Chapter 19

Chapter 19
## Chapter: 19

### Chapter Title: Demon Baron (5)

—

He struggled to pull his fractured focus back together.

* …….

The creature gnashed its teeth, seething. To feel such humiliation, trembling in such a pathetic manner before a simple mortal. A mixture of shame and fury ignited within it like a forest fire.

Until this moment, the entity had only experienced failure during possession when facing far more potent, high-ranking archdemons. This led to its initial hysteria, assuming the figure before it was a disguised high demon.

Yet, as it peered closer, the truth emerged. Its sharp intuition finally surfaced, albeit late. This barbarian was exactly what he seemed to be—nothing more than a large human. He was no threat to a being of its caliber.

Even so, it could not comprehend why the attempt to seize his soul had failed. It was far too unsettling to ignore. The demon decided to channel every ounce of its malice into annihilating this intruder.

Focusing its intent, the demon forced its stolen anatomy into a state of hyper-drive.

Kuduk, pakak, pakak—

Purple welts throbbed as muscle fibers expanded grotesquely in a heartbeat. The skeletal frame snapped and realigned with a sickening crunch. Thick saliva leaked from a maw now stretched too wide to ever shut.

Only a moment ago, the physical form of Viscount Adlen had been merely stout. Now it had warped into a colossal monstrosity, shedding any resemblance to a human.

* Kruk… No point in stealing a shell… I will simply end you… That is enough…

“…….”

* ……I shall grind you into a bloody pulp.

The massive limb lifted a heavy iron mace. Kadim slowed his pulse, keeping his center of gravity low while his gaze locked onto the monster’s pathing.

Whoosh—boom!

The air groaned under the weight of the swing. The mace’s wide arc dominated the interior of the tent. With no space to evade, he was forced to stand his ground.

――――――Chaeng!!

The scream of colliding metal rang through his skull.

Kadim was sent skidding backward. His wrist flared with pain, his bones vibrating with a numbing shock as if struck by lightning. The axe he had used to parry the strike shattered at the head from that single impact.

Whoosh—boom!

The demon advanced with heavy, rhythmic steps, bringing the mace around for another strike. This time it was a diagonal sweep—leaving a narrow window for evasion. Kadim dipped his body and lunged to the side. The weapon whistled past, missing his scalp by a mere fraction.

The creature snarled, its brow twitching in agitation. The bloated muscles and reconstructed bones functioned with mechanical precision. Without missing a beat, the mace was hoisted high once more. It tore through a support beam as if it were parchment, bringing the weapon down with murderous intent.

――――――Kwa-ang!!

The earth buckled under the force. A main pillar splintered into kindling, and the entire tent came crashing down. Tearing through the fallen hides, the demon emerged with eyes burning with primitive hunger.

* You disregarded my command to flee, and now all you do is cower and retreat? You are a pathetic, mindless cur!

Kadim offered the creature a brief, silent stare.

Even without reaching its full potential, this demon had the authority to command four hundred men. It was at least a mid-tier entity by any conservative estimate. Facing such a foe head-on without the aid of demonic blood? Even for someone of Kadim’s skill, it was an impossible feat.

Yet, he did not turn tail. He cast a single look toward the fortress walls. Then, discarding the ruined weapon, he gripped a fresh axe and reset his stance for the next round.

The demon let out a mocking snort.

* Ha, you feign a charge? Are you plotting another escape? You won’t find an opening this time, coward.

The demon pressed its palm toward the dirt. Corrupted energy surged out like a freezing fog; the corpses of the fallen began to twitch and stand. Supernatural shrieks filled the air.

“Kuaaa, kuhaaaa!!”

“Kuaaaak!”

The reanimated soldiers swarmed Kadim in a heartbeat, thrusting their blades.

Chaeng—!

Kadim crossed his axe and short-sword to catch a lunging spear. He shoved the shaft upward with his axe head, then drove his blade deep into the soldier’s withered midsection during the stumble.

Jjeok—guk!

“Kuek!”

Whoosh—there was no time to dodge the next spear. It sliced across his ear, drawing blood. Showing no pain, Kadim dropped his weight and swung his axe into the soldier’s knee. The joint collapsed backward, snapping like dry wood.

Kadim’s goal was to fracture the perimeter and buy himself seconds. But the demon would not allow it.

