Chapter 156: The Ashway Bazaar (10)
As soon as Silvena finished her part, Ruvian did not waste the chance she made. He stepped forward hurriedly, moving straight toward the demons with a heavy feeling of danger around him.
With a faint flash of light, the blade he had acquired from the auction materialized in his grasp, drawn forth from his dimensional ring.
Tightening his grip around the hilt, Ruvian slowly lowered the blade’s tip toward the demons before him.
"So, why do you demons seek this scroll? What is so special about it?"
For a passing instant, the demons fell into silence.
Their expressions grew rigid upon hearing his statement, clearly unprepared for their disguise to be uncovered so effortlessly.
None of them confessed, yet none attempted to deny it either.
But their hesitation alone was already an answer.
"D-demons... what do you mean by that?" one of them asked, his voice laced with unease.
Ruvian silently studied their reaction.
’They really are a pitiful band of liars.’
A quiet sigh slipped from his lips as he began to channel his mana into the blade.
’Well, words serve little purpose now.’
The instant his mana flowed into the weapon, the blade responded at once.
Several unfamiliar runes manifested in the air before him. Ruvian’s gaze shifted briefly toward the floating symbols as he read the message.
[Kill 0/5 enemies to claim the new ownership of this blade]
For a split second, his attention drifted toward the runes.
But the demons did not let that moment pass. The instant they noticed his gaze shift away, several of them lunged forward immediately.
Some had already begun gathering mana within their palms, shaping spells as they charged at full speed, hoping to exploit that fleeting lapse in focus.
However, they had clearly misjudged the situation.
Ruvian had never once removed them from his awareness. The moment they moved, he immediately activated his spell.
[Body Enhancement]
His muscles tensed, his physical strength and speed rising in an instant. At the same time — now that his Spellcore had reached Tier 2 — he lifted his left hand and released another spell in rapid succession.
[Magic Barrier]
A broad, translucent barrier abruptly formed at his left side, solidified into place.
Three demons who had been charging forward while focusing on shaping their spells were unable to halt their momentum in time.
"Huh!??"
Bam!
Their bodies slammed heavily against the suddenly formed barrier, producing dull, forceful impacts as the translucent wall completely halted their advance.
Without reducing his pace, Ruvian propelled himself toward the right flank.
His figure swept swiftly across the lounge floor, as he rapidly closed the distance between himself and the remaining three enemies.
The other three demons advanced to intercept him at once. One lifted his arm, the bracelet on his wrist emitting a faint light that turned into a curved defensive layer surrounding his forearm.
Another lowered his stance, gripping a short blade in a reverse hold.
While the last shifted slightly to the side, twin daggers held low in his hands as he waited for an opening to strike.
As their mana began to stir, Ruvian carefully analysed the flow moving within their bodies. Each of them was reinforcing their muscles through the same spell.
[Body Enhancement]
Since their rank was below his, their Spellcore lacked the capacity to sustain multiple spells at once. Thus, they had committed themselves entirely to enhancing their physical abilities, leaving little room to cast anything further.
Though, unlike them, Ruvian did not share such a limitation.
’I need to restrain one of them, even if only for a moment...’
Gathering the mana within his Spellcore, Ruvian casted another spell.
[Bind]
A massive chain formed from condensed mana surged outward and coiled tightly around the demon wielding the daggers, locking his body firmly in place.
"Damn it, he can use [Bind]!"
Then, when they saw Ruvian charging toward their restrained ally, they assumed that he intended to eliminate the immobilised target first.
However, before the other two could properly react...
Ruvian abruptly altered his footing and redirected his advance toward the demon bearing the bracelet instead.
His eyes gleamed with murderous intent.
They had been completely deceived by his feint!
"Fuck!" one of them shouted in alarm.
The bracelet’s defensive radiance hastily expanded as the demon braced himself, attempting to withstand the incoming strike.
But the protection formed a moment too late.
Ruvian’s blade descended in a precise arc.
The hastily formed barrier shuddered for only an instant before splitting apart, unable to withstand the cut.
"Ehekk!!!"
A dull tremor ran through the weapon as the body stiffened.
[You have killed a Lesser Demon!]
[You have gained +1 Mana Resonance!]
’One down.’
Yet Ruvian couldn’t relax.
Sensing the incoming attack, he withdrew the blade in one fluid motion and turned at once to meet the strike from the demon wielding the short blade.
Clang!
The impact sent a firm vibration through his arm, yet his footing remained steady and unshaken. It was a trajectory far easier for Ruvian to anticipate and respond to.
Behind them, the demon restrained by his binding spell, finally broke free.
But that was the least he needed to be worried about.
At the very edge of his senses, Ruvian felt it again — that all-too-familiar crackling build-up of lightning magic gathering from the demons who had just managed to pick themselves up after slamming into the barrier.
"...Really?"
He didn’t even need to look.
That annoying, prickling sensation in the air said everything.
’No seriously... why is it always lightning spells?’ he complained inwardly.
’Do all my enemies not know any other magic? What happened to the classic fireball?’
Unfortunately, the demons didn’t seem interested in giving him time to complaint.
The spells were already forming.
"You. Be my shield."
Ruvian said coldly.
"Huh?"
Before the poor guy could even question why, Ruvian suddenly pulled his blade back and shifted his weight.
The demon, who had been putting his full commitment and weight into his short blade, lurched forward in complete imbalance.
Catching the moment of the demon’s imbalance moving towards him, Ruvian poured mana into his leg, and delivered a solid kick straight into the short blade wielder’s torso.
The impact was so clean, so powerful, that the demon didn’t even have time to process the betrayal before he was launched forward directly into the path of the incoming lightning spell.
The spell struck him a moment later.
For some reason, the scene felt oddly familiar to Ruvian.
Almost nostalgic, even.
"ARGHHHHH!!"
Yeah...
Definitely familiar.
Electric arcs burst violently across the demon’s body, locking his muscles as the current surged through him.
But Ruvian wasn’t done yet. He lifted his hand and condensed a thin stream of mana into a narrow projectile.
Then, he unleashed [Magic Missile].
The thin light pierced cleanly through the demon’s chest and killed him instantly. The body dropped dead, then slowly dissipated into ash, leaving behind a pair of dark horns.
The remaining demons immediately panicked and pulled back, hastily regrouping as they stared at him with tense expressions.
"Shit!" they cursed.
None of their attacks had worked.
Not a single one.
And in merely under one minute of exchange, two of their companions had already fallen!
Even the numbers of Elite and Lesser Demons didn’t stand a chance against him. They needed more than just 6. And now that they were reduced to 4... they had no more numerical advantage with them.
Ruvian stood calmly, the katana hanging loosely at his side as his gaze swept across them with chilling indifference.
"Come."
He said quietly.
"If you do not wish to, then I will."
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[Chapter 156: The Ashway Bazaar (10)
