It was satisfying to finally hit back Marquis Riverback.

〚You little punk!〛

In reality, not much had really changed. I was still being pursued by Marquis Riverback, and there wasn't much of a way to deal a significant amount of damage to him.

The absolute advantage I gained was great and all, but it was limited to erasing the opponent's unique ability only.

Of course, considering that most of the unique abilities were incredibly powerful, negating them was a powerful effect of its own. However, it was still difficult to overcome the current situation.

Thanks to the activation of King of Pandemonium, I erased the unique skill Purification, but I couldn’t erase the devastating difference in stats between me and him.

“Uh, crazy fucker.”

As I threw myself to the side, a sculpture next to me shattered into pieces from a black beam that flew past.

Fortunately, there were no collateral casualties from all the attacks coming at me.

It was probably because the students and faculty had evacuated to the deepest part of the Academy, following the emergency guidelines due to the chaos in the city.

I could only thank Marquis Riverback for this.

‘That's a problem…!’

Turning my head, I saw a veil of darkness spreading around Marquis Riverback's body. It was the same attack that struck me earlier and sent me flying hundreds of meters.

The skill description was...

[ Black Mist ]

Grade: A

Description: Demonic remnant from the Devil's Essence. It can corrode nearby targets with demonic energy. Various applications are possible depending on the user's abilities.

It was a skill that demonized bosses who had consumed the Devil's Essence obtained. It allowed versatile offensive and defensive applications using demonic energy.

Its offensive capability inflicted painful damage on anything that approached within a certain range and a defensive power that repelled most attacks.

This alone was dizzying in itself, but there were additional headaches.

[ Blessing of the Dark Soul ]

Grade: A

Description: All physical abilities are strengthened by the Devil's Essence rooted in the body. Adds regenerative abilities. Gives strong immunity to all physical damage.

In addition to basic stat enhancements and regeneration, there was also this absurd effect because of the overflowing energy.

There was a reason why Eleanor, who displayed near-masterful skills in close combat, struggled against this guy.

〚Why, why can an insect like you negate God’s grace-!〛

I heard the distorted scream from the back. It was probably because he still couldn’t catch me, much less maul me.

Fortunately, this guy was finally enraged for real now, not like before.

He had been like that ever since he noticed that his Purification Skill was erased by the effect of my King of Pandemonium skill.

‘Well, this is it.’

Let's try changing perspectives for a moment.

Considering the background of this guy, he was a shady merchant who started from the bottom and happened to get involved with the devil worshippers. After going through a teeth-gritting process, he finally gained recognition.

Given the circumstances, there was a high chance that he viewed the Devil's Essence, bestowed upon him by the Prophet, as the culmination of all his efforts so far. Thanks to that, he reveled in the power it provided and basked in a feeling of omnipotence.

Even Eleanor and I, who shattered the tower he had built over the years with ease, got defeated using his newfound ability without him even exerting much effort.

But then...

The guy he thought he had killed successfully, suddenly resurrected, and in the blink of an eye, he was using a skill that surpassed his own.

His several years’ worth of achievements was once again reduced to nothing.

“…”

Thinking this way, it was understandable that he would feel unjust.

Imagine having all the achievements you had built over a lifetime being completely stripped away by the same person in less than a day.

If it were to happen to me, I would also be furious.

Well, considering that they were villains, it wasn’t really justified nor did it even matter if they felt that way.

If anything...

“Is this ability good? I can't tell.”

I could use this to easily provoke his temper.

Even while running away, I was smiling and threw such a sentence at Marquis Riverback.

〚…〛

“Hmm, I'm not sure if this ability is anything good, really. I just happened to get it. I briefly crossed paths with someone, and they told me to take it. But after using it, it feels a bit cheesy.”

〚...You, you...〛

“Wait, Marquis Riverback, is the ability you worked your ass off for years to obtain worse than this? Surely that can't be…”

〚Shut up!〛

'Hmm, that's right.'

Indeed, there was nothing quite as effective in provocation as using polite speech.

I continue to taunt and run while chuckling at the fuming Marquis Riverback.

With his vanity and conceited character, it was close to impossible for him to maintain a rational judgment when provoked like this.

Even though he could effectively pressure me by exploiting the difference in our stats, he was only chasing after me and launching attacks impulsively like a child throwing a fit.

With this, I could manage to get away just by using the un-nerfed version of Desperation.

Of course, I wasn’t just running away blindly without reason.

‘Not much time left.’

Checking my watch, the promised time was due soon.

In that case, I needed to get rid of this guy temporarily.

“…Eum.”

I confirmed my current position and intentionally slowed down my fleeing speed.

〚Die!〛

Naturally, Marquis Riverback's attacks came at me like missiles.

[ Soul Linker Activated. ]

[ Magic Power Received. ]

[ Skill: Guardian Shield has been activated. ]

The translucent shield generated by infusing magic into the Ultima shattered upon impact with Marquis Riverback's magic.

Since I didn’t stack it with Penance, my endurance stat was garbage. It was basically impossible to withstand such an attack.

Still, since it was divine power, it was able to block it once. This was the inherent advantage divine power held against demons.

It was also largely thanks to this that I was able to escape this far relatively easily.

‘…Come to think about it, it makes no sense.’

The King of Pandemonium skill that could negate a demon's unique ability and having divine power-imbued skills...

It was an incredibly powerful combination against demonic enemies.

Even at this current stage, where my growth was practically non-existent, I could still make ample use of it.

