Demonkin
[So you’re companions of this era’s Hero. Not bad for humans.]
A blue-skinned demonkin, wielding a sword in each hand, slowly advanced toward Leon and his group.
Though the blades were massive, the demon’s towering frame made them seem almost weightless in its grip. It wore armor, but only in a crude, patchwork manner—its joints remained exposed.
“Are you the demonkin attacking Ludonia?”
Solon didn’t wait for an answer before unleashing a prepped spell.
A searing inferno engulfed the demon, so intense that the surrounding monsters scattered in panic.
—Yet with a single swing of its right-hand sword, the demonkin dispersed the flames as casually as brushing away dust.
[Pathetic.]
Its reply was curt, its stride unbroken.
“As expected of a high-tier demonkin. I’ve never seen magic nullified with a sword before.”
Solon forced a strained smile.
“But if we take this thing down, Ludonia will breathe easier.”
Leon glided forward, his azure greatsword flashing like honed lightning. But the demonkin effortlessly parried it. Leon retreated, recalibrating his stance.
“Dual-wielding with that level of skill… Terrifying, as expected of a demonkin.”
The Sword Saint’s praise was genuine. Among humans, mastering two blades was unheard of.
[Plenty among us wield twin swords. We are stronger than humans. Naturally.]
Then, the demonkin let loose a bestial roar.
The subdued monsters reacted instantly, surging toward Solon and the others at the rear.
“I’d heard demonkin were proud. Didn’t expect it to fight alone like some naïve fool. I’ll handle the trash! Leon, focus on the blue one!”
Solon abandoned his incantation mid-preparation, redirecting the spell toward the charging horde. A violent explosion obliterated a swath of monsters.
He immediately began readying his next spell. With Leon engaged against the demonkin, Solon could no longer afford his earlier composure.
Leon exhaled softly, locking onto the demon before him.
He knew leaving the lesser monsters to Solon was a burden—but ignoring this foe wasn’t an option.
Fatigue was absent. If anything, his body felt unnervingly optimal, likely thanks to Maria’s healing. Solon’s relentless spellcasting, too, was undoubtedly sustained by her miracles. That infuriating woman, appearing idle, was exhaling terrifying power as effortlessly as breathing. Even now, she was probably watching their battle with that smug face of hers.
(Then I’ll fight worthy of the title “Sword Saint.”)
He aimed for the demon’s exposed forearm, slashing diagonally—
yet his eyes tracked its entire body.
The moment he sensed the demon’s right sword twitch to block, Leon flicked his blade upward and struck from the opposite angle.
To an observer, the afterimages made it seem as if he wielded two swords. But the demonkin anticipated this, intercepting with its left blade.
Leon altered his second strike mid-motion, nicking the demon’s flank as he spun past it.
“Too shallow?”
He pivoted instantly, facing the demon anew. A thin trickle of blood dripped from its side.
[Agile. You surpass Ludonia’s prince with a blade.]
The demon’s grotesque face twisted into a grin, as if relishing a worthy opponent.
This time, it struck first—a wild slash from its right sword.
The brute-force swing left openings, and Leon instinctively dodged while targeting its exposed neck.
—Yet the demonkin raised its bare shoulder like a shield, intercepting the blow.
Blood sprayed.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
The demon, despite having his shoulder slashed, struck Leon with the sword in his left hand without hesitation.
Though the demon’s unexpected action caused a moment’s delay, Leon’s sword barely made it in time to defend.
However, his stance was poor, and the demon’s tremendous strength from above his blocking sword carried his entire body away.
After being sent flying through the air and slammed into the ground, Leon immediately raised himself up, but the demon’s next attack was already waiting. Blood dripping from his side and shoulder, the demon never let up his assault. That was exactly what made a demon a demon—high vitality and a powerfully resilient body, everything surpassing that of humans.
Feeling pain in his back from being struck against the ground, Leon continued to fend off the demon’s attacks. No, he had to defend—if he didn’t, his body would be cleaved in two in an instant. He was under that kind of pressure.
