A pitch-black shadow pierced the back of Sloth's head and immediately retreated.
'Is the shadow not considered a skill?'
No.
I definitely remember hearing that materializing shadows counts as a skill. Without physical form, the shadow would lose its attack power and become nothing more than a bothersome ghost.
'Then, how is this possible?'
While I was puzzling over it, Ichika emerged from the shadows, pouting her lips and wearing a focused expression.
Seeing that, I let out a wry laugh.
'Hah, she's attacking from within the shadow she's wrapped herself in?'
Once again, dozens of shadows surged up and flew toward Sloth. But only one of them concealed Ichika.
Sloth, looking annoyed, thrust his spear at one of the shadows.
Boom—!
Ichika wasn't in that one.
With Ga-eul and Ichika successfully drawing Sloth's attention, it gave me, Kang Do-hee, and Alice more freedom to move.
Despite my initial concerns, their movements were anything but ordinary. Sophia, Ga-eul, and even Ichika. Though they weren't as strong as the main offensive team, they were still managing to deal small, consistent damage.
And the most effective member for tackling Sloth's demon kin, who had to be dealt with using only basic attacks and physical power, was none other than Alice.
While Sloth's attention was momentarily drawn to Ichika—
A long blade suddenly thrust out from within the shadows.
KABOOM—!
With a deafening roar that rang in my ears, a piece of Sloth's body was blasted off.
'Wow, that power is no joke...'
What kind of training did the Sword Emperor put Alice through to make her this strong?
Feeling a sense of satisfaction at my unexpectedly competent teammates, I couldn't help but smile.
Nice.
'At this rate, we might even set a new record for defeating Sloth!'
.
.
.
Bang!
Crunch!
CRACK—!
Slice—!
"[Y-You accursed insects──!!!!]"
Sloth was getting battered by relentless attacks from all sides, unable to hide his confusion.
When he had first sensed the anomaly in the Demon Realm faster than anyone else and discovered that the portal to the Middle Realm had opened, he had screamed in triumphant delight.
The Middle Realm.
A place full of delicious emotions and abundant energy. But manifesting there always came at a great cost, so he could only watch it longingly like an unattainable feast.
However, when the path from the Demon Realm to the Middle Realm finally opened—
Sloth, contrary to his name, rushed to the Middle Realm faster than anyone.
He knew that when other demon kin eventually descended, he'd be left behind if he didn't act. Though he hated moving and was loath to do anything active, he had positioned himself, confident that prey would come rolling in if he just opened his mouth and waited.
Descending was the hard part, but he hadn't expected any real trouble once he manifested in full.
After all, the difference in power was so vast.
Indeed, when the first wave of insects dared to crawl into his territory, they were easily disposed of.
And when the second wave of silver-haired insects appeared, it was the same.
Even his minions alone had been more than enough to handle them.
'Yes, that's how it should be. We are fundamentally superior beings, unlike these lowly creatures.'
Sloth's trembling pupils fixed on the fearless beings charging at him.
'But what the hell are these bugs...?'
Even though his authority had stripped away their skills, none of them were panicking.
Even the life-draining black powder swirling around them didn't faze them.
Most concerning of all—
That one.
Sloth's gaze landed on the black-haired insect.
That bug kept approaching, staring him down and swinging its sword.
Crunch—! Crack—!
The unsettling sound of his body being carved apart.
"[Y-You filthy, wretched creature—!!!]"
He swung his long scythe with all his might, but the creature had already disappeared.
It felt as if everything he did was being read in advance.
And on top of that, a creeping, inexplicable fear was crawling up from deep inside him.
An unfamiliar emotion for a noble of the Demon Realm, who had always reigned with dignity.
"[Do you think I'll meet my end here───!!!]"
He roared, his voice booming as he raised all six of his hands skyward.
Fine, if these bugs could dodge his life-draining powder like rats— He'd simply ensure there was nowhere left to dodge.
Woooosh—
Like a black hole, the swirling white and black powder mixed together, forming a massive sphere that could easily cover the entire area.
"[Fine, let's see if you insects can dodge this, which engulfs the entire area!]"
However—
Just then, as if waiting for this exact moment, the black-haired insect charged at him with a peculiar grin.
"Hah, this is definitely going to set a new record."
.....
The murmurs grew louder as four hours passed since Utopia entered the Demon Gate.
The people stationed outside the gate couldn't hide their anxiety.
In addition to the 200 hunters, the Holy Knight had also been dispatched into the gate, along with Utopia. Of course, there was still Lina, their last hope.
Losing them all inside would be more than just a simple loss.
"Do you think Utopia will be able to return safely...?"
As everyone watched the Demon Gate with tense expressions, the caster couldn't help but ask, only to bite her lip in dismay at her own words.
She was supposed to be the one spreading hope from the front lines, but instead, she had just added to the anxiety.
But Shin Se-hee seemed to understand her feelings and smiled gently.
"Yes, don't worry. While it was certainly meant to raise awareness, it was also because they were confident in their abilities."
With Shin's confident words, the people regained some color in their faces, and the caster's voice grew stronger.
"Yes, that's right! Utopia has already shown everyone that they can defeat these terrifying demons!"
"That's right! I was watching the broadcast, and it was truly overwhelming. Especially Jin
Yuha's sword skills were jaw-dropping!"
"Haha, since we're talking about it, let's watch it again!"
"That's a great idea!"
"Let's watch the footage!"
The footage of Utopia's demon-slaying played in the air once again, and the people couldn't help but exclaim in awe.
-Wow... Jin Yuha is so badass.
-Damn, this makes me even more disappointed. Why didn't they just send Utopia from the start?
-No, shouldn't Lina have gone in first? Especially with these unusual occurrences?
-They're crazy... It's not like it's easy to defeat demons like that.
-Yeah, the ground is cracking, fire is spewing, and things are melting. It's not like fighting regular monsters.
-They should've just sent Utopia from the start. No need to be so stubborn.
-Damn... Did all the hunters who went in first die? That's a huge sacrifice.
-They didn't listen to Utopia's warnings and went in recklessly. It's their own fault.
-How can they just enter without any patrols or caution?
-They thought they could handle it after seeing Utopia take down the demon.
-Idiots...
Shin Se-hee watched the footage with them, nodding confidently, but her fist under the table was clenched tightly, her knuckles turning white.
'Please come back safely... Jin Yuha.'
Even though Jin Yuha claimed to know the future, and even though they had encouraged the party members to support him after revealing this, and even though they had done everything they could to support him...
Shin Se-hee couldn't help but feel anxious, unable to see what was happening inside.
'Jin Yuha said that the first gate assault would take no more than three hours... Why is it taking so long? Has something bad happened inside?'
According to Jin Yuha, the demon inside shouldn't have taken more than three hours to defeat, but it had already been four hours.
Shin Se-hee had to fight the urge to rush into the gate herself.
And then, something strange happened at the Demon Gate.
A low rumble filled the air.
"Huh? Something's happening at the gate!"
A loud thud.
﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌
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