Demon Castle – 2>

Everyone around me except my allies was caught in the explosion. I collected the mana extracted from those wounded by the explosion, then using that mana to trigger it again. It continued to expand without stopping, eventually blanketing the entire wall. A temporary lull of a sort came over the battlefield. It wasn’t enough to wipe out the enemy in a single explosion, but it at least stopped them from moving. My allies had no time to catch their breath, as I was unable to target the gap I created with my bombardment.

[Are you able to deal with some of your abilities now?]

[I am still inexperienced, but I’m doing well enough.]

I replied bluntly to A. His words were a bit rough, but no doubt, it was his way of praising me. I wasn’t able to fight properly to prevent them from invading the castle, but I felt a little better about it now as I took on a more active role.

[The tide is now on our side. Perhaps this battle will be an opportunity for you to leap beyond the realm of simple defensive warfare.]

Rain’s words, as always, were so unintelligible I could’ve mistaken them for alien speech. A leap beyond? If he meant evolution, didn’t I just achieve it? He kept handling things with his mana, but I was worried about his words. Whether she noticed it or not, L sent a message as she watched me.

[This place is connected to you. Unlike the world of humans, the underground realm always has a clear owner. That is why we can maintain power in this castle, and why the underground has yet to fuse with Earth.]

[Andras said that I was the cause of the Great Fusion, but…]

[This is an evil night.]

L stopped my doubts and responded coldly.

[The moon is shining as it watches for the one who will be made king.]

[Are you going to ignore my words just like Rain?]

L wriggled her eyebrows at me.

[If you win tonight, our territory will grow larger.]

[Is that how it is?]

I could barely understand what was happening, but that I could wrap my head around.

[So fight. Fight and win.]

Her support was so blunt and concise that it seemed almost contemptuous, but it felt kind to me. I had reached the point where I could even interpret A’s words, after all.[Okay.]

I responded briefly and focused. The voices had calmed down, and I couldn’t hear anyone. Protected by my wall, I had been able to prevent the counterattacks focused on me. Relying on that defense, I focused on all the power I had. I mixed the power I acquired from Andras together with the power of Reaper and Predation, reinforcing it with an enormous amount of mana from my body. The three powers exploded out instantaneously, spreading in all directions.

[Hm!]

[I see…]

[You gained 1,309 experience.]

[You received 87 gold.]

[You gained 1,192 experience.]

With Reaper, the explosion was enough to kill the opponent, and Predation greedily swallowed up all the mana generated. As the number of enemies decreased, it became easier to concentrate on Space Destruction. It had only been a short time since I acquired it, but I was gradually becoming accustomed to it. I was not yet on the level of Andras, though.

[Level up!]

A few identical notification windows popped up in front of me, but I was too focused on controlling the flow of mana to pay them any mind. I could feel so clearly the mana emerging from my body to trample and destroy the enemies here, devouring their flesh and energy. At the same time, I could feel myself moving one step forward towards completion.

“Gyhak!”

“It’s too much power!”

“I don’t need those who panic!”

I spread the Wings of Jinma as my defensive wall broke down. With a whirl of my sword, I received all of the attacks coming directly at me. Canis assisted, moving nimbly to help me evade my foes. I wielded my sword alongside the magic I was maintaining, making the invading demons sacrifices to my Predation.

[Level up!]

Their numbers had decreased, but the surviving demons were the strongest of the bunch. It didn’t matter how injured or tired I was; their attacks kept me on edge. Their ability to rush forward and avoid Space Destruction made me think of myself fighting against Andras. But I was different from Andras, and the only fate that awaited those who approached me was death.

“Canis, let’s go.”

[Groahhhhh!]

Canis kicked off the floor with a loud cry. Using Ubiquitous, we created several alter egos to confuse our enemies. While they were reeling, we bit through the throats of the demons with Canis’s fangs and my sword.“Kuh, that sword…?!”

“He’s even better with that blade!”

I never learned how to fight with a sword properly. I only picked one up to survive, and thus my skill had increased with every battle I won. Now, it was a mix of my honed instincts and the martial arts skill I picked up.

[Captain, focus on your own fight. You can drop the magic.]

[What?]

I thought it was Lee Chan-yu since he called me captain, but it was Cain. Did he pick that up from his senior? I stopped momentarily, surveying the situation. Only a few groups of enemies remained, engaged by my allies. Mireina and Solas were assisting them where needed, and Solas was even utilizing the power of Space Destruction. It looked slightly different, but there was no doubt it was the same ability I had just acquired. I would have to investigate that later.

For now, I dropped the walls I was using and stopped activating Space Destruction. Instead, I concentrated all of that power into myself and my sword. Even if it were an ancient-grade sword, I could tell that putting all of the powers I had been using into it would’ve been unreasonable. It was already vibrating concerningly with what I was using.

After the battle was over, I needed to remind myself to check out the sword I had acquired from Andras. I pledged to do so, urging Canis to move. The Goddess’ Touch led us forward.

“He’s gotten stronger.”

“You really can’t take on the leader of this castle!”

The Goddess’ Touch poured out lightning to scorch the demons, and the sword I wielded destroyed their bodies with no issue. In the midst of the battle, I continually replenished my mana. Canis sprinted through the battlefield as my deadly Reaper skill cut through the necks of the demons. My powers were supporting each other and raising their effect. I felt no fatigue from using my skills and was able to put my all into the battle. Under the moonlight of the Devil’s Night, nothing could stop me. The enemy was losing momentum, but I wondered why it felt like this was taking too long.

“Damn it.”

“We can’t defeat him.”

Only

“Shit!”

I couldn’t count how many demons were killed, brought here through the fog of the underground. They ran here as if they had been waiting only for this day as if they only existed for now. But that didn’t mean our side was overrun. We had gotten stronger, and, although we were all mentally exhausted, we had been able to level up. That kept us moving, our limits increasing as we fought.

Surviving against these upper-level entities was a huge achievement, even with my help. It was enough for my party to grow immensely. Even Mireina, who had grown the least in the fight, still had leveled up too much to ignore. Lee Chan-yu’s hellhounds had gone through another evolution, and Cain was only a step away from evolving himself. As I considered this, someone spoke up.

“The moon is changing.”

The black light that had been blanketing the entire underground gradually turned to bright golden light. The heat subsided, the golden moonlight shining over the corpses I hadn’t consumed yet. I gently closed my eyes, sensing even without anyone telling me that the battle was over. To affirm my conclusions, a notification window appeared before my closed eyes, ruining the mood.

[Devil’s Night has concluded. You have defeated countless demons and proved your power.]

[The area has expanded.]