Chapter 166: Going Easy and Demons

Chapter 166: Going Easy and Demons

As we were about to enter the forest, Latina started moving towards us.

"Yeah, just because she has gone mad doesn't mean that her ‹Brave Heart› skills disappear. Of course, she'll notice if we get close," I said.

"Around here, it seems there's no one who is of a higher rank than Latina, except us," Maria reported after checking the map.

Latina's unique skill, ‹Brave Heart›, had the effect of finding opponents of equal or higher rank. If we—who were superior in level and stats—approached, it would not be surprising if she noticed. In that sense, I had to say that Latina and ‹Greed› were a good match, since she had the ability (skill) to seek out superiors and the ability (curse) to steal the skills of defeated opponents. Huh? I'm the one who can find enemies on the map and steal their skills without defeating them? Ha ha ha.

"My honest impression is that it's just too much," said Mio.

"Master's level is the highest!" said Dora via telepathy.

Mio gave a wry smile, while Dora flattered me. ...Well, what Dora said was just a fact, so it was not flattery.

"Maybe that's why Latina is heading straight for me," I said. Thanks to the influence of my ‹Transcendence› skill, Latina walked straight towards me, the highest level member of the party. The ‹Brave Heart› skill could basically tell the location of the person with the highest level among those around. Or the person with the highest status. Both of those were me. "If she's going to come to us, there's no need for us to go through the forest."

So, it's time for some chat while waiting for Latina to get here.

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"To be honest, letting dangerous monsters out of the forest is a no-no for adventurers," I said.

"It's a bit late to say this now..." Sera said in amazement as I started speaking adventurer's logic. Sera was probably the one who did the most adventures among us, in her free time.

Depending on how you look at it, taking Latina out of the forest could be seen as a kind of monster train. Furthermore, there would be a penalty for adventurers if they rub monsters on others.

"However, once the monsters in this forest are wiped out, they will likely move elsewhere, so it's a matter of sooner or later. Besides, if it's an enemy we can't stop, then this country will have no choice but to perish." (Jin)

"That will be perished." (Sera)

"Yes, I think it will perish..." (Maria)

"Of course, it's going to perish!" (Mio)

"Going to perish?" (Dora) Thanks for reading on ManaNovel!

No, it won't.

"Or rather, it's strange that she's stayed in this place this long. In my experience, it's more efficient to gain as many skills as possible in the beginning," I explained.

There were benefits to continuing to hunt in the same place, but in the beginning, you will become stronger if you fight as many different opponents as possible and obtain as many skills as possible. That's my opinion as a senior who possesses the ability to seize powers.

"Or maybe she just wanted to gain high-level skills as quickly as possible, seeing travel time as a waste?" I wondered.

"Her ‹Physical Strengthening› skill level has increased since I last fought her," said Maria.

Latina's ‹Physical Strengthening› skill was currently at level 8. When she fought Maria it was at level 7, meaning she had raised a high-level skill by one level in such a short period of time.

"Yeah, most of the creatures in this forest are orcs and ogres, so it's no wonder," I agreed.

The monsters in this forest all had in common the power ‹Physical Strengthening›. If you keep fighting in this forest, your ‹Physical Strengthening›'s skill level will increase at a considerable pace. And it's safe to say that a high-level ‹Physical Strengthening› is essential for those who engage in hand-to-hand combat. Considering Latina's fighting style, it was highly likely that she prioritized this.

"From what I can see, this forest only contained monsters inferior to Latina, and while she might not be our equals, she was close... well, if there was a monster around level 1000, she might have challenged it and been out of this forest before we got there," I added.

If Latina's nature had not completely disappeared, the battle-crazed Latina would have left the forest in search of a stronger opponent.

"In that case, it seems likely that Latina would have been killed in return. It's a good thing that Jin-sama's tamed target didn't die on their own," said Maria.

Well, even Latina would have no chance of winning against an opponent over level 1000. The ‹Greed› curse can't take away status, after all...

Even so, Maria didn't seem to be worried about Latina at all and was only concerned about my plans changing. I felt a little sorry for Latina.

