Swoosh!
The Demon Sword Rebrion, infused with holy mana, was swung.
Ian did not assume any particularly special stance; he simply executed a horizontal slash.
It was a technique that even those just beginning to learn swordsmanship would acquire.
Yet, its power was anything but ordinary.
Crack! Whoosh!
“Grahhh!”
A strike followed by a sacred attribute slash cut through the air.
The brilliance that erupted in an instant was on par with that of the Holy Sword Elysion.
Thud! Thud!
“Gah… I—I can’t believe I’m facing such a lowly creature!”
The light of the sacred attribute, which was the antithesis of Satan’s Dark attribute, severed his upper body.
While he marveled at the flowing crimson blood and magic, Ian adjusted the Guardian’s Silver Ring.
‘So this is the limit of using the Holy attribute.’
This was an item that was essentially a national treasure of Edenria, obtained with the help of Glendia and Raymond.
Its performance was incredibly satisfying. Without utilizing this, pushing Satan to such an extent would have been impossible.
‘Even if I’ve become a Master. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Satan is a pseudo-final boss.’
As seen in his patterns, he was not an enemy that could simply be overpowered through mere growth.
Even if his arms were severed repeatedly, Satan, as a transcendent demon lord, would quickly regenerate using his superior body and wrath.
If it weren’t for the additional damage against demons and the healing reduction effect that the sacred attribute provided, Ian would have faced considerable hardship.
‘If it were up to me, I’d want to keep using this. But after the third phase, using the sacred attribute doesn’t yield any benefits.’
While it was a good strategy to use tools to neutralize the opponent’s strengths, it wouldn’t work indefinitely.
The upcoming third phase was an example of this.
Crack!
“Uwaah!”
“The mutation has begun… Soon, he will shed his human form.”
As the magic that burst from his severed upper body began to writhe, Ian frowned.
Satan’s third phase was straightforward.
Having excessively consumed his wrath, Satan would begin to gather magic to its limit, prepared for life and death.
‘Once he completes the transformation into a hybrid of human form and distorted monster… that will be the real start.’
If it were merely a change in appearance, it would be wonderful. However, as previously stated, the boss battles in Heroic Academia were the epitome of hardcore.
Naturally, the transformations would be considerable compared to before.
‘Excluding the change in patterns, it’s primarily about the attributes.’
First and foremost, he was no longer a being of the Dark attribute.
While it might seem he was switching to another attribute…
To be precise, the attribute was completely vanishing.
‘In the first place, the Demon Kings of Astelgia do not possess attributes like humans.’
Attributes are akin to the blessings of the Goddess of Peace, Eris.
How could those opposing Eris ever be granted such attributes?
They were merely beings who had chosen to bestow themselves with the dark attribute while intervening in the material realm.
‘But now, Satan is relinquishing his human form and reverting to his original appearance.’
Faced with the threat to his life, he no longer needed to maintain a human visage.
In other words, it meant Satan had no need to retain any attributes.
The reason for ceasing the use of the Guardian’s Silver Ring was precisely this.
‘If I can’t receive the benefits of the sacred attribute anyway…’
It would be better not to use it at all.
Using Neltalion’s divine form to clash head-on would be far more effective.
Because of this…
[You have ceased using the Guardian’s Silver Ring! Switching to Dark attribute.]
[You have met the conditions to use Rebrion! The curse of mental erosion is lifted!]
The reason for reverting back to the dark attribute was the moment the color of mana enveloping Rebrion began to darken along with the status window.
– Hmm…? Ian? Now I can help you too!
‘Yeah. Will you help me?’
– Alright! I’ll help!
As Neltalion cautiously spoke, peeking out, the joy that lit up his face at finally being able to assist was palpable.
Once again maintaining a human form, Neltalion stood beside Ian.
“Grahhh!”
The frenzied Satan began to scream wildly. Only after the rapidly swirling magic storm had settled could Ian see clearly.
“…It would be wise not to think about returning alive.”
“This is the beginning.”
The upper half of Satan resembled a black mountain goat, while the lower half maintained a human shape.
Kiiing!
The tips of Satan’s horns, which subtly raised at the corners, turned a bright red.
Kwahhh!
At that moment, a dense storm of magic began to assail Ian.
***
When facing Satan in his third phase, one thing must be remembered.
‘There are no weaknesses.’
Generally, boss monsters cannot be dealt full damage with ordinary attacks.
In the small gaps between the attack patterns, a hole formed in the shield that surrounded him, forcing him to play with a focus on timing.
If he managed to land a hit or two, he would have to roll until the enemy’s pattern ended, and that was precisely why.
After all, if the damage wouldn’t land properly, what was the point of approaching?
However, Satan was a bit different from those others.
‘Rather than waiting for the perfect opportunity, I need to hit him as much as I can when the timing is right.’
Satan possessed extreme aggression, putting every ounce of magic into his attacks, leaving minimal mana for defense.
The best defense is a good offense… Perhaps this was a fitting description.
