Chapter 45: Hang in There, if You Can (4)
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Tadada!
The sound of running through the snow that had piled up was filling the mountain range.
Celia was running madly, her eyes darting around. She didn't even remember how long she had been running.
She was in a trance. That word suited her state of mind perfectly.
'I hope I'm not too late.'
Her breath was ragged and her legs felt like they were screaming, but she kept running.
In her mind, the words of Eri Everhart and Haley, who had come to support them, echoed.
"They're launching a full-scale attack to trigger an avalanche in that area? Ian must know that he would also be affected… Why would he come up with such a reckless plan…?"
"Squad Commander Ian is aware of that as well. It might be hard to understand, but he asked us to trust him."
"He has a plan, you say. I suppose he does. Alright, I'll trust you and see how it goes."
Triggering an avalanche to sweep away the enemy's base.
It was certainly a plausible plan. Natural disasters are not something mere humans can fend off. By using it, they could sweep away the entire area.
Avoiding direct combat and eliminating the enemies was also possible. But thinking about it differently, Ian might also be harmed.
'What are you thinking, Ian, pushing such a plan?'
Celia couldn't agree with such a crazy plan, especially since she hadn't even given Ian a sincere apology yet.
She couldn't accept the slightest possibility of losing him.
'They're all crazy! Sure, the Sword Master supports Ariel, but what is Eri Everhart thinking with such actions!'
The blonde woman, who was supposed to be Ian's closest ally, someone close enough to hug him in the training room, was now pushing a plan that could corner him.
She tried to talk to Ariel, thinking she might understand, but unfortunately, it didn't help.
"Huh? Oh, I see… We got help from my brother again. I was just dealing with the barbarians…"
Her usually reliable junior and colleague couldn't focus on her words.
Because of that…
Swish!
'I have to hurry. Otherwise, Ian might get swept away.'
The reason she was madly running through the treacherous Sisyphus Mountains was that waiting endlessly didn't suit her personality.
She couldn't be at ease unless she confirmed Ian's safety with her own eyes.
Of course, sneaking out made it impossible to bring a map, but it wasn't a big problem.
'I've memorized the route. It should be around here.'
Her memory was good, and her practice in reading maps paid off.
Thanks to that, Celia reached the place where the enemies had lured Ian within a few minutes.
"Hah… hah…"
Celia exhaled, releasing the breath she had been holding.
"Ian must be down below this cliff."
She wanted to plead to turn back since it was a trap, but knowing Ian had his own reasons, she decided not to interfere.
"I'll watch from here, and if Ian seems to be in danger, I'll save him."
She would help him if he was in a tight spot dealing with the barbarians. That much shouldn't be a hindrance.
How much time had passed? Her ragged breathing steadied, and her vision cleared.
Celia counted the seconds in her mind while holding her device.
'One… Two… Three, now!'
Boooom!
A deafening roar echoed as their forces attacked the mountain range.
This meant Ian had given the signal, and the avalanche would soon sweep through that area.
She must get ready!
Celia climbed a sturdy tree, focusing her mana and all her senses on her vision.
Watching the situation from here, if Ian seemed to be in danger, she would jump down to rescue him!
With that thought, she focused on the cliff below and saw it.
'…What is that?'
Kwaaaaang!
She saw a monster with a thousand hands appearing behind Ian!
A monster so imposing it made her dizzy just watching it, tearing through the enemies as if they were nothing.
Only then did Celia understand Eri's attitude.
"That's why."
The reason Ian had asked her to trust him. And…
"He didn't need my help at all…."
Now she realized that the chance to approach him had vanished.
Maybe because of that, Celia couldn't just stand there, staring blankly at Ian smashing through the enemies.
"Haha… It's over… Really."
The helplessness of being unable to do anything made Celia bite her lower lip hard.
***
Belphegor, the Demon King of Sloth.
Beelzebub's assessment of him was this:
'Sleeping Dragon of the Demon Realm.'
Despite possessing the greatest physical power among the Seven Great Demon Kings, his status in the Demon Realm was insignificant.
Even compared to Mammon.
'I can never understand what he's thinking. Even though he could conquer the Demon Realm and seize countless powers with his strength, he shows no interest.'
Mammon, despite his meager physical strength, commanded numerous followers in the Demon Realm, while Belphegor had only a few subordinates.
Yet neither the great demons of Hell nor even the ruler of the Demon Realm, the Demon God, could touch Belphegor.
Beelzebub recalled the time when Asmodeus tried to provoke him by kidnapping one of his subordinates.
'It was an unstoppable disaster.'
It was so dreadful that he hated to even remember it.
