Chapter 25
Mitchel gripped his sword, sharpening his senses, but he couldn't feel anything in the immediate vicinity.
It was then that Kahlian spoke up.
[Go over there, by the side of the tent.]
Following his guidance, Mitchel moved toward the tent and spotted massive footprints.
Beside them, vivid claw marks were etched into a nearby rock.
[Judging by the footprints and claw marks, it’s a Mad Bear.]
"……So, a bear-type demonic beast?"
What kind of bear leaves claw marks on a rock?
Mitchel tentatively struck the rock with his sword, which was coated in Sky-Piercing Flash.
Clang—
Sparks flew, leaving only a faint scratch.
It definitely wasn't a soft rock.
Doesn't that mean this Mad Bear's claws are as sharp as his own sword when enhanced by Sky-Piercing Flash?
Mitchel felt a shiver run down his spine.
[Most demonic beasts are like this, but the Mad Bear is exceptionally violent. Its body is so sturdy it’s as if it's clad in steel.]
"……Is it as strong as the Nightmare Horse?"
[Even dozens of Mad Bears wouldn't be able to defeat a Nightmare Horse.]
Oh? Hearing it put that way made it sound doable.
Mitchel’s shoulders squared as a sudden surge of confidence filled him.
[It should be roughly on par with you right now. But since its body is so tough, you might find yourself pushed back.]
"That’s the level? Perfect. Master, you did tell me to catch various demonic beasts, after all."
[……I truly can't tell if you have a massive heart or a tiny one.]
"Since it’s already stopped by here once, it might come back again. I’d rather hunt it down than lose sleep over it."
[That is true.]
Mitchel finished his simple meal, grabbed his sword, and stood up.
It was time to hunt the Mad Bear.
[I’ll help you track it.]
Thanks to Kahlian, who had hunted demonic beasts for a long time, Mitchel was able to find the right direction easily.
Whenever he encountered a new beast along the way, he welcomed the chance to start a hunt.
Wasn't catching a variety of beasts exactly what he needed right now?
Thwack!
He took down a Mantis beast.
Squelch—
He slew a Toad beast.
Boom!
He even caught a Monkey beast.
‘The itching sensation is definitely getting stronger!’
Just as Kahlian said, the more varieties of demonic beasts he hunted, the more it acted as a stimulus.
Because of this, Mitchel was walking while lost in deep thought.
Meanwhile, Kahlian, who was observing him, shook his head.
[Already making progress?]
As if wanting to show it off, Mitchel’s Dark Aura was constantly surging.
The boy himself didn't seem to notice, as he was too busy walking while buried in his thoughts.
[I thought it would take at least another month, but it looks like he’ll break through the wall within a few days…….]
Kahlian had pointed him in the right direction for enlightenment, but he hadn't expected him to feel something so quickly.
The reason he told him to catch different types of beasts was so he would realize the differences in their souls.
The key wasn't the external differences seen with the eyes, but feeling the essence of the soul each beast possessed.
And yet, after moving for half a day and catching several different beasts, he already seemed to have grasped the feeling.
[Hmm, so that’s how it is.]
In that case, as a master, he couldn't just stand by.
The training hadn't exactly been 'hellish' enough to live up to its name, had it?
Kahlian quickly scanned the surroundings.
[Go to the right.]
Even at the sudden order, Mitchel turned without much of a reaction.
He was currently in a semi-trance state.
Kahlian had seen many people fall into a trance through repetitive actions like swinging a sword, but falling into one while constantly moving and engaging in combat was nearly impossible.
It meant Mitchel’s concentration was that extraordinary.
[There is a new beast over there. The weakness of the Iron Horn Insect is the joints of its body.]
“…….”
Mitchel moved immediately.
Flying forward with Ghost Soul Step, he unleashed the Sky-Piercing Vibration.
The ground shook, and the Iron Horn Insect trembled in surprise.
Drawing his sword, Mitchel coated it in Sky-Piercing Flash and lunged.
Clang!
However, the Iron Horn Insect lowered its massive horn to block the sword.
Clang, clang, clang!
