Chapter 208
Taumiel did not back down. If he avoided facing Nahun, who was under the golden ban here, he would have to confront Taumiel, who would return to Hell with his full power.
Returning to Hell would mean Taumiel would no longer be constrained, so it might be manageable, but facing Taumiel wasn’t just about raw power.
Unlike Nahun, who was all about brute strength, Taumiel was powerful enough to be called the lord of Hell. One could see that virtually everything that occurred in Hell fell under Taumiel’s authority.
So, both Taumiel’s strength and his power were problematic. To oppose him meant inviting burial in Hell.
It would be a different story if Taumiel possessed overwhelming brute force like the great demon before him, but that wasn’t the case…
“How weak have you gotten that you can come down to the Demon World? I will find out from now.”
He had no choice but to face Nahun. The sword-wielding Taumiel dashed forward along with a swarm of locusts. His movements were so rapid that simply jumping forward made the surrounding atmosphere tremble.
Seere, of course, was surprised, as was Agreas, who was watching the situation from a distance. However, Nahun, who had to face him directly, showed no signs of agitation.
Kwahhhaaaa!!!
Nahun easily blocked Taumiel’s sudden attack and was looking at something else instead.
‘Agreas, why is that guy here?’
He was concerned about Agreas’s appearance. Taumiel quickly realized Nahun was not focused and sought to take advantage of that.
Taumiel’s sword moved like a serpent, wrapping around Nahun’s sword and striking it downward. While Nahun did not lose grip of his sword, Taumiel’s blade was aimed upward, making it challenging for him to respond.
“You shouldn’t have let your guard down.”
Taumiel’s sword aimed directly for Nahun’s neck. But Nahun remained calm, observing the movement of the sword while speaking.
“I wasn’t being careless.”
And surprisingly, he twisted his wrist holding the sword and struck upward in a single motion.
Chaeng!!!
“I was merely assessing the situation.”
Taumiel’s sword was deflected, giving Nahun an opportunity. He clenched his fist tightly and targeted Taumiel’s solar plexus.
Then, a swarm of locusts converged on the perfectly empty solar plexus.
Kwahhhaaaa!!!
Taumiel had to leap back significantly. However, unlike Nahun’s intentions, there was no damage done to him. Instead, seeing the countless dead locusts, Taumiel smirked.
“Your physical abilities are unrestrained. Is that all you’ve lost?”
Taumiel narrowed his eyes. While he claimed it was only magic power that was lost, that was indeed the most significant issue. The magic power he sensed from Nahun was sparse, and even the attack that targeted him just moments ago carried almost no magical energy.
The amount of magic power he could wield was indeed pitifully low. Taumiel spoke as if he understood.
“Certainly, you’ve weakened significantly. So that’s why Taumiel allowed you to enter.”
“If you understand, you should return quietly.”
“That’s not possible. Given the circumstances, I have no choice but to defeat you forcefully and earn my recognition.”
“… Do not blame others for your mistakes.”
Since it appeared that his physical abilities remained unchanged, a direct confrontation would be difficult. However, conversely, this meant that as long as he avoided direct confrontation, Taumiel would have a tremendous advantage.
“Go.”
Taumiel summoned the swarm of locusts once more and drove them forward. Nahun instructed the Massus to engage the locusts and attempted to move forward again. But this time, it was different from before.
“…What is this?”
Taumiel infused the locusts with his magic power. He grinned, gathering magical energy and clenched his fist.
“Explosion.”
『Explódo』
Boom! Kwahhhk!! Kwahgagagagagagagaga!!!
One after another, the bodies of the locusts exploded in a chain reaction. Technically, it was Taumiel’s magic power exploding like tiny bombs within the locusts. They were like insect grenades.
To anyone watching, it seemed as though Nahun had taken a direct hit, and Seere, surprised, shouted as she clung tightly to the castle wall.
“Teacher!?”
Unintentionally calling out loudly, Seere winced at the pain radiating from her ribs. A voice scolded her from below.
“I told you to stay still. You can’t afford to aggravate your injuries.”
Amidst the smoke created by the explosions, Nahun sprang forth. Although the small explosions had occurred sequentially, each explosion’s power was significant, given that they involved Taumiel’s magic. Yet, seeing Nahun remain unharmed, Taumiel frowned.
“What kind of trick is this…?”
“Haah, teacher…”
While Seere sighed in relief, Nahun quickly closed the distance to Taumiel and threw a punch. Taumiel blocked the fist with his sword and extended his left hand imbued with magical power toward Nahun. However, Nahun had already anticipated the movement and grabbed his wrist instead.
He had caught Taumiel’s magically charged hand with bare hands. Taumiel was astounded.
“You’re using my magic against me…?”
“Have you forgotten that you’re also constrained?”
Kwajik!!!