With a mere gesture from Belphegor, her subordinates were torn to shreds, and even Asmodeus, who couldn't bear to watch and intervened, couldn't stop him.
'The term 'invicible' naturally came to mind.'
Beelzebub didn't know all the details as he hadn't been directly involved, but he remembered one thing clearly.
'No matter what Asmodeus did, Belphegor calmly blocked her attacks and crushed her… The Demon God had to descend to stop the fight.'
Why was he thinking of this while fighting Ian?
The reason was simple.
"Why do I see him in that man!"
Ian Volkanov. That insignificant human reminded him of Belphegor.
Seeing Ian manifesting a thousand hands and staring at him, Beelzebub trembled.
'How does that wretch have his power!'
Beelzebub, who had lived for thousands of years, knew the history of this continent well.
He also knew the identity of the ancient god helping Ian.
'Neltalion. How did he obtain that being's power!'
The Ancient God Neltalion.
A being that transcended the world's laws, neither an angel nor a demon.
Humans gave him titles like "The Thousand-Handed Destroyer", but Beelzebub knew Neltalion was far beyond such petty names.
'If he becomes whole… He's a being with uncontrollable power. He could destroy not only the Middle Realm but also the Demon Realm… I heard he perished 300 years ago.'
But he was clearly alive. And now, he was pushing Beelzebub back while siding with humans.
It made no sense.
A being as powerful as the Demon God siding with humans? It was enough to drive him insane…, but Beelzebub decided to face reality.
'Only about 20 barbarians are left. And even they are in a state of confusion. This is the worst.'
Someone might say it's not a big deal that the barbarians died, but it was not to be taken lightly.
'Mammon's strength lies in corrupting humans with greed and empowering them, but without humans….'
The reason Mammon was called one of the Great Seven Demon Kings despite his weak physical power was simple.
Using his magic and the gold he possessed, he could greatly enhance weak humans and demons.
But now, all the demons who could use his power had perished.
The implication was clear.
'I can't expect help from Mammon….'
In the end, it was up to him to deal with Ian Volkanov.
Beelzebub, who usually had immense confidence in his abilities, couldn't be sure of victory this time.
Booooom!
"Ugh! Damn it!"
All he could do was use his power of "Gluttony" to barely block the rain of punches.
The blows were so powerful that even though they were just punches, they felt like meteors crashing down.
"Argh!"
Even though he managed to block them, the recoil caused him to cough up blood.
In the end, Beelzebub couldn't bear it and had to send a message to Mammon.
'Mammon, I think we might have touched someone we shouldn't have.'
'I agree… I never expected this person to possess Neltalion's power.'
'Our plan has completely fallen apart. The barbarians we enhanced with your power were wiped out, and even I could barely block his attacks.'
He didn't want to say these words, but he had no choice.
'We should retreat. Return to the Demon Realm, prepare thoroughly, and try again later. What do you think?'
'Not being able to kill Ian is regrettable, but the fact that the Ancient God has resurrected is enough of an achievement. But then, the problem is retreating… Can we do it?'
Retreating would be like admitting defeat. But it didn't seem like Ian was going to let them off the hook.
'He will pursue us to the end. And maybe, the moment you release your power, those hands will overwhelm us.'
They are already aggressively targeting us. The image of fleeing to avoid them didn't occur to Mammon.
But Beelzebub forced a smile.
'Don't worry about that. I have a plan.'
'Do you have a plan? Then tell me. If there's anything I can do to help, I'll do my best.'
'I plan to use Asmodeus's power from now on. She often uses something like this, right? Going into people's dreams and using it to teleport.'
'Does that mean you've already absorbed it?'
Seeing Mammon's surprise, Beelzebub gently nodded.
'I haven't finished absorbing it yet. But I have enough power to use the ability.'
The power of a mare, which enters the opponent's dreams.
Their leader, Asmodeus, could not only enter people's dreams but also use that power to teleport.
If they used it, they could safely escape.
But Mammon couldn't be reassured.
'Is it really possible?'
'It's my first time using it, so I can't be sure. But wouldn't it be better than dying here?'
Looking at Mammon, who seemed lost in thought, Beelzebub forced a smile.
He was always cautious and despised gambling or risky ventures, so he wouldn't consider risking his life for a slim chance.
But doing nothing wouldn't make the situation any better.
'Remember, we can't hold out like this forever. Unlike in the Demon Realm, there's a limit to the magic we can maintain in the Middle Realm.'
At Beelzebub's persuasion, Mammon nodded.
Even if the chances of success were slim, there was no other way.
Mammon's decisive gaze was filled with stronger determination than before.
'All right, tell me. What do I need to do?'
