Chapter 112: The Invasion of Evil (5)

Ashetiaar exploded, unable to withstand the pressure of Ketal’s attack, and darkness scattered into the air. Ketal gave a small nod. “She’s definitely softer than Butler.” “What...?” Maximus stood there wide-eyed, staring at Ketal. Like Ashetiaar, Maximus hadn’t sensed Ketal approaching. That alone meant Ketal had moved fast enough to evade the senses of two powerful beings. Ketal shifted his gaze toward Maximus. “Oh, Maximus. I didn’t know you were holding ground here.” “Y-yeah.” Maximus flinched reflexively. Ever since losing so decisively to Ketal, he couldn’t help but tense up in Ketal’s presence. Ketal briefly surveyed the area. “It seems like you were losing to her.” “There... wasn’t much of a choice,” Maximus muttered defensively. Ketal noticed the trembling woman behind Maximus, clutching her child. “I see,” Ketal said, as though he understood everything. A faint smile crossed his face. “You were protecting them.” “Any problem with that?” Maximus asked, gruffly. He believed barbarians despised weakness and would never grasp why someone would protect the weak. He had expected Ketal to scorn him. However, Ketal merely shook his head. “No, that’s admirable. You risked your life to guard the citizens. That’s the very image of a true knight.” Ketal’s tone was genuinely complementary. Surprised by his words, Maximus hesitated. Meanwhile, Ketal murmured to himself, sounding pleased, “I’m glad I got to see something good today.” “You!” Ashetiaar suddenly rose from the ground, having regenerated some distance away. She stared at Ketal with a baffled expression. “Barbarian! Why are you here?” “Ashetiaar!” Ketal exclaimed, breaking into a broad grin. “I’m happy to see you again! How’ve you been?” “W-why are you talking to me like we’re friends? I’m a demon!” Demonic beings like her existed only to trample this world. If she had encountered Ketal again, it should have been a moment of despair for him, not delight. However, Ketal seemed genuinely glad to see her. He had sometimes wondered how she had been after he had banished her to Hell the first time. Meeting her again filled him with excitement. “A reunion is always nice, even if it’s with a demon,” Ketal said. Maximus shot him a look as though Ketal had lost his mind. “You maniac!” Ashetiaar yelled, hurling spears of darkness at Ketal. She was the very demon who had crushed buildings and half-destroyed the royal capital. Yet, Ketal merely waved a hand, and the darkness shattered. The power that had overwhelmed the mighty Maximus broke apart like a swarm of gnats. Ashetiaar clenched her teeth. She knew this barbarian stood above her in raw strength, and his natural advantage left her no path to victory. “You’re strong, barbarian,” Ashetiaar spat. “I will give you that. But you can’t win against the other demon who’s manifested here!” She was talking about Butler, the Demon of Severance. His authority to slice through anything outranked her own. Among the named demons, Ashetiaar was low-tier, while Butler belonged somewhere in the mid-tier. The difference in power was undeniable. “You’re strong, but your power is limited to that body of yours!” she snarled. “That means nothing against Butler!” Ketal didn’t wield Myst or any supernatural force, so Ashetiaar believed he couldn’t counter the authority of severance. Once Butler finished dealing with the elf, he would come here and effortlessly kill Ketal. After all, Ketal wasn’t mentioned in the revelation. That meant he would ultimately be disposed of. Certain of this, Ashetiaar laughed with confidence. However, Ketal spoke with a hint of puzzlement. “You say Butler’s stronger than you, but he didn’t seem that tough to me.” “What....?” Ashetiaar paused, her eyes flickering with uncertainty. That almost sounds like he’s already met Butler. “Did you... kill Butler?” Ashetiaar asked. Ketal ignored her question and mused, “Now that I think about it, you demons certainly look impressive—handsome and beautiful. I guess it’s natural if your goal is to beguile humans.” “You...!” Ashetiaar frantically threw more darkness spears at him. Ketal took a single step forward, tearing through the black aura. He dashed toward Ashetiaar and crushed her skull. Gripping her still-moving body, he slammed it into the ground. “I don’t know why you all manifested here,” Ketal said, swinging Ashetiaar around by the ankle. “But you’ve already failed. Wouldn’t it be wiser to withdraw?” “Gah!” Ashetiaar screeched, grabbing Ketal’s arm in desperation. Darkness surged up to coil around it. The sinister shadow tried to grind his arm to pulp. That same power would have pulverized solid steel in an instant. “Oh?” Ketal murmured. “That’s interesting.” Ashetiaar’s attack had no effect on him. Amused, Ketal casually swung his arm, and the darkness shattered apart. In the same moment, his hand pierced Ashetiaar’s chest. “Y-you...!” she shrieked. Even when she regenerated and counterattacked with darkness, nothing worked on him. Maximus stood there in a daze, watching the supposedly formidable Ashetiaar get tossed around like a rag doll. She tried everything, but her efforts were blocked or broken. Ultimately, Ketal pinned her down, completely subduing her. “Maximus,” Ketal called out. “W-what is it?” Maximus asked him, startled back to reality. “Could you banish this demon? Unfortunately, I can’t do it myself.” “Right, just give me a moment.” Maximus infused his sword with a thick