From Trash to Demon Lord: I Can Turn Heroines Into Villainesses

Chapter 83: Reaching the Altar...

Saint Gabriel’s fists became engulfed in electricity.

Tiny bolts crackled along his arms.

The energy intensified with every passing second.

He slammed both fists into the floor.

The discharge raced through the Saints’ Chamber like a massive serpent of light.

The marble exploded.

The electricity surged directly toward the group.

Dawn stepped forward.

She drove the tip of her katana into the floor, and a thick layer of ice spread out beneath her feet, rapidly expanding throughout the entire chamber.

The electricity collided with the frozen surface.

For a brief instant, the two elements struggled against one another.

Then, the ice absorbed the discharge.

The chamber filled with steam.

Dawn slowly raised her katana.

Its blade was now entirely made of ice.

At the same time...

A crystalline crown appeared atop her head.

Her blue eyes shone with such intensity that even Catherine instinctively stepped back.

Gabriel smiled.

"I already told your father he should strip you of that title."

The princess held his gaze.

"Too bad he didn’t listen to you."

"It doesn’t matter."

The Saint slowly rolled his neck.

"I can take it away myself."

Tessa stepped forward.

Her golden spear burned with the Phoenix’s flames.

The two women stood side by side.

Ice and fire.

Gabriel let out a small laugh.

"What a dramatic scene."

They didn’t answer.

Audrey shot forward from the left.

Claws immediately followed.

The massive bear roared as his four arms slammed against the floor, launching himself forward with even greater speed.

At the same time...

Catherine sprinted along the wall to the right.

Her bone claws dug into the stone as though it were wood.

Felix flowed across her body as pure golden energy.

Misty leaped into the air.

She spun gracefully.

"Razor Gust!"

Three consecutive kicks unleashed enormous blades of wind.

The shockwaves tore across the chamber.

Gabriel simply raised one hand.

The blades exploded against his arm.

He didn’t even take a step back.

Then they all reached him at once.

Dawn’s katana.

Tessa’s spear.

Audrey’s daggers.

Catherine’s claws.

Claws’ paws.

And Misty’s next kick.

The impacts shook the entire chamber.

For a single instant...

It seemed they had truly reached him.

Then Gabriel started laughing.

"Is that all?"

The electricity vanished from his arms.

Instead, his body slowly began absorbing the force of every single blow.

His muscles swelled.

Veins bulged across his skin.

A crimson aura began enveloping him.

Catherine’s eyes widened.

"..."

Tessa noticed it as well.

"No..."

Gabriel’s smile grew even wider.

Then he released all that accumulated energy.

BOOOOOOM.

A colossal shockwave erupted around him.

Every woman was blasted away.

Audrey rolled across the floor.

Misty crashed into a pillar.

Tessa drove her spear into the ground in an attempt to stop herself.

Dawn managed to stay on her feet for only a few seconds before being forced back several meters.

Claws was the only one who wasn’t completely blown away.

Even so...

He still skidded several meters across the marble floor.

Gabriel calmly looked at the result.

Satisfied.

Catherine was the first to stand again.

She breathed heavily.

"He’s..."

She looked at the Saint.

"He’s just like that woman in the golden armor..."

Tessa wiped a little blood from the corner of her lips.

"And he can also use the Phoenix Spear..."

Audrey got back to her feet.

Her black eyes remained locked on Gabriel.

"Then..."

She tightened her grip on one of her daggers.

"He’s just like Nox."

Gabriel raised an eyebrow.

"Just like the demon?"

Audrey answered without looking away.

"He can use some of the powers from the titles he grants."

The Saint smiled.

"That wasn’t a difficult conclusion to reach."

His eyes slowly swept across the group.

"Though I must admit..."

His smile widened.

"...it’s interesting to learn that the demon is the one who granted all of your titles."

◇◆◇

Several meters behind them...

The shadows shifted.

Nox silently emerged.

He looked at all of his companions.

Bruised.

Injured.

Yet still ready to keep fighting.

He clenched his fists.

’I should help them...’

Then he turned his head.

The altar was still there.

Waiting for him.

And the message continued floating before his eyes.

[Go to the altar.]

Nox closed his eyes for a moment.

’Damn it...’

He looked back at the group.

Then at the altar.

And finally made his decision.

He ran.

Gabriel immediately turned his head.

His eyes found the demon.

"You’re next."

He started walking toward him.

But just before he could...

A black arrow pierced straight through his torso.

Gabriel stopped.

He slowly looked down at the arrow.

Then turned his head.

Audrey was kneeling several meters away.

She had summoned a massive bow formed entirely from dark energy.

Her eyes radiated the same darkness as her weapons.

The huntress smiled.

"Look at me."

Gabriel pulled the arrow out with one hand.

"What a nuisance."

He didn’t get to finish speaking.

Misty appeared directly above him.

She spun completely in midair.

Her heel descended straight toward the Saint’s head.

Gabriel barely managed to tilt his neck.

The kick didn’t land cleanly.

But the sharp edge of her heel sliced across his face.

A thin line of blood slowly ran down his cheek.

The Saint touched the wound with two fingers.

He looked at the blood.

Then smiled.

"It seems..."

He looked back at Audrey and Misty.

"...I’ll have to postpone having fun with the demon."

◇◆◇

While they continued fighting...

Nox finally reached the altar.

Resting before him were seven enormous gemstones.

Red.

Blue.

Green.

White.

Black.

Gold.

And violet.

Each one embedded into the stone.

"So... what the hell am I supposed to do now?"

He stared at them for a few seconds.

Then touched one.

Nothing.

He tried another.

Still nothing happened.

He frowned.

"Hello?"

Silence.

He touched another gem.

Nothing.

"It can’t be this complicated."

He searched around for some kind of mechanism.

There were no buttons.

No inscriptions.

Nothing.

Then another message appeared.

[Be patient.]

Nox blinked.

"What?"

The system wrote again.

[Place both hands on the altar.]

[Then...]

[Close your eyes.]

Nox remained motionless.

Behind him, the sounds of battle continued echoing.

Clashing metal.

Explosions.

Roars.

Shouts.

He slowly turned his head.

He saw Dawn colliding with Gabriel once again.

Tessa thrusting her flaming spear.

Audrey firing another dark arrow.

Misty forcing the Saint backward with her kicks.

Claws trying to pin him down.

And Catherine throwing herself at him once more, with Felix enveloping her entire body.

Everyone was fighting.

To buy him time.

Nox smiled.

"I can trust all of you."

He took a deep breath.

Placed both hands on the altar.

He felt energy surge through his entire body.

Then slowly closed his eyes.

Everything disappeared.

There were no sounds.

No pain.

No cold.

Only darkness.

Several seconds passed.

Then...

The darkness began to fade.

An immense radiance appeared before him.

Everything turned completely white.

Nox narrowed his eyes.

And at that exact moment...

He heard that voice again.

The very same voice that had changed his life forever.

"At last... you’ve arrived."