Will surged wildly. It was because there weren't many things more thrilling than this.
Sometimes Enkrid felt that Will moved on its own beyond his control. Now was one of those times.
But if asked whether that was a bad thing, he would say absolutely not.
'What the unconscious desires.'
That was what projected onto Will. If you traced the structure and principles, it wouldn't deviate far from this.
Stretched thoughts created a dozen contemplations but soon gathered into one.
'Cut it.'
Even the surging Will gathered into one. Will responding to his intent circulated through his entire body, passing through arms and fingers, riding along the sword's grip toward the blade.
'An imprinted weapon is part of my hand.'
That feeling arose. Will flowing toward Dawnforge and settling there felt natural.
His steady breathing stopped and he half-opened his eyes looking at the wall.
Ragna, gripping Sunrise, watched his commander from far away.
In his eyes, the Will surrounding Enkrid's Dawnforge gathered and condensed endlessly, growing thicker.
"Interesting trick."
Ragna muttered.
Shinar stopped flailing her arms halfheartedly while watching Enkrid leap forward.
Shinar was similar to Ragna. Since she'd already been conscious of it, it could be said she looked at Enkrid even faster than him.
The Demonic Realm's air was poison to fairies in itself. She could endure it because she possessed refined energy at the Knight level, but otherwise, fairies couldn't even set foot in a Demonic Realm.
This place was filled with truly unpleasant air and naturally made one's chest feel stuffy.
Yet watching Enkrid grip his sword now, it seemed as if forest energy drifted from somewhere.
It might be traces of power she herself had infused when making that sword, or if not that, perhaps the fairy's keen senses predicted what was about to happen.
Whatever it was, the reason wasn't important to Shinar.
Ordinary people watching the current Enkrid might recoil asking what madness this was, but Shinar's heart was only filled with a desire to cheer on what that leading madman was trying to do. Wasn't that the proper attitude toward one's beloved?
Above all, Shinar believed in that man.
Where he goes, paths open, and where he heads, light exists, so the sword protecting the child of forests and flowers would hold refined energy.
She felt like humming a fairy song. Instead of singing, she muttered matching her heart.
"Do it, fiancé."
No one heard her murmur. Even Pel blocking arrows and Lawford fighting monsters couldn't help but have their gazes stolen toward Enkrid.
Is what that bastard's trying to do now really what I'm imagining?
Both Pel and Lawford shared the same inner thought.
Even amidst monsters attacking, part of everyone's consciousness turned toward him.
Knowing his sword wouldn't break, Enkrid poured Will with all his might into the blade.
The formless power born from intent seemed to flow through the blood vessels of his entire body. All of it entered the sword. Dawnforge readily accepted it.
For an instant, it was at a level where he might feel exhaustion. He controlled himself not to. And Enkrid placed his imprinted weapon against the wall.
Kkakak.
The blade parallel to the ground embedded finger-joint deep into the thornwood wall.
Gripping the hilt with both hands, he steadied his breathing. There were no stray thoughts. From concentration, it seemed a blue ring formed in his pupils.
Ueoeoek, ueoek, aaaaaak.
The wall shrieked all manner of cries while trying to stab him by extracting awl-like thorns, and tried to bind the madman before it with thorn vines extended like whips. Enkrid moved his feet as if avoiding them.
The sword remained embedded in the wall as he ran. In other words, the blade cut through the wall. You couldn't just call it cutting. It was while Will shrouded the sword.
As much as Enkrid ran, the wall exploded with thunderous noise. Kkyaaaak, struggling wraiths screamed.
Kwagagagagagagagagak!
Sound continued as much as he ran. As Enkrid ran, Dawnforge roughly cut along the base of the wall.
Black blood sprayed as the thornwood wall's base was sliced, burst, shattered, broke, and crushed. Whitish smoke-like things rose too. And whatever it was, if there's a beginning, there's an end.
Enkrid stopped his sprint. Above his stopped shoulders, something like steam rose.
Pararaak— The dark green cloak that had extended on its own fluttered in the wind before wrapping around his shoulders and back.
As far as he'd run, a long trajectory marked the thornwood wall. Just a moment later, the ground trembled shallowly and the wall swayed before beginning to tilt backward.
Kugugugugu.
The ground rumbled as part of the wall fell backward.
It was spectacular. A sight making one wonder if such a feat could be accomplished with human hands.
The wall falling backward looked unreal, but vibration and impact proved this wasn't a dream.
The collapsed wall meeting the ground screamed that its own weight was considerable.
Kwaaaaang! A sound and pressure that would burst normal people's eardrums swept the surroundings.
Vibration shook everything. It was like an earthquake. The ground trembled violently. That was natural. Part of the wall collapsed and toppled backward in the direction Enkrid had swung.
Stone chunks embedded between thorns to form the wall broke and shattered, creating gray dust.
Just because it was a Demonic Realm didn't mean the dust was black or purple. Rocks were just rocks.
Above the Demonic Realm's purple earth, now pitch-black darkness had arrived so its color couldn't be distinguished, yet dust billowed even in that darkness.
Something whitish overturned everything as if painting over the night's darkness.
Thunderous noise, then brief silence swirled through the dust. Even attacking monsters seemed ready to retreat in reaction to the sound and vibration.
Everyone stopped moving in surprise, struck speechless.
Can one who creates iron walls also cut walls?
Eyes filled with such shock gathered on Enkrid.
Still, these were the Madman Knight Company. Though surprised, they weren't so shocked they lost their minds.
"Not breaking through but cutting and toppling it?"
