Chapter 202. The Frozen Land (4)
“Allow me to introduce myself first, Constellations.”
Speaking in an elegant voice, Crocell threw open the door of the frozen cabin.
“I am Crocell, Number 49 of the Seventy-Two Demons of Pandemonium, a Duke with command authority over forty-eight legions. Long ago, I was an angel, just like Lucifer and Belial.”
As he stepped inside, Crocell fluttered the wings on his back.
Even after falling and becoming a demon, Crocell had retained an appearance closer to an angel’s.
“I’ve always been very interested in Constellations. That’s why I’ve done everything I could to make contact with them.”
“I’ve even achieved some success.”
As he spoke, Crocell glanced behind him.
The ‘King of Avengers,’ who had been standing outside, had already vanished.
He was probably hiding somewhere and observing the situation.
“But... this is the first time I’ve ever had the opportunity to fight Constellations directly.”
Crocell turned his attention back toward the cabin.
“So I’m quite excited.”
“I’ve always wondered how exactly you people fight.”
The surroundings were silent.
There should have been four people inside the cabin, but there was no response whatsoever.
“Don’t tell me you already froze to death. Hmm?”
Crocell took one step forward.
At that instant, water burst from beneath his feet.
“Princess Longji!”
The water moved like slime and tried to bind Crocell’s legs.
Immediately afterward, the four people who had seemingly vanished from the cabin appeared.
They had positioned themselves to attack Crocell from both sides.
“Yang Jian’s illusion!”
Yang Jian and Princess Longji were on the right.
Alexei Sivedov and the unknown human man were on the left.
Their attacks had already begun.
Magic-like attacks flew from the right, while an axe and a staff came in from the left.
But the next instant, Crocell kicked off the floor and leaped lightly into the air.
The water that had been holding his feet scattered in every direction.
“My ability is controlling water!”
The blizzard raging beyond the open doorway surged into the cabin.
The snow instantly melted and became a thick wall of water around Crocell.
“Princess Longji! You’re a Constellation who rules water, aren’t you?”
“And I heard Yang Jian is a god who controls water as well!”
“What a fascinating coincidence!”
“To think someone like me, who controls water, would get to fight water-related Constellations!”
“What a noisy demon...!”
Princess Longji shouted.
A massive ‘mass’ of water surged toward Crocell.
But it froze midway.
Without ever reaching him, it crashed onto the floor and shattered.
“And controlling the temperature of water is another one of my specialties!”
"...!"
The water circling Crocell evaporated into steam.
His surroundings instantly became hazy like fog.
Within that cover, Crocell moved.
“Ghk!”
Alexei hurriedly swung his axe.
But Crocell seemed to pay him no attention at all.
His targets were Yang Jian and Princess Longji.
The two Constellations.
So today, I finally get to fulfill my dream!
Delighted at finally being able to hunt Constellations, Crocell raised the sword of ice in his hand.
The next instant...
a massive staff came flying in from the side and blasted Crocell straight out of the cabin.
I smashed Crocell with the Ruyi Jingu Bang hard enough to destroy the cabin wall along with him.
The Ruyi Jingu Bang was originally the ultimate blunt weapon that had terrified countless monsters throughout Journey to the West.
No matter how powerful a Demon God-class demon was, taking a direct hit from this thing was not something they could shrug off.
Still, a Demon God-class demon showed up...
I retracted the Ruyi Jingu Bang and bit my lip.
A moment ago, Crocell had frozen the entire cabin.
If we had been unlucky, all of us could have frozen to death from that one attack.
Fortunately, Yang Jian had instantly deployed defensive Taoist arts and protected us.
We had been able to respond to Crocell’s ambush without suffering any damage.
“D-Duke Crocell!”
A large number of demons of various sizes were waiting outside.
The moment they saw what had happened to Crocell, they began moving frantically.
“Attack! Help Duke Crocell!”
“Kill the humans and the Constellations!”
There were quite a lot of them.
Seeing the demons charge, Alexei gritted his teeth.
“Damn bastards...!”
He raised his axe and confronted them.
As expected from a man who had once caught the Count’s eye, his movements were remarkably agile.
“Be careful!”
Yang Jian suddenly shouted.
Crocell, who had been buried in the snow by the Ruyi Jingu Bang, was getting back up with one hand raised.
“As expected of Constellations.”
“You’re quite impressive...!”
The instant Crocell shouted, arrows of ice began raining down from every direction.
While Yang Jian and Princess Longji blocked them, I charged toward Crocell with the Ruyi Jingu Bang.
“That weapon hurts quite a bit...!”
Crocell spread his wings and took flight.
But I didn’t let him escape.
I aimed the tip of the Ruyi Jingu Bang directly at him...
then extended it as though pulling a trigger.
“Ghk!”
The expanding staff struck Crocell in the chest.
He coughed up blood.
But then...
“It’s an illusion made of water, idiot.”
"...!"
Sensing a presence behind me, I hurriedly ducked.
An ice blade swept over my head.
“You dodged that?!”
Crocell, who had somehow moved behind me, stared in surprise.
“You can manipulate that weapon freely too.”
“You aren’t an ordinary human, are you?”
“Don’t tell me...!”
“You talk too much!”
I drove Crocell back with repeated strikes from the Ruyi Jingu Bang.
Yang Jian and Princess Longji supported me, and Crocell gradually began losing ground.
“Hmm!”
Impatience appeared on his face.
The average Demon God-class demon possessed superior raw specifications to an ordinary Constellation.
They were high-ranking beings who had existed since before humanity even flourished as a species.
But standing here right now were two S-rank Constellations and one A-rank Constellation.
And I possessed nearly 80 billion Origin Power.
I had become far stronger than before.
No matter how powerful Crocell was.
No matter how much this territory favored him.
It was impossible for him to gain the upper hand against us.
“Well now... this seems unfavorable.”
The subordinates he had brought were also being defeated by Alexei.
Crocell gradually began retreating.
“You won’t escape!”
Princess Longji skillfully manipulated water to block his retreat.
But immediately afterward...
Bang!
A single gunshot echoed through the forest.
“Princess Longji!”
“Ugh...!”
The bullet tore through Princess Longji’s right shoulder.
The water blocking Crocell’s escape scattered in every direction.
There’s someone here besides the demons!
I hurriedly scanned the surroundings.
An ordinary firearm could never injure a Constellation.
There was another dangerous existence nearby that I had failed to detect.
“Yang Jian! Protect Princess Longji!”
“Someone’s hiding in the forest!”
“I know! Damn it...!”
Yang Jian supported the staggering Princess Longji and deployed his Taoist arts.
