Chapter 44
My Reflector Is Invincible 44
44. Long-standing Grudge
Thud, thud, thud, thud.
The knights and soldiers came running with a cloud of dust.
At first, they were shouting valiantly as if they were going to save the warrior.
However, as they got further away from the entrance, they no longer hid their intentions.
“Kill him! Don’t let him live!”
“I will give a hundred gold coins and a manor to the one who cuts off his head.”
Joo-yeon found it ridiculous and laughed.
‘My neck is only worth 100 gold coins?’
Are you kidding me?
They’re not even appointing me as a knight. They’re just giving me a dukedom.
He couldn’t help but think that they were stingy.
‘If you fail to kill me this time, you might not only face Duke Edmer but also the entire North. Can’t you spend a little bit more?’
However, he didn’t have much time to think.
The count wasn’t the only one he had to worry about.
The cries of flying beasts could be heard along with the black clouds in the sky.
Screech!
Joo-yeon knew exactly what the flock of black birds was.
‘Flying demons.’
They were difficult opponents.
They had thick skin to withstand the cold of the North and could move quickly.
It was difficult to inflict even a single wound with a small force.
‘Well, they’re not as strong as the Named <North Wind>.’
Anyway, they were indeed annoying to deal with.
However, he had to take care of all of them.
‘This time, I will eradicate the demons that are targeting the North and the Edmer dukedom.’
He didn’t want to go through the trouble he had with the duke.
He had to eliminate all those who were even slightly related to the demons.
There was something he had to do for that.
Swish.
He took out the wooden stakes and sealing stones that he had brought from the entrance of the sanctuary.
He placed the objects around the warrior’s body as if he was making a small altar.
Rumble.
He carefully wrapped the sealing beads, boundary stones, and sealing stones that were at the entrance.
To anyone watching, it would have looked like he was sealing something.
‘Well, in a way, it is a seal.’
It was a boundary that blocked everything around the warrior’s body.
But why was he sealing the warrior’s body?
There was no other reason.
‘To protect it from what I’m about to do.’
Poof!
Joo-yeon’s hand hammered in the last wooden stake that would support the axis.
Then, a bright light began to circulate around the sealing stones connected to the wooden stakes.
[A simple sealing boundary has been installed.]
<Simple Sealing Boundary>
– A simple boundary created as a medium for the boundary that the great heroes of the past created to seal the Demon King’s body.
– It doesn’t have the power to seal an entire mountain range like before, but it can protect the objects inside from demons.
– There’s strong resistance in front of me, but it’s somewhat controllable.
-<Control Magic> / <Seal> / <Protection> / <Tracking>.
I hadn’t learned barrier techniques separately.
The quality of the items prepared by the colleagues of the previous warriors was so good that they were completed just by connecting them.
‘Now I don’t have to worry about the warrior’s remains anymore. Then next…’
Gulp…
Joo-yeon’s words were cut off.
It was because his heart felt like it was going to explode at any moment.
The curse of the numbering artifact that never ends until the opponent’s heart stops.
‘I can use reflection magic, but…’
I can’t use it now.
I have to give it back to Count Sanderson with maximum pain.
So I had to use a different method.
“If it never ends until the heart stops… If I run harder, it’ll stop!”
Joo-yeon put his hand over his heart.
I can’t use <Physical Enhancement> yet.
However, I could use the potential I had newly learned from the King of Knights.
<[Dragon Bone] has been activated>
<The body becomes harder than steel and more flexible>
<[Semi-speed] has been activated>
<All metabolism in the body increases, and organs are activated>
<[Great Strength] has been activated>
<Muscle density has increased>
The body and muscles.
All the metabolisms in the body became active, and the heart pounded violently.
<Warning!>
<You cannot stop the curse at your current level>
<This action can cause great damage to the body>
Joo-yeon didn’t stop despite the warning in front of him.
I just maximized my potential.
As a result.
<The curse has been delayed>
<Time limit activated>
<If you do not解除 the curse within 4 minutes, your heart will stop>
It was as expected.
It was also thanks to the fact that my potential had increased while fighting the assassin.
“4 minutes is enough.”
Joo-yeon headed towards the Demon King’s body.
Then the holy sword held in the warrior’s hand wailed.
It was an ominous sound, as if telling me never to approach.