Every time Mitchel attacked, it swung its horn, and they traded several blows as if they were competing in swordsmanship.
But Mitchel had more than just the Sky-Piercing Flash.
Using the Ghostly Walk, he moved to the insect's side in an instant.
Screee?
The Iron Horn Insect was flustered by Mitchel’s sudden disappearance.
But the sword was already approaching its flank.
Stab—
Screeeek!
As the Sky-Piercing Flash accurately pierced the joint in the hard shell, the Iron Horn Insect died instantly.
Mitchel immediately absorbed the soul and examined it.
Even during that time, his steps never ceased.
Kahlian, just as before, set the direction and had him move toward a new beast.
Two hours passed, then four.
Night had fallen deep, but Kahlian didn't tell him to rest.
And Mitchel didn't ask, either.
In the face of the approaching enlightenment, he had forgotten all about hunger and the need for sleep.
Kahlian watched Mitchel’s physical condition closely, making him take breaks only when it seemed he was overexerting himself.
[Let's take a break.]
“…….”
Once the break was over, the cycle of moving began again.
The next day was the same, and the day after that.
Only then did Kahlian let out a hollow laugh in disbelief.
[He’s a madman. A total madman.]
No one would suit the term 'Sword Demon' better than this boy.
But he was also a bit worried.
If Kahlian hadn't been guiding the path properly, Mitchel would have already run into a powerful beast and died.
It was the same back with the Raphel family.
[I'll have to give him a warning later.]
Later, of course.
Right now, Dark Aura was boiling within Mitchel’s body. It fluctuated as if it were about to explode at any moment.
It was reacting to Mitchel’s inner self.
That meant he wasn't far from breaking through the wall.
And above all else…….
[Disciple, the Mad Bear is nearby.]
Mitchel’s figure immediately lunged forward.
Kahlian quickly examined the traces.
The Mad Bear's footprints were deeply gouged. Just moving normally wouldn't leave such a trail.
[It seems to be chasing something.]
With any luck, he might be able to finish the hunt by taking advantage of the situation.
But Kahlian’s thought vanished before long.
It was because more and more footprints of various beasts began to appear.
[There’s no way this many different types of demonic beasts would gather to fight like this…….]
Besides the traces of the Mad Bear, there were Blood Wolves and Blood Marsh Toads gathered. On top of that, the cries of Black-Eyed Birds were mixed in.
Looking at them individually, the only one difficult for the current Mitchel to handle was the Mad Bear, but a bloody battle was taking place out of season.
It didn't hurt to be careful.
[Go slowly. It seems something has happened. Hey! I told you to go slowly!]
But Mitchel didn't slow down.
Even in his trance, he instinctively realized that the energy of the new beasts wasn't that strong.
Arriving at the center of the incident, a strange sight was unfolding.
“Krrraaaaa!”
Because of the dozen or so demonic beasts, the person's face wasn't visible, but he could tell some beggar was fighting the beasts while making animal-like noises.
All the beasts were attacking only the beggar.
The beggar was fighting the beasts with his bare fists.
Sometimes, he even bit the beasts' necks with his teeth.
As his face was revealed, grime was streaking down it.
[Hoho, it seems he’s a human who has wandered the Demonic Realm for quite a while. But he looks just like…… my descendant…….]
“Eh? Grant?”
Seeing Grant suddenly appear, Mitchel’s concentration broke.
Why on earth was he here, and what was with that state he was in?
“Now isn’t the time for this.”
Mitchel first lunged toward the place where Grant was fighting.
Grant was suffering attacks from the Mad Bear, Blood Wolves, and Blood Marsh Toads, while simultaneously handling the attacks of the Black-Eyed Birds that were constantly looking for openings from the air.
His entire body was already covered in blood, making him a 'blood-man.'
It didn't look like he could hold out for much longer.
Mitchel stepped down with all his might.
His body soared high. He fired a Sky-Piercing Flash toward the sky.
Squelch—
The Black-Eyed Bird that was diving toward Grant was sliced apart by the Sky-Piercing Flash and fell to the ground.
But there were still more birds left.
