Chapter 548: How to Kill the Incarnation of Death

「A Demon…Eyed Beast Baronuis? She killed us without even getting close. That’s such a demonic injustice.」

That demon’s manifestation forced the local army to retreat and forced them to set up camp for half a day’s journey from the Olyn Plains.

They needed time to regroup. The advance party was wiped out in an instant, thousands of soldiers dead. And all without even meeting the enemy. The soldiers were in utter confusion.

Fight or flee? They had to start again. The soldiers couldn’t move driven mad by fear.

I took a deep breath and swallowed it. The damage was no small matter. It was such a terrible outcome that I wanted to strangle myself right here.

The reason I didn’t do so was because of what my old man had said. It would be worse for everyone here If I showed such emotions on my face.

Inside the tent, the regional army commanders and unit commanders, including myself, were all gathered.

Doha Surah, who was sitting on a treatment bed, said with a cloth covering his eyes.

「That Evil Eye Baronuis isn’t unreasonable just because she’s a demon being. She’s just been that way since the beginning. 」

It was a bit of a roundabout way of putting it. Caria immediately shook her silver hair and opened her lips. Her pointed lips clearly conveyed her displeasure.

「Don’t be so stingy. We don’t have that much time right now. I’m not in the mood either. 」

「Is this what I get from someone whom I saved from heading straight for death? 」

Doha Surah, still covering his sightless evil eye, responded lightly to Caria.

His demeanor seemed normal, so unfazed, but that was by no means the case. Doha Surah was still in such critical condition that he couldn’t get out of bed. He wasn’t in a position to participate in a military council.

But the reason he was still here was because he was the only one who knew the true identity of that enemy.

「I want to know what you know too, Doha Surah. Please tell me. What did you mean by those words? 」

「…Well, I guess that can’t be helped, coming from someone who wields the ring. Baronuis, the Demon-Eyed Queen, can kill her opponents just by “seeing” them even before she became a demon being. She must have gained something else after becoming a demon. 」

Doha Surah casually said something terrifying.

「So, you’re trying to say she has more than just the Demon Eye of Death? 」

「That’s entirely possible. How damnable. Even when I created a wall of sand, she easily made it through. That’s why it turned out like this….Unfortunately, I can’t do it again. 」

Doha Surah also accomplished something in addition to providing information.

That was by sacrificing his own vision to scatter the sand, protecting Vestaline and the other members of the advance party.

He wouldn’t have lost his sight if he had just fled alone. But he didn’t.

「…Lugis. I don’t want to rush you, but if you’re going to move, I’d like to say that you’d better make a decision quickly. This is a terrible location. It’s insane to fight a demon with the power to kill anyone in its sight on a plain. 」

Eldith didn’t hold back. She ordered me to retreat without hesitation.

It was the right decision. Fighting someone with the Demon Eye of Death in the open, with nothing to obscure its view, especially on a plain, was truly foolish.

If I was going to kill that demon Baronuis, then I should’ve done so inside a building with plenty of cover.

「Well, I guess she is by Zebrililith’s side for a reason. 」

That was what Eldith spat out. Her guess was probably spot on.

It was only after retreating and setting up camp away from the Great Demon Zebrililith that I realized what was going on.

The demonic beasts and the demon Baronuis refused to leave Zebrililith’s side.

Even if they had clung to us as we retreated in the confusion, baptized by the demonic eye, they would’ve inflicted such damage on us that we would never be able to fight again.

The demons and other demonic forces continued to follow the Great Demon closely, keeping up with Zebrililith’s slow pace.

It was strange, but now I understood the reason. It was just as Eldith said.

「…If we want to fight inside a building, then we’ll have to wait for Baronuis. But if we do that, the Great Demon Zebrililith would trample us to death. There will be no bones left. 」

Filaret continued, clutching her head. Judging from the slight sweat dripping from her face, it seemed that her fever hadn’t completely subsided. And yet, she bravely participated in the military council with her back straight.

The more we spoke, the more confused and anxious the people inside the tent became.

After all, at first glance, the Demon Baronuis was an impossible threat to eliminate. The Great Demon Zebrililith alone was a hopeless fighting force, but adding another demon to the mix showed that there was reason for despair.

No, this was probably how the relationship between a Great Demon and its servants really was.