"Well, in the first place, if there were monsters with levels over 1000 everywhere, this world would have been destroyed a long time ago..." said Mio.

"Well, I guess so," I nodded.

That's exactly what Mio said.

My current level was 2010. It's just like a year. I had never seen a monster of that level before, and if it existed, it would be a danger to the world. Even if it wasn't that high, a level 1000 would be a threat to the world. Even in the "Final Trial", the Ancestor Divine Dragon (Elle) at level 300 was provisionally ranked first... On the other hand, that meant there were six world crises right now in this room. It was amazing when you think about it like that.

It was unlikely that you'd ever be able to obtain this much experience unless you were hunting Hollow Beast in the Gray World. Besides, I should have defeated almost all of the Hollow Beast in the Gray World, so it would be virtually impossible to raise them to the same level using the same methods. Perhaps I could have become the highest level attainer in this world. Although I had a policy of prioritizing stats over simple level, maybe it was the nature of a gamer that I somehow felt happy when my level went up.

"On the other hand, if this world hasn't been destroyed, it may be that there aren't any high-level monsters in it," Sera predicted.

"It's hard to say, because even if their level is high, there may be monsters that don't fight. In manga, aren't there many veteran warriors who give up fighting and live in retirement?" Mio denied, or rather questioned, Sera's prediction.

"Yeah, there are. Those kinds of people tend to become the protagonist's masters," I responded Mio.

"Oh yeah!" Mio exclaimed.

I was having a lively discussion about manga with Mio, but it looked like Latina would be arriving soon.

"It's about time she came. Let's stop talking," I said.

"Okaay." The rest of my companions stepped back, leaving me facing Latina alone.

"I'm strong... I'm strong... I'm the best..." Latina appeared before us with bloodshot eyes, a demonic expression (because of she's a vampire), and repeatedly muttering to herself like an idiot. This guy is no good... She's already completely lost her mind.

Latina's body was truly in tatters. Her body was covered in wounds and she was bleeding in many places. There were probably very few parts of his body that weren't injured. ...Ah, the reason I know that was because Latina was completely naked. Her clothes must have been torn during the fight. I didn't think a beast-like Latina had the luxury of worrying about her clothes when fighting. If you fight at full force, it's only natural that your clothes would come off, right?

Your eyes would naturally be drawn to a naked beautiful woman, but it's quite difficult to direct erotic eyes at a naked woman covered in blood and with a demonic expression. I stopped about 20 meters away and looked over at Latina. Latina looked around at my companions behind me, then finally stared at me. It seemed that I had been successfully locked on.

"You're so strong... I'll kill you!"

As soon as she said that, Latina approached me with a ‹Flash Step›, then made a Jump and pounced on me. Latina raised her right hand with all her might and came at me with a punch, but I quickly moved to the side to avoid it. Latina passed by me with ease. Still, why didn't she get as close as possible with ‹Flash Step›?

[Because Latina's ‹Flash Step Lv3› can only move up to 7m.] (Alta)

Ah, come to think of it, there was a limit like that. I think it was 5m at level 1, and 1m for each level thereafter. Currently, ‹Flash Step› with ‹Broad Interpretation› applied could travel distances of over 100m in the blink of an eye, so I had forgotten about the conditions at low levels. …In the first place, the comparison was probably too poor.

"GRGAAAAAAAAAHH!!!"

As I thought Latina had passed by, she quickly turned around and kicked again. It was a pretty good kick, but it just didn't reach it.

I avoided it by a very narrow margin, really by the very last minute. Not letting Latina's missed kick cause her to lose her balance, she continued to attack repeatedly, thrusting, kicking, and kicking. Each blow seemed to pack a lethal punch. Of course, I avoided it by a hair's breadth, avoided it at the last moment, avoided it just in time.

"GGGAAAAAAAAAHH!!!"

As I continued to avoid the attacks, Latina became frustrated by the situation where her attacks seemed like they would hit me but didn't, and her attacks became visibly sloppy. If it were the real Latina, she would have been smart enough to start over and try a different tactic. However, Latina, who had lost her sanity due to her madness and only had skills left, could not do or even think of doing such a thing. She was in a state similar to that of a wild beast.

