Chapter 348: The Will to Survive

Yuuta charged straight into the approaching army, his dark-green aura surging around his exhausted body as he swung his sword toward the first demon blocking his path.

SLASH!

The blade tore across the demon’s neck before it could properly raise its shield. Yuuta immediately twisted his body, avoiding a spear from the side, and drove his sword into another demon’s chest. He kicked the creature away and continued forward, cutting down two more soldiers before the surrounding demons finally managed to close the distance.

BANG!

A massive shield struck him directly in the chest.

"GAH!"

Yuuta was launched backward, his feet leaving the ground before he crashed onto the black stone and rolled several meters across the ritual formation. Pain spread through his chest as he struggled to regain his balance, but the demons were already rushing toward him.

"Shit!"

He rolled sideways just as a spear struck the ground where his head had been. Another weapon followed immediately, forcing him to twist his body again before scrambling back onto his feet.

Something had changed.

The demons were no longer hesitating or approaching him cautiously. The Warden’s promise of recognition from the Demon King had driven them into a frenzy. Every soldier wanted to be the one who captured him, and their attacks had become far more aggressive than before.

These bastards are getting even more desperate than me!

Yuuta barely managed to deflect another sword when a large shadow suddenly passed over him.

He looked up.

Several winged demons were descending from above.

"Oh, come on!"

The first demon swooped toward him with its claws extended. Yuuta ducked beneath the attack, but before he could recover, another descended from behind. He threw himself sideways, narrowly avoiding its talons as they scraped against the stone.

Then a third demon came diving toward him.

Yuuta watched its approach carefully.

Wait...

Unlike the heavily armored soldiers surrounding him, the flying demons appeared considerably lighter. Their advantage came from their speed and ability to attack from above, but their bodies weren’t nearly as well protected as those of the demons fighting on the ground.

An idea crossed his mind.

Maybe I can use them.

The next flying demon descended toward him.

Yuuta waited until the creature was almost within reach before suddenly jumping forward and grabbing one of its legs.

"What?!"

The demon cried out in surprise as Yuuta’s weight dragged its body downward. Its wings beat furiously, and for a moment, both of them nearly crashed into the soldiers below.

But the creature managed to recover.

With several powerful wingbeats, it began rising into the air, carrying Yuuta along with it.

"LET GO OF ME, HUMAN!"

Yuuta ignored the shouting and tightened his grip around the demon’s ankle.

Below them, several soldiers looked up in disbelief as the Great Divine Sacrifice was suddenly carried above the battlefield. Other winged demons immediately changed direction and began pursuing them, their weapons raised as they attempted to surround the human in midair.

The demon carrying Yuuta twisted violently.

"I SAID LET GO!"

It shook its leg repeatedly, trying to throw him off, but Yuuta refused to release his grip. His injured arm burned from the strain, and he could already feel his fingers beginning to weaken.

Just a little higher...

He glanced toward another winged demon approaching from below.

There!

Yuuta raised the sword in his free hand.

SLASH!

The blade severed the demon’s lower leg.

"AAAAARGH!"

The creature screamed as Yuuta released his grip and began falling through the air. Blood scattered behind him while the wounded demon struggled to maintain its flight.

Yuuta immediately twisted his body toward the second demon.

As it passed beneath him, he reached out and caught it around the neck.

"What the hell?!"

The unexpected weight pulled the creature downward.

"GET OFF ME!"

It thrashed violently, twisting its body and beating its wings in an attempt to shake him loose. Yuuta’s injured arm screamed in protest, but he held on long enough to raise his sword.

"Sorry, but I need a ride!"

He drove the blade into the demon’s head.

The creature’s body immediately went limp.

Yuuta pushed himself away before it could drag him down, using the falling corpse to change his direction. He landed briefly against another passing demon, kicked off its back, and dropped toward the ground.

THUD!

He landed heavily among the soldiers, bending his knees to absorb the impact before immediately rolling away from an incoming spear.

There was no elegance in the way he fought anymore.

Yuuta wasn’t trying to display his swordsmanship or overpower the demons through strength. He was using anything he could reach—fallen bodies, discarded weapons, the soldiers’ own attacks, and even the flying demons themselves.

Every movement was an attempt to survive another second.

He knew perfectly well that he couldn’t defeat the army surrounding him. His body was already reaching its limit, and the longer he remained on the ground, the more difficult it became to avoid being surrounded.

But he had noticed something useful.

