Chapter 357

Faced with Darkness’s attack, Host hurriedly dodged to the side.

CRASH!

Darkness’s enormous sword struck the ground with tremendous force, carving a massive trench half a meter deep into the dirt road. Rocks scattered in every direction as dust billowed into the air.

Host stared at the deep trench, a bead of cold sweat rolling down his forehead.

’W-What terrifying strength! Even I would get hurt if that attack connected!’

But there was one thing he simply couldn’t understand.

’WHY WAS HER AIM SO TERRIBLE?!’

Even if he hadn’t dodged, the sword would have missed him completely. His desperate attempt to evade had been entirely unnecessary!

Host was thoroughly bewildered.

In all his long years of existence, he had never encountered such a strange opponent.

Her defensive abilities were absurdly high, and her physical strength was equally terrifying, yet she apparently couldn’t hit anything.

And even more disturbing...

Did she actually enjoy getting beaten up?

While Host was still trying to make sense of the situation, Darkness had already raised her sword again and launched another frenzied assault.

"Hah! Hyaaah!"

She swung her enormous weapon with tremendous force, each strike generating a fierce gust of wind. Her attacks tore up the road, leaving craters and trenches everywhere while clouds of dust rose around them.

Unfortunately, every single swing somehow managed to avoid Host entirely.

Some struck the ground, while others sliced through empty air.

Watching from the carriage, Haruto wore a peculiar expression.

He had known about Darkness’s terrible accuracy for a long time, but actually witnessing it was something else entirely.

Host was an enormous target, and by this point, the demon had practically stopped bothering to dodge.

Yet Darkness still couldn’t land a single hit.

It was honestly ridiculous.

Just then, Haruto noticed movement beside him.

Cecily had quietly climbed down from the carriage and was cautiously approaching the battlefield.

As an Axis Cult priestess, she naturally regarded demons with considerable hostility. Clearly, she intended to involve herself in the fight.

"Aren’t you going to stop her?" Kagura asked, glancing toward Haruto.

"No need."

Haruto shook his head.

With Darkness and Chris present, Cecily was unlikely to encounter any serious danger.

Although the thought of an Axis Cult priestess fighting alongside Chris, who was secretly Goddess Eris herself, did feel rather strange.

Meanwhile, Chris had silently circled behind Host.

Her two daggers flashed like a serpent’s fangs as she thrust them toward the demon’s exposed back.

Sensing the danger, Host immediately spun around and raised his arm to intercept the attack.

Clang! Clang!

Two sharp metallic impacts rang out.

Chris’s daggers struck Host’s hardened arm but left only two shallow white marks on his skin.

"Tch."

Chris clicked her tongue and immediately retreated, putting some distance between herself and the demon.

An upper-class demon’s body really was frighteningly tough.

Ordinary weapons could barely inflict any meaningful damage on him.

"You two are seriously getting on my nerves!"

Host’s expression darkened.

These two inexplicable adventurers had finally exhausted his patience.

Feeling the tremendous pressure radiating from the demon, Darkness showed absolutely no fear.

Instead, her excitement intensified.

Her breathing quickened, and an almost feverish light appeared in her eyes.

"Come on! Show me even more of your incredible strength!"

She raised her enormous sword and charged toward Host once again.

"You’ve got a death wish."

Host snorted and abruptly drove his fist into the ground.

BOOOOM!

A tremendous force erupted from the point of impact, sending violent waves through the earth.

The ground beneath Darkness heaved so fiercely that she completely lost her balance.

Host immediately appeared directly in front of her and delivered a devastating punch to her abdomen.

THUD!

Darkness was sent flying.

She slammed into the trunk of an enormous tree with tremendous force.

CRACK!

The tree, which would have required two people to wrap their arms around it, snapped under the impact.

Its broken trunk crashed to the ground, throwing up an enormous cloud of dust.

"Darkness!"

Chris cried out and looked anxiously toward where her friend had fallen.

"Hmph. Pathetic."

Host dusted off his hands and sneered.

The words had barely left his mouth when a figure slowly rose from within the cloud of dust.

Darkness brushed wood chips and dirt from her armor.

Several obvious dents had appeared across the metal, yet her eyes were brighter and more feverish than ever.

"Amazing... incredible... So this is the power of an upper-class demon?"

A radiant smile spread across her face.

"Again! Hit me again!"

Host stared at her.

"..."

At this point, mere speechlessness could no longer describe what he was feeling.

On the carriage, Kagura stared at the ecstatic knight with genuine confusion.

"That woman... why is she so happy after getting hit? Is she actually enjoying it?"

"Because she’s an extreme masochist."

Haruto answered matter-of-factly.

"For Darkness, getting attacked by a powerful enemy might genuinely be one of the happiest things in the world."

