The Demon Hunting Method of the Regressed Inquisitor

The Eroding One (2)

There was no intention to underestimate.

That’s why they had coaxed Kurud to gather information even before entering the city.

They had considered not only the hunter’s perspective but also the merchant’s.

It was fortunate that Kurud had some connection with the merchant guild master.

…But it didn’t take long to realize that all of that was meaningless.

First, Titan, who had been at a disadvantage in the duel with Kurud, was targeted.

Crack!!

Whether it was carelessness or simply because of the small stature, Titan tried to block the girl’s attack with one hand.

He tried to block the flying kick with his palm, but was pushed back, scraping the ground.

The arm that had been stretched out bent just before it touched his face, and the muscles of his entire body stood out.

“Ehit!”

“What…?”

A strength unimaginable from its appearance. Coupled with agility.

The kick from the other leg, following the state of pushing Titan, eventually struck Titan’s head.

Whether it was intentional or coincidental, I don’t know.

However, the problem is that the additional attack accurately hit the jaw, rendering Titan incapable of fighting with a single blow.

“You’re next!”

“Damn it…!”

The girl, who was floating at a height equal to her own height due to Titan’s build, stepped on Titan and flew towards Kurud, who extended his spear to check her.

A swinging arm, an unreachable distance. But the girl’s hand, scattered like mist, accurately grabbed Kurud’s wrist, which was holding the spear.

As if the entire mist was her body, the girl pulled with all her might, and the distance closed in an instant.

“Ugh?!”

Bang!

Kurud, who had let go of the spear from the hand that was immediately grabbed, lifted the spear with the opposite hand to block the girl’s punch.

With a sound like metal clashing against metal, Kurud’s body was greatly bent backward, but he regained his balance using the dragon’s wings and tail.

“Hah!”

“Ugh!”

The girl’s follow-up attack was another kick.

The blow, descending from above, pinned Kurud, who had barely regained his balance, to the ground.

“Ouch! That hurts…”

Amidst the huge sound and the stone floor bouncing in all directions, a gray aura mixed in and drew a small line on the girl’s cheek.

Based on what I heard before, this might be the first effective hit.

A smile appeared on Kurud’s bloodied face, who was lying on the ground holding the spear.

“Hmph.”

Bang!

The girl kicked Kurud, who was lying down, nervously, as if angered by the small wound.

But the power was weak.

She was clearly controlling her strength.

If she had attacked with the same level of force as before, no matter how sturdy a dragonian he was, he wouldn’t have been able to withstand it.

-That kid never kills people.

The words of the merchant guild master, Anne, before leaving this place.

The only trace of humanity in the girl’s actions, which were extremely wild and beast-like.

No, the drawn line.

That’s the only clue to the strategy.

“……”

For now, I just watch the situation.

Right after Kurud was kicked, the hunters, who had grasped the situation, all started to rush in.

A sudden intrusion in a scene that was no different from a festival atmosphere.

Immediately followed by the suppression of Titan and Kurud.

All of this happened in just a few seconds.

The fact that they acted so quickly in such a situation means their judgment is never clouded.

However, despite not being able to use aura, Titan, who has a natural talent for combat, and even the guild master Kurud were taken down in an instant.

The series of events of rushing in and being suppressed could never be overturned.

Of course, numerical superiority is not a simple matter.

“Tch!”

Just like Kurud managed. As multiple skilled individuals rushed in, the girl started to get more and more wounds.

“Can’t she turn her whole body into mist?”

The limit is becoming apparent.

Yes, no matter what, she has entered the middle of the enemy camp.

Moreover, this is the training ground of the guild building. It’s a position where retreat is not an option.

Therefore, all the skilled individuals who had been held back to preserve their strength can now step forward.

“Lost.”

“Linea, take Claire and retreat. It’s going to get dangerous now.”

“What about you, Lost?”

“I have to keep my word.”

I already said I would cooperate. Observing the situation is good, but I have to do at least the minimum of what I should do.

If the opponent, who is considered a ‘spoiled brat’, has a personality that matches that title, it will become dangerous.

Judging by the way they frown every time they get hurt, it seems they have never been injured before.

If they are continuously exposed to unfamiliar pain in such a state?

One should not think that a naive non-killing principle will work indefinitely.

“Haaah!”

As expected, the girl’s attacks began to intensify. The leisure of not killing her opponent disappeared.

A clearly different power from before.

The kick that sent Kurds and Titans flying exploded on the body of an ordinary hunter.

“Ugh!”

The hunter, who flew with a single scream, seemed to tremble for a moment and then became quiet. He wasn’t dead.

This is just the beginning.

There is no way she would break the rule of not killing that she had been keeping all this time.

But the intensity had changed.

This level of power won’t kill.

So, attacking with this level of power is not a problem.

High-intensity attacks stemming from such a thought will overwhelm the hunter.

If someone happens to die then.

“You never know what might happen.”

Whether she would stop out of self-reproach or go on a rampage, no one could tell. But it was certain that one experience would gradually erase her hesitation in the future.

“Shall we suppress her first?”

