Devan had initially thought there were no more than fifty enemies, but more and more continued to swarm from both sides. He was now certain that he had killed over seventy of them. The village headman's information had to be wrong.
...There must be hundreds of them, not merely dozens...
The former holy paladin had lost all his blood and had been poisoned to exhaustion, yet he still clung tightly to his sword. All his power had been poured into the flickering blade.
…Damn it. If only I could use an antidote spell...
"Cure," Devan muttered, casting a spell. But like so many times before, it failed. Not only was fire-elemental magic difficult for him, but even basic spells had become a challenge.
Devan had long stopped counting the number of opponents he had faced. The cave path was littered with the corpses of his victims. He knew he needed to break through first, despite the pain from his wounds and the spreading poison that made it difficult to move. He also knew that soon he would not be able to move at all.
Chanting the same spell repeatedly, Devan admitted to himself that it was reckless to carry only medicinal herbs. He chewed on bloody grass, hoping it would at least keep death at bay.
The ex-paladin had expended so much energy that he had little left to break through to the exit. Only about ten of the remaining Fogi remained, but he was almost at his limit. Every muscle in his body ached and remained tense.
"Cure" Devan suddenly cast an unexpected spell. His own magic power was nearly depleted. This might be his last chance.
Miracles only happen to those who are indomitable. This time, it had been a success - - the poison was slowly leaving his body. It seemed like an opportunity bestowed by luck. He regained his agile body and saw the light outside the cave, which was clearly waiting for him.
Five more Fogi had been dealt with, leaving only seven of them. They were originally cowardly Deval who would flee at the sight of so many of their comrades dying. However, the remaining seven all agreed that their prey had reached its limit. If they let a dangerous person like him survive, there would be no more opportunities to manage it.
One of the Fogi, who could use magic, attempted to cast a spell causing Devan to lose his senses. Not only did he evade the spell, but he also used his flickering sword to reflect the magic back at another Fogi. He then used a flaming sword to pierce through that annoying Fogi.
Both sides thought that victory was at hand. Devan had dealt with all those who had used the poison darts, so he was careful not to be hit by magic again. However, he missed one of the remaining Fogi, and it turned out to be the one that could use poison through its saliva.
"Poisson Fogi" Devan chopped off the special variety of Fogi. But it was too late - he was bitten by it and injected with poison.
All of the Fogi were eliminated, and Devan was certain that the one he had just dealt with was the last one. Victory belonged to him, but he was not sure if he would survive. The newly acquired poison had mixed with the old poison that had not yet completely dissipated, rendering him unable to stand any longer.
His breath was turbulent, and no matter how much he inhaled, it felt as though the air had not filled his lungs. He cast a detoxification spell for the last time, but as expected, it did not work.
...It's really ridiculous. Even though I have won, I am dying a tragic death…
…No comrades in battle, no one knew, and what was worse, there was no chance to hunt Waldo anymore…
As he thought of his former Master's face and Tina's face, anger surged within him.
...This is not my deathbed..
He used the last of his strength to crawl forward, without any clear goal in mind. He was simply struggling to find anything that might save his life. And it was then that he came upon a stream.
The water in the stream was like a magic potion, rehydrating his withered body and giving him a slight return of strength. But the poison within him still lingered. He used herbs to cover his wounds and provide first aid as best he could. His wounds, though numerous, were no longer his biggest concern. It was the poison that threatened to end his life.
His gaze fell upon a patch of grass not far away. It was poisonous grass, but he had heard that it possessed some interesting properties. If used properly, it could help restore magic power.
"If I eat it fresh, perhaps its venom will mix with the original poison," he muttered to himself.
He had no time to think. He did not even dare to hope that the grass's poison would accidentally counteract the poison within him. But if it could help him recover enough magic power to use the "Cure" spell again, he might have a chance of survival.
"May the new poison not be strong enough to kill me," he thought as he ate the blue grass.
"Cure," he murmured as he felt some of his magic power return. He immediately cast the spell.
"Damn it," he cursed as he grabbed more grass to eat. His tongue was now numb from the newly added poison.
