This World Needs a Hero - Chapter 164

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Chapter 164

– Demonic realm 43rd Sector, Trade City Ekelarut.

The warrior leaned closer to the jagged shadow of the collapsed building and looked around.

“I don’t see any parishioners. The streets are empty.”

“Would they have guessed that there would already be an exploration team that collected the pieces and reached this point?”

With the density of the demonic energy increasing, it would have become difficult for even the demon worshippers to enter, except for a few.

Following behind him, Larze added casually,

“They must still be lurking in the 30s.”

“Are we being careless…?”

“No.”

The collapsed streets and faint shadows seemed to pulsate with excitement.

“We were faster than expected.”

Their arrival was indeed swift.

While the Hero had played a part in gathering the fragments faster than anticipated, Larze’s skillful guidance was crucial.

Their joining occurred at Sector 34.

Although it was a section where the Demonic realm became significantly more perilous, the Hero couldn’t perceive it.

Thanks to Larze’s familiarity with the terrain here more than the demons themselves.

“I’ve been collecting and studying anything related to Demonic realm for decades. I’ve even explored it with Ted on foot. This much is obvious,” Larze remarked.

Strange alleys and mysterious secret passages revealed themselves before them.

Of course, information related to the demonic realm was also recorded in the Iris of Laplace.

But most places were inaccessible without a wizard.

“It’s because these passages were created during a time when magic was much more prevalent.”

If it weren’t for Larze, they might still be wandering in Sector 30.

Anyway, they reached their destination at Sector 43 almost without engaging in battle.

Demonic realm 43rd Sector, Ekelarut, a giant and prosperous trading city adjacent to the eastern coast…

“It’s enormous.”

Long before entering the city, the stake planted right in its center was conspicuous.

It was at least ten times higher and twenty times thicker than the ones found in Lonkers, towering over the remains of the most prestigious castle in the city.

Even when tilting their heads back as far as they could, the top wasn’t visible.

The Hero left a brief remark,

“…It’s like the legs of a giant.”

Wooooooong-

The demonic energy emanating from the unseen upper part of the stake condensed and spread in all directions.

As a result, the central part of the city was as dark as if clouds had descended to the ground…

Keekkk-!

Shadows that seemed excessively fiery darted around within it.

They were creatures from Sector 40.

Having undergone numerous mutations, they were more powerful than most demons.

Though the exact number couldn’t be determined, judging by the echoes of their cries resonating throughout the ruins, there were certainly quite a few.

“Shall we proceed then?”

“Sure.”

But they had to cross Ekelarut.

For the treasure was hidden at the opposite end of the city.

Sssshhh-

It was the moment when the Hero, utilizing concealment magic to its fullest, was advancing through the urban area.

Larze’s gentle voice whispered in his ear.

“Do you know? Ekelarut was the first territory Yol received from the demon king.”

It was like a grandmother telling stories to her grandchildren.

…Yol?

The Hero asked inquisitively.

“The Knight of Death, Yol?”

One of the three surviving demons among the seven great demons who first appeared with the demon king.

Yol, Malekia, and Theo.

When the name of such a powerful demon, whom no one had managed to subdue yet, was mentioned, the Hero’s pace slowed down.

“When he first came here, Yol was a low-ranking corps commander. So he ended up taking the 43rd district, the 8th.”

“It’s something I’ve never heard of.”

“It’s been forgotten. It’s been a long time since Yol left here.”

Larze shrugged her shoulders.

Under the moonlight, her silhouette seemed blurry.

Light and darkness, form and shadow blended unrealistically, as if abstraction itself were alive.

Perhaps in the eyes of others, she would appear like that too.

She had said that even she couldn’t maintain it for long inside Demonic realm due to the ultimate camouflage magic she had meticulously created.

“If things go well, you’ll eventually get to fight Yol.”

“…I guess so. He’s the gatekeeper of the Demon King’s castle. Haven’t you and Ted clashed with him several times?”

“Yeah, he’s a dreadful one.”

With that, a moment of silence ensued.

To the Hero, it was a welcome silence.

To stand against the overwhelming demonic energy, expand their senses to grasp the nearby terrain and the positions of the creatures, and then proceed to the destination without being noticed—all of these were tasks that even he, who had grown unrecognizably, found extremely challenging.

But Larze soon threw another question casually.

“Have you ever thought about it?”

“About what?”

“Anything. About the traitor of the Demonic Church.”

…The Hero’s steps finally came to a halt.

It was a few days ago.

They had succeeded in capturing several demon worshippers.

It was an opportunity for interrogation.

Fortunately, one of them was in a vulnerable state due to the effects of the Dream Illusion, and we were able to hear the hidden history related to the treasure hidden here.