So many vanguards are holding her down. This gives considerable leeway for the deployment of holy magic.

What was borrowed at the cost of divine power was the shackle of Tyr, the god of courage.

The power of restraint, derived from the legend of binding the wolf that devoured the gods, restrained the girl who was rampaging.

“Ugh?!”

In addition to physical restraint, her strength and speed were also restricted.

As the preparation time was long and the consumption of divine power was intense, it was effective.

“It’s holy magic! Suppress her!”

Some hunters shouted, noticing my presence.

Thank goodness.

Tyr, the god of war and courage, was also a god that many hunters believed in.

Thanks to that, they made a quick judgment instead of being bewildered.

“This is it!”

For now, this much.

Since her full potential hadn’t been confirmed, they didn’t pour everything out.

The suppressed girl began to flail her limbs wildly at the hunters who were pointing their weapons at her.

Seeing the hunters oppressing the girl while keeping their distance, it somehow feels like they are really hunting a beast.

“This isn’t the end.”

In the meantime, Kurud, who had crawled on the floor to take refuge near me, leaned against the wall and spoke.

“If he could be caught that easily, we would have caught him long ago.”

“Indeed.”

“Give me one too.”

“I’ll charge you later.”

“You’re so stingy for a priest.”

I put a cigarette in my mouth to calm my aching stomach due to erosion, and Kurud naturally extended his hand. After giving him a hard time, I took out another cigarette from my pocket.

“Your hands are shaking. You’re not doing any dangerous drugs, are you? Withdrawal symptoms?”

“If I did that, our doctor would roar.”

“Do foxes roar?”

“I don’t know. I don’t particularly want to make Linnea cry either.”

“…What are you talking about in front of the person involved?”

“Stay back.”

“I left Claire with the merchant we saw earlier. Even if you tell us to stay back, we haven’t secured a lodging and don’t know where it’s safe.”

“That’s true.”

Anne’s identity is quite certain. If it weren’t, she wouldn’t be in the hunters’ guild building in the first place.

Moreover, being a merchant, her living environment must be quite decent.

I don’t think our baggage would lack anything staying there.

“They’re coming.”

At that moment, with Kurud’s short words, the holy magic I had deployed was torn apart.

According to legend, it’s a shackle that even captured the wolf that devoured gods, but it seems that a part of its power, not the original, cannot hold the trial.

“Can you move?”

“Yes, I’ve rested enough.”

Kurud stood up, supporting himself with his spear. Titan was still writhing on the floor, unable to recover from the shock of being hit on the chin.

“You’re from the Pantheon, aren’t you? Don’t you have any other holy magic?”

“There is…”

We were exchanging information to corner the girl again.

“Pantheon?”

It was a small but clear voice.

The eyes of the girl who had been fighting recklessly now looked directly this way.

Unlike the first time when she looked at me with curious eyes, this time, a thick murderous intent was felt.

“……Do you know each other?”

The atmosphere changed completely.

The situation shifted from one where I was trying to observe to one where I had to run away with all my might.

“It’s our first meeting. This is because of you. You should have been more careful with your words.”

“How could I have known she would harbor such hatred in the shrine?”

“Even if you didn’t know, you have to take responsibility. Please stop her from coming.”

“Well……. I don’t know if I can do that as I please. I’ll try.”

The moment the girl recognized me as an enemy, a situation completely opposite to what had been happening so far unfolded.

*     *      *

There were several places in the Eden Empire considered forbidden.

Of course, the place where the trials were held was also among them.

The most representative of these was the ‘Black Forest’ where the ＜Corruptor＞ had settled.

The forest, which must have originally been lush with green foliage, turned black just because the ＜Corruptor＞ was there.

The ＜Corruptor＞ was quite large, but still smaller compared to other trials or high-ranking beasts.

Even though it didn’t move and just breathed in the center, the entire forest became a forbidden area.

“Still as poisonous as ever.”

The poison that leaked out just from the ＜Corruptor＞ breathing was enough to dye the entire forest.

The most docile trial. But at the same time, the most physically dangerous trial.

A trial that existed in a clear form, unlike an uncertain future or an unknown mystery.

“Did you come here to die?”

There was a visitor to that place.

An old human figure, dressed in stylish clothes and a silk hat, using a decorative cane to navigate the contaminated ground.

“Melis.”

The Dark King, Belial.

“Oh, no, I have no intention of antagonizing you.”

“But you appeared before me. Daring to carry that vile energy.”

A growling sound spreads low in the darkened forest.

A murderous intent born of hatred pours towards Belial.

“Fierce, Eremus. It’s suffocating. Won’t you calm down a bit?”

“Don’t you dare call my name.”

“What does it matter? How many people in this world know that name?”

“Then today, that one person will disappear here.”

*Slash!*

The Untouchable, the one who erodes.

Also known by another name, the black lion called Eremus muttered coldly.

With the declaration, the power of erosion shattered the very space where Belial stood.

A power that erases the very space itself, leaving no defense.

Belial dodged the blatant attack, clicking his tongue.

A shadow of offense and defense.

A power that cannot be blocked even with that.

‘Indeed… troublesome.’