Leon had been defeated by a demon once before in the Rozolof Great Forest. The confidence he had lost then should have been recovered through fighting alongside Ares, already restored. He should never lose to a demon again.
But perhaps that too had been arrogance, Leon felt.
The demon before his eyes was far stronger than the demon that had attacked the students of Pharme Academy. Having led a great army, he was of a different caliber.
Leon had struck first and even managed to wound him properly. Despite that, the situation had been completely reversed with ease. This was a first for him, and he was considerably shaken.
Though he didn’t realize it himself, Leon, due to his talent, was actually often on the offensive and rarely went on the defensive. He had thought that defense was simply a matter of reading his opponent’s timing and moving his body slightly. Even when surrounded by an overwhelming number of monsters, he had made defense into offense by attacking thoroughly.
Leon’s deadly offensive style didn’t work against this demon. And the moment he was put on the defensive, Leon’s weakness was exposed. Since he was completely within the demon’s range, he couldn’t dodge the attacks through body movement alone. He was completely occupied just deflecting with his sword.
At some point, the pain in his back had subsided. Maria must have healed it. But it didn’t seem like he could overturn his disadvantage.
Gradually his body’s balance was being broken, and finally he failed to properly receive the demon’s right-hand sword attack, his stance crumbling. Leon’s eyes caught sight of the left-hand sword approaching.
As if time had slowed down, the sword seemed to approach slowly. But he couldn’t avoid it. Even though his eyes caught it and his mind understood, his body wouldn’t move. It was unmistakably the shape of death.
(Am I going to die?)
The moment Leon resigned himself—CLANG. A dull resonance shattered the stillness.
Only one person could avert the Sword Saint’s death: the Hero.
Ares stood firm, his shield braced against the demon’s colossal blade. Not a deflection—a full-frontal block.
“Sorry, Leon! Took me a while!”
Tension lingered, but the Hero’s gentle voice melted the stiffness from Leon’s limbs.
“Heroes sure love their dramatic entrances.”
Leon smirked, deflecting the demon’s follow-up strike aimed at Ares.
[Hmph?]
The demonkin growled.
This “Hero” radiated no overwhelming threat. His defense was impressive, but his swordplay lacked weight. Yet the man it had been fighting earlier now seemed… empowered.
(So this is the Hero?)
Unfathomable. This was the same fighter who’d barely held his own against Elliot. His strength should’ve been negligible.
Shaking off its confusion, the demonkin channeled full force into a cleaving strike—
It was a blow powerfulenough to sunder armor and flesh alike.
Ares caught it head-on with his shield. The impact shoved him backward, feet scraping ground, yet the recoil sent numbing tremors up the demon’s arm.
(Strong? No—hard? What is this?)
No time to ponder. The Sword Saint—Leon—was already striking from the flank. Just moments ago, he’d been cornered. Now, he moved with renewed vigor, his blade alive with precision.
(A tough duo.)
The demonkin conceded. Together, they complemented each other:
the Hero anchored the defense; the Sword Saint led the offense. A solid balance.
(But I’ll finish them off.)
Fighting both, the demonkin inhaled sharply. Breath. Blue flames—divine scourge, wielded only by the god-touched among demonkin.
Whoosh. The fire erupted from its maw in a searing line toward Ares.
No shield could block this. The Hero hesitated—a fatal delay.
“ARES!”
Leon’s scream tore through the air.
TLNOTE:
Because of that volume 1 and 2 fan translation in this site will be removed in the near future
otherwise check the internet archive
As usual, please consider reading other novels written by Daken sensei listed below :
- Monster Meat Led Me to the Throne
- The Castle of Canaan ~ The Lost Kingdom’s Princess, the World’s Hidden Treasure, and the Grand Adventure of the Mightiest Band of Thieves Versus an Empire ~
- The Wicked Princess and 12 Eyes – The Strongest Squires and the Legendary Evil Woman, the Second Time in Her Life
- The Suspects of Necromancy
- The Exiled Merchant Saves the World with the Power of Gold (translated by my friend meerkat)
- The Last Magic (translated by my friend narwhal)
Also check out my friend Localizermeerkat for more LN translations!
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