Surviving as a Barbarian in a Fantasy World

Chapter 145: Advent of the the Great Evil (5)

“I have no such obligation. It’s puzzling, but… fine. I get the gist of it. My task is simple then.”

Rubitra raised his hand.

Lines of demonic energy begin to flow out.

The dark energy contained within those lines was thicker and stronger than before.

Knowing that his opponent’s very body was mystical, there was only one thing he needed to do.

He needed to infuse his attacks with even stronger mystic energy.

Weaker mystic energy would always be pierced by stronger mystic energy.

“I’ve accumulated quite a lot myself. If it were Butler or Ashetiar, maybe, but at my level, I can pierce your body.”

He was the demon of Demonic Lines.

Rubitra.

A being who had left countless scars upon the land, etching his name in the process.

“I’ll turn you into a skewer.”

“If you can, that would be delightful.”

Ketal laughed as if he was genuinely pleased.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes. Thank you, Rakza.”

Shadrenes managed to put some distance between herself and the fight with Rakza’s help.

The battle between Ketal and Rubitra was incredibly fierce.

Even though Ketal was moving with caution, it wasn’t good for either of them to stay close by.

Having finally gained some distance, they took a moment to catch their breath.

Rakza muttered with a bitter expression.

“…That demon wasn’t serious at all.”

The attacks the demon was unleashing on Ketal—each one of them had the power that would have made them risk their lives.

It was a stark contrast to when he had faced them.

That demon had merely been toying with them.

They had just been fooled into believing they could win.

Like children deceived by an adult’s lie.

Rakza felt a sense of futility and simultaneously astonishment.

“I never imagined Ketal was that strong…”

Against a demon revealing his true power, Ketal was holding the upper hand.

Rakza knew Ketal was stronger than himself, but he never thought the gap would be this wide.

“…It’s disheartening.”

Rakza laughed bitterly.

He took pride in his strength.

A holy knight of superhuman level.

Not just a minor one, but a true superhuman.

Even across the entire continent, he was among the top-tier fighters.

Rakza believed he wouldn’t easily fall to anyone.

But now he realized there were those above him.

A height so great, he could never reach it at this point.

His strength meant nothing to those above.

His pride and confidence were shattered.

He muttered with a mix of futility and respect.

“They’re monsters. Both of them.”

* * *

Dozens of lines of demonic energy rained down all at once.

The attacks came so rapidly, there was no room to dodge.

Ketal swung both hands.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The lines struck his hands, bending, bouncing off, and shattering.

Ketal dashed toward the open space.

In an instant, he was right in front of Rubitra.

Whenever Ketal attacked at this speed before, no one had been able to respond and was beaten down.

But Rubitra wasn’t that easy to take down.

Seeing Ketal approach, he quickly gathered lines to form a shield.

Although the shield shattered the moment Ketal’s fist hit it, it bought enough time to create some distance.

Having blocked Ketal’s attack and gained distance, Rubitra sharply pulled his hand back.

Lines of demonic energy shot toward Ketal’s head.

The power and force within them were extraordinary, even adding a rotational twist to alter their trajectory.

And Ketal clenched his fist.

Bang!

The stream shattered as it collided with his fist, scattering in all directions.

Rubitra muttered in disbelief.

“Monster.”

Despite the significant power in his attacks, Ketal blocked them effortlessly.

‘How much energy is infused in that body?’

Simply enhancing it wasn’t enough.

He needed to consolidate his very authority into a single strike.

Only then could he pierce Ketal’s body.

Rubitra began to gather his power slowly, ensuring Ketal wouldn’t notice.

Ketal cheerfully dusted off his hands.

“You’re strong.”

It was the first time he had such a battle outside.

It was enjoyable in its own way.

Ketal laughed heartily.

And that attitude grated on Rubitra’s nerves.

He was doing his utmost to pierce Ketal’s body.

But Ketal showed no sense of urgency, only seeming to enjoy himself.

As if the battle with him was just a pastime.

Rubitra found that extremely displeasing.

He narrowed his eyes.

“…I acknowledge your strength, Barbarian. But you interfered with us. We will kill you.”

Ketal had once been marked by Ashetiar.

Due to the uniqueness of his body, it didn’t hold much meaning, but the mark was akin to a bounty placed on a surface dweller by hell.

“When we invade the surface, you will be the first to die. Every being in hell will move to eliminate you.”

Rubitra declared.

Hell, a force that once scorched this world, was now targeting an individual.

Even a hero-level warrior couldn’t guarantee their survival.

It was something anyone on the continent would fear.

But Ketal wore a strange expression.

“So, you are my enemy.”

“Why such a sudden, nonsensical remark now?”

Rubitra chuckled.

Ketal muttered.

“It seems our relationship won’t change.”

“Did you think that after all you’ve done to hinder us?”

Rubitra sneered, thinking Ketal was finally afraid.

“We will kill you. We will tear your body apart and scatter it across the world, capture your soul, and use it as fuel for hell. Even if you bow your head and beg for your life, we will still do it.”

“I see.”

Ketal nodded.

“You are my enemies.”

The demons, the warlocks, the world of hell—they were his enemies.

