I Obtained the Final Boss' Power

Chapter 146 : Village Raid (3)

Village Raid (3)

"I think I know why you came here. It's for personal revenge, isn't it?"

Saber was a fanatic group devoted to the Crown Prince.

That was common knowledge among the entire special task force.

Especially since the academy incident, the Crown Prince had been detained by the 7th Legion because of the special task force.

There's no way of knowing how the Crown Prince is doing in the 7th Legion by now.

Unable to use magic or aura, even if he's barely alive, he wouldn't last long.

"You're seeking revenge against us for taking away that damned Crown Prince, aren't you?"

"Th-that's right. Since you made us lose someone precious to us, isn't it only fair that you suffer too!"

At Clive's words, Victor let out a deep sigh. Just as the young master had heard, they really were insane.

"And it's not just the Crown Prince. You guys must've taken my little sister, Elaine, too!"

"Elaine?"

He had also heard about her from the young master.

She was said to be a member of Saber just like them, and a woman who had died miserably at the academy.

He felt no sympathy since she was an enemy.

However, when they heard the way she died, the members of the special task force couldn't hide their disbelief.

"I will definitely save my little sister, Elaine! Even if it means destroying your 7th Legion!"

"And what do you think about what you've done before that? Do you have any idea how many people you sacrificed, allegedly for the Crown Prince?"

Were they going to dress it up as a noble sacrifice again?

Victor was sickened just listening to their disgusting rhetoric.

"Of course, I know well. After the Crown Prince was taken, we've thought about it a lot. Looking back, we were still young. We've been pretending to be adults all this time. That's probably why we were forced to face reality."

They had originally been just kids.

It was only thanks to the special power granted by the Crown Prince that their talents and bodies had grown so rapidly.

But that rapid growth had side effects, creating defects in their personalities.

"Only then did we understand why you would resist like this. It's only natural that we could end up on the receiving end too. But even so, our goal is only the Crown Prince. Since it's come to this, we're determined to see it through to the end!"

Listening to this, Victor showed a cold expression.

"If you go through to the end like that, you won't meet a pleasant fate. Because you've already messed with that."

Victor pointed to the mausoleum that Clive had destroyed.

It was obvious who would be the first to rage if something happened to that place.

With a pitying look, he continued.

"Did you come here to hold hostages?"

"That's right."

"Then the spirit floating in the sky isn't just an ordinary spirit, is it?"

"......."

These days, spirits are often used as communication mediums.

Accordingly, there are also magitech devices that can share the spirit's vision.

They're in frequent use within the special task force as well.

"Through that spirit's eyes, you're communicating the current situation to someone, aren't you? Who could that someone be?"

Given that it's a kidnapping, it would be shown to those they wanted to pressure.

The ones who would feel pressured seeing this village threatened would be the special task force... people like themselves.

It went without saying who the prime example of such a person was.

"I won't say it again. If the one watching through that spirit right now is... the one we all know..."

Victor shivered when he imagined that person enraged.

"You'd be better off dying comfortably here."

There was no particular anger in Victor's voice. Not even contempt could be felt.

All there was, was pity.

"This is your chance."

Not only Victor, but Rozen and Simon were gazing at them the same way.

Clive, facing the stares of the special task force, suddenly felt a surge of anger for some reason.

"You're pitying us now?!"

"Yeah. That's right."

"It's for your own good."

"You should be grateful that you encountered us instead of someone crazier."

The special task force members said this as they readied their weapons.

Just as they were about to meet such a humiliating end—

"Please, run away!!"

Suddenly, someone hurled a water bottle towards them.

As the bottle rolled on the ground, pink smoke poured out, obscuring their view.

"This scent...!"

"It's smoke with detoxifying properties! Hurry, take this chance!"

It was Shalio Refilia, the family head of Refilica.

They had momentarily forgotten about his presence.

Thanks to Shalio's support, Saber was able to escape from the special task force.

"Thank you, Lord Shalio."

Thanks to Drake's quick feet, they escaped the village in an instant.

Now, they were hiding in a mountain on the outskirts of the village.

"Looks like it was wise to prepare various escape plans in case the Imperial Court's forces showed up."

"By the way, how did you make that detoxifying smoke just now?"

"I made it back during my academy days. The faculty rated it highly, but it was overshadowed by another competitor's work."

That competitor was Sylvest—the younger brother of the girl who had turned his own face into a mummy.

"Anyway, what now?"

"What else? We attack again."

"In this state?"

As expected of those called the special task force—they weren't easy opponents.

While their raw combat strength was unclear, there were too many variables on their side.

Who knew what they'd use next, after poison?

"Of course, we can't just rush in recklessly."

Clive produced a small vial from inside his clothes. It was a sinister bottle containing a dark liquid.

"That's..."

"A 'gift' we received from the Holy Nation. Supposedly, it's a stimulant made from none other than the Great Devil Duramon himself."

"The moment you drink it, you gain the power of Duramon... But why would the Holy Nation have such a thing?"

That had been his question ever since they cooperated with the Holy Nation.

Why would zealots obsessed with holiness possess the power of the Great Devil, its antithesis?

"How should I know? As long as it gives us the strength to achieve our purpose, nothing else matters."

"Yeah... we'll kill them all!"

Drake and Neimy pulled out bottles of the same kind. Shockingly, even Shalio received one of the vials.

Thus, Saber and Shalio—these four chugged down the concoction in one gulp.

At that moment, enormous changes began to occur in their bodies.