Without any defense, it meant that hitting him would deal significant damage, but it was far from simple.
‘Not defending doesn’t mean he’s inviting me to hit him. It’s a way to ensure I don’t get any timing to counterattack with his relentless assaults.’
Even now, it was the same.
Roar!
“Lo Aias!”
Boom!
Ian, having used his skill to block the raging storm, slammed into the ground.
Swoosh!
With mana enveloping his entire body, Ian dashed towards Satan in the blink of an eye.
“Not a chance!”
Kwang!
“Ugh…”
Unfortunately, Satan’s reaction was surprisingly swift.
From his gaping mouth, flames of magic erupted, igniting the area in a fan-shaped pattern.
But it didn’t just stop at burning.
KABOOM!
‘A chain explosion too? He’s really serious about this.’
As the ground caught fire, it began to explode the moment the flames subsided.
If Ian had tried to block that with Ro Aias, he would have lost two shields.
This was what made dealing with Satan so difficult.
Not only did he not allow any opportunity to attack, but the relentless onslaught of patterns made it impossible to defend.
Though the situation was extremely frustrating, Ian maintained his composure.
Losing his cool in the chaos of battle was akin to saying, “I want to die.”
There was never an easy path. No matter where one aimed to go, all he had to do was analyze the obstacles in front of him and contemplate how to overcome them.
Understanding this, Ian kept his calm and read the situation.
“Running away won’t help!”
As soon as the shout ended, Satan lifted his foot. If he stomped down, a shockwave would spread, and an earthquake would follow.
Normally, he would create distance.
‘But what if I just try to grab that foot?’
It would be wise to use what he could. Having finished his analysis, Ian firmly planted his legs and steadied his posture.
“Ether. Activate the divine form at the same time.”
– Okay! Ian!
Using Ether to create an arm and surrounding it with divine energy.
Bang!
‘Got it.’
The arm shot out quickly, grasping Satan’s leg in mid-air.
Caught off guard, Satan attempted to pull his foot back, giving Ian a small opening.
Whoosh!
Ian didn’t miss that opportunity.
The black mana-infused Rebrion was about to be swung.
He would likely unleash a fatal strike. Since this was the hard-earned opening, Ian would show everything he had in this attack.
‘I must block that!’
If he wasn’t careful, he could lose his life in one clean cut. Realizing this, Satan swiftly extended his right arm.
Though it was late, the wide motion he was making indicated that he could be blocked!
With that thought, Satan desperately gathered magic in his right hand and swung.
Ian could see it.
“Hmph.”
“Are you… smiling?”
He saw the creature start to smile at the sight of its own strike.
What was that?
Was he insane?
Had he lost his mind?
Even as he thought this, Ian’s sword and Satan’s arm moved toward each other.
Swoosh!
They were now so close that it could be said there was barely a sheet of paper between them.
‘What does it mean…?’
Ian still couldn’t grasp the meaning of the smile. But one thing was clear: his attack was going to be blocked by Satan’s arm.
Just as he felt relieved thinking that…
Ping!
“What, what?!”
The moment Ian realized that the attack he thought would cut through had been deflected by Satan’s arm instead.
Normally, it should have collided with great force. But as soon as his arm touched the sword, it weakly bounced off.
What this signified was simple.
‘Could it be? Was he never really going to attack with his sword?’
Ian hadn’t even considered cutting through with his sword at all.
Once again, Ian was caught off guard by Satan’s peculiar swordsmanship, making it impossible to discern whether he was attacking or defending.
‘This b*stard! Is he mocking me?!’
Anger welled up at the realization that he had been toyed with, but unfortunately, there was no chance to vent that frustration.
“Do you still not understand, even after taking a hit? I can attack you without the sword being the end of it.”
“A-Another arm!”
A new arm had sprouted without Ian realizing it.
He extended it long into the air, and where it reached, there was a spear.
“Ian, now!”
Celia had thrown a spear that Ian caught. However, this was not a mere clone created from mana like before.
‘The Holy Spear Bryunack…’
If asked to name the best spear that existed in the Empire, Bryunack would undoubtedly make the top five. Its physical form was now in Ian’s hands.
Unaware of the danger to his head, Satan had no choice but to take the hit.
Crackle!
“Ugh! GRAHH!”
As a burst of light pierced through his head, Satan staggered, clearly suffering severe damage.
However, Ian knew he couldn’t afford to be satisfied with just that.
If he paused to catch his breath, Satan, who had consumed his rage to recover, would charge at him again.
‘This is a rare opportunity.’
Ian was well aware of that. Moreover, having received Celia’s spear meant that he could no longer rely on her support.
This had to end here. Ian was certain of it.
‘Use all of the divine form.’
– All of it?
‘Just like when I used Beelzebub and Mammon, everything.’
– Got it!
Utilizing the full power of the divine form, he manifested the Thousand Arms behind him.
If the opponent was coming at him with a purely offensive stance, it was only right to respond with equal power.
