The Adventures of an Overpowered Knight in Another World Chapter 728- Battle of Blacktide (12)

Though the long, ritual-shaped nails still managed to scratch his skin and draw a thin line of blood.

Then, before the astonished eyes of everyone, it brought two fingers near its mouth and slowly...

Licked them.

At that very moment, Silas instinctively felt that something was wrong.

But it was too late.

"What..."

Without warning, the Demon General drove its ivory nails deep into its own shoulder.

Crunch...

Its shoulder exploded.

At that exact same instant, Silas’ own shoulder burst apart.

Blood erupted, and the old knight staggered.

"Aghhh... W-What?!"

His left arm hung limply.

Seeing this scene, Aurelia and the others froze.

"Gehahaha."

The Demon General started laughing.

Then it thrust its claws into its own thigh.

Crunch...

Once again, Silas’ right leg instantly tore open, and he dropped to one knee.

Blood rapidly soaked the ground beneath him.

"Is this... a curse?"

Silas immediately understood.

Assured of his victory, the Demon General calmly explained its ability.

"My magic activates through blood. For this, I need to draw my opponent’s blood."

"The moment I get hold of some of their blood, I can inflict a powerful curse upon them."

Hearing this, Silas’ expression turned grim.

A simple curse would not have caused such a reaction.

Clearly, this demon’s curse was no ordinary one.

In fact, it was among the most heinous.

"Looks like you already know your situation."

"That’s right. The ability of my curse is that any wound I inflict upon myself... shall be shared by those whose blood I have tasted."

The demon slowly raised one of its claws and pointed at the small wound on Silas’ chest.

"The moment you were wounded, you gave me an opportunity."

Hearing this, Silas’ expression darkened.

So that opening it had shown...

Was intentional.

The Demon General had wanted to draw his blood all along.

Dammit.

If he had known the Demon General’s ability beforehand, he would have fought from a distance.

But it was already too late.

Before Silas could react, the demon drove its own claws directly into its chest and straight through its heart.

A sickening crunch echoed out.

Silas’ pupils suddenly contracted.

Blood flowed from his mouth, and an identical wound erupted through his own chest.

The old knight looked down at the gaping hole in his chest.

His heart had been crushed, and the wound looked incredibly hideous.

"Gahaha... Die."

The Demon General laughed.

Even after crushing its own heart, it did not appear to be greatly affected.

For a demon as high-ranking as it, this level of injury was nothing.

In fact, thanks to its innate regeneration, the wounds were already healing.

As for Silas, he had no such hope.

Slowly, his pupils dilated, and his sword slipped from his numb fingers.

With a clang, it struck the ground.

Silas’ body slowly swayed.

He could hear the horrified cries of the children echoing behind him.

"Grandpa Silas!"

The old knight wanted to turn around.

As though he wanted to reassure them one last time.

A faint smile appeared on his lips.

Then...

His body collapsed heavily onto the cold stone street.

Thud...

Silence descended.

The stalwart protector of Blueberry Town had fallen at the hands of a Demon General.

.

.

Somewhere within the Tainted Lands...

Inside a dark castle built from black stone, a certain Seventh Heavenly King was having a crisis.

Tap...

Tap...

Tap...

Mammon paced back and forth inside the throne room.

His expression was twisted, and his fists were clenched.

"Damn it... Damn it all."

"I... I actually lost."

"To a human, no less."

He stopped for a moment, grabbed both sides of his head, and immediately started pacing again.

"Me, the magnificent, invincible Seventh Heavenly King. I was beaten black and blue by some glowing human. Arrgghhhh!"

He growled in frustration.

The more he remembered the battle, the uglier his expression became.

"That bastard..."

"He didn’t even give me a chance to show my true magnificence."

"If not for that dastardly Holy Energy, how could the powerful me fall into a disadvantage?"

"Next time I will defeat him with a single move and stomp on his face."

Mammon dramatically waved his arms.

As if trying to tear apart an imaginary enemy in the air.

If not for his peerless escape technique, he would have surely died.

Remembering the knight’s swordsmanship and how Reinhardt had discovered him even after he completely hid his presence and aura, his face darkened.

The truth was...

He had barely escaped.

No matter how much he tried to bluff himself, deep down he knew he was not the knight’s opponent.

Mammon’s shoulders drooped.

"What kind of monster was that?"

"That wasn’t a Divine Paladin, but a Divine Menace."

