Chapter 254
“Teacher, is it really okay to just send that human?”
Seere had a slightly worried expression. To be precise, she was not concerned about Iris leaving the mission; rather, she was anxious that if they failed the mission, it would obstruct their plans.
“Do you think there’s a problem?”
When Nahun asked, Seere honestly nodded her head.
“Even if the ranking has risen due to the vacuum caused by the Demon War…he is still a Demon King who was originally ranked 23rd. Can a human with only one arm defeat such a Demon King?”
“Nabirus is strong.”
Seere looked at Nahun with a puzzled expression. If he knew that Nabirus was strong, then it made even less sense that they had sent Iris alone.
“But his power will be more of a hindrance.”
“What do you mean?”
“Nabirus is a necromancer. The characteristic of necromancy is that it can amass a force comparable to a legion even when alone. Therefore, the general consensus is that it is better not to confront him alone.”
“Yeah.”
Seere was aware of this information as well. That was why it made it even more difficult to understand why they had sent Iris alone. Challenging a necromancer single-handedly was practically impossible unless ambushing and killing them with overwhelming force.
“However, necromancy has a very fatal weakness.”
“…A weakness? Is it that the combat power of each individual undead isn’t very high? But even that…”
“That doesn’t apply if the caster’s skill level is high. Nabirus may not be as strong as Samygina, but he will certainly control sufficiently strong undead.”
“Then what weakness are you referring to?”
“He is extremely vulnerable to holy power.”
In an instant, Seere was slightly taken aback. She was a Demon King, and this place was the Demon World. It was inconceivable that something like holy power would exist here.
So she hadn’t thought about it. She had forgotten about what Iris originally was, as well as the reasons she had lived in oblivion.
Iris, the sword saint, was originally a “Hero,” and her weapon was a sword imbued with holiness.
It was a holy sword. Furthermore, as someone who mastered holy magic as a Holy Knight, as Nahun said, her existence was virtually an extreme counter against the undead summoned through necromancy.
“But can it be achieved with just a holy sword?”
“A replica like a holy sword lacks sufficient power. Nabirus isn’t just an ordinary necromancer.”
“Really? Then how…”
“This time, I gave something to her.”
Nahun spoke with a confident voice.
“With that, it will be enough to incapacitate Nabirus.”
A spear capable of striking down even Gize, who could take down powerful opponents in an instant. There was no way the undead, who were already at a disadvantage, could withstand that.
Moreover, due to the nature of lightning, it could affect the entire surrounding area, meaning it would be even stronger against the undead, who tended to swarm by numbers.
‘In this situation where the conflict between the 20th and 21st floors is intensifying, if the lord of the 20th floor is killed, it’s obvious where the arrow will point.’
Even if one were to notice that such a scenario seemed too contrived, the remaining subordinates of Nabirus would only be left to battle the 21st floor, which was now under suspicion. Glashalavras would never remain still upon realizing Nabirus’s absence.
To eliminate the resistance that crossed over to the 20th floor, they would have to move. If they launched a surprise attack by declaring war at that time…
“…What is it that you gave to that human?”
“Huh?”
Coming out of his solitary thoughts, Nahun looked at Seere.
“What about me?”
Seere puffed her cheeks slightly. She was clearly jealous about the fact that Nahun had given something to another woman while not providing her with anything. Nahun noticed this emotion and quickly explained.
“It’s something that can only be used by humans, so… there was no choice. I wanted to give you something too, but…”
“…Hrm.”
“I swear it’s true!”
“Then give me something else.”
“Huh?”
Seere smiled brightly.
“You did well in the war at the 23rd floor.”
It was, so to speak, a request for a reward. Nahun blinked in surprise at Seere. He wondered if she was willing to overlook such a small request.
And as Nahun guessed, Seere seemed to wait patiently for him to comply. If that was all she wanted, Nahun could easily grant it.
“If there’s something you want, just say it…”
“I prefer it if you think of something to give me.”
“…Huh?”
“I’ll be looking forward to it?”
Seere smiled with a wink and got up from her place, opening the office door.
“Oh, and since you’re leading this operation, I’ll just wait for the results. You can use my military authority if you’d like.”
“…O-Okay.”
After Seere left the office, Nahun rested his chin on his hand for a moment.
“I’ll think about the gift slowly for now…”
Once Iris dealt with Nabirus, Glashalavras would definitely take action. To move the troops and engage in battle at that moment…
“…We need to strengthen our forces.”
