Chapter 66 - Volume 4 (1/2)

Volume 4, Chapter 17: On the Battlefield, Part 3

Geas was getting impatient.

He had attacked the human kingdoms with all of the Daemon King’s Army and collected a large amount of souls, but someone had disturbed the operation, and now the Daemon King’s Army itself was in a semi-destroyed state.

Before this, Geas had intended to release the Demon whom Daemon King Hebrad had summoned without establishing a contract, to let it kill both humans and Daemons.

For that purpose, Geas had spent several decades planning and placing secret [Soul Collection] devices around the Daemon King’s and the humans’ territory, waiting for that exact time.

Geas’ plan required far too many [Souls].

What was the purpose of that greater Vampire and those unknown enemies that disturbed him? What had caused his plans to collapse entirely before fruition?

The human army that they encountered in their advance had high value [Souls], mostly from their knights and others, and group of ten thousand soldiers that he had sent to collect their souls efficiently were being destroyed for some reason.

“……Shit”

muttered Geas under his breath as he looked towards the corner of his eye.

There seemed to be counters that only he could see.

The remaining number was [001].

When Geas poured 100 of the [Souls] that he had accumulated into the counter, the three digit number changed to [002].

A counter that would only increase by [1] despite pouring one hundred souls into it;

Considering how many souls he had on hand, he couldn’t spend them wantonly.

“……What?”

Something was shining in the middle of the battlefield, and it gradually grew in intensity as he watched that [Something] slowly push through the center of the nearly 400,000-strong Daemon King’s Army.

That light…… was a wave of holy power.

“……A Hero…!”

An apostle of light that lingered in the legends of the Daemons; the natural enemy of Daemonkind; it would be a disaster if that light was really a Hero.

That [Demon] had said the value of a soul for the Demons was determined by ‘how much emotion’ there was in each one…

Love, Hate, Sorrow, Anger, Fear, Desire, Regret, Jealousy, Happiness, Despair…… although the souls’ tastes were differently tasty to the Demonic palate, the [Sacred Light] of the Hero would surely cleanse it all.

“……Is this the limit?”

Geas muttered bitterly as he steeled himself.

“…Geas-sama?”

The confused voices of his disciples came as they approached Geas slowly with [Flight].

“……Sorry. But to cut things short, leave this place quickly.”

“What happened!?”

Geas did not reply to his panicking disciples, and as he began to chant [Magic], his disciples backed away, faces full of doubt over the sanity of their master.

“[Dragon Crusher]…!”

With the second highest magic power after the Daemon King, Magic General Geas released the extermination magic with his full power.

An enormous amount of heat and light bloomed as a dragon of light approached from behind the Daemon King’s Army. The soldiers were left dumbstruck as they were enveloped by the light that was cast by their ally soundlessly.

High-temperature winds savaged the survivors. After that, screams and shrieks of pain burst out, as nearly half of the Daemons were killed in that single stroke.

“………”

Geas gathered the tens of thousands of souls which were full of fear and grudges.

However, it wasn’t enough. Geas didn’t have enough power for another [Dragon Crusher], and as he was trying to aim wide-area magics at the survivors, a pillar of light extended towards the sky.

“……He managed to survive?”

＊

“Such a thing……”

As far as the eye could see there was just the earth that had been burned black and Daemons who were unmoving.

“……upu”

Forcibly enduring the urge to vomit, Noel shook his shoulders, breathing roughly as he sank to his knees.