Chapter 18: The Guardian of Humanity (9)
Arche took a deep breath.
A powerful one — clearly stronger than her. Without the Sage's Rosary, she was merely a mage who could cast Third-Tier spells.
Even using the Rosary, she wasn't sure whether her strength could truly reach the Fifth Tier; it wasn't something she had ever been able to test. After all, it wasn't as if one could casually meet a person capable of Fifth-Tier magic.
The only people she knew who could use Sixth-Tier spells were Fluder Paradyne — and that person. They were geniuses who had stepped beyond the limits of humanity.
The creature before her — a demon — had made its nest in Parkas's body.
Arche recalled something she had once read long ago. Among demons, there were those who used human bodies as nourishment and vessels. Life Demons, they were called.
An Adamantite-class adventurer would have to risk their life to defeat one, and even then, the battle would depend on how strong the human vessel was. For the demon to be using Fifth-Tier spells through Parkas, it meant he was a formidable one indeed.
"Confident, aren't you? Heh heh."
Arche forced herself to calm down.
Running might be an option. She wasn't sure if it was possible, but compared to winning, escaping seemed slightly more realistic.
Yet if she turned her back now, the demon could go after Foresight, who hadn't gotten far. And a Life Demon left alive would soon grow into a threat on a national scale. If it stole her body — or worse, the Sage's Rosary — that would be disastrous.
"Lightning!"
Arche retreated as she cast her spell. The demon — still using Parkas's body — laughed and countered with its own "Lightning," canceling her attack in a flash of sparks. The two bolts met and vanished, but Arche noticed a faint tension in the demon's face.
Strange. My spells are enhanced — if we're both using Third-Tier magic, they shouldn't have canceled out. Is she using a magic item?
At least it seemed the creature couldn't use higher-tier spells yet. Deciding it would be best to end things quickly, the demon thrust its arm forward. Crackling light gathered in its palm — a dense and dreadful Thunder Dragon spell.
The instant Arche saw it, she pressed the Rosary to her lips and whispered, barely audible:
"O Sage's power, lend me strength."
A soft white glow enveloped her body. Would this work against a Fifth-Tier spell? She didn't know. But she had no choice. If she let this demon live, more people would die. If she didn't end it now, it would only grow stronger. Raising her staff, she chanted:
"Lightning!"
"Thunder Dragon!"
The air screamed.
Their spells collided midair with a deafening crack. For a moment, the demon sneered — sure that a mere Third-Tier spell couldn't overcome its power. But then, the Thunder Dragon shattered apart.
"What—?! Gaaaah!!"
The demon couldn't dodge the follow-up lightning that struck head-on. The impact was dulled by the earlier explosion, sparing it fatal damage, but the pain and paralysis were real. Had it taken the attack in full, even a Life Demon might have died instantly.
"H-How?! How could a Third-Tier spell break a Fifth-Tier?! What did you do, human?!"
"So it can break through," Arche murmured. "Fireball."
"Grk—!!"
The experiment was over. Now she simply attacked.
Boom! — the Fireball exploded against the floor, scorching the demon and forcing it to dodge. The blast was stronger than any ordinary Fireball — already beyond its rank. Arche's eyes followed the demon's every movement, cold and sharp like a hunter locking onto prey. That gaze pierced the demon's pride.
"You… human… you dare look upon me with those eyes?!"
"Lightning!"
"Thunder Dragon! Damn you!!"
"Lightning!!"
"You wretch! Thunder Dragon!!"
Crackling energy filled the chamber. The demon, trembling with a mix of anger and disbelief, wondered how vast this human's mana could be. Arche was unleashing Lightning and Fireball after Fireball without pause. The mana cost should've overwhelmed any normal caster — yet she showed no sign of fatigue, as though her power were inexhaustible.
I have to end this quickly, the demon thought, shaken by the unfamiliar dread creeping in.
Arche, too, felt pressure mounting. The Sage's Rosary was indeed a powerful artifact — perhaps the finest ability a magic caster could hope for. It doubled every aspect of magic: power, range, even casting efficiency. But it wasn't simply "twice as strong." It transcended that — her current spells exceeded the Fifth Tier, nearing the Sixth.