As if feeling a sense of superiority by belittling the title of Divine Paladin, Mammon smiled.

"I swear one day... I’ll tear him apart and grind his bones."

"I’ll..."

"Provided he doesn’t find me first."

At the end of the sentence, his voice became much quieter.

A shiver ran down his spine as he remembered the last attack.

That slash that covered miles of land.

Even now, he could clearly picture it, as though it had been carved into his soul.

Mammon suddenly clutched his stomach.

"Dammit... my stomach..."

"It hurts just thinking about that lunatic."

"At this rate, I might actually get diarrhea."

At that moment, his stomach gave a strange rumble.

"Dammit, I need to stay strong."

"I’m a Heavenly King, for demon’s sake."

"I can’t let my dignity fall."

Mammon squirmed, completely absorbed in comforting himself.

He failed to notice the green portal opening behind him.

A graceful figure slowly stepped through.

Duvessa appeared inside the castle and looked at the scene with confusion on her face.

Why...

Was Mammon wiggling his rear like that and doing a strange dance?

Duvessa quietly observed for several more seconds.

The Seventh Heavenly King kept muttering without any awareness.

"To hell with the war and wiping out the remaining humanity."

"I refuse to meet him."

"If I ever see golden hair again... I’m skedaddling."

Hearing this, Duvessa frowned.

"What?"

"GYAAAAAAH!"

As though he had been frightened out of his wits, Mammon nearly jumped to the ceiling.

He spun around only to see Duvessa standing there.

He let out a long breath.

"Oh..."

"Phew."

"It’s only you."

Seeing his odd behavior, Duvessa stared at him silently.

Her emerald eyes narrowed.

What...

Was wrong with this old coot?

She had known Mammon for centuries.

Never once had she seen him scream like a frightened child.

"Ahem."

Mammon quickly coughed, straightened his back, and released his noble aura, trying very hard to recover what little dignity remained.

"So..."

"What brings you here, Duvessa?"

"Have you completed your task?"

The Ninth Heavenly King gave him one last suspicious glance before nodding.

"It has been completed."

Right as she said that, another figure emerged from the portal.

A Demon General with black and white stripes respectfully carried an unconscious young woman.

Her platinum-blonde hair gently spilled over his arm.

The woman was none other than...

Aurelia.

Mammon looked at her scrutinizingly.

He scratched his chin and asked,

"That’s her?"

"She doesn’t look particularly special."

"No overwhelming mana or terrifying pressure."

"She looks too ordinary."

At that moment, a horn hanging from Mammon’s belt suddenly emitted a soft golden glow.

Buzz...

The ancient horn vibrated, its light becoming brighter and brighter.

Seeing this reaction, Mammon’s pupils instantly contracted, and his relaxed expression disappeared.

He stared at Aurelia in disbelief.

"It reacted."

"The Horn of Calamity, Gjahorn... actually reacted."

A broad smile slowly spread across his face.

"Hahahaha."

"Excellent..."

"Excellent work, Duvessa."

"You’ve done wonderfully."

"I didn’t have much hope at first, but you’ve actually exceeded my expectations."

While outwardly Mammon maintained a grand and noble front...

Inside...

He nearly cried with relief.

Phew...

At least there’s finally some good news.

Now when I report to that Lord...

I probably won’t have to face his judgment.

Maybe...

I can even ask him to transfer me to a different task.

I don’t want to see the golden-haired Divine Paladin again.

He unconsciously wiped nonexistent sweat from his forehead.

Seeing him act so strangely, Duvessa’s suspicion deepened even further.

Definitely strange.

Something must have happened to Mammon.

What did this old coot do?

Although she was very curious, she knew better than to ask.

Instead, she calmly reported.

"There is one more matter."

Mammon looked over.

"What is it?"

Duvessa’s eyes fell upon the unconscious Aurelia.

"Our investigation uncovered another detail."

"This woman... seems to have an unusual relationship with one of Solaris’ three heroes, the Divine Paladin."

"Heh, it’s just that."

"What useless information..."

"Wait."

"What did you say?"

"Which hero?"

Mammon hurriedly asked.

When Duvessa repeated the name, the strange expression on Mammon’s face froze.

Unaware of what Mammon was thinking, Duvessa continued with her report.

"They have known each other for years."

"According to our intelligence... Commander Reinhardt Arcknight has visited Blueberry Town countless times."

"The townspeople even regard him as family, and the children there call him... Big Brother Reinhardt."

Mammon’s eyelids twitched.