Surviving as a Barbarian in a Fantasy World

Chapter 109: The Invasion of Evil (2)

“…Demon King.”

Maximus groaned.

There wasn’t much information about the Demon King.

He was an ancient being, appearing only in old myths.

But despite that, the name of the Demon King was firmly etched into people’s minds.

The Great War, when gods descended to the mortal realm to fight against demons.

The one who killed countless gods in that war.

The one who burned nine-tenths of the world.

The lord of hell.

The king of all demons.

The Demon King is descending to the mortal realm again.

Maximus’s eyes darkened.

“A terrifying thought.”

“You should rejoice. It means the rightful ruler is returning to this land.”

“For you filthy demons, maybe.”

Maximus drew his sword.

Aura quickly circulated through his body.

He didn’t know why Ashetiar had descended, but it was likely related to the Demon King’s descent.

In that case, his task was clear.

Stop Ashetiar.

With determination in his eyes, Ashetiar laughed and raised his hammer.

“Come at me.”

Before he even finished speaking, Maximus charged.

In an instant, he moved behind Ashetiar.

His swordsmanship skill was enhancing his body, pushing his speed to the extreme.

Ashetiar couldn’t completely keep up with Maximus’s movements.

Ashetiar was impressed.

“Fast. But it doesn’t matter.”

Kakakak!

Dark spikes erupted from Ashetiar’s body.

Maximus quickly retreated.

Then Ashetiar lunged at Maximus, swinging his hammer violently.

Maximus, trying to block the attack, felt a chill run down his spine.

He quickly dodged.

The hammer struck the ground.

Boom!

The earth shook, shattering and leaving a crater.

Ashetiar muttered regretfully.

“If you’d tried to block it, you’d be a pulp.”

“…….”

Maximus narrowed his eyes.

‘Strong.’

He was faster, but in pure strength, he was outmatched.

Ashetiar’s defense also made him difficult to deal with.

Honestly, he wasn’t in a favorable position at all.

‘…And this is a lower-ranked demon with a name.’

Ashetiar was one of the weaker named demons, just a simple demon without a title.

Yet even such a demon could fight on equal terms with a sword master like him.

‘This is a demon.’

Beings that once ravaged the world.

But he wasn’t alone.

Maximus tightened his grip on his sword.

There was another superhuman-level fighter here.

‘Arkamis.’

The elf alchemist.

As far as he knew, she too had reached the realm of the superhuman.

Ashetiar was strong, but not overwhelmingly so.

She hadn’t even established a territory, so with one more superhuman-level fighter, they could defeat him without much trouble.

‘…And there’s the Barbarian.’

The barbarian who had easily defeated him.

As much as he hated to admit it, that barbarian could likely hold his own against a demon.

His task was to hold out until then.

As Maximus sorted his thoughts, Ashetiar spoke.

“Waiting for the elf?”

“…What?”

Maximus froze momentarily.

How did she know about the elf?

Ashetiar sneered at him.

“You responded to our descent. Because of a divine revelation.”

The Earth Goddess had foretold that evil would descend upon the Kingdom of Denian.

Though the revelation was unclear, it had allowed them to prepare.

It wasn’t just this time.

Whenever it concerned the descent of evil, the gods had given them warnings in advance.

That’s why they could respond to evil.

“But things have changed. Do you think only you get revelations?”

Ashetiar grinned.

“I didn’t come alone. Another one descended to capture that elf. And he’s stronger than me. You can’t stop us.”

“Damn it.”

Maximus swore.

Demons also had revelations?

The world was truly becoming twisted.

Maximus gripped his sword tightly.

Then a thought occurred to him.

Ashetiar had only mentioned the elf.

‘…Does she not know about the barbarian?’

But the thought didn’t continue.

Ashetiar charged again.

Maximus quickly moved to counter.

* * *

“Wha-what?”

Shortly before Maximus and Ashetiar clashed, Arkamis felt it.

For an ordinary elf, it would have been a considerable distance to sense, but she was special.

A demon had descended upon the Kingdom of Denian.

And not just any demon—a named demon.

“Wait a minute. It looks like I need to move too….”

She hadn’t planned to act beyond her contract.

But when it came to demons, it was a different story.

“Ketal.”

“Yes, what is it?”

As she began to speak to Ketal, her expression suddenly changed.

“Ah!”

She rushed outside urgently, with Ketal following behind.

As a result, they saw it.

In the yard in front of the house, a dark disturbance was occurring.

Arkamis’s expression changed dramatically.

She raised her hand.

“Banish it!”

The domain moved according to its master’s will.

It sought to expel the filthy intruder from her space.

But it was impossible.

The dark disturbance grew larger and larger, polluting the ground and spilling out filthy things.

It was too late.

Arkamis gritted her teeth.

“Ketal! Hide inside the house! Don’t come out until I tell you to!”

“Understood.”

Ketal nodded.

Shortly after he went inside the house,

Crack.

The dark disturbance split open.

From within, a being stepped onto the ground.

“Ah. I’ve arrived properly.”

It spoke.

Violet deer antlers.

A body three times larger than an average human.

And a greatsword matching its size.

A demon had descended.