The demons fighting on the ground were stronger and better armored, while the flying demons relied more heavily on their mobility. Their lighter bodies made them easier to injure when they came close enough.

And most importantly, the ground soldiers couldn’t reach him easily when he was airborne.

Then I’ll use them whenever I get the chance.

Yuuta avoided another attack and leaped toward a winged demon flying low above the formation. His sword struck its wing, causing the creature to lose balance, and he immediately used its falling body as a foothold to launch himself toward another.

But this time, the second demon was ready.

It folded its wings and dropped suddenly, slipping beneath Yuuta’s outstretched hand.

What?!

Yuuta missed.

For a moment, he was suspended in the air with nothing beneath him.

Then gravity took hold.

"Shit!"

He twisted desperately and landed against the shoulder of a heavily armored soldier below. Both of them crashed to the ground, and Yuuta barely managed to roll away before a spear struck the stone beside his head.

He scrambled back onto his feet.

Above him, the winged demons had begun changing their tactics.

"Don’t let him grab you!"

"Keep your distance!"

"Attack from above! Force him back toward the soldiers!"

The creatures spread apart, no longer diving recklessly into his reach. Instead, they circled overhead, forcing Yuuta to watch the sky while the soldiers on the ground continued advancing.

Yuuta clicked his tongue.

Of course they figured it out.

His earlier trick had worked because the demons hadn’t expected a human to use them as a means of escaping the soldiers below. Now that they understood what he was doing, repeating it would only put him in greater danger.

A winged demon suddenly descended from behind.

Yuuta turned just in time to avoid its claws, but another soldier immediately attacked from the front.

CLANG!

He blocked the sword, only for a spear to thrust toward his side.

Yuuta twisted away, but the movement sent a sharp pain through his injured arm. His grip weakened for a moment, and he was forced to retreat rather than counterattack.

Damn it...

He was running out of options.

High above the Black Eclipse Circle, the Upper Blood Demons watched the spectacle with growing interest.

"Remarkable, don’t you think?"

The Salesman Demon spoke with an amused smile as Yuuta narrowly avoided another attack.

"He’s clearly aware that he can’t defeat them, yet he keeps finding ways to survive. I must admit, I didn’t expect this much from our little sacrifice."

The Jester Demon chuckled beside him.

"Of course. That fighting spirit reminds me of a certain bitch."

The Salesman Demon glanced toward him.

"Oh? Who?"

"The vampire."

The Jester Demon’s smile widened as he remembered the woman who had caused him so much trouble in the human world.

"That stubborn woman was the same. No matter how badly things went for her, she kept struggling until the very end."

"Bullshit."

Mae-hwa’s voice interrupted their conversation.

She lowered her fan slightly, her pink eyes remaining fixed on Yuuta.

"He’s nothing like that vampire."

The Jester Demon turned toward her.

"And what makes you say that?"

"Just look at him."

Mae-hwa smiled behind her fan as Yuuta narrowly avoided another attack.

"Even covered in blood, he’s still so handsome. That face, those eyes, and the way he keeps fighting despite his condition... How wonderfully manly."

She released a delighted sigh.

"Honestly, it’s almost a shame that we have to sacrifice someone so beautiful."

Ragnar snorted.

"You’re watching his face?"

Mae-hwa slowly turned toward him.

"And what exactly are you watching?"

"His fighting, obviously."

Ragnar leaned forward, resting his enormous arms against his knees.

"Look at him. No proper technique, no discipline, and barely enough strength to hold that sword. He’s surviving by grabbing whatever he can reach."

Mae-hwa smiled.

"And yet you haven’t taken your eyes off him either."

Ragnar’s grin widened.

"Because I want to see how long he lasts."

"How amusing. So you do find him interesting."

"Don’t twist my words, woman."

Mae-hwa laughed softly behind her fan.

Before Ragnar could respond, Zanki spoke.

"Both of you, be quiet for a moment."

His calm voice brought their exchange to an end.

Zanki hadn’t taken his eyes off Yuuta.

The human was still fighting.

From a distance, his movements almost made him appear unstoppable. Every time the soldiers believed they had surrounded him, Yuuta somehow found another opening. Whenever a flying demon attempted to capture him, he turned its own movement against it.

But Zanki was watching more carefully than the others.

At the beginning of the battle, Yuuta had relied on direct attacks and sudden movements to overpower the lower demons. When the soldiers began coordinating their formations, he had changed his approach, using their numbers against them.

Then, when the winged demons joined the battle, he had immediately recognized their weakness and attempted to exploit it.

