"There's no end to them...!"
How many are they? At this rate, I won't reach him.
"You're killing innocent people! Hahahaha. This girl is nuts!"
A blade brushed beside me as I avoided a fist aimed at my back.
Although I quickly subdued them, 10 more appeared with more distinct abilities.
Maybe I should have really learned magic.
Although Josephine does know a few spells, they are mostly used for assassination. It's worth testing them out, I guess.
In the blink of an eye, I was able to decapitate all 10 before they could even react, and quickly breached his stronghold through the city into the castle.
But I was sent flying back before I could enter. It seemed that the opponents there were more skilled. The giant castle transformed into a golem and slammed me into the ground.
'Fast...!'
A fist slammed onto my face, as I was swung back and multiple light barrages were launched at me.
I was restrained and flung to the swordsman who slashed at me multiple times, leaving me with numerous wounds already.
I've had it.
I regained my balance and healed my wounds. The swordsman, who had gotten his body crushed by my force, lay still as I stole his sword. I imbued the sword with mana and aura, as well as divine power, and slashed at the huge golem. The golem's body got cleaved by the clash and decimated almost half of the city.
The sword couldn't withstand the power, and it immediately broke into pieces after the clash. I clenched my fist very hard as I punched the guy who had slammed his fist onto me in the sky, sending him flying far away. Another one tackled me into the sky as the buildings from the ground formed a massive golem. (
"Because of you, my plans and fruits of effort, gone in an instant!"
The man who tackled me tried to hold me in place as the golem prepared a breath attack with a huge magic circle.
"Take this! [Death Ray!]"
It was so fast, and it seemed that it could incinerate me, but...
"Why do I feel like a Mary Sue?"
[Xipe says that it's because you are.]
I kicked the air so hard that it reflected the death ray in a different direction.
"You...!! Just who you are!" their loud voice said.
I spun the man who was holding me tightly and imbued my energy into him.
"Me? Just a hero for fun."
I threw the man at the speed of light as he collided with the golem.
[Divine Intervention!]
It went straight through the golem and created a massive explosion that decimated the entire old York as well as the surroundings.
I landed relatively safe on the ground as I observed the desolate city in front of me
'Scary…'
I held back really hard to that you know? What more if I really meant to throw him hard?
I used my divine eyes to track down where Bephelgor was hiding. As expected, he was really in the labyrinth underneath the city. The eyes could see through things.
I proceeded towards the castle ruins, and a large gaping hole was in the middle of it.
I really don't think I'm ready to face "him" yet. But I have to move on, I guess.
I jumped into the hole, ready to confront him.
"Persistent bitch, you know you can't kill me." Bephelgor's voice resounded in the hole.
"You think that you've defeated me with this! Hahahaha! We are Bephelgor! One of the Four Heavenly Kings of the demon army and someone who survived for over a millennium!"
The tunnel started to get thinner. "You think I'll let you destroy my plans of reviving my lord? Hahahaha!" His laugh reverberated through the corridors as I walked through them, slowly.
There's a reason why he's so confident, and the answer lies behind this giant door.
I sighed as I opened the door, and it made a humble creaking sound.
I stepped inside a room and it was a large corridor with pillars. It was so massive that I noticed it looked like a ceremonial place. In the middle of the room, there was a figure standing.
It was a hooded figure with an intricate weave, cloth hanging down like a puppet, and also Bephelgor's trump card from the novel, Archmage Cassian.
The legendary mage of the hero's party from over 1000 years ago.
I kid you not, he's on a different level. His mere presence lowered my spirits, and I felt an aura of intimidation weighing down on me... scary, honestly.
He was also the one who made Bephelgor nearly invincible in the novel. Because of him, Adele and her companions were almost killed multiple times when trying to thwart the schemes of Bephelgor.
[A familiar figure is near!]
[Hecatia is furious of what their old avatar became!]
"Hecatia-sama?" The robed man, Cassian, lifted up his head and his wrinkled face and beard appeared.
"What!?!" Bephelgor said in the background.
"Hahaha... it seems that I have been used, isn't it?" he laughed weakly.
"How could you have broken my control?" they said in frustration.
"It seems that Hecatia-sama has gazed upon me," he said as he pointed his staff.
"Oh, blessed one, please defeat this senile old man," he said as the whole room brightened and a ray of light came to my direction.
I closed the distance between us quickly, but a force suddenly dragged me back.
Suddenly, a large flood of land wave came crashing down on me and quickly froze over.
Then a large pillar of flame came at me as a tornado broke free of the ice and dodged it while I was suddenly pushed down by weight and he fired void bullets at me.
I had to quickly avoid them. I instantaneously moved to avoid the gravity but I saw my foot being tangled up in vines and shards, and it flung me in a circular manner before being crushed into a diamond-infused wall.
"Kgggh!"
'He's on a different level!'
I explosively put my strength on my feet and launched myself into him, but a force prevented me from reaching him and I was flung back again.
"Physical attacks won't work on me, oh blessed one," he said.
Suddenly, the whole surroundings got covered in shadows. I tried to feel where he was, but he closed the distance and struck me with his staff imbued with [Explosion]
I was blown back with my face tattered and my whole body battered up. The attacks kept coming non-stop.
"You can't defeat me at this rate, you must learn magic!" he shouted at me as a ball of dark energy formed in his hand.
It flung towards me and I avoided it, but it sucked me up and I was pulled inside as I was bombarded by the dark energy. My entire body felt broken, but I continually healed using my divine power.
"Focus! You have to be calm and in control. You can definitely master it!"
I can't do that shit.
This is really bad. At this rate, there's no way I can defeat him.
[Hecatia cautions you to calm down!]
Should I just escape?
I made a run for it to the entrance, but it was sealed.
"Hahahaha! Look at this rat now. Ain't so tough now, don't ya?" Bephelgor said as molten lava gush through Cassian's hands.
I used my Divine Eyes and saw that all of the openings in the room were patched up. "Shit. This can't go on."
Just as I was getting ready to blast a hole in the door, multiple spikes began to form in all directions and punctured me. I was pierced on all sides.
'Ah... my robes!'
It was my most expensive, rare alchemical creation after the philosopher's stone.
Before a huge ball of scorching flames came at me, I broke free of the spikes and dodged the explosion.
"Now you've really done it," I said as I pulled the spikes protruding from my body.
Although it was painful, it wasn't as painful when I consumed the Philosopher's Stone.
I unsheathed the blade from behind my back. "Come at me, Archmage."