READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 118
118. Simple Is Good
“…We meet again, Haruto.”
The figure had armor resembling a deep-blue carapace.
A mask evoking a wolf.
A long tail stretching from the waist.
“Jack-san…!?”
I raised my voice in surprise at the sudden appearance of the Beast Knight.
He was a Divine Skill Holder with whom I had once fought side by side against Dialva, one of the Six Demon Generals who attacked the royal capital.
An ability user who can [Enhance] anything—
If that power is converted into offense, it unleashes overwhelming destructive force.
He was the most reliable ally I could hope for.
“What are you doing here…?”
“I sensed something. So, I came.”
Jack-san’s response was simple.
“To defeat them… to kill them… that’s why.”
…Huh?
A slight discomfort gnawed at me.
Something felt subtly different about him.
Though his Beast Knight form looked ferocious, there had always been a certain warmth in his demeanor.
But now, that warmth was gone, replaced by an unsettlingly ominous air.
It felt as though he was even more dangerous than the Demon Generals before me.
“Is something wrong, Haruto?”
Jack-san asked with a puzzled expression.
The crimson eyes behind his wolf mask glimmered softly.
And just like that, the ominous aura vanished.
…Was it just my imagination?
“No, it’s nothing.”
I shook my head from side to side.
“Were they after the capital, too?”
Jack-san asked.
“No, it seems they came to hunt those with divine power.”
“So… that makes them our enemies.”
Jack-san let out a feral growl.
“In that case—we destroy them.”
“…!”
That eerie presence from before seeped out again.
The pressure was so intense I could hardly breathe.
…Something is definitely off.
But there’s no time to dwell on it now.
Jack-san is on our side.
We need to work together and get through this somehow.
I turned to face the Demon Generals once more.
“What’s the plan, Haruto?”
“Same as when we fought Dialva. You take the offense, I’ll handle defense and support—that should be our best formation.”
I answered Jack-san’s question.
“Yeah. Simple is good.”
He nodded in agreement.
“So, you possess divine power, too—but not the same absolute defense that boy has.”
Victim looked down on us quietly.
“Perish, insignificant humans— [Hammer Blast].”
A colossal stone fist descended.
The fist, clad in green phosphorescence, shattered the air as it bore down.
I tried to shield Jack-san with my skill—
“No need.”
With those words, the Beast Knight casually raised his fist.
The giant’s fist and Jack-san’s collided.
A heavy metallic clang echoed as if two massive iron objects had clashed.
“Urgh…!?”
Victim, towering over 20 meters tall, staggered.
He had lost in raw power against Jack-san’s punch.
Despite the vast difference in size,
Jack-san’s sheer physical strength—empowered by his [Enhancement]—was overwhelming.
Meanwhile, Lilith and the others—
“Meriel-san, please stop!”
“Say it isn’t true!”
“You’re still as naïve as ever, aren’t you?”
With a bitter expression, Meriel responded to Alice and Lilith’s pained cries.
“You know, that’s really annoying.”
Zarea grinned mockingly, releasing countless scythes.
“Can I just kill them already~? Heh heh.”
But it was pointless.
Before my defensive skill—
“[Fi Oro Ute].”
It was Victim who murmured those words.
He can use magic too!?
“What…!?”
Lilith and Alice gasped in surprise.
In the same instant, they vanished.
“No, wait, this is—”
A teleportation spell!?
It must be similar to the space-warping ability of the demon we fought before—D Eater.
Teleported beyond the range of my defensive skill,
the two of them were now vulnerable.
“Nice assist, Victim. Now die~”
Zarea unleashed a swarm of scythes.
Hundreds of blades, sharp enough to cut even a Demon General, flew toward the two girls.
Damn it, will I make it in time—?
I conjured a rainbow-hued sphere and sent it flying toward Lilith and Alice.
But it was just a moment too late.
“Gah…!”
Blood splattered.
Blue blood.
“What…?”
Lilith, Alice, and I all let out stunned voices.
A figure stood in front of the two girls, shielding them.
“Run… now… please…”
The one sliced apart by the countless scythes and collapsing to the ground was—
Meriel.
Why did she protect them…?
I stared in shock at the demon girl lying there.
“Hah… hah… hah…”
Meriel stood, her black dress now stained with blue blood.
Her torn outfit revealed pale skin beneath.
“Meriel-san!?”
“Meriel!”
Alice and Lilith’s anguished cries echoed.
“Don’t… worry…”
A staff shimmered above Meriel’s head as she answered them.
She must have cast some magic—her clothes and skin returned to their original state.
However, the damage hadn’t completely healed.
Meriel’s expression was still strained with pain.
A pool of blue blood spread at her feet.