Surviving as a Barbarian in a Fantasy World

Chapter 203: Passage of Hell (4)

Boom!

Power exploded.

Monsters were crushed.

The entire plain, once teeming with monsters, was suddenly cleared.

"You bastard!"

Three demons simultaneously rushed at Ketal.

They unleashed their powers:

- Abaddon's power, which brings all things to ruin.

- Steno's power, which twists and distorts the world.

- Bael's power, which devalues and degrades everything.

The powers of the three top-tier superhuman demons converged on Ketal.

Yet, his body remained unchanged.

The demonic powers shattered against Ketal's body.

Ketal charged forward, arriving instantly in front of Abaddon.

Abaddon swiftly swung his spear, imbued with his power.

A single stab from it would bring complete annihilation to any flesh, rendering it irrecoverable.

Crack!

Ketal grabbed the spear with his bare hands and broke it.

He then swung his axe, splitting Abaddon in half.

Crash!

The other demons attacked Ketal's back.

He casually turned, deflecting their powers with his axe.

Clang!

Ketal stomped his foot and instantly reached the other demons, splitting their bodies before they could react.

"You crazy!"

Steno, having restored her body, looked incredulous.

‘We can't do anything even with the three of us together?’

They were being overwhelmed like children.

Steno couldn't accept it.

Sbe felt no significant difference compared to when they faced the High Elf Queen.

‘This guy is supposed to be a hero?’

Rubitra had claimed to face him alone to some extent, but that was natural.

After confronting Rubitra, Ketal had identified demons as his enemies.

If they were his enemies, he would face them as such.

Ketal charged at the restored Steno.

Steno erected a barrier of demonic energy, a defense of absolute strength made by intertwining countless layers of demonic power.

Ketal muttered softly.

"Blutka."

Divinity enveloped Ketal's axe.

The divinely charged axe shattered Steno's defense and butchered his body. Ketal laughed in satisfaction.

"Is this the power of divinity? I like it."

"Don't be ridiculous!"

Steno, having restored her body again, gritted her teeth.

Her defense couldn't have been pierced by such a thin layer of divinity.

It was Ketal's strength that had shattered her defense; the divinity was just an aid.

‘What is that axe?’

The black axe Ketal wielded was also strange.

Despite blocking their attacks and breaking through defenses, the axe blade remained unscathed.

At this rate, killing Ketal seemed impossible.

The High Elf Queen would soon clear all the corruption and arrive.

If that happened, it would be the end.

Even without the High Elf Queen, it was unclear if they could manage.

She couldn't see any way to pierce that body.

"No...!"

Rubitra had left a red mark on Ketal's body.

Although it would disappear over time, it proved that his body wasn't invincible.

They were demons of the same rank as Rubitra.

If the three of them combined their full power, they could break through.

Steno signaled to the other demons.

They nodded slightly.

"Huff!"

The demons exerted all their power.

The ground around Ketal began to collapse and crumble.

Ketal's body started to sink into the earth.

Ketal's eyes gleamed.

"Oh?"

"Die!"

The demons concentrated their powers, forming a single line of ruin, rotation, and fall aimed at Ketal's heart.

The full power of the three top-tier superhuman demons was indeed formidable.

Perhaps it could pierce Ketal's body.

"Oops."

Ketal twisted his body lightly.

His floating body moved, his arm reached out.

He slightly touched the tip of the converging line of power.

Screech!

The angled line pierced the sky.

The demons' combined attack was effortlessly deflected.

Ketal landed on the crumbling ground, laughing heartily.

"That last attack was quite decent. I'll give you that."

"...Ah, right."

Steno chuckled hollowly.

A sharp sword can indeed cut through human flesh.

But a novice holding a sword couldn't pierce a martial arts master.

Every attempt would be deflected or blocked.

Even if it could pierce, hitting the target was another matter entirely.

This barbarian wasn't just pushing with sheer strength.

He knew how to use techniques and strategies.

They never had a chance from the beginning.

Steno realized this, as did the other two demons, who also laughed hollowly while lying on the ground.

"Is it over? It was fun, but a bit boring."

Ketal climbed out of the collapsed ground, seemingly disappointed.

Steno muttered weakly.

"You, you shouldn't side with the surface world. You're the enemies of both sides..."

"You're quite sure of yourself. I'm curious about what you mean."

At that moment, the wind settled.

"How dare you."

Karin, who had returned unnoticed, spoke coldly.

"How dare worms like you target our sanctuary, the World Tree..."

Karin snapped her fingers lightly.

The wind bound the demons' bodies entirely.

They couldn't even blink of their own volition.

"You will pay dearly for this crime."

"Is all the corruption removed?"