‘He who betrayed the former religious leader and fled…’

The one who hid the treasure from the Demonic Church was originally a member of the Demonic Church.

For some unknown reason, after turning against the Demonic Church, he emerged with the treasure and hid it.

According to the parishioners, the traitor was eventually caught again, tortured, and until the moment of death, did not disclose the location of the hidden treasure.

In pursuit of the traitor to recover the stolen treasure, they discovered a clue called ‘wolf statue’ and had been diligently tracing it for years.

‘…Betrayal.’

In a fanatic-dominated Demonic Church, this was quite an unusual occurrence.

Moreover, the traitor was a high-ranking official who had received such thick trust that he had been entrusted by the former religious leader to hide the treasures of the church.

Why would someone who had devoted decades to serving the demons suddenly stab the church in the back?

“…There are many parts that are difficult to understand.”

“It’s because there are many missing pieces.”

“Missing pieces?”

“The traitor stole the treasure, hid it, and then deliberately left clues to find it all over the place. Do you understand what that means?”

“He probably hoped that someone other than the Demonic Church would obtain the treasure. Someone who will stand at the opposite end of the spectrum.”

Larze nodded.

“That’s right. To give the treasure to such a person, the traitor would have left behind various clues, not just the wolf statue.”

…Various clues.

The Hero recalled the machinery within the wolf statue.

Certainly, it was a structure that could not be approached to the coordinates of the treasure unless something else was obtained.

But….

“But you forced it open with a trick. You arrived at the treasure’s location with only half the qualifications, unlike the traitor’s intention.”

The Hero narrowed his eyes.

“So? Why bring up this story only after coming all the way to the coordinates?”

“It’s like giving advance notice of unexpected obstacles.”

…Advance notice.

Hearing it just before arrival, it wasn’t a particularly pleasant thing to hear.

‘Even if I had known, it wouldn’t have changed anything.’

The Hero straightened his hunched back.

The old ruins of the city had gradually disappeared from view, and the salty breeze of the seaside was brushing against his nose.

It had been some time since the sounds of the monsters, which had been causing cold sweats on his neck, had stopped being heard.

Thunk-

The sand began to be crushed under his boots.

In the corner of his vision, the ruins of the old pier, which had been completely exposed, could be seen, and soon, as they walked a little further, the destination of this long journey came into view.

“…Is it over there?”

On the uneven hill by the coast.

One worn-out watchtower stood out.

It didn’t seem particularly special, but according to the map, there was an underground passage leading to nearby caves.

“!”

The moment the silhouettes lurking around were confirmed, the Hero realized that avoiding a battle was inevitable.

‘About eight of them.’

The number wasn’t as high as expected.

But it couldn’t be underestimated.

They must be high-ranking officials who could maintain reason in this dense demonic energy.

They stood a little away from the entrance to the watchtower, as if they hadn’t discovered him yet.

One, this strange standoff couldn’t last forever.

“Just a sec…..”

“What?”

“Just wait a moment.”

Thud-

Cold sweat was flowing down Larze’s pale face.

It was somewhat shocking, but at the same time, it was a scene that couldn’t help but be understood.

‘You must be exhausted.’

From performing continuous spatial movements from Point 1 to Point 34 without rest, to darting straight to Point 43 after the meeting point, Larze had maintained various high-level magics throughout the journey.

And all of this, in the environment of the Demonic realm, which was extremely disadvantageous to wizards.

No matter how transcendent she was, she couldn’t be completely fine.

▼
Accessing the subspace of Valber
▲

Slump-

As the camouflage magic that had surrounded them was lifted, the Hero took out the Umbra and brought out the Black Hope.

Although he was wearing a robe, he also deactivated the Polymorph that had borrowed the appearance of Bucks.

It was a situation where they couldn’t afford to conserve their strength.

The moment a battle ensued, all the threats in Demonic realm 43rd Sector would converge here.

They had to push through as quickly as possible and get out.

It was while the Hero was organizing his thoughts like that.

Ssshh-

The camouflage magic that had surrounded them was lifted.

Surprised, the Hero turned to Larze.

It was a faster depletion of stamina than expected.

“Larze?”

“……”

“Larze!”

She didn’t answer.

She just stared straight ahead with an expression that couldn’t be understood.

The problem was that as soon as the camouflage disappeared, the high-ranking officials of the Demonic Church who felt their presence were rushing towards them with angry expressions.

“Destroy the unbelievers!”

“You vultures! How dare you covet the holy relics!”

“Fall into hell!”

Thud-

Five martial artists with various weapons.

There isn’t a single easy opponent among them.

Thunk-

This time, the Hero’s eyes turned towards the back of the hill.

Undead creatures were emerging from the ground.

‘There’s a necromancer.’

And the other two were high-level wizards.

