Demon Person. Before Zich’s regression, Demon People were people who lived and died however they pleased. They were utter trash who didn’t feel any responsibility or guilt about the consequences of their actions. Ordinary people gave them their title, and there was no exact criterion to be a Demon Person. However, whatever skills the Demon Person possessed, they had to at least have the power to protect themselves. Or else, people like Glen Zenard who enjoyed grinding the wicked to the ground or others like Weig or Lubella would easily eradicate them.
This meant that most of the Demon People were not only strong enough to protect themselves after causing harm to others, but they were also extremely powerful. And the leader whom Zich just attacked was on the level of a Demon Person.
‘By his movements, he seems to have specialized in tracking.’
If Zich recalled what the man’s footsteps sounded like as he followed Lyla, his assessment seemed right. So, it was more surprising that he was strong even in a head-to-head fight.
“Hey,” Zich said.
The leader didn’t respond and ignored him. He was different from the chatterbox at Suol and the guy at Ospurin who was quiet but still managed to carry a conversation.
‘Damn it. I can’t believe I miss those guys.’
However, Zich continued, “Hey. Are you part of a group that tries to latch onto one person and corrupt them?”
There was a slight reaction this time, and the man’s eyes shot towards Zich. Most people would have felt frightened by his chilling gaze. But of course, instead of fear, Zich made a provoking smile.
“…We are changing plans. Except for that guy and the core, kill everyone else.” The robed figures rushed towards them again.
Zich asked Lyla, “Core? That’s a terrible name. Is that your true name?”
“…It’s not.”
“Yeah, it doesn’t seem like your name. Even Lyla fits you better.”
Clang!
Zich’s sword blocked an attack. Zich and Lyla fought the leader while Hans and Snoc faced one underling each. As expected of underlings of a leader on the same level as a Demon Person, they were strong. Hans swung his sword hard while Snoc pulled out stones in places where his abilities still worked and made armor around his body. The two stood their ground, but that was their limit; there was too much of a power difference.
Claaaaang!
Lyla’s magic exploded, but it failed to have any meaningful effect. The small, narrow environment prevented her from using large-scale magic.
Clang! Clang!
The leader’s sword was heavy, but surprisingly, he moved his sword lightly as if it were a feather and made it sting like a bee. There was only one explanation as to how this was possible.
‘He is more skilled than me.’
Although Zich had increased his strength at a great speed, it still didn’t compare to someone on the level of a Demon Person. He might have felt dejected if he thought about his Demon Lord days, but Zich didn’t waste his time on such useless emotions. The leader stared at him, and his face was cold as usual.
‘There’s no humanness to him.’
But humanity and skills had no correlation. The leader continued to violently push Zich to a corner with his sword, and one of his underlings added in his sharp attacks. Once again, Zich missed the strength he possessed in his Demon Lord days.
‘Well, there’s no use crying over it. I came to supplement that strength anyways.’
If Zich had found Tornium, he would have been able to overcome the power difference between him and the leader. But the reality was that the current Zich lacked power and Tornium was nowhere near him. However, there was still a method he could use.
‘Ah, damn it! I guess it can’t be helped.’ Zich swallowed back his feeling of disgust and made a firm decision.
“Hmph!” A great amount of mana poured into his sword, and Zich swung it with all he had. Even the leader seemed to be surprised by this attack, and he stopped his movements and raised his sword.
Clang!
Two swords clashed against each other. The leader’s movements stiffened for a moment, but Zich’s sides were exposed from his big attack.
Stab!
One of the underlings who fought with the leader pierced his sword into Zich’s sides. Zich moved his waist to avoid a critical hit, but the sword drew a long line across his side. Blood spurted out.
Crash!
Lyla quickly shot out magic towards the underling, but he had already pulled his body back by then. The underling’s swerving, animated movements seemed to indicate the satisfaction he felt. Zich’s injury looked as if his organs would spill out if the cut had been a bit deeper. His wound would definitely impede his movements, and Lyla scanned Zich’s wound with worried eyes.
The robed figures rushed towards them again, and Zich stepped back. He looked like he was in a crisis, but Zich had successfully moved to the area where he had wanted to go. He felt his back collide against Estellade. Even though it was a beautiful holy sword, neither the robed figures nor Lyla even glanced at the sword.
‘They know it’s here.’
But a holy sword that discerned its owner was nothing more than a pretty decoration. So, no one concerned themselves with Estellade, and nobody thought Zich would be able to pull it out. However, one of Zich’s favorite hobbies was to flip his opponents’ expectations upside down and mock them.
Whoosh!
Zich threw his sword, but the leader easily blocked his surprise attack. A smirk appeared on the man’s chilling face, thinking that this was Zich’s last desperate attack, and he laughed at his opponent’s foolishness. And when Zich tried to grab Estellade’s handle, he looked at Zich as if Zich was pathetic.
Craaash!
But as soon as Zich pulled out Estellade, astonishment appeared on the man’s face for the first time.