But this was a bit different from when he faced Beelzebub.
Whoosh! Clang!
– I-Ian! All my arms have swords!
Having become a Master and expending all his mana, he materialized swords in all of his arms.
Even if he had done his absolute best, this was a situation where he couldn’t fail to finish it! Just as Ian was about to unleash his swords…
“Geh! To think you’d aim for my head in such an unexpected way… I acknowledge that. But I will let you know the same: what I can use is not just my left arm!”
“…You’ve already regenerated!”
The moment he realized that Satan’s right arm was targeting him, it was too late.
Having suffered severe damage to his head, Ian had assumed that arm would be the first to recover, yet… had he regenerated his right arm instead?
Caught off guard in an unexpected moment, Ian tried to distance himself.
“Cough! Damn it…”
“…Did you think you could escape?”
The magic extending from the ground took shape as a hand, gripping his ankle and holding on tenaciously.
In a situation where he couldn’t prepare for the enemy’s attack…
Should he allocate some of the hands he had manifested to block the right arm first?
Just then, the outstretched right hand moved closer to his heart.
‘Is this unavoidable…?’
It would be wise to take the hit and then look for the next opportunity.
Though disappointing, he couldn’t afford to lose his life over a momentary distraction.
As he thought this, the swords that were moving toward Satan’s body began to shift toward the defense against the right arm.
Thunk!
“Ugh… Ian, don’t worry about me. Attack Satan first… I-I will hold on…”
“C-Celia?”
Celia had stepped in front of Ian, taking the full brunt of Satan’s attack.
Though her abdomen was mere moments away from being pierced, she was drawing mana to withstand the blow.
Even if she had to die, she was determined that Ian would not be harmed.
That willpower dominated Celia’s mind.
“…Just hold on a little longer.”
With his eyes tightly shut, Ian plunged his sword into Satan’s body.
Boom!
A thousand swords rained down like a torrential downpour. Each thrust was followed by the sword being pulled out and stabbed back in repeatedly.
“Ugh! GRAHH!”
As Satan writhed in pain, Ian’s mana began to plummet rapidly, and an excruciating headache struck him.
‘I must not stop…’
He didn’t let it distract him.
He couldn’t afford to give up now.
There was no way he could look Celia in the eye, knowing that she was sacrificing herself to block Satan’s attacks.
The only way for both of them to be freed from this agony was to take down Satan.
With that thought steeling his resolve, Ian continued to plunge his swords into the demon.
“Ah. No… I can’t… I can’t…”
Bang!
At last, the final sword fell.
[You have defeated a Lord of the Abyss!]
[The Demon King of Wrath, Satan, has been vanquished!]
As Satan began to disintegrate, Ian let out the breath he had been holding.
***
Though he had defeated Satan, he couldn’t afford to rest comfortably.
Thud!
“Celia!”
“H… ha…”
As Celia, having confirmed Satan’s demise, let her mana wane and slumped down, Ian quickly scooped her up and checked her condition.
“Are you alright?”
“Hah… Ian…”
With a pale face, she was barely catching her breath. Even in that moment, blood was gushing from her abdomen.
– I-Ian….
‘Neltalion. I’m going to use Ether to staunch the bleeding. Please help me out a little.’
– Mhm… I’ll help!
Though Neltalion had long since exhausted all his divine form and energy, he knew another set of hands was essential right now.
Wrapping her abdomen with Ether, Neltalion pressed down with his small hands to stop the bleeding.
Yet, the blood that surged forth showed no sign of relenting.
‘W-What should I do?’
Celia blocking Satan’s attack at the cost of her own safety was not something Ian had accounted for.
What he had envisioned for Celia’s role was merely to keep Satan at bay from a distance, shaking his mental state.
It was precisely that unexpected sacrifice that had thrown him off.
‘I have to save her…’
But Celia’s actions were by no means pointless.
The fact that Satan had extended his right arm at the end was entirely unexpected, and if it had hit her instead, it would have been Ian lying on the ground instead of the demon.
If Celia hadn’t risked her life to block the attack, taking down Satan would have been impossible.
It was because of this that he thought:
“Celia… Don’t say anything… I’ll call for help…”
He knew he had to save her.
If they had a memorial link, perhaps she could be saved, but she had given that necklace—the medium—to him.
If he left her like this, she would die.
He couldn’t just watch her die after she had sacrificed herself for him.
Just as Ian was pouring out his regenerative magic in desperation…
Ding!
[Quest completed! You can check the reward ‘Ian’s Memoir’!]
‘Oh no! Not now…!’
The notification appeared at the worst possible time.
As it did, darkness began to creep in around the edges of his vision.
He couldn’t lose consciousness here… He tried desperately to hold on.
“Ah…”
The status window began to display the memoir without considering Ian’s plight.
In a situation bordering on despair, Ian’s vision started to blur as he looked around.
“Ian! Celia!”
“…Thank goodness.”
As he saw figures rushing toward them, he closed his eyes.