He wasn’t repeating the same movements.

He was learning from every exchange.

So that’s how he fights...

Zanki narrowed his eyes.

There was something unusual about the human’s instincts. His swordsmanship lacked refinement, yet he adjusted his movements remarkably quickly whenever the situation changed.

However, Zanki also noticed something else.

Yuuta was slowing down.

His breathing had become uneven, and the dark-green aura surrounding his body was beginning to fluctuate. His sword arm trembled whenever he completed an attack, while his legs occasionally failed to respond quickly enough when he attempted to change direction.

He wasn’t recovering.

He was simply forcing his exhausted body to continue moving.

He’s reached his limit.

Zanki rested his chin against one hand.

At this rate, it won’t be long.

Below them, the Warden had reached a similar conclusion.

He stood near the edge of the formation, watching Yuuta struggle against the soldiers and winged demons surrounding him.

"That troublesome bastard..."

The Warden narrowed his eyes.

He had expected the human to be captured within minutes, yet Yuuta had somehow managed to prolong the battle by exploiting the differences between the ground soldiers and their airborne counterparts.

However, the Warden could also see that the human’s strength was nearly exhausted.

"It looks like I’ll have to finish this myself."

He stepped forward, preparing to intervene.

But before he could move, something happened above the battlefield.

Yuuta had just avoided another spear when a winged demon descended toward him. He ducked beneath its claws and used the brief opening to leap toward a second creature flying several meters ahead.

His sword was raised.

He had already judged the distance.

Just a little closer...

Then his body suddenly failed him.

"...Huh?"

Yuuta’s eyes widened.

His sword arm faltered midway through the movement.

He tried correcting his position, but his shoulder refused to respond quickly enough. The green aura surrounding his body flickered, and a sudden weakness spread through his arms and legs.

What...?

He attempted to twist his body in midair.

His muscles responded too slowly.

The flying demon passed directly beneath him.

Yuuta missed it completely.

And began falling.

Shit!

He struggled to bring his legs beneath him, but his exhausted body wouldn’t obey properly. The ground rushed toward him as the surrounding demons looked up, several stepping aside when they realized the human was falling directly toward them.

BANG!

Yuuta crashed into one of the demons before both bodies struck the black stone.

The impact knocked the air from his lungs.

"GAH...!"

He rolled off the creature and landed on his side, his sword slipping from his fingers and scraping across the ground several feet away.

For a moment, Yuuta couldn’t understand what had happened.

His vision blurred, and a sharp ringing filled his ears as he struggled to draw another breath.

"Shit...!"

He planted one hand against the stone and tried pushing himself upright.

His arm trembled violently.

He managed to raise his chest a few inches before his strength gave out, sending him collapsing against the ground again.

Come on...

Yuuta clenched his teeth and tried once more.

His fingers moved.

His arm bent slightly.

But the moment he attempted to support his weight, his muscles gave way.

No...

He tried gathering his aura, hoping the familiar energy would give him enough strength to stand. A faint trace of green flickered beneath his skin, but it disappeared almost immediately.

Only then did he understand.

His body had finally reached its limit.

Days of imprisonment, hunger, thirst, and repeated injuries had already left him in terrible condition. Yet he had continued forcing aura through his muscles, demanding more strength from a body that had almost nothing left to give.

Now, even the smallest movement required an effort he could barely manage.

Yuuta lay on the bloodstained stone, breathing heavily as he stared toward his fallen sword.

It was only a short distance away.

He stretched his trembling hand toward it.

Just... a little more...

His fingers scraped against the ground.

But he couldn’t reach it.

Around him, the demons were already closing in.

Their earlier caution had disappeared. The moment they realized the human could no longer stand, hundreds of soldiers began rushing toward him, each desperate to be the first to capture the Great Divine Sacrifice and claim the reward promised by the Warden.

"HE’S DOWN!"

"GET HIM!"

"THE REWARD IS MINE!"

Their excited shouts overlapped as they pushed past one another, some even shoving their fellow soldiers aside in their eagerness to reach him.

Yuuta watched them approach.

He wanted to get up. He wanted to grab his sword and fight again, even if it meant facing every demon in the kingdom. But no matter how desperately he struggled, his exhausted body could barely respond.

So... it’s over.

His crimson eyes slowly moved toward the approaching soldiers.

Above the Black Eclipse Circle, the Upper Blood Demons continued watching from their observation platform.

"Well, that was quite a performance, wasn’t it?"