The Great Demon reigned over the earth with absolute authority, clearly unmatched. Even if there was someone who wanted to kill the Great Demon by draining their blood and devouring him, they wouldn’t be able to overcome the mighty barrier of power.

…However. Even the seemingly perfect Baronuis was killed once before. By the hands of the hero Valerie Brightness.

If that was the case, then there must be an opportunity to exploit she power. I could just follow the same path this time.

Or so I thought. I desperately tried to think of what that opportunity could be.

But I realized something at the same time. If possible, I didn’t even want to think about it.

My past journey, and this current journey. Both memories taught me one possibility.

I asked Doha Surah.

「Tell me. Baronuis’ Demon Eye of Death isn’t a curse, right? So what’s it? Could it be a supernatural power unique to magical beasts? 」

「Huh? You think that’s possible? 」

Doha Surah said in amazement. Even though his eyes were completely covered, I could see his emotions, and he was surprisingly expressive.

「Demonic beasts and demons alike are, in the end, merely extensions of their species, powered by exposure to magical energy. That’s the only difference between them and elves and fairies, who are blessed or cursed. That’s why Baronuis’ power is a form of magic. Magic is a means of accumulating the power of nature to make things happen. To her, both life and death are natural. 」

Doha Surah said, as if it were obvious. There was nothing surprising about his words.

In fact, he probably didn’t understand why I had bothered to ask. Filaret and Eldith looked at me suspiciously.

I was the only one who understood.

It wasn’t like I had no knowledge of the Demon Eye either. I had a certain idea of ​​what it would do. But if it were going to use something as grand as death, then I had to do something that defied reason.

Okay, there was still a clever way to do it.

I understood why Valerie was able to defeat Baronuis in a single combat. It made sense, since the Demon Eye was a form of magic.

…Valerie’s Magic Armor severed all forms of magic and sorcery. It was the strongest spear and shield.

Not even Filaret’s all-out battle magic could burn Valerie’s skin.

That’s why, in the past, that hero was able to fight a glorious one-on-one battle with the Demon Eye of Death and managed to kill her despite being a human. It wasn’t that she wanted a one-on-one battle, it was just that it was her only option. She was the only one who couldn’t die.

And now…the hero who once defeated death was my enemy.

All the conditions, and all the circumstances, made sense. And it was absolutely terrifying.

I didn’t want to think about it. But I couldn’t help but think about it.

Valerie’s magical armor was a sacred object said to have been created by the founder of magic on the eastern frontier. One of the greatest, created hundreds of years ago.

But was it really created by chance? Suppose that in all history, there was just one sacred object that could nullify magic powers.

By chance, it fell into the hands of a hero named Valerie. By chance, Valerie set up a camp in the fortress where she was to face off against Zebrililith and Baronuis. By coincidence, Valerie was also strong enough to fight Baronuis to the death.

That was what happened back then. It was precisely because Valerie was able to withstand that demon that she defended the Northern Fort to the death, turning that place into her tomb.

But if Valerie had been unable to withstand the demon’s powers and chosen to retreat quickly, then she would have survived. In a world where the hero Valerie had survived, the Gharast Kingdom might have been able to quickly unite and resist the demon disaster.

But after losing Valerie, the Gharast Kingdom collapsed and was half-destroyed before it even had time to unite. Many people died, were eaten, and lost hope…And as a result, “she” grabbed the hands of the Great Holy Church.

“She” snapped her fingers and did as “she” pleased.

…That whore.

I muttered those words to myself. No one could make me more uncomfortable than that woman. If it wasn’t for Ariene, then I’d snap her neck the moment she caught my eye.

Either way, Valerie wasn’t here to accomplish such feat again.

I must kill Baronuis and even Zebrililith as soon as possible and rush to my old man’s aid.

That crazy man told me he wouldn’t die. So I must survive. That’s why I couldn’t afford to hesitate here.

「…I won’t retreat. Any time I lose will only worsen everybody’s wounds. Listen, nothing is impossible. I will definitely kill her. But I want your opinion. From everyone here. 」

I had no choice but to devote myself to killing her no matter how fate unfolded. There was no other way now.

I believed that Altia was hiding somewhere, waiting for an opportunity to strike. This wasn’t the time to hesitate. Not now.

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