"I couldn't remove it completely right away, so I isolated it for now. We’ll have to remove it slowly, but the major threat is gone. Thank you, Ketal. And..."

"Huff, huff, huff."

Karin looked at the nearly dead Arkamis.

"Arkamis, you did well too. If it weren't for you, the damage would have been greater. I didn’t expect the hidden catalysts to be so effective here."

"Then make sure to take care of me next time..."

"Arkamis, are you okay?"

"No... help me..."

Ketal readily supported Arkamis, who, despite being near death, managed a faint smile.

Karin watched them with a peculiar expression.

"What will you do with these guys? Capture them and extract information?"

"I'd like to, but... demons won't say anything."

Even if it meant their own destruction, demons would never aid the beings of the surface world.

That was the nature of demons, the eternal enemies of the Middle World.

"I see."

Ketal smacked his lips in disappointment.

The demons seemed to know something about him, but finding out was impossible.

Karin lightly snapped her fingers, opening Steno's mouth.

"Speak."

"Though we've failed this time... we will continue to target the surface. Reverse summon us."

Steno's expression was calm.

They were demons, beings of Hell, fundamentally not of this world.

The concept of death didn't apply to them.

The best the surface dwellers could do was send them back to Hell.

They would need some time to recover their demonic energy, but that was all.

Thus, the demons remained calm even in their restrained state.

Karin's lips twisted in displeasure.

"You seem confident. Do you think going back to Hell is an easy escape?"

She moved her slender fingers above Steno's head.

"Daring to defile our sanctuary and invade the World Tree, you think you can just walk away? Not a chance."

The wind flowed through Karin's fingers into Steno's body.

Steno, who had been looking up in confusion, suddenly widened his eyes.

"Ah, ah. Aaaaaah! Aaaaaaaah!"

A terrible scream erupted.

Steno's eyes trembled wildly.

He struggled to escape, but Karin's restraint held firm.

The other demons, seeing this, widened their eyes in disbelief.

A demon, screaming in pain inflicted by a being of the surface world, was unimaginable.

Ketal asked with interest,

"What are you doing?"

"I am called a hero."

She could interfere with essence and laws.

"Even if they are beings of Hell, I can disrupt their essence. While complete annihilation is impossible... I can ruin their very nature."

"Aaaaaaaah!"

Steno's body shook violently.

Unable to endure the pain, his eyes rolled back, and his body slowly began to disintegrate.

Karin cheerfully dusted her hands.

"He won't die. But he will suffer unimaginable pain for centuries. Now, it's your turn."

She smiled brightly.

For the first time, fear appeared on the demons' faces.

* * *

After the situation was resolved, the elves began restoring the damaged forest.

Karin stood atop the World Tree, and Ketal spoke to her.

"How extensive is the damage?"

"Considering their full force, it's minimal."

Though some elves were injured, none had died.

Half of the vast Schwarzwald forest had burned, but given the power of Hellfire, the damage was relatively insignificant.

"And they failed in their primary objective."

The demons' main goal was to corrupt the World Tree.

But the World Tree remained intact.

Though slightly tainted, immediate action had prevented major problems.

It was still an issue, but much better than the worst-case scenario.

The demons were driven back to Hell without achieving their goal, making the defense a success.

However, there was still some damage.

"They took a branch of the World Tree."

Karin bit her lip as she looked at the severed branch.

"They must have needed it for something. I can't imagine what demons would do with a branch of the World Tree."

"...There are many uses for it."

The World Tree was one of the purest entities in the world.

Whether corrupted or kept pure, it had numerous applications.

For instance, using the severed branch to summon demons could bring forth several named demons.

Such a thing in the hands of Hell was very bad news for the surface world.

Karin's mouth tasted bitter.

As the queen, she had to protect the World Tree, but she had allowed it to be wounded.

Without Ketal, the corruption would have spread beyond her control.

The mere thought gave her chills.

"Thank you very much, Ketal."

"It's nothing."

Ketal smiled brightly.

"I have my own reasons. But do you really have time for a leisurely conversation?"

"Well, no."

As the leader of the sanctuary, she had to deal with not only the corruption of the World Tree but also the forest's damage.

Ketal spoke.

"Go on. I'll wait patiently."

"Thank you very much."

Karin bowed her head deeply.

The elves began restoring the forest.

Despite the damage, the Wind Spirit King's power helped the recovery process.

A few days later, Ketal and Karin met again.

"It seems it's almost over."

"Yes. There's still some work to do, but nature will take care of the rest."

"You seem relaxed. May I ask you something now?"

"Yes. What would you like to know?"

Ketal asked her.

Karin hesitated at the question.

"The demons told me that I cannot take sides with you. They said I am the enemy of the world. Do you know anything about that?"