At that point, Nahun vaguely grasped why Seere had relinquished her “military authority.” Although Nahun had made the decision, it offered the confirmation of Astaroth’s army remaining under Seere’s ultimate decision. Moreover, since he had received full military authority, Nahun could reorganize them into a legion at his discretion.
“…What a relief.”
Nahun chuckled lightly.
“Thanks to her, things are becoming easier.”
—
The divine weapon, Vajra.
It was entirely different from replicas like the holy sword or holy spear made by Metatron. Its true power as a divine artifact was a significant factor that allowed its original owner, Jeruel, to stand as a unique angel capable of challenging Uriel.
While the lightning struck down from the Vajra, it didn’t fall like a normal lightning bolt. It was merely the power contained within the divine artifact that the lightning took the form of as it descended.
Of course, the effect of electrocuting enemies with the overwhelming power that was almost indistinguishable from real lightning meant that distinguishing between them was of little significance. Yet, making this distinction was important because…
“…This is not ordinary lightning.”
The lightning of Vajra was imbued with divinity. That very power was extremely fatal to the undead. The lightning that struck down from the sky targeted the location of Nabirus’s office, affecting the entire building.
Thanks to that, Nabirus’s undead, scattered throughout the corridor beyond the office, made contact with the divine lightning and were instantly dissolved into ash. Regardless of the power of the lightning, the divine power it contained was real, leaving them unable to withstand its force and crumbling down.
“Yes, you wretched…!!”
Even Nabirus’s mightiest summoned undead, the Harbinger of Death, was losing its form due to the impact of the lightning. Nabirus drew his sword in a fit of rage. However, it was absurd that a necromancer would personally draw their weapon and engage in combat.
Moreover, his opponent was not an ordinary human. With his very skills, he had peaked at a young age in a place known for its Holy Knights—the Holy Kingdom.
“A sword, is it?”
With a swish, the sword was drawn from his waist. The spear he had been holding had already vanished from his grasp. The pure white sword exuded a deeply unpleasant sensation.
“How can a mere human possess such power…?”
“If you’ve experienced the Demon War, you would understand.”
And Iris, with her talent alone, had received the holy sword from Mikael…
“Such humans do exist.”
She was the Sword Saint.
With those few words, Iris struck the office floor.
Nabirus could only conclude that it was unfortunate. His undead were stronger than his subordinates, or perhaps even stronger than Nabirus himself…thus, virtually no guards remained close to the office.
It wasn’t just a matter of relying on the undead; it was that remaining in this fifth floor filled with wraiths would gradually drive an ordinary person to insanity in a bad sense.
That was why, even though the fifth floor had various rooms, in practice, only Nabirus’s office and bedroom were used. The rest were merely to ensure that no one could identify Nabirus’s office and bedroom specifically.
Despite dwelling here with consideration for his subordinates, this turned out to be his downfall. It was just too unfortunate. The very candidates originally suitable for incapacitating the undead could not exist within the Demon World, yet someone had kept her alive and made her a pawn, leading to this situation.
Nabirus swung his sword urgently, but a necromancer’s characteristics inherently imply that they lack much combat power. The endless stream of the dead would battle on his behalf, which meant he had no need to hone his own martial arts.
For a similar reason, Samygina von Seos, ranked 4th, also had combat power inferior to that of a rank 23 Demon King. It was perfectly fine since situations of the sorcerer engaging in combat would not arise…
It was all too obvious how the exchanges would unfold between a human who had been mastering the sword to its utmost limit and a Demon King who had rarely wielded a sword in actual combat, despite having strong physical abilities.
Swish!!!
The pure white sword swiftly severed the neck of the Demon King. Iris found an opening far too easily and beheaded Nabirus. At the same time, the wraiths affected by the lightning, unable to move, dissipated like dust.
Confirming that Nabirus’s life had ended, Iris turned to leave but quickly retraced her steps.
“Oh… I should leave this behind.”
Iris naturally dropped the identification badge and soldier’s notebook of the remaining soldiers from the 21st floor, which she had been holding. Then she tossed the dog tag out of the window.
“Is this natural enough…?”
Confident in her judgment, Iris leapt out of the window and disappeared. When Nabirus’s soldiers, who rushed in after witnessing the lightning strike, arrived, they found nothing but the cold corpse of their fallen lord.