Belial objectively assessed Eremus’s power.

That is a monster. It’s no exaggeration to call him a transcendent being beyond comprehension.

Even someone who has lived since ancient times cannot easily defeat him.

Even if he could be defeated, it would come with significant damage.

“Stop it, I only came here to talk.”

“I have no intention of doing that.”

“…You’re exhausting.”

“You’re the one who stirred up trouble. Just as I didn’t seek you out, you shouldn’t have sought me.”

The black lion, who had been lying down as if enjoying a sunbath, stood up.

Each time, the air trembled and eroded the surroundings. A powerful force that even he could no longer control.

Therefore, he was inviting death to avoid causing further harm to the world.

Such thoughts were revealed without filter, making Belial rather perplexed.

If Eremus’s thoughts were like that, it would only be a loss for Belial.

Even if left alone, he would soon disappear, and if they fought and suffered irreparable wounds, it would be a disaster.

“Aren’t you worried about your daughter?”

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“If you thought you could threaten me, you made a big mistake. My daughter’s life and your own life, which you think is more important, should have been weighed on a scale before you came.”

An unshakable, solid mind.

It was a reaction completely different from Belial’s expectations, but because of that, he was able to derive a new answer.

Belial knows what kind of being Eremus is. The loneliest being that belongs nowhere in this world.

That’s why he was given the name Hermit (ĕrémus).

And he doesn’t worry about the only kin he can call his daughter?

Nonsense.

Just as Eremus said, Belial also weighed it.

That’s why he spoke those words. And yet, to react in such a way…

‘You’ve already made your move.’

He confirmed what he wanted to confirm.

Certainly a powerful being, but still not mature.

For a being that has been so lonely, it was impossible to think that every word and action could give information to the opponent.

He was strong and uncontrollable, and because of that, he was lonely and couldn’t become an adult. The fatal weakness of the Untouchable, the Eroding One.

“I will retreat. As for following me… do as you wish.”

Of course, there is no way he would follow.

A monster that can transcend even death is waiting for death.

The desire not to cause any more harm to the world is something that even other trials, not just Belial, can see through.

Such a being would not move.

He knows better than anyone that just moving would dye the surrounding area with death.

Belial used his power to the fullest and left the place.

Seeing the erosion that spread belatedly and devoured the surrounding area, making his spine chill for a moment.

“By the way…”

He ponders what move Eremus made.

The first thing that comes to mind is the young man with a strange atmosphere wearing an inverted cross-marked white mask.

An inquisitor belonging to the Pantheon.

“…If that is really the case, I can’t help but be impressed.”

The most obvious answer, but the hardest to understand conclusion.

Eremus hates Melis.

The one who turned himself into a demon and isolated himself from the world.

You can tell just by looking at the immediate reaction. Eremus hates even breathing the same air as Melis to the point of being unbearable.

That’s why.

“Did you bow your head to the Pantheon that you hated as much as I did?”

If Melis turned him into a demon, it was the Pantheon that isolated him from the world.

He forgave one of the two beings he hated most in this world.

No, even if he didn’t forgive, even if it was just a temporary tolerance, it was still a remarkable thing.

“The child has become an adult.”

The trial overcame him.

That fact chilled Belial to the bone.

*     *      *

“Isn’t it funny?”

The girl who had knocked down dozens of people blocking her way said.

“You always give two choices to those who have become demons. Either be killed as they are, or be confined to a place where no one will ever come, waiting for an indefinite future.”

The girl’s control over her strength was amazing.

No matter how you looked at it, the girl, who had charged like she had lost her mind, had maintained a level where she didn’t kill anyone until this moment.

But now it’s different.

There is no control in the foot pressing down on my neck.

What I feel is clear intent to kill.

I missed the timing to retreat.

“You said the same thing to those who became demons involuntarily, not by their own will.”

The words I heard as my mind became hazy due to breathing difficulties.

– Burke Ryan, you have two practical choices.

A familiar choice.

– Be purified here by me.

Words I dared to utter.

– Or be confined to an underground prison, a place where no one cares and no one can come, and spend your life there.

– Ha…! What’s the difference between death and confinement, those two choices?

– There’s only one difference. In the latter case, it’s more miserable.

Yes, I knew.

Those who chose the latter faced a certain outcome.

They were thrown into a space from which they could never emerge again.

Like a jar of solitude, with no food and no guards, they were trapped in such darkness, waiting only for the day they would die.

Or they would just dream of someday returning to being human.

In hindsight, it was a natural outcome.

I remembered that while I had thought about them, I had never made any effort for them.

“Those things you pushed aside because they were inconvenient, those you hid out of sight.”

There is no research for them.

Finding a way to turn demons back into humans has been stagnant for centuries. It’s a natural result because no matter how much we think about it, there is no way.

It’s practically an abandonment of research.

But even so, we have presented that choice in front of the demons.

Maybe it was just a cliché. Maybe it was a cruel hope.

If so, this is a natural result.

The truth that the pantheon ignored.

The contents of the jar of solitude piled up.

“That’s what made us.”

It was just the original sin returning.