Is the Demon King, who is already dead, scary?
‘No…….’
Jooyeon could immediately understand why the Holy Sword was roaring.
Swish.
An ominous murderous intent was felt from the Demon King’s corpse.
Black liquids were moving about everywhere.
The ones who had not been able to target the Hero’s remains due to the Holy Sword’s interference until now had changed their target to Jooyeon.
And in the center of the liquid……
Thump, thump.
The Demon King’s heart was beating.
The heart of the one who should have died long ago was controlling the black liquid.
Screech!
The black liquid melted everything it touched like lava.
Amazingly, the Demon King’s evil energy, which had been outside until now, was also being created from this liquid.
The culprit that was corrupting everything in the vicinity.
It seemed to be defiling the land along with the flesh.
If he got close, his body could be taken over.
However, Jooyeon did not stop.
Swish.
Instead, he stretched out his hand towards the heart.
Then, the black blood from all sides flew towards Jooyeon.
Splat.
It wrapped around him like a parasitic creature rushing towards its host.
At this rate, Jooyeon could be consumed.
At that sight, the Holy Sword urgently surged with power.
Buzz, buzz!
It was the will to not let him escape like this, after having somehow managed to block the bastard until now.
From Noble mtl dot com
However, it was already too late.
Splatter, splatter, splatter.
The black blood had already almost completely covered Jooyeon.
Not only his lower body, but his upper body as well.
The only parts that were left uncovered, besides his head, were his right eye and mouth.
A state just before complete control.
It was when the Demon King’s heart moved to wrap around even the remaining parts for complete domination.
Jooyeon uttered in a cold voice.
“Get lost.”
<Reflection>
In an instant, a tremendous light burst out of his body.
* * *
At Count Sanderson’s command, the soldiers rushed towards Jooyeon.
The sound of crows filled the air above Joo-in’s head.
Caw! Caw!
It was a voice like that of death approaching.
The sheer cliffs and piercing wind froze the heart.
The mere sound of it sent shivers down the spine.
However, those soldiers, blinded by greed, saw nothing.
“So what if it’s a person?”
“Let’s kill him and run away.”
The soldiers gripped their weapons as they ran.
“One hundred gold coins. With that money… we won’t have to be soldiers anymore.”
“We can live comfortably in the countryside for the rest of our lives.”
“Right. What does it matter if we’re warriors or not? That’s for the nobles to worry about.”
It was too large a sum to refuse.
No wonder the soldiers’ eyes sparkled with greed.
The fact that they had been selected to come here in the first place was proof that they were soldiers driven by such greed.
Then, one of the soldiers spotted Joo-in and shouted.
“There he is! We just have to kill that guy!”
Joo-in stood still, not even attempting to escape.
If they just rushed forward and stabbed him, a huge reward awaited them.
“Out of the way! I’m first! I’ll kill him!”
It was the moment when the soldiers excitedly rushed forward.
Creepy!
They suddenly felt a strange chill for no reason.
A light burst forth from the giant crater where Joo-in was standing.
Whew!
It wasn’t a bright light.
It was a blackish light that made their bodies tremble just by looking at it.
“Wh… What is that?”
“Strange… My legs won’t move.”
Titter, titter.
The soldiers sank to the ground.
They felt an instinctive fear from the black light that erupted from Joo-in.
It was the first time they had seen it, but they seemed to know what it was.
[Demon King]
The power of a being that could only appear in fairy tales was evident.
Just looking at it made their eyes go blind, and they were paralyzed with fear.
Some of them actually went blind.
aaagh!
“My eyes… I can’t see!”
“Monster! The monster is trying to kill me!”
The soldiers’ camp collapsed in an instant.
Count Sanderson and the knights tried to stop them in a hurry, but the soldiers’ reactions were strange.
“hehehehe. Die! Die!”
“Th… This monster! I will never be eaten by you!”
They were not wielding weapons at each other.
In an instant, blood gushed out from all sides, and the soldiers began to fall.
Count Sanderson shouted in dismay.
“What the hell is going on!”
“The soldiers are running wild with the black light!”
“What is this…”
The count looked for the knights in a hurry.
“Sir Jackson! Sir Yally! Are you knights safe!”
“We are safe!”
“Fortunately, our knighthood seems to protect us from the black light.”
It was fortunate indeed.