"Ooh... The strength...!"

"My body's overflowing with power!"

Muscles began to bulge on Clive and Drake's bodies.

Simultaneously, their skin gradually took on a black hue.

"Hahaha! At this level, we might be able to kill those guys in one blow!"

Neimy's skin turned jet black, fangs sprouting from her mouth.

"Yes... This is it...! With this power, I can fulfill my mother's revenge...!"

Shalio, having drunk the same, likewise transformed into a monstrous form.

All four gained black skin, razor-sharp teeth, and horns reminiscent of demonkin.

True to the Great Devil's power, it was a drug that transformed humans into demonkin.

But regardless of the side effects, their strength had undeniably grown far more powerful than usual.

"Kuhahaha!!"

Excited, Clive swung his sword with all his might.

The slash from his sword sliced cleanly through a mountain peak across the way.

"Be ready, special task force. This time, it's our turn to strike back!"

"Today must be a lucky day, fighting those guys like this."

"But how did the special task force show up here, anyway?"

With everyone's morale boiling, Neimy raised a question.

"Doesn't it feel like they knew we'd attack the village and came ahead of time?"

"It's hard to believe it was a coincidence."

There's no way they just bumped into each other randomly.

At the very least, it seemed like the special task force got a tip and came after hearing they would come here.

"But who cares about that now!"

The most excitable of all, Shalio, declared. He tore off the bandages that had been wrapped around his face, revealing himself.

"Who cares! I'm overflowing with power!"

His once hideous face turned completely black, just like a demonkin.

And with a single stomp, the entire mountain they stood on quaked.

"Let's go!!"

Swick—

That's when it happened.

"Huh?"

Suddenly, a slash flew by, severing Shalio's arm in an instant.

"I didn't expect there'd be demonkin here. Good thing I came myself."

A mysterious elderly man wielding a sword suddenly appeared.

"Or, should I say, humans who have turned into demonkin?"

The old man commented, as if analyzing the transformed four.

"Who the hell are you!"

Enraged upon realizing it was the old man who cut off his arm, Shalio shouted furiously.

"Die!"

"Wait!!"

Just as Shalio threw his punch, Clive tried to stop him. But it was already too late.

Shalio's body was instantly split into four pieces. No one had seen the sword the old man swung.

"Wh-what is this...?"

"Hoho. You're still alive?"

Even after being divided into a cross shape, Shalio was moving. The old man looked on, visibly fascinated.

"Sure enough, it's a potion containing the power of the Great Devil. Did it turn people into undying beings?"

"You bastard!"

With Shalio struck down, the remaining three of Saber immediately aimed their weapons.

They looked ready to attack at any time.

But contrary to their earlier excitement, cold sweat ran down their faces.

"What's wrong? Try attacking me like you did before."

"......."

"Are you scared?"

A strange aura surged from the old man, pressing down on the Saber members.

"Argh!!"

"Ugh!"

"Ack!"

Suddenly, all three started coughing up blood, as if their lungs were being crushed.

The temperature around them began to rise; it felt like their bodies were on fire.

It was like an oven baking bread or candy.

What if, instead of bread, a human went in? Saber was now experiencing that sensation firsthand.

"This power is...!"

Aura is originally magic power condensed on a sword, transformed into invisible energy.

From sword users to Experts, the higher the level one ascends, the greater and more distinct this power becomes.

In even higher realms, some can emit aura with their bare bodies, without a sword.

It's an overwhelming state in which one can choke an opponent to death, even without swinging a sword—a feat like magic.

It's said that, currently, only three people in the Imperial Court have reached that level.

"S-Swordmaster!"

"It's impressive you can speak."

The old man took a step forward as he spoke.

The surrounding temperature climbed ever higher.

"I was planning to thoroughly roast you, but perhaps thanks to the potion you just took, you're holding out."

"Aaaaah!"

Clive swung his sword at the old man with all his strength.

The same slash that had just obliterated a mountain peak came flying, but the old man dodged lightly.

"We'll help, too!"

"Haaah!"

Trying to help Clive, Neimy chanted a spell, and Drake gathered aura in his gloved fists.

Fireballs of extreme heat, on par with great magic, assailed the elder.

At the same time, drake thrust his fist, sending a tremendous shockwave crashing through the forest.

Even techniques that could have wiped out the village earlier, mightier than Meteor, were unleashed upon the old man.

"In that case, allow me to show some courtesy..."

But with just a bit of strength, the old man swung his sword, and everything was cut in half.

The incoming fireballs and shockwaves, as well as Drake and Neimy who had launched them, and even Clive swinging his sword at him—all split in two.

Even the sky above, as if the world itself had been cleaved in two.

"Nggh..."

"Still not dead, huh."

Just like with Shalio, even when their bodies were in two, they did not die.

But that was all. As they could no longer move, the outcome was already decided.

"W-why..."

With his body split in half, Clive managed to speak.

"You... why..."

It was only then that Clive realized who the old man was.

"Why are you here... Paulo Eloist..."

The commander of the 7th Legion—why had he shown up in this rural village?

"You can come out now."

At Paulo's words, several children hiding in the forest appeared.

Every one of them was an elf child with pointed ears.

"Grandpa, are we really... going to live in that village?"

An elf child pointed over the ridge at Seifert village and asked.

"That guy named Louis said he'd keep his promise."

"Of course! He absolutely will."

Unlike just a moment ago, Paulo now wore a gentle expression.

"The ones who sinned were the adult elves. You children still have a chance to live on properly."