Whooo-

Crimson magic circles appeared one after another in the cloudy night sky of the demon realm.

Their magic seemed to be even more powerful in the demon realm.

The Hero’s eyes flickered slightly.

‘Should I step back?’

It seemed difficult to overpower them even with full force.

If we delay even a little bit, the powerful monsters that were wandering around the city will attack.

If, by chance, there are demons left in the city who did not head to Sector 1, even retreat may become impossible.

Instead of Larze helping him, he is forced to fight while protecting her.

Continuing the battle would be a foolish decision.

The Hero maximized the essence of “Ted Redymer.”

‘For now, condense with Halo to buy time….’

Swoosh-

It was then that Larze, who had been sweating profusely with a pale face, stepped forward.

‘What’s this?’

The White Despair shining in her hand was dazzling against the backdrop of the dark sea.

Larze, standing against the dark night sea, turned to him.

The exhaustion that had plagued her face was nowhere to be found.

She smiled and waved her staff playfully.

“What’s with that look? Worried that I might have exhausted myself maintaining the disguise?”

“……”

The Hero couldn’t answer.

Larze narrowed her eyes slightly.

“Are you serious?”

“…Then what?”

“I just needed a moment to concentrate.”

As her leisurely hand gestures continued, a huge magic circle rose from the ground they were standing on.

Whooo-

Gradually rising and emitting a strong light towards the surroundings, the magic circle was conjuring a powerful gust of wind, causing Larze’s white hair to flutter upwards.

“Attack!”

Sensing the seriousness of the situation, the Demonic Church officials accelerated.

Roughly 10 seconds until collision with the vanguard.

The wave of undead closely followed, and the destructive spells they cast were shooting out with devastating force.

And then….

Boing-

A sound completely unrelated to the current situation was heard.

“This is….”

The Hero stared blankly at the huge sphere surrounding them.

Translucent and thin, its smooth surface resembled a soap bubble.

The sphere fluttered with the wind, distorting the landscape on the other side.

Without even looking at the enemies, Larze rotated casually.

“It’s one of my original spells.”

“Original spells?”

“It’s a bit difficult to wipe out all with attack magic alone. It’s about efficiency.”

Even as the sword of the first arriving Demonic Church official struck the surface of the sphere, Larze’s calm expression remained unchanged.

“Die!”

Boing-

The Demonic Church official looked on with a blank expression as his sword struck the sphere forcefully… only to bounce off.

The subsequent destructive spells were the same.

The thin and seemingly flimsy barrier, as if excessively fragile, bounced off all the attacks poured onto it in an instant.

The Hero looked at the trembling sphere emitting a boing- sound with astonishment.

It was remarkably elastic.

‘It can’t be.’

Even with his considerable expertise in magic, he had never encountered such magic before.

It seemed like one of Larze’s original spells, as she had mentioned.

“Alright, let’s go.”

As Larze pointed her staff forward—

Boing, boing—

Surprisingly, the sphere began to roll rapidly.

At an incredibly high speed.

“Ugh.”

“Even if you’re dizzy, bear with it!”

Their destination was the watchtower on the hill.

Amidst the topsy-turvy scenery.

Demonic Church officials with faces like demons were chasing after them desperately, unleashing all sorts of attacks, but to no avail.

Even the rusty spears of the undead were the same.

All they could do was spew curses.

“You filthy sorcerer! If we catch you, we’ll kill you!”

“Aren’t you afraid of divine punishment!”

“Come out and fight fair and square!”

The eyes burning with resentment were fixed on Larze.

Of course, Larze didn’t care at all and just chuckled.

Shoooooom—

When they arrived at the entrance of the watchtower, the sphere was automatically deactivated.

The Demonic Church gang was running hard, but it seemed they would need another 30 seconds to reach this point.

Crash-!

Larze swung her staff, blowing away the reinforced iron door, traps, and defensive spells set up by the Demonic Church.

“Let’s go!”

In an instant, the interior of the watchtower was revealed.

The Hero’s eyes glanced at the spiral staircase nestled in one corner.

It was the underground passage leading to the hidden location of the treasure.

Larze pushed him forward again.

The Hero realized her breathing was heavy this time.

It wasn’t fake.

It was then.

Kugugugung—!

In the distance.

Giant vibrations occurred successively in the city center.

The noise and ground tremors were getting closer.

Perhaps the demons and monsters from Sector 43 were heading here.

Larze whispered.

“We just need to get to the entrance.”

They had the completed key, and the pursuers did not.

Even if the officials chased them as hard as they could, once they reached the destination, the pursuit would come to an end.

“Let’s go!”

The Hero grabbed Larze’s back and threw himself into the underground passage.

…Of course, none of them had any idea what they would encounter inside.

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