layer of Aura and plunged the blade into Ashetiaar’s chest. Her body slowly began to fade from this world. Ketal watched with interest. “So that’s how it works. Since she hasn’t made this place her domain, you can banish her with Aura alone.” “B-barbarian... you...!” Ashetiaar stammered, her gaze filled with confusion. “Who... are you?” “I’m just an ordinary human,” Ketal replied lightly. And with that, Ashetiaar vanished—banished back to Hell. Both demons that had invaded the surface were now gone. Ketal stood up. “Are you okay?” “I’m fine,” Maximus said stiffly. “Is that all of them?” “I believe so,” Ketal replied.” “Then we’re done.” Ketal glanced around at the wreckage, then looked at Maximus. “Who...,” Maximus began. Fear and astonishment were evident in his eyes. “Who exactly are you?” “We’ll have to talk later,” Ketal said, gesturing to the devastation. The demons were gone, but there was plenty of damage—crumbled buildings, fallen soldiers, and frightened citizens. Maximus finally noticed the extent of the destruction and bit his lip. “Right, we don’t have time for this now. I need to inform His Majesty.” He turned to leave but hesitated, glancing over his shoulder. For a moment, he fumbled for words, then spoke quietly. “Thank you, barbarian.” Ketal responded with a friendly smile. *** Two days had passed since the demons’ invasion. Barbosa summoned Ketal to a private audience. In the royal audience hall, Ketal stood before the King of the Denian Kingdom. “You look tired,” Ketal observed. “I can’t help it.” Resting his chin on one hand, Barbosa wore a weary expression. “I should have called for you right away, but we were busy assessing the damage. It took some time.” Barbosa rose from the throne, descended the short steps, and faced Ketal directly. He spoke with a genuine courtesy. “I must thank you, Ketal. Because of you, we were able to stop the demons’ attack without suffering even greater losses.” In truth, the losses weren’t small. Over a hundred soldiers had died, and dozens of knights had also perished. Even Garura—one of the kingdom’s brightest stars, believed to be on the verge of becoming a Transcendent—had been killed in a gruesome manner. The capital itself had been half-destroyed, and repairs would cost tremendous time and resources. The damage was substantial. Yet, the opponents had been two named demons. It would not have been surprising if they had completely demolished the royal palace and even the kingdom itself. The fact that they were repelled with only this level of damage was almost a miracle—and it was entirely thanks to Ketal. Even as a king, Barbosa felt the need to offer his gratitude personally. “I only did what had to be done,” Ketal answered calmly. “I am still grateful for it,” Barbosa replied, letting out a quiet sigh of relief. He returned to his throne. He hadn’t summoned Ketal just to express his thanks. The sudden manifestation of demons and the fact that Ketal, alongside Arkemis, had confronted Butler meant there was vital information to exchange. Remembering this, Barbosa studied Ketal, aware of the power he wielded. Butler was a named Demon, much stronger than Ashetiaar. And Ketal and Arkemis had driven that demon back to Hell together. How powerful is this barbarian, exactly? Barbosa wondered. The thought came unbidden, but he pushed it aside to focus on the more urgent matter. His expression became serious. “You said that the demon called Butler was targeting the elf?” Ketal nodded. “Yes, he claimed they needed her for some plan of theirs.” “So you and Arkemis banished him?” Another nod from Ketal confirmed it. It was now clear that the demons had descended upon the Denian Kingdom with a specific goal in mind. Barbosa clenched his lips together. “We have a problem on our hands—quite a few problems.” “It’s not something you’ve encountered before, I take it,” Ketal observed. “Never. There have been instances of demons descending to the mortal realm, but all were summoned by dark mages with no clear motive beyond chaos and corruption. If you think about it, for a demon, devouring and polluting the land is as natural as breathing, so it never really counted as a structured objective.” However, this time was different. The demons had manifested suddenly in the Denian Kingdom—and they came with a distinct purpose. It suggested they were part of a much larger design. Barbosa let out a frustrated sigh. “They mentioned the Demon King... Just what is going on?” “Hold on, did you say Demon King?” Ketal's eyes widened. “So this is related to someone called the Demon King?” “Hmm? You didn’t know?” Barbosa asked him. “Well, Butler mentioned something like his master, but he never used the words Demon King. If the master Butler spoke of is indeed the Demon King, that’s news to me.” Barbosa hesitated for a moment, caught off-guard by Ketal’s sudden shift in demeanor. The barbarian looked oddly excited, as though invigorated by the new information. Is he actually happy to hear about the Demon King? Barbosa asked himself, incredulous. The Demon King was the lord of the demons, the foe of all creation. Merely hearing the name was enough to make most people shudder. Even battle-hungry barbarians typically viewed the Demon King as an enemy too terrifying to challenge. Indeed, the Demon King was a living embodiment of fear. Who in the world hears that name and gets excited? You’d have to be crazy, Barbosa thought, slightly unnerved by Ketal’s reaction.