Lord of Caldera - Chapter 82

Chapter 82: Chapter 82
Everyone turned to see three dark figures in black armor, their forms flickering like shadows.

You fools. Did you really think I wouldn’t prepare for this? These are the embodiments of my power, copies of the heroes of old. Do you think you can face them?

“L-Light!” one of the knights desperately raised his relic, but the black-armored warrior ignored it and charged forward.

As the light burned the black knight’s armor, its sword still swung down with force.

-It’s useless, utterly useless! Do you realize how much power I’ve condensed into this? If you don’t swing first, you’ll die!

“Damn…!” The holy knights looked at the black knights in frustration. They had counted on the divine power, known for being a perfect counter to demons. But the demon had crammed so much raw power into its creations that it couldn’t be purified instantly. By mimicking the skills of ancient heroes, it had compensated for its vulnerabilities.

‘This is bad! I didn’t think the demon would have prepared this well against us!’

Just as the knights had been strategizing on how to defeat the demon, it had been preparing its own strategies to counter them. The serpent-shaped demon let out a loud, mocking laugh.

-Kuhahaha! How do you plan to fight against ancient heroes? Is there anyone among you with the skills to rival them?

“Wooriyaah!”

Boom!

In the middle of the demon’s gloating, Toby swung his consecrated weapon, smashing one of the shadow knights backward. The shadow hit the ground with a heavy thud, writhing from the impact. The demon trembled in disbelief.

-What the hell?! Why is there someone who can actually fight them?!

“Toby, Sir Ray! Each of you take one of the shadows! Everyone else, focus on the remaining one!”

“Yes!” Toby and Sir Ray charged at their assigned opponents, while one of the holy knights gasped in shock.

“W-wait! That’s reckless!”

Fighting shadow knights, each imbued with the skill of ancient heroes, was no small feat. The logical approach would have been to focus all efforts on one shadow, then deal with the rest. But…

Clang! Smash! Swish!

“…Unbelievable.” The holy knight stared in disbelief as Toby and Ray fought off their shadow opponents, not yielding an inch. In fact, they were gradually pushing the shadows back. If the demon wasn’t lying, this meant that these two were close to matching the skill of the ancient heroes themselves.

“Focus! We still have one left!” one of the holy knights shouted.

“Y-yes!” Startled back into action, the holy knights directed their attacks toward the remaining shadow knight. Though the shadows had been fortified to resist divine power, their durability only came from increased density. Constant attacks would eventually wear them down. And with all the knights targeting a single shadow, it wouldn’t last long.

“Light, descend!”

“Smite the enemies of the goddess!”

“Surround and strike!”

Divine power surged from all directions, and the knights’ swords swung like windmills. Even though the shadows possessed the skills of ancient heroes, they were still manifestations of the demon’s power. Bombarded by divine attacks and surrounded by knights, the remaining shadow knight began to falter.

You cursed bastards!

As the tide of battle turned, the demon roared in fury and lunged toward Sylas, the obvious leader of the group.

So, you’re the commander!

“No, stop! Damn it!” A holy knight shouted, barely managing to block the shadow knight’s attack. They hadn’t expected the demon, who had been so cautious up until now, to suddenly charge directly into the fray.

The demon coiled around Sylas, manifesting a horrific nightmare of agony.

Do you think your consecrated weapons can save you from this? Fall into madness from the pain!

Kuhahahaha!

“Ugh!?” Sylas gritted his teeth as the demon’s laughter echoed through the air. His eyes were ripped from their sockets, his feet split open, and his hands were torn apart, veins bulging grotesquely. His heart and intestines spilled from his body, his ribcage splitting open. The gruesome sight made everyone watching scream in horror.

“What in the world?! What is happening?!”

“It’s just an illusion! Keep calm!”

“But the pain… that’s real, isn’t it?”

It was true. The vision was an illusion conjured by the demon, but the pain Sylas felt was real. He was experiencing every bit of suffering in his mind and body.

-Scream in pain! Go mad from the agony! Kuhaha… huh?

“Ugh… Do you think I’ll submit to this kind of pain?” Sylas growled, his voice strained but defiant. The demon was stunned.

-You…! How are you enduring this agony?!

“If I fall here, everything is over! I can’t fall now, not while there’s so much at stake. No matter how much pain you inflict, I won’t be stopped!”

-Impossible! No one can endure this pain just by sheer will!

“No! My resolve is stronger than any pain!” Sylas roared as flames erupted from his hand, igniting the cursed sword Volberk. Max, watching from the sidelines, muttered to himself.

“As expected… The young master is truly…”

“What’s happening?! Do you know what’s going on?” a holy knight asked, bewildered by the turn of events.

“It’s just the strength of his unyielding will… That’s all I can say,” Max replied, clenching his fists as he remembered the conversation he had with Sylas the previous day.

-Max, I need you to prepare something for the final battle.

-What now?

-Can you make a drug that numbs pain? Enough that I won’t feel a thing, even if I’m being torn apart right in front of me?

-I can, but you know that’s dangerous, right?

-It’s only for a single use. Just something to counter the demon’s attacks.

-Fine, but if it weren’t for a demon, I wouldn’t be making this stuff.

The red vial Sylas had taken earlier was the drug Max had prepared for him. Max knew full well that Sylas’s endurance wasn’t just a matter of willpower.

“Volberk, answer my call!”

-No, stop!

With the cursed sword ablaze, Sylas swung it toward the demon. The demon recoiled in horror, but Sylas was faster. Volberk cleaved through the demon’s true form, slicing it in half.

Squelch.

-How… how can a human endure such pain… with nothing but willpower…?

“Never underestimate the strength of my resolve. For this is…”

Yes, this was…

“…the power of my conviction!”

…And, of course, the effect of a high-grade potion.