"By the way, I was planning to put you down since you were getting too cocky, but if your madness has progressed this far and you've lost your sanity, there's no point in getting cocky..." I declared.

I had intended to beat up Latina, who had been consumed by the mental contamination caused by her madness and was making cocky remarks, but now Latina no longer had the sanity to get carried away. Maybe I came a bit too late. Maybe I should have just flown through the sky and come here without worrying about small details, huh... There was no point in saying it now. Fighting a crazy guy wasn't much fun, so I would end it now (it hasn't even been a minute since the start of the battle).

It was time to use the super special move I recently came up with.

As Latina kicked, I matched it with a sweep of the leg that was on the ground. Even though it was a leg sweep, it was done with enough force that it caused Latina to lose her balance completely. And her stomach was defenseless, as if asking to be punched.

"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!! Full strength, full throttle!!! ‹Show Mercy› Punch!!!" I shouted and delivered a full-force <Show Mercy> punch to Latina's stomach.

—DOGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! —

"Ggaaaaaaaaaaaahh!!!!!!!" An unpleasant sound came from the creature and Latina was sent flying the air. This time, the punch to the stomach was thrust up from below, sending Latina flying in a parabola.

Even though I had used ‹Show Mercy›, if she crashed into the ground like this she would definitely be finished off, so I picked up Latina before she fell. The madness had disappeared from her face, and she laid unconscious with a look of calm, as if she were dying. For now, I guess it's time for ‹Recovery Magic›...

So, what I did this time was I make use of a property that became apparent when I strengthened ‹Show Mercy› with ‹Broad Interpretation›. Specifically, it was the ability to "Destroy only what you want to destroy." Using this ability, I was able to destroy only the curse mark called ‹Greed› that Latina possessed.

Okay then, don't say "Just nullify the curse." Honestly, instead of destroying it, it's preferable to steal or neutralize with ‹Power of Life and Death›, so it's hard to say whether there's any use for this technique. Which is exactly why this seemingly pointless skill was used for the first and last time... And Latina was chosen as the sacrifice.

Ah, don't get me wrong, this ability to "Destroy only what you want to destroy" isn't useless. It has many applications and I think it's useful. The only unusable thing was skill destruction. As I said before, "If you're going to destroy something, steal it instead." It all boils down to one phrase.

The battle? It was over, so I gathered up my companions who had been watching from a distance.

Since we couldn't just leave Latina as she was, I would forcibly tame her with ‹Monster Taming› with ‹Broad Interpretation› applied. Just to let you know, the strengthened ‹Monster Taming› had the effect of forcibly taming an opponent whose HP had been reduced to the bare minimum. Unlike ‹Slave Arts›, ‹Monster Taming› could not succeed without the other person's consent, but ‹Broad Interpretation› had broken that restriction. Anything was possible, ‹Broad Interpretation›.

The tamed Latina was retrieved by Lucia at the mansion using the Summon magic. It was dangerous to continue staying here like this.

"Oh, it looks like she's coming out," I muttered, unable to hide the excitement inside me.

Ahead of our eyes, a black mist-like thing began to drift out from the forest Latina had emerged from. The mist spread higher and higher, covering the sky in a dark mass like a thick thundercloud. The surroundings became dark and an ominous atmosphere filled the air.

"This is a more exaggerated production than I expected..." (Sakura)

"It feels like a scary final boss. I'm sure something big will come out." (Mio)

Sakura and Mio also seemed to sense the unusual atmosphere around them.

—Bzzzzzzzzt—

I heard a sound that sounded like it was coming from the pit of hell, and then, in the middle of nowhere, high above the forest, a huge crack must have been at least 10 meters wide. The next moment, something like a fingertip reaches out from deep inside the crack and pushes the crack open. Then, something jumped out from the widening crack.

"Congratulations, honored humans! Brave warriors! You are heroes who have defeated the evil monsters."