Whoosh!
The white blade drew a path. Light flashed from the sword, and it looked like a shooting star shining across the heavens. The leader of the robed men hurriedly raised his sword to block.
Claaaang!
Another explosion rang out. This time, Zich didn’t feel any heaviness. His hand didn’t feel sore, his joints didn’t feel stiff, and he didn’t feel as if he was losing physical strength. Mana erupted inside his body, and he felt a mysterious light softly cover his mana.
Whooosh!
Estellade’s energy stretched out in all directions and Zich’s mana swept the whole space.
Crasssh!
The combined forces of mana and light pushed their enemies into a corner.
“Ugh!”
“Argh!”
The leader’s underlings screamed. They quickly ran away from the light that tenaciously chased after them like a snake. However, they weren’t able to evade all the attacks, and numerous injuries appeared on their bodies. The battle turned into a standstill for a moment as everyone’s attention fell on Estellade.
On the other hand, Zich shook his head and complained about his situation. “Damn it. I can’t believe it has come down to this…”
With wide eyes, Lyla asked, “…Why did you pull out that sword?”
“What do you mean why? If I didn’t pull this out, we’d all die.”
“No, I mean. How the hell did you pull out that sword! That sword is…!”
“Holy sword, Estellade.” Zich cut her off. “You can’t pull this sword out if you’re not fit for it.”
“…And you’re fit for it?”
“Probably not?”
“Then how are you able to use it?”
“Ask this guy instead.” Zich waved Estellade in front of her. However, even if Estellade was a holy sword, it didn’t have the ability to reply to a question.
“But its abilities are really good. It’s able to increase my powers like crazy.” Zich swung Estellade a couple of times in the air. As if it was showing off its abilities, Estellade cut the air and made threatening sounds. The robed figures all glared at Zich. Horror appeared in their eyes, expressions, and movements. They also looked as if they didn’t know what to do. However, it didn’t seem like they were going to retreat at all.
‘Hmm, I don’t think they are thinking such a thing as ‘I can never turn my back on a fight.’’
Even though there were a lot of possibilities that Zich could think of, there was one possibility that was stronger than all the others: ‘They can’t back down because that’s probably how important Lyla is to their plans.’
Zich glanced at Lyla. She was still staring at Estellade with a complex expression. Since it was very clear that she was from the future, he didn’t think it was weird that she knew about Estellade.
‘The weird thing is that she’s here right now.’
She could have used information from the future to come here.
‘Since I fought with her, maybe she will be more open to me?’
Then it would be easier for him to get more information from her.
‘I should first crush those guys and end this fight.’
And then he was going to place Estellade back to where it was. Honestly, Zich was very impressed by the sword’s strength. It was able to exponentially increase Zich’s strength to the level of a Demon Person and was able to make the ice-cold leader reveal various emotions. However, Zich felt an intense aversion towards a holy sword. If there was absolutely no choice, he might force himself to use a holy sword; but there was a splendid substitute for it—the demon sword, Tornium.
‘Well, this will be the first and last time I’ll wield this sword. Let’s utilize its capabilities.’
But first, Zich took out a potion and drank it. The injuries on his side disappeared. “Please prepare the strongest magic you can use in this space.”
Lyla nodded her head and raised her hand. “Be careful. It’s hard to control an enormous power that you suddenly obtained.”
With that warning, she began casting her spells.
“Tch!” The leader clicked his tongue and signaled towards his underlings. Even though Zich with the holy sword was extremely bothersome, they had no choice but to interfere when a magician began casting their spells. The robed figures began running towards Zich and Lyla again. The leader ran straight towards Zich.
‘Only his strength has increased!’ The leader had the same line of thought as Lyla.
The strongest advantage that Zich had so far was his precise sword movement. Even though the leader was far above Zich in physical strength and mana, he was below Zich in one category—sword skills. The leader didn’t show it, but he was completely astounded by Zich’s swordsmanship.
‘The holy sword has significantly increased his powers.’
However, to people whose strongest strength was their precise sword skills, a sudden increase of power was usually poisonous for them. With his own fast footwork and sharp movements, the leader targeted Zich’s openings. Zich swung his sword.
‘As expected!’
There were hardly any traces of Zich’s previously sharp and precise movements. All of Zich’s attacks merely contained a lot of power.
Crash!
The leader’s sword and Zich’s sword collided straight on. At that moment, the leader pushed himself closer toward Zich. As the leader expected, Zich’s sense of balance was completely off by his sudden increase in strength. The leader’s sword glistened and aimed towards Zich’s neck. Then, Zich’s expression changed.
He smiled.
‘What!’ The leader felt that something was off and was about to take a step back.
Clang!
Estellade blocked his sword. Zich said, “Did you expect me to run around like crazy—consumed by my newfound strength? Sadly, for you, I’m not such a little kid that I will get excited over just this amount of strength.”
‘A trap!’ Finally, the leader realized his mistake.
“How was your sweet moment of hope?”