The Jester Demon leaned back in his seat, his usual grin stretching across his face.

"I must admit, I enjoyed that more than I expected."

The Salesman Demon chuckled beside him.

"Indeed. Even at the very end, he continued fighting like a warrior. Quite impressive for a human in his condition."

"Warrior? Bullshit."

Ragnar Graves snorted, folding his enormous arms across his chest.

"That wasn’t swordsmanship. He was just swinging that weapon around and grabbing whatever he could reach. There wasn’t a shred of honor in the way he fought."

He glanced toward Zanki.

"Don’t you agree, Lord Zanki?"

Zanki didn’t answer immediately.

His eyes remained fixed on Yuuta, who lay on the ritual grounds while the surrounding soldiers hurried toward him.

After several seconds, he finally spoke.

"No. I don’t agree."

Ragnar raised an eyebrow.

"Huh?"

Zanki leaned back slightly, his expression remaining calm.

"That human understood perfectly well that he couldn’t win. He had no proper swordsmanship, no advantage in numbers, and barely enough strength to remain standing. Yet he continued fighting by using everything available to him."

His gaze returned to the bloodied sword lying beside Yuuta.

"He didn’t fight for honor. He fought because he wanted to survive."

The surrounding demons fell silent as Zanki continued.

"And more importantly, he learned. Every time his opponents changed their approach, he adjusted his own. He didn’t have the luxury of relying on a superior technique, so he found another way."

Zanki paused.

"If that human weren’t so important to the ritual, I might have offered him a place among my subordinates."

"What?"

The Salesman Demon turned toward him in surprise.

Even the Jester Demon’s smile faltered slightly.

None of them had expected Zanki to express such interest in a human, much less openly consider recruiting one.

Ragnar stared at him for a moment before dismissively waving his hand.

"Whatever. It’s over now."

He turned his attention back toward the ritual grounds.

Below them, the first group of soldiers was only a few steps away from reaching Yuuta.

Then—

An unfamiliar presence descended upon the entire Abyssal Sanctum.

The change was instantaneous.

A tremendous pressure swept across the Black Eclipse Circle, spreading through the surrounding platforms, pillars, and passageways until the entire ritual ground seemed to tremble beneath its weight.

Yuuta’s crimson eyes widened.

What... is that?

Even in his weakened state, he could feel it.

Something terrifying had arrived.

The pressure was so overwhelming that his instincts immediately warned him of danger. His heart began pounding violently, and for a moment, he felt as though something far beyond his understanding was watching over the entire sanctum.

The demons rushing toward him suddenly stopped.

Their excited shouting vanished.

One soldier dropped his weapon.

Then another.

Within seconds, the same demons who had been fighting one another for the chance to capture Yuuta were lowering themselves to the ground.

THUD! THUD! THUD!

Hundreds of knees struck the black stone.

The winged demons descended from the sky and bowed their heads. The heavily armored commanders stationed around the formation immediately knelt, followed by the priests who had been overseeing the ritual.

Even the Warden dropped to one knee, his expression filled with nervous respect.

Not far from the central altar, Valthor hurriedly lowered himself to the ground, pressing his head down in reverence.

Above them, the Upper Blood Demons reacted just as quickly.

Ragnar’s grin disappeared.

He rose from his seat and lowered himself to one knee. The Salesman Demon, Jester Demon, and Mae-hwa followed, bowing their heads toward the highest platform overlooking the ritual grounds.

Even Zanki, who had remained composed throughout the battle, stood and knelt without hesitation.

Yuuta watched everything in disbelief.

What the hell...?

The entire Abyssal Sanctum had fallen silent.

Thousands of demons, from the lowest soldiers to the powerful Upper Blood Demons, were now kneeling with their heads lowered.

Yuuta lay on the bloodstained stone, struggling to understand what could possibly command such obedience.

Then—

BWOOOOOOOM!

A tremendous trumpet blast echoed throughout the sanctum.

The deep sound rolled across the ritual grounds, reverberating between the enormous black pillars and ancient structures before slowly fading into the distance.

Immediately afterward, a thunderous voice rang out from the highest platform.

"ALL KNEEL!"

The announcement echoed throughout the Abyssal Sanctum.

"HIS MAJESTY, THE DEMON KING, HAS ARRIVED!"

Yuuta’s crimson eyes widened.

His breathing stopped for a brief moment as he stared toward the direction from which the overwhelming presence was approaching.

...The Demon King?

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To be continued.