Looking down at us from the sky and saying this to us in appreciation, he was truly a being called demons. He was over 5m tall, his entire body was covered in shiny black skin (?), he had huge bat-like wings, and a pointed tail. His sinister presence was so great that even collecting all of the curse marks from Seven Deadly Sins would not be enough to come close to it.

"But unfortunately, honored humans, you are also great sinners who released my seal," saying that, the demon made a painful expression.

"Honored humans, as heroes and great sinners, will have the honor of being my first victims before I bring chaos to the world. Ah, there's no need to be lonely. I will soon escort you and your loved ones to the underworld where you all await."

The demon reaches out his hand towards us and showed us his palm.

"My name is Lucifer, a Demon[1]. You have resurrected me, and I will allow you to boast in the underworld that you are my first victim," the demon[2] grasped his open palm. Of course, nothing happened.

"Huh? How can you stand up against my ‹Mental Attack›?" The demon, or rather the Demon Lucifer, tilted his head and muttered. Well, it wouldn't work on us because our minds were protected by ‹Parallel Mind›.

Ah, let me explain in more detail shortly.

The demon Lucifer was a hidden boss that appeared after defeating all the monsters of the Seven Deadly Sins that bore the curse (brain game). Simply put, the curse marks of the Seven Deadly Sins acted as seals, so when all of them are defeated, the seal was broken.

You might be wondering why the Demon hadn't been resurrected until now.

The reason for this was that the condition for the Demon's revival was "To complete the Seven Deadly Sins relay before the Heroes defeat the Demon King." Until now, the Heroes had rarely approached the Atto Union and there were no strong adventurers there, so the curse of the Seven Deadly Sins had never been relayed.

This fact became known when ‹Clairvoyance› was strengthened by ‹Broad Interpretation›. The story of the Seven Deadly Sins began when the details of the curse were revealed after investigation.

At that point, only ‹Arrogance› and ‹Greed› remained from the Seven Deadly Sins. Whatever the reason, we started the Seven Deadly Sins relay. We decided not to do things half-heartedly, but to see it through to the end.

The design was like "After defeating the evil monsters that are shaking the country, the seal of the worst demon is released at the very last moment." It was just plain bad taste. To be honest, it was so much stronger than anything I had had up until now with Seven Deadly Sins. If they were just barely capable of defeating Seven Deadly Sins, they would have no chance of winning. Now, here is the status you have been waiting for.

Name : Lucifer (Lv500)

Gender : Unspecified

Age : 10529

Species: Demon

Skills :

- Magic : ‹Mental Attack Lv10› ‹Demon Magic Lv10›

- Body : ‹Demon Body Lv10› ‹Complete Resistance Lv-›

Curse : ‹Gluttony Lv-› ‹Laziness Lv-› ‹Wrath Lv-› ‹Arrogance Lv-›

Notes : A Demon who rules over the deadly sins. His goal is the extinction of all living things. This is one of the final trials imposed on humanity.

‹Mental Attack›

A skill exclusive to Demons. It allows you to invade and attack the minds of living beings. If you completely invade a mind, you can enslave it. If you completely destroy a mind, you can turn it into a cripple.

‹Demon Magic›

A skill exclusive to Demons. It is an integrated skill that includes all eight types of magic, ‹Curse Magic›, ‹Necromancy›, ‹Illusion Magic›, ‹Space Magic›, and ‹Chantless›. It also includes ‹Purgatory Magic› as an exclusive effect (it does not exist as a standalone skill).

‹Demon Body›

A skill exclusive to demons. An integrated skill that includes ‹Physical Strengthening›, ‹Flying›, ‹Floating›, ‹Auto HP Recovery›, ‹Auto MP Recovery›, ‹Superstrength›, and ‹Hardening›.

As expected, and as planned, the Demon was the Final Trial. His level was 500. It was far higher than any other Final Trial that had appeared so far. Naturally, he must possessed overwhelming abilities worthy of that level. ...Although his level was lower than ours.

His skill set is generally the same as before. It seems that his skill composition is specialized for magic, and he doesn't have any Martial Arts type skills. I'm sure he can handle most opponents with his basic stats...

What was interesting was that he had the Seven Deadly Sins curse. It was still in a pretty half-baked state though.

