30 Years After Reincarnating, It Turns Out This World Was A Rofan?!-Chapter 219: The Most Dangerous Creature in the World... (6)

"They're actually trying harder than I expected?"

It was an unexpected level of enthusiasm.

He had leveraged their past connections, but Ihan hadn’t truly expected things to go this smoothly.

"I only made the offer because they still smelled somewhat human..."

Had it been Numbers 5 and 6 instead of these two, he never would have proposed an alliance.

Those guys reeked too much of blood—both literally and figuratively—and Ihan knew too little about them to trust them.

Just like in any organization, people naturally formed cliques.

For Ihan, the ones he was closest to were Numbers 7, 11, 9, and 10.

...Though, 9 and 10 had tried to betray him and ended up dead by his hand.

Regardless, things had worked out in his favor.

Otherwise—

WHOOOSH!

CRACK!

"Watch yourself, Number 8! Even you won’t survive if you take that curse head-on!"

"What happens if I get hit?"

"Your loved ones could develop an incurable disease, or worse, your fingers could turn into tree branches."

"...Yeah, definitely not getting hit by that."

Because there was no way to counter it.

"That thing is terrifying."

It was even trickier than magic.

With magic, most attacks could be dealt with by blocking or enduring them head-on. But curses and sorcery?

Not only were they hard to avoid, but countering them was a nightmare.

It was a damn good thing he hadn’t killed Number 11—Yan.

He had intentionally left Yan alone, not just because he was a shaman, but because he knew exactly what that meant.

Ihan had plenty of chances to take him out in the past, yet he had always held back.

Because shamans...

You never knew what kind of counter curse would hit you if you messed with one.

There was a reason people said screwing with a shaman could ruin three generations of your family.

But now—now—with a shaman as an ally instead of an enemy?

"A monster raid just isn’t complete without a solid mage in the party!"

Ihan had never felt more reassured.

***

[Abyssal Fiend].

That was the name given to the creatures known as Hellspawn.

“...Abyssal Fiends are exactly what they sound like—monsters from the underworld. According to what I heard from the organization, they crave the bodies of the living. And if they can’t get living flesh, they’ll devour the dead instead. Also, their strength and influence are severely weakened in the world of the living, which is why they can’t operate freely here.”

"And their traits?"

"Regeneration and devouring. Those are their main abilities."

"And how do you kill it?"

"You don’t. You just keep hitting it. Over and over. Once it fully digests what it’s eaten and starts to exhaust itself, it’ll eventually disappear on its own."

"So, the only option is to endure."

"That’s right."

"...What a nightmare."

For once, even Raq let out a dry chuckle.

At first glance, the conditions for killing it seemed simple.

Just stop it from eating, keep it from replenishing its energy, and eventually, it would self-destruct.

But looking at it from another angle...

That also meant it was impossible to truly kill.

It was a being that originated from the underworld—the realm of death itself—where the very concept of dying didn’t apply to it.

Add to that its sheer physical strength, insane regeneration, endless stamina, and the eerie aura of curses surrounding it...

It was a horrifying enemy.

"...So it’s on par with a Demon King."

It was as troublesome as the Troll King they had fought the day before.

That monster had been bad enough, and now another one of equal strength had appeared?

The thought alone made his skin crawl.

But at least, compared to yesterday’s brutal battle, there was one advantage they had this time.

BOOOOOOM—!!

—They had undeniable powerhouses fighting alongside them.

"HAHAHA! DIE, YOU MONSTER!"

Maximus’s battle-axe smashed into the Abyssal Fiend relentlessly, while Dyna launched a relentless barrage of pinpoint explosions to assist.

"I can’t believe I’m doing this again."

Raq’s spear split in two, transforming into a pair of short rods.

Infused with Red Aura, the rods slammed into the monster’s body repeatedly.

Piercing attacks were useless—it would just regenerate.

The only way to deal with it was to hit it thousands of times until it gave out.

And Ihan—

BOOM!

"...This is actually dealing damage, right?"

He unleashed his Shattering Strike, mixing it with Hundred Step Divine Fist.

The force of his punches generated massive shockwaves.

...But each time he struck, it felt like he was punching rubber.

No real impact.

It felt like they weren’t making any progress at all.

[No, you’re definitely winning. Every time you hit it, its presence weakens.]

"...Really?"

[If you don’t believe yourself, then believe me. I am the Guardian of a Holy Relic, after all.]

The owl’s words carried conviction.

Seeing the sheer seriousness in its eyes, Ihan had no choice but to nod.

"Alright... If I think of this thing as a game monster, it makes sense."

Back in the old days of sprite-based games, there were monsters like this.

No matter how many times you hit them, they wouldn’t show any visible damage.

But if you looked at their health bar, it would still be going down.