An unchangeable, undeniable enemy.

“Then I understand.”

“It’s too late to surrender out of fear…”

Rubitra’s confident words were cut short.

Ketal’s hand was gripping his head.

Bang!

Rubitra’s body was slammed into the ground.

He, in shock, spewed lines of demonic energy.

Ketal deftly deflected them all with his fingers.

Then he moved his foot.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

The ground cracked open.

Rubitra’s body was smashed to a pulp and disappeared.

“You wretch!”

Rubitra reappeared some distance away from Ketal.

As he hastily tried to wield his demonic energy, Ketal was already in front of him.

He grabbed Rubitra’s arm and slammed him down.

He tore off his arm and separated his head.

“You, you!”

Rubitra, regenerating, tried to back away in shock.

But Ketal was already there again, sending his body flying.

“No!”

Rubitra couldn’t grasp the situation for a moment.

He knew Ketal was stronger, but not to this overwhelming degree.

He thought he had enough room to respond.

But suddenly, he was being overpowered without any time to react.

Rubitra’s eyes widened as he ground his teeth.

“You. Were you not serious all this time?”

Just as he had toyed with Shadrenes and Rakza, Ketal was toying with him.

Rubitra finally realized this.

“Not really.”

Ketal murmured leisurely.

The demons had always seen Ketal as their enemy.

Therefore, they had tried to kill him with all their might.

But Ketal didn’t particularly think much about the demons.

He simply stopped them because they tried to kill his friends and hinder him.

He didn’t harbor any particular malice towards them.

To be honest, he didn’t even recognize them as enemies.

Since coming outside, there had been no one Ketal recognized as an enemy.

It was natural.

Who in their right mind would consider the villains of a fantasy novel as their personal enemies?

Ketal was a modern person.

He had lived in the white snowfield.

He had spent an immeasurable amount of time in that white world, a time that would cause an ordinary human to lose themselves and be consumed by the Barbarian’s persona.

Despite this, the only thing that kept him grounded was his desire for fantasy.

To him, this world was the fantasy world he had longed for.

So much so that it felt unreal.

No matter how much evil the villains committed or how much they hindered the protagonist, they were just characters in a fantasy.

Even if he could empathize, there were always limits.

“But you consider me an enemy.”

If that was the case, he would respond accordingly.

Rip!

Rubitra’s body was torn apart again.

Regenerating, Rubitra spat out curses.

“Madman!”

He finally realized that Ketal hadn’t even recognized him as an enemy.

Filled with deep contempt, Rubitra’s face twisted.

“Barbarian!”

Crack!

Ketal grabbed and twisted Rubitra’s wrist as he tried to spew demonic energy.

He quickly closed in and slammed his shoulder into Rubitra, making half of his body disappear.

Rubitra reappeared, but Ketal, instantly locating him, struck before Rubitra could gather his thoughts.

Rubitra’s body was slammed into the ground again.

As Rubitra was embedded in the earth, he wrapped the tendrils of demonic energy around his arm and swung at Ketal’s head.

Ketal had previously avoided or overpowered such attacks, but this time was different.

He effortlessly deflected Rubitra’s attack with a flick of his arm and slammed Rubitra into the ground.

It was utter domination.

Rubitra was stunned.

“…Even so!”

Rubitra shouted fiercely, gathering even more of his hidden power.

He prepared an attack with everything he had.

“You cannot kill me!”

“Ah.”

Shadrenes’ face turned pale.

Ketal didn’t deny it.

“That’s true. It’s an annoying restriction.”

Pure physical strength alone couldn’t banish a demon.

Mystical power was needed.

But there was no one capable of intervening in the current battle.

Shadrenes and Rakza were utterly exhausted, having depleted their divine power.

Unlike before, Aquaz or Arkamis had no capacity to assist him.

No matter how overwhelmingly Ketal defeated Rubitra, unless he could kill him, Rubitra could still attack the sanctuary, and they wouldn’t be able to stop him.

Thus, Ketal spoke.

“So how about doing more than just watching?”

“What nonsense.”

Rubitra couldn’t understand Ketal’s words.

The only spectators of this battle were Shadrenes and Rakza, who couldn’t help.

The believers were trembling and praying in the sanctuary.

But Ketal wasn’t referring to anyone on the ground.

He looked up at the sky.

The sky above the sanctuary.

A gaze he had felt since he entered the sanctuary.

That gaze had never left him for even a moment.

“If you enjoy watching so much, I wouldn’t mind if you at least paid for the show.”

As Ketal spoke, laughter was heard.

“…Huh?”

Shadrenes, who had been watching nervously, widened her eyes.

The laughter wasn’t from Shadrenes, Rakza, Ketal, or Rubitra.

Shadrenes remembered hearing such laughter before.

“Wha-what?”

She stammered.

The voice that followed confirmed her suspicions.

A mischievous voice, laced with laughter.

It came from the lofty heavens.

Shadrenes held her breath.

“Kalosia…?”

“What?!”

Rubitra was visibly flustered.

He quickly looked up at the sky.

Someone from the great heavens was gazing down at the earth.

And from the sky, a beam of light descended towards Ketal.