"Hmm? Why do I only have four curse marks of the deadly sins? Also, there haven't even been 1000 souls harvested through the deadly sins, and almost all of them are monsters?" The Demon also looked puzzled at the abnormal situation that had happened to him. Of course, we knew the reason why. Or, it would be more accurate to say, we could imagine it.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" I asked.

"I see, you are able to keep your cool in front of me. You must be a very capable person. Very well, I will allow you to ask me some questions," he condescendingly gave me permission to ask questions, when I called out to him. He was 5m tall and floating in the air, so his line of sight was really high up.

"Can we assume that we have retrieved your curse from those who were causing trouble up until now?" I asked.

"I see, it seems you know a certain amount about my curse. Not only do you have the skills but also the knowledge. Hehe, you all seem to be truly amazing warriors, honored humans," the demon laughed with amusement, as if my question had struck a chord with him. "I'll answer that. That's right. The curse mark of the monster that was rampaging around here will be returned to me when that monster dies."

"So, what happens if the monster doesn't die and just the curse is nullified?" I asked again.

"Nullifying a curse? I don't think that's possible, but if it were possible and the next curse were to awaken... NO WAY!?" The demon looked at me with a shocked expression.

"Yes, I nullified ‹Lust›, ‹Jealousy›, and ‹Greed›. Therefore, those curses should not have returned to you," I said.

To be precise, I had just punched ‹Greed› into pieces, but there was no need to go into detail and explain it.

"That's impossible!" the Demon exclaimed.

"Can you explain why there are no other curses? If you can, then there's nothing more I need to explain," I said.

The purpose was not to refute anything in particular. It was up to the Demon to believe or not believe.

"Could it be that the reason there are so few victims of the Deadly Sins is because of you bastards...?" The demon looked at me with a glaring gaze. Just a moment ago he was looking down on us and calling us "Honored humans," but before I knew it, he had turned to "you bastards." Perhaps he was starting to lose his composure?

"By victim of deadly sins, do you mean someone who was killed by a demon carrying a curse?" I asked.

"That's right. It's also one of the sources of my power. The more people who die before the seal on me is broken, the stronger I will become. Why are there so few?" the Demon replied.

"Well, that’s because I fought to avoid casualties as much as possible. Even though it was a coincidence that I first defeated ‹Gluttony›, I wouldn’t feel very good if someone died in a relay I started. By the way, monsters are not subject to protection," I explained.

I wasn't the one who decided the relay's specifications, so even if a cursed monster went on a rampage and causes damage, I wouldn't feel guilty. Still, it was clear to everyone that if they were to complete the relay, it would be better to avoid any casualties. You see, if it was a rescue mission in a game, you'd want to aim for a 100% rescue rate, right?

"I see... I get it... So you were getting in my way. Very well! If you want to die that badly, I'll kill you however you wish! 'Purgatory Flame Dance'!!!"

Although it was a coincidence, it seemed that I had completely thwarted the Demon's plans, and he finally lost his temper. The Demon waved his hand, and a black flame emitting an ominous presence came towards me. Perhaps this was what they called ‹Purgatory Magic›.

"If you are burned by these flames, you will burn out completely, not even your soul remaining! Hahaha, die!!!" the Demon exclaimed.

"Well then, I'll leave the rest to you," I said to Sera.

"I understand," Sera replied.

Just before the flames were about to hit me, Sera jumped out from the side and swept the black flames away with her shield. Just by saying that, the black flames were extinguished along with the sinister aura.

"Wh-what?!" the Demon was shocked.

"From now on, I, Sera, will be your opponent!" Sera declared.

With her great swords and large shields at the ready, she loudly proclaimed that her anti-magic battle weapons were about to enter into the magic-specialized Final Trial.

Before coming to the forest where Latina had been rampaging, we had discussed various things in the carriage and decided that if the revived monster was the Final Trial, Sera would be free to face it alone. And as expected, the Demon was the Final Trial, so as promised, Sera was left to fight the Demon alone.

"You wiped out my magic...?" the Demon exclaimed.

