Chapter 26: The Newcomer (Finale)
POV Himmel Logan:
1 hour earlier...
Hey, my name is Himmel. These past few days, I've been staying in a small town called Lumen to conduct an investigation. The town was quiet, but there was always something rotten behind the tranquility—the slave market was one of them. During my investigation, I found interesting things while here.
One of them was the tear in the sky a few days ago. At the time, I was having coffee as usual at the bar. In that tear, a silhouette of a giant star appeared—that's what I called it.
When I saw it, my legs weakened on their own, as if wanting me to kneel before it. Yet, I am a Transcendent—yes, my rank is Transcendent, and strangely, I was made to almost kneel forcibly.
'Horrifying...' I muttered internally, shaking my head.
Currently, I was on my way home. Since my business in that town was finished, I was leaving. Why stay there any longer? I missed my home too.
"Tch, there was no slave sale there... That 'bastard' tricked me. Just wait until we meet again, I'll beat you up!" I muttered, furious.
I sighed and continued walking home. I walked in silence for one hour, occasionally humming. Until finally, I felt something—no, someone.
My half-closed eyes opened slightly. In the distance, I saw two people running. I tilted my head, watching them.
"Little kids?" I murmured. "Why are they here?"
I continued walking casually until they arrived in front of me, but they just passed me by... That made me pause.
I stared at the two children as they ran past. Their steps were hurried, their faces pale, and their breath ragged.
They didn't look like children playing or just running home—they were afraid of something.
I stared at their backs, then muttered quietly. "...Seems like something interesting is happening."
However, I kept walking. Until finally—
"Hey... kid."
For some reason, I opened my mouth and called them. Maybe it was curiosity, or perhaps just because I sensed the energy of a child from the forest. An energy... unbalanced. Too wild, and quite ridiculous.
They stopped. Slowly turning toward me. Their gaze... a mixture of worry and slight fear.
—and that's where everything happened. After they realized I wasn't a bad person, they explained what was going on. After that brief conversation, I finally knew they were running from someone... from a "demon worshipper."
I looked toward the forest they pointed to.
Dense black smoke billowed high from there. The surrounding air subtly vibrated, indicating a massive clash of energy.
"Demon worshipper, huh... it's been a while since I fought them," I muttered, staring deeply toward the forest. I walked slowly. The wind swirled around me.
"To help or not... depends on what I find later."
That was my reply before I finally moved.
A few minutes later...
I had arrived at the edge of the forest.
The air felt heavy, filled with dust and static electricity. In the sky, black clouds rolled as if they wanted to swallow the earth.
"...Truly insane." I hissed softly. "I see a fight between a demon worshipper and that lightning kid—that's what I called him after watching him fight."
I concealed my presence in the sky. Yes, in the sky; I can fly.
ZRAAAK!!!
Blue lightning flashed in the distance, illuminating the dark forest. For a moment, I saw a child—his hair was messy, his body covered in wounds, but his eyes...
Blue. Burning wildly like a living storm.
"Natural lightning? No... more than that."
I watched from afar as the child launched a giant lightning spear toward someone—a horned man, with an incredibly dense, blackish-red demonic aura.
The subsequent explosion uprooted some trees. I squinted, blocking the energy storm directed at me.
"...So this is what they meant."
I muttered, internally assessing the situation. The child... had lost control. His body was close to collapsing, but his eyes hadn't given up. The other one—that horned demon, was strong. But his evil aura... felt dirty, like a borrowed power.
But suddenly, after the lightning light disappeared, I saw the child fall. His body was almost shattered, but he was still holding on.
The horned man stepped forward, his dark aura thickening. I let out a long sigh and descended from the sky.
"Enough."
My voice came out flat, yet it echoed far. In an instant, the entire area stopped shaking. The wind was still. The fires went out. The lightning froze in the air.
Lucen turned toward me with a surprised expression. He was about to speak, but his body trembled—not from injury, but from pressure.
