Sword of Salvation-Chapter 44: - Battle and Lunar Scythe (2)

Mariel observed the demons surrounding him with great interest.

There were a total of 23 demons, all Ultimate Demons.

Three demons attacked Celinee, another three targeted Girhamvell, and two demons each focused on Nico, Robert, Mount, and James. Four demons decided to handle Delphia. Mariel himself was surrounded by five demons—they agreed that he was the most dangerous. Whether it was instinct or Devil Curse ability, what they did was entirely accurate.

One Ultimate Demon was already dangerous, especially with a troublesome Devil Curse. Facing one Ultimate Demon was considered a Level A mission. In both Sterminatore and Ultores mercenary systems, this classification was the same. Facing two Ultimate Demons at the same time elevated the mission to Level S.

And Mariel had to face five Ultimate Demons at once.

Of course, that wasn’t a problem. Mariel had previously killed eight Ultimate Demons at once. True, he managed to kill them quickly purely out of luck. However, it made no difference here. None of the five demons before him knew Mariel’s abilities. If he could surprise them as he did with the eight demons before, the fight would be over.

"What are you waiting for?" Mariel conjured two wind swords. "Come forward," he added, inviting them politely.

Mariel’s polite and courteous words were taken as mockery and provocation by the demons. They attacked simultaneously. Their sharp claws extended like a cat’s, and their auras surged as they began using their respective elements.

They did exactly what Mariel wanted. In an instant, he negated their powers and swung both wind swords. Mariel wanted to repeat what he had done more than two weeks ago.

However, this time Mariel wasn’t as lucky. Only one demon was surprised by what happened, while the others were experienced enough to react instantly. Mariel only managed to slash one neck in his attack. But he didn’t worry. He quickly stabbed the demon’s heart to ensure it was truly dead.

"Be careful! He can nullify our powers temporarily."

Mariel directed his gaze at the demon who had just warned the remaining three. At that moment, he decided to choose that demon as his pawn to seize Lasyana’s sacred scythe.

"So, how do we kill him?"

Mariel darted toward the demon who asked the question.

The other demons also attacked him from the sides simultaneously, but Mariel immediately repelled them with a wind wave.

His eyes locked onto the confused demon. The demon was understandably puzzled, unsure of what to do. Who wouldn’t be confused facing someone who could nullify powers? What could be done against someone who could neutralize abilities?

However, confusion was nothing compared to panic and fear—especially the fear of death.

The demon immediately used his power, slowing Mariel down significantly. It was a useful Devil Curse. However, the demon was too focused on him to notice the wind spear Mariel had created. The demon collapsed when the spear pierced his heart from behind.

"Two down, three to go—huh, two more demons are coming this way."

Realizing this, Mariel’s gaze shifted to Celinee and the others. They weren’t too far away, so he could see them.

Delphia, who had been fighting four demons, was now battling three. She hadn’t killed any yet, so the demon heading toward Mariel had originally fought Delphia. Against three demons, Delphia fought with precision and efficiency. She battled as if she could see the future, her analysis both accurate and terrifying.

Celinee didn’t unleash her demon power, which made her seem to struggle. However, she wasn’t in a bad position. In fact, she started to dominate as her lips murmured something. The demon who was about to stab Celinee from behind suddenly reappeared in its original position, along with the other two.

On the other hand, Girhamvell had entered spirit-unification mode and dominated the demons. His red dragon scales glowed on his forehead, cheeks, neck, arms, and even legs. A horn sprouted on his forehead, and two wings extended from his back. His body emitted steam. His spirit was undoubtedly of the legendary type—a lava dragon.

Nico was doing his best, but the two demons he faced weren’t weak. The battle was somewhat balanced, but if things continued like that, he would be overwhelmed. Nico needed to enter spirit-unification mode to make a difference or wait until Girhamvell finished.

Mount and Robert weren’t much different from Nico.

James, on the other hand, seemed to be dominating. He was only fighting one demon. The other demon had gone to join the fight against Mariel. The demon realized the situation would worsen if they didn’t help in killing him.

"This doesn’t change anything," Mariel said firmly—his body was now covered in a wind armor. "I’ll end this quickly."

Mariel shot forward at an even higher speed, attacking the gathered five demons. His eyes narrowed, and his wind swords doubled in length.

The five demons didn’t just stand there as Mariel approached. They launched attacks with various elements. However, their attacks disappeared before they could reach Mariel. They tried to maintain distance by moving backward, but Mariel quickly swapped places with the demon he had chosen as his pawn.

This move surprised the demons even more than when Mariel had first nullified their powers.

Mariel didn’t waste the opportunity. He swiftly and efficiently took down the four demons. One demon managed to use his Devil Curse, sending an explosive spider statue at Mariel, but Mariel protected himself with a spatial barrier.

The spider statue’s explosion engulfed the area around Mariel, obliterating the weakened demons’ bodies.

When the smoke from the explosion cleared, Mariel’s pawn demon stood before him with dozens of ice spears at his sides and in his hands. With an angry growl, the demon hurled the spears at Mariel. However, since the spatial barrier was still active, the spears never touched him.

The ice spears shattered under their own momentum. Mariel dispelled the barrier and released a wind wave, sending the demon and the ice fragments flying. He then swapped places with one of the ice shards flying in the same direction as the demon. Without mercy, he landed a kick on the demon’s left temple.

Mariel flung the demon far from Celinee and the others.

He wasn’t done. Mariel followed the demon and unleashed a much stronger wind wave. The demon was hurled out of the crater and slammed into a large tree. Finally, Mariel created a wind wall in the air and smashed it into the demon.

The tree broke, and the demon was thrown through a dozen smaller trees.

Mariel stopped his assault and landed a few meters before the demon, who lay sprawled. The demon wasn’t dead; Mariel had intentionally avoided finishing him with wind spears or swords. He only wanted to hurt the demon to show their clear difference in power.

"Your regeneration speed isn’t bad," Mariel complimented as the demon stood back up, fully healed. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"Who are you? How can a young human like you be so strong?"

"That’s not important. What matters is, I have an offer for you."

"If you want to live," Mariel continued without giving the demon a chance to ask, "I want you to deliver a message to Primordial Demon Levia. Don’t worry about being killed; you can steal Lasyana’s sacred weapon when she’s distracted and give it to Levia. That way, not only will you live, but you’ll also gain Levia’s recognition. Isn’t this a very favorable offer?"

The demon remained silent for a long time but ultimately agreed. Lasyana was fighting Zagabob, and the demon understood there was a great chance to steal the scythe. He had no choice but to comply.

"What’s your message?" the demon asked.

"Tell her I want her to let me sleep on her lap and feed me grapes with her mouth, one by one."

"..."

"..."

"...Are you serious?"

"Do I look like I’m joking?"

"You...you’re insane!"

Mariel shrugged and turned away. "Just do as I say," he muttered before walking off—there were still many demons to deal with.