It was Pel's mutter. Despite flying dust, Pel saw, and simultaneously his pupils shook continuously. How is such a feat possible?
Those were words laden with such meaning, but it wasn't simply surprise. More precisely, if asked how he felt after seeing that—
"You asked what we could do—!"
Luagarne's cry answered that feeling.
Thump—
His heart beat and excitement arose naturally. Damn, you can do something like that? That's actually possible?
Such thoughts continued and he just felt thrilled.
From Frog's mouth, instead of combat, the Frog's Cry rang jjjaerong jjjaerong throughout the surroundings. Frog's vocal cords questioned the enemy while ringing jjjaerong jjjaerong all around.
Audin briefly stopped punching.
'Brother.'
It was a deed drawing admiration and exclamation naturally. He cut a wall with a sword. Rather than competitive spirit, Audin also wanted to show something while offering praise for the great feat shown.
Before him was part of the wall his fists had just broken through.
"Lord."
He threw his body into the wall he'd split and shattered. It was a place that could be called a thorn jungle with squirming, moving, entangled and twisted thorns.
"Crazy."
Lawford muttered in surprise seeing it.
In his eyes, Audin had just thrown his body into the thornwood wall squirming to repair itself. And as soon as Audin entered, the wall's recovery speed accelerated several times as if pouring all its strength.
Additionally, thorn vines tangled and twisted to block the entrance Audin had entered.
Two breaths' time passed. After thorn vines blocked the hole Audin entered, light rays began leaking from between the wall formed by wraiths' contorted faces, thorn vines, and crumbled stones all tangled together.
The light rays flowing from the roughly blocked hole grew gradually thicker, then their number began increasing, and the separately divided lights gathered and burst.
White light—the Holy Light itself was accompanied by no sound.
However, thunderous noise followed from things scorched by that light collapsing.
Kudududu.
The ground rumbled as part of the hole-riddled wall collapsed, dropping thorn vines and stone chunks onto the ground.
The ballista monster Jaxen hadn't finished disposing of was swept up and plummeted with a puk— sound, spreading black blood all around.
As everyone dodged the collapsing debris, their gazes now turned toward Audin.
If Enkrid cut the wall, Audin created a massive hole in it.
"Ha, ha, ha! It's delightful, brother!"
Shining armor atop his natural body was his symbol.
The thick thorn vines covering him and stones engraved with wraiths froze in the act of opening mouths and screaming.
It was a grotesque sight, but seeing it, Audin wore a broad smile. An utterly happy and satisfied smile.
"The Lord awaits you in heaven."
The wall's strange cries that had been cursing and screaming with effort stopped completely. Even the thorns that had resisted to the end drooped limp.
"These crazy bastards, what the hell."
Only then did the one who'd been making provocations earlier emerge. A Dark Fairy followed behind, and Enkrid learned for the first time that fairy eyes could widen that much.
'Ah, perhaps calling it a fairy is already a different species.'
Since it eats refined energy it's a fairy, and since it lives in the Demonic Realm it's a Dark Fairy.
Long bow in his left hand, a needle-like sword at his left waist—the Dark Fairy's two eyes fixed on Enkrid, but meanwhile Shinar glared at that Dark Fairy.
If a stranger saw, they might say she gazed steadily, but being Enkrid who'd grown somewhat familiar with fairy expressions, he knew that was a glaring look.
"Rotted and festered thing whose very form has changed."
The Dark Fairy did glance at Shinar when called, but what was happening right before his eyes was more absurd.
What insane human cuts walls with swordwork and destroys them with fists?
There were such madmen here.
"You, you all, really."
The lord or shaman or apostle of Red Foot or whatever couldn't continue his words.
No, seriously, what kind of bastards are these?
Luagarne saw it and puffed out her cheeks fully. Satisfying. With cheeks puffed, Frog opened her mouth.
"How's that? That's the answer to your question of what we can do."
The lord scanned the surroundings. Looking at fallen dead monsters and the absence of any summons or signals, the three Dark Fairies atop the wall must be dead too.
Absurd, but that didn't mean he forgot his duty. Besides, this wasn't even his first time experiencing a wall collapse.
"Kill them."
He spoke, and the moment his words ended, black forms surged from behind Audin and Enkrid's shadows.
Dark Fairies specialized in assassination. Purple skin, curved daggers in hand, and astonishing skills killing sound, smell, and presence.
Jaxen saw those two and judged they could easily claim a position even if placed in Geor's Dagger.
Two shadows rose, and one ally's shadow also rose behind the assassination Dark Fairy. Jaxen sliced the neck of the one just reaching toward Audin's back with his stiletto.
Simultaneously with the sound of a neck being sliced segeuk, a ppyeok— sound rang from the head of the one targeting Enkrid.
It was the sound of his thrown Silence Dagger flying and embedding.
The one with a dagger stuck in his head made a motion of stabbing his curved dagger into empty air before collapsing.
"Was that necessary?"
Enkrid turned back and asked. With Dawnforge left as is, his left hand rested on Penna. He could have blocked it if left alone. He was in a concentrated state, and though he'd poured Will into cutting the wall, it wasn't complete exhaustion. He didn't feel drained.
"No thanks needed, I presume?"
Audin was similar. He might have taken a cut, but he still wore Holy Light over his entire body.
What he wore wasn't something like a Will-manifested blade like that Ragna showed, but armor crafted from Holy Light that ordinary metal couldn't easily pierce.
"Seemed like my job."
Jaxen brushed it off casually, and the lord and shaman and whatever serving Red Foot—the true Demonic Realm resident—wasn't even surprised anymore.
Right, none of you are easy opponents either, is that it?