I stepped out from behind the mist, my robe gently fluttering from the residual lightning energy. My eyes stared straight at him.
"You... who are you?" he said in a low tone.
I didn't answer.
I simply raised one hand, and the air around us instantly tightened.
"Be gone... or die."
The voice came out effortlessly—without harsh intent, but enough to shake the space around him.
The air cracked.
The ground beneath Lucen split, and then—BOOM!—an invisible energy blast struck him. Lucen was thrown far away, crashing into a large rock and shattering it into pieces.
However, as the dust began to settle, I stood in my place without moving.
"...You're lucky enough to be alive," I muttered flatly, staring toward the direction where Lucen fell. I lowered my hand, then turned toward the child—he was passed out.
"This boy..." I slowly crouched down, checking the aura in his body. "He pushed himself too far... but wait—"
I tilted my head slightly, examining him closer, leaning forward a bit, "Are you that kid from back then??" I said, genuinely surprised.
I sighed in disbelief. This child, I had seen him before. In the market when I was walking around buying food, I met this boy.
I slowly broke into a wide smile and laughed, "Hahaha! I didn't expect us to meet this soon, kid! Is this fate??"
I slowly stood up. Staring at the man who had been watching us stiffly, "You, you're from the Holy Church, aren't you?" I asked him.
The man, or Marcus, straightened his body proudly, "Yes! I am from the Holy Church!"
I stared at him for a long time, then said, "You know me, right?"
"Yes, sir! I know you! You are the Demon Sword, who slaughtered thousands of demons on the battlefield during the Bardul War!" Marcus said, bowing his head despite being shaky and weak.
I nodded, "Good, now you leave, I'll take care of this."
"Alright..." he said, walking toward the child lying beside me.
"Don't take him," I said.
He stopped walking, frozen. "W-What? What do you mean??"
"Don't take him."
"B-But—!"
"Be silent and leave. Don't worry about him; I will make him my disciple," I said firmly. There was no room for argument.
"..." Marcus was silent for quite a while until finally, he let out a long sigh.
"Very well... Sir." He said, starting to walk away with trembling steps, but suddenly stopped, "But Sir, where is that demon worshipper?"
"Relax, I'll handle him," I said, waving my hand casually.
He didn't say anything else and started running. I watched his back. Then I looked at the spot where I hit the horned man—empty.
I sighed, "Be grateful I didn't kill you because I'm in a good mood today," I said with a sneer, looking at the boy lying on the ground.
POV Lucen:
I ran fast through the forest without glancing back even once. Why was I rushing? It was because of the man who struck me just now.
"Damn it, that was close!" I cursed while running, "The Demon Sword..."
That name was not just a nickname. All demon worshippers knew him. During the war fifty years ago, he massacred thousands of demons as if they were just lumps of butter. One slash from him could separate the soul from the body.
I bit my lip, holding back the pain in my chest. The wound on my shoulder was wide open, dripping warm blood that felt like embers.
"The Demon Sword... Himmel Logan..." I muttered softly, looking ahead as I continued to run. "What is he doing here? Why did he show up now?"
Twigs slapped my face as I pushed through the bushes. I didn't care. The important thing now was to get away from that place. That man... was too dangerous.
He wasn't like a human, nor was he a demon. The pressure from his power... it felt as if I was standing before the void itself.
"I won't be able to win against someone like that."
I stopped under a large tree, leaning my back against the trunk. My breathing was ragged.
"For now, let's just escape. Even if the mission failed, I don't want to fight him. That's like walking toward death."
I looked at my palm. Fine black veins spread from my fingertips to my wrist. The aftermath of blocking that man's attack. I gritted my teeth. If I hadn't blocked it, I would have died.
"All this is because of that brat!" I said, punching the tree trunk beside me, making it crack like a spiderweb. "Just wait, kid, you will bear the consequences."