If the knights had gone mad like the soldiers, it would have been very difficult.
Count Sanderson gave orders to the knights instead of the panicking soldiers.
“Leave the soldiers alone for now and move only the knights. We must take his neck here.”
“Yes!”
They immediately turned towards the host.
But suddenly, the knights’ bodies flinched.
Creepy.
It was an instinctive sense of rejection.
To be exact, it was an ominous murderous intent as if they were going to die right now.
“Who the hell…”
“Could it be a trap by Duke Edmer’s family? Did they set a trap here?”
“Be careful of the surroundings! Someone is definitely there!”
Surprisingly, the enemy did not come out from the side.
The source of the murderous intent was above the knights’ heads.
Cawww!
A flock of crows poured out of the sky.
The knights raised their shields in a hurry.
“What the…”
“Don’t make a fuss! They’re just flying creatures at best! Calmly shield…”
“They’re not crows! They’re demons!”
“What!?”
The knights quickly bloomed their <Knighthood>.
But their choice was a step too late.
Cawww!
This is not an ordinary flying creature.
With claws and beaks, they were a band of demons capable of tearing through steel.
They had even been reinforced by the power of the demons.
All the soldiers nearby were still not in their right minds.
There was nothing that could protect them.
“Kuaaak!”
“S-save me!”
The knights were killed in an instant.
Count Sanderson’s men tried to evacuate him as his forces were being slaughtered.
“M-my lord! Flee! Quickly!”
“He’s using a strange power! We’ll hold him off… Kwaaak!”
But they couldn’t escape.
Demons swooped in from behind, snatching up the few survivors.
Thud! Thud!
And the demons threw the people into the air, then dropped them.
Their armor was already heavy.
With gravity added to the mix, those who hit the ground were crushed to death.
Now only the count remained.
The count used the sacrifice of the others as a stepping stone.
He had abandoned his men in order to survive.
But it wasn’t long before he met the same fate as his men.
Snap!
He was snatched up into the air by a demon’s claws.
The count twisted his body, struggling.
“Let go! I said let go!”
But something was strange.
Unlike the knights who had been thrown into the air, the count was gently placed on the ground.
He had only a few scratches and some dirt on him.
But the location was the problem.
Right in front of Jooyeon.
It wasn’t simply because the count had failed to kill him.
It was because of the shocking sight unfolding before his eyes.
Caw! Caw!
The demons bowed their heads to Jooyeon.
It was a respectful bow, as if they were showing deference to a superior.
It was truly an unbelievable sight.
“What the hell is this… How can a human control demons!?”
The count’s shouts changed nothing.
But what happened next was even more astounding.
Thump-thump.
The object Jooyeon was holding in his hand.
It was a heart that was moving as if alive.
Count Sanderson could tell at a glance.
“Wh… What the heck! The Demon King’s heart!”
The Count was particularly interested in the Demon race.
He would even search for ancient books that people didn’t look for.
What’s more, this was the tomb of the Hero and the Demon King.
“Don’t tell me you took the Demon King’s flesh!”
Humans eat the flesh of monsters and demons.
It was known to be the only chance for humans to shed their species and become a new race.
The problem was when they became demons.
‘Becoming a demon means giving up all humanity along with gaining powerful strength.’
Somehow… the demons seemed to be following their control.
Demons only listen to the orders of the Demon race.
The principle was that the lower demons listened to the higher demons, and the higher demons listened only to the orders of the Demon King.
The situation where Joo-Yeon becoming a demon was becoming certain.
If he was a demon, killing a human would be easier than breathing.
However, the Count was able to smile inwardly.
‘He must be parasitized by a demon?’
Perhaps Joo-Yeon’s consciousness was taken away by the enemy.
But he would never open his eyes again.
In a sense, it was like dealing with the annoying slave who had been acting as a hero.
And this situation was beneficial to Sanderson.
‘I didn’t know this would happen… I did a good job keeping it.’
It was a desperate weapon.
The <Holy Water> that he had brought in case of the Demon King’s musical instrument.
An item that was like a natural enemy to demons was now in his hands.
But then a cold voice fell into the Count’s ears.
“What are you snickering about?”
What, what did he say?
“Why. Did you think I would die after becoming a demon?”
Flash!
Joo-Yeon’s closed eyes opened.