Chapter 196

CHAPTER 196. The Best Way to Keep an Undefeated Record

At the exact moment Aster began his sprint—

Demian, who had remained still with his eyelids closed, gradually opened them to survey his surroundings.

The chamber was expansive and pristine. No visible traces of the impending conflict marred the scene. Only the rhythmic, heavy thumping reverberating through the air served as an omen of the oncoming threat.

Anchoring himself with that sound, Demian inhaled deeply. It was a brief moment of tranquility made possible only because he and Aster had created a substantial gap between themselves and Infernal before splitting up.

“Are you going to be alright?”

Demian answered without shifting his eyes toward Mycelln.

“Regarding what?”

“I mean, can you endure this?”

Demian pondered the question.

Can I endure this?

Even for someone of Demian’s caliber, that was not an easy inquiry to resolve.

Infernal possessed immense power, and to make matters more difficult, he had selected ice as his elemental affinity.

This particular ice mana stood in direct opposition to fire. Ultimately, the side with greater raw power would emerge victorious—meaning he could not easily guarantee whether his spells could truly withstand the searing flames of Infernal under these conditions.

As the quiet moment stretched on, Mycelln spoke once more.

“Your capabilities are truly remarkable, but no matter how I weigh it, this is a burden too great. It would be far wiser for you to combine your strength with this old man.”

“If we did that, wouldn’t Master find himself in peril?”

“This ancient frame of mine—what purpose is there in lingering much longer?”

“That is a fair point.”

“…….”

“I am merely jesting.”

A subtle grin appeared on Demian’s face as he sharpened his focus, listening intently. Infernal was closing the distance. With the clash looming, Demian found himself lost in reflection once more.

It required only a brief pause before he spoke aloud.

“I am actually enjoying myself.”

“Enjoying yourself…?”

Demian gave a firm nod.

“My companion is always handling things on his own. But on this occasion, we are undertaking the challenge together. Of course it is enjoyable.”

“…?”

Mycelln tilted his head in confusion.

The reasoning eluded him entirely.

Yet as he observed Demian, a single realization became clear.

Though he could not grasp the meaning behind the words, right now, Demian appeared genuinely content.

That unyielding expression was identical to the one he wore when he believed Aster had perished, but the underlying sentiment was entirely different.

Just as Mycelln processed this, Chenbi stepped forward.

“Sir Mycelln, I ask that you withdraw to the rear now.”

Mycelln observed Chenbi in silence.

The young man appeared unhurt externally, yet an intense feeling lay exposed within his gaze.

It was a profound sense of inadequacy, stemming from his complete inability to alter the situation. Though he was retreating to a secure position, his spirit was enduring heavy torment.

Because of this—

“…Even if my contribution is minimal, I will offer my assistance. I cannot say how useful I will be in a place where even the spirits are rendered powerless, but it is far better than doing nothing.”

Mycelln resolved to step forward in Chenbi’s stead.

He wished to alleviate the young sorcerer’s remorse, even if only a fraction.

“…My gratitude.”

“It is only right.”

With a slightly unburdened spirit, Chenbi retreated outside the cavernous space.

Thud, thud, thud….

The heavy footfalls grew increasingly distinct. Infernal stepped directly into the clearing where Demian stood, fixing its gaze upon both Demian and Mycelln.

Perhaps it found the situation peculiar—that the tiny pests who had spent all their time fleeing were now standing resolutely to confront it.

There was no way to be certain.

As the opposing sides locked eyes, Demian looked up at the towering form of Infernal, a small smirk playing on the corner of his lips.

“What is the delay? Are we not going to begin?”

Those words served as the immediate catalyst.

Whooong—Bam!

Infernal’s massive fist crashed violently into the earth. Fractured stone erupted into the air. Crimson embers crackled fiercely in all directions as Demian threw himself into action, shifting into a combat stance to unleash his magic.

Cheung, cheungcheungcheung….

An innumerable cluster of frozen flowers manifested across the void. No—those were far from flowers. Every single projectile was an icy blade infused with lethal, piercing intent.

Frrrrt, kwadeuk!

The barrage of frozen blades that bombarded Infernal dissolved completely without leaving a single meaningful mark on its hide…

Yet Demian’s grin remained.

I refused to halt, tearing directly through the stone structures.

At times I smashed straight through solid barriers, repeating the process over and over until an open passageway manifested, at which point I would rapidly recalibrate my path and dive right back into another wall.

As I pulverized the masonry in this manner, an absurd thought popped into my head.

Could this technique… completely revolutionize the mining trade?