Kagura didn’t entirely understand what that meant, but she was deeply shocked regardless.

Beside her, Kanna blinked several times before giving a faint, seemingly understanding nod.

While they were talking, a dazzling column of white light suddenly struck Host just as he was preparing to swipe at Chris.

"Sacred Exorcism!"

Cecily’s voice rang out immediately afterward.

The instant the light hit him, Host let out a muffled grunt of pain and staggered.

The skin across his shoulder had been scorched by sacred energy, sending wisps of black smoke into the air.

"You damned priest!"

Host whirled toward Cecily.

His attention had been entirely focused on Darkness and Chris, so he had never expected someone else to ambush him.

Worse still, she had used the sacred magic demons hated most.

Fury immediately surged through him.

Host beat his enormous bat-like wings, generating a fierce blast of wind as he charged straight toward Cecily.

Before he could reach her, however, Darkness rushed forward and planted herself firmly in his path.

"You won’t hurt her!"

Darkness shouted as she took Host’s attack head-on.

CLANG!

The tremendous impact drove her feet backward through the ground, carving two deep grooves into the dirt.

Even so, she remained firmly between Host and Cecily.

Host grew increasingly irritated.

He had no particularly effective answer for Darkness’s absurd defensive ability.

Fortunately, she was practically incapable of hitting him, which meant she posed very little actual threat.

Host raised an arm, preparing to knock her away again before dealing with the troublesome priestess.

But this time, Darkness did something he never expected.

Instead of swinging her sword, she suddenly threw the weapon aside, leaped upward, and hurled herself directly onto his back.

"Got you, demon!"

Darkness shouted excitedly.

Wrapping both arms around Host’s thick neck, she squeezed with every ounce of her strength.

"What?!"

Host suddenly felt his throat constrict as a terrifying force tightened around his neck, almost as though she were trying to snap it.

He thrashed violently, twisting and turning in an attempt to throw Darkness off.

But her grip remained ironclad.

No matter how violently he struggled, she refused to let go.

"GET OFF ME!"

Host roared furiously and repeatedly hammered his fists against Darkness.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Every blow made her body jolt.

Yet the smile on Darkness’s face only grew brighter and increasingly blissful.

"Harder! Hit me harder! Yes... that’s it...!"

Watching from the carriage, Kagura’s mouth twitched violently.

She now had a much deeper understanding of what Haruto meant by "masochist."

Still, Darkness’s durability truly was astonishing.

While Host was completely occupied with trying to dislodge her, Chris seized the opportunity.

Her figure blurred.

She appeared at Host’s side, and the dagger in her hand suddenly shone with a silver-white light.

Then she drove it viciously into his waist.

Shnk!

The blade sank deep into Host’s body.

He released a roar of pain as sacred energy surged from the dagger into him.

"Your dagger... has sacred power?!"

Host stared at Chris in disbelief.

Her earlier attacks hadn’t contained even the slightest sacred attribute.

Chris offered no explanation.

She might look like an ordinary thief, but she was a goddess.

Naturally, using sacred power was hardly difficult for her.

Cecily immediately followed up.

"Sacred Exorcism!"

Another column of brilliant white light shot forward and struck Host dead-on.

"GRAAAH!"

Host roared.

The actual damage was not especially severe, but sacred magic was unbearably unpleasant for a demon.

Finally pushed past his limit, Host violently flapped his wings and shot several dozen meters into the air with Darkness still clinging to his back.

Then, like a falling meteor, he plunged straight toward the ground.

BOOOOOOM!

A deafening explosion shook the earth.

Dust and shattered stones erupted outward as the impact blasted a crater more than ten meters across into the ground.

Darkness let out a muffled grunt as the tremendous impact finally tore her loose.

She was hurled through the air and crashed into the grass more than ten meters away.

Freed from her grip at last, Host climbed out of the crater, breathing heavily.

His body was now covered in wounds.

Ordinary physical injuries were not a serious problem for him and could recover relatively easily.

The sacred energy that had invaded his body, however, was another matter entirely.

Host looked at Darkness, who was already scrambling back to her feet, then at Chris searching for another opening and Cecily preparing to cast yet another spell.

A helpless expression crossed his face.

He seemed to be losing against the three of them.

But simply giving up was not in his nature.

Host decided to make one final attempt with magic.

He extended one hand.

A burning fireball roughly the size of a basketball condensed above his palm, radiating such intense heat that the surrounding air visibly distorted.

"Sea of Flames!"

Host roared and hurled the fireball forward.

It exploded into a towering wave of fire that swept toward Chris and Cecily.

"Look out!"

Chris shouted, grabbing Cecily and trying to retreat.

At that exact moment, Darkness charged forward and spread her arms wide, planting herself directly between the two girls and the incoming inferno.