Chapter 85: Returne
What is she doing here?’ Noa asked himself.
The girl who was nearing the magical array while holding her enormous axe was someone he had met once.
Though Noa didn’t know her name, she was a memorable person for sure.
Not only because she was Mr. Z’s daughter, but also because of her strength that allowed her to harvest Noa’s echoes.
But there was an even weirder reason.
Something neither of them could explain.
Noa felt a connection with her, as if they were linked or shared something important.
It was more than an internal sensation and affected their nonexistent relationship.
Still, Noa’s sense stretched far wider than the girl’s, allowing him to get inside the array with no problem.
Being a demon had its own perks, and he abused them to the absolute limit.
The magic allowed him to get inside the village.
So he had to begin his raid before the girl realized something was wrong or found a way to destroy the array.
Noa saw the female demon he had been following this entire time, speaking with village guards and explaining to them about his presence.
Little did they know that he was already there before them.
Suddenly, the same demon noticed Noa, her eyes lowering in confusion.
"How?" she exclaimed. "I thought that filthy human killed you."
Demons had a language of their own.
The higher ranking the demon was, the more ancient language they spoke, and the mightier their mana control would become.
Yet, Corpse Puppet fully shifted Noa into the demon’s corpse.
It made it possible for him not only to understand but also to speak their language.
"That’s the wrong question," Noa answered. "You should have asked why I came back."
Instantly, he shot two projectiles in her direction.
Differing from the arrows, the mana flew in a straight curve and hit her and the guard in the throat.
The damage wasn’t otherworldly or enough to kill both of them.
So he appeared before them as they stumbled from the impact and drove his sharp claws into their hearts, pulling them out.
[ You killed Evolved Demon(x2) ]
[ You’ve gained 20,000 Experience points ]
Before the commotion started, Noa shot the magical energy at the nearby guards.
The demons were surprised when their own man attacked, as betrayal never existed in their ranks.
Noa used confusion to his advantage.
Moving swiftly and decisively, he was constantly firing mana bolts and harvesting their hearts like a grim reaper.
[ Level Up! ]
[ You gained 1 Attribute Point ]
Though he managed to increase his level, Noa didn’t lose his momentum and struck the struggling demons without a single delay.
’I have to finish this before she infiltrates,’ he thought.
The exact number of demons was unknown, yet Noa didn’t halt his steps.
However, the demons weren’t some dumb creatures who would remain idle and watch him massacre an entire village.
They regained their composure and struck back.
Noa had to dodge their offensive line of defense.
He was also surrounded by ten demons, breaching the gap between them.
His main goal was to reach level 30 before Mr. Z’s daughter appeared and started her killing spree.
In addition, Noa had no echoes to spare, and he had to be careful.
But it didn’t mean that he had no options.
Corpse Puppet was his greatest advantage.
Shooting explosive blasts at the nearest foe and exploding it on impact, Noa destroyed a heart and shifted his mind.
Just as the previous body he was controlling went limp, he gained hold of another puppet to use.
It birthed other unexpected attacks he could employ.
As a result, two demons succumbed to Noa’s wrath and fell to the ground, filling his experience bar.
Just then, before he was pounced on once again, Noa shifted his mind.
He was constantly looking for new bodies and using new, unpredictable ways to slaughter demons.
His mind was occupied with a fleeting skill he was testing.
Some boosted his melee abilities, allowing him to add more explosion to his attacks.
One time, he was a cleric, leaving the demons with no healers.
[ Skill: Sin Heal ]
— You can transform nearby spilled blood into healing energy. Heal allies and yourself for 15% of the total blood absorbed.
It also allowed Noa to heal himself.
The rare attacks that touched him were swiftly mended, making Noa an unkillable cockroach.
[ You killed Evolved Demon(x4) ]
[ You’ve gained 35,000 Experience points ]
[ Level Up! ]
[ You gained 1 Attribute Point ]
The only reason Noa was getting less EXP was his level.
He became more than five levels higher than them, which lowered the amount of experience points he would get.
But not by much.
It was enough for him to reach level 29.
’Only one step remains,’ he considered. ’I hope she won’t show up for at least a minute.’
As if jinxing himself with a single thought, the magical array shook with a strong pressure.
It trembled under the weight of something beyond its defensive capabilities.
"Shit," Noa exclaimed and shattered another heart in the meantime.
The frightened demons thought he was responsible for whatever was going on, pouncing on him with desperation.
"Stop him!"
"We can’t let him destroy the array."
"We are doomed if that happens!"
The demons roared, blasting Noa with everything they had.
"Doom?" he repeated loudly, watching the sky crack. "You were doomed from the moment I came here."
Each wound he sustained had closed.
The pool of blood and his deep mana pool allowed him to escape their deathly assaults.
Noa was menaced enough to strike back amidst the chaotic scene, delivering enough damage to slaughter the last surviving combatants.
Just then, as he was getting the system messages, the magical energy crumbled.
The lifeline of the demons was no more.
Yet no soldiers were alive to cry it out.
In the middle of the bloodied street stood Noa, glancing at the notifications that announced the start of his successful evolution.
But his sense caught an approach.
[ Returne ???? Lv. ??? ]
The girl with a great axe neared him.
’Wait, she is already a Returne?’ Noa realized.
But her words stunned him completely.
"What is my admirer doing here? And why the hell do you look like a demon?"
The heir of the human domain and the true princess of the world recognized Noa from the connection they shared.