There was no need for sophisticated machinery. Furthermore, because I was only carving out a tunnel wide enough for a single person, the danger of a massive cave-in was practically nonexistent.

Imagine burrowing into a mountain like this and striking a rich mineral deposit.

Naturally, human labor would still be required afterward, but the immense effort and duration spent simply searching for the vein would be entirely bypassed.

Of course, it was a ridiculous notion. In this current situation, I was merely breaking through partitions separating pre-existing paths; an actual mine presented an entirely different environment.

Regardless, I pressed onward, driving away my anxieties concerning Demian with these idle musings. Eventually—

The spirit keeping pace right behind me shouted out.

Before I could demand clarification, a profound sense of openness washed over me, and a massive chamber materialized before my vision.

I had assumed the barrier would merely give way to another hallway, but what lay ahead was a cavernous room.

The layout was straightforward.

The ground was etched with a multitude of esoteric, complex sigils. Positioned directly in the center was a crystalline structure measuring roughly two meters in length, which I immediately recognized as a barrier anchor.

I paused momentarily, training my gaze on the crystal—

Fwoorrrk, fwoork….

All at once, an intense wave of heat flooded into the chamber.

Shifting my attention toward the sudden warmth, I was met by the sight of a massive Infernal.

Its proportions were immense—virtually identical to the entity that had been pursuing us previously.

Detecting an uninvited guest, it rose to its feet with deliberate slowness. As I evaluated the sheer intensity of its heat, a remark slipped past my lips involuntarily.

“That is supposed to be the weakened version?”

“It appears entirely identical to the previous one.”

To put it plainly, we had been deceived.

However, my hesitation lasted only a fraction of a second.

I pulled my gaze away from Infernal, refocusing entirely on the crystalline anchor.

So there are three more of these structures remaining?

Anyone else facing this predicament might have succumbed to hopelessness. Navigating a single one was taxing enough—and now three more awaited.

But it mattered little.

My reflexes outpace my vision, and my stride is faster than Infernal.

Which meant—

…I am simply going to bypass it.

Thud, thud…!

Paying no heed to the encroaching Infernal, I bolted forward. The crystalline anchor loomed closer in an instant, yet I maintained my maximum velocity.

A human being, by instinct, moves in a straight path.

Kwachaang…!

The anchor shattered with far less resistance than I had anticipated.

Slicing through the shards cascading through the air, I blasted through the opposing wall, racing directly toward the location of the second anchor.

Kwagararak!

As the familiar, violent rattling enveloped my entire frame once more—

A single thought resonated within me.

One down.

The most reliable method for preserving an unblemished record of victory is to avoid the conflict entirely. Consequently, I choose not to engage Infernal.

My sole objective is the elimination of the anchors.

However, there was an unforeseen variable I had failed to take into account.

Bam! Bam! Bam! Kwagarak!

A cataclysmic din echoed from the rear.

A scorching wave of heat pressed violently against the back of my neck.

Why, when I should have established a significant lead, was that intense warmth still so dangerously close?

Swiveling my gaze backward to find the answer, I was struck by utter disbelief at the sight.

“…Are you kidding me.”

This monstrosity… was actively pursuing me?

Aster sprinted with everything he had, pulling Infernal along in his wake.

Had this been a straightforward footrace on level ground, he might have found a way to completely outpace it, but shattering walls—and boring through the dense, reinforced stone between chambers—was an incredibly grueling endeavor.

Simultaneously, the moment the first anchor collapsed, a profound transformation rippled across the entirety of Baharmut’s domain.

Ssssk, ssssss—

The oppressive ward that had ensnared all of Baharmut like a suffocating mesh began to alter. Like the outer layer of an onion being stripped away, its density diminished by a single layer.

The shift was so incredibly subtle that neither Aster, Demian, Mycelln, nor Chenbi could possibly detect it—

Yet for certain entities, the transformation was distinct and unmistakable.

The spirits gathered within the grand atrium erupted into jubilant cries at the palpable weakening of the ward.

A restrictive boundary that had kept them captive for countless eras—remaining unyielding for thousands of years—had finally surrendered a portion of its might, even if it was merely a single layer.

Naturally, this alteration alone was insufficient to permit an escape from Baharmut, but…

Time and again, the spirits wept in relief at the realization that the heavy shackle which had subjugated them for so long had finally been rendered thinner.

Yet in the midst of this—

A solitary, hesitant voice pierced through the collective celebration.

Deep within the grand atrium, a lone spirit, utilizing the scrying properties of the crystal sphere to observe a specific sector of Baharmut, projected its anxiety.