...I have to survive…
**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**
A week had passed, and the villagers in the village still had no news of Devan. None of them dared to approach the cave, so they had no idea that Devan had washed away all of Fogi.
When Devan returned to the village, his appearance was unrecognizable. His body was covered in blood and battle wounds, making it evident that he had been through brutal battles. However, the blood had dried, and the wounds had closed, indicating that the battle must have lasted a long time.
"It's done," Devan said as he threw Fogi's sharp ears on the ground. He strung the rotten ears with threads as proof that his mission was complete.
Devan intended to continue his journey immediately to find more news about Waldo, but he had to postpone his plan. The villagers urged him to stay and recuperate until he had fully recovered.
"Let our benefactor leave in this state, we'll be insulted by other villages," the headman begged, almost kneeling.
Devan was soft-hearted and obliged.
"I don't have much time, so I will stay here for another day or two," Devan said.
"Please come this way. I have someone who has prepared accommodation for you," the headman replied, leading Devan to a comfortable lodging.
**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**
Devan had given up relying on light-elemental magic and turned to more reliable methods. He did not sit idly while waiting for his skills to improve. Instead, he stocked up on various herbal medicines, gunpowder to use with fire spells, and small daggers for throwing. He even purchased many things he had never used before.
He had not expected his stay in the village to be extended, but in the late night, a nightmare befell the entire community. Fogi, who should have been completely eradicated, reappeared in front of the village. The first wave of invaders left no survivors.
A young man witnessed the attack and opened his mouth to shout a warning, but before he could reach the alarm bell, a dart landed in his throat. Unlike Devan, who possessed extraordinary resistance, the villager was paralyzed for a few moments.
Devan woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of screams, unable to determine their origin as they seemed to be coming from all directions. He quickly grabbed his sword and put on his armor before rushing out of his room.
Many Fogi were attacking the village. Some set buildings ablaze while others swarmed the villagers. Some even attempted to kidnap women and children to use as supplies.
"Zombie," Devan muttered in disbelief, rubbing his eyes to make sure he was not hallucinating. The attackers were definitely the Four-Armed Monkey, but something was different. They all had potentially fatal wounds, many of which Devan was certain were inflicted by his own sword.
"Help me," a village girl ran towards him. Her body was covered in wounds from sharp objects and fangs, but she could not reach Devan as a Fogi's stick hit her temple, rendering her unconscious.
Devan shook with anger as he drew his sword. His fury was especially intense when he saw defenseless children, elderly people, or women being attacked. Devan was ready to spill blood once again.
Like a whirlwind of swords sweeping through the enemy, Devan jumped into the siege with an unstoppable attack, aiming for the heads of the zombies, which were vulnerable only to attacks on their brains when they were unable to use light-elemental magic.
"Fireball!" A ball of fire dropped in the middle of the Fogi circle, cremating many and engulfing others in flames. This fire-elemental magic was effective against the Undead, but Devan could not use it often due to his deteriorating magic potential.
Drawing on his past battles, Devan quickly corrected his poisoning and downed a magic recovery pill.
"Mega Fire!" This intermediate-level fire magic was different from a ball of fire in that it did not explode after being thrown. It looked like the flamethrowers used by Sonata soldiers.
Despite Devan's efforts, the situation did not improve. The number of Fogi was greater than he had ever faced, and even Undead in human form and other types of Devals joined the circle.
"Somebody's controlling them!" Devan shouted to the villagers who were responding to the intruders. "Help me find it."
The old man who had started the story was hiding and cursing in frustration because his plan to increase the number of Undead was not going smoothly. He had not anticipated the former Three Divine Paladins being in the village.
"If I know this, I'd better bring Mantodiavas," Kalanath murmured. "No, this guy can use white fire. Take it here and lose to him."
Kalanath was unaware that Devan could no longer use the Holy Flame, and he estimated that soon all the combat forces would be destroyed. He had to choose between persisting in the fight by summoning the rest of his servants to join the battle or giving up and turning to attack other villages first.