Still, Arche was anxious.
The Rosary's effect had a time limit: three minutes. Once that expired, its power would vanish. It required long cooldowns before reuse, and forcing it early would halve its potency. She had to end this within three minutes — no matter what.
Magic won't work, the Life Demon realized bitterly. Losing by magic wounded its pride, but if it could seize Arche's body, that power would be its own. Smiling greedily, it charged forward.
Arche wasn't surprised. She'd fought such types before — casters who, when their spells failed, charged in desperation.
"Electroball."
A sphere of lightning flew from her palm. The demon, now free of its human vessel, swung its thick arm and batted the projectile aside. Electricity coursed over its body, but its demonic form endured. With a growl, it lunged at Arche.
It took that head-on?!
Arche tried to retreat, casting "Fly" — but the demon was faster.
Wham!!
A brutal fist struck her in the stomach. Something twisted violently inside — she felt her insides tear. Thrown through the air, she crashed to the ground and rolled, coughing blood.
Even after taking the hit, her mind swam in haze. The demon grew stronger by consuming life — shedding its human shell only amplified it. Such power could destroy a nation. In the Empire, only Fluder Paradyne himself might stand a chance against it.
Knowing this, Arche, bleeding and trembling, still raised her staff.
"Lightning…!!"
"I can just dodge that!"
The bolt shot toward the demon, who sidestepped smugly — only for Arche to raise her other hand.
"Lightning!"
The Life Demon, once freed from its shell, could no longer use magic. Though demons by nature adored magic and preferred it over brute strength, that was only a matter of taste. In life-or-death situations like this, instinct took over.
Arche's Lightning crashed down upon the demon, enveloping it in searing light. The creature screamed in agony, but then glanced down at itself with a puzzled expression.
"The power… has weakened."
The time limit's already up… This is bad.
Arche steadied her trembling body with her staff. What do I do now? Should she invoke the Sage's Rosary again? No — even that wouldn't be enough now. She should have pushed herself when the demon was still inside Parkas's body. That was her mistake.
Her body was far too frail — a side effect of devoting her life to the study of magic. Arche gave a faint, bitter smile and gripped her staff tightly. Don't give up. Never give up your life. Life itself is precious — never treat your own as worthless.
"O Sage's power, grant me strength once more."
A white glow enveloped her body again with a low hum.
"Electroball!"
"Useless! That's weaker than Lightning—grrk! Again your power rises?! But it's still weaker than before! You can't win like this, human!!"
The Life Demon charged forward.
"Fly!"
Arche shot upward, soaring toward the high ceiling. The demon laughed mockingly, kicked off the wall, and leapt toward her with terrifying agility.
Arche barely had time to react — its physical strength was monstrous, incomprehensible for a being so obsessed with magic.
She canceled Fly at the last second to dodge, but couldn't cushion her landing. She hit the ground hard, a sharp pain stabbing through her waist.
"GAAAAAHHHHH!!!"
"Heh heh… that scream… delightful."
The Life Demon landed with a thud, smirking.
"Lightning."
"Oh, impressive willpower. Fine, then—!!"
Thud!
The demon's fist struck her again, with a sound almost too clean to belong in battle. Arche flew backward, slammed against the wall, and slid down to the floor.
Life was precious, yes — but death came for all. Perhaps this was her time. At least by now, Foresight should have gotten far enough away.
She could only pray the Empire would respond properly. Jircniv isn't a fool, she thought faintly. He'll know what to do.
Still, she held her staff. Not because she thought she could win — but because there was someone who would mourn her if she fell.
"You have the strongest will of any human I've met," the Life Demon said, almost admiringly. "If I made you my host, you'd be troublesome. Humans of your kind are rare… even among demons."
Despite her shattered body, Arche still raised her staff toward him, her eyes unbroken. To the demon, it was almost impressive — a magic caster, not a warrior, surviving his blows.
"I'll show you respect, human," the demon growled, its voice low and guttural. "I'll kill you myself."