Taumiel staggered back. However, the left hand that had been caught had to be relinquished, and in Nahun’s grip was Taumiel’s severed hand.
But Taumiel merely frowned for a moment, showing no significant concern over losing a hand. One of Taumiel’s greatest strengths was…
“…It’s regrowing?”
His body was regenerating at an astonishing pace. The left hand that had been severed was healing, and a new hand was sprouting forth. Taumiel watched Nahun while waiting for the regeneration to complete.
He was trying to figure out how Nahun had survived the explosion. And what caught his eye was Behemoth, dusting off the soot from its head with its horn.
“…I see.”
Due to the magic power Taumiel had lost from the constraints, the monstrous beasts of destruction could endure the explosions with their bodies. Even if they were injured, the Massus would quickly recover due to their unique regenerative abilities.
Taumiel spoke.
“Then I just need to send enough locusts to overwhelm you.”
Since there is a limit to the amount of magic power a single locust can carry, he needed to increase their numbers to swarms. It was a brutish yet exceedingly threatening strategy.
Considering the possibility of Seere getting caught in the explosions, Nahun ordered the Massus.
“Defend Seere and the castle walls. Gize, come with me.”
True to his title as the King of Locusts, Taumiel summoned a swarm of locusts far more than before, a dark cloud thick enough to cover the sky.
Seeing this, Nahun climbed onto Gize’s head beside him. As a result, Gize roared and took to the sky while carrying Nahun.
────────────!!!
Gize’s roar momentarily froze the locusts in motion. Some of the locusts, whose wingbeats had stopped, fell to the ground, and Gize unleashed his breath toward them.
Kwahhhaaa!!!
Countless locusts burned in the flames of the breath, but the locusts that dodged the flames began to explode with Taumiel’s magic power.
While the power of the explosions was similar to before, there were so many of them that Gize began to emit pained sounds. With every rush toward the swarm of locusts, the explosions intensified, and some locusts that survived the flames began to gnaw at Gize’s body.
Amidst the rising pain, focus waned. Eventually, at the moment Gize’s beak was about to close after unleashing its breath, Nahun spoke.
“That’s enough. Land.”
Gize, unable to hold on any longer, began to descend. However, Nahun spread his wings and didn’t come down just yet. In that instant, Nahun’s magic power gathered into his sword.
“Is one or two times your limit?”
As the locusts scattered because of Gize, they rushed toward Nahun, who remained alone. Still, Nahun showed no signs of panic.
“…It’s enough.”
Calmly wrapping his arms around the sword, he waited for sufficient magic power to fill it. As the approaching locusts were about to explode, his golden eyes glimmered ominously.
“Blade of Destruction.”
『Ruína Ensis』
As Nahun charged through the locusts while riding Gize, he briefly vanished from sight. All that could be seen from the outside was the exploding locusts. Then, as Gize fell alone, Agreas, watching from a distance, almost confirmed his suspicion.
“Is it over?”
However, it was the foolish delusion of one who did not fully understand the power of the great demon. Among the densely packed locusts, a horrifying red glare suddenly burst forth. Not only Agreas, who was convinced it was over, but even the King of Locusts opened his eyes wide in shock.
“…What is that?”
*b>Jjeoeoeoeoeoeoeog───────────────!!
The light soon transformed into a massive slash that literally erased the swarm of locusts. Although it was not used at full strength, it was undoubtedly one of the techniques symbolizing the master of Nehemot.
The moment Taumiel witnessed the red slash erasing all the locusts, his entire body trembled. It was entirely outside his will. The fear and memories implanted in the past caused him to shiver.
“Th-those powers… How…?”
The swarming locusts, which had blackened the sky, were all annihilated, and only the massive pair of wings freely fluttered in the air. Hovering in the sky, looking down at Taumiel with golden eyes, he shouted wildly.
“Nonetheless, it’s still significantly weaker than your original power! You think you can look down on me with just that much strength!!!”
Had he used his genuine power, the 41st floor would have split into two separate spaces. The power itself was vastly diminished, and Taumiel judged he wouldn’t be able to use that level of strength multiple times.
In that moment.
Tuquahhh──────!!!!
From the ground, red spikes surged up, blocking the path between Nahun and Taumiel. The spikes were so sturdy that they didn’t break even when intercepting a blow imbued with a great demon’s magic. However, they didn’t appear ordinary.
It was understandable, for the material that composed the spikes was none other than…
“…Blood?”
“It ends here, O Great One.”
A rather exhausted-looking woman appeared on the castle wall where Seere had been. Upon seeing her brilliant platinum hair and red eyes, Taumiel instantly recognized who she was.
“How can you be awake?”
The First Moon. A bloodline that was called by such a name and shared shoulders with the original Demon Kings. Taumiel had no way of not recognizing this ancient being.
“Ersha Scarlet.”