To lighten Grant’s burden, Mitchel fired successive Sky-Piercing Flashes, and soon all the Black-Eyed Birds were fallen.
[The Black-Eyed Bird is nothing special other than its ability to fly. Focus, as the ones left are strong demonic beasts.]
Mitchel nodded and quickly absorbed the souls of the birds.
In that moment, a powerful sensation hit him.
The thoughts he had accumulated expanded, and he found something different in the soul of the Black-Eyed Bird.
‘It’s light, and it smells of dry wind, and it feels blue…….’
These were all things he felt from the bird's soul.
While exploring the souls of beasts until now, he only knew there was some 'different' feeling.
But for the first time, the feeling of the soul became clear.
Mitchel realized this was exactly what Kahlian wanted him to know.
‘Just a little more…….’
Mitchel called forth the Despairing God and stepped into the Ghostly Walk.
Screeeeee—
Souls let out a ghostly scream as they gathered at the sword.
A strong attraction arose between the Despairing God and the Sky-Piercing Flash.
The blurry soul became clearer to see, and his control over it improved.
Mitchel felt that he could go even further from here.
He infused even more energy, and the Sky-Piercing Flash became more compressed and dense.
The Despairing God also became distinct. Mitchel raised his sword.
A powerful force he had never experienced before dwelt in the sword, his body, and the Despairing God.
And in that moment, Mitchel swung his sword down.
Pang—
The sound of air exploding could be heard due to the incredible speed.
The power of the Sky-Piercing Flash was enhanced as much as that sound.
A nearby pack of Blood Marsh Toads was sliced apart.
Mitchel immediately reached out his palm to absorb the new souls.
‘Damp, and moist. I can see a mud-like color, too.’
It was even clearer than before.
He wanted to check just one more time. He felt like he would know for sure then.
He lunged at a nearby Blood Wolf and blew its head off.
Blood sprayed as the headless corpse collapsed to the ground.
Immediately absorbing the soul, Mitchel checked the Blood Wolf's soul and his mouth dropped open.
‘Ah…….’
Now he could see it perfectly, smell it, and feel it.
It felt as if he had gained a sixth sense.
Mitchel turned his head to look at the Mad Bear.
Things he could only know after absorbing a soul were now felt just by looking at the creature.
Mitchel clenched and unclenched his hand.
The muscles of his body tingled. The explosively writhing Dark Aura woke up the cells in his entire body.
He had become stronger.
He had crossed the wall.
Mitchel shuddered, took a deep breath, and slowly let it out.
This emotion was a feast to be enjoyed after the battle was over.
Screeeeeek!
As his understanding increased, several processes required to decompose souls into Dark Aura vanished.
Thanks to that, as soon as he absorbed a soul, it immediately became Dark Aura and stacked in his Aura Hole.
The Aura Hole, which had been nearly empty, filled up.
Mitchel raised his sword and lunged toward the Mad Bear. The more powerful Sky-Piercing Flash struck the creature's body.
Clang!
Even though it hit the hide, it made the sound of hard objects colliding. Mitchel swung his sword again.
If one time wasn't enough, he could do it as many times as needed.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sword swung continuously.
The Mad Bear's skin began to peel off bit by bit.
The creature had tried to ignore Mitchel to focus on the stronger enemy, Grant, but it turned its head as the pain grew.
“Mitchel! Watch out!”
Eventually, the Mad Bear lunged at Mitchel to deal with the small fry first.
But Grant wasn't about to just stand by and watch.
Taking the attacks of the remaining Blood Wolves and Toads with his body, Grant threw punches at the Mad Bear's face.
[There should be a blister on the back of its neck. That is the weakness.]
Nodding, Mitchel kicked off the ground and soared into the air.
Thud—
Landing on the Mad Bear's back, Mitchel compressed the Sky-Piercing Flash to its limit and quickly scanned the back of its neck.
As Kahlian said, there was a blister about the size of an adult's fist.
He thrust the sword he held in a reverse grip toward that spot.
Stab—
Mitchel’s sword pierced through the blister and dug deep into the torso.
Roooaaaaar—
Thud!
With a ragged roar, the Mad Bear collapsed onto the ground.