"Yes, magic doesn't work on me," standing before us, Sera declared confidently. Technically, it was not that magic didn't work at all. The magic spell ‹Slave Arts› worked on her.

"That's ridiculous! You're getting in my way, you're not affected by magic, why are all these strange people gathered here? Who the hell are you all?!" The demon didn't seem to understand the situation and started complaining incomprehensibly.

"I can't say anything about the others, but at least I agree with what you said earlier." (Sera)

"What? I said that...?" (Demon)

"Yes, I am still an 'apprentice hero'. To be more precise, wouldn't that mean I have the qualities to become a 'hero'?" (Sera)

Sera's ‹Hero's Proof› was not just a title. Still, there was no doubt that she had the qualities to be a hero.

"Although, unfortunately, I haven’t done anything heroic at all. I’ve only been an adventurer at best… Ah, if I were to defeat you, who claims to ‘bring chaos to the world’, then maybe I would look a bit more heroic," said Sera.

"Don't mess with me! Do you think some self-proclaimed hero could match me? saying this, the Demon used Space Magic to take out a single black straight sword. The sword was huge, about 5 meters in size, likely made to match the Demon's size. When held by a demon, it looked like a normal sized sword though.

"If magic doesn't work on you, then try blocking it with this sword! Provided you are strong enough as a human to block it!" The demon swung his great sword sideways, attempting to cut Sera in half.

—Clang!!!—

Naturally, the slash was blocked by Sera's Guardian’s Greatshield. Sera didn't move a single step from where she was.

"What?!" (Demon)

"But I am confident in my strength. If you thought that a sword swung with the same force as you just now could reach me, then you are really underestimating me," Sera said coldly to the shocked Demon. Certainly, the Demon's slash just now contained no basic Sword Mastery skills whatsoever. It was really just a brute force attack. Even without the skill, if you have some experience with Sword Mastery, your slash should be a little better. Although, the biggest problem with most opponents is that they can be defeated just by swinging it with brute force...

"Next, I'll attack first. Haaa!!!" (Sera)

"Nuu!" (Demon)

Sera leapt towards the Demon and swung her Guardian's Greatsword. The demon, intimidated by Sera's power, tried to block the attack with the sword he was holding. Even the demon knew that it would be bad if he received Sera's attack as is. That was the right move.

—Clang!!!—

"Guh!"

The swords clashed, making a loud metallic noise. Although Sera's slash itself stopped, the impact was not enough to kill the demon, and he was sent flying. The demon was in the air due to the effect of the Floating skill, so he probably couldn't hold his ground.[levitation]

"Not yet!" (Sera)

"Tsk!" (Demon)

Sera used ‹Sky Running› that she rented from me to move through the air, approaching the Demon and slashing at it repeatedly. The Demon clicked its tongue as it blocked Sera's slashes and continued to be knocked away. In contrast to the Demon's Floating, Sera's ‹Sky Running› was a skill that creates a foothold in the air, giving enough strength to unleash a slashing attack.

"HAAAAHH!!!" (Sera)

After several exchanges of blows, Sera's powerful slash hit the Demon's sword.

"Grrrrr!!!" (Demon)

Unable to withstand the impact, the Demon let go of the sword. The sword flew off into the air, carried away by its momentum. There was no way that Sera would miss such a big opportunity...

"Eat this too!" (Sera)

"Damn youuuu!!!" (Demon)

She unleashed a deadly vertical slash at the Demon. The demon god, deciding that defense was impossible, twisted his body in an attempt to somehow avoid a direct hit.

—Slash!—

Although he managed to avoid a direct hit, the price was high.

"Ugh... My arm..." (Demon)

The sword was deflected, and his right arm, which was unconscious, was unable to avoid the attack and was cut down in a single stroke. No blood was flowing from the cut surface of the arm, only a miasma-like substance was spurting out. Considering that monsters usually bleed when cut, this monster must be quite special. If the Final Trial isn't special, then what is?

Either way, there was no doubt that this puts the Demon at a considerable disadvantage. Here's hoping the Demon made a comeback from here.

…It was funny that my comments so far had been subtly Demon-like.