The surrounding spirits, who had been rejoicing moments prior, began to whisper among themselves—fearful that a disaster had occurred—as the voice that initiated the concern spoke again.

The spirit gestured toward two distinct coordinates.

The first location revealed—

Confound it.

Aster was aggressively pulverizing stone barriers while maintaining his high-speed sprint.

Directly behind him, a familiar spirit tracked his movements, and even further back, the terrifying Infernal emitted a bloodthirsty aura as it closed the distance.

A fair amount of space still separated them, but the scenario was exceptionally hazardous.

Beholding that display, the spirits uttered a collective gasp of a completely different nature.

They understood the implications.

For the moment, the threat was manageable, but before long, the single Infernal hot on his heels would double, and ultimately, it would quadruple into four separate entities.

But what made that detail so catastrophic?

The issue lay in the fact that Infernal would not cease its functions even if the ward was entirely dismantled.

This meant… even if every single anchor was annihilated, their champion would still be left to contend with four separate Infernal units simultaneously.

As the spirits panicked over the precarious situation, the entity that had initially called for attention directed their gaze toward the second coordinate.

The second location revealed—

The battleground where Demian confronted Infernal.

No—calling it a battle was a massive overstatement.

Kwaddeudeuk! Bam! Kwajik!

An endless barrage of concussive impacts.

Amidst the sub-zero tempests tearing through the atmosphere, the biting frost was instantly and utterly neutralized by the explosive heat that flared up repeatedly.

Without interruption, Infernal’s massive fist struck downward into the bedrock, forcing the young boy to desperately roll across the ground just to evade the brunt of the impact.

The engagement was entirely lopsided.

And utterly harrowing.

The youth was entirely confined to a defensive struggle.

Though his magical reserves were formidable, they were severely lacking when it came to inflicting actual harm upon Infernal. Conversely, while Infernal’s maneuvers were simplistic, every single blow carried lethal momentum.

“Exercise extreme caution!”

The ancient spirit sorcerer offered intervention whenever an opportunity arose, but given his inability to properly harness the essence of the spirits, his contributions were marginal at best.

Witnessing this display, the spirits fell completely silent.

And in that quiet interval, a sudden realization dawned upon them.

Could it be….

Within the visions of the future they had received—

The individual who discovered these ancient ruins might not have been a solitary champion.

The primary reason the spirits had classified Mycelln, Chenbi, and Demian as anomalous variables was because, in the future they had foreseen, the only person they encountered following their deliverance was Aster.

Consequently, they had panicked that the presence of the other three signified a deviation from fate, but perhaps that deduction was flawed.

…What if, even in that envisioned timeline, four individuals had originally arrived—

And through the crucible of this place, only a single soul managed to endure—

And that sole survivor was the figure they had ultimately observed?

Faced with the sudden weight of this realization, the spirits grew highly agitated.

If the future they had been granted was absolute, it meant every single soul present, save for their champion, was destined to perish within these depths.

…And then.

Keok…!

Infernal’s fist connected squarely with the young boy’s frame. An immense shroud of vapor instantly saturated the area.

The spirits held their collective breath, staring intently at the screen.

Even the thick vapor obscuring their vision dissolved rapidly under the oppressive ambient warmth, and when the combat zone became clear once more—

The spirits cheered collectively as they watched the youth clumsily push himself back to his feet. He had sustained a blow so severe it robbed him of his breath, yet a brilliant radiance enveloped his form, actively knitting his wounds back together.

The fact that he hadn’t been instantly turned to ash was solely due to his ability, in that microscopic window of time, to shield himself using a combination of active sorcery and a defensive barrier.

“Are you unharmed…!”

“…….”

The elderly spirit sorcerer threw himself forward, intercepting Infernal to disrupt its follow-up strike, allowing the youth—who didn’t even have the luxury of a full recovery—to plunge right back into the crucible of combat.

Observing this sequence, a thought united the spirits:

Ought they not to intervene?

Yet no path lay open to them.

The youth did not possess the traits of a spirit sorcerer, and their inherent energies possessed absolutely no efficacy against Infernal.

Granted, the elderly spirit sorcerer was present, but to the collective spirits, the old man had withered far too much to serve as a proper vessel for their raw power.

And above all else, the element that truly paralyzed them was—

An absolute dread of Infernal, etched into the very core of their beings across uncounted millennia.

They had existed under its shadow for their entire lives.

They had borne witness to how spirits who perished at Infernal’s hands dissolved while uttering the most agonized shrieks. An uncountably large number of their kind had been snuffed out within those precise incinerating flames.

And so, the seconds continued to tick away.

…Steadily marching toward the grim future the spirits had foretold.