Arkamis immediately swung her hand.

“Bind and capture! Then tear it apart and kill it!”

The domain moved.

Grass in the yard grew and wrapped around the demon’s legs.

The very air itself swelled to bind and crush the demon’s body.

“Hm.”

The demon swung its jet-black greatsword.

Boom!

The rising domain was cut down.

The freed demon laughed.

“You’re quite violent. I thought we could have a conversation.”

“What conversation can you have with a demon?”

Arkamis glared at the demon with a tense face.

“…Butler, the Demon of Severance.”

A named demon.

A mid-level demon, even among named ones.

It had descended to the mortal realm centuries ago and attacked holy sites.

“How did a demon like you descend to the mortal realm?”

There was no help from a dark sorcerer or a congregation of evil.

Suddenly, a mass of darkness gathered, and it descended.

It was clearly unusual.

“This world is no longer yours.”

Butler said calmly.

Arkamis twisted her lips.

“…You’re trying to keep me occupied while you destroy the kingdom?”

A demon had descended in the Kingdom of Denian.

It seemed they were trying to prevent her from going to help.

But Butler denied her guess.

“That’s merely a secondary task. Our main target is you.”

Butler looked at Arkamis with calm eyes.

“The only high elf who left the sanctuary. The heretic of the elves.”

“High elf?”

Ketal, watching through a window inside the house, looked surprised.

Arkamis’s pupils widened.

“…You know about me?”

“We have ways to gather information too. We were wondering how to capture a high elf, but with someone like you, it’s much easier.”

Butler said.

“You are a necessary sacrifice for His descent. It would be best if you came with us willingly.”

“…Ha.”

After a moment of silence, Arkamis spoke.

“How dare filthy evil target a noble high elf. Know your place.”

Her voice was laced with mockery.

Arkamis scoffed at Butler.

“I know you, Butler.”

Arkamis sneered.

“You descended centuries ago but were banished without accomplishing anything by a passing saint. As far as I know, you’re the only demon who was banished without doing anything. And yet, you dare set foot on the mortal realm again. Aren’t you ashamed?”

“…….”

Butler’s expression slightly changed at her words.

His face twisted for a moment, then he calmed his emotions.

“It seems negotiations have failed. Unfortunately, I’ll have to use force.”

“That’s my line. You, who were banished, dare to crawl back without knowing your place. How dare you set your filthy foot in my domain?”

Arkamis narrowed her eyes.

Her usual light-hearted demeanor was nowhere to be seen.

The fact that she showed such emotions meant that demons were indeed something she loathed.

Arkamis stomped her foot.

She was an alchemist.

This space itself was a domain she had created.

The domain began to manifest its power violently, according to its master’s will.

“I’ll tear you limb from limb and send you back to hell.”

Butler raised his greatsword.

The elf and the demon clashed.

And Ketal was watching the entire scene.

* * *

‘Weren’t named demons supposed to have difficulty coming to the surface?’

Ketal tilted his head in confusion.

He had already seen two named demons.

Moreover, there had been no significant signs or portents.

Contrary to Aquaz’s words, their descent didn’t seem particularly difficult.

‘So she’s a high elf.’

A higher race of elves.

Listening to the demon named Butler, it seemed she was an exceptionally rare existence.

‘She really is special.’

Why had a high elf come out into the world?

His curiosity was piqued.

And that wasn’t all.

‘Who is “that person”?’

The demon clearly had a specific purpose in targeting Arkamis.

There was a sense of a complex story unfolding, with a sinister force lurking behind the scenes.

‘This is getting interesting.’

Ketal smiled.

It was a thoroughly amused smile.

“For now, I’ll just watch.”

Muttering to himself, Ketal dragged a chair over.

He sat by the window on the second floor and leisurely watched the battle unfold.

The clash between the elf and the demon.

He wouldn’t miss such an entertaining spectacle.

Arkamis threw something.

It began to amplify, creating a massive wave of magical energy that engulfed the demon.

The air shook as the waves spread in all directions.

‘Impressive.’

The power Arkamis displayed was considerably strong.

At a glance, it was far from ordinary.

Ketal judged that she could even overwhelm Cain, the swordmaster of the Barkan territory.

But the demon was not weak either.

It blocked Arkamis’s powerful attacks with relative ease.

With just a swing of its greatsword, the force was severed and dissipated.

‘Is there some special power in that greatsword?’

Ketal watched the battle with great interest.

* * *

Rumble…

The waves subsided.

Butler swung his greatsword.

“You’re strong.”

“Then you should leave now.”

Arkamis narrowed her eyes.

“This is my domain.”

She was an alchemist.

Within her domain, she could exert power beyond her level.

Even a named demon couldn’t be easily subdued.

“No.”

But Butler spoke calmly.

“You will be defeated. And you will be captured and become a sacrifice for the great one’s descent.”

“…You talk as if you’ve seen the future.”

“The future.”

Butler laughed.

“You’re not wrong. A great revelation has been given to us.”

Butler spoke with unwavering conviction, as if it were an absolute truth, an answer that could never be wrong.

Filled with faith.

“We will achieve our purpose. That is the will of the revelation.”