Whoosh—boom!

* Your focus is drifting, wild dog! Your true enemy stands before you!

The massive demon blocked the very path he had just cleared. Kadim lunged away from the crashing mace, forced into a futile change of direction.

The battle became a breathless, desperate cycle.

Chaeng, chaeng, jjeo—guk! Peo—guk!

“Kuaaaak!”

“Kuaaaaak!”

“…….”

No matter how many of the undead he cut down, the path remained closed. Every time he cleared a gap, the demon raised more. Whenever he swung wide to scatter the mob, the demon was right there, acting as an immovable wall.

It wasn’t just the monster itself—the elite units it controlled directly were formidable. He had put down dozens, but more than three hundred still pressed in.

Gradually, exhaustion began to set in; his movements grew heavy.

“Hoo, hoo…….”

Slowly, the tally of wounds on Kadim increased.

A slice across the bridge of his nose, numerous nicks on his arms and legs, and blood dripping from his torn ear. Faint steam rose from his skin as his body attempted to heal, but the damage was outstripping his vampiric regeneration.

“Huk, huk, huk…….”

The ring of enemies tightened. Kadim reached the edge of the encampment. The demon took a moment to savor the sight of the gasping barbarian.

* Krahaha! What a pathetic display! You walked into my domain as if you were the master, and now you whimper like a broken hound!

“…….”

* Understand your limitations, beast. This is the chasm between our souls. A mortal with nothing but strength cannot hope to defy a demon. You should have brought those cursed hounds of Elga to do your dirty work. Krukukuku…….

The barbarian turned his gaze to the sky. The moon was dipping toward the edge of the world. Seeing the crescent at this hour made the surroundings feel truly alien.

But there was no time for reflection. He had purchased enough time. He checked the castle entrance once more. Finally, a figure could be seen sprinting with desperate speed.

Kadim took a long, steady breath and spoke softly.

“Hoo… You’re right. With my current strength, I can’t take down that physical shell.”

* Kaha, yes! You finally see reason—though it’s too late for…

“But what about your original body?”

* ……What?

“Even a common trader who couldn’t slay a single goblin could handle that.”

The unexpected statement caused the creature to freeze.

The demon turned its gaze toward Molden Castle with a look of dawning terror.

* Y-You… It can’t be…

It thrust its hand desperately toward the fortress. But its will-infused energy only seeped into the ground beneath it; it could no longer reach the physical anchor hidden within the walls.

The demon’s warped facial muscles spasmed in agony. The barbarian let out a sharp, lopsided grin.

Kadim had encountered possession-style demons during his time in the game, even during his initial run. He knew the fundamental rule of fighting them.

You must find the ‘true body’—the source and anchor for all the demon’s thoughts.

Destroying a possessed host was meaningless. The entity would simply migrate its consciousness elsewhere. Fools who ignored this would kill the puppet, drop their guard, and then lose their own minds to the shadow.

From the moment he saw the soldiers, Kadim had recognized the demon’s nature. While he was searching for the location of the anchor, Baron Molden had inadvertently provided the answer.

‘That is impossible.’

‘…….’

‘The cellar is strictly off-limits.’

However, he couldn’t simply charge into the basement to kill it.

The demon surely kept a fragment of its consciousness in its true form for protection. If it felt threatened, it would relocate or flee, rendering his discovery useless.

Thus, Kadim had orchestrated a scenario that forced all of the demon’s focus to remain on this battlefield.

Before he had departed, he had assigned the merchant the task of dealing with the true body.

‘This entrance leads to the basement of the inner keep. I’ll keep the demon’s mind preoccupied. When the moon is halfway down, enter and destroy the disgusting mass of flesh you find there.’

‘B-But my lord, the door is secured with a massive iron lock?’

Kwa-kang!! Clang—

‘It isn’t anymore.’

‘…….’

The merchant had carried out the plan perfectly. Now, severed from its original form, the demon had lost its ability to transfer its mind and was imprisoned in its current flesh.

Only one issue remained.

* Kruk, kraaaaa!!

How to finish off the viscount-turned-abomination.

Losing the anchor didn’t immediately dissolve the thoughts already inside the host. He had to destroy this body to truly erase the demon’s existence.

The furious demon twisted its features into a mask of pure hate and raised its mace.

