reached his limit after all.

That amount of magical power was clearly not the power of a single human, but the power of many people poured into it. Being able to absorb the magical power of multiple people was extraordinary but releasing it from one’s body would inevitably shock and injure the organs.

Even so, this human named Mastigius had accomplished something. Junelva opened his eyes. The sunlight was strangely dazzling.

What filled Junelva’s heart was a long-awaited respect. Junelva respected Mastigius from the bottom of his heart. And he said the following words.

「Guahaha, I see. Well done. 」

…Humans had really become strong. That was what Junelva thought as his vision was filled with red blood.

Once again, red spread from Junelva’s entire body. From his eyes, mouth, every blood vessel seemed to be going against his will.

Mastigius wiped the blood from his mouth as he watched Junelva, who was staggering on the spot. The poisonous bird’s body looked fully red.

With a tired smile on his cheek, Mastigius once again wrapped the lightning around his arm.

There was only one thing Mastigius had done. The essence of La Volgograd.

Altering the body itself.

One of the taboos of reshaping the body to its core. It was an area that sorcerers wouldn’t touch, even if they knew about it. After all, it could easily disintegrate not only the opponent’s body, but their own body as well.

However, he had already learned from the previous battle that demons weren’t easily harmed. The iron of words and the flames of magic were meaningless to them.

So he didn’t want to make the same mistake again. So Mastigius stopped trying to harm Junelva. He tried to reshape Junelva the way he wanted. Even if it meant his own death.

As a result, Mastigius used blood-stained magic to transform some of Junelva’s organs into something that could be neither iron nor charcoal.

That was all there was, but as a living being, an organ was always the source of life.

Even the Great Demon Vrilligant fell asleep after losing his heart. So it wasn’t easy for a demon to stand up after losing his organs.

Sand scattered at Junelva’s feet.

「Ahhh…You’ve really gotten strong. Humans, I mean. I can’t believe it. But I have no choice but to believe. 」

The moment Mastigius raised his arm to unleash a bolt of lightning, Junelva dropped to his knees and sat down. He didn’t collapse in pain, nor did he lose consciousness.

Junelva had undoubtedly suffered some kind of fatal blow, but he was still alive, as if it were only natural.

「…I’ll admit it, human. You’re strong. To be honest, you’re really strong. And I want to kill you now. 」

Junelva spoke softly, and a voice echoed in response.

「…Get down. 」

In an instant, Mastigius saw a mass of poison rushing towards him, and at that moment he also saw a sandstorm coming. The sand ate the poison that was eroding, and then the poison savagely crushed the sand down. It was like hell on earth, as told in a fairy tale.

As Mastigius was blown away by the sandstorm as if it were protecting him from the poison outburst. Junelva’s fierce voice ran down his spine.

「Whoa…ah…ah, I’ve seen a familiar face. Are you still acting like a dog to these humans, you evil-eyed bastard? You’re still good at getting in my way! 」

Beyond Junelva’s field of vision. The poison and sand started to clear little by little, revealing his figure. Doha Surah, the Demon-Eyed Beast, was probably waiting for an opportunity to strike down on the poisonous bird from the top of a dilapidated roof.

Doha Surah still looked like a child, but his strange eyes and the pair of horns on his skull showed that he was of a demonic nature.

「If I’m a dog of humans, then you’re a dog of Vrilligant. I’d rather be on the better side. That’s what life is all about, isn’t it, General? 」

Without taking his eyes off Junelva, Doha Surah spoke to Mastigius. There was a certain respect in his voice.

Doha Surah himself had never expected that humanity would kneel before a demon…no, that they would go so far as to kill him.

Perhaps Altia, the origin of magic, had no intention of raising humans to this point. That’s why Doha Surah looked at Mastigius with awe.

If Altia’s “rule” had extended to the entire world, then Mastigius wouldn’t be allowed just to live, but to shoulder some role or die.

That’s why Doha Surah saw Mastigius as a human with a role to play.

「Don’t stop me. I’m one step away from killing him. I’m almost there. 」

Mastigius’ voice was a sign of bravery. There was blood around his mouth, and his body was creaking with the torrent of enormous magical power.

But even so, he was still a machine that could kill demons. He was an extraordinary human.

「Yes, kill him. Just be careful. 」

But that’s why it tasted bad. The poisonous Junelva was too strong for humans. It looked like he was dying, but he continued to eat away his surroundings with poison. He surely had a hidden weapon.

There was little reason for Doha Surah to side with humanity right now. Still, he didn’t like the idea of ​​demons doing as they pleased, as it reminded him of the past. And he didn’t want Vrilligant to awaken.

That’s why he had to put an end to all of Junelva’s plans. Here and now, completely.

If Lugis wouldn’t move, then Doha Surah would have to step in and make a move himself. Even if he had to create enough chaos in order to do so.

Doha Surah suddenly looked around. Shadraput was supposed to take advantage of the sandstorm that Doha Surah had created, but it seemed she had missed this opportunity, as Doha Surah couldn’t see her.

No, in fact, even looking around with his demonic eyes, he couldn’t even sense Shadraput’s magic. Doha Surah narrowed his eyes and looked behind his back.

Shadraput was bouncing her red hair while hiding behind Lugis’ back.

…I mustn’t trust that thing.

Doha Surah frowned and turned his gaze away from Shadraput.

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