Cannot Escape the Devil - Chapter 16.2
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The village was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. It was astonishing how the shadows of death loom over the village. Only a few lanterns scattered between the houses luminesce the vivid murkiness. People heard noises from wild animals in the nearby forest, but currently, there was no sound. As they entered the icy street where not a speck of insect was insight, the disgusting stench intensified.
“It is nearby.” Muttered Asaya, Leah quietly grabbed the sword handle and lowered her posture. They had faced the devil several times. If people had lived outside the wall, stumbling upon devils are a dime a dozen. However, their experience was less than the number of times they encountered the devil. Naturally, if there were devils nearby, they would choose to retreat. Beyond the wall, common injuries could be fatal and lead to death; it’s better to stay away from dangerous circumstances.
Moreover, the entity called the devil was a constant variable. They have a variety of shapes and properties, and their appearance and strength varied widely depending on the individual. So, people should always be on the lookout. A momentary mistake could lead to death. Leah sighed low and whispered in frustration.
“I thought that if we entered the wall, we would be able to stretch out our feet and be comfortable, but here we are out to follow the smelly devil. We are really unlucky.”
“Be careful. We don’t know how many there are.”
Taking each step with vigilance and stealth. How many steps did she take? Leah, who had an exceptionally sensitive hearing, stretched out her arm and blocked Asaya.
“Wait, I can hear a sound. It’s the sound of crushing bones. It sounds like chewing. I can listen to the sound of flesh torn apart by teeth.”
Leah took the lead, slowly followed by Asaya. The further they walked; the smell of blood intensified. Not far away, a dark figure was seen. It was an eminently bizarre and strange shape. The shadow was roaming rowdily under the moonlight. They saw a monster with blood covering his mouth, holding in one hand something reminiscent of a heavily damaged, coarse piece of meat. He had hard horns on his head, his nails and claws were as long as a bear’s nails, and there were white stripes on his black-furred body.
‘It’s pretty big.’ Asaya sighed. Compared to an enormous bear, the size of the devil was slightly larger and the horns on its head were larger than an elephant’s horns; making it look bigger. At least, it was medium level; considering that he wasn’t bothered by the installed consecration around the village. It was at least a medium-level entity, considering that he was not bothered by the fact that there were consecrations installed all over the village. Leah whispered in a shocked voice.
“Does it make sense? How did a massive one get here?”
“Strange. That kind of creature came inside the wall, but no one noticed? To be capable of avoiding the surveillance and come this far? It doesn’t make sense. It’s impossible.”
Nonsense was turning to a reality and unfolding. Both Leah and Asaya hesitated. Devils from the Intermediate stage were not something that they could handle.
“Who is there!”
Amidst the crisis, we heard an unfamiliar voice from behind. It was a patrolman holding a torch. He paused as he approached Asaya and Leah, crumbling his impressions. His gaze turned to the devil. He looked around, hardened like a wooden stone. After quickly grasping the situation, he dropped the torch. Asaya shouted at him, who was about to scream at once.
“Call the soldiers right now. And hurry to evacuate people!”
Instead of notifying the soldiers, the patrolman turned around and shouted.
“The devil has appeared!”
“That crazy man!!!”
Outraged, Leah cursed the man who runs around like a headless chicken. The devil, who was enjoying a superb meal, turned his head toward Asaya and Leah. He wiped his blood-stained lips and smeared blood on his hard pointed horns. Once Asaya whispered a short prayer, a chain of light wrapped around her body and bounded the enormous devil. At the same time, Leah, who had pulled out her sword, climbed over the devil’s head and targeted the devil’s back neck. As soon as the sword embedded deep in the devil’s neck, black blood sprayed like a fountain. Leah, soaked in blood, groaned faintly.
Perhaps there was no damage in the first blow; the devil struggled fiercely with his bound body. As a result, Leah, who was on top of the devil, fell and crashed. At that moment, the thin curtain of light enveloped Leah’s body as Asaya whispered the prayer. The black stains that covered her body faded away.
“Are you okay, Leah?”
“I am okay. But his power is stronger than I thought.”
“It is impossible to completely block the devil’s movement with my prayer. Let’s hold on until support arrives.” Asaya said.
In the case of directly using power, especially sophisticated prayer, stamina, and mental power are consumed rapidly. It wouldn’t last long, and it would put a strain on the body. Unfortunately, this devil is at the intermediate or a higher stage; It’s preposterous for only the two of them to defeat the devil. If such an individual was competent to defeat the devil, it should be the best of the crème de la. All they could do right now is to hold it back.
“I will damage the muscles as much as possible. Maybe we will be able to slow down his movements.”
Lea grabbed the sword and ran back towards the devil. Asaya closed her eyes and focused on chanting prayers with her hands tightly clasped together, hoping that this dreadful situation would be resolved quickly.
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Edwin, who rushed at full speed on a horse, arrived at the village entrance, halted with a sense of foreboding feeling arising. Even though it was time for bed, the village was overly bright and noisy. The sound of footsteps, shrieks, and muddling yells reached his ears. Slowly, he approached the village entrance and found people fleeing with their luggage.
“What is going on?”
A hysterical old man replied.
“Get away quickly! The devil has appeared! the devil! A disaster will occur here!!”
“A devil? What does that mean?”
“There is no time to idle here! A monster as big as a house was munching on humans. Two women are facing the devil. I have to run away now! Or it’s all over!”
Edwin knew that the old man wasn’t lying due to his pale complexion, trembling limbs, and quavering voice. The flow of the crowd, who packed, continued evacuating. Edwin paid more attention to the two women than to the point that the devil had appeared.
“Two women. Are you saying that two women are blocking the devil?”
“I didn’t see them clearly, but at first glance it was a woman with short hair and another woman with blonde hair in a pure white dress. The woman with the short hair was holding a sword.”
Edwin, who was silently listening to the story, hardened his expression. He got on the horse without further questioning. Then he began to gallop toward the village at full speed.
“No way. No way.”
He struggled to suppress the growing suspicion, hoping what he was concerned about would not happen.