Whistle—Thunk!
An arrow buried itself in the demon's head. It didn't go deep, but it drew blood. The demon turned, startled, feeling the cold trickle down its cheek. There — standing at the entrance — was Imina, the ranger who was supposed to have fled.
"Haaaaah!!"
BOOM!
Roberdyck's morningstar smashed into the demon's leg with full force. With a pained grunt, the creature dropped to one knee. Hekkeran rushed in and slashed at its face; the demon tried to dodge but couldn't react in time — the blade tore across one of its eyes. Half-blinded and enraged, it swung wildly, its massive arm crashing into Roberdic's shielded body.
The priest gritted his teeth — he had surely buffed himself beforehand with Protection from Evil and perhaps even Lesser Strength Enhancement.
"Now! Take Arche and run!!"
"Are you alright!?"
"The wound's bad, but I'll live! Heal me later — just go!!"
Roberdyck lifted Arche into his arms, and the group immediately began to retreat. Hekkeran didn't forget to throw a smoke bomb behind them as they fled.
He couldn't help but think how incredible Arche was — to have fought that thing one-on-one and lived. The Life Demon had clearly taken damage too; it wasn't much, but enough to show she hadn't gone down easily.
"Why… did you come back?"
"Couldn't just let our cute junior die."
"...Idiots. Glorious idiots."
Logically, Arche thought they were fools — but a warmth flickered in her chest. Sometimes that kind of foolishness, when pursued straight ahead, became something admirable. That person she respected so deeply had walked that same reckless path, after all. So she couldn't bring herself to scold them. Besides, they had saved her life.
"Arche, do you know what that thing is?"
"A Life Demon… It's incredibly strong. The Empire itself will have to step in."
A national-level threat, then. And Arche — alone — had faced it head-on until Foresight could return.
Hekkeran let out a breathless, incredulous laugh as they kept running.
Whoosh! Thud!
"Guh!!"
A rock came flying out of nowhere and struck Roberdyck's ankle dead-on. He stumbled, losing balance, and fell forward with Arche in his arms.
Arche barely caught herself, steadying her battered body on the ground — surprising, given her wounds. She had probably been in situations like this before.
"Where do you think you're going?! To wound me and think you can leave alive? Fools!"
"Lion's Heart!"
A wave of dread tried to crush them, but Roberdyck countered quickly, casting Lion's Heart. The holy magic quelled the creeping fear enough for them to stand their ground. Hekkeran and Roberdyck faced forward with weapons raised, while Imina readied her bow. Arche, too, held her staff tight.
Other than the magic caster, the rest aren't worth worrying about, the demon thought coldly — and charged.
The priest came first. In any battle, the healer was the top priority — remove the support, and victory followed. Arche was dangerous, yes, but she was already near death. Killing Roberdyck first was the smarter move. Besides, Foresight guarded Arche like a wounded child; it would take too long to reach her. The order of execution simply changed.
"Roberdyck!! Dodge!!"
Arche's voice rang out — she knew exactly how deadly that punch was. Roberdyck, however, didn't move. He gripped his morningstar tightly, planting his feet. He couldn't dodge in time anyway, and behind him stood Arche and Imina. If someone had to take the hit, it would be him.
The Life Demon's massive fist shot forward —
— and stopped.
No, it was stopped.
"A beautiful toast to friendship — that's the right phrase here, isn't it?"
"Y-you are…?"
Roberdyck stared in disbelief. The newcomer looked like a young man — almost a boy — with snow-white hair and a calm smile. He had caught the demon's fist effortlessly, as though stopping a child's punch. His presence radiated a quiet assurance, a warmth that said, It's all right now.
"Been a while, Arche. Seems I arrived just in time."
Arche's breath hitched. Relief washed over her so completely that she nearly fainted. She had steeled herself for death — but that resolve was no longer needed.
Her trembling hand brushed against the Sage's Rosary at her neck, and her lips parted, unable to contain the swell of emotion.
"L-Lord Kaiser…!"
The joy in her voice was so pure that it was hard to believe it came from a girl covered in blood.
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