As the shield shattered, Marquis Riverback's magic scattered in the surroundings. Witnessing this scene, he snickered.

〚Ha! Big words for someone who only knows how to hit and ru...〛

However, he suddenly stopped mid-sentence and shut his mouth.

It was because the magic that bounced off after breaking my shield destroyed part of the Cathedral nearby.

The holy relics were thus exposed.

I purposely set up the shield in an angle, so that it would hit that place.

Fragments of stained glass rained down along with pieces of holy relics.

Since this was a cathedral built inside Elfante Imperial Academy, it was naturally built using only the highest quality materials.

The dispersal of holy power within would be akin to a grenade explosion, scattering its influence in the surroundings.

Radiant white light began to flash in every direction, which was all made up of divine power.

“Try taking a look at what’s around you?”

I turned around with a grin.

From behind, I heard Marquis Riverback's howl as his entire body burned brightly, fully exposed to divine power.

‘Good.’

This should stall that guy for a while.

It should be enough time for me to go to the rendezvous point and collect the item.

Talion was a sharp and reliable lad. If I specified the time accurately, he would undoubtedly perform the task accordingly.

In fact, by the time I arrived at the rendezvous point, the alarm had also started beeping...

‘Alright.’

I then caught Talion rushing towards me at full speed, holding the requested item, in my field of vision.

Seeing that, I smiled and reset my watch.

Everything was in place.

'All that's left to do is wrap things up.'

Marquis Riverback's head was boiling to the point where it couldn’t get any hotter.

〚I’ll skin you alive, you fucking bastard brat, I’ll chew your guts in front of your eyes!〛

He had never felt such rage in his entire life. It felt like his blood vessels were about to burst.

In all his years, he had never encountered someone who humiliated and insulted him to this extent!

Wiping off the lingering burn from the contact with divine power just now, he scanned his surroundings with gleaming eyes.

During the brief moment, he lost focus from being struck, that damned Dowd fellow had already vanished somewhere.

Of course, this wasn't an obstacle at all since he had consumed the Devil's Essence.

It wouldn't be a difficult task to track down the opponent's whereabouts, it didn’t matter where they were hiding.

“…”

He began to trace the faint lingering scent of a human's presence, which mingled with the swirling smoke.

Coincidentally, there were no other humans around. Following those traces had become far easier for him.

And before long, Marquis Riverback, having found the location, let out a snicker.

‘Gregory Hall?’

The spire. It was one of the tallest buildings in Elfante.

As that fellow ran with his tail between his legs, Marquis Riverback wondered where he was possibly going. Turned out, it was here, of all places.

Due to the nature of tall buildings, this was a dead-end with no place to escape or hide. And to make matters worse, the man was currently at the very top of this place.

〚Idotic fool!〛

If it were the usual Marquis Riverback, he might have at least pondered why this man went to such a place.

However, anger had consumed his entire mind, deteriorating his judgment.

In that sense, he immediately started flying toward Gregory Hall without any hesitation.

〚Heup!〛

With his body accelerating in an instant, he reached the top of Gregory Hall in no time. He ferociously scanned the surroundings immediately upon his arrival.

It didn't take long for him to find Dowd Campbell, who had boldly revealed himself in the open.

There was something on Dowd's waist that he hadn't seen before.

‘…What is that?’

It was a cylinder the length of a human arm. It was something golden but showed no apparent features.

It was suspicious, that much was certain.

〚…〛

However, Marquis Riverback decided not to pay it any heed.

Even though Dowd had been resurrected from the dead and received an unknown power, he was still a bug that he could chase and eventually crush. At best, it would just be some crude trick.

He would finish this farce now, once and for all.

〚I'll make you feel pain, I'll make you experience hell! I will make you beg for death instead!〛

He shouted and accelerated forward. Black haze spread around him, as he raised his speed to the limit.

This slick rat was always running away from him, and it infuriated him to the core. This time, he wouldn't let that happen again.

However, Dowd Campbell didn’t even budge.

He had defended his attacks with the divine power shield a few times before, but he didn't show any signs of running away now.

〚…?〛

At this point, despite being consumed by anger, Marquis Riverback felt that something was off.

What the hell was he doing?

‘…If I kill him here, it will be over!’

He had repeatedly drawn magic from the amulet he was wearing on his wrist, before injecting it to the incense burner in his arms.

However, looking at the amulet now, it seemed to have exhausted all of its magic power. The last time was probably its limit.

Now, this guy didn’t even have the means to defend himself!

With that thought in mind, he raised his hand with a vicious smile and started gathering demonic energy. The distance between them was close. He had no defense, and considering the difference in strength, dodging was even more impossible.

He couldn't stop his relishing expression from coming out as he imagined this guy being torn to pieces.

“I've told you before. Try taking a look at what’s around you.”

However, at the same time as those sentences were uttered…

Marquis Riverback’s body suddenly froze.

No, he was fixed to a certain spot to be exact.

On a disk lying on the floor.

‘…A disk?’

Why would this kind of thing be here? He blinked his eyes in bewilderment.

With a squeaking sound, the pole connected to the disk dug to the floor.

“Eum.”

Dowd showed a malicious smirk.

He was also on top of the disk.

“Good thing I didn't return it.”

With such a sentence.

The bodies of the two men were launched into the air with terrifying force.

 

 

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TL NOTE: Please don't skimp on the stars and likes of the translation - it inspires me and gives me the strength to write more. Thank you~!