"This thing is just like that."

The only difference?

There was no visible health bar.

With that in mind, Ihan made his decision.

He would trust the owl’s judgment.

And he would keep hitting.

Fine...!

"I’ll just beat the damn thing to death!"

After all, if there was one thing he was confident in—

—It was his stamina.

***

"...Monsters. Absolute monsters."

Meanwhile, at the rear, Yan continued to neutralize the curses while observing the battle.

KEEE!!?

...The Abyssal Fiend was being overwhelmed.

Someone unfamiliar with these creatures might think that meant they were weak.

But that was far from the truth.

Abyssal Fiends grew exponentially stronger based on the number of lives they consumed.

At minimum, this one had to be on par with the Starving Demon King that had been summoned the previous day.

...A Demon King that, despite its hunger, could have wiped out an entire small nation in less than half a day.

Which meant—

The only reason this Abyssal Fiend was losing was simple.

"Because those guys are absurdly strong."

"Don’t come near me!"

"You are the one coming to me!!"

"Hahaha! If all punching bags were like this, I’d happily beat them for a month...!"

Even though Yan was canceling out the curses, there was one thing he couldn’t erase—the aura of death exuding from the monster.

Yet those three...

They simply endured it.

And kept hitting.

SCHLAK!

The Abyssal Fiend suddenly sprouted hundreds of sharp spikes, like a demonic hedgehog, aiming to impale them.

But the three knights—

CRUNCH!

—Shattered them.

SNAP!

—Carved through them.

CRUSH!

—Crumpled them like paper.

The sight of knights completely overpowering an Abyssal Fiend...

It was unbelievable.

A sudden gust of wind from a powerful shockwave swept past Yan, making him click his tongue in amazement.

"I knew they were strong, but this..."

He had heard it many times from the organization.

That these three knights were the closest in this era to becoming true Superhumans—those who stood at the threshold of the Aura Mastery Realm.

"...But hearing about it and seeing it firsthand are two completely different things."

Watching them fight up close, Yan couldn’t stop the cold sweat running down his back.

This level of power...

"The only ones who’ve ever made me feel this way were the First Apostle and the Grand Bishop."

Yet there was a difference.

The leaders of the organization had evolved beyond humanity—transforming into something more grotesque, more unnatural.

These knights, however...

They were still pure humans—pushing toward their peak through sheer skill, strength, and willpower alone.

...Though, honestly—

WHOOOSH!

"...That’s still pretty damn grotesque."

Yan let out a dry chuckle as he watched Ihan—formerly Number 8—suplex a nine-meter-tall Abyssal Fiend.

...For a brief moment, Yan genuinely wondered if the injection Number 8 had received in the past had been from a Troll King, not a regular troll.

*

*

*

Somewhere Else...

"...By now, they must still be locked in a fierce battle."

"It’s a cruel thing, really. They’re important officers of the Black Moon, and yet, they’re being sacrificed like this."

"They were criminals anyway, weren’t they? Especially the Fifth and Sixth Apostles—they went too far. It might seem unfair to the Seventh and Eleventh Apostles... but sacrifices must be made."

"You know that’s just a cowardly excuse, don’t you?"

"Call it hypocrisy, then. In the end, they’ll burn in hell’s flames one way or another. What difference does it make if we do something wicked first?"

"...You do realize you won’t be going alone, right? I’ll be heading there too. At least you won’t be lonely on your way to hell."

"Ha. That’s quite the unexpected comfort."

"Heh."

The middle-aged man laughed, and the younger man laughed with him.

Their age gap was at least thirty years, but the heavy, somber air around them made it clear—these two couldn’t be judged by appearance alone.

There was something almost... monastic about them.

Like ascetics who had reached enlightenment.

They stood atop a rooftop, letting the storm lash against them.

Not long ago, the crescent moon had hung peacefully in the sky.

But now—

Dark clouds churned, swallowing the moon whole.

Lightning rumbled.

And then—

The rain began to fall.

Drip... Drip... Drip...

At first, the raindrops merely dampened the ground.

But soon, they became a downpour—a torrential storm that blurred the entire landscape.

"...Did you foresee this rain as well?"

"You know I may be called a Prophet, but I’m not a real prophet."

"Then this is..."

"The Great Sky... The Creator of Life and Light... must have seen this coming as well."

SQUELCH. SQUELCH.

Even through the pounding rain, the sound of marching footsteps rang out.

The middle-aged man turned his gaze toward the countless feet splashing through the mud.

"...The anger of the lambs, marching forward to punish their own shepherds."

It was a sound more grand, more overwhelming, than any orchestra.

Though he claimed not to be a Prophet—

—The man could already see the future clearly in his mind.

Tonight.

Read latest chapters at freёweɓnovel.com Only.

The world would be turned upside down.