'Five minutes. We have to endure for that long to use teleportation. You know what to do, right?'
'You want me to replenish enough demonic energy while you defend and prepare for teleportation. Got it.'
Beelzebub's ability, 'Gluttony'.
Using magic to manifest the mouth of an abyssal demon could be used to devour the opponent or even deflect attacks.
'It requires a lot of demonic energy to summon, so we need enough sacrifices. But since there are no suitable sacrifices right now…'
It meant he had to provide the help himself. Fortunately, that wasn't difficult for Mammon.
'Using gold and magic to support the opponent was something I've done countless times before.'
He was confident, as usual.
Kwuaaaah!
As Beelzebub struggled to block Ian's attacks, demonic energy began to swirl around him.
Ian, noticing the strange phenomenon, cocked his head.
"Are you trying something…?"
At first, Ian thought Beelzebub had lost his mind from being hit so much. But when Beelzebub smirked as if provoking him, he realized that something was definitely amiss.
He isn't crazy. He is definitely planning something strange.
As if to prove that Ian's thoughts were correct, Beelzebub burst into laughter, seemingly taunting him.
"You're definitely different from ordinary mortals. I'll give you that much credit."
"After taking a few hits, are you finally admitting it? I'm sorry, but just because you say that doesn't mean I'll go easy on you."
"Your confidence is sky-high. It might be because you have the power of an ancient god. But that guy won't last forever. And when other demons find out about this, they won't leave you alone."
Not content with merely standing by… Ian felt no fear even though he was clearly being threatened.
"If other demons are targeting me, then won't they end up like you guys?"
"Let's see if you still say that when the great demons gather…"
It was an unmistakable statement of anticipation for the next opportunity. Ian was no longer playing along with Beelzebub's banter.
"What are they up to? Are they trying to flee?"
The magic swirling around Beelzebub since earlier had caught Ian's attention.
When he realized that its source was from Mammon, he suspected they were preparing to retaliate against him.
However, upon reflection, Ian realized he had misjudged the situation.
'They have no intention of retaliating… They're trying to flee.'
As expected, they had already thought of a means to escape back to the Demon Realm and were buying time for it.
The replenishment of demonic energy was likely to maintain Beelzebub's power as much as possible.
'I can't drag this out any longer… I need to end this now.'
With his thoughts collected, Ian once again prepared his divine power.
Although his plan had been exposed, Beelzebub remained unfazed.
He had confidence in his ability to withstand the attack.
"Now you understand? But it's already too late!"
Unless the demon's barrier could withstand the onslaught, Ian had no way to stop him.
With only about four minutes remaining, he had to break through their defenses within that time frame.
"You can only watch us! Blame your helplessness!"
Others might think it impossible — breaking through their defense within a mere four minutes.
But Ian did not act passionately. Rather, he just calmly took his stance.
'It's impossible.'
At those words, Ian raised the corners of his mouth and recalled his life before the possession.
'It's been a while since I heard that.'
His past life had been filled with many difficult moments.
How should he get through this? There have been countless times when he wanted to give up, thinking it was something he couldn't do.
'I've shed so many tears. There were times when I decided to let go of everything.'
But even in despair, he never gave up.
He persevered resolutely. It's a life where he had overcome every seemingly insurmountable obstacle.
'Having lived such a life.'
Breaking through such a measly defense…
'It's nothing.'
With that thought, Ian opened his eyes. With eyes full of determination, he stared them down and began to harness all the mana in his body.
"What did you say, 4 minutes? Then, hang in there… if you can."
With a sly smile, Ian swung his fists.
Crack!
"Ugh!"
Thud!
Once he attacked, the next fist followed. It didn't matter how they extended. The only thing to consider was breaking through their defense.
After clearing his mind of any other distractions, he focused solely on swinging his fists.
Thud!
'One minute.'
His fists flew like shooting stars in the night sky. Unexpected and relentless. Though their defense hadn't completely shattered yet, the impressions of Beelzebub and Mammon were showing signs of wear.
'Two minutes.'
Blood began to trickle from every hole in Ian's body. The flowing blood obscured his vision and created a headache as if his head would split open, but he didn't care.
When facing immobile enemies, there's no need to look ahead, even if it's uncomfortable.
Eventually, when three minutes had passed and finally, the four minutes had passed, Ian's fists no longer moved.
Crunch! Thud!
The power that Beelzebub had boasted of was brutally destroyed. Having lost their protective shield, they couldn't evade the attacks.
As Beelzebub and Mammon lost their forms and vanished, Ian casually wiped away the trickling blood.
"Everyone has a plan."
"Ugh…"
As he watched them disappear with groans, Ian sneered.
"Until they get punched."
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