* Kruk… You dared to touch my true form… I will grant you a death of unparalleled suffering… I will tear your muscles from your bone one by one and force your own innards down your throat…

Kadim didn’t flinch. He had a plan for this host as well.

The demon believed it had trapped Kadim in this corner. In reality, he had systematically killed the soldiers in a pattern that led him to this exact spot.

“M-Master, I have it! Catch!”

He had moved here to rendezvous with the merchant and the solution he carried.

Whish, whish, whish!

An object came spinning through the air toward the wooden wall.

It was a weak throw, yet the object followed an impossibly high arc. The rotation seemed to gather speed as it left the merchant’s hand.

It cleared the palisade, its spin slowing just enough to land perfectly in Kadim’s grip.

Thud!

The handle fit into his hand as if it had been waiting for its owner. His eyes burned with anticipation as he inspected it.

It featured a wave pattern reminiscent of a frozen blizzard. The edge was so keen it seemed to cut the very air. The handle was a deep, matte black. The weight was perfect, and a chilling aura of sharpness radiated from it.

It was an ancient relic of the mountain folk, forged in the heat of dwarven labor.

Even a novice could see it was a masterpiece. The barbarian’s lips curled into a satisfied smile.

“It was bad enough hiding the demon, but to let a work of art like this sit in the dark… The baron really was something else.”

The demon recognized the steel as well. It recoiled, a shiver running through its bloated form.

* Th-That… The work of those mad dwarves of the north… How could that be here…

There was no more time for talk.

Kadim gripped the base of the handle firmly. The weapon felt perfectly balanced regardless of the angle—almost as if it were correcting its own weight. He coiled his torso, gathering every drop of strength, and then released it with explosive violence.

A silver streak tore through the darkness, spinning at a blinding velocity.

Parararack—!

The demon barely saw it coming. The disc of cold steel crossed the distance in an instant, striking its forehead dead-on.

Perkuk—!

The razor edge disintegrated the protruding face and the skull behind it. Thick blood, grey matter, and bone fragments erupted in a spray of gore.

Whish, whish, whish, whish!

The axe continued its flight, its momentum seemingly untouched. It was clearly a Rare+ grade item with a throwing enhancement.

* Krruk… Gueh…

With nothing remaining above its lower jaw, the demon’s time was up. Gurgling on its own blood, it collapsed into the dirt, motionless.

Duncan, who had been watching with bated breath from the shadows of the palisade, shuffled forward.

“D-Did you finish it, sir? Is the creature truly gone?”

“…….”

Kadim offered no reply, moving quickly to reclaim his axe.

He had one more target.

Hwhoosh!

A sudden blade lunged toward his ribs.

Kadim pivoted on his heel, narrowly avoiding the steel. A middle-aged man with a mustache, dressed in padded armor, glared at him with eyes full of malice.

* Krukukuku… I thought you were just a loud-mouthed dog, but you are a cunning little fox… So, you pretend to fight with honor and then strike from the shadows—is that the new way of the north?

Kadim silently watched the man, who was now clearly a host.

‘…Just as I thought. It left a fragment of itself inside Baron Molden as well.’

Everything was going according to the script.

The demon’s goal was likely this: to sacrifice its main vessel to “save” Molden, let the town fall anyway, and leave the baron to suffer in despair. To witness that, it needed to occupy the baron’s body beforehand.

However, the possessed baron was no great threat. The majority of the demon’s power had died with the viscount. His strength now was no greater than the soldiers Kadim had been slaughtering.

Kadim raised the dwarven axe. He had brought the baron to the camp specifically to end him here.

But the events that followed were entirely unforeseen.

* Krahaha, heh, wh-what…?

The baron suddenly reversed his grip on his sword and drove it into his own stomach.

Puk!

The steel tore through his armor and flesh, emerging from his back like a silver spike.

The baron spoke through gritted teeth, his eyes bloodshot but clear.

“Demon… You will not lay a hand on Molden…”

* …Kruhaaa, khek, kru… H-How did you reclaim your will…

“…You will perish here. With me.”

He twisted the hilt with savage force, shredding his own internal organs.

The master of Molden forcibly purged the demonic presence with his own fading strength and collapsed to the ground like a falling tower.

—

**Next Step:** Would you like me to paraphrase